Part 3

.

I lived a long life

Filled with heartbreak

Yet every new year,

I awoke to joy

Love is hellos, goodbyes and gossamer

Mt. Osore le voile

.

He sat in the empty compartment, staring at the package Kino-sensei had given him. His mind wandered back, to the events of the previous day.

He remembered all of it.

He remembered her scream, her desperation when the demon had snatched her and taken her away. He had sensed her fear, if only for a moment. So even the strongest had fears…. He remembered the hate. Her hate against all the world. The all consuming grudge she held against all humans. He remembered her shock, at even the slightest kindness. He would fix all of it. He had promised her.

Pictures of the blond haired girl flashed across his mind.

I love someone… The words she spoke, they bounced around in his head.

She was a mystery to him, one he would probably never manage to fully understand. She had been through too much; and he had not yet seen enough to comprehend all of it. He was getting closer though. He had lost Matamune, and that had made him see what loss was about. Thinking of the split tailed cat put the usual lump in his throat. His lunges burned for oxygen as he gritted his teeth in an effort to stop his tears. He would have time for mourning later. One day, one day he would be as strong as the cat's former master, and he would bring him back.

Promises…

He looked back at the little package he still held in his hands.

"I wonder what it is…" he said to himself.

"Why don't you just open it?"

"Yeah okay…" He raised his hand, then stopped in mid-move; finally realizing that he wasn't alone in the compartment. He turned around, hand shaking, and saw the girl who stood before him. Her usual white kimono was now replaced by a severe black dress and light jacket. Her face was no longer pained, instead it was placid. It betrayed no emotions.

"Long time no see."

"AN-!"

Slap.

"Not so loud, you'll bother the other passengers." She said, walking over to the seat opposite him and plopping down. He rubbed his cheek and stared at her.

"What are you doing here? And that outfit?"

"I'm better now." She said solemnly. "You defeated my demons. I thought I was hopeless but after what you did, I decided to try to learn to control my power." She said, staring directly into his eyes with her two onyx orbs. "I never want to suffer like that again." Her eyes narrowed.

"I want to be strong."

"I'm glad to hear it." said Yoh, cold sweat pouring down his face. She's plenty strong right now…

"...So I just wanted to say…Thank you."

"Okay."

"And I'll get off at the next station…"

They sat in the compartment as the train rattled down the track. Neither of them looked at each other. He didn't understand her, still. She had taken the train from one station to the next just to thank him. She was different, that he could say with confidence. Maybe a bit harsh, but he would cope with it. She's cute when she's not hitting me… he thought, remembering too late her ability to read minds.

The blush came back to her cheeks, and he smiled.

The conductor announced the next stop, and she got up, her back to him.

"I'm gonna hold you to your promise." She started. "I don't think I'll forgive you if you let me down."

He cringed at her icy tone. Of course she wouldn't forget. Neither would he. He felt fearful tears spilling from his eyes. Each time he had seen her, she had managed to make him cry.

.

She hopped down the train and watched as her husband-to-be waved at her from his open window. She spun around, not wanting him to see her face. She was glad she had gone to the trouble of seeing him again, even for such a short while. Her hands balled into fists at her side, knuckles blanching against her already fair skin. She touched her cheek, and realized the moisture there wasn't the snow melting on her face.

Goodbye.

.

Though I am undeserving

I have felt the greatest of joys

Life is ever changing.

Though it is often cruel

I do not mind

Please, give me a smile

.

It's hard to comprehend love. Sometimes you just don't. You simply chose to give in and stop questioning its meaning. Sometimes it hides behind a slap, sometimes it hides behind a smile. For her, it was both.

As a person who had lived in a box of glass; seeing the outside world but never being able to exist in it; she was certain that ice would stay frozen forever. From where she stood, once one was corrupted, they would stay that way forever. And she had accepted it fully. She had, even if hesitantly, accepted that she would hate the world. She hadn't cared at the time. If the world hated her, she didn't see anything wrong in a little mutual dislike. Kino tolerated her, so she had extended some respect. The rest… she never cared about.

Then he came along, and she wasn't familiar with the feelings he brought on with him. No, they were one of those feeling that she sometimes picked up while passing a random person, and threw to a side of her mind, leaving them to rot and eventually completely dissipate. Taking them in made her lose control, and that was a luxury she had never been able to have. Ever. Instead, she pushed everything away; every feeling, every memory, everything that had ever crossed her mind. She ignored the world that ignored her.

But nothing lasted forever.

She walked down the cobbled street, wind biting into her skin as her steps progressed. She watched as the snowflakes swirling around stuck to the thin fabric of her jacket; watched as they melted in and disappeared into the seams. Some fell to the ground, vanishing from sight. She watched as they melted away.

In her reflection on the cold train window, she watched as her tears slowly dried on her cheeks. They disappeared. And so did the ice. .

.

Though no letter of love

My poem is through

Soon my soul will enjoy

A more heavenly view

Love is hello's goodbyes and gossamer

Mt. Osore le voile

Mt. Osore au revoir

.

She sat on the couch, holding the paper envelope in her hand; the blond haired boy balanced on her lap. A tall dark haired man entered the room with two mugs in his hand. She looked up at him, smiling.

"Kino-sensei sent us something." She said, placing the envelope on the table to take one of the mugs. He sat down next to her and reached for it, turning it around in his hands and examining the writing on it. The blond haired boy shifted on her lap, obviously curious. The man laughed.

"Why don't you open it, Hana?"

His chocolate eyes grew wide for a second, and then a brilliant smile lit up his face. He handed the envelope to him. His little fingers worked their way under the latch and he popped it open. Taking its contents out, he focused his attention of the piece of paper. After what seemed like a lot of hard thinking, he handed the little square to the woman whose lap he was sitting on.

"Mommy, who are these people?"

She took the paper gingerly, setting he mug back on the table. The other two watched, as her eyes shot open and her jaw fell. She swallowed.

The picture was old, and slightly faded. Two people, with their backs against the camera sat a couple of feet apart. A boy and a girl. The girl's hair was matted, her back ramrod straight, maybe uncomfortable; whereas the boy sat cross legged on her right, seemingly relaxed. She passed the picture to the man sitting next to her.

He took it in his hands and stared at it for a moment or two.

"Who are they?" the boy whined again.

He broke into a grin putting one arm around the woman's shoulders and turning them both the same way as to give the little boy a better view. He held the picture up and waited for him to give an answer.

"That's…mommy and daddy?" he asked.

"Yes that's us." He said, nodding and giving the picture back to his wife.

"They don't look like mommy and daddy." He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's us, when we were kids…" said the man, eyeing his wife.

"But… why aren't you facing the camera?" asked Hana, still not fully convinced.

The man looked at his wife, and sighed. "There were a lot of things we didn't face back then, the camera is just one of them…" he said slowly. The woman frowned. Hana, on the other hand, seemed to be bored already. He hopped off his mother's lap and ran for the door, picking up a little rubber ball on his way out.

The woman continued to scowl at the picture.

"But that was the past…" the tall man finished, placing a kiss on her forehead before taking the drained mugs in his hands and following his son out the door.

Anna sat on the couch, the photo still clutched in her hands. Her lips twisted up ever so slightly.

Yes, that was the past. That was their past.

She got up and walked to the fireplace across the room, setting the picture next to one of a family. A dark haired man with a goofy grin, standing next to a blonde woman with a small smile on her delicate face; holding a baby with the same golden hair in her arms.

This was their future. This was now.

And she would hold on to it.

.

Love is hellos, goodbyes and gossamer

Mt. Osore le voile

Mt. Osore au revoir

…

…

OWARI

…

…

/a.n./ Well, that's all everyone. I hope you enjoyed that; I know I really enjoyed writing it. ^_^ Feel free to drop a review, I'd really love to know your thoughts!