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     1.4 +Author’s notes: Hello minna-san! ^-^ This is the first story I’ve
     1.5 +written since I’ve moved. I’ve been having a hard time handling
     1.6 +things, so this has helped me to focus some of that energy. I wrote
     1.7 +most of this on three separate nights. It’s my second Saint Tail
     1.8 +story and hopefully it won’t be my last. ^-^ I would love to hear any
     1.9 +comments, so if you feel up to e-mailing, I would appreciate it. ^-^
    1.10 +This is an alternate end for Saint Tail, so I know it doesn’t fit
    1.11 +exactly with the end of the series. Oh, and Meimi originally had
    1.12 +glasses in the manga. Megumi Tachikawa said that she was farsighted
    1.13 +and only used them for school but she stopped drawing Meimi in them
    1.14 +because she didn’t have her in class much. I thought this was cute,
    1.15 +so I wanted to add it. ^-^ Anyway, thank you so much for reading! ^-^
    1.16 +
    1.17 +
    1.18 +
    1.19 +Can’t Say Goodbye to Yesterday
    1.20 +by Amazoness Duo
    1.21 +amazonessduo@hotmail.com
    1.22 +
    1.23 +
    1.24 +	‘The church is really beautiful,’ Meimi thought to herself as the
    1.25 +large structure came into view. A small smile crossed her lips as she
    1.26 +hugged her sweater to herself. ‘I’ve been here hundreds of times, but
    1.27 +I never really noticed just how beautiful it really is. But Seira
    1.28 +always noticed. She spent even more time here than I did.’ With the
    1.29 +changing direction in her line of thought, the brunette’s smile
    1.30 +faded. Sighing, she paused in front of the large, ornate doors. Her
    1.31 +heart plummeted as her mind drifted back to a conversation she had
    1.32 +had with Seira earlier. 
    1.33 +	Meimi was now fifteen. Though not the best of students, with
    1.34 +Seira’s help, she had passed rather well through her high school
    1.35 +entrance exams. Finally having such a huge weight lifted from her
    1.36 +shoulders, Meimi had been exhilarated at the newfound freedom. But
    1.37 +her excitement was short-lived. When she had asked Seira about what
    1.38 +the Catholic high school was like that they would be going to, Seira
    1.39 +had told her she would find out for her. Then she had struck Meimi a
    1.40 +blow that she was still reeling from. Seira wouldn’t be joining her
    1.41 +at the high school. She was going to Rome with one of the older
    1.42 +Sisters, presumably to prepare for entering the convent in a few
    1.43 +years. Something that Meimi had thought was years away was now
    1.44 +painfully close. 
    1.45 +	There wasn’t a time that Meimi could remember not having her gentle
    1.46 +best friend near. Seira was always there to help her through things,
    1.47 +always there to listen to her heart. The Sister-in-training made a
    1.48 +wonderful listener and she had granted Meimi a wonderful confidante.
    1.49 +Seira had been willing to do anything for her, from pretending to be
    1.50 +Meimi to protect her identity to running around dressed like a snow
    1.51 +girl. She had always been infinitely loyal to Meimi, always ready to
    1.52 +help her. But now Meimi was facing the thought of losing Seira and it
    1.53 +drove splinters through her heart. ‘Why God? Why are you taking her
    1.54 +away from me? I know you need her. But so do I...’ Meimi prayed
    1.55 +silently. The thought of losing her best friend sent shivers through
    1.56 +her. It felt like a large piece of her life was about to fade away,
    1.57 +something more important than a limb. She could already feel that
    1.58 +something was missing even though Seira wouldn’t be leaving for at
    1.59 +least another month. But that month hung over Meimi like a death
    1.60 +shroud. Despite Seira’s warm smile when she had come to greet her at
    1.61 +lunch, Meimi had only barely suppressed tears before running away
    1.62 +from her friend. How was she supposed to pretend that nothing was
    1.63 +wrong when Seira would be leaving so soon? How could she live through
    1.64 +the month when Seira would be gone by its end? 
    1.65 +	So here she was. The brunette thief had called Seira shortly after
    1.66 +getting home. She needed to speak with Seira as quickly as possible.
    1.67 +She didn’t know how, but she had to find some way to convince Seira
    1.68 +to stay. There had to be something she could do. Maybe God wanted
    1.69 +Seira for whatever His plans may be. But if that was the case, the
    1.70 +Saint Tail would have to steal her away. She hoped He would
    1.71 +understand. He would have to. He had placed Seira in her life, after
    1.72 +all. He had to know how important she was to Meimi. 
    1.73 +	Steeling her resolve, Meimi entered the church. Her fists clenched
    1.74 +in determination, the brunette girl glanced about for the one
    1.75 +troubling her thoughts. Seira had insisted they meet on the church,
    1.76 +something that seemed only fitting after how often they had met
    1.77 +there. Trailing her fingers over the edges of the pews, Meimi made
    1.78 +her way towards the altar. “Forgive me, Lord, for I am without
    1.79 +deceit,” Meimi whispered to herself. 
    1.80 +	“I hope you aren’t planning on going out as Saint Tail tonight. I’m
    1.81 +afraid there’s nothing to steal.” Seira’s words brought Meimi’s
    1.82 +attention to her immediately. The young Sister-in-training smiled
    1.83 +sweetly, dressed in her all white habit. Standing up from the front
    1.84 +Pew, she rested her hands together in front of her. She had been
    1.85 +praying for hours, having come to the church as soon as school had
    1.86 +ended. One of the nuns had to come get her when Meimi had called for
    1.87 +her. She felt her heart swell to see the mysterious thief once more.
    1.88 +Despite her best efforts, Meimi was never far from her mind. 
    1.89 +	Spotting Seira near the front, Meimi offered a small smile of her
    1.90 +own. “Everyone always comes to you to pray when they need Saint
    1.91 +Tail’s help. But this time, I think Saint Tail is the one who needs
    1.92 +help.” Her smile faltered as Seira slowly eliminated the distance
    1.93 +between them. Her vision blurred as tears once again threatened to
    1.94 +ruin her composure. She averted her gaze quickly, hoping that her
    1.95 +friend wouldn’t notice. 
    1.96 +	“You’re always welcome in the Lord’s home, Meimi-chan. You know
    1.97 +that. Everyone can come pray here. Even Saint Tail.” Seira felt an
    1.98 +icy chill overtake her as she saw just how close to tears the
    1.99 +brunette thief was. She took Meimi’s hand and led the semi-startled
   1.100 +girl over to the pew near the front that she had been using. Sitting
   1.101 +down, she motioned for Meimi to join her. It hurt her to see Meimi in
   1.102 +such pain. Which is why she had put off telling her for so long. In
   1.103 +retrospect, she had to wonder if that had been a wise decision. Maybe
   1.104 +if Meimi had known longer, it wouldn’t hurt so much now. But that was
   1.105 +all in the past. All she could do for now was try to help as well as
   1.106 +she could. “What’s wrong, Meimi-chan?” she asked worriedly. She knew
   1.107 +the problem well enough. It had been troubling her for quite some
   1.108 +time. If only she knew how to solve in better. 
   1.109 +	Meimi took a deep breath, staring straight ahead. Why was this so
   1.110 +difficult? Because Seira had never been leaving before. This had
   1.111 +never been a problem for her. But now she felt off balance, unsure.
   1.112 +“Seira-chan... Are you sure this is what you want to do? Go into the
   1.113 +convent, I mean. Is that really what you want to do with your life?” 
   1.114 +	“Of course, I do, Meimi-chan. I can’t think of a better path in
   1.115 +this life than one that serves the Lord. And how better to repay the
   1.116 +nuns here? They raised me, a poor orphan girl left on their doorstep.
   1.117 +No one forced them to. No one made them. I want to repay them for
   1.118 +that. For all of the happiness in my life. I owe so much to them. I
   1.119 +believe it’s my path in life,” Seira explained, watching the
   1.120 +brunette. This was something that she had decided long ago, but never
   1.121 +before had she had to explain it to her best friend. Meimi had simply
   1.122 +accepted it before now. But now, Meimi appeared to be having her
   1.123 +doubts. Of course, Seira had other reasons as well, but ones that
   1.124 +were a little more difficult to go into. 
   1.125 +	“But...” Meimi began, her voice breaking. She took another breath
   1.126 +before continuing. “But what about falling in love? What about
   1.127 +finding your special someone, of spending your life forever with him?
   1.128 +I can’t imagine God denying you that.” She knew she was grasping at
   1.129 +straws now, but she had to try. She couldn’t imagine Seira alone
   1.130 +forever, never falling in love. Why would God wish such a lonely life
   1.131 +for his diligent servant? It didn’t make any sense. Seira deserved to
   1.132 +have that. And Meimi wanted her to stay, so they could find it
   1.133 +together. 
   1.134 +	Seira paused for a moment, studying the teary eyed thief. After a
   1.135 +long silence, she answered, looking to the altar. “I’ve already
   1.136 +fallen in love, Meimi-chan. I fell in love a long time ago. God
   1.137 +didn’t deny me that. And I’ll forever thank Him for allowing me to
   1.138 +fall in love with such a wonderful person. That’s one of the many
   1.139 +reasons why I want to repay him by becoming a Sister.” 
   1.140 +	Watching Seira quietly, Meimi was astounded by how radiant she
   1.141 +looked. Whether it was because she was speaking of God or the one she
   1.142 +loved, Meimi couldn’t tell for sure. Whatever the case, Seira was
   1.143 +practically glowing. It wasn’t fair. Seira deserved to be happy. To
   1.144 +be loved. To be nearby. Meimi had always thought it would be fine
   1.145 +when Seira one day became a Sister, thinking she would simply become
   1.146 +one nearby. In her mind, it didn’t feel like anything would change.
   1.147 +But now, it felt too horrible to think of Seira all alone and far
   1.148 +away. The thought that Seira was in love only made that worse.
   1.149 +“You’re in love? Seira-chan, you never told me. You’ve always been
   1.150 +there to listen to me, but I guess I wasn't very good at listening
   1.151 +when you needed me. I’m sorry.” Meimi hung her head guiltily. She was
   1.152 +usually so much better at handling things, even if she could have a
   1.153 +fiery temper, but at the moment she was completely lost. How often
   1.154 +had Seira been there for her? How often had Seira saved her in one
   1.155 +sense or another? Without magic and without athletics, Seira had
   1.156 +always been there to save Meimi when everything was out of control.
   1.157 +She would always think of something to help her, even when her secret
   1.158 +identity was at stake. Seira had been her guardian angel. No one knew
   1.159 +her better than the Sister-in-training. Seira didn’t know the newest
   1.160 +trends or the hottest bands, but she knew everything about Meimi
   1.161 +herself. Yet Meimi had failed her. She had had no idea of Seira’s own
   1.162 +love. A hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present. She
   1.163 +slowly looked up into Seira’s understanding blue-gray eyes. 
   1.164 +	“Meimi-chan, please don’t blame yourself. I never told you because
   1.165 +I didn’t want you to know. It wouldn’t change things right now even
   1.166 +if you did. I couldn’t get with this person no matter how much I
   1.167 +would want to. I’ve already decided what I’m going to do with my
   1.168 +life.” 
   1.169 +	“You didn’t want me to know? But why not? I’m your best friend. I
   1.170 +just thought there wasn’t anyone you liked.” Meimi’s mind started
   1.171 +sifting through everything, hoping for some clue to unravel Seira’s
   1.172 +love’s mystery identity. Part of her was hoping it would be the key
   1.173 +to keeping Seira from leaving. If she could only find out and somehow
   1.174 +fix things, then maybe Seira would change her mind. Determination
   1.175 +began to well up inside of her, burning throughout her body. Saint
   1.176 +Tail had helped countless people before. Now she would save the most
   1.177 +selfless and loving person she could think of. Somehow.
   1.178 +Unfortunately, whenever Saint Tail was off to solve things, Seira was
   1.179 +there to provide her with the information she needed to know. This
   1.180 +time she had no such luck. It left her wondering how she could manage
   1.181 +without her best friend. Would Seira leaving mean the end of Saint
   1.182 +Tail as well? She quickly shook off the thought. She couldn’t quit
   1.183 +being Saint Tail anymore than she could quit being Meimi. They were
   1.184 +like two different people, but they were both parts of her. ‘I can’t
   1.185 +do this without you,’ Meimi thought desperately. ‘But I have to try.’
   1.186 +Thinking quickly, her mind latched onto the first possibility. “Is it
   1.187 +Sawatari-kun? He does seem to like you. And he is pretty cool,” Meimi
   1.188 +conceded, watching Seira for any reaction. To her surprise, the young
   1.189 +Sister began to laugh. Meimi sweatdropped. “And you always laugh when
   1.190 +he hits on you.”
   1.191 +	Giggling, Seira nodded, covering her mouth primly. “That’s because
   1.192 +it’s funny. I think it’s silly that he would go to the trouble.
   1.193 +Everyone knows I’m going to become a nun. Besides, I love someone
   1.194 +else. So I couldn’t fall for his ‘charms’ even if I wasn’t going to.”
   1.195 +Another giggle escaped the dark haired girl’s lips as she watched the
   1.196 +quizzical look that Meimi gave her. She had always been amused that
   1.197 +Sawatari would shower any attention on her. It was something that
   1.198 +other girls didn’t understand. They would all kill for his attention.
   1.199 +That he would choose her out of everyone couldn’t help but make her
   1.200 +laugh. She wouldn’t be getting with anyone anyway. There was only one
   1.201 +person that she would want at all and it certainly wasn’t him.
   1.202 +	Meimi could only stare for a long moment, unsure of how to
   1.203 +continue. Well, it obviously wasn’t Sawatari. But who did that leave?
   1.204 +Seira was kind and sweet to everyone. But even then, there weren’t
   1.205 +any boys that stood out. Plenty came to her to pray and to confess
   1.206 +things, but none really knew her all that well. And Seira didn’t seem
   1.207 +to mind. There weren’t any boys that came to mind. Unless... Meimi’s
   1.208 +eyes went wide as a thought struck her. “It isn’t a boy, is it, Seira-
   1.209 +chan?” Her heart began to pound quicker in her chest as she waited
   1.210 +anxiously. Just how much had she missed about her best friend? How
   1.211 +much had she let go unnoticed? What if it was a girl? Who?
   1.212 +	A look of surprise crossed Seira’s features for a moment. She
   1.213 +hadn’t quite expected Meimi to ask anything like that. The dark
   1.214 +haired girl had been inclined to leave it off with there simply being
   1.215 +someone she was in love with. But though Meimi could be... moody, she
   1.216 +certainly wasn’t naïve. Slowly, she found herself nodding. She
   1.217 +couldn’t bring herself to lie about it, especially to Meimi. “Hai,
   1.218 +it’s a girl,” Seira said quietly, almost reluctantly. She couldn’t
   1.219 +bring herself to meet Meimi’s questing gaze. Her cheeks darkened
   1.220 +slightly in embarrassment and frustration. What was she supposed to
   1.221 +say if Meimi asked her? What could she do? She didn’t have to tell
   1.222 +her who it was. She could refuse to answer. But after all they had
   1.223 +been through together, could she really do that to Meimi? Didn’t
   1.224 +Meimi deserve to know? She would be leaving soon enough anyway. It
   1.225 +wouldn’t be able to cause much harm. 
   1.226 +	“Is that why you’re leaving? Is that why you want to be a nun?”
   1.227 +Meimi asked quickly, staring intently at the white clad girl next to
   1.228 +her. Things slowly began to make more sense to the mysterious thief.
   1.229 +That was why Seira was never interested in any of the boys, why she
   1.230 +was never interested in dating. Seira had been raised by the Sisters,
   1.231 +so of course she didn’t think she could be with a girl. That was why
   1.232 +she was intent on becoming a nun, remaining celibate. 
   1.233 +	Seira shook her head, clasping her gloved hands in front of her.
   1.234 +Only her face was visible in the long white dress. “No, that’s not
   1.235 +it.” She paused to consider for a moment. “That’s not all of it, at
   1.236 +least. Like I said before, I want to for the Lord. I want to pay back
   1.237 +the Sisters who raised me. And yes, because I’m in love with another
   1.238 +girl. I can’t be with her. And I won’t love anyone else. Anyone
   1.239 +besides Him. So I’ll be His willing servant.” Falling in love with
   1.240 +Meimi had only fortified Seira’s decision to become a Sister. She had
   1.241 +tasted love in all of its bittersweet glory. She had that and always
   1.242 +would. But it only helped her to realize where her path in life lay.
   1.243 +She couldn’t be with Meimi. She understood that. So there was nothing
   1.244 +to keep her from a life devoted to God. 
   1.245 +	Meimi’s head spun, her only real argument, that of Seira falling in
   1.246 +love, having faltered. Her spirits dwindled as she thought of life
   1.247 +without her guardian angel, of a life apart from her best friend. No.
   1.248 +There had to be something she could do. This couldn’t be it. She was
   1.249 +Saint Tail. She could fix this. She always gave people their happy
   1.250 +ending. Why couldn’t she have hers? “But maybe she could likes you
   1.251 +to. Or maybe she would if she only knew. Seira-chan, it can’t be a
   1.252 +sin for you to fall in love.”
   1.253 +	“And I don’t think it is. The Lord allowed me to fall in love with
   1.254 +a girl that fills my heart with joy. And I’m ever grateful for that.
   1.255 +But she’s out of my reach. Like a star in the sky, I can watch her
   1.256 +and love her, but I can’t have her no matter how my heart wishes
   1.257 +otherwise.” Seira smiled a little sadly at the brunette, suddenly
   1.258 +feeling very lonely in the large and empty church. Meimi was right
   1.259 +next to her, but it might as well have been thousands of miles away.
   1.260 +Like the face of God, some things were simply out of one’s reach. She
   1.261 +fought back the urge to cry herself. Swallowing back a lump in her
   1.262 +throat, she managed to hold the smile for a bit longer. Meimi was so
   1.263 +beautiful, so wonderful. If only love wasn’t such a double edged
   1.264 +sword. Her heart sang for the brunette, relishing in her company and
   1.265 +in the adoring thoughts she had of Meimi. But her heart also ached
   1.266 +terribly from the burden of that love. But she would suffer through
   1.267 +it as best she could. “Besides, you’re already in love with Asuka
   1.268 +Jr,” she finished. 
   1.269 +	“I am NOT in love with...” Meimi trailed off, Seira’s words ringing
   1.270 +in her ears. Her mouth opened and closed in a futile attempt to
   1.271 +continue. “Me?” she got out weakly, shock overtaking her. It felt
   1.272 +like an eternity before Seira replied with a small nod. Meimi
   1.273 +suddenly felt as if she were being tossed around on an unfriendly
   1.274 +sea, dipping below the treacherous waves that tried to drown her. How
   1.275 +could she be the one that Seira loved? How could she be the girl that
   1.276 +lay in Seira’s beautiful heart? But in many ways, it made sense.
   1.277 +Seira had always been willing to do anything for her, had always been
   1.278 +the there for her throughout it all. She had been the one to convince
   1.279 +Meimi to be Kaitou Saint Tail in the first place. She was the one who
   1.280 +was always seemed to matter the most to Seira, the one who Seira
   1.281 +always prayed for. Meimi clung to this newfound revelation as a life
   1.282 +raft, trying to stay afloat in her own sea of turmoil. “I’m not in
   1.283 +love with Asuka Jr.,” she stated again, more quietly this time. “I
   1.284 +hate him.” This was safer territory. She knew how to handle this.
   1.285 +They had spoken about it before. It was much easier for her to handle
   1.286 +than the uncharted territory of Seira’s feelings for her.
   1.287 +	Seira contemplated Meimi’s words for a moment, a small smile on her
   1.288 +lips. “Sometimes I think that you and Saint Tail are two completely
   1.289 +different people. You hate Asuka Jr., but she loves him. Or maybe she
   1.290 +just loves the chase,” the Sister-in-training said thoughtfully. She
   1.291 +had said it. At last. She had finally told Meimi how she felt about
   1.292 +her, albeit in an indirect fashion. But at least she had. She had
   1.293 +almost decided against it when she had realized how soon she would be
   1.294 +leaving. But this was for the best. She wouldn’t have a chance to
   1.295 +ruin things. And at least Meimi would know before she left. Meimi
   1.296 +would understand how important she was to Seira. 
   1.297 +	“I don’t...” Meimi struggled for words, unsure of what to say. Her
   1.298 +mind swirled about in one direction and another. “He’s such an idiot.
   1.299 +When I’m Meimi, we argue a lot and he really gets on my nerves. But
   1.300 +when I’m Saint Tail, I can’t wait for him to catch me. I keep
   1.301 +wondering when it will be. It’s like this fascinating game. I love
   1.302 +how he pays so much attention to Saint Tail. She’s his singleminded
   1.303 +obsession. I like how that feels when I’m her,” Meimi conceded at
   1.304 +last. It wasn’t something she thought about often. It was more of a
   1.305 +feeling than anything else. But it was so different when she was
   1.306 +Meimi and when she was Saint Tail. How could she have such
   1.307 +conflicting emotions? 
   1.308 +	Nodding thoughtfully, Seira watched her friend. “That’s what I
   1.309 +thought. It does sound like you’re two different people. She thinks
   1.310 +one way and you think another. But I noticed that a long time ago.
   1.311 +She gives you a chance to be something different, to be something
   1.312 +special. She lets you get the spotlight. You’re more confident as
   1.313 +her, as well. And everyone else seemed to notice her, especially
   1.314 +Asuka Jr. But what no one else saw, what you didn’t see, was that
   1.315 +Meimi-chan is special. That she’s more amazing than a thousand Saint
   1.316 +Tails. Everyone loves a good mystery. But what happens when the
   1.317 +mystery is gone, when the riddle’s been solved? What more does it
   1.318 +hold? That’s why I always simply thought of Saint Tail as you. As
   1.319 +Meimi in a cute magician’s outfit. But everyone else, even you, think
   1.320 +of her as something completely different, as a mysterious puzzle.”
   1.321 +Seira smiled softly, tilting her head to the side as she studied
   1.322 +Meimi. Her heart felt warm and fuzzy, her love surrounding herself
   1.323 +like a blanket. “I always thought you were perfect the way you are
   1.324 +Meimi. You don’t need to be mysterious. You don’t need to be
   1.325 +something more than you are. It was always enough for you to be you.
   1.326 +At least, I thought so. I always thought it was strange how Asuka Jr.
   1.327 +could chase Saint Tail so passionately and yet be so cold to you.
   1.328 +You’re more amazing than Saint Tail could ever hope to be, Meimi-
   1.329 +chan.” It was nice to be able to tell Meimi these things, to be able
   1.330 +to say them out loud for once. It relaxed a burden on her soul. Yes,
   1.331 +she would be gone soon. But at least she would have no regrets. “I’ve
   1.332 +loved you for the longest time.”
   1.333 +	Meimi blushed deeply as her own blue eyes met Seira’s. She was left
   1.334 +at a loss for what to say. She had to admit that it felt nice to know
   1.335 +that someone thought that way about her as Meimi, but Seira? It was
   1.336 +so bizarre. She wanted to say something, to make sense of the moment,
   1.337 +but coherent thought eluded her. No reply seemed adequate enough to
   1.338 +express her feelings. Words couldn’t begin to explain the swirl of
   1.339 +emotions that frenzied throughout her soul. The beautiful Sister-in-
   1.340 +training before her would soon be gone, leaving a void in her life
   1.341 +that she couldn’t replace. How was she supposed to go on without
   1.342 +Seira? How could she push forward without the dark haired girl’s ever-
   1.343 +present companionship and support? It would be like being lost in the
   1.344 +desert without any food or water. It would be like finding no shelter
   1.345 +in the midst of a storm. She would be lost without Seira’s inner
   1.346 +light to guide herself by. When the game was all over and done with,
   1.347 +what would become of Asuka Jr. and herself? He loved Saint Tail,
   1.348 +after all. And she loved the chase. What then? Could she even be
   1.349 +Saint Tail without Sister Seira to help her see things through? Would
   1.350 +it even be worth it? When all was said and done, it was Seira that
   1.351 +she needed, that Meimi needed. The game was wonderful, while it
   1.352 +lasted. But one day there would be no time for games. And she would
   1.353 +have to grow up. This wasn’t about Saint Tail, Meimi suddenly
   1.354 +realized. This was about herself. It didn’t matter what Saint Tail
   1.355 +thought or how she felt about whom. This was about Meimi and where
   1.356 +her own heart lay. But where exactly was that?
   1.357 +	Seira stood up slowly, smoothing down her long white skirt. She
   1.358 +offered a weak smile to her friend. She still didn’t know what to
   1.359 +think about Meimi’s reaction. She tried to tell herself that it
   1.360 +didn’t matter, that she would be leaving soon anyway. But she wanted
   1.361 +Meimi to have good memories of her. She wanted Meimi to remember her
   1.362 +fondly, not with concern. “I have to get to sleep, Meimi-chan. You
   1.363 +probably should, too. Otherwise your parents might wonder why you’re
   1.364 +so sleepy tomorrow morning.” Her back was to Meimi now, her hands
   1.365 +once again clasped in front of her. ‘Please, Lord, please don’t let
   1.366 +me cry. Not now. Please let me last until she’s gone. Just until
   1.367 +then. Please...’ she prayed quietly. The dark haired girl had trouble
   1.368 +focussing, feeling the anguish in her heart cascading throughout her.
   1.369 +She didn’t want to leave Meimi, even if it was necessary. Her heart
   1.370 +couldn’t handle the strain. 
   1.371 +	Seira was a good girl. She never lied, cheated, or stole from
   1.372 +anyone. Sometimes she would bend things, but only if she believed
   1.373 +they were for the best, for God. She didn’t get into trouble and
   1.374 +helped whoever she could. Yet this Sister-in-training had fallen in
   1.375 +love with a thief. Love was cruel, the sweetest torture that God
   1.376 +could ever have conjured up. And it was one that left Seira weak and
   1.377 +confused.
   1.378 +	Hands slowly turned Seira around from where she stood. The dark
   1.379 +haired girl was too weak to stop it and too lost in thought to have
   1.380 +seen it coming. Her clasped hands were soon taken by Meimi’s. She
   1.381 +looked at Meimi silently for a long moment. Meimi slowly brushed her
   1.382 +tears away with her fingertips. The two simply stood in an odd moment
   1.383 +of tranquility. And then, the mysterious thief stole a kiss. It took
   1.384 +Seira by surprise, her heart both unsure and enraptured at the same
   1.385 +time. She could feel Meimi’s deliciously soft lips against her own,
   1.386 +leaving her breathless with a soft and intoxicating kiss. Seira could
   1.387 +only watch for a moment in silence. She wanted to thank Meimi, to ask
   1.388 +her why, to kiss her again, to do anything at all. But all she could
   1.389 +do was cry. Meimi held onto her as Seira collapsed to her knees. The
   1.390 +mysterious thief held her close as she cried. Seira could only lay
   1.391 +against Meimi, her heart torn apart, sobbing. 
   1.392 +	
   1.393 +	‘The church is really beautiful,’ Meimi thought to herself as she
   1.394 +entered the silent building. Sunlight spilled through stained glass,
   1.395 +painting the ground near the altar in a torrent of colors. Kneeling
   1.396 +in the midst of this shining rainbow was a girl clad simply in white.
   1.397 +A smile crossed the mysterious thief’s lips as she crept ever closer,
   1.398 +being very careful not to make a noise. ‘It is beautiful, but not as
   1.399 +beautiful as Seira.’ To Meimi’s delight, Seira remained deep in
   1.400 +prayer as she approached. Being the daughter of a magician and a
   1.401 +thief, the auburn haired girl could appreciate the element of
   1.402 +surprise in things. Especially when it was offered so easily to her.
   1.403 +And what made a better surprise than surprising the one you love?
   1.404 +	“Hello, Meimi-chan,” Seira called out, not bothering to open her
   1.405 +eyes.
   1.406 +	Meimi stopped short, just a foot behind the kneeling Sister-in-
   1.407 +training. Unfortunately, she hadn’t remembered one of the most
   1.408 +important credos of any magician, things are not always as they seem.
   1.409 +“Seira... How did you know it was me?” 
   1.410 +	Performing the Sign of the Cross, the young nun rose, a smile on
   1.411 +her lips. “I always know when it’s you,” she stated simply. Truth be
   1.412 +told, she had been waiting for her friend’s arrival. She had known it
   1.413 +would only be a matter of time before Meimi came to see her. But as
   1.414 +always, Meimi’s presence sent her heart aflutter. It was so strange
   1.415 +for Seira when she would see Meimi at the church, her refuge, her
   1.416 +asylum. The church offered Seira the chance to commune with God, to
   1.417 +feel at peace with the world and it’s inhabitants. It was her most
   1.418 +treasured place. She could spend hours there, deep in prayer or
   1.419 +simply lost in thought. It was such a lovely place and it still held
   1.420 +the awe that had lured Seira to it as a very young child. It gave her
   1.421 +such a calm, safe feeling when she was there. Meimi, on the other
   1.422 +hand, gave Seira a very different feeling. Seira had been the auburn
   1.423 +haired girl’s best friend for quite some time, and in all that time
   1.424 +she had always found herself amazed by the athletic young magician.
   1.425 +There was something about Meimi that spun her around and left her
   1.426 +breathless. It was something she had struggled to understand while
   1.427 +their friendship grew. But even before she had requested Meimi to
   1.428 +grant people God’s protection as Saint Tail, she had known that she
   1.429 +was in love with the other girl. Watching the beautiful auburn haired
   1.430 +girl work her magic spun silk strands around Seira’s heart, holding
   1.431 +it captive. Having Meimi in her refuge, standing so nearby in this
   1.432 +have on God, it always left her feeling nearly overwhelmed. The best
   1.433 +of Heaven and of Earth. 
   1.434 +	Meimi sighed as she absentmindedly played with the cross hanging
   1.435 +from Seira’s neck. “I guess so. But doesn’t it defeat the purpose of
   1.436 +me being a ‘mysterious thief’?” That was one thing that always caught
   1.437 +Meimi off guard, the fact that Seira always seemed to see right
   1.438 +through her. She couldn’t pull anything over on the dark haired girl.
   1.439 +For a girl that didn’t know anything about the latest hit songs or
   1.440 +fashions (unless she needed to find out about them), there wasn’t a
   1.441 +thing about Meimi that she didn’t know. Meimi’s eyes slowly trailed
   1.442 +up from the cross to Seira’s slate gray eyes. The auburn haired girl
   1.443 +smiled as the Sister-in-training watched her.
   1.444 +	“I must know all of your tricks, then, Meimi-chan.” Giggling, Seira
   1.445 +wrapped her arms around the slightly taller girl’s neck. She couldn’t
   1.446 +remember the last time she had felt so lighthearted, so free. ‘And He
   1.447 +will lift me up on eagle’s wings…’ Her nose rested against Meimi’s as
   1.448 +she looked into beautiful blue eyes. There was more magic in those
   1.449 +shining eyes than there were in all of the magic Meimi performed as
   1.450 +Saint Tail. After all, that was just smoke and mirrors. But the
   1.451 +beautiful sparkle in her eyes was a gift from God, a true miracle.
   1.452 +And one that Seira couldn’t help but love dearly. “You should wear
   1.453 +your glasses more often. You look so cute in them,” Seira suggested
   1.454 +after a moment.
   1.455 +	Blushing faintly, Meimi closed her eyes. “You really do know all my
   1.456 +secrets. But I hate wearing those things. I don’t even wear those in
   1.457 +class anymore. They looked so stupid.” While Meimi wasn’t exactly
   1.458 +vain, she did know that many of her classmates thought she was
   1.459 +pretty. She hadn’t been very happy about needing to get glasses when
   1.460 +she had found out she was farsighted because she felt it made her
   1.461 +look boring. She didn’t like having the glasses in her way. So she
   1.462 +hadn’t worn them very often since getting them. Seira was one of the
   1.463 +few people who even knew she had them. 
   1.464 +	“I still think you looked very pretty in them,” Seira insisted,
   1.465 +trying to envision how Meimi would look in her glasses at the moment.
   1.466 +The last time she had seen the auburn haired girl wear them had been
   1.467 +over a year before. “Besides, you think very highly of your father
   1.468 +and he wears glasses,” she pointed out. A smile crossed her lips when
   1.469 +she saw Meimi waver. She knew that it would make Meimi rethink it. He
   1.470 +was why the other girl had gotten into magic in the first place,
   1.471 +after all.
   1.472 +	“I hadn’t thought about that,” Meimi admitted, relenting. “Maybe
   1.473 +I’ll wear them sometime soon, if you think I should.” Seeing Seira
   1.474 +nod in agreement, Meimi smiled. If Seira thought she looked cute in
   1.475 +her glasses, she suddenly didn’t have a very good reason not to wear
   1.476 +them anymore. It was nice knowing that the perceptive Sister-in-
   1.477 +training found her pretty. What Seira thought was much more important
   1.478 +than what anyone else thought. So when she heard such things from the
   1.479 +dark haired girl, it always stayed with her. Perhaps it was because
   1.480 +she knew that Seira wouldn’t lie to her, that when Seira said these
   1.481 +things she meant it wholeheartedly. Or maybe it was as simple as
   1.482 +those sorts of things sounding so much better coming from the person
   1.483 +who loved you. Whatever the case, Meimi took it to heart. “If you
   1.484 +know all of my tricks and secrets, then you should be my assistant,
   1.485 +Seira. Every good magician has an assistant.”
   1.486 +	Giggling, Seira shook her head. “I’m really not sure if I’d make a
   1.487 +very good assistant. They’re only there to distract the audience.
   1.488 +You’re too good a magician to need anything like that. I don’t think
   1.489 +I’m dazzling enough to make a decent assistant.” Though the proposal
   1.490 +certainly had its appeal, Seira couldn’t imagine being on stage while
   1.491 +Meimi performed her magic. Especially in whatever skimpy outfit being
   1.492 +a magician’s assistant usually meant having to wear. She was much
   1.493 +more of a behind the scenes player in such things. Just as she had
   1.494 +always been throughout Saint Tail’s career. She would provide the
   1.495 +information and whatever help she could. Meimi was much better suited
   1.496 +to the spotlight. 
   1.497 +	“Oh, that’s not true. You’d make a gorgeous assistant. You’d just
   1.498 +need a flashier outfit, like my Saint Tail one. Something cute and
   1.499 +lacy. Then we could go on stage together.” Though Meimi was only half-
   1.500 +serious, she could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. If
   1.501 +only Seira would agree, then everything would work out. It would be
   1.502 +the perfect way of keeping the dark haired girl from leaving to
   1.503 +become a nun. They could be a team, just as they were now. They could
   1.504 +stay together, forever. Meimi tried to force the thought away, but it
   1.505 +was like trying to push a freight train. Seira would be leaving very
   1.506 +soon. There was a chance that she may never see the young Sister-in-
   1.507 +training again. Even if they did meet again, Seira would be a full
   1.508 +fledged nun by then. Their relationship would have to come to an end,
   1.509 +their friendship all that remained. Meimi didn’t know if she could
   1.510 +take that. It wasn’t just life without Seira anymore. It was life
   1.511 +without the love that she now found herself needing more than the air
   1.512 +she breathed. 
   1.513 +	“And usurp you while you wear that cute tuxedo on stage? I could
   1.514 +never do that, Meimi-chan.” Seira smiled brightly, happy to have
   1.515 +Meimi so near. She could feel Meimi’s hands slip around her waist,
   1.516 +anxiously pulling her closer. Seira relaxed against the slightly
   1.517 +taller girl, her worries far behind her. Because above all else,
   1.518 +Seira had faith that things would turn out for the best. She had
   1.519 +faith in God above. She would follow his will wherever it led her.
   1.520 +And she had faith in a girl named Meimi Haneoka. She knew that
   1.521 +somehow everything would work out. Her heart fluttered delicately,
   1.522 +like a cherry blossom in a gentle breeze. This was perfect. Her
   1.523 +fingers interlocked behind Meimi’s neck, covered by the other girl’s
   1.524 +beautiful auburn hair. She was very thankful for her blessings,
   1.525 +indeed.
   1.526 +	Meimi, being the overemotional girl she was, felt her own heart
   1.527 +pounding in her chest. She wanted to hold onto the moment, steal it
   1.528 +away and hide it forever in a locket. The pretty young Sister-in-
   1.529 +training in her arms was held close to her beating heart, sending
   1.530 +tremors through her soul. Seira was so sweet, so gentle. Sometimes
   1.531 +Meimi wondered why it had taken her so long to start dating Seira. At
   1.532 +other times she was completely surprised to find herself so enamored
   1.533 +with this loving spirit. At times like that, she was unsure of how
   1.534 +she had ended up in such a strange predicament, but incredibly
   1.535 +grateful she had ended up there nonetheless. Right now she found
   1.536 +herself simply caught up in the beat of Seira’s heart against her
   1.537 +own. So calm, so reassuring. All the while, Meimi’s own heart played
   1.538 +a staccato beat inside of her. In many ways, it was just like the two
   1.539 +girls. Very little could bother Seira while Meimi found herself
   1.540 +reacting heavily to everything that she stumbled across. Meimi
   1.541 +watched as the dark haired girl closed her eyes, content to listen to
   1.542 +the musical harmony of their joined hearts. But that just made the
   1.543 +young magician’s heart beat that much faster, a hand going up to
   1.544 +trail along Seira’s soft cheek. She smiled when she saw Seira’s eyes
   1.545 +flutter open, dark lashes batting as gray eyes looked back into her
   1.546 +own. ‘Kiss her,’ she heard echoing through her thoughts. Without
   1.547 +another thought, she obeyed, kissing her pretty best friend. It was
   1.548 +what she wanted, after all. What she had wanted to do when she was
   1.549 +first sneaking up behind Seira. Just a simple kiss. Her lips pressed
   1.550 +lightly against Seira’s, startling the young almost-nun at first.
   1.551 +Meimi kissed the other girl harder, pouring out the flurry of
   1.552 +emotions struggling through her heart as their lips met. As Meimi
   1.553 +often did when they kissed, she marveled at how soft Seira’s lips
   1.554 +felt against her own, at how warm the kiss felt, at how delicious it
   1.555 +tasted, at how Seira seemed to melt into her. It all swept her up
   1.556 +like a tornado, whipping around her fiercely as she and Seira waited
   1.557 +in the eye of the storm. 
   1.558 +	Thoughts were only dimly functional in Seira’s mind. They fought
   1.559 +through her head with the same strength of whispers. There was a
   1.560 +bright light, shimmering and all encompassing that held Seira’s soul
   1.561 +up high. And there were warm, persistent lips that were rarely away
   1.562 +from her own for more than a fraction of a second. She shifted
   1.563 +against Meimi, unsure of her own strength to stand. She felt like
   1.564 +light was pouring through her whole body, her lips drawn again and
   1.565 +again to Meimi’s as if they were magnetized. She could feel soft hair
   1.566 +under her fingers as Meimi’s own fingers cupped her cheek. She felt
   1.567 +deliciously lightheaded, as if nothing mattered in the world. ‘Thank
   1.568 +you, Lord, for letting me meet her,’ she silently prayed as she felt
   1.569 +Meimi kiss her again. Her lips parted for the mysterious thief when
   1.570 +they met again, an acute thrill rippling through Seira’s normally
   1.571 +placid world like a stone skipping over a pond. If there was one
   1.572 +guilty pleasure that Seira had to admit to, it was that Meimi was an
   1.573 +excellent kisser. It was Meimi’s kisses that kept Seira up at night,
   1.574 +dreaming about one more soul stirring kiss.
   1.575 +	When the two finally pulled apart, the Sister-in-training placed a
   1.576 +finger on Meimi’s nose, holding her at bay. “Meimi-chan... We
   1.577 +probably shouldn’t be doing that in here.” 
   1.578 +	“Do you really think He’d mind?” Meimi asked, her arms
   1.579 +outstretched. The problems with dating a girl who was raised by nuns,
   1.580 +she conceded. But she wouldn’t trade those problems for anything. 
   1.581 +	Seira smiled at Meimi’s question, shaking her head. Taking the
   1.582 +auburn haired girl’s hand, she led her outside to the garden. “It’s
   1.583 +not Him that I’m worried about. It’s Sister Abbess who would most
   1.584 +likely have a problem with it. I’d rather spare her the sight of your
   1.585 +world famous kisses.”
   1.586 +	Meimi stuck her tongue out, sitting alongside Seira on one of the
   1.587 +garden’s benches. “They can’t be world famous if you’re the only one
   1.588 +who knows about them.”
   1.589 +	With a giggle, Seira nodded. “Good, then let’s keep it that way.
   1.590 +I’d rather be the only one to know about them. I’m sure Sister Abbess
   1.591 +would be much happier that way, too.” 
   1.592 +	Meimi couldn’t help but smile at her dark haired friend’s sweet
   1.593 +presence. She couldn’t put her finger on anything specific. She just
   1.594 +felt so... in love. It was like a fireworks display in her heart, a
   1.595 +blinding display of pyrotechnics. “I love you, you know, Seira.”
   1.596 +	Smiling, Seira nodded, kissing Meimi’s cheek. “I know. I love you,
   1.597 +too.” She watched the blue eyed girl for a long moment, simply gazing
   1.598 +at her lovely features. She couldn’t think of anything prettier in
   1.599 +the garden. After a moment, Meimi yawned, a hand going to her mouth.
   1.600 +“You didn’t sleep much last night?” Seira asked. Seeing Meimi nod,
   1.601 +the dark haired girl took Meimi’s head and rested it in her lap,
   1.602 +stroking her long, auburn hair back. 
   1.603 +	Meimi stifled another yawn and a protest. She was about to say that
   1.604 +it wasn’t too bad, but Seira’s lap felt so nice. And she had to admit
   1.605 +that it was better than sitting up. Seira’s gentle hands felt so nice
   1.606 +through her long hair, drifting through it ever so softly. Everything
   1.607 +began to grow blurry after a long, sweet moment. Meimi fought to keep
   1.608 +her eyes from closing, trying to focus on a tree across from them. “I
   1.609 +was working on a new magic trick. I thought it might come in handy if
   1.610 +Saint Tail needs to go help again sometime soon.” 
   1.611 +	Seira kept up her gentle brushing of Meimi’s hair, looking down at
   1.612 +her sleepy best friend. A smile lit up her face. The athletic girl
   1.613 +was so cute when she was tired. Maybe she put the other girl through
   1.614 +too many late nights as Saint Tail, but Meimi never complained about
   1.615 +it. “You were working on a new magic trick? That’s great. You can try
   1.616 +it out tonight.” She watched the other girl, waiting for a reaction.
   1.617 +Meimi seemed more intent on holding in another sigh for the time
   1.618 +being. 
   1.619 +	“Yeah? That should be...” Meimi trailed off, her mind finally
   1.620 +catching up. She sat up quickly, her long hair drifting in the wind
   1.621 +for a moment. Suddenly wide awake, Meimi turned to the Sister-in-
   1.622 +training. “Wait... Oh, no.” She shook her head. “I have tickets
   1.623 +tonight. We’re going to the Jun concert, remember? I bought those
   1.624 +tickets weeks ago. We have a date tonight. I don’t have time for
   1.625 +Saint Tail.”
   1.626 +	Sweatdropping, Seira placed both of her hands in her lap. “I know.
   1.627 +But this girl really needs God’s protection. And Saint Tail is the
   1.628 +only one who can give it to her. I really wanted to go on our date
   1.629 +tonight, too, Meimi-chan. But I think it’s more important that you
   1.630 +help her.” Seira gave Meimi her best hopeful look, squeezing her
   1.631 +hands together tighter. The other girl tried not to meet her eyes,
   1.632 +but Seira kept up, her slate gray eyes following Meimi’s. 
   1.633 +	“But I had to wait in line for two hours for those tickets,” Meimi
   1.634 +whined, slumping back on the bench with her arms crossed. Staring up
   1.635 +at the treetops, she harumphed. “It was supposed to be a big night,
   1.636 +too. I was really looking forward to this.” She had gone on plenty of
   1.637 +dates with Seira in the time they had been together, but that didn’t
   1.638 +mean that she wanted to sacrifice her upcoming one for Saint Tail.
   1.639 +She could see a dove carrying off the tickets in her mind’s eye.
   1.640 +Seira’s hand rested on her own, trying to calm her. She sighed.
   1.641 +	“I was looking forward to it, too. But I think this is more
   1.642 +important. Besides, I don’t think your two hours of waiting have to
   1.643 +go to waste. I know two people who would love to have those tickets.”
   1.644 +Seira smiled brightly, catching Meimi’s eye again. Taking Meimi’s
   1.645 +hand with both of her own, she held it to her heart. She had no idea
   1.646 +who Jun was other than she was some idol that Meimi liked to listen
   1.647 +to. So it didn’t bother her that she couldn’t see the girl sing. She
   1.648 +was disappointed that she couldn’t go out with Meimi that night, but
   1.649 +she believed that Saint Tail was needed.
   1.650 +	“But that’s not fair! Why can’t we go on our date? Isn’t it time
   1.651 +for Saint Tail to have a break? I just want to be with you tonight,”
   1.652 +Meimi said at last, turning to meet Seira’s gaze. She squeezed
   1.653 +Seira’s hands, her own disappointment evident even in the face of
   1.654 +Seira’s optimistic smile. It had sounded like such a magical night.
   1.655 +Tickets for Jun’s new concert and Seira would be coming with her. It
   1.656 +would have been such a perfect date, being there together with Jun’s
   1.657 +love songs drawing them together. And it was one of their last
   1.658 +chances to be together. Meimi was all too aware that she was running
   1.659 +out of time with Seira. But even packing in as much time as she could
   1.660 +with the Sister-in-training, it never felt enough. There was always
   1.661 +that nagging feeling that it would all be coming to an end all too
   1.662 +soon. 
   1.663 +	“She’s very sick right now. She can’t go out much and she may be
   1.664 +with God very soon. I met her at the hospital when I went with one of
   1.665 +the other Sisters. She has a love letter at home, one that she wrote
   1.666 +a long time ago but never delivered. A beautiful pink letter with a
   1.667 +long ribbon on it. Her mother has it, along with the rest of her
   1.668 +things. She wants to give it to the person she likes, but she can’t
   1.669 +even get home to find it,” Seira explained, still holding onto
   1.670 +Meimi’s hand. “I told her she would surely have God’s protection.”
   1.671 +	“Oh... I.. I didn’t know.” Meimi could only stare, her heart
   1.672 +dropping. That poor girl. The thought of her dying without even being
   1.673 +able to tell her love of her heart’s true feelings was horrible. What
   1.674 +if she hadn’t known of Seira’s feelings before she left for Rome?
   1.675 +That would have been unbearable. The pretty thief nodded solemnly,
   1.676 +her mind made up. “I’ll do it. Saint Tail will find the letter.” Her
   1.677 +heart melted when she saw the grateful smile that Seira flashed her,
   1.678 +along with a sweet kiss on the cheek.
   1.679 +	“You have my gratitude as well as the Lord’s. And I’m sure Ryoko
   1.680 +and Kyoko will be very happy as well when they get the tickets.”
   1.681 +Seira couldn’t help but smile happily at her defeated friend. A date
   1.682 +would have been lovely, but somehow it seemed more fitting to spend
   1.683 +one of their last nights together helping others through Saint Tail.
   1.684 +	“All right. But you have to wait for me at the church. I’m coming
   1.685 +right back after I’m done,” Meimi said stubbornly. 
   1.686 +	“But you need your sleep, Meimi-chan,” Seira argued. She could
   1.687 +still see the sleepiness in Meimi’s blue eyes, but the auburn haired
   1.688 +girl fought it off. She didn’t know if she should feel bad or happy
   1.689 +that she was the reason that Meimi was always sneaking off late at
   1.690 +night. She decided that it was probably a good thing, even if it did
   1.691 +leave poor Meimi sleep deprived. 
   1.692 +	“I don’t care. I need to see you more than I need to sleep. We can
   1.693 +talk in the garden or just sit in the church or whatever. I just want
   1.694 +to be with you tonight.” Meimi looked over at Seira determinedly. She
   1.695 +saw Seira nod in assent, and felt her heart relax. It wasn’t the big
   1.696 +date she had been planning, but at least it was something. 
   1.697 +	“I’d love that, Meimi-chan,” Seira replied, resting her head on
   1.698 +Meimi’s shoulder. Her gray eyes fluttered closed, her mind
   1.699 +concentrating on the girl next to her. If any of the nun’s saw them,
   1.700 +they probably wouldn’t think anything. But even that didn’t really
   1.701 +seem to matter. It was just enough that she was there with Meimi. 
   1.702 +
   1.703 +	‘Now where could it be?’ Moving with the lithe ease of a trained
   1.704 +gymnast, Saint Tail made almost no sound as she slipped through an
   1.705 +upper window of a seemingly empty house. But appearances can be
   1.706 +deceiving. The woman of the house could be home or Asuka Jr. could be
   1.707 +waiting for her. Lurking in the shadows, the mysterious thief crept
   1.708 +silently forward. Her prize lay somewhere in the house, a pretty,
   1.709 +pink love letter. Meimi grinned to herself. She got to play Cupid for
   1.710 +once instead of just a thief. 
   1.711 +	Turning a doorknob ever so slowly, Meimi ducked into a small room.
   1.712 +‘Just where Seira told me it would be,’ Meimi thought happily. The
   1.713 +room was small, but very cute. Stuffed animals lay on the bed atop a
   1.714 +large well used quilt. A small white desk took up the other corner of
   1.715 +the room, books and notes all over it. Meimi smiled to herself as she
   1.716 +looked about the room. Chisato, the girl that lived there must be
   1.717 +very sweet. She had to quell the thought when she remembered the girl
   1.718 +was in the hospital. The difference between the well lived in room
   1.719 +and the stuffy atmosphere of the hospital was tremendous. “Hopefully
   1.720 +she can come back home soon. And when she does, maybe she’ll have a
   1.721 +boyfriend waiting for her.” Smiling again, Meimi set her sights on
   1.722 +the desk.
   1.723 +	Flipping through notebooks, Kaitou Saint Tail tried to uncover the
   1.724 +elusive love letter. She felt bad for snooping through the girl’s
   1.725 +private possessions, but she had no other way of finding the letter.
   1.726 +Besides, she was a thief after all, so this was her line of work. She
   1.727 +smiled at the small drawings in the notebooks, cute little pictures
   1.728 +of little animals and classmates with little captions around them.
   1.729 +‘Poor Asami-chan doesn’t like tests,’ one read next to some Math
   1.730 +notes above a picture of a girl looking frantic. ‘Almost lunchtime!’
   1.731 +another read with a girl staring anxiously at the clock. Saint Tail
   1.732 +continued to flip through the notebook, amused by the little
   1.733 +drawings. Her smile faded slowly as she found more and more of them
   1.734 +as the girl become bedridden. ‘Mama makes the best soup!’ was the
   1.735 +caption of one that showed her in bed with a big bowl. ‘I miss Asami-
   1.736 +chan...’ another read, showing her stuck in bed and gazing out the
   1.737 +window. The paper around the drawing was wrinkled as if teardrops had
   1.738 +fallen on it. 
   1.739 +	Shaking her head, Meimi put the notebook back down. She had to find
   1.740 +the love letter. That was her goal. Everything else could wait. She
   1.741 +had promised Seira that she would do this. A sigh escaped her as she
   1.742 +saw the clock. She was missing Jun’s first song. And she would
   1.743 +probably hear how wonderful it was the next day from Ryoko and Kyoko. 
   1.744 +	Turning her attention back to the task at hand, Meimi sifted
   1.745 +through several more folders and notebooks but to no avail. Her hands
   1.746 +traveled down the desk, searching through every drawer she came
   1.747 +across. Still nothing. The desk had been her obvious answer, but she
   1.748 +couldn’t find the love letter on it at all. Turning to check the
   1.749 +nightstand near the bed, Meimi stumbled over a wastebasket. Covering
   1.750 +her mouth, she cursed silently, hoping she hadn’t made too much
   1.751 +noise. Sighing after a moment of silence, Meimi pushed her pony tail
   1.752 +back. ‘Maybe I should wear my glasses more often after all. All this
   1.753 +running around in the dark can’t be good for my eyesight.’ Kneeling
   1.754 +down, the mysterious thief began to pick up the wastebasket. It had
   1.755 +been nearly overflowing with tissues. Well, the girl had been sick.
   1.756 +But they were all dark, stained. It took Meimi a moment to notice
   1.757 +that they were all bloody. Her heart rolled in her chest as she set
   1.758 +the basket aside. She couldn’t get distracted by these things. She
   1.759 +had to find the letter.
   1.760 +	“Where is it?” Meimi asked in frustration. As if in answer, the
   1.761 +closet door opened. The auburn haired girl froze as a boy’s figure
   1.762 +stepped out. 
   1.763 +	“Looking for this?” Asuka Jr. asked, holding up the rectangular
   1.764 +envelope in his hand. He grinned to himself as he watched Saint Tail
   1.765 +motionless in the shadows. “I don’t know why you’re here to steal
   1.766 +some girl’s love letter, Saint Tail, but I’m not going to let you get
   1.767 +away with it. Tonight, you’re mine.” He watched her for a moment, but
   1.768 +she made no move to escape. He grinned in anticipation as he hurried
   1.769 +forward to claim his own prize. He reached out, grabbing hold of
   1.770 +Saint Tail’s arm with all the strength he could muster. “You’re not
   1.771 +going anywhere!” He hauled her closer, his heart pounding as his face
   1.772 +inched closer to her own. He was about to see who she was. He would
   1.773 +finally know who Saint Tail was. His heart felt like it would burst.
   1.774 +His head finally reached hers, his eyes straining in the darkness. To
   1.775 +his surprise, Saint Tail had no face. “Wha?!” The face was completely
   1.776 +blank, absolutely no features at all. She bobbed back and forth like
   1.777 +a balloon as he pulled back. Something behind him took the letter
   1.778 +right out of his hand in his state of surprise. “Huh? No!”
   1.779 +	“Thank you! There’s someone who needs this love letter much more
   1.780 +than you. I hope you don’t mind. I have Cupid’s arrow to deliver.”
   1.781 +Leaping out of the way, Saint Tail waved to the young detective
   1.782 +before disappearing out the window. Landing on her feet, she
   1.783 +immediately broke into a run, sticking to the shadows. ‘Wow... It’s
   1.784 +like his spell’s been broken. I was always so eager to see if he’d
   1.785 +find out or not that I would freeze when he was about to find out.
   1.786 +But now that I’m dating Seira, it’s like it doesn’t matter. I’ll have
   1.787 +to thank her later.’ Smiling to herself, the mysterious thief made
   1.788 +her way to the hospital.
   1.789 +	
   1.790 +	Sneaking past the front desk, Saint Tail tried to determine where
   1.791 +Chisato’s room was. It was past visiting hours, but she thought that
   1.792 +a quick visit couldn’t hurt. Besides, she thought it would cheer the
   1.793 +sick girl up to know that her love letter had been retrieved and was
   1.794 +about to reach the hands of the one she loved. Maybe that would give
   1.795 +her the strength to get better. Meimi smiled at the thought. Before
   1.796 +she could go another step, she heard someone rush up to the desk. Her
   1.797 +ears perked up at the frantic tone of voice.
   1.798 +	“I need to know where a girl named Chisato Hikari’s room is! I need
   1.799 +to stop Saint Tail!”
   1.800 +	Meimi’s eyes went wide. It sounded like Asuka Jr. had ran all the
   1.801 +way to the hospital. He obviously didn’t feel like giving up easily
   1.802 +tonight. This would have to be a very short visit, then. Taking her
   1.803 +best guess, Saint Tail dashed down the mostly empty hallway, ducking
   1.804 +past a handful of nurses. A shout behind her told her that she had
   1.805 +been spotted by the persistent detective’s son. Whirling around,
   1.806 +Meimi brought her top hat about, doves flying out towards the
   1.807 +detective to distract him. ‘I have to tell her that her letter will
   1.808 +be delivered directly. That should perk her up. Even if Asuka Jr.’s
   1.809 +here, I can still do that. I’ll just make it quick.’ The birds did
   1.810 +their job distracting the young detective, giving Meimi the chance to
   1.811 +slip into Chisato’s hospital room. 
   1.812 +	Walking to the small bed, Meimi held up the pink love letter to
   1.813 +show to its owner. “Chisato-chan...” she whispered, stopping beside
   1.814 +the bed. “I have your love letter. Don’t worry. It will be in your
   1.815 +love’s hands before the nights over,” she whispered reassuringly. The
   1.816 +girl was deathly pale, her long hair disappearing behind her. Meimi
   1.817 +leaned closer, trying to get Chisato’s attention. “Chisato-chan...”
   1.818 +she whispered, a little louder this time. Still no response. But
   1.819 +there was a strange beeping in the room and a ruckus coming from the
   1.820 +hallway. “Chisato-chan?” The girl just lay there, silent and
   1.821 +unmoving. Meimi took a step back as the door burst open, doctors
   1.822 +rushing to the girl’s side. Her heart hung like a weight in her chest
   1.823 +as she watched them gather around the girl’s prone form. She shook
   1.824 +her head, her ponytail moving from side to side. “No..” she
   1.825 +whispered, realization hitting her. She felt like the floor had just
   1.826 +given way underneath her. Her legs didn’t respond to her mental
   1.827 +commands, collapsing underneath her. She could only watch as doctors
   1.828 +began to slow their hurried performance. It all felt so surreal, men
   1.829 +gathered around an unmoving child, intent upon one who is doing
   1.830 +nothing at all.
   1.831 +	An unsteady hand helped Saint Tail back to her feet. Asuka Jr.
   1.832 +could only stare as the doctors continued swarming around the
   1.833 +unmoving girl. “What happened?” Asuka Jr. heard. The voice startled
   1.834 +him. It took him a moment before her remembered it was his own. It
   1.835 +sounded so distant, as if it had traveled to him through a body of
   1.836 +water. He had been so intent on catching Saint Tail, but now that
   1.837 +hardly seemed to matter. Was that the girl that Saint Tail was trying
   1.838 +to help in the bed, surrounded by an army of masked doctors? What a
   1.839 +frightening sight, all of these faceless people surrounding someone,
   1.840 +poking and prodding relentlessly. “What’s.. What’s going on?” Asuka
   1.841 +tried again, getting no more strength behind his voice. 
   1.842 +	For what felt like an eternity, both thief and detective stood and
   1.843 +watched, unable to do a thing. Their eternal struggle forgotten, they
   1.844 +stood together against the wall, too forlorn to offer anything but a
   1.845 +shoulder to lean on. During all this time, the letter remained in
   1.846 +Saint Tail’s hand, feeling like it held the weight of the world
   1.847 +within it, almost too heavy for her weak fingers. Slowly, a doctor
   1.848 +approached the two, pulling down her mask. “I’m sorry. She’s dead. We
   1.849 +did all we could, but it was too late. Her body just gave out. Were
   1.850 +you friends with the deceased?”
   1.851 +	‘With the deceased’ played again and again through Meimi’s
   1.852 +thoughts. This was a girl with hopes and dreams, fears and loves.
   1.853 +Meimi had only known her from the writings she had seen, the drawings
   1.854 +this girl had drawn with a hand that no longer moved. That she had
   1.855 +seen with eyes that could no longer see. No, Meimi had not been
   1.856 +friends with her, had not even known of her until earlier that day.
   1.857 +But this had been another girl, a beautiful, sweet girl. And now she
   1.858 +was dead. Meimi felt her heart seize in her chest. “I.. I just wanted
   1.859 +to help her..” she barely got out, the world around her blurring as
   1.860 +tears burned at her eyes. She couldn’t even see as the body was
   1.861 +wheeled out of the room. ‘I miss Asami-chan,’ Meimi heard in her
   1.862 +head, the image of the lonely girl looking out a window returning to
   1.863 +her. She closed her eyes tightly. “I.. I have to go..” She pulled
   1.864 +away, clutching the letter like a lifeline. She had to hurry. She
   1.865 +didn’t know why, only that she couldn’t waste a second. Perhaps it
   1.866 +was a way of escaping the tragedy of the moment. Perhaps it was a way
   1.867 +for her to busy herself with something else. Whatever the case, she
   1.868 +quickly turned to leave. 
   1.869 +	“Good luck,” Asuka Jr. called after her, his hands in his pockets.
   1.870 +He didn’t feel like following. He couldn’t bring himself to. Not
   1.871 +tonight. 
   1.872 +
   1.873 +	With trembling hands, Saint Tail slid open the window to another
   1.874 +bedroom a short time later. Slipping into the room, she held the love
   1.875 +letter to her chest. “Are you Asami-chan?” she heard herself asking
   1.876 +into the darkness, pointed towards the bed. “I have something for
   1.877 +you.” Her mind refused to deviate from her task. She was here to
   1.878 +deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver
   1.879 +the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the
   1.880 +letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter.
   1.881 +Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver
   1.882 +the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the
   1.883 +letter. Deliver the letter. Deliver the
   1.884 +	The figure on the bed stirred, shifting sleepily before finally
   1.885 +sitting up. In the darkness, the half blanket shrouded figure looked
   1.886 +far too much like ancient depictions of death to Meimi. Shuddering
   1.887 +violently, the mysterious thief tried not to think at all. She
   1.888 +focused solely on her mission. This was what she had been meant to
   1.889 +do. She had to give the letter to this girl. “I’m Saint Tail. I have
   1.890 +a letter that belongs to you.” Her fingers shook as she held out the
   1.891 +letter. It slipped from her fingers, pinwheeling in the air before
   1.892 +flopping on the floor. Meimi reached for it, taking two tries to
   1.893 +finally clasp it in her gloved hand again. 
   1.894 +	The sleepy figure shook her head, trying to get her bearings.
   1.895 +“Saint Tail?” she asked curiously before yawning. Reaching forward,
   1.896 +she slowly took the pink love letter. Her mind was still half asleep.
   1.897 +“What’s this?” It took her a moment to see through the blurry haze of
   1.898 +sleep. She turned the letter over in her hand. A small drawing of a
   1.899 +lovestruck girl on the back brought a smile to her lips. “Chisato-
   1.900 +chan.” Her mind was still tired to make anything of the connection to
   1.901 +her friend.
   1.902 +	“It’s for you. From her. Chisato-chan. She.. She wanted you to have
   1.903 +it..” Meimi got out weakly. “I.. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She could
   1.904 +feel her eyes tearing up again. She had to leave. And soon. 
   1.905 +	Asami shook her head, anxiety gripping her soul. Tearing open the
   1.906 +letter, she skimmed through the cutely decorated stationary. It was
   1.907 +obviously Chisato’s lovely handwriting, with her shy, delicate way of
   1.908 +speaking. She smiled as she read through it. Chisato must have sent
   1.909 +it sense she was stuck in the hospital. They hadn’t been able to talk
   1.910 +much because the hospital didn’t let visitors see her often. How
   1.911 +sweet of her. Halfway through, she finally understood. Her reading
   1.912 +quickened, her eyes tearing over the paper. “She.. loves me?” She
   1.913 +glanced up to the mysterious thief. To her surprise, Saint Tail
   1.914 +shrank back into the shadows, shaking her head continuously. “Chisato-
   1.915 +chan’s in love with me?” she asked again. She was overcome by shock.
   1.916 +Chisato had been her best friend for years now. She had always been
   1.917 +so sweet. It took her off guard that Chisato could be in love with
   1.918 +her. The other girl had always been so shy around her, blushing when
   1.919 +she would ask questions about love or relationships. She still didn’t
   1.920 +know how she felt about it. Flattered? Embarrassed? It was such a
   1.921 +beautiful, glowing letter. She held it close to her chest. She felt..
   1.922 +happy. She smiled. Maybe.. Maybe she felt the same way.
   1.923 +	“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Meimi repeated, nearly at the window.
   1.924 +She could barely think, suddenly overcome by what had happened
   1.925 +earlier. She no longer had her mission to keep her from thinking
   1.926 +about it. It consumed her soul, dark tendrils holding her, sending
   1.927 +icy chills throughout her body. Her heart felt frozen. 
   1.928 +	“Sorry..? For what? What’s going on?” Asami slid off of her bed,
   1.929 +suddenly panicking. Was Saint Tail crying? Moonlight sparkled off of
   1.930 +her tears, little shooting stars slipping down her chin and falling
   1.931 +to the earth below. “What is it? What happened?” Asami demanded.
   1.932 +Saint Tail’s mouth opened and Asami’s world shattered as if it was
   1.933 +made of brittle glass.
   1.934 +
   1.935 +	“It’s not fair! It isn’t fair at all!” Meimi sobbed, her head on
   1.936 +Seira’s lap sometime later. She had left Asami alone, leaving when
   1.937 +she had been unable to comfort her. The last she had seen of the
   1.938 +other girl had been her crying and broken in her room. Meimi had
   1.939 +hurried straight to Seira, the night taking it’s toll on the
   1.940 +mysterious thief. And there she found herself, crying into Seira’s
   1.941 +blue nightgown. 
   1.942 +	Seira gently stroked Meimi’s hair, unsure of what to say to soothe
   1.943 +the distraught thief. She could feel the warm tears against her legs,
   1.944 +seeping through the fabric of her nightgown. A chill went through her
   1.945 +as the night wind blew across the two girls, but somehow she doubted
   1.946 +it was the cause of her sudden chill. She swallowed painfully,
   1.947 +closing her eyes. “I should have explained. Sister Emari and I were
   1.948 +visiting the terminally ill patients. They knew she was going to die
   1.949 +soon. I just didn’t think it would be tonight. I’m so sorry, Meimi-
   1.950 +chan.”
   1.951 +	“But why, Seira? Why?” Meimi asked, wiping her eyes on Seira’s
   1.952 +nightgown. “Why did He take her? She was a sweet girl, I could tell.
   1.953 +And.. and she was in love. Asami.. I think she loved her back. But
   1.954 +now she’ll never know. Now she’ll never be able to see.” Meimi shook
   1.955 +her head in frustration, tears sliding down her cheeks. 
   1.956 +	“I don’t think she would have told Asami-chan otherwise, Meimi-
   1.957 +chan. She was very shy. She didn’t know how to tell her friend. She
   1.958 +wrote that love letter before she got sick. She wasn’t going to give
   1.959 +it to her. But when she got sick, she thought it was her only
   1.960 +chance," Seira explained, her fingers brushing away some of Meimi’s
   1.961 +tears. 
   1.962 +	“Then I failed her. I didn’t get it to Asami-chan in time. If I
   1.963 +had, maybe they could have talked. Maybe they could have had some
   1.964 +time together.” Meimi shook her head, tears clinging to her
   1.965 +eyelashes. She felt so weak inside, so torn apart. Saint Tail always
   1.966 +brought people God’s protection. How could she have failed? It always
   1.967 +helped people, but this time she felt no joy in accomplishing her
   1.968 +task. 
   1.969 +	Seira gently held Meimi’s head in her lap, her gray eyes looking
   1.970 +deep into Meimi. “Meimi-chan, death is not failure. Death doesn’t
   1.971 +mean that you lost. Life is more than winning and losing. She may
   1.972 +have died, but that doesn’t mean her love died with her. It was only
   1.973 +sealed away in an envelope. You delivered it for her. She was too shy
   1.974 +to tell her True Love how she felt. You couldn’t have prevented her
   1.975 +death. It was God’s will that she return to Him now. But you did give
   1.976 +her love a last message. She’s free from her pain now. But you have
   1.977 +freed her from a regret that may have stayed with her soul. She has
   1.978 +finally been able to tell the girl she loves how she felt. I’m sure
   1.979 +she’s smiling up above, watching over Asami-chan. And now Asami-chan
   1.980 +knows. What she does with that knowledge is up to her. But if it
   1.981 +weren’t for you, she would never have known that Chisato-chan was in
   1.982 +love with her.”
   1.983 +	Meimi sniffled, trying to meet Seira’s gaze. “But it’s still not
   1.984 +fair. I tried so hard, but I feel like it didn’t mean anything.”
   1.985 +	“For Chisato-chan, it meant everything. She can rest peacefully now
   1.986 +thanks to you, Meimi-chan.” Seira bent over, kissing Meimi’s
   1.987 +forehead. “You did your best. That’s all anyone could ever ask of
   1.988 +you.”
   1.989 +	“I know..” Meimi replied weakly, resting an arm across her face. “I
   1.990 +know.”
   1.991 +	Seira sighed sadly, still stroking Meimi’s long hair. “Sometimes
   1.992 +it’s very hard to understand His plan, Meimi-chan. Sometimes it’s
   1.993 +easy to lose our way. But we have to have faith, even when we wonder
   1.994 +‘why’. Sometimes ‘because’ is the only answer we can find. Life is
   1.995 +full of beauty and sadness. Even in the simplest, plainest things are
   1.996 +immeasurable beauty. And there can also be immeasurable pain. We have
   1.997 +to console each other while we’re on this earth. We have to help each
   1.998 +other. Even then, pain will still find us. But with pain and with
   1.999 +anguish, there is always hope. We have to nurture it like a tiny
  1.1000 +flower, letting it bloom in all of us. Hope, love, dreams, these are
  1.1001 +all parts of the same thing. There the gifts that He has given us. As
  1.1002 +long as we have hope, despair can never ruin us. Never completely.”
  1.1003 +Seira placed another kiss on Meimi’s head. “I love you, Meimi-chan. I
  1.1004 +realize now that I would have made a huge mistake if I hadn’t told
  1.1005 +you.”
  1.1006 +	“I love you, Seira..” Meimi got out quietly, her voice choking up.
  1.1007 +She closed her eyes, tears silently falling onto Seira’s lap. 
  1.1008 +	
  1.1009 +	Meimi sighed as she slumped onto her bed, exhausted. A groan
  1.1010 +escaped her after a quick glance at the clock. Why did Saint Tail
  1.1011 +always have to work at night? It was too bad that being a mysterious
  1.1012 +thief wasn’t a valid excuse for staying up so late at night. And
  1.1013 +neither was spending the wee morning hours with a pretty Sister-in-
  1.1014 +training. Somehow she doubted the nuns at her school would accept
  1.1015 +either excuse. Yet she already knew that sleep would elude her. Her
  1.1016 +mind was still too focused on Seira, on the past few hours. On what
  1.1017 +little time they had left. That thought alone would keep sleep at bay
  1.1018 +for quite some time. The whole thing with Chisato had her even more
  1.1019 +concerned with losing Seira. Shifting uneasily in bed, the auburn
  1.1020 +haired girl found herself staring at the clock as minutes silently
  1.1021 +ticked away. Hopelessness surrounded her heart, thick and heavy. Each
  1.1022 +minute that ticked by signaled another moment that she could not
  1.1023 +reclaim, another instant with Seira that was forever, inexorably
  1.1024 +gone. 
  1.1025 +	Rolling onto her back, Meimi stared up at her roof, trying
  1.1026 +unsuccessfully to push away such troublesome thoughts. But she had
  1.1027 +never been good at such things. This would keep eating at her until
  1.1028 +it went away on its own or until she could resolve the situation. And
  1.1029 +there was nothing she could do about it. In less than a week, Seira
  1.1030 +would be gone. When next they met, the dark haired girl would be a
  1.1031 +full-fledged Sister. They would still be friends, of that Meimi was
  1.1032 +certain. They would forever be friends. But what of their courtship,
  1.1033 +which Meimi was starting to feel was going to be cut off all too
  1.1034 +briefly? That was something they would have to abandon once Seira
  1.1035 +became a nun. Seira would then be a woman of God, destined to a life
  1.1036 +of celibacy, married to the Church. Such childish things as their
  1.1037 +relationship would be nothing but memories.
  1.1038 +	And where did that put Meimi? Would she eventually find some boy
  1.1039 +and get married? That didn’t sound right, to move on when Seira
  1.1040 +became a nun. But what else was she supposed to do? What did their
  1.1041 +relationship mean, anyway? ‘It means I love her,’ Meimi mentally
  1.1042 +answered, her hands behind her head. ‘And I would still love her,
  1.1043 +even if she does go off and becomes Sister Seira.’ But could she
  1.1044 +really spend forever alone, as Seira was about to? That thought was
  1.1045 +too lonely to bear, chilling Meimi’s heart. So how, then, could Seira
  1.1046 +live with the thought? It would have to be a terribly lonely life, a
  1.1047 +life without the love Seira had held for so long. She could see Seira
  1.1048 +kneeling in prayer forever. Why would God want to deny one of his
  1.1049 +kindest, gentlest subjects the chance at love? It baffled Meimi. 
  1.1050 +	But then... Perhaps He didn’t. Meimi sat up suddenly, pacing the
  1.1051 +floor of her room, almost stumbling over her pet hedgehog, Ruby.
  1.1052 +Throughout the past few years, Saint Tail had been the one to grant
  1.1053 +God’s protection. All at the behest of Seira. She had always gone to
  1.1054 +help whoever Seira had asked her to. Who better to receive God’s
  1.1055 +protection from the mysterious thief Saint Tail than the girl who had
  1.1056 +brought it all about so selflessly to begin with? Who was more
  1.1057 +deserving than Seira? Yes, it made perfect sense. But how? 
  1.1058 +	Pausing for only a moment to pick up Ruby, Meimi resumed her
  1.1059 +pacing. What could Saint Tail do to prevent Seira from leaving? What
  1.1060 +was within her power to fix things for the young Sister-in-training?
  1.1061 +This was always Seira’s line of work. She was the one who came up
  1.1062 +with how to fix things for people. But this time Meimi was on her
  1.1063 +own. She thought frantically, not noticing the light starting to
  1.1064 +spill through her window. There had to be something, somehow. It
  1.1065 +wasn’t as if she could just steal Seira. Or could she? Lifting up
  1.1066 +Ruby, she smiled brightly at the cute hedgehog. “I can’t let Seira
  1.1067 +go. I won’t let her. I need her here, Ruby, with me. And I’ll make
  1.1068 +sure she’s happy. I’ll grant her God’s protection. This will be Saint
  1.1069 +Tail’s finest performance!”
  1.1070 +
  1.1071 +	“Please guide me. Please help me find my path.” Dim light bathed
  1.1072 +the young nun as the sun struggled up into the sky. Dawn had only
  1.1073 +broken a short time before, but the dark haired girl had been there
  1.1074 +for much longer. She was alone in the large, empty church, hands
  1.1075 +clasped in prayer. Her simple white outfit shimmered in a myriad of
  1.1076 +colors as the sun played across the beautiful stained glass. Had
  1.1077 +anyone seen her, they might well have mistaken the girl for an angel
  1.1078 +sent from Heaven. To the Sisters who had raised her, she was a little
  1.1079 +angel, something that had brought joy and wonder to their lives. A
  1.1080 +little gift from God that had landed on their doorstep by a mother
  1.1081 +who could not take care of her. They had pulled together to raise
  1.1082 +this little orphan into the beautiful young lady she was today. Seira
  1.1083 +felt she owed it to these loving women who had brought her up for as
  1.1084 +long as she could remember. She wanted to dedicate her life to the
  1.1085 +God that she loved so dearly. This had been her destined path, her
  1.1086 +future for as long as she could remember. But now... 
  1.1087 +	Sighing, Seira’s head lowered. She was having trouble thinking. The
  1.1088 +church had always been such a tranquil place for her. But now her
  1.1089 +heart was being torn in two. She had been in love with Meimi for
  1.1090 +years, but had never thought she could actually be with Meimi. That
  1.1091 +was one of the reasons she had wanted to join the convent. It would
  1.1092 +be easier that way. If she could not be with the one she loved, then
  1.1093 +she would devote herself to the Lord. Now she had a taste of the love
  1.1094 +in her heart and it left her unsure of herself. She knew that her
  1.1095 +faith would not waver. She would always be devoted in her heart. But
  1.1096 +her path now seemed so uncertain. Her whole life had been leading up
  1.1097 +to her eventually becoming a nun. Seira didn’t know any other way.
  1.1098 +Everyone had expected her to become a nun. The Sisters at the school,
  1.1099 +the students, even Meimi and herself. 
  1.1100 +	But with Meimi in her life, she was suddenly left with a
  1.1101 +surprisingly different option. Her heart belonged to Meimi, of that
  1.1102 +she was certain. She could go and be with her, stay with her
  1.1103 +mysterious thief. She could give in to the yearnings of her heart.
  1.1104 +She could have one but not the other. Her dream since she had been a
  1.1105 +child, the life she had prepared for could be hers. Or she could have
  1.1106 +the girl of her dreams. Which would it be? Seira felt as if she were
  1.1107 +being tugged in all directions. Her heart felt empty, afraid. 
  1.1108 +	So she prayed. And prayed. Because if there was one thing this
  1.1109 +could not affect, it was her faith in God above. Her delicate hands
  1.1110 +still held together, she continued her prayer for guidance. “Please
  1.1111 +help me to understand. I will follow your will wherever it leads me.”
  1.1112 +She swallowed pack the pain of tears left unshed. “I love her so
  1.1113 +much. Thank you for placing her in my life. For giving us the time
  1.1114 +together that you have. I will always cherish that gift you have
  1.1115 +given me. But now I find myself at a crossroads and I don’t know
  1.1116 +which path to take. I want to dedicate myself to you, to live my life
  1.1117 +for you. But I can’t do that if I’m with Meimi. But I don’t want to
  1.1118 +leave Meimi, either. I’m lost, my Lord. Please help me to find my
  1.1119 +way,” she whispered, her eyes closed tightly. 
  1.1120 +	“Seira-chan, what are you doing up so early?” a voice asked from
  1.1121 +the back of the church. 
  1.1122 +	Seira crossed herself before turning to see who the voice belonged
  1.1123 +to.  There was nothing she could do for now but wait and hope that
  1.1124 +her prayer would be answered. “Good morning, Sister Emari. I was just
  1.1125 +praying.” The dark haired girl smiled softly at the older woman as
  1.1126 +the Sister joined her in front of the altar. She hadn’t slept at all
  1.1127 +the night before, leaving her fuzzy and unfocused. Her mind was still
  1.1128 +jumbled, her heart heavy. But she would have to have faith that
  1.1129 +things would work out. Wherever God led her, she would follow. 
  1.1130 +	The older woman yawned tiredly as she reached the Sister in
  1.1131 +training, a hand covering her mouth. “And I thought I was an early
  1.1132 +riser. You must have a lot on your mind if you came to pray so
  1.1133 +early.” Pulling down her glasses, Sister Emari rubbed some of the
  1.1134 +sleep from her eyes. She smiled gently at the younger girl after
  1.1135 +replacing her glasses. Her smile faded as she saw the wet sheen over
  1.1136 +Seira’s gray eyes. “Is something troubling you, dear?” 
  1.1137 +	Picking up her bible, Seira averted her eyes, hugging the book
  1.1138 +tightly to her chest. The only sound in the large expanse of the
  1.1139 +church was Seira’s cross lightly sliding across the bible as she
  1.1140 +shifted. “I’m going away in less than a week,” the dark haired girl
  1.1141 +said at last, turning to look at the older woman. 
  1.1142 +	“Is that what you’re concerned about, Seira-chan? Dear, you
  1.1143 +shouldn’t worry about that. I know that you’ll make such a lovely
  1.1144 +nun. You’re kind and sweet and gentle. We’ll all miss you terribly,
  1.1145 +but when you return, you’ll be Sister Seira.” Sister Emari put a hand
  1.1146 +on Seira’s shoulder, smiling at the younger girl reassuringly. It
  1.1147 +didn’t seem to help Seira’s disposition any. The older Sister pushed
  1.1148 +her glasses back up. “That’s not it? What is it, Seira-chan?” The
  1.1149 +younger girl was practically a daughter to her and to the rest of the
  1.1150 +nuns at the school. It worried her to see Seira so troubled by
  1.1151 +something. Usually the younger girl was so bright and full of life.
  1.1152 +Now she seemed consumed by doubt. Could it be the upcoming trip to
  1.1153 +Rome itself? Seira had been so eager when they had first told her of
  1.1154 +it several months before. What could be bothering her about it now?
  1.1155 +For a moment, Sister Emari could see the small child that had been
  1.1156 +left at the church doorstep, the one that she had watched grow over
  1.1157 +the years. Like any mother, she couldn’t stand to see the younger
  1.1158 +girl in pain. None of the Sisters at the school could. Seira was
  1.1159 +their pride and joy. 
  1.1160 +	Seira hesitated for a moment, hugging her bible. What was she
  1.1161 +supposed to say? She always believed in doing what was right, what
  1.1162 +the Lord wanted, but she knew that sometimes you could bend things if
  1.1163 +it would help. Like having her best friend steal items to bring them
  1.1164 +back to those that needed them. Like lying about Ruby being a stuffed
  1.1165 +animal so Asuka Jr. wouldn’t catch on that Meimi was Saint Tail. But
  1.1166 +could she lie about this? About being in love with another girl?
  1.1167 +Whenever Seira would bend things, it was only to help others, never
  1.1168 +herself. Sighing inwardly, she could feel herself trembling as she
  1.1169 +lowered her gaze. “I don’t want to leave Meimi-chan,” she whispered. 
  1.1170 +	“Is that what this is all about? I’m sure you can come back and
  1.1171 +visit soon enough after you get settled. We’ll all want to see you
  1.1172 +again soon anyway. And I’m sure that the two of you could write each
  1.1173 +other.” Smiling warmly, Sister Emari tried to work out the soonest
  1.1174 +that Seira could return. She would miss the dark haired girl
  1.1175 +considerably, as she knew everyone else would. Maybe they could try
  1.1176 +to collect some money and fly her back for a visit sooner than they
  1.1177 +had originally planned. Anything to see their smiling little girl
  1.1178 +again. If only she would smile. Sister Emari frowned. Seira was
  1.1179 +usually so happy, always smiling or giggling. It was horrible to see
  1.1180 +the pretty younger girl robbed of her beautiful smile. Just as it
  1.1181 +would be sad when Seira left. The Sister-in-training really
  1.1182 +brightened the lives of the nuns. 
  1.1183 +	“I love her,” Seira said, looking down. She had never told any of
  1.1184 +the Sisters before of her feelings for Meimi. With the churches views
  1.1185 +on homosexuality, she had been too afraid to say anything. And it had
  1.1186 +been pointless to worry about it before. She would be joining the
  1.1187 +convent, away from the girl she loved. She wouldn’t be acting on her
  1.1188 +feelings, so it wasn’t a problem. It didn’t make her love Meimi any
  1.1189 +less, but it just hadn’t been important because there was no way she
  1.1190 +could be with the other girl. But now that was different. She was
  1.1191 +afraid of how the older women might react, afraid that she would let
  1.1192 +down these wonderful women who had raised her. 
  1.1193 +	“Oh...” Sister Emari cleared her throat, pushing up her glasses.
  1.1194 +The older Sister began to look around the large room, her eyes
  1.1195 +wandering. That had been... unexpected. Still, had she really
  1.1196 +expected Seira to grow up and never fall in love? Such a thing was
  1.1197 +preposterous. Of course their little Seira had fallen in love. But
  1.1198 +with Meimi? “You love Meimi?” Sister Emari repeated. Seeing Seira nod
  1.1199 +slowly, Emari sighed. She had heard correctly after all. “But she’s
  1.1200 +so... moody.”
  1.1201 +	Seira giggled softly despite herself. “I’ve noticed. But it’s
  1.1202 +something I’ve always loved. She’s very emotional.” Releasing a sigh,
  1.1203 +she closed her eyes. Her heart was still entangled hopelessly in a
  1.1204 +web she couldn’t begin to untangle. But her mind understood the
  1.1205 +church doctrine well enough. If she was to remain celibate, then it
  1.1206 +didn’t matter if she had feelings for another woman. “I know where I
  1.1207 +belong, Sister Emari. I love her, but that just makes it even more
  1.1208 +important that I join the convent. I will be God’s servant.” She
  1.1209 +waited for the older woman’s agreement but when none came, her eyes
  1.1210 +fluttered open. Sister Emari had her arms crossed, her attention cast
  1.1211 +forward as if she were deep in thought. “Sister?”
  1.1212 +	“Her name was Kasumi.”
  1.1213 +	Blinking in confusion, Seira shook her head. “Whose name was Kasumi?”
  1.1214 +	The older Sister smiled, her glasses glinting in the growing light.
  1.1215 +“Nothing. It was a long time ago. Seira, I’m not sure if your place
  1.1216 +is in the convent. You’ve always been God’s servant. You’ve always
  1.1217 +helped His people as best you could. And you aren’t a Sister yet.
  1.1218 +Even then, you’ve done wonderful things for people. I meant what I
  1.1219 +said earlier. You are kind and gentle and loving. But you don’t need
  1.1220 +to be a priest or a nun to follow the Lord’s path for you.”
  1.1221 +	“I don’t think I understand, Sister Emari. Doesn’t all of this make
  1.1222 +it even clearer that I should become a nun? Doesn’t all of this make
  1.1223 +my path clear?” Seira asked, gray eyes meeting the Emari’s brown
  1.1224 +eyes. She had made her decision, but now it seemed that Sister Emari
  1.1225 +was telling her otherwise. Confusion rolled over her, tossing the
  1.1226 +young Sister-in-training about.
  1.1227 +	“I can’t tell you what your path is, Seira-chan. Sometimes we have
  1.1228 +a hard time seeing it, but if we listen closely enough, we can
  1.1229 +understand in the end what we were put here for. You have done a
  1.1230 +wonderful job helping people even without being a nun. I don’t think
  1.1231 +being one would change you one bit. I do, on the other hand, think
  1.1232 +that the Lord would want you to be happy. He would want you to have
  1.1233 +joy in your life. And most of all, He would want to see your precious
  1.1234 +smile, just as He’s let us all see it as you grew up here.” Emari
  1.1235 +reached out and held the dark haired girl’s cheek. “You’re like a
  1.1236 +daughter to me, Seira-chan. To all of us. He would want you to be
  1.1237 +happy. We want you to be happy. We always thought you would grow up
  1.1238 +to become a nun because of how you are. But we don't expect it of
  1.1239 +you. Perhaps your path lies elsewhere. You’re one of the Lord’s most
  1.1240 +faithful servants. I can’t see Him wanting you to be lonely.”
  1.1241 +	“I... Sister Emari...” Seira got out weakly, taken aback. She
  1.1242 +blinked weary, tear streaked eyes. Her tangled heart struggled
  1.1243 +against the confining webs, Sister Emari’s words coursing through her
  1.1244 +soul. Crying softly, she felt arms pull her closer, gentle hands
  1.1245 +stroking her back. Was Sister Emari right? Could she be with Meimi?
  1.1246 +But still, she felt the convent’s calling, could feel her life’s
  1.1247 +dream waiting for her. Her mind collapsed into confusion. Resting
  1.1248 +weakly against the older woman, Seira cried herself to sleep.
  1.1249 +	
  1.1250 +	“Saint Tail!!” Darting forward, Asuka Jr. snagged at thin air.
  1.1251 +Blinking confusedly, the boy barely had time to notice his
  1.1252 +surrounding before he tumbled to the floor. Grumbling, he sat up,
  1.1253 +throwing his blankets to the side. Just another dream. Sighing, the
  1.1254 +green haired boy walked barefoot across his tidy room. Some would
  1.1255 +call him obsessed with the mysterious thief, but he didn’t care what
  1.1256 +anyone else thought. Only one thing mattered to the young detective,
  1.1257 +and that was unmasking Saint Tail. One day he would. One day soon. He
  1.1258 +would catch her. He would be the one. Saint Tail had promised him
  1.1259 +that he would be the only one to catch her. She was his first thought
  1.1260 +upon waking and his last thought upon drifting off to sleep. She was,
  1.1261 +for all intents and purposes, his one driving goal in life.
  1.1262 +	Stepping up to his window, Asuka Jr. drew the blinds. The dark
  1.1263 +haired boy winded as light poured into his room. Yawning, he turned
  1.1264 +away and began to get dressed. He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night
  1.1265 +before, having followed Saint Tail all the way to a hospital. He had
  1.1266 +almost caught her when doctors had run past, nearly knocking him
  1.1267 +over. They had run to the same room Saint Tail had been heading
  1.1268 +towards. 
  1.1269 +	Asuka Jr. closed his eyes tightly, trying to force out the thoughts
  1.1270 +that followed. But even as he tried to relegate them to the shadows
  1.1271 +of his mind, searchlights brought them out into the open. The girl
  1.1272 +had died. The girl that Saint Tail had been helping had been dead by
  1.1273 +the time the doctor’s reached her. Her body had finally given out,
  1.1274 +one of the doctors had told him. He and Saint Tail had been side by
  1.1275 +side as they heard the news. He could have caught her then and there.
  1.1276 +But he couldn’t. His heart hadn’t been in it. He saw them cart away
  1.1277 +the body of a pale girl and he suddenly hadn’t felt strong enough to
  1.1278 +stand, let alone to haul in Saint Tail. It was then that he learned
  1.1279 +that Saint Tail had been about to deliver a love letter from the now
  1.1280 +dead girl. It had been her final wish. So Asuka Jr. had let her go.
  1.1281 +How could he let the girl’s final wish go unfulfilled? At least this
  1.1282 +way, she wouldn’t regret never telling her love on the other side.
  1.1283 +They would know. But that thought sent a cold chill through him. How
  1.1284 +would he handle a letter confessing someone’s love for him only to
  1.1285 +discover they had already died? It was a painful situation, he knew.
  1.1286 +He was relieved that Saint Tail had been the one to give the letter
  1.1287 +and not himself. He didn’t know if he could do that. 
  1.1288 +	Trying to shake off the haunting feeling the thoughts gave him,
  1.1289 +Asuka Jr. turned to pick up his backpack. Something on the window
  1.1290 +caught his eye. Squinting, her walked closer to the plane of glass.
  1.1291 +“Traeh s’arieS retsiS rof emoc lliw I ,thginoT,” he managed to sound
  1.1292 +out. “What the hell?” Had Saint Tail suddenly started writing in
  1.1293 +code? Or was this some strange type of riddle? He shook his head,
  1.1294 +trying to decode the bizarre message. It finally hit him the third
  1.1295 +time through. She’d written it on his window from the outside. It was
  1.1296 +backwards. “Tonight, I will come for Sister Seira’s heart. Saint
  1.1297 +Tail.” He read it over again. What could she mean? He shook his head.
  1.1298 +It didn’t matter. He would find out tonight. Tonight, for sure! He
  1.1299 +would catch Saint Tail!
  1.1300 +
  1.1301 +	The church was completely empty except for a lone girl. Seira sat
  1.1302 +quietly in a confessional, her heart struggling to understand where
  1.1303 +her place was, where she belonged. She couldn’t tell how long she had
  1.1304 +been there or even when she had first arrived. This was her usual
  1.1305 +spot, inside the church, waiting for those in need. But now she found
  1.1306 +herself in need. She could usually determine what needed to be done
  1.1307 +to help people, to fix their problems. But she found herself unable
  1.1308 +to come up with a solution to her own predicament. Her heart teetered
  1.1309 +back and forth on the edge, unsure of which choice to make. On one
  1.1310 +hand, she loved Meimi dearly. On the other, her life was one that was
  1.1311 +committed to God. It left her in a precarious predicament. 
  1.1312 +	A sound in the other side of the confessional dragged Seira out of
  1.1313 +her thoughts. She smiled softly as she looked over at the screen.
  1.1314 +This was something she could handle. It was so much easier helping
  1.1315 +others figure out what to do than trying to decide what to do on her
  1.1316 +own. She would be leaving in a few days, but maybe she could get
  1.1317 +Saint Tail to help a few last people before she left. Or she could at
  1.1318 +least help ease someone’s mind with whatever troubles they had. “Can
  1.1319 +I help you?”
  1.1320 +	“I have a confession to make,” the voice said from the other side.
  1.1321 +It sounded strange, unfamiliar. “I’m in love with another girl. She’s
  1.1322 +all I think about anymore. She’s just perfect. She’s so sweet and
  1.1323 +caring. She would do anything for me. Even though I do some stupid
  1.1324 +things sometimes, she always helps me out of it. I can always come to
  1.1325 +her with my problems and she always listens to me, no matter what
  1.1326 +they are. She can get a little jealous sometimes and she can get me
  1.1327 +to do things without my even knowing she tricked me into it, but it
  1.1328 +all just makes me love her even more. She knows me better than anyone
  1.1329 +else could ever hope to.”
  1.1330 +	Seira felt her heart pounding in her chest. Holding her hands in
  1.1331 +her lap, she tried to come up with a reply. “Are you worried that
  1.1332 +it’s a girl? It sounds like you’re very much in love. I don’t think
  1.1333 +the Lord would ever fault you for such a thing.” 
  1.1334 +	“I’m not worried about that. But I think she is. I think she’s been
  1.1335 +worried about that for some time.”
  1.1336 +	“So she’s afraid that it’s wrong for her to be in love with another
  1.1337 +girl.” Seira sighed, bowing her head. “I know how that feels. But God
  1.1338 +loves all of his children. He isn’t an exclusive being, there only
  1.1339 +for some and not others. I don’t see how being in love can be a sin.
  1.1340 +He’s so loving. He wouldn’t be angry with you for being in love, no
  1.1341 +matter who you’re in love with.”
  1.1342 +	“Really? I wish you could tell her that. I’m so scared that I’m
  1.1343 +going to lose her because of this. And I can’t lose her. I need her.
  1.1344 +More than anything. She makes my life complete. I’d be lost without
  1.1345 +her. She’s always been my guiding light. She’s the one that steers me
  1.1346 +in the right direction.”
  1.1347 +	Standing up, Seira reached for the door. Something about this was
  1.1348 +just too strange. It sounded too familiar. The door opened and she
  1.1349 +stumbled into Saint Tail. The Sister-in-training’s arms flailed as
  1.1350 +she fell against the mysterious thief. Both girls tumbled to the
  1.1351 +floor in a heap. “Meimi-chan?” Seira looked up directly into auburn
  1.1352 +hair. She closed her eyes as it tickled her nose. 
  1.1353 +	“You weren’t supposed to come out yet,” Meimi explained, getting to
  1.1354 +her knees. She smiled at the dark haired girl. “It’s ventriloquism.
  1.1355 +I’ve been practicing. I knew it would come in handy one of these
  1.1356 +days.”
  1.1357 +	“So you were waiting right outside? What in Heaven for?” Seira
  1.1358 +asked, blinking. She slowly gathered up her skirt underneath her,
  1.1359 +still kneeling herself.
  1.1360 +	“For this.” Meimi cupped Seira’s chin, kissing her softly. The
  1.1361 +young nun froze as she kissed her warmly, gloved fingers stroking
  1.1362 +under her chin. Meimi held the kiss, drawing it out before finally
  1.1363 +pulling away. Seira was pleasantly dizzy when she was done. Meimi
  1.1364 +smiled and trailed up to Seira’s lips with her fingertip. “I love
  1.1365 +you, Seira. I need you.”
  1.1366 +	Seira shook her head, slowly getting to her feet. “Meimi-chan.. You
  1.1367 +really shouldn’t do that in here.” She turned her back to the auburn
  1.1368 +haired girl, trying to quell her warring feelings. She held her hands
  1.1369 +to her chest, breathing slowly. 
  1.1370 +	“Why? You said yourself that He wouldn’t fault you for it,” Meimi
  1.1371 +argued. Still Seira looked uncertain. Meimi took her hands, looking
  1.1372 +the dark haired girl in the eye. “Please come with me. Just for now.
  1.1373 +I have to show you something. Ruby has something she wants to show
  1.1374 +you.” Her blue eyes pleaded with Seira until the young nun finally
  1.1375 +relented. She hurried outside, leading Seira into the darkening
  1.1376 +night. Stars already twinkled outside like lanterns in a long and
  1.1377 +dark sea. “Ruby!” Meimi called. The cute little hedgehog ran out from
  1.1378 +behind some bushes, leaping up into Meimi’s waiting hands. “I would
  1.1379 +have done this on my own, but Ruby wanted to come along,” Meimi
  1.1380 +explained. 
  1.1381 +	“Ruby’s always welcome to come along,” Seira said with a smile,
  1.1382 +petting the hedgehog in Saint Tail’s hands. Something glimmered in
  1.1383 +the moonlight, hanging from Ruby’s ribbon. Seira looked at it
  1.1384 +curiously, reaching out. She gently pulled it away from the ribbon,
  1.1385 +holding it up in the dim light. A small gold ring glimmered in her
  1.1386 +hand. Seira opened her mouth but nothing came out. She suddenly felt
  1.1387 +much dizzier than she had after the kiss. She was about to sit down,
  1.1388 +but Meimi took her hands, piercing blue eyes captivating her. She
  1.1389 +could only look back, ring still in hand. 
  1.1390 +	“It’s my mother’s engagement ring. She was actually really for this
  1.1391 +plan when I asked her if I could have it.” Meimi swallowed, licking
  1.1392 +her dry lips. She felt so anxious. She had never before thought of
  1.1393 +doing this, had never thought of how difficult it would be. But the
  1.1394 +thought of losing Seira spurred her on. This was what she wanted, to
  1.1395 +be with Seira forever. Standing there in her Saint Tail tuxedo, it
  1.1396 +seemed all too fitting. “Seira, will you marry me?”
  1.1397 +	Seira stared back in stunned silence. A marriage proposal? Meimi
  1.1398 +was proposing to her? Her cheeks darkened as the thought made its way
  1.1399 +to her heart. “I.. Meimi-chan..” she got out, blushing. “But we
  1.1400 +can’t.” She tried to think, but her mind was paralyzed, trapped on
  1.1401 +the ring and Meimi’s blue orbs. 
  1.1402 +	“I know we can’t legally get married, but I want to marry you,
  1.1403 +Seira. I thought long and hard about this. This is what I want. I
  1.1404 +hope it’s what you want, too. I promise I’ll take care of you. I
  1.1405 +promise I’ll love you forever. I know we’ll have God’s protection on
  1.1406 +this. Just please say yes,” Meimi pleaded, her fingers entwining with
  1.1407 +Seira’s. Her heart hung above infinity as she awaited Seira’s reply,
  1.1408 +her eyes questing into Seira’s for an answer.
  1.1409 +	“Saint Tail! You won’t get away this time!” Asuka Jr. yelled as he
  1.1410 +ran towards the two girls. 
  1.1411 +	Meimi smiled at Seira before taking a step back and turning to
  1.1412 +Asuka Jr. “Sometimes, a magician will reveal her tricks to the
  1.1413 +audience so they can see the illusion for what it is. I’ve played
  1.1414 +this game long enough. Thank you for playing it with me, Asuka Jr. I
  1.1415 +had fun. But I can’t play it anymore.” Reaching up, Meimi pulled out
  1.1416 +her ribbon, her long ponytail spilling behind her. She shook her
  1.1417 +head, her hair fluttering around her. 
  1.1418 +	“Haneoka-san?!” Asuka Jr. stared in amazement. “You.. You’re Saint
  1.1419 +Tail? But how?” For all of this time, there had been hints of Meimi
  1.1420 +in Saint Tail, but he had never been certain. There had always been
  1.1421 +that mystery. But now, the mystery of Saint Tail was laid out right
  1.1422 +in front of him. He could only watch, unsure of what to do. She was
  1.1423 +unmasked. What more could he do?
  1.1424 +	Meimi turned back to Seira, and with a graceful step was right
  1.1425 +against her. Wrapping an arm around Seira’s waist, she held the young
  1.1426 +Sister-in-training tightly. Pulling up her top hat, she counted down.
  1.1427 +“One! Two! Three!” With an impressive burst, a group of colorful
  1.1428 +balloons lifted above them. Meimi grabbed the line as the lifted into
  1.1429 +the air, pulling Seira into the sky with her. 
  1.1430 +	Asuka Jr. watched the two girls float into the air for a long
  1.1431 +moment, watching until they were far out of sight. Collapsing
  1.1432 +backwards, he could only sit there, Saint Tail’s unmasking burned
  1.1433 +into his mind. It was over. The chase had finally ended. He had what
  1.1434 +he wanted. He knew who Saint Tail was. So why did he feel so empty?
  1.1435 +The mystery was gone, the one thing that had kept him on edge, eager
  1.1436 +to find it’s resolution. It really was like finding out how a magic
  1.1437 +trick worked. When you saw it again, the magic was gone. It was
  1.1438 +simply a gesture. Saint Tail was simply Haneoka. There was no magic
  1.1439 +behind it, no mystery anymore. He sighed. He didn’t bother looking
  1.1440 +when someone sat down next to him.
  1.1441 +	“Well.. You know now.” Lina looked up into the heavens, following
  1.1442 +Asuka Jr.'s gaze. “Is it everything you had hoped for?” she asked,
  1.1443 +looking over to him. 
  1.1444 +	“The magic’s gone. She showed me how the magic works. It’s just..
  1.1445 +gone.” Asuka Jr. shook his head, still in shock. “I don’t know where
  1.1446 +to go from here. I don’t know what to do. Saint Tail was everything.
  1.1447 +I finally caught her. I know who she is. Now what? The game’s over.”
  1.1448 +	Lina nodded thoughtfully. She offered a small smile, catching Asuka
  1.1449 +Jr.’s eye. Resting a hand on his, she shrugged. “Real magic doesn’t
  1.1450 +work that way. Real magic doesn’t disappear when you find out what
  1.1451 +causes it.”
  1.1452 +	Asuka Jr. sighed, looking down at Lina’s hand. “I guess you’re
  1.1453 +right. But what do I do now?” He looked up again, seeing Lina bathed
  1.1454 +in moonlight. He didn’t know why, but for the first time, he realized
  1.1455 +how pretty she was.
  1.1456 +	“Keep looking. Saint Tail wasn’t the magic you were looking for. So
  1.1457 +keep looking until you find that magic. Until you find the real
  1.1458 +magic. Magic that won’t disappear when you understand it.” Lina
  1.1459 +smiled, taking his hand in her own.
  1.1460 +	Asuka Jr. nodded, smiling faintly himself. “I’ll keep looking.”
  1.1461 +	
  1.1462 +	Up above, a young Sister-in-training and a mysterious thief floated
  1.1463 +through the air. Seira had been taken by surprise at first, too
  1.1464 +shocked to keep herself from being whisked away by Saint Tail. She
  1.1465 +had had the presence of mind to hold onto the engagement ring,
  1.1466 +luckily. The two hung above, suspended up in a beautiful star
  1.1467 +speckled heaven. Seira sighed, resting against Meimi as she held onto
  1.1468 +her. The two floated quietly for what felt like a beautiful taste of
  1.1469 +eternity. Seira could feel Meimi’s heart beating against her own, a
  1.1470 +thunderous beat against her own. Meimi was usually so much more
  1.1471 +confident as Saint Tail, but it seemed that even that confidence
  1.1472 +couldn’t shield her as she waited anxiously. “I’ll marry you, Meimi-
  1.1473 +chan,” Seira said at last, pulling back enough to look into Meimi’s
  1.1474 +gorgeous blue eyes. She smiled at the look of relief that washed over
  1.1475 +the auburn haired girl’s face. “It’s what I want, too.”
  1.1476 +	Meimi smiled brightly holding Seira even tighter. The future
  1.1477 +suddenly wasn’t weighing upon her shoulders. Instead it made her feel
  1.1478 +lighter than air, drawing her above her worries. The future was no
  1.1479 +longer something to dread, but something to await with each passing
  1.1480 +breath. “Seira..” Meimi felt her heart float joyously like the
  1.1481 +balloons she was holding. “I love you, Seira,” Meimi whispered.
  1.1482 +	Seira’s decision was finally made. She felt free, given the eagle’s
  1.1483 +wings she had sought for so long. Life was the most precious dream.
  1.1484 +She silently thanked the God that she had dedicated her life to for
  1.1485 +this beautiful moment, for letting her future lay with Meimi. That
  1.1486 +future lay before them, unwritten but full of glorious promise and
  1.1487 +wonder. And they would write their future hand in hand. “I love you,
  1.1488 +too, Meimi-chan,” Seira replied, her gray eyes sparkling. Leaning
  1.1489 +forward, she kissed the mysterious thief, her very own not-so-
  1.1490 +mysterious thief with all the love in her heart. With her hands
  1.1491 +behind Meimi’s waist, she slipped on the engagement ring, a thrill
  1.1492 +passing through her as the symbol of their union clasped her finger.
  1.1493 +And so they floated through the skies above, the silhouette of a
  1.1494 +thief and a nun kissing in the light of the moon.
  1.1495 +