Gunther glances over at the others as they walk back to their rooms. "Do you think Lili will be alright?" he asks, his voice tinged with concern.
"Hopefully," Nik replies with uncharacteristic softness. "As long as Tahno's not in a seriously pissed mood or anything. I'm sure he'll be gentle."
"That's oddly nice of you, Nik," Mai remarks, raising an eyebrow. "What happened to your usual attempt at making a classless joke?"
"What can I say? I'm just a classy guy." Nik grins, but Mai rolls her eyes at his idiotic response.
"If anyone is safe from Tahno's wrath, it'd be Lili," Noah adds. "So I wouldn't worry too much. Anyway, I'm off. See ya!"
Without waiting for a response, Noah hurries off down the corridor, leaving the others scratching their heads.
"Where does he always go in such a hurry?" Gunther wonders aloud, looking after him.
"Maybe he had to go to the bathroom or something," Mai suggests with a shrug. "Though it does seem like it's the same every Friday."
"Nah, you're giving him way too much benefit of the doubt, Guns," Nik counters. "I think he's meeting someone."
"Really?" Gunther asks, intrigued. "Who do you think it is? Do you think he's got a girlfriend? Maybe that's why he…" Gunther trails off, glancing at Mai as if worried that finishing his sentence might be offensive to Lili.
Mai shakes her head, a small, knowing smile on her lips. "It's okay, Gunther. I know what you want to say, and I'm not offended. However, I don't think that has anything to do with what he's doing now. That being said, I really don't care, and you two shouldn't either, since he certainly wouldn't care about us. He's shown that well enough this last month."
Gunther pouts slightly. He knows that Mai is right. Noah has been very distant from them over the past month. He doesn't hang out with them in their living quarters anymore, opting to stay in his room all the time. He barely eats, which is starting to concern them, and he's been ditching them as soon as class or training is over to spend time with that mysterious student they saw in the clinic.
"What about that new guy?" Gunther asks, trying to piece things together.
"New guy?" Nik thinks for a moment. "Oh! Do you mean that person Noah's been talking to a lot lately? Actually, is that even a guy, or is it a girl? He's never said, and honestly, it's hard to tell. Do you know, Mai?"
"I'm not sure," Mai replies, furrowing her brow as she thinks it over. "Oh, wait a minute. I think I may know who you're talking about. There's a student in my class who's the only transfer student in the entire school. Their name is Ouran. And no, no one really knows what they are. When they first introduced themselves, they said they were both a boy and a girl. No one really knew how to handle that, so people just leave them alone. Honestly, they don't seem to care much since they keep to themselves. If I recall, they're kind of strange. I get an uncomfortable vibe from them sometimes. I know their element is supposedly water, but I get a different feeling from them compared to the others in my class. Their energy feels dark somehow."
"Dark? What are you even talking about, Mai? Did you find some secret stash or something?" Nik jokes, trying to lighten the mood.
Mai sighs at Nik's idiocy while Gunther laughs, and they drop the subject. As they continue walking someone hidden in the shadows of an empty corridor watches them intently as they pass.
~
Meanwhile, in another part of the academy, Lili slowly stirs awake, feeling the soft cotton sheets brushing across her legs. Her eyes suddenly pop open, and she pulls her knees to her chest, alarmed at the realization that her uniform has been removed.
"Relax, Lili, you're in no danger here." A gentle voice reassures her, and Lili looks to her right to see a woman smiling warmly at her. The woman's chestnut hair is up in a bun, and her almond-shaped eyes radiate kindness. Lili's initial fear starts to fade as she stares back at the woman, trying to recall where she's seen her before.
"Have we met before?" Lili asks hesitantly, her voice still groggy.
The woman's smile widens, a touch of nostalgia in her expression. "I was hoping you would remember me. It was quite a while ago, but I haven't forgotten that day since it passed, not for a moment. That was probably the happiest day of my life. Do you know why?"
Lili shakes her head slowly. "Did you have a baby? That's the happiest day for people, right?"
The woman chuckles softly. "Well, you're not too far off, actually. I didn't have my baby that day, but it was the first day I got to see her again after she was born. It was the day I got to hold her in my arms once more as she cried into my chest. It was like the day of her birth all over again, just 14 years later."
"That's great," Lili says with a faint smile. "I'm happy you could see her again. Why was she crying, though? Is she okay now?"
"I don't know," the woman replies, her smile tinged with sadness. "That's what I'm hoping to find out. So please tell me, why does she cry, and is she okay?"
Lili looks at the woman in confusion, unsure of why she's asking her about her daughter. But then, it suddenly clicks. "Wait, are you the same woman who came to visit me that time?" The woman nods, and Lili's eyes widen. "But I was the one crying in your arms that day—we cried together. So if that was also the day you got to see your daughter again as she cried in your arms, then that would mean…that would mean…." Lili's voice trails off as realization dawns on her. "So then you…you're my…I'm your…?"
"Yes, that's right, Lilianna," the woman says, tears pooling in her eyes. "I'm your mother, and you are my daughter."
Lili's breath catches in her throat as the weight of the revelation hits her. Tears begin to well up in her eyes as she looks into the woman's—her mother's—eyes. The emotions she's been holding back for so long come rushing to the surface, and suddenly, as she did before, she begins to cry harder. Her tears stream down her face, and soon both of their faces are drenched in tears.
"Ma…mama?" Lili stammers, her voice trembling with emotion.
Kira's eyes light up, and her heart swells with love as she hears the words she's only dreamed of hearing. Her tears fall like a downpour. "Yes, that's right. I'm here. Mama's here."
It's as if Lili is a baby again, seeking comfort in the arms of the one person who has always been a distant memory. She sniffles, and then, in eager desperation, she calls out again. "Mama, mama!" She leaps up and throws her arms around Kira's shoulders, burying her face in her mother's chest. "Mama, I…I…." She desperately wants to tell her everything—everything she's been holding inside for so long.
Kira wraps her arms around her daughter in return, holding her close. "That's right, Lili, I'm here. I'll always be here for you now. I'll never abandon you again. So please, tell me. Tell me everything."
And Lili does. She pours out everything that has ever happened to her—from the first time she was touched, to what happened today after training. She cries through it all, and as Kira listens intently as she cries too, just as they did on that day four years ago.
When Lili is finally done, they simply sit together in silence. The crying stops, the tears start to dry, and slowly, very slowly, Lili feels her world begin to piece itself back together.
~
"Are you sure Tahno's not going to find us out? We've never headed down to Tourer this early before," Noah asks, glancing around nervously as they make their way through the dark tunnel.
"No, he doesn't really bother us once our training is done," Ouran replies with a shrug. "Even if he does stop by, it's not usually to check in. He won't enter my room if the door is closed, so since I closed it, it should be fine." Ouran starts to respond more, but they suddenly stop in their tracks, looking around with a smirk.
"Noah," Ouran begins, their voice suddenly serious, "I know this is sudden, but you're about to finally have your question answered. Try not to freak out, but I'm about to change into something…interesting."
"What are you talking—?" Noah's sentence is cut short as he notices Ouran beginning to glow.
They start out standing with their arms at their sides, but then, with a stomp, a vortex of light shoots up around them, so bright that Noah thinks he might be going blind. When the light finally fades, Noah's jaw drops in disbelief.
Standing in front of him is Ouran, but they look different—drastically different. A large pair of wings, black on the top and white underneath, stretch out on either side of them. They turn around, revealing slit eyes—one is their usual color, but the other glows a sinister red. A gold tiara rests on their forehead, and their clothes have transformed into holy-like garb. In their hand is a weapon that resembles a light saber, emitting a strong, pulsing energy.
"What the…?" Noah stammers, still trying to process what he's seeing.
"Pretty gross, right?" Ouran says with a self-deprecating smirk. "Well, now you know. This is what I am. I'm a denizen of life and death—a Reaper."