And here would be the final chapter. I really do enjoy how everything turned out in the end, and that I was able to play around with Amuria's character some. I do hope that I did her a bit of justice and made her a bit more three dimensional than just "motto tsuyoku". In then end, I still keep rereading this, and am still pleased. I would be interested to know your thoughts as readers. Thank you for reading.

A sigh crossed her lips. "I will join you." She decided to change the subject. "How is Aaeru doing?"

"Better. I think her fever is starting to break. I don't know if it'll stay broken though. Yours didn't. She's not as warm as she was before, and she's stopped thrashing in her sleep."

"That's good."

"It is," replied Amuria, unsure of what else to say.

Amuria watched Neviril sipping the soup across the table. The meal had been eaten in silence thus far. Amuria picked up a piece of the bread and chewed thoughtfully. What could she say? She was content to watch Neviril eat her meal, and relish in the memories that she associated with her.

Neviril noticed her watching and set her spoon down. "Is something wrong, Amuria?"

Amuria shook her head. "No. I was just remembering something from when we first became Sibyllae. Do you remember that dinner?"

"Of course. I couldn't forget," replied Neviril, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"That mouse skittered across the room and Paraietta jumped higher than I'd seen her do."

"And then she lost her balance—"

"And tripped over Floe—"

"Who fell forward—"

"And fell face first into the roast chicken platter!" finished Amuria, laughing so hard that she was barely able to get the words out.

"She was a mess after that."

"That was only because the cook had used a different sauce for flavor."

"She smelled like it for days!" Neviril looked at Amuria's face, twisted in laughter, and she couldn't help but hold a hand to her mouth to hide the next round of laughter she knew was ready to burst out. Her body shook with the effort, which set Amuria off again.

The story had been the ice breaker the two had needed. The tension slowly dissipated from the air as they relaxed and finished their meal. Neviril related what had happened in the war, and how Simulacrum had lost in the end. Her voice threatened to break when she mentioned that the Chors were to be disbanded, and that the Sibyllae would no longer fly ever again.

"Those rats!" stated Amuria, slamming her cup down a bit harder than she had planned.

"Amuria!"

"Neviril, they took away everything that was dear to a Sibylla, dear to you. Didn't you tell me before that praying to the sky relaxed and calmed you?"

"I did."

"They took it from you. Couldn't you have stopped them?"

"We tried," mused Neviril, lowering her head. "We couldn't stop them in the end. They were threatened by us. They threw Aaeru and I into a cell because we hadn't gone to the Spring yet."

"If I could have, I would have tried."

"I'm not sure you could have, Amuria. Aaeru and I only escaped because of the foreign priestesses."

"I would have protected you, Neviril. I would have made sure that you would have been able to fly the Simoun for as long as you liked."

"You sound like Paraietta." A smile played on her lips as her hands rested on the table. She rubbed one hand with the other, her nervousness showing.

"I'm surprised Paraietta hadn't tried to do more."

"She had already gone to the Spring," reminded Neviril.

"That's not like her."

"It was. I think she realized that even if she had wanted to stay a Sibylla, her time was nearing an end. She chose to make a decision and take the step into adulthood."

Amuria looked up when she heard rustling from the bedroom. "I think Aaeru is awake. Why don't you go check on her?" suggested Amuria. "I'll bring in something for her to eat and some medicine."

The two parted ways. Amuria moved to the kitchen, following a routine that had become almost normal. First she prepared the herbs, and then the meal. She strained the vegetable and meat stew until she had only the broth, hoping that Aaeru's stomach might be able to handle some sort of nourishment now. Carefully placing it all on a tray, she headed for the bedroom.

Briefly, she wondered what it would be like to be with Neviril again. What would it be like to talk with her all the time, to care for her as she had before? What would it have been like to have supported Neviril, and have gone to the Spring together, choosing their gender at the same time. A flash of memory so brief crossed her mind. That kiss. That very first kiss they'd shared. How would it feel to kiss her once more?

She shook her head, clearing away the idea immediately. Pushing open the wooden door, she slipped inside with the tray. Upon entering, she found Neviril sitting on the edge of the edge. Her fingers combed through Aaeru's hair, which had been taken out of its buns. The look on her face was nothing but one of love. Amuria found the scene hard to take, but she wouldn't back away. With a heavy heart, she set the tray down.

Neviril looked up at her. "She was just turning and mumbling in her sleep. I sat down and began doing this, and she quieted down."

"Her fever must be causing it," answered Amuria. The thought from earlier niggled at her brain. She pushed it away. She was curious, but she couldn't.

"I guess the food will have to be saved for later. I'm sure she'll wake up soon," replied Neviril, standing and facing Amuria.

Behind them, Aaeru had begun to stir, but neither noticed her. She made no movement, but opened her eyes slowly. Her mind was still groggy, and she heard voices, familiar ones. Her vision was a bit blurred and she struggled to emerge into full consciousness.

Neviril was making it all too easy, Amuria thought. She had to know. She reached out, taking one of Neviril's hands in her own. Neviril looked down at her in surprise, but couldn't suppress the tingling feeling in her skin.

"I have to know, Neviril. Please…" whispered Amuria. Before she changed her mind, she leaned in, kissing Neviril firmly.

Aaeru sat up quickly, eyes wide with shock. Suddenly, everything became dizzy. She clutched at her stomach as she watched the scene. She could feel the rumbling.

Warning bells were going off in Neviril's head, but she didn't pull away immediately. A small part of her needed to know an answer. She felt the rush of the moment, but there was no heat in her stomach. It was not the same feeling she remembered.

The retching from behind forced the two apart immediately. Both girls spun around, surprised at being caught, and more surprised to see that Aaeru had vomited anything that had been left in her stomach. The stench of the room began to fill the air.

Amuria immediately began opening the windows. "Neviril, you need to go heat the kettle. We're going to need a lot of water." She said nothing about the kiss, realizing the mistake she'd made. She did not regret kissing Neviril, but it had been wrong to do it where Aaeru could see, and without Neviril's consent. She couldn't help but think that in some way, Neviril had responded to her touch. It hadn't been the same, not like she had remembered. The passion was different, and she couldn't tell if it was just her, or both that had changed.

As a team, Neviril and Amuria worked to clean the room. They had taken turns collecting soiled linens and fetching water for the tub. Eventually they had enough water for a bath. Amuria continued to fetch water to wipe down the room and to clean it. Neviril helped Aaeru into the tub, planning to help her clean up.

"I can do it," mumbled Aaeru, weakly grabbing for the cloth in Neviril's hand. Aaeru's grip was weak, even though Neviril barely held onto the rag. She tugged, but it was like playing tug o' war with a baby. "Lemme have it…" she mumbled again.

"Aaeru, you're not strong enough to do it. Let me," said Neviril, dipping it into the warm suds. She reached out to touch Aaeru's shoulder, and saw Aaeru flinch. She tried to scrub Aaeru's back, but Aaeru flinched again, pulling away.

"Don't. I can do it."

"Please don't be like this, Aaeru. You're sick. Let me care for you."

"You don't care for me, Neviril."

"Aaeru!"

"No, Neviril. You kissed her. I know you care for her. I can take care of myself. I'll… find another pair." She gave a pained smile.

Neviril lowered her head. She knew she deserved to hear the words Aaeru was saying. She had acted terribly. "Aaeru, you don't understand. I wasn't sure what to do—"

"Then why not ask? Why couldn't you tell me, Neviril?"

"It's not easy to do."

"Why?"

The cloth fell into the basin, forgotten. Neviril's hands trembled. "I was scared, Aaeru. I was scared of all the feelings I got when I looked at Amuria. I was scared of all the memories coming back to me."

"Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"You lock yourself away. No one can talk to you."

"It's just… how I am. It's hard to find someone who would understand, who would listen."

"It's not me either, is it?" asked Aaeru. When she received no reply from Neviril, she tried to stand up. In her weakened state, she sloshed the water clumsily and ended up falling back onto her bottom on the tub. Relentlessly, she tried again. Neviril reached out a hand, grabbing her arm.

"Will you listen to me now?" asked Neviril.

"Let go!" Aaeru tried to pull away, but Neviril kept a hold of her.

"I'm scared, Aaeru. I'm scared I'm going to lose you. I don't want to lose you. Kissing Amuria in there was wrong, but I did it anyway. It wasn't the same as before. I realized it the moment our lips touched. What I had thought was there, wasn't anymore." Aaeru's struggling became less. Neviril took that as a good sign, rather than Aaeru simply becoming exhausted. "It wasn't there because I had learned to love her and then to let her go. Her death was perhaps the hardest thing for me, and it was because of you, that I moved on. I hated you for it, but you forced me to." Neviril chuckled at the memory of Aaeru pounding on her door. "And now that I see her again, it was hard for me to realize she wasn't dead. Perhaps a small part of me wondered what it would be like to be with her again."

"You do want her."

"Wait, I'm not finished. I wondered and thought about it. And I thought about you. Even though I was lost in though, you never failed to try and support me. You gave me your heart and your trust, and I broke both of those things. I had no right to do that to you, or to put you through this. My past became your past. I've hurt you, Aaeru. I know I have no right to do this, but I am deeply sorry. I love you, and it's you I want. I don't want anyone but you, Aaeru." Neviril's voice began to crack, and she forced herself not to cry. She didn't want Aaeru to take pity on her. She knew Aaeru would have every right to break off the relationship they shared. She had done more than enough to deserve it.

A wet hand touched her face, warm to the touch. She looked up, afraid to meet Aaeru's eyes, afraid of what she might see there. The fingers gently caressed her cheek as she raised her eyes. She looked into the green orbs, trying to see what Aaeru might be thinking, but the pools were deep and unreadable. "You're sure?" she questioned, uncertainty in her voice.

"Yes, Aaeru. I'm sure. It's you. It's always going to be you. I can't ask you to forgive me, but I can at least let you know how sorry I am."

"I forgive you, Neviril." Aaeru leaned over the tub, kissing Neviril's cheek gently.

"Aaeru…" She raised a hand to her face, touching the back of Aaeru's hand, which still rested there.

"You wanted this, didn't you?" asked Aaeru, pulling the cloth from underneath the water.

Neviril took the proffered cloth. She leaned forward, kissing the side of Aaeru's head. "Thank you," she whispered.

Amuria smiled softly from her position behind the bedroom door. She'd listened to their private conversation. Eavesdropping wasn't her thing, but she couldn't leave the room. The two of them had to work out their trouble, trouble that she'd helped to cause. As they'd spoken, she'd done some thinking of her own. She had been surprised to hear Neviril's thoughts echo her own.

As she had kissed Neviril, she had noticed the differences. Something had changed, and it wasn't just the fact that they had loved each other. In the absence of the other, they had each gained more power, and were stronger women for it. They still fit together, but no longer as they had before. She realized that now. She smiled to herself, knowing the memories of Neviril would live on inside of her. She knew that she would be able to move on, and not regret knowing what could have been between them. She had glimpsed it in the kiss, and therein was her answer.

Over the next few days, Aaeru worked on healing her body while Neviril and Amuria continued to bond. The awkwardness between them was gone, replaced with a sense of comfort. They tended to the chores together. Neviril would help Amuria to cook, while Amuria would show her how to mix herbs to create various medicines. Aaeru began helping once she was no longer bedridden. Amuria showed them the world in which she lived, and in turn, Aaeru and Neviril told stories of the world that she'd left, and the worlds they had seen on their journey.

The day finally came when Aaeru and Neviril were to leave the village. It had been nearly a month since their arrival and Neviril's sickness. The entire village had come to see them off, mostly to see the flying machine their children had talked about. Aaeru and Neviril walked with Amuria, dressed in their Sibyllae dresses once more. Amuria carried a pack that had a set of clothes, necessary herbs, and some food for their journey.

"Where will you go next?" asked Amuria.

"I'm not sure. That's up to Tempus Spatium," replied Neviril. She smiled sadly at her friend. "I'm sorry we have to go."

Amuria handed over the pack. "You'll see things I could only dream of. I'm glad I was able to see you again." She pulled Neviril into a tight embrace and the two hugged tightly, knowing it would be their last time together.

Aaeru watched, waiting quietly for the two to finish. Amuria pulled away and then gave her a hug as well. Aaeru wasn't sure how to react and awkwardly hugged her back. "Thanks," she said.

"Keep her safe," whispered Amuria.

"I promise."

The crowd stepped back as Aaeru and Neviril shared a kiss. They watched, fascinated, as the two climbed onto the Simoun and kissed the gem. They heard the rumbling of the engines as Aaeru gently guided the Simoun out from the cover of the trees. The hatches were closed and the Simoun lifted off into the sky. The villagers watched open-mouthed while the children danced about, squealing and laughing.

A pattern began to appear in the sky as the Simoun danced about. It was full of gentle curves. As the center began to glow, a warmth spread over the villagers. They squinted in the flash, and suddenly the Simoun was gone. It just disappeared. Amuria uncovered her eyes, marveling at the true form of the Emerald. It really was a miracle majon. After all, it had given her the chance to see Neviril one last time.