comparison stories/kstail.txt @ 0:ed1308d04df2 moonlitnights

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date Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:24:59 -0500
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1 Author’s notes: Hello minna-san! ^-^ This is the first story I’ve
2 written since I’ve moved. I’ve been having a hard time handling
3 things, so this has helped me to focus some of that energy. I wrote
4 most of this on three separate nights. It’s my second Saint Tail
5 story and hopefully it won’t be my last. ^-^ I would love to hear any
6 comments, so if you feel up to e-mailing, I would appreciate it. ^-^
7 This is an alternate end for Saint Tail, so I know it doesn’t fit
8 exactly with the end of the series. Oh, and Meimi originally had
9 glasses in the manga. Megumi Tachikawa said that she was farsighted
10 and only used them for school but she stopped drawing Meimi in them
11 because she didn’t have her in class much. I thought this was cute,
12 so I wanted to add it. ^-^ Anyway, thank you so much for reading! ^-^
13
14
15
16 Can’t Say Goodbye to Yesterday
17 by Amazoness Duo
18 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
19
20
21 ‘The church is really beautiful,’ Meimi thought to herself as the
22 large structure came into view. A small smile crossed her lips as she
23 hugged her sweater to herself. ‘I’ve been here hundreds of times, but
24 I never really noticed just how beautiful it really is. But Seira
25 always noticed. She spent even more time here than I did.’ With the
26 changing direction in her line of thought, the brunette’s smile
27 faded. Sighing, she paused in front of the large, ornate doors. Her
28 heart plummeted as her mind drifted back to a conversation she had
29 had with Seira earlier.
30 Meimi was now fifteen. Though not the best of students, with
31 Seira’s help, she had passed rather well through her high school
32 entrance exams. Finally having such a huge weight lifted from her
33 shoulders, Meimi had been exhilarated at the newfound freedom. But
34 her excitement was short-lived. When she had asked Seira about what
35 the Catholic high school was like that they would be going to, Seira
36 had told her she would find out for her. Then she had struck Meimi a
37 blow that she was still reeling from. Seira wouldn’t be joining her
38 at the high school. She was going to Rome with one of the older
39 Sisters, presumably to prepare for entering the convent in a few
40 years. Something that Meimi had thought was years away was now
41 painfully close.
42 There wasn’t a time that Meimi could remember not having her gentle
43 best friend near. Seira was always there to help her through things,
44 always there to listen to her heart. The Sister-in-training made a
45 wonderful listener and she had granted Meimi a wonderful confidante.
46 Seira had been willing to do anything for her, from pretending to be
47 Meimi to protect her identity to running around dressed like a snow
48 girl. She had always been infinitely loyal to Meimi, always ready to
49 help her. But now Meimi was facing the thought of losing Seira and it
50 drove splinters through her heart. ‘Why God? Why are you taking her
51 away from me? I know you need her. But so do I...’ Meimi prayed
52 silently. The thought of losing her best friend sent shivers through
53 her. It felt like a large piece of her life was about to fade away,
54 something more important than a limb. She could already feel that
55 something was missing even though Seira wouldn’t be leaving for at
56 least another month. But that month hung over Meimi like a death
57 shroud. Despite Seira’s warm smile when she had come to greet her at
58 lunch, Meimi had only barely suppressed tears before running away
59 from her friend. How was she supposed to pretend that nothing was
60 wrong when Seira would be leaving so soon? How could she live through
61 the month when Seira would be gone by its end?
62 So here she was. The brunette thief had called Seira shortly after
63 getting home. She needed to speak with Seira as quickly as possible.
64 She didn’t know how, but she had to find some way to convince Seira
65 to stay. There had to be something she could do. Maybe God wanted
66 Seira for whatever His plans may be. But if that was the case, the
67 Saint Tail would have to steal her away. She hoped He would
68 understand. He would have to. He had placed Seira in her life, after
69 all. He had to know how important she was to Meimi.
70 Steeling her resolve, Meimi entered the church. Her fists clenched
71 in determination, the brunette girl glanced about for the one
72 troubling her thoughts. Seira had insisted they meet on the church,
73 something that seemed only fitting after how often they had met
74 there. Trailing her fingers over the edges of the pews, Meimi made
75 her way towards the altar. “Forgive me, Lord, for I am without
76 deceit,” Meimi whispered to herself.
77 “I hope you aren’t planning on going out as Saint Tail tonight. I’m
78 afraid there’s nothing to steal.” Seira’s words brought Meimi’s
79 attention to her immediately. The young Sister-in-training smiled
80 sweetly, dressed in her all white habit. Standing up from the front
81 Pew, she rested her hands together in front of her. She had been
82 praying for hours, having come to the church as soon as school had
83 ended. One of the nuns had to come get her when Meimi had called for
84 her. She felt her heart swell to see the mysterious thief once more.
85 Despite her best efforts, Meimi was never far from her mind.
86 Spotting Seira near the front, Meimi offered a small smile of her
87 own. “Everyone always comes to you to pray when they need Saint
88 Tail’s help. But this time, I think Saint Tail is the one who needs
89 help.” Her smile faltered as Seira slowly eliminated the distance
90 between them. Her vision blurred as tears once again threatened to
91 ruin her composure. She averted her gaze quickly, hoping that her
92 friend wouldn’t notice.
93 “You’re always welcome in the Lord’s home, Meimi-chan. You know
94 that. Everyone can come pray here. Even Saint Tail.” Seira felt an
95 icy chill overtake her as she saw just how close to tears the
96 brunette thief was. She took Meimi’s hand and led the semi-startled
97 girl over to the pew near the front that she had been using. Sitting
98 down, she motioned for Meimi to join her. It hurt her to see Meimi in
99 such pain. Which is why she had put off telling her for so long. In
100 retrospect, she had to wonder if that had been a wise decision. Maybe
101 if Meimi had known longer, it wouldn’t hurt so much now. But that was
102 all in the past. All she could do for now was try to help as well as
103 she could. “What’s wrong, Meimi-chan?” she asked worriedly. She knew
104 the problem well enough. It had been troubling her for quite some
105 time. If only she knew how to solve in better.
106 Meimi took a deep breath, staring straight ahead. Why was this so
107 difficult? Because Seira had never been leaving before. This had
108 never been a problem for her. But now she felt off balance, unsure.
109 “Seira-chan... Are you sure this is what you want to do? Go into the
110 convent, I mean. Is that really what you want to do with your life?”
111 “Of course, I do, Meimi-chan. I can’t think of a better path in
112 this life than one that serves the Lord. And how better to repay the
113 nuns here? They raised me, a poor orphan girl left on their doorstep.
114 No one forced them to. No one made them. I want to repay them for
115 that. For all of the happiness in my life. I owe so much to them. I
116 believe it’s my path in life,” Seira explained, watching the
117 brunette. This was something that she had decided long ago, but never
118 before had she had to explain it to her best friend. Meimi had simply
119 accepted it before now. But now, Meimi appeared to be having her
120 doubts. Of course, Seira had other reasons as well, but ones that
121 were a little more difficult to go into.
122 “But...” Meimi began, her voice breaking. She took another breath
123 before continuing. “But what about falling in love? What about
124 finding your special someone, of spending your life forever with him?
125 I can’t imagine God denying you that.” She knew she was grasping at
126 straws now, but she had to try. She couldn’t imagine Seira alone
127 forever, never falling in love. Why would God wish such a lonely life
128 for his diligent servant? It didn’t make any sense. Seira deserved to
129 have that. And Meimi wanted her to stay, so they could find it
130 together.
131 Seira paused for a moment, studying the teary eyed thief. After a
132 long silence, she answered, looking to the altar. “I’ve already
133 fallen in love, Meimi-chan. I fell in love a long time ago. God
134 didn’t deny me that. And I’ll forever thank Him for allowing me to
135 fall in love with such a wonderful person. That’s one of the many
136 reasons why I want to repay him by becoming a Sister.”
137 Watching Seira quietly, Meimi was astounded by how radiant she
138 looked. Whether it was because she was speaking of God or the one she
139 loved, Meimi couldn’t tell for sure. Whatever the case, Seira was
140 practically glowing. It wasn’t fair. Seira deserved to be happy. To
141 be loved. To be nearby. Meimi had always thought it would be fine
142 when Seira one day became a Sister, thinking she would simply become
143 one nearby. In her mind, it didn’t feel like anything would change.
144 But now, it felt too horrible to think of Seira all alone and far
145 away. The thought that Seira was in love only made that worse.
146 “You’re in love? Seira-chan, you never told me. You’ve always been
147 there to listen to me, but I guess I wasn't very good at listening
148 when you needed me. I’m sorry.” Meimi hung her head guiltily. She was
149 usually so much better at handling things, even if she could have a
150 fiery temper, but at the moment she was completely lost. How often
151 had Seira been there for her? How often had Seira saved her in one
152 sense or another? Without magic and without athletics, Seira had
153 always been there to save Meimi when everything was out of control.
154 She would always think of something to help her, even when her secret
155 identity was at stake. Seira had been her guardian angel. No one knew
156 her better than the Sister-in-training. Seira didn’t know the newest
157 trends or the hottest bands, but she knew everything about Meimi
158 herself. Yet Meimi had failed her. She had had no idea of Seira’s own
159 love. A hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present. She
160 slowly looked up into Seira’s understanding blue-gray eyes.
161 “Meimi-chan, please don’t blame yourself. I never told you because
162 I didn’t want you to know. It wouldn’t change things right now even
163 if you did. I couldn’t get with this person no matter how much I
164 would want to. I’ve already decided what I’m going to do with my
165 life.”
166 “You didn’t want me to know? But why not? I’m your best friend. I
167 just thought there wasn’t anyone you liked.” Meimi’s mind started
168 sifting through everything, hoping for some clue to unravel Seira’s
169 love’s mystery identity. Part of her was hoping it would be the key
170 to keeping Seira from leaving. If she could only find out and somehow
171 fix things, then maybe Seira would change her mind. Determination
172 began to well up inside of her, burning throughout her body. Saint
173 Tail had helped countless people before. Now she would save the most
174 selfless and loving person she could think of. Somehow.
175 Unfortunately, whenever Saint Tail was off to solve things, Seira was
176 there to provide her with the information she needed to know. This
177 time she had no such luck. It left her wondering how she could manage
178 without her best friend. Would Seira leaving mean the end of Saint
179 Tail as well? She quickly shook off the thought. She couldn’t quit
180 being Saint Tail anymore than she could quit being Meimi. They were
181 like two different people, but they were both parts of her. ‘I can’t
182 do this without you,’ Meimi thought desperately. ‘But I have to try.’
183 Thinking quickly, her mind latched onto the first possibility. “Is it
184 Sawatari-kun? He does seem to like you. And he is pretty cool,” Meimi
185 conceded, watching Seira for any reaction. To her surprise, the young
186 Sister began to laugh. Meimi sweatdropped. “And you always laugh when
187 he hits on you.”
188 Giggling, Seira nodded, covering her mouth primly. “That’s because
189 it’s funny. I think it’s silly that he would go to the trouble.
190 Everyone knows I’m going to become a nun. Besides, I love someone
191 else. So I couldn’t fall for his ‘charms’ even if I wasn’t going to.”
192 Another giggle escaped the dark haired girl’s lips as she watched the
193 quizzical look that Meimi gave her. She had always been amused that
194 Sawatari would shower any attention on her. It was something that
195 other girls didn’t understand. They would all kill for his attention.
196 That he would choose her out of everyone couldn’t help but make her
197 laugh. She wouldn’t be getting with anyone anyway. There was only one
198 person that she would want at all and it certainly wasn’t him.
199 Meimi could only stare for a long moment, unsure of how to
200 continue. Well, it obviously wasn’t Sawatari. But who did that leave?
201 Seira was kind and sweet to everyone. But even then, there weren’t
202 any boys that stood out. Plenty came to her to pray and to confess
203 things, but none really knew her all that well. And Seira didn’t seem
204 to mind. There weren’t any boys that came to mind. Unless... Meimi’s
205 eyes went wide as a thought struck her. “It isn’t a boy, is it, Seira-
206 chan?” Her heart began to pound quicker in her chest as she waited
207 anxiously. Just how much had she missed about her best friend? How
208 much had she let go unnoticed? What if it was a girl? Who?
209 A look of surprise crossed Seira’s features for a moment. She
210 hadn’t quite expected Meimi to ask anything like that. The dark
211 haired girl had been inclined to leave it off with there simply being
212 someone she was in love with. But though Meimi could be... moody, she
213 certainly wasn’t naďve. Slowly, she found herself nodding. She
214 couldn’t bring herself to lie about it, especially to Meimi. “Hai,
215 it’s a girl,” Seira said quietly, almost reluctantly. She couldn’t
216 bring herself to meet Meimi’s questing gaze. Her cheeks darkened
217 slightly in embarrassment and frustration. What was she supposed to
218 say if Meimi asked her? What could she do? She didn’t have to tell
219 her who it was. She could refuse to answer. But after all they had
220 been through together, could she really do that to Meimi? Didn’t
221 Meimi deserve to know? She would be leaving soon enough anyway. It
222 wouldn’t be able to cause much harm.
223 “Is that why you’re leaving? Is that why you want to be a nun?”
224 Meimi asked quickly, staring intently at the white clad girl next to
225 her. Things slowly began to make more sense to the mysterious thief.
226 That was why Seira was never interested in any of the boys, why she
227 was never interested in dating. Seira had been raised by the Sisters,
228 so of course she didn’t think she could be with a girl. That was why
229 she was intent on becoming a nun, remaining celibate.
230 Seira shook her head, clasping her gloved hands in front of her.
231 Only her face was visible in the long white dress. “No, that’s not
232 it.” She paused to consider for a moment. “That’s not all of it, at
233 least. Like I said before, I want to for the Lord. I want to pay back
234 the Sisters who raised me. And yes, because I’m in love with another
235 girl. I can’t be with her. And I won’t love anyone else. Anyone
236 besides Him. So I’ll be His willing servant.” Falling in love with
237 Meimi had only fortified Seira’s decision to become a Sister. She had
238 tasted love in all of its bittersweet glory. She had that and always
239 would. But it only helped her to realize where her path in life lay.
240 She couldn’t be with Meimi. She understood that. So there was nothing
241 to keep her from a life devoted to God.
242 Meimi’s head spun, her only real argument, that of Seira falling in
243 love, having faltered. Her spirits dwindled as she thought of life
244 without her guardian angel, of a life apart from her best friend. No.
245 There had to be something she could do. This couldn’t be it. She was
246 Saint Tail. She could fix this. She always gave people their happy
247 ending. Why couldn’t she have hers? “But maybe she could likes you
248 to. Or maybe she would if she only knew. Seira-chan, it can’t be a
249 sin for you to fall in love.”
250 “And I don’t think it is. The Lord allowed me to fall in love with
251 a girl that fills my heart with joy. And I’m ever grateful for that.
252 But she’s out of my reach. Like a star in the sky, I can watch her
253 and love her, but I can’t have her no matter how my heart wishes
254 otherwise.” Seira smiled a little sadly at the brunette, suddenly
255 feeling very lonely in the large and empty church. Meimi was right
256 next to her, but it might as well have been thousands of miles away.
257 Like the face of God, some things were simply out of one’s reach. She
258 fought back the urge to cry herself. Swallowing back a lump in her
259 throat, she managed to hold the smile for a bit longer. Meimi was so
260 beautiful, so wonderful. If only love wasn’t such a double edged
261 sword. Her heart sang for the brunette, relishing in her company and
262 in the adoring thoughts she had of Meimi. But her heart also ached
263 terribly from the burden of that love. But she would suffer through
264 it as best she could. “Besides, you’re already in love with Asuka
265 Jr,” she finished.
266 “I am NOT in love with...” Meimi trailed off, Seira’s words ringing
267 in her ears. Her mouth opened and closed in a futile attempt to
268 continue. “Me?” she got out weakly, shock overtaking her. It felt
269 like an eternity before Seira replied with a small nod. Meimi
270 suddenly felt as if she were being tossed around on an unfriendly
271 sea, dipping below the treacherous waves that tried to drown her. How
272 could she be the one that Seira loved? How could she be the girl that
273 lay in Seira’s beautiful heart? But in many ways, it made sense.
274 Seira had always been willing to do anything for her, had always been
275 the there for her throughout it all. She had been the one to convince
276 Meimi to be Kaitou Saint Tail in the first place. She was the one who
277 was always seemed to matter the most to Seira, the one who Seira
278 always prayed for. Meimi clung to this newfound revelation as a life
279 raft, trying to stay afloat in her own sea of turmoil. “I’m not in
280 love with Asuka Jr.,” she stated again, more quietly this time. “I
281 hate him.” This was safer territory. She knew how to handle this.
282 They had spoken about it before. It was much easier for her to handle
283 than the uncharted territory of Seira’s feelings for her.
284 Seira contemplated Meimi’s words for a moment, a small smile on her
285 lips. “Sometimes I think that you and Saint Tail are two completely
286 different people. You hate Asuka Jr., but she loves him. Or maybe she
287 just loves the chase,” the Sister-in-training said thoughtfully. She
288 had said it. At last. She had finally told Meimi how she felt about
289 her, albeit in an indirect fashion. But at least she had. She had
290 almost decided against it when she had realized how soon she would be
291 leaving. But this was for the best. She wouldn’t have a chance to
292 ruin things. And at least Meimi would know before she left. Meimi
293 would understand how important she was to Seira.
294 “I don’t...” Meimi struggled for words, unsure of what to say. Her
295 mind swirled about in one direction and another. “He’s such an idiot.
296 When I’m Meimi, we argue a lot and he really gets on my nerves. But
297 when I’m Saint Tail, I can’t wait for him to catch me. I keep
298 wondering when it will be. It’s like this fascinating game. I love
299 how he pays so much attention to Saint Tail. She’s his singleminded
300 obsession. I like how that feels when I’m her,” Meimi conceded at
301 last. It wasn’t something she thought about often. It was more of a
302 feeling than anything else. But it was so different when she was
303 Meimi and when she was Saint Tail. How could she have such
304 conflicting emotions?
305 Nodding thoughtfully, Seira watched her friend. “That’s what I
306 thought. It does sound like you’re two different people. She thinks
307 one way and you think another. But I noticed that a long time ago.
308 She gives you a chance to be something different, to be something
309 special. She lets you get the spotlight. You’re more confident as
310 her, as well. And everyone else seemed to notice her, especially
311 Asuka Jr. But what no one else saw, what you didn’t see, was that
312 Meimi-chan is special. That she’s more amazing than a thousand Saint
313 Tails. Everyone loves a good mystery. But what happens when the
314 mystery is gone, when the riddle’s been solved? What more does it
315 hold? That’s why I always simply thought of Saint Tail as you. As
316 Meimi in a cute magician’s outfit. But everyone else, even you, think
317 of her as something completely different, as a mysterious puzzle.”
318 Seira smiled softly, tilting her head to the side as she studied
319 Meimi. Her heart felt warm and fuzzy, her love surrounding herself
320 like a blanket. “I always thought you were perfect the way you are
321 Meimi. You don’t need to be mysterious. You don’t need to be
322 something more than you are. It was always enough for you to be you.
323 At least, I thought so. I always thought it was strange how Asuka Jr.
324 could chase Saint Tail so passionately and yet be so cold to you.
325 You’re more amazing than Saint Tail could ever hope to be, Meimi-
326 chan.” It was nice to be able to tell Meimi these things, to be able
327 to say them out loud for once. It relaxed a burden on her soul. Yes,
328 she would be gone soon. But at least she would have no regrets. “I’ve
329 loved you for the longest time.”
330 Meimi blushed deeply as her own blue eyes met Seira’s. She was left
331 at a loss for what to say. She had to admit that it felt nice to know
332 that someone thought that way about her as Meimi, but Seira? It was
333 so bizarre. She wanted to say something, to make sense of the moment,
334 but coherent thought eluded her. No reply seemed adequate enough to
335 express her feelings. Words couldn’t begin to explain the swirl of
336 emotions that frenzied throughout her soul. The beautiful Sister-in-
337 training before her would soon be gone, leaving a void in her life
338 that she couldn’t replace. How was she supposed to go on without
339 Seira? How could she push forward without the dark haired girl’s ever-
340 present companionship and support? It would be like being lost in the
341 desert without any food or water. It would be like finding no shelter
342 in the midst of a storm. She would be lost without Seira’s inner
343 light to guide herself by. When the game was all over and done with,
344 what would become of Asuka Jr. and herself? He loved Saint Tail,
345 after all. And she loved the chase. What then? Could she even be
346 Saint Tail without Sister Seira to help her see things through? Would
347 it even be worth it? When all was said and done, it was Seira that
348 she needed, that Meimi needed. The game was wonderful, while it
349 lasted. But one day there would be no time for games. And she would
350 have to grow up. This wasn’t about Saint Tail, Meimi suddenly
351 realized. This was about herself. It didn’t matter what Saint Tail
352 thought or how she felt about whom. This was about Meimi and where
353 her own heart lay. But where exactly was that?
354 Seira stood up slowly, smoothing down her long white skirt. She
355 offered a weak smile to her friend. She still didn’t know what to
356 think about Meimi’s reaction. She tried to tell herself that it
357 didn’t matter, that she would be leaving soon anyway. But she wanted
358 Meimi to have good memories of her. She wanted Meimi to remember her
359 fondly, not with concern. “I have to get to sleep, Meimi-chan. You
360 probably should, too. Otherwise your parents might wonder why you’re
361 so sleepy tomorrow morning.” Her back was to Meimi now, her hands
362 once again clasped in front of her. ‘Please, Lord, please don’t let
363 me cry. Not now. Please let me last until she’s gone. Just until
364 then. Please...’ she prayed quietly. The dark haired girl had trouble
365 focussing, feeling the anguish in her heart cascading throughout her.
366 She didn’t want to leave Meimi, even if it was necessary. Her heart
367 couldn’t handle the strain.
368 Seira was a good girl. She never lied, cheated, or stole from
369 anyone. Sometimes she would bend things, but only if she believed
370 they were for the best, for God. She didn’t get into trouble and
371 helped whoever she could. Yet this Sister-in-training had fallen in
372 love with a thief. Love was cruel, the sweetest torture that God
373 could ever have conjured up. And it was one that left Seira weak and
374 confused.
375 Hands slowly turned Seira around from where she stood. The dark
376 haired girl was too weak to stop it and too lost in thought to have
377 seen it coming. Her clasped hands were soon taken by Meimi’s. She
378 looked at Meimi silently for a long moment. Meimi slowly brushed her
379 tears away with her fingertips. The two simply stood in an odd moment
380 of tranquility. And then, the mysterious thief stole a kiss. It took
381 Seira by surprise, her heart both unsure and enraptured at the same
382 time. She could feel Meimi’s deliciously soft lips against her own,
383 leaving her breathless with a soft and intoxicating kiss. Seira could
384 only watch for a moment in silence. She wanted to thank Meimi, to ask
385 her why, to kiss her again, to do anything at all. But all she could
386 do was cry. Meimi held onto her as Seira collapsed to her knees. The
387 mysterious thief held her close as she cried. Seira could only lay
388 against Meimi, her heart torn apart, sobbing.
389
390 ‘The church is really beautiful,’ Meimi thought to herself as she
391 entered the silent building. Sunlight spilled through stained glass,
392 painting the ground near the altar in a torrent of colors. Kneeling
393 in the midst of this shining rainbow was a girl clad simply in white.
394 A smile crossed the mysterious thief’s lips as she crept ever closer,
395 being very careful not to make a noise. ‘It is beautiful, but not as
396 beautiful as Seira.’ To Meimi’s delight, Seira remained deep in
397 prayer as she approached. Being the daughter of a magician and a
398 thief, the auburn haired girl could appreciate the element of
399 surprise in things. Especially when it was offered so easily to her.
400 And what made a better surprise than surprising the one you love?
401 “Hello, Meimi-chan,” Seira called out, not bothering to open her
402 eyes.
403 Meimi stopped short, just a foot behind the kneeling Sister-in-
404 training. Unfortunately, she hadn’t remembered one of the most
405 important credos of any magician, things are not always as they seem.
406 “Seira... How did you know it was me?”
407 Performing the Sign of the Cross, the young nun rose, a smile on
408 her lips. “I always know when it’s you,” she stated simply. Truth be
409 told, she had been waiting for her friend’s arrival. She had known it
410 would only be a matter of time before Meimi came to see her. But as
411 always, Meimi’s presence sent her heart aflutter. It was so strange
412 for Seira when she would see Meimi at the church, her refuge, her
413 asylum. The church offered Seira the chance to commune with God, to
414 feel at peace with the world and it’s inhabitants. It was her most
415 treasured place. She could spend hours there, deep in prayer or
416 simply lost in thought. It was such a lovely place and it still held
417 the awe that had lured Seira to it as a very young child. It gave her
418 such a calm, safe feeling when she was there. Meimi, on the other
419 hand, gave Seira a very different feeling. Seira had been the auburn
420 haired girl’s best friend for quite some time, and in all that time
421 she had always found herself amazed by the athletic young magician.
422 There was something about Meimi that spun her around and left her
423 breathless. It was something she had struggled to understand while
424 their friendship grew. But even before she had requested Meimi to
425 grant people God’s protection as Saint Tail, she had known that she
426 was in love with the other girl. Watching the beautiful auburn haired
427 girl work her magic spun silk strands around Seira’s heart, holding
428 it captive. Having Meimi in her refuge, standing so nearby in this
429 have on God, it always left her feeling nearly overwhelmed. The best
430 of Heaven and of Earth.
431 Meimi sighed as she absentmindedly played with the cross hanging
432 from Seira’s neck. “I guess so. But doesn’t it defeat the purpose of
433 me being a ‘mysterious thief’?” That was one thing that always caught
434 Meimi off guard, the fact that Seira always seemed to see right
435 through her. She couldn’t pull anything over on the dark haired girl.
436 For a girl that didn’t know anything about the latest hit songs or
437 fashions (unless she needed to find out about them), there wasn’t a
438 thing about Meimi that she didn’t know. Meimi’s eyes slowly trailed
439 up from the cross to Seira’s slate gray eyes. The auburn haired girl
440 smiled as the Sister-in-training watched her.
441 “I must know all of your tricks, then, Meimi-chan.” Giggling, Seira
442 wrapped her arms around the slightly taller girl’s neck. She couldn’t
443 remember the last time she had felt so lighthearted, so free. ‘And He
444 will lift me up on eagle’s wings…’ Her nose rested against Meimi’s as
445 she looked into beautiful blue eyes. There was more magic in those
446 shining eyes than there were in all of the magic Meimi performed as
447 Saint Tail. After all, that was just smoke and mirrors. But the
448 beautiful sparkle in her eyes was a gift from God, a true miracle.
449 And one that Seira couldn’t help but love dearly. “You should wear
450 your glasses more often. You look so cute in them,” Seira suggested
451 after a moment.
452 Blushing faintly, Meimi closed her eyes. “You really do know all my
453 secrets. But I hate wearing those things. I don’t even wear those in
454 class anymore. They looked so stupid.” While Meimi wasn’t exactly
455 vain, she did know that many of her classmates thought she was
456 pretty. She hadn’t been very happy about needing to get glasses when
457 she had found out she was farsighted because she felt it made her
458 look boring. She didn’t like having the glasses in her way. So she
459 hadn’t worn them very often since getting them. Seira was one of the
460 few people who even knew she had them.
461 “I still think you looked very pretty in them,” Seira insisted,
462 trying to envision how Meimi would look in her glasses at the moment.
463 The last time she had seen the auburn haired girl wear them had been
464 over a year before. “Besides, you think very highly of your father
465 and he wears glasses,” she pointed out. A smile crossed her lips when
466 she saw Meimi waver. She knew that it would make Meimi rethink it. He
467 was why the other girl had gotten into magic in the first place,
468 after all.
469 “I hadn’t thought about that,” Meimi admitted, relenting. “Maybe
470 I’ll wear them sometime soon, if you think I should.” Seeing Seira
471 nod in agreement, Meimi smiled. If Seira thought she looked cute in
472 her glasses, she suddenly didn’t have a very good reason not to wear
473 them anymore. It was nice knowing that the perceptive Sister-in-
474 training found her pretty. What Seira thought was much more important
475 than what anyone else thought. So when she heard such things from the
476 dark haired girl, it always stayed with her. Perhaps it was because
477 she knew that Seira wouldn’t lie to her, that when Seira said these
478 things she meant it wholeheartedly. Or maybe it was as simple as
479 those sorts of things sounding so much better coming from the person
480 who loved you. Whatever the case, Meimi took it to heart. “If you
481 know all of my tricks and secrets, then you should be my assistant,
482 Seira. Every good magician has an assistant.”
483 Giggling, Seira shook her head. “I’m really not sure if I’d make a
484 very good assistant. They’re only there to distract the audience.
485 You’re too good a magician to need anything like that. I don’t think
486 I’m dazzling enough to make a decent assistant.” Though the proposal
487 certainly had its appeal, Seira couldn’t imagine being on stage while
488 Meimi performed her magic. Especially in whatever skimpy outfit being
489 a magician’s assistant usually meant having to wear. She was much
490 more of a behind the scenes player in such things. Just as she had
491 always been throughout Saint Tail’s career. She would provide the
492 information and whatever help she could. Meimi was much better suited
493 to the spotlight.
494 “Oh, that’s not true. You’d make a gorgeous assistant. You’d just
495 need a flashier outfit, like my Saint Tail one. Something cute and
496 lacy. Then we could go on stage together.” Though Meimi was only half-
497 serious, she could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. If
498 only Seira would agree, then everything would work out. It would be
499 the perfect way of keeping the dark haired girl from leaving to
500 become a nun. They could be a team, just as they were now. They could
501 stay together, forever. Meimi tried to force the thought away, but it
502 was like trying to push a freight train. Seira would be leaving very
503 soon. There was a chance that she may never see the young Sister-in-
504 training again. Even if they did meet again, Seira would be a full
505 fledged nun by then. Their relationship would have to come to an end,
506 their friendship all that remained. Meimi didn’t know if she could
507 take that. It wasn’t just life without Seira anymore. It was life
508 without the love that she now found herself needing more than the air
509 she breathed.
510 “And usurp you while you wear that cute tuxedo on stage? I could
511 never do that, Meimi-chan.” Seira smiled brightly, happy to have
512 Meimi so near. She could feel Meimi’s hands slip around her waist,
513 anxiously pulling her closer. Seira relaxed against the slightly
514 taller girl, her worries far behind her. Because above all else,
515 Seira had faith that things would turn out for the best. She had
516 faith in God above. She would follow his will wherever it led her.
517 And she had faith in a girl named Meimi Haneoka. She knew that
518 somehow everything would work out. Her heart fluttered delicately,
519 like a cherry blossom in a gentle breeze. This was perfect. Her
520 fingers interlocked behind Meimi’s neck, covered by the other girl’s
521 beautiful auburn hair. She was very thankful for her blessings,
522 indeed.
523 Meimi, being the overemotional girl she was, felt her own heart
524 pounding in her chest. She wanted to hold onto the moment, steal it
525 away and hide it forever in a locket. The pretty young Sister-in-
526 training in her arms was held close to her beating heart, sending
527 tremors through her soul. Seira was so sweet, so gentle. Sometimes
528 Meimi wondered why it had taken her so long to start dating Seira. At
529 other times she was completely surprised to find herself so enamored
530 with this loving spirit. At times like that, she was unsure of how
531 she had ended up in such a strange predicament, but incredibly
532 grateful she had ended up there nonetheless. Right now she found
533 herself simply caught up in the beat of Seira’s heart against her
534 own. So calm, so reassuring. All the while, Meimi’s own heart played
535 a staccato beat inside of her. In many ways, it was just like the two
536 girls. Very little could bother Seira while Meimi found herself
537 reacting heavily to everything that she stumbled across. Meimi
538 watched as the dark haired girl closed her eyes, content to listen to
539 the musical harmony of their joined hearts. But that just made the
540 young magician’s heart beat that much faster, a hand going up to
541 trail along Seira’s soft cheek. She smiled when she saw Seira’s eyes
542 flutter open, dark lashes batting as gray eyes looked back into her
543 own. ‘Kiss her,’ she heard echoing through her thoughts. Without
544 another thought, she obeyed, kissing her pretty best friend. It was
545 what she wanted, after all. What she had wanted to do when she was
546 first sneaking up behind Seira. Just a simple kiss. Her lips pressed
547 lightly against Seira’s, startling the young almost-nun at first.
548 Meimi kissed the other girl harder, pouring out the flurry of
549 emotions struggling through her heart as their lips met. As Meimi
550 often did when they kissed, she marveled at how soft Seira’s lips
551 felt against her own, at how warm the kiss felt, at how delicious it
552 tasted, at how Seira seemed to melt into her. It all swept her up
553 like a tornado, whipping around her fiercely as she and Seira waited
554 in the eye of the storm.
555 Thoughts were only dimly functional in Seira’s mind. They fought
556 through her head with the same strength of whispers. There was a
557 bright light, shimmering and all encompassing that held Seira’s soul
558 up high. And there were warm, persistent lips that were rarely away
559 from her own for more than a fraction of a second. She shifted
560 against Meimi, unsure of her own strength to stand. She felt like
561 light was pouring through her whole body, her lips drawn again and
562 again to Meimi’s as if they were magnetized. She could feel soft hair
563 under her fingers as Meimi’s own fingers cupped her cheek. She felt
564 deliciously lightheaded, as if nothing mattered in the world. ‘Thank
565 you, Lord, for letting me meet her,’ she silently prayed as she felt
566 Meimi kiss her again. Her lips parted for the mysterious thief when
567 they met again, an acute thrill rippling through Seira’s normally
568 placid world like a stone skipping over a pond. If there was one
569 guilty pleasure that Seira had to admit to, it was that Meimi was an
570 excellent kisser. It was Meimi’s kisses that kept Seira up at night,
571 dreaming about one more soul stirring kiss.
572 When the two finally pulled apart, the Sister-in-training placed a
573 finger on Meimi’s nose, holding her at bay. “Meimi-chan... We
574 probably shouldn’t be doing that in here.”
575 “Do you really think He’d mind?” Meimi asked, her arms
576 outstretched. The problems with dating a girl who was raised by nuns,
577 she conceded. But she wouldn’t trade those problems for anything.
578 Seira smiled at Meimi’s question, shaking her head. Taking the
579 auburn haired girl’s hand, she led her outside to the garden. “It’s
580 not Him that I’m worried about. It’s Sister Abbess who would most
581 likely have a problem with it. I’d rather spare her the sight of your
582 world famous kisses.”
583 Meimi stuck her tongue out, sitting alongside Seira on one of the
584 garden’s benches. “They can’t be world famous if you’re the only one
585 who knows about them.”
586 With a giggle, Seira nodded. “Good, then let’s keep it that way.
587 I’d rather be the only one to know about them. I’m sure Sister Abbess
588 would be much happier that way, too.”
589 Meimi couldn’t help but smile at her dark haired friend’s sweet
590 presence. She couldn’t put her finger on anything specific. She just
591 felt so... in love. It was like a fireworks display in her heart, a
592 blinding display of pyrotechnics. “I love you, you know, Seira.”
593 Smiling, Seira nodded, kissing Meimi’s cheek. “I know. I love you,
594 too.” She watched the blue eyed girl for a long moment, simply gazing
595 at her lovely features. She couldn’t think of anything prettier in
596 the garden. After a moment, Meimi yawned, a hand going to her mouth.
597 “You didn’t sleep much last night?” Seira asked. Seeing Meimi nod,
598 the dark haired girl took Meimi’s head and rested it in her lap,
599 stroking her long, auburn hair back.
600 Meimi stifled another yawn and a protest. She was about to say that
601 it wasn’t too bad, but Seira’s lap felt so nice. And she had to admit
602 that it was better than sitting up. Seira’s gentle hands felt so nice
603 through her long hair, drifting through it ever so softly. Everything
604 began to grow blurry after a long, sweet moment. Meimi fought to keep
605 her eyes from closing, trying to focus on a tree across from them. “I
606 was working on a new magic trick. I thought it might come in handy if
607 Saint Tail needs to go help again sometime soon.”
608 Seira kept up her gentle brushing of Meimi’s hair, looking down at
609 her sleepy best friend. A smile lit up her face. The athletic girl
610 was so cute when she was tired. Maybe she put the other girl through
611 too many late nights as Saint Tail, but Meimi never complained about
612 it. “You were working on a new magic trick? That’s great. You can try
613 it out tonight.” She watched the other girl, waiting for a reaction.
614 Meimi seemed more intent on holding in another sigh for the time
615 being.
616 “Yeah? That should be...” Meimi trailed off, her mind finally
617 catching up. She sat up quickly, her long hair drifting in the wind
618 for a moment. Suddenly wide awake, Meimi turned to the Sister-in-
619 training. “Wait... Oh, no.” She shook her head. “I have tickets
620 tonight. We’re going to the Jun concert, remember? I bought those
621 tickets weeks ago. We have a date tonight. I don’t have time for
622 Saint Tail.”
623 Sweatdropping, Seira placed both of her hands in her lap. “I know.
624 But this girl really needs God’s protection. And Saint Tail is the
625 only one who can give it to her. I really wanted to go on our date
626 tonight, too, Meimi-chan. But I think it’s more important that you
627 help her.” Seira gave Meimi her best hopeful look, squeezing her
628 hands together tighter. The other girl tried not to meet her eyes,
629 but Seira kept up, her slate gray eyes following Meimi’s.
630 “But I had to wait in line for two hours for those tickets,” Meimi
631 whined, slumping back on the bench with her arms crossed. Staring up
632 at the treetops, she harumphed. “It was supposed to be a big night,
633 too. I was really looking forward to this.” She had gone on plenty of
634 dates with Seira in the time they had been together, but that didn’t
635 mean that she wanted to sacrifice her upcoming one for Saint Tail.
636 She could see a dove carrying off the tickets in her mind’s eye.
637 Seira’s hand rested on her own, trying to calm her. She sighed.
638 “I was looking forward to it, too. But I think this is more
639 important. Besides, I don’t think your two hours of waiting have to
640 go to waste. I know two people who would love to have those tickets.”
641 Seira smiled brightly, catching Meimi’s eye again. Taking Meimi’s
642 hand with both of her own, she held it to her heart. She had no idea
643 who Jun was other than she was some idol that Meimi liked to listen
644 to. So it didn’t bother her that she couldn’t see the girl sing. She
645 was disappointed that she couldn’t go out with Meimi that night, but
646 she believed that Saint Tail was needed.
647 “But that’s not fair! Why can’t we go on our date? Isn’t it time
648 for Saint Tail to have a break? I just want to be with you tonight,”
649 Meimi said at last, turning to meet Seira’s gaze. She squeezed
650 Seira’s hands, her own disappointment evident even in the face of
651 Seira’s optimistic smile. It had sounded like such a magical night.
652 Tickets for Jun’s new concert and Seira would be coming with her. It
653 would have been such a perfect date, being there together with Jun’s
654 love songs drawing them together. And it was one of their last
655 chances to be together. Meimi was all too aware that she was running
656 out of time with Seira. But even packing in as much time as she could
657 with the Sister-in-training, it never felt enough. There was always
658 that nagging feeling that it would all be coming to an end all too
659 soon.
660 “She’s very sick right now. She can’t go out much and she may be
661 with God very soon. I met her at the hospital when I went with one of
662 the other Sisters. She has a love letter at home, one that she wrote
663 a long time ago but never delivered. A beautiful pink letter with a
664 long ribbon on it. Her mother has it, along with the rest of her
665 things. She wants to give it to the person she likes, but she can’t
666 even get home to find it,” Seira explained, still holding onto
667 Meimi’s hand. “I told her she would surely have God’s protection.”
668 “Oh... I.. I didn’t know.” Meimi could only stare, her heart
669 dropping. That poor girl. The thought of her dying without even being
670 able to tell her love of her heart’s true feelings was horrible. What
671 if she hadn’t known of Seira’s feelings before she left for Rome?
672 That would have been unbearable. The pretty thief nodded solemnly,
673 her mind made up. “I’ll do it. Saint Tail will find the letter.” Her
674 heart melted when she saw the grateful smile that Seira flashed her,
675 along with a sweet kiss on the cheek.
676 “You have my gratitude as well as the Lord’s. And I’m sure Ryoko
677 and Kyoko will be very happy as well when they get the tickets.”
678 Seira couldn’t help but smile happily at her defeated friend. A date
679 would have been lovely, but somehow it seemed more fitting to spend
680 one of their last nights together helping others through Saint Tail.
681 “All right. But you have to wait for me at the church. I’m coming
682 right back after I’m done,” Meimi said stubbornly.
683 “But you need your sleep, Meimi-chan,” Seira argued. She could
684 still see the sleepiness in Meimi’s blue eyes, but the auburn haired
685 girl fought it off. She didn’t know if she should feel bad or happy
686 that she was the reason that Meimi was always sneaking off late at
687 night. She decided that it was probably a good thing, even if it did
688 leave poor Meimi sleep deprived.
689 “I don’t care. I need to see you more than I need to sleep. We can
690 talk in the garden or just sit in the church or whatever. I just want
691 to be with you tonight.” Meimi looked over at Seira determinedly. She
692 saw Seira nod in assent, and felt her heart relax. It wasn’t the big
693 date she had been planning, but at least it was something.
694 “I’d love that, Meimi-chan,” Seira replied, resting her head on
695 Meimi’s shoulder. Her gray eyes fluttered closed, her mind
696 concentrating on the girl next to her. If any of the nun’s saw them,
697 they probably wouldn’t think anything. But even that didn’t really
698 seem to matter. It was just enough that she was there with Meimi.
699
700 ‘Now where could it be?’ Moving with the lithe ease of a trained
701 gymnast, Saint Tail made almost no sound as she slipped through an
702 upper window of a seemingly empty house. But appearances can be
703 deceiving. The woman of the house could be home or Asuka Jr. could be
704 waiting for her. Lurking in the shadows, the mysterious thief crept
705 silently forward. Her prize lay somewhere in the house, a pretty,
706 pink love letter. Meimi grinned to herself. She got to play Cupid for
707 once instead of just a thief.
708 Turning a doorknob ever so slowly, Meimi ducked into a small room.
709 ‘Just where Seira told me it would be,’ Meimi thought happily. The
710 room was small, but very cute. Stuffed animals lay on the bed atop a
711 large well used quilt. A small white desk took up the other corner of
712 the room, books and notes all over it. Meimi smiled to herself as she
713 looked about the room. Chisato, the girl that lived there must be
714 very sweet. She had to quell the thought when she remembered the girl
715 was in the hospital. The difference between the well lived in room
716 and the stuffy atmosphere of the hospital was tremendous. “Hopefully
717 she can come back home soon. And when she does, maybe she’ll have a
718 boyfriend waiting for her.” Smiling again, Meimi set her sights on
719 the desk.
720 Flipping through notebooks, Kaitou Saint Tail tried to uncover the
721 elusive love letter. She felt bad for snooping through the girl’s
722 private possessions, but she had no other way of finding the letter.
723 Besides, she was a thief after all, so this was her line of work. She
724 smiled at the small drawings in the notebooks, cute little pictures
725 of little animals and classmates with little captions around them.
726 ‘Poor Asami-chan doesn’t like tests,’ one read next to some Math
727 notes above a picture of a girl looking frantic. ‘Almost lunchtime!’
728 another read with a girl staring anxiously at the clock. Saint Tail
729 continued to flip through the notebook, amused by the little
730 drawings. Her smile faded slowly as she found more and more of them
731 as the girl become bedridden. ‘Mama makes the best soup!’ was the
732 caption of one that showed her in bed with a big bowl. ‘I miss Asami-
733 chan...’ another read, showing her stuck in bed and gazing out the
734 window. The paper around the drawing was wrinkled as if teardrops had
735 fallen on it.
736 Shaking her head, Meimi put the notebook back down. She had to find
737 the love letter. That was her goal. Everything else could wait. She
738 had promised Seira that she would do this. A sigh escaped her as she
739 saw the clock. She was missing Jun’s first song. And she would
740 probably hear how wonderful it was the next day from Ryoko and Kyoko.
741 Turning her attention back to the task at hand, Meimi sifted
742 through several more folders and notebooks but to no avail. Her hands
743 traveled down the desk, searching through every drawer she came
744 across. Still nothing. The desk had been her obvious answer, but she
745 couldn’t find the love letter on it at all. Turning to check the
746 nightstand near the bed, Meimi stumbled over a wastebasket. Covering
747 her mouth, she cursed silently, hoping she hadn’t made too much
748 noise. Sighing after a moment of silence, Meimi pushed her pony tail
749 back. ‘Maybe I should wear my glasses more often after all. All this
750 running around in the dark can’t be good for my eyesight.’ Kneeling
751 down, the mysterious thief began to pick up the wastebasket. It had
752 been nearly overflowing with tissues. Well, the girl had been sick.
753 But they were all dark, stained. It took Meimi a moment to notice
754 that they were all bloody. Her heart rolled in her chest as she set
755 the basket aside. She couldn’t get distracted by these things. She
756 had to find the letter.
757 “Where is it?” Meimi asked in frustration. As if in answer, the
758 closet door opened. The auburn haired girl froze as a boy’s figure
759 stepped out.
760 “Looking for this?” Asuka Jr. asked, holding up the rectangular
761 envelope in his hand. He grinned to himself as he watched Saint Tail
762 motionless in the shadows. “I don’t know why you’re here to steal
763 some girl’s love letter, Saint Tail, but I’m not going to let you get
764 away with it. Tonight, you’re mine.” He watched her for a moment, but
765 she made no move to escape. He grinned in anticipation as he hurried
766 forward to claim his own prize. He reached out, grabbing hold of
767 Saint Tail’s arm with all the strength he could muster. “You’re not
768 going anywhere!” He hauled her closer, his heart pounding as his face
769 inched closer to her own. He was about to see who she was. He would
770 finally know who Saint Tail was. His heart felt like it would burst.
771 His head finally reached hers, his eyes straining in the darkness. To
772 his surprise, Saint Tail had no face. “Wha?!” The face was completely
773 blank, absolutely no features at all. She bobbed back and forth like
774 a balloon as he pulled back. Something behind him took the letter
775 right out of his hand in his state of surprise. “Huh? No!”
776 “Thank you! There’s someone who needs this love letter much more
777 than you. I hope you don’t mind. I have Cupid’s arrow to deliver.”
778 Leaping out of the way, Saint Tail waved to the young detective
779 before disappearing out the window. Landing on her feet, she
780 immediately broke into a run, sticking to the shadows. ‘Wow... It’s
781 like his spell’s been broken. I was always so eager to see if he’d
782 find out or not that I would freeze when he was about to find out.
783 But now that I’m dating Seira, it’s like it doesn’t matter. I’ll have
784 to thank her later.’ Smiling to herself, the mysterious thief made
785 her way to the hospital.
786
787 Sneaking past the front desk, Saint Tail tried to determine where
788 Chisato’s room was. It was past visiting hours, but she thought that
789 a quick visit couldn’t hurt. Besides, she thought it would cheer the
790 sick girl up to know that her love letter had been retrieved and was
791 about to reach the hands of the one she loved. Maybe that would give
792 her the strength to get better. Meimi smiled at the thought. Before
793 she could go another step, she heard someone rush up to the desk. Her
794 ears perked up at the frantic tone of voice.
795 “I need to know where a girl named Chisato Hikari’s room is! I need
796 to stop Saint Tail!”
797 Meimi’s eyes went wide. It sounded like Asuka Jr. had ran all the
798 way to the hospital. He obviously didn’t feel like giving up easily
799 tonight. This would have to be a very short visit, then. Taking her
800 best guess, Saint Tail dashed down the mostly empty hallway, ducking
801 past a handful of nurses. A shout behind her told her that she had
802 been spotted by the persistent detective’s son. Whirling around,
803 Meimi brought her top hat about, doves flying out towards the
804 detective to distract him. ‘I have to tell her that her letter will
805 be delivered directly. That should perk her up. Even if Asuka Jr.’s
806 here, I can still do that. I’ll just make it quick.’ The birds did
807 their job distracting the young detective, giving Meimi the chance to
808 slip into Chisato’s hospital room.
809 Walking to the small bed, Meimi held up the pink love letter to
810 show to its owner. “Chisato-chan...” she whispered, stopping beside
811 the bed. “I have your love letter. Don’t worry. It will be in your
812 love’s hands before the nights over,” she whispered reassuringly. The
813 girl was deathly pale, her long hair disappearing behind her. Meimi
814 leaned closer, trying to get Chisato’s attention. “Chisato-chan...”
815 she whispered, a little louder this time. Still no response. But
816 there was a strange beeping in the room and a ruckus coming from the
817 hallway. “Chisato-chan?” The girl just lay there, silent and
818 unmoving. Meimi took a step back as the door burst open, doctors
819 rushing to the girl’s side. Her heart hung like a weight in her chest
820 as she watched them gather around the girl’s prone form. She shook
821 her head, her ponytail moving from side to side. “No..” she
822 whispered, realization hitting her. She felt like the floor had just
823 given way underneath her. Her legs didn’t respond to her mental
824 commands, collapsing underneath her. She could only watch as doctors
825 began to slow their hurried performance. It all felt so surreal, men
826 gathered around an unmoving child, intent upon one who is doing
827 nothing at all.
828 An unsteady hand helped Saint Tail back to her feet. Asuka Jr.
829 could only stare as the doctors continued swarming around the
830 unmoving girl. “What happened?” Asuka Jr. heard. The voice startled
831 him. It took him a moment before her remembered it was his own. It
832 sounded so distant, as if it had traveled to him through a body of
833 water. He had been so intent on catching Saint Tail, but now that
834 hardly seemed to matter. Was that the girl that Saint Tail was trying
835 to help in the bed, surrounded by an army of masked doctors? What a
836 frightening sight, all of these faceless people surrounding someone,
837 poking and prodding relentlessly. “What’s.. What’s going on?” Asuka
838 tried again, getting no more strength behind his voice.
839 For what felt like an eternity, both thief and detective stood and
840 watched, unable to do a thing. Their eternal struggle forgotten, they
841 stood together against the wall, too forlorn to offer anything but a
842 shoulder to lean on. During all this time, the letter remained in
843 Saint Tail’s hand, feeling like it held the weight of the world
844 within it, almost too heavy for her weak fingers. Slowly, a doctor
845 approached the two, pulling down her mask. “I’m sorry. She’s dead. We
846 did all we could, but it was too late. Her body just gave out. Were
847 you friends with the deceased?”
848 ‘With the deceased’ played again and again through Meimi’s
849 thoughts. This was a girl with hopes and dreams, fears and loves.
850 Meimi had only known her from the writings she had seen, the drawings
851 this girl had drawn with a hand that no longer moved. That she had
852 seen with eyes that could no longer see. No, Meimi had not been
853 friends with her, had not even known of her until earlier that day.
854 But this had been another girl, a beautiful, sweet girl. And now she
855 was dead. Meimi felt her heart seize in her chest. “I.. I just wanted
856 to help her..” she barely got out, the world around her blurring as
857 tears burned at her eyes. She couldn’t even see as the body was
858 wheeled out of the room. ‘I miss Asami-chan,’ Meimi heard in her
859 head, the image of the lonely girl looking out a window returning to
860 her. She closed her eyes tightly. “I.. I have to go..” She pulled
861 away, clutching the letter like a lifeline. She had to hurry. She
862 didn’t know why, only that she couldn’t waste a second. Perhaps it
863 was a way of escaping the tragedy of the moment. Perhaps it was a way
864 for her to busy herself with something else. Whatever the case, she
865 quickly turned to leave.
866 “Good luck,” Asuka Jr. called after her, his hands in his pockets.
867 He didn’t feel like following. He couldn’t bring himself to. Not
868 tonight.
869
870 With trembling hands, Saint Tail slid open the window to another
871 bedroom a short time later. Slipping into the room, she held the love
872 letter to her chest. “Are you Asami-chan?” she heard herself asking
873 into the darkness, pointed towards the bed. “I have something for
874 you.” Her mind refused to deviate from her task. She was here to
875 deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver
876 the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the
877 letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter.
878 Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver
879 the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the
880 letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the
881 The figure on the bed stirred, shifting sleepily before finally
882 sitting up. In the darkness, the half blanket shrouded figure looked
883 far too much like ancient depictions of death to Meimi. Shuddering
884 violently, the mysterious thief tried not to think at all. She
885 focused solely on her mission. This was what she had been meant to
886 do. She had to give the letter to this girl. “I’m Saint Tail. I have
887 a letter that belongs to you.” Her fingers shook as she held out the
888 letter. It slipped from her fingers, pinwheeling in the air before
889 flopping on the floor. Meimi reached for it, taking two tries to
890 finally clasp it in her gloved hand again.
891 The sleepy figure shook her head, trying to get her bearings.
892 “Saint Tail?” she asked curiously before yawning. Reaching forward,
893 she slowly took the pink love letter. Her mind was still half asleep.
894 “What’s this?” It took her a moment to see through the blurry haze of
895 sleep. She turned the letter over in her hand. A small drawing of a
896 lovestruck girl on the back brought a smile to her lips. “Chisato-
897 chan.” Her mind was still tired to make anything of the connection to
898 her friend.
899 “It’s for you. From her. Chisato-chan. She.. She wanted you to have
900 it..” Meimi got out weakly. “I.. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She could
901 feel her eyes tearing up again. She had to leave. And soon.
902 Asami shook her head, anxiety gripping her soul. Tearing open the
903 letter, she skimmed through the cutely decorated stationary. It was
904 obviously Chisato’s lovely handwriting, with her shy, delicate way of
905 speaking. She smiled as she read through it. Chisato must have sent
906 it sense she was stuck in the hospital. They hadn’t been able to talk
907 much because the hospital didn’t let visitors see her often. How
908 sweet of her. Halfway through, she finally understood. Her reading
909 quickened, her eyes tearing over the paper. “She.. loves me?” She
910 glanced up to the mysterious thief. To her surprise, Saint Tail
911 shrank back into the shadows, shaking her head continuously. “Chisato-
912 chan’s in love with me?” she asked again. She was overcome by shock.
913 Chisato had been her best friend for years now. She had always been
914 so sweet. It took her off guard that Chisato could be in love with
915 her. The other girl had always been so shy around her, blushing when
916 she would ask questions about love or relationships. She still didn’t
917 know how she felt about it. Flattered? Embarrassed? It was such a
918 beautiful, glowing letter. She held it close to her chest. She felt..
919 happy. She smiled. Maybe.. Maybe she felt the same way.
920 “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Meimi repeated, nearly at the window.
921 She could barely think, suddenly overcome by what had happened
922 earlier. She no longer had her mission to keep her from thinking
923 about it. It consumed her soul, dark tendrils holding her, sending
924 icy chills throughout her body. Her heart felt frozen.
925 “Sorry..? For what? What’s going on?” Asami slid off of her bed,
926 suddenly panicking. Was Saint Tail crying? Moonlight sparkled off of
927 her tears, little shooting stars slipping down her chin and falling
928 to the earth below. “What is it? What happened?” Asami demanded.
929 Saint Tail’s mouth opened and Asami’s world shattered as if it was
930 made of brittle glass.
931
932 “It’s not fair! It isn’t fair at all!” Meimi sobbed, her head on
933 Seira’s lap sometime later. She had left Asami alone, leaving when
934 she had been unable to comfort her. The last she had seen of the
935 other girl had been her crying and broken in her room. Meimi had
936 hurried straight to Seira, the night taking it’s toll on the
937 mysterious thief. And there she found herself, crying into Seira’s
938 blue nightgown.
939 Seira gently stroked Meimi’s hair, unsure of what to say to soothe
940 the distraught thief. She could feel the warm tears against her legs,
941 seeping through the fabric of her nightgown. A chill went through her
942 as the night wind blew across the two girls, but somehow she doubted
943 it was the cause of her sudden chill. She swallowed painfully,
944 closing her eyes. “I should have explained. Sister Emari and I were
945 visiting the terminally ill patients. They knew she was going to die
946 soon. I just didn’t think it would be tonight. I’m so sorry, Meimi-
947 chan.”
948 “But why, Seira? Why?” Meimi asked, wiping her eyes on Seira’s
949 nightgown. “Why did He take her? She was a sweet girl, I could tell.
950 And.. and she was in love. Asami.. I think she loved her back. But
951 now she’ll never know. Now she’ll never be able to see.” Meimi shook
952 her head in frustration, tears sliding down her cheeks.
953 “I don’t think she would have told Asami-chan otherwise, Meimi-
954 chan. She was very shy. She didn’t know how to tell her friend. She
955 wrote that love letter before she got sick. She wasn’t going to give
956 it to her. But when she got sick, she thought it was her only
957 chance," Seira explained, her fingers brushing away some of Meimi’s
958 tears.
959 “Then I failed her. I didn’t get it to Asami-chan in time. If I
960 had, maybe they could have talked. Maybe they could have had some
961 time together.” Meimi shook her head, tears clinging to her
962 eyelashes. She felt so weak inside, so torn apart. Saint Tail always
963 brought people God’s protection. How could she have failed? It always
964 helped people, but this time she felt no joy in accomplishing her
965 task.
966 Seira gently held Meimi’s head in her lap, her gray eyes looking
967 deep into Meimi. “Meimi-chan, death is not failure. Death doesn’t
968 mean that you lost. Life is more than winning and losing. She may
969 have died, but that doesn’t mean her love died with her. It was only
970 sealed away in an envelope. You delivered it for her. She was too shy
971 to tell her True Love how she felt. You couldn’t have prevented her
972 death. It was God’s will that she return to Him now. But you did give
973 her love a last message. She’s free from her pain now. But you have
974 freed her from a regret that may have stayed with her soul. She has
975 finally been able to tell the girl she loves how she felt. I’m sure
976 she’s smiling up above, watching over Asami-chan. And now Asami-chan
977 knows. What she does with that knowledge is up to her. But if it
978 weren’t for you, she would never have known that Chisato-chan was in
979 love with her.”
980 Meimi sniffled, trying to meet Seira’s gaze. “But it’s still not
981 fair. I tried so hard, but I feel like it didn’t mean anything.”
982 “For Chisato-chan, it meant everything. She can rest peacefully now
983 thanks to you, Meimi-chan.” Seira bent over, kissing Meimi’s
984 forehead. “You did your best. That’s all anyone could ever ask of
985 you.”
986 “I know..” Meimi replied weakly, resting an arm across her face. “I
987 know.”
988 Seira sighed sadly, still stroking Meimi’s long hair. “Sometimes
989 it’s very hard to understand His plan, Meimi-chan. Sometimes it’s
990 easy to lose our way. But we have to have faith, even when we wonder
991 ‘why’. Sometimes ‘because’ is the only answer we can find. Life is
992 full of beauty and sadness. Even in the simplest, plainest things are
993 immeasurable beauty. And there can also be immeasurable pain. We have
994 to console each other while we’re on this earth. We have to help each
995 other. Even then, pain will still find us. But with pain and with
996 anguish, there is always hope. We have to nurture it like a tiny
997 flower, letting it bloom in all of us. Hope, love, dreams, these are
998 all parts of the same thing. There the gifts that He has given us. As
999 long as we have hope, despair can never ruin us. Never completely.”
1000 Seira placed another kiss on Meimi’s head. “I love you, Meimi-chan. I
1001 realize now that I would have made a huge mistake if I hadn’t told
1002 you.”
1003 “I love you, Seira..” Meimi got out quietly, her voice choking up.
1004 She closed her eyes, tears silently falling onto Seira’s lap.
1005
1006 Meimi sighed as she slumped onto her bed, exhausted. A groan
1007 escaped her after a quick glance at the clock. Why did Saint Tail
1008 always have to work at night? It was too bad that being a mysterious
1009 thief wasn’t a valid excuse for staying up so late at night. And
1010 neither was spending the wee morning hours with a pretty Sister-in-
1011 training. Somehow she doubted the nuns at her school would accept
1012 either excuse. Yet she already knew that sleep would elude her. Her
1013 mind was still too focused on Seira, on the past few hours. On what
1014 little time they had left. That thought alone would keep sleep at bay
1015 for quite some time. The whole thing with Chisato had her even more
1016 concerned with losing Seira. Shifting uneasily in bed, the auburn
1017 haired girl found herself staring at the clock as minutes silently
1018 ticked away. Hopelessness surrounded her heart, thick and heavy. Each
1019 minute that ticked by signaled another moment that she could not
1020 reclaim, another instant with Seira that was forever, inexorably
1021 gone.
1022 Rolling onto her back, Meimi stared up at her roof, trying
1023 unsuccessfully to push away such troublesome thoughts. But she had
1024 never been good at such things. This would keep eating at her until
1025 it went away on its own or until she could resolve the situation. And
1026 there was nothing she could do about it. In less than a week, Seira
1027 would be gone. When next they met, the dark haired girl would be a
1028 full-fledged Sister. They would still be friends, of that Meimi was
1029 certain. They would forever be friends. But what of their courtship,
1030 which Meimi was starting to feel was going to be cut off all too
1031 briefly? That was something they would have to abandon once Seira
1032 became a nun. Seira would then be a woman of God, destined to a life
1033 of celibacy, married to the Church. Such childish things as their
1034 relationship would be nothing but memories.
1035 And where did that put Meimi? Would she eventually find some boy
1036 and get married? That didn’t sound right, to move on when Seira
1037 became a nun. But what else was she supposed to do? What did their
1038 relationship mean, anyway? ‘It means I love her,’ Meimi mentally
1039 answered, her hands behind her head. ‘And I would still love her,
1040 even if she does go off and becomes Sister Seira.’ But could she
1041 really spend forever alone, as Seira was about to? That thought was
1042 too lonely to bear, chilling Meimi’s heart. So how, then, could Seira
1043 live with the thought? It would have to be a terribly lonely life, a
1044 life without the love Seira had held for so long. She could see Seira
1045 kneeling in prayer forever. Why would God want to deny one of his
1046 kindest, gentlest subjects the chance at love? It baffled Meimi.
1047 But then... Perhaps He didn’t. Meimi sat up suddenly, pacing the
1048 floor of her room, almost stumbling over her pet hedgehog, Ruby.
1049 Throughout the past few years, Saint Tail had been the one to grant
1050 God’s protection. All at the behest of Seira. She had always gone to
1051 help whoever Seira had asked her to. Who better to receive God’s
1052 protection from the mysterious thief Saint Tail than the girl who had
1053 brought it all about so selflessly to begin with? Who was more
1054 deserving than Seira? Yes, it made perfect sense. But how?
1055 Pausing for only a moment to pick up Ruby, Meimi resumed her
1056 pacing. What could Saint Tail do to prevent Seira from leaving? What
1057 was within her power to fix things for the young Sister-in-training?
1058 This was always Seira’s line of work. She was the one who came up
1059 with how to fix things for people. But this time Meimi was on her
1060 own. She thought frantically, not noticing the light starting to
1061 spill through her window. There had to be something, somehow. It
1062 wasn’t as if she could just steal Seira. Or could she? Lifting up
1063 Ruby, she smiled brightly at the cute hedgehog. “I can’t let Seira
1064 go. I won’t let her. I need her here, Ruby, with me. And I’ll make
1065 sure she’s happy. I’ll grant her God’s protection. This will be Saint
1066 Tail’s finest performance!”
1067
1068 “Please guide me. Please help me find my path.” Dim light bathed
1069 the young nun as the sun struggled up into the sky. Dawn had only
1070 broken a short time before, but the dark haired girl had been there
1071 for much longer. She was alone in the large, empty church, hands
1072 clasped in prayer. Her simple white outfit shimmered in a myriad of
1073 colors as the sun played across the beautiful stained glass. Had
1074 anyone seen her, they might well have mistaken the girl for an angel
1075 sent from Heaven. To the Sisters who had raised her, she was a little
1076 angel, something that had brought joy and wonder to their lives. A
1077 little gift from God that had landed on their doorstep by a mother
1078 who could not take care of her. They had pulled together to raise
1079 this little orphan into the beautiful young lady she was today. Seira
1080 felt she owed it to these loving women who had brought her up for as
1081 long as she could remember. She wanted to dedicate her life to the
1082 God that she loved so dearly. This had been her destined path, her
1083 future for as long as she could remember. But now...
1084 Sighing, Seira’s head lowered. She was having trouble thinking. The
1085 church had always been such a tranquil place for her. But now her
1086 heart was being torn in two. She had been in love with Meimi for
1087 years, but had never thought she could actually be with Meimi. That
1088 was one of the reasons she had wanted to join the convent. It would
1089 be easier that way. If she could not be with the one she loved, then
1090 she would devote herself to the Lord. Now she had a taste of the love
1091 in her heart and it left her unsure of herself. She knew that her
1092 faith would not waver. She would always be devoted in her heart. But
1093 her path now seemed so uncertain. Her whole life had been leading up
1094 to her eventually becoming a nun. Seira didn’t know any other way.
1095 Everyone had expected her to become a nun. The Sisters at the school,
1096 the students, even Meimi and herself.
1097 But with Meimi in her life, she was suddenly left with a
1098 surprisingly different option. Her heart belonged to Meimi, of that
1099 she was certain. She could go and be with her, stay with her
1100 mysterious thief. She could give in to the yearnings of her heart.
1101 She could have one but not the other. Her dream since she had been a
1102 child, the life she had prepared for could be hers. Or she could have
1103 the girl of her dreams. Which would it be? Seira felt as if she were
1104 being tugged in all directions. Her heart felt empty, afraid.
1105 So she prayed. And prayed. Because if there was one thing this
1106 could not affect, it was her faith in God above. Her delicate hands
1107 still held together, she continued her prayer for guidance. “Please
1108 help me to understand. I will follow your will wherever it leads me.”
1109 She swallowed pack the pain of tears left unshed. “I love her so
1110 much. Thank you for placing her in my life. For giving us the time
1111 together that you have. I will always cherish that gift you have
1112 given me. But now I find myself at a crossroads and I don’t know
1113 which path to take. I want to dedicate myself to you, to live my life
1114 for you. But I can’t do that if I’m with Meimi. But I don’t want to
1115 leave Meimi, either. I’m lost, my Lord. Please help me to find my
1116 way,” she whispered, her eyes closed tightly.
1117 “Seira-chan, what are you doing up so early?” a voice asked from
1118 the back of the church.
1119 Seira crossed herself before turning to see who the voice belonged
1120 to. There was nothing she could do for now but wait and hope that
1121 her prayer would be answered. “Good morning, Sister Emari. I was just
1122 praying.” The dark haired girl smiled softly at the older woman as
1123 the Sister joined her in front of the altar. She hadn’t slept at all
1124 the night before, leaving her fuzzy and unfocused. Her mind was still
1125 jumbled, her heart heavy. But she would have to have faith that
1126 things would work out. Wherever God led her, she would follow.
1127 The older woman yawned tiredly as she reached the Sister in
1128 training, a hand covering her mouth. “And I thought I was an early
1129 riser. You must have a lot on your mind if you came to pray so
1130 early.” Pulling down her glasses, Sister Emari rubbed some of the
1131 sleep from her eyes. She smiled gently at the younger girl after
1132 replacing her glasses. Her smile faded as she saw the wet sheen over
1133 Seira’s gray eyes. “Is something troubling you, dear?”
1134 Picking up her bible, Seira averted her eyes, hugging the book
1135 tightly to her chest. The only sound in the large expanse of the
1136 church was Seira’s cross lightly sliding across the bible as she
1137 shifted. “I’m going away in less than a week,” the dark haired girl
1138 said at last, turning to look at the older woman.
1139 “Is that what you’re concerned about, Seira-chan? Dear, you
1140 shouldn’t worry about that. I know that you’ll make such a lovely
1141 nun. You’re kind and sweet and gentle. We’ll all miss you terribly,
1142 but when you return, you’ll be Sister Seira.” Sister Emari put a hand
1143 on Seira’s shoulder, smiling at the younger girl reassuringly. It
1144 didn’t seem to help Seira’s disposition any. The older Sister pushed
1145 her glasses back up. “That’s not it? What is it, Seira-chan?” The
1146 younger girl was practically a daughter to her and to the rest of the
1147 nuns at the school. It worried her to see Seira so troubled by
1148 something. Usually the younger girl was so bright and full of life.
1149 Now she seemed consumed by doubt. Could it be the upcoming trip to
1150 Rome itself? Seira had been so eager when they had first told her of
1151 it several months before. What could be bothering her about it now?
1152 For a moment, Sister Emari could see the small child that had been
1153 left at the church doorstep, the one that she had watched grow over
1154 the years. Like any mother, she couldn’t stand to see the younger
1155 girl in pain. None of the Sisters at the school could. Seira was
1156 their pride and joy.
1157 Seira hesitated for a moment, hugging her bible. What was she
1158 supposed to say? She always believed in doing what was right, what
1159 the Lord wanted, but she knew that sometimes you could bend things if
1160 it would help. Like having her best friend steal items to bring them
1161 back to those that needed them. Like lying about Ruby being a stuffed
1162 animal so Asuka Jr. wouldn’t catch on that Meimi was Saint Tail. But
1163 could she lie about this? About being in love with another girl?
1164 Whenever Seira would bend things, it was only to help others, never
1165 herself. Sighing inwardly, she could feel herself trembling as she
1166 lowered her gaze. “I don’t want to leave Meimi-chan,” she whispered.
1167 “Is that what this is all about? I’m sure you can come back and
1168 visit soon enough after you get settled. We’ll all want to see you
1169 again soon anyway. And I’m sure that the two of you could write each
1170 other.” Smiling warmly, Sister Emari tried to work out the soonest
1171 that Seira could return. She would miss the dark haired girl
1172 considerably, as she knew everyone else would. Maybe they could try
1173 to collect some money and fly her back for a visit sooner than they
1174 had originally planned. Anything to see their smiling little girl
1175 again. If only she would smile. Sister Emari frowned. Seira was
1176 usually so happy, always smiling or giggling. It was horrible to see
1177 the pretty younger girl robbed of her beautiful smile. Just as it
1178 would be sad when Seira left. The Sister-in-training really
1179 brightened the lives of the nuns.
1180 “I love her,” Seira said, looking down. She had never told any of
1181 the Sisters before of her feelings for Meimi. With the churches views
1182 on homosexuality, she had been too afraid to say anything. And it had
1183 been pointless to worry about it before. She would be joining the
1184 convent, away from the girl she loved. She wouldn’t be acting on her
1185 feelings, so it wasn’t a problem. It didn’t make her love Meimi any
1186 less, but it just hadn’t been important because there was no way she
1187 could be with the other girl. But now that was different. She was
1188 afraid of how the older women might react, afraid that she would let
1189 down these wonderful women who had raised her.
1190 “Oh...” Sister Emari cleared her throat, pushing up her glasses.
1191 The older Sister began to look around the large room, her eyes
1192 wandering. That had been... unexpected. Still, had she really
1193 expected Seira to grow up and never fall in love? Such a thing was
1194 preposterous. Of course their little Seira had fallen in love. But
1195 with Meimi? “You love Meimi?” Sister Emari repeated. Seeing Seira nod
1196 slowly, Emari sighed. She had heard correctly after all. “But she’s
1197 so... moody.”
1198 Seira giggled softly despite herself. “I’ve noticed. But it’s
1199 something I’ve always loved. She’s very emotional.” Releasing a sigh,
1200 she closed her eyes. Her heart was still entangled hopelessly in a
1201 web she couldn’t begin to untangle. But her mind understood the
1202 church doctrine well enough. If she was to remain celibate, then it
1203 didn’t matter if she had feelings for another woman. “I know where I
1204 belong, Sister Emari. I love her, but that just makes it even more
1205 important that I join the convent. I will be God’s servant.” She
1206 waited for the older woman’s agreement but when none came, her eyes
1207 fluttered open. Sister Emari had her arms crossed, her attention cast
1208 forward as if she were deep in thought. “Sister?”
1209 “Her name was Kasumi.”
1210 Blinking in confusion, Seira shook her head. “Whose name was Kasumi?”
1211 The older Sister smiled, her glasses glinting in the growing light.
1212 “Nothing. It was a long time ago. Seira, I’m not sure if your place
1213 is in the convent. You’ve always been God’s servant. You’ve always
1214 helped His people as best you could. And you aren’t a Sister yet.
1215 Even then, you’ve done wonderful things for people. I meant what I
1216 said earlier. You are kind and gentle and loving. But you don’t need
1217 to be a priest or a nun to follow the Lord’s path for you.”
1218 “I don’t think I understand, Sister Emari. Doesn’t all of this make
1219 it even clearer that I should become a nun? Doesn’t all of this make
1220 my path clear?” Seira asked, gray eyes meeting the Emari’s brown
1221 eyes. She had made her decision, but now it seemed that Sister Emari
1222 was telling her otherwise. Confusion rolled over her, tossing the
1223 young Sister-in-training about.
1224 “I can’t tell you what your path is, Seira-chan. Sometimes we have
1225 a hard time seeing it, but if we listen closely enough, we can
1226 understand in the end what we were put here for. You have done a
1227 wonderful job helping people even without being a nun. I don’t think
1228 being one would change you one bit. I do, on the other hand, think
1229 that the Lord would want you to be happy. He would want you to have
1230 joy in your life. And most of all, He would want to see your precious
1231 smile, just as He’s let us all see it as you grew up here.” Emari
1232 reached out and held the dark haired girl’s cheek. “You’re like a
1233 daughter to me, Seira-chan. To all of us. He would want you to be
1234 happy. We want you to be happy. We always thought you would grow up
1235 to become a nun because of how you are. But we don't expect it of
1236 you. Perhaps your path lies elsewhere. You’re one of the Lord’s most
1237 faithful servants. I can’t see Him wanting you to be lonely.”
1238 “I... Sister Emari...” Seira got out weakly, taken aback. She
1239 blinked weary, tear streaked eyes. Her tangled heart struggled
1240 against the confining webs, Sister Emari’s words coursing through her
1241 soul. Crying softly, she felt arms pull her closer, gentle hands
1242 stroking her back. Was Sister Emari right? Could she be with Meimi?
1243 But still, she felt the convent’s calling, could feel her life’s
1244 dream waiting for her. Her mind collapsed into confusion. Resting
1245 weakly against the older woman, Seira cried herself to sleep.
1246
1247 “Saint Tail!!” Darting forward, Asuka Jr. snagged at thin air.
1248 Blinking confusedly, the boy barely had time to notice his
1249 surrounding before he tumbled to the floor. Grumbling, he sat up,
1250 throwing his blankets to the side. Just another dream. Sighing, the
1251 green haired boy walked barefoot across his tidy room. Some would
1252 call him obsessed with the mysterious thief, but he didn’t care what
1253 anyone else thought. Only one thing mattered to the young detective,
1254 and that was unmasking Saint Tail. One day he would. One day soon. He
1255 would catch her. He would be the one. Saint Tail had promised him
1256 that he would be the only one to catch her. She was his first thought
1257 upon waking and his last thought upon drifting off to sleep. She was,
1258 for all intents and purposes, his one driving goal in life.
1259 Stepping up to his window, Asuka Jr. drew the blinds. The dark
1260 haired boy winded as light poured into his room. Yawning, he turned
1261 away and began to get dressed. He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night
1262 before, having followed Saint Tail all the way to a hospital. He had
1263 almost caught her when doctors had run past, nearly knocking him
1264 over. They had run to the same room Saint Tail had been heading
1265 towards.
1266 Asuka Jr. closed his eyes tightly, trying to force out the thoughts
1267 that followed. But even as he tried to relegate them to the shadows
1268 of his mind, searchlights brought them out into the open. The girl
1269 had died. The girl that Saint Tail had been helping had been dead by
1270 the time the doctor’s reached her. Her body had finally given out,
1271 one of the doctors had told him. He and Saint Tail had been side by
1272 side as they heard the news. He could have caught her then and there.
1273 But he couldn’t. His heart hadn’t been in it. He saw them cart away
1274 the body of a pale girl and he suddenly hadn’t felt strong enough to
1275 stand, let alone to haul in Saint Tail. It was then that he learned
1276 that Saint Tail had been about to deliver a love letter from the now
1277 dead girl. It had been her final wish. So Asuka Jr. had let her go.
1278 How could he let the girl’s final wish go unfulfilled? At least this
1279 way, she wouldn’t regret never telling her love on the other side.
1280 They would know. But that thought sent a cold chill through him. How
1281 would he handle a letter confessing someone’s love for him only to
1282 discover they had already died? It was a painful situation, he knew.
1283 He was relieved that Saint Tail had been the one to give the letter
1284 and not himself. He didn’t know if he could do that.
1285 Trying to shake off the haunting feeling the thoughts gave him,
1286 Asuka Jr. turned to pick up his backpack. Something on the window
1287 caught his eye. Squinting, her walked closer to the plane of glass.
1288 “Traeh s’arieS retsiS rof emoc lliw I ,thginoT,” he managed to sound
1289 out. “What the hell?” Had Saint Tail suddenly started writing in
1290 code? Or was this some strange type of riddle? He shook his head,
1291 trying to decode the bizarre message. It finally hit him the third
1292 time through. She’d written it on his window from the outside. It was
1293 backwards. “Tonight, I will come for Sister Seira’s heart. Saint
1294 Tail.” He read it over again. What could she mean? He shook his head.
1295 It didn’t matter. He would find out tonight. Tonight, for sure! He
1296 would catch Saint Tail!
1297
1298 The church was completely empty except for a lone girl. Seira sat
1299 quietly in a confessional, her heart struggling to understand where
1300 her place was, where she belonged. She couldn’t tell how long she had
1301 been there or even when she had first arrived. This was her usual
1302 spot, inside the church, waiting for those in need. But now she found
1303 herself in need. She could usually determine what needed to be done
1304 to help people, to fix their problems. But she found herself unable
1305 to come up with a solution to her own predicament. Her heart teetered
1306 back and forth on the edge, unsure of which choice to make. On one
1307 hand, she loved Meimi dearly. On the other, her life was one that was
1308 committed to God. It left her in a precarious predicament.
1309 A sound in the other side of the confessional dragged Seira out of
1310 her thoughts. She smiled softly as she looked over at the screen.
1311 This was something she could handle. It was so much easier helping
1312 others figure out what to do than trying to decide what to do on her
1313 own. She would be leaving in a few days, but maybe she could get
1314 Saint Tail to help a few last people before she left. Or she could at
1315 least help ease someone’s mind with whatever troubles they had. “Can
1316 I help you?”
1317 “I have a confession to make,” the voice said from the other side.
1318 It sounded strange, unfamiliar. “I’m in love with another girl. She’s
1319 all I think about anymore. She’s just perfect. She’s so sweet and
1320 caring. She would do anything for me. Even though I do some stupid
1321 things sometimes, she always helps me out of it. I can always come to
1322 her with my problems and she always listens to me, no matter what
1323 they are. She can get a little jealous sometimes and she can get me
1324 to do things without my even knowing she tricked me into it, but it
1325 all just makes me love her even more. She knows me better than anyone
1326 else could ever hope to.”
1327 Seira felt her heart pounding in her chest. Holding her hands in
1328 her lap, she tried to come up with a reply. “Are you worried that
1329 it’s a girl? It sounds like you’re very much in love. I don’t think
1330 the Lord would ever fault you for such a thing.”
1331 “I’m not worried about that. But I think she is. I think she’s been
1332 worried about that for some time.”
1333 “So she’s afraid that it’s wrong for her to be in love with another
1334 girl.” Seira sighed, bowing her head. “I know how that feels. But God
1335 loves all of his children. He isn’t an exclusive being, there only
1336 for some and not others. I don’t see how being in love can be a sin.
1337 He’s so loving. He wouldn’t be angry with you for being in love, no
1338 matter who you’re in love with.”
1339 “Really? I wish you could tell her that. I’m so scared that I’m
1340 going to lose her because of this. And I can’t lose her. I need her.
1341 More than anything. She makes my life complete. I’d be lost without
1342 her. She’s always been my guiding light. She’s the one that steers me
1343 in the right direction.”
1344 Standing up, Seira reached for the door. Something about this was
1345 just too strange. It sounded too familiar. The door opened and she
1346 stumbled into Saint Tail. The Sister-in-training’s arms flailed as
1347 she fell against the mysterious thief. Both girls tumbled to the
1348 floor in a heap. “Meimi-chan?” Seira looked up directly into auburn
1349 hair. She closed her eyes as it tickled her nose.
1350 “You weren’t supposed to come out yet,” Meimi explained, getting to
1351 her knees. She smiled at the dark haired girl. “It’s ventriloquism.
1352 I’ve been practicing. I knew it would come in handy one of these
1353 days.”
1354 “So you were waiting right outside? What in Heaven for?” Seira
1355 asked, blinking. She slowly gathered up her skirt underneath her,
1356 still kneeling herself.
1357 “For this.” Meimi cupped Seira’s chin, kissing her softly. The
1358 young nun froze as she kissed her warmly, gloved fingers stroking
1359 under her chin. Meimi held the kiss, drawing it out before finally
1360 pulling away. Seira was pleasantly dizzy when she was done. Meimi
1361 smiled and trailed up to Seira’s lips with her fingertip. “I love
1362 you, Seira. I need you.”
1363 Seira shook her head, slowly getting to her feet. “Meimi-chan.. You
1364 really shouldn’t do that in here.” She turned her back to the auburn
1365 haired girl, trying to quell her warring feelings. She held her hands
1366 to her chest, breathing slowly.
1367 “Why? You said yourself that He wouldn’t fault you for it,” Meimi
1368 argued. Still Seira looked uncertain. Meimi took her hands, looking
1369 the dark haired girl in the eye. “Please come with me. Just for now.
1370 I have to show you something. Ruby has something she wants to show
1371 you.” Her blue eyes pleaded with Seira until the young nun finally
1372 relented. She hurried outside, leading Seira into the darkening
1373 night. Stars already twinkled outside like lanterns in a long and
1374 dark sea. “Ruby!” Meimi called. The cute little hedgehog ran out from
1375 behind some bushes, leaping up into Meimi’s waiting hands. “I would
1376 have done this on my own, but Ruby wanted to come along,” Meimi
1377 explained.
1378 “Ruby’s always welcome to come along,” Seira said with a smile,
1379 petting the hedgehog in Saint Tail’s hands. Something glimmered in
1380 the moonlight, hanging from Ruby’s ribbon. Seira looked at it
1381 curiously, reaching out. She gently pulled it away from the ribbon,
1382 holding it up in the dim light. A small gold ring glimmered in her
1383 hand. Seira opened her mouth but nothing came out. She suddenly felt
1384 much dizzier than she had after the kiss. She was about to sit down,
1385 but Meimi took her hands, piercing blue eyes captivating her. She
1386 could only look back, ring still in hand.
1387 “It’s my mother’s engagement ring. She was actually really for this
1388 plan when I asked her if I could have it.” Meimi swallowed, licking
1389 her dry lips. She felt so anxious. She had never before thought of
1390 doing this, had never thought of how difficult it would be. But the
1391 thought of losing Seira spurred her on. This was what she wanted, to
1392 be with Seira forever. Standing there in her Saint Tail tuxedo, it
1393 seemed all too fitting. “Seira, will you marry me?”
1394 Seira stared back in stunned silence. A marriage proposal? Meimi
1395 was proposing to her? Her cheeks darkened as the thought made its way
1396 to her heart. “I.. Meimi-chan..” she got out, blushing. “But we
1397 can’t.” She tried to think, but her mind was paralyzed, trapped on
1398 the ring and Meimi’s blue orbs.
1399 “I know we can’t legally get married, but I want to marry you,
1400 Seira. I thought long and hard about this. This is what I want. I
1401 hope it’s what you want, too. I promise I’ll take care of you. I
1402 promise I’ll love you forever. I know we’ll have God’s protection on
1403 this. Just please say yes,” Meimi pleaded, her fingers entwining with
1404 Seira’s. Her heart hung above infinity as she awaited Seira’s reply,
1405 her eyes questing into Seira’s for an answer.
1406 “Saint Tail! You won’t get away this time!” Asuka Jr. yelled as he
1407 ran towards the two girls.
1408 Meimi smiled at Seira before taking a step back and turning to
1409 Asuka Jr. “Sometimes, a magician will reveal her tricks to the
1410 audience so they can see the illusion for what it is. I’ve played
1411 this game long enough. Thank you for playing it with me, Asuka Jr. I
1412 had fun. But I can’t play it anymore.” Reaching up, Meimi pulled out
1413 her ribbon, her long ponytail spilling behind her. She shook her
1414 head, her hair fluttering around her.
1415 “Haneoka-san?!” Asuka Jr. stared in amazement. “You.. You’re Saint
1416 Tail? But how?” For all of this time, there had been hints of Meimi
1417 in Saint Tail, but he had never been certain. There had always been
1418 that mystery. But now, the mystery of Saint Tail was laid out right
1419 in front of him. He could only watch, unsure of what to do. She was
1420 unmasked. What more could he do?
1421 Meimi turned back to Seira, and with a graceful step was right
1422 against her. Wrapping an arm around Seira’s waist, she held the young
1423 Sister-in-training tightly. Pulling up her top hat, she counted down.
1424 “One! Two! Three!” With an impressive burst, a group of colorful
1425 balloons lifted above them. Meimi grabbed the line as the lifted into
1426 the air, pulling Seira into the sky with her.
1427 Asuka Jr. watched the two girls float into the air for a long
1428 moment, watching until they were far out of sight. Collapsing
1429 backwards, he could only sit there, Saint Tail’s unmasking burned
1430 into his mind. It was over. The chase had finally ended. He had what
1431 he wanted. He knew who Saint Tail was. So why did he feel so empty?
1432 The mystery was gone, the one thing that had kept him on edge, eager
1433 to find it’s resolution. It really was like finding out how a magic
1434 trick worked. When you saw it again, the magic was gone. It was
1435 simply a gesture. Saint Tail was simply Haneoka. There was no magic
1436 behind it, no mystery anymore. He sighed. He didn’t bother looking
1437 when someone sat down next to him.
1438 “Well.. You know now.” Lina looked up into the heavens, following
1439 Asuka Jr.'s gaze. “Is it everything you had hoped for?” she asked,
1440 looking over to him.
1441 “The magic’s gone. She showed me how the magic works. It’s just..
1442 gone.” Asuka Jr. shook his head, still in shock. “I don’t know where
1443 to go from here. I don’t know what to do. Saint Tail was everything.
1444 I finally caught her. I know who she is. Now what? The game’s over.”
1445 Lina nodded thoughtfully. She offered a small smile, catching Asuka
1446 Jr.’s eye. Resting a hand on his, she shrugged. “Real magic doesn’t
1447 work that way. Real magic doesn’t disappear when you find out what
1448 causes it.”
1449 Asuka Jr. sighed, looking down at Lina’s hand. “I guess you’re
1450 right. But what do I do now?” He looked up again, seeing Lina bathed
1451 in moonlight. He didn’t know why, but for the first time, he realized
1452 how pretty she was.
1453 “Keep looking. Saint Tail wasn’t the magic you were looking for. So
1454 keep looking until you find that magic. Until you find the real
1455 magic. Magic that won’t disappear when you understand it.” Lina
1456 smiled, taking his hand in her own.
1457 Asuka Jr. nodded, smiling faintly himself. “I’ll keep looking.”
1458
1459 Up above, a young Sister-in-training and a mysterious thief floated
1460 through the air. Seira had been taken by surprise at first, too
1461 shocked to keep herself from being whisked away by Saint Tail. She
1462 had had the presence of mind to hold onto the engagement ring,
1463 luckily. The two hung above, suspended up in a beautiful star
1464 speckled heaven. Seira sighed, resting against Meimi as she held onto
1465 her. The two floated quietly for what felt like a beautiful taste of
1466 eternity. Seira could feel Meimi’s heart beating against her own, a
1467 thunderous beat against her own. Meimi was usually so much more
1468 confident as Saint Tail, but it seemed that even that confidence
1469 couldn’t shield her as she waited anxiously. “I’ll marry you, Meimi-
1470 chan,” Seira said at last, pulling back enough to look into Meimi’s
1471 gorgeous blue eyes. She smiled at the look of relief that washed over
1472 the auburn haired girl’s face. “It’s what I want, too.”
1473 Meimi smiled brightly holding Seira even tighter. The future
1474 suddenly wasn’t weighing upon her shoulders. Instead it made her feel
1475 lighter than air, drawing her above her worries. The future was no
1476 longer something to dread, but something to await with each passing
1477 breath. “Seira..” Meimi felt her heart float joyously like the
1478 balloons she was holding. “I love you, Seira,” Meimi whispered.
1479 Seira’s decision was finally made. She felt free, given the eagle’s
1480 wings she had sought for so long. Life was the most precious dream.
1481 She silently thanked the God that she had dedicated her life to for
1482 this beautiful moment, for letting her future lay with Meimi. That
1483 future lay before them, unwritten but full of glorious promise and
1484 wonder. And they would write their future hand in hand. “I love you,
1485 too, Meimi-chan,” Seira replied, her gray eyes sparkling. Leaning
1486 forward, she kissed the mysterious thief, her very own not-so-
1487 mysterious thief with all the love in her heart. With her hands
1488 behind Meimi’s waist, she slipped on the engagement ring, a thrill
1489 passing through her as the symbol of their union clasped her finger.
1490 And so they floated through the skies above, the silhouette of a
1491 thief and a nun kissing in the light of the moon.
1492