I’ll Stand by You

It feels as though the world is standing still as the girl who was just so brave and seemed invincible falls to the ground as if in slow motion. A deep red slash is inflicted across her chest, and it immediately begins to ooze. ‘Oh no!’ Kana is dismayed to see her in this state, knowing she only got this way because she was trying to protect them both. ‘I bring tragedy to everyone.’

She starts to enter despair, but the threat of Ongaku doesn’t yield. She succeeded in driving them back quite a bit, but they’re closing in on them again. “Kana, strength isn’t truly measured by how many enemies you can kill or people you can protect. True strength is measured by your resolve and efforts to protect and defend. If you strive to help even just one person in any way you can, then that makes you a Heroine too. Just do what you can with an earnest heart, okay?”

Kana recalls this moment with Uta in her head, and looking upon the unconscious injured girl, she resolves to help her, even if she can only offer up herself as a shield. She crawls over the girl and lifts her body such that it covers the girl completely. She lowers herself down just enough to protect her torso and head. She settles in this position and waits for the inevitable end. Being so close to her face, she finally has a chance to take a good look at her features. She’s got long blonde hair sprawled around her head. Her skin’s fair, but not as pale as someone who gets no sun. She can’t see her eyes, but her lids are smooth and her lashes are long. ‘She’s pretty.’ It’s the first thought that comes to Kana’s head in this moment, but she suddenly feels embarrassed to admit it. ‘We’re in a situation like this and I’m having such thoughts as these? How shameful.’ She laughs at herself. However the laughter ends and dread returns as she braces for the end.

“Stay away from Kanade!” Alto comes swooping in, bringing a loud screech with him. While not enough to drive them away, it is effective in getting them to halt their approach as they become disoriented. “Kanade, are you ok?” Alto takes the stolen chance to check on her.

‘Alto…you came back for me?’ She knows he can’t understand, but she answers with a smile and a nod. However, she quickly remembers the pressing issue. She pushes up so he can see the girl. She points to her nasty wound, and Alto looks on with concern, but shakes his head regrettably.

“I can fly you out of here Kana, but I can’t take her too. Mama can’t help us here either. Sorry.”

Kana shakes her head in disappointment and looks worriedly at the girl. ‘She’ll die at this rate.’

“I’m really sorry Kana, but we have to go now! They’re swarming again, and I can only use my screech once every few hours. We won’t have another chance to escape. She’s probably going to die anyway to be honest. There’s nothing we can do for her. So let’s escape and save ourselves.”

‘So you want me to run away?’ She lets out a miserable laugh. ‘Yeah…I’m really good at that.’ She understands that he’s speaking practically and sensibly, but she looks at the girl again. ‘She could’ve probably escaped had she left me behind, but she didn’t. I’m a stranger to her. Nobody. Yet…she saved me. Even if it was out of obligation for saving her first, that means something.’

“So, are we going Kana? This is our last chance! I really don’t want to leave you behind but….”

Kana looks at Alto and for the first time gives him a genuine smile. She pats and rubs his head gently, hoping her gratitude is understood. She shakes her head and points to the girl. ‘I’ll stay.’

Alto briefly shows an expression of confusion, but then he understands. Kana is not more than a stranger to him at this point too, yet he wanted to save her at all costs. “I see now. Even if we don’t know each other, that doesn’t mean we can’t still help each other. So this is humanity….” He stops his hovering and drops to the ground beside the two girls. “I’ll stay with you, Kanade.”

She starts to shake her head in protest, but then she decides against it. ‘We’re not so different after all, are we?’ She comes to this conclusion at last, and rubs his beak now in appreciation.

The Ongaku are nearly upon them, and both brace for the worst. However, same as when Alto arrived, another loud screech fills the skies, and the Ongaku are disoriented once again. They looks up and see the descent of a familiar avian shilloette. “I leave you alone for an hour and you get caught in the worst situations! Both of you are a real pain, you know? Always troubling me.”

Alto beams an excited smile. “Tenor, you came for us?” He flaps with joy. “You came right on time too. Kanade needs help for her friend. She’s hurt really bad. I’m not sure she’ll live but-.”

“There’s no way she will. No use bringing back dead weight.” Tenor is blunt, but this earns her a frown from both Alto and Kana. “Ok, ok, fine! We can bring her. Maybe Mama knows a way.” She grabs the girl’s shoulders with her talons, Alto follows suit with Kana, and they lift off.

As they fly away above the ruins of the castle, Kana looks back once more at the place she once called home. Even with all the bad experiences, she feels her heart swell with deep sadness over the memories she’s leaving behind. She knows she can never return again. ‘Goodbye, Utaha….’

~-~

“Ah!” The blonde girl jolts up as she awakens suddenly, releasing a residual reaction to being slashed before she entered her unconscious state. She feels her body all around, specifically her chest where the wound once was. “Huh? It’s gone? How? There’s no way I healed so quickly.”

“Um….” Kana grunts softly in order to get her attention. She approaches her cautiously, not wanting to startle her. She hands her a lily pad repurposed as a plate, and on it are an array of fruits and vegetables. The girl takes it, but is clearly confused about everything. She raises her fingers to her lips and opens her mouth to simulate eating. She points to her food, then to her.

“You’re telling me to eat, right?” Kana nods her head in confirmation. “Sure…I guess I am feeling pretty hungry now that I’m thinking about it. However, why didn’t you just say that?”

Kana sighs lightly. Not really out of frustration with her specifically, but because explaining her situation to new people is tiring. She points to her throat, motions outward and shakes her head.

“Oh…you can’t speak is it?” Kana nods. “Bummer.” There’s several minutes of silence between them as the girl eats. Once she’s finished, she places the pad aside. “Thanks for the food Miss.” She notices Kana’s immediate subtle frown. “Ah, not with the formalities are ya? I get it. I’m the same way.” She turns to face her now and raises her hands. ‘Allow me to introduce myself then.’

Kana’s eyes grow wide. ‘Wait, you can sign?!’ She nods. ‘But why? You can speak just fine?”

She raises an eyebrow. ‘I need a reason? Maybe I just like learning languages? Is that wrong?’

Kana shakes her head vigorously. ‘No! Not at all. I’m very pleased that you can. No one here can and so the only one who can understand me is Mama. However, she’s not one for talking much.’

‘Mama? You have a mother then?’ She shakes her head to correct herself. ‘I mean obviously…I just meant to question if she was your real mother or not. Sorry, I assumed you were an orphan.’

‘I am…my mother is dead, along with the rest of my family.’ A somber mood falls over them.

‘Sorry, I guess that was insensitive. Bad habit. But if it helps, I’m an orphan too. Since birth.’

‘Oh wow, so you never even got to know your parents then?’ She nods. ‘That’s sad. Sorry….’

‘Forget about it. It’s just how it is. I heard they were some poor settlers anyway. I was raised in a village outside the domain of the Duke’s kingdom. My parents were scoundrels though. I picked up all my bad habits from `em, including my slang. If I talk like an uneducated Brit blame them.’ She sees the uncertainty on Kana’s face on if it’s ok to laugh, so she laughs at herself. ‘Go on.’

Kana opts for a smile instead. ‘It sounds like they cared for you at least; even if they were a bad influence. I’m not sure I know what it was like to have my parents’ love at all. It all went to my sister…sort of. Dad probably loved her, but he died. I doubt Mother loved either of us honestly.’

‘Eh, love is overrated to be honest. I find it hard to imagine myself loving anyone so much that I’d tie myself to them for a lifetime. My parents hated each other, but they stuck together only because there weren’t any better options for `em. I’d rather spend life alone than settle the same.’

‘Really, you think it’s so unrealistic? I’ve always thought it’d be pretty nice to find true love….’ She blushes, suddenly embarrassed by speaking so candidly about that. ‘Forgot it, that’s weird.’

‘No…it’s not. It’s just, I’ve never seen it, so it’s hard to know what it’d be like I guess. I’m not really one to express love, not even for my brother, who I adored. He died young, but he was two years older than me. He was their real child, but an accident as a baby left him unable to hear. He is the reason I learned sign. Our parents couldn’t be bothered, but I wanted him to feel like he had someone who could understand him. We learned it together, and used it until he died.’

‘I’m sorry he died, but that was very kind of you. You seem to have been a wonderful sister. My sister was like that for me. She was the only one in this world that I knew loved me and I loved.’

‘So you already know the feeling of love then…kind of.’ She sees her blush deepen. ‘Alright then, maybe you can teach me. I mean, we can’t force it, but maybe…it could be you, yeah?’ Kana is at a loss for words, even in sign. ‘So what’s your name?’ She watches her carefully. ‘Kanade is it? Pretty. Nice to know ya. My name is Melody…but everyone just calls me Mel.’