Part I - Summer (Late) - "I stayed by his side." (2/2)

"What are those books about, Archie?" the older sister asked, lying next to the child, sweeping the tangle of matted, damp red hair out of his eyes. "Tell Nee-chan. I wanna hear."

The child explained, his throat raspy, coughing in between every second word. "Um … it's hard to explain. It's pretty long. The first part starts out as a classroom romance in Crystal City, right? And the main character has to choose between his childhood friend, and this new cool girl, who's really rich, and talks like royalty? And the two girls are both in love with this main character, and there's a lotta drama, and there's a love triangle. They go on dates, and stuff."

The child coughed for a long time. The older sister brought him more water.

"… And then in the next part? It turns into this military epic story, because then, all of a sudden bug-like visitors arrive from the stars, and the bugs destroy the city. And now the three of them have to pilot these cool, giant crystal-powered machines, and the machines are shaped like people, and they have cool glowing swords and then they fight the giant bugs. And then it gets really sad."

The older sister laughed. "That sounds like a pretty sudden tonal shift. … Well, romance and crystal machines, huh? Sounds like it was tailor-made for you."

"Yeah!" The child then saluted, weakly. "… 'Into the fray, we must charge.'"

The older sister, confused: "… What's that?"

"They say it in the military group that fights the bugs. One person salutes and says, 'Into the fray, we must charge.' And then the other person salutes back, and says, '… And yet we return, to fight another day.' I don't know what it means, but it sounds cool."

The older sister smiled, a little sadly. Then, raising her hand, she saluted the child, a mock-serious look on her face. "'Into the fray, we must charge.'"

The child smiled back. "… 'And yet we return, to fight another day.'"

*

Into the fray, we must charge. …

Their own private watchword. The fictional sign and countersign known only to the two of them. A secret salute, shared between them, and only them, in those last few months.

Sometimes it was the child in the futon who initiated it. Other times it was the older sister.

But the other always responded, no matter what.

… And yet we return, to fight another day.

And just like their hidden place in the forest glade, no other soul, either as witness or participant, was allowed in this exchange.

As if there might be some magic in the very keeping of it between them alone.

As if in preserving the sanctity of the privacy of this mutual greeting, the child might indeed, keep living to fight another day.

*

"Archie! … What's wrong? Don't cry … Nee-chan's here. Does it hurt? I'll get more medicine …"

The child, so weak he could barely wipe his own tears away. The older sister dabbed at the corner of his eyes with a handkerchief.

"No," the child sniffled, "… I'm worried about Nee-chan, after I'm gone—"

"Don't say things like that. And stop worrying about me. You need to save all your energy, to get better. And you're going to get better—"

"—I feel sorry for Nee-chan. And I don't mean … because I'll be gone. I mean, because …"

The older sister was crying herself now.

"… Nee-chan is the priestess. So she can't show her true feelings. When she's the priestess, she can't be sad, she can't be happy. She can't smile or cry or laugh. She thinks she's not allowed to be a person. I just want Nee-chan to be free, to be whatever she wants. Not just the priestess all the time."

"… But I laugh when I'm with you, Archie. Look, I'm crying now, when I'm with you. I'm me when I'm with you."

"But … That's just it." The child's tears started again. "When I'm gone, there's nobody else Nee-chan can show this side of her to. I don't want that. I want everyone to be able to see the kind and wonderful person Nee-chan is."

The older sister choked on her sobs.

"Don't cry, Nee-chan." The child raised a trembling hand. "'Into … the fray … we must charge.'"

The older sister returned the child's salute, trying to smile, her face stained with her own tears. "… 'And yet we return … to fight another day.'"

*

"Look, Archie. Nee-chan brought you a Lazubloom. I took it from our secret place. Papa's been trying to grow them in his garden. He's working really hard. I believe he can do it. Wouldn't that be nice? To see them growing in front of our house?

"… Did you know, they finally finished building the crystal rail? It doesn't come all the way to Lazumere, but it's fairly close. About as close as Embervyl is, from here. I wish you could see it. I don't know if I'll ever get to ride the train, but Elegi-nii might be able to tell you all about it, when he gets to Crystal City Academy. Of course, he'll need to graduate, first.

"Maybe he can see all the stuff you wanted to see. The cherry blossoms on the terraces. The Mother Crystal in the central plaza. Snowfall in the winter. Maybe Elegi-nii will even find a human to fall in love with. Can you imagine that? That'd be too funny. … Anyway, he can tell you all about his life at school in his letters, okay? And I'll send them to you during Observance. Would you like that?

"Don't worry about Nee-chan, okay? Maybe Nee-chan doesn't show her real feelings to many people, but she is happy. She is sad. Even if it's only on the inside. I do laugh. I do cry. Even if nobody sees it.

"But thank you for thinking about me, Archie. You are the kindest little brother I could have asked for.

"Nee-chan misses you.

"… Nee-chan loves you, okay?"

Then the older sister saluted the altar, on which a blue crystal stood.

And then she said, "… 'Into the fray, we must charge.'"

And yet we return …