38 Stonegarden Castle / Stonegarden End

Previously, on Usagi Days: Ruby, Anemone and Lucy escape the castle with the Usagi. The King is left trapped inside—forever.

- 38.1 - Stonegarden Castle -

Over the next few days, the black scribbles and screentone-cross-hatch walls of what used to be Stonegarden Castle gradually faded away into nothing, leaving behind everything that hadn't been part of the castle itself. Furniture, tools, books … treasure, loot—all ripe for the taking.

Those who had managed to peer through the gates into the courtyard, while the Interstitial castle still stood, saw a black, jagged mass, glitching in and out of reality but otherwise unmoving, standing watch over its own ruin.

When the castle faded to nothing, so too did the King's shadow.

- 38.2 - End of a Partnership -

Her alcohol cart was all hitched up, and ready to go. She stood next to the horse, her barrel of loot beside her.

Standing in front of the Usagis, awkwardly kicking the dirt in front of her: "Well … thanks, guys. I couldn't have done it without you. My family—they're at peace now. No longer trapped in the castle walls. I … can't thank you enough."

Ruby: "You know, if you had just told us your story in the first place, we would have helped you out. You didn't have to sell it as a heist."

"Well … I thought you guys were like everybody else in these parts. Only out for yourselves. Guess I was wrong. Shows what I know, right?"

Anemone: "So where you gonna take your riches? Somewhere exotic? Smoking cigars on a tropical island?"

The thief tapped the barrel. "Hmm, not so much." She opened the top, and showed the Usagis what she had taken from the treasure room.

Ivy: "This … This is—"

"Paintings. Writings. My parents, you see—they were artists. I knew the King had stashed away their works somewhere. I had to get them back. To have something to remember them by, you know?"

Ivy, Violet, sniffling: "Sylvie …"

After they had all finished saying their goodbyes, the thief mounted up, and grabbed the reins. She looked back one more time, tipping her hat. "Pleasure doing business with you all." She looked at Ruby. "… Usagi-chan."

Ruby, one eye open, pointing a finger-gun at the mounted rider: "See you around … Silver Ghost."

The thief smiled. "… Sylvie's fine, too. I guess." Then she lightly flicked the reins, and rode off into the sunset.

- 38.3 - Patty's Letter -

One morning, in the Outpost, young boy came running up to the Usagis, a sealed letter in his hand.

"Delivery for Ruby … Hana … yuki?"

"Hanasaki?"

"Oh, yeah. Here ya go."

Ruby took the letter, and opened it.

… Upon remembering the fact that she couldn't read, she handed it off to Ivy.

Ivy cleared her throat, and began reading.

The letter was from Patty. It thanked the Usagis for helping her escape from the castle.

"'… being kidnapped by the King made me realize just how fleeting it all is. Life. Our short time here on this planet … And seeing you all, coming from so far away, going on so many different adventures … It made me realize that I ought to be trying to find my own place out there. There's such a big world out there, beyond the Wastes. Perhaps I'll find my own Usagi one day.

… So here I am, writing to you, from all the way across the Boundary. I keep in touch with Pa and nii-chan, through letters, and they been telling me you're still delivering scrap metal from time to time. … Please make sure they're well, 'kay?

… I'll be back in the Wastes someday. After all, the foundry is still my home. Hope we can see each other then.

… Or who knows, maybe we'll meet each other on the road before then!

PS - I've left a little gift enclosed. Hope you like it."

Inside the envelope, was a miniature die-cast model, still blister-sealed in its original packaging.

Anemone, reading the toy brand name: "'Fyre Tyres', eh?"

Ivy, reading: "… limited edition, 'FT Kei'—3/20."

Violet: "2002 Kisuzu Usagi."

Ruby, smiling: "… Yeah."

- 38.4 - Time Passes -

There was no shortage of delivery work, especially with the new settlements springing up around the area.

The Usagis delivered construction materials, food, medical supplies, and more—everything people needed to start their new lives, free from the King's tyranny.

The weeks passed, and the weather grew warmer.

Before they knew it, summer had arrived.

- 38.5 - Beach Episode -

Ivy, hands outstretched: "Ocean! It's the ocean, Violet!!"

Violet, similarly, looking out to sea: "Ocean! Ocean, Ivy! Ocean!"

The beach was lively, but not too crowded. The Usagis, sporting new swimsuits, found a nice spot, where they set up a large umbrella and a beach towel.

Ruby and Anemone lay down on the sand, enjoying the shade, the former falling asleep almost instantly, while Lucy ran up and down the sand, looking for seashells. Violet and Ivy waded into the water, and took turns splashing each other.

They ate grilled meat from a nearby vendor stall. They built sandcastles and played volleyball and smashed watermelons (blindfolded, of course). They even buried Ruby up to her neck in the sand. (Ruby: "Violet, you owe me big for this one …")

They spent the entire day there. When they were ready to leave, Lucy stared out at the open water, and the setting sun.

She pointed to the sunset. "Sky. Sun. … Pretty." The golden orange glow of the sun. The water shimmering under it. She turned back to face the girls, and smiled.

"Lucy … Happy."

- 38.6 - Orc Banishment Day, Kite Fireworks -

While delivering to a nearby, small village, the Usagis were thrilled to learn of the fireworks show (well … fire-kites, at any rate) that was to be held that night, in honor of Orc Banishment Day.

Village Elder: "It is important that we never forget how cruel, how terrible they were. Today is a day not only to celebrate our freedom, but to remember."

Anemone looked over at Ruby. During past Banishment Days, Ruby always had trouble holding her tongue, interrupting B-Day speeches ("They're not gone, you know. A group of Orcs burned down my village …") to the chagrin of whichever host was talking.

But this year was different. This time she just stood, and listened.

Just before evening, the village provided the girls with yukatas, including a child-sized one for Lucy. Now dressed in the appropriate summerwear, the girls visited the various festival booths and vendor stalls set up in a row along the main village thoroughfare. They filled their bellies with taiyaki and barbecued corn-on-the-cob, as well as cotton candy spun from a hand-cranked spinner.

They tried their skill and luck at the game and prize booths, where they caught goldfish with paper scoops (putting the fish back in, afterwards), tossed rings onto small glass bottles, and tossed darts at little dolls painted and shaped like Orcs.

(Violet: "Go, Annie, go!"

Ivy: "Hey, I thought you were on my side!"

Violet, smugly: "Tsk, tsk—I'm on the side that wins.")

When it was time for the kite-fireworks show, they sat at the top of a hill overlooking a small lake. The village had spent all month crafting the kites that they now set on fire, some of them going up in flames that shot up near-instantly.

The ground shook with the thump of the massive drums that the village drummers beat in time to the multi-colored explosions of fire, the kites coated in various oils that burned different colors. (Ivy: "TA-MA-YAAAAAA!")

Lucy watched in wonder at the display of light, fire and sound.

- 38.7 - The Traveling Book Vendor -

"Books for sa-aale! Books for sa-aale!"

About a week after the Usagis had wrapped up their jobs around the Wastes, they were wandering around the Southerner's Outpost, when the cries of a traveling book cart caught Ivy's attention.

Ivy: "Oooh, lemme see what you got!"

"Ahh, a bookworm, eh? I can tell you have good taste, young lady."

As Ivy browsed through the collection, Anemone and Lucy admired the book vendor's cat, reclined lazily on the front of the cart, near a stack of books. (Lucy: "Ki-tty.")

Ivy, enthusiasm fading with each title: "… 'Operating Procedures for Municipal Waste Collection' … '1998 Treaty on Public Transport Development' … 'Codified Re-Zoning Approval Process' … Hey! These are all just boring government manuals and legal stuff."

Vendor: "But look at how many words are in them! You told me you loved to read!"

"… I never told you that."

"No refunds!"

"… I haven't even bought anything!"

(Lucy, petting the cat: "Nice ki-tty.")

Ivy was about to leave the cart, when a certain word caught her attention, on the cover of one of the thick manuals.

She picked up the book, eyes wide. "Th-this is … Annie, look!"

Anemone: "Huh? What'd you find—OW!"

The cat suddenly hissed, swiped at Anemone's arm, and leapt off the cart. Anemone pulled her arm back in pain.

Lucy: "Kitty! Bad!"

Vendor, wincing: "Ooh, that's a nasty cut. You're going to have to wash that out. … I swear, he's not normally like this. He's usually such a sweetheart around new people."

- 38.8 - A New Destination -

After Ivy had brought the thick, spiral-bound volume back to the others, they crowded around the hood of the Usagi. Ivy thumbed through the dense manual, trying to look for the information they hoped it contained.

… Which it did.

A map. A location. Coordinates.

That settled it. They were headed now for the Old Capital.

Ruby: "Two day drive, maybe? Stopping overnight somewhere to sleep."

Ivy: "Maybe double—or triple—that, if you factor in the wait for the gas tank to fill up."

Ruby: "… Well, if you're factoring in time for gas, it could be two hours extra. Or two months."

Violet: "We should stock up on supplies first."

Ivy, looking at Anemone's arm: "Yeah. And fresh bandages."

Anemone: "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Violet: "You must be excited, Annie! We finally found it!"

Anemone, eyes downcast: "… Yeah. I mean, maybe."

Ruby put an arm around Anemone. "Maybe? Definitely! Think positive, Annie!"

A smile crept across Anemone's face. She didn't want to get her hopes up—she'd been disappointed before—but she couldn't help herself this time. "Okay, fine." She looked up again, this time to the sky. "Onee-chan … I'm coming."

A couple of days later, after they finished preparing for the journey, they set off. Inside the Usagi, the thick manual lay on Anemone's lap. On the cover, it read:

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL - PROPERTY OF R.A.B.B.I.T.

CLASS 5 SECURITY CLEARANCE

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SPECIFICATIONS DOCUMENT

PROJECT ITHACA