Sunshadow

Ayla and Rosa

"We have to tell Tía Ayla." Sol said. She had been by Kiki's side since they had frozen her, one hand on the case containing her sister's dead body.

Bucky nodded and left to call her in private.

"I'm sorry, Al. I wasn't enough." She put her forehead on the glass and closed her eyes. "I was never enough."

☾

"What do you mean?" Kiki stepped back. "I thought I was the weaker sister. THAT WAS WHAT YOU TOLD ME!"

"You were. The Blip was not predicted. It made you stronger, gave you the ability to create your own power." Eliane went past Kiki and stood between her and the line of stones.

"It has always been harder for Moons, since the Moon doesn't produce its own light. It means they can harness the reflection, but they can never be as bright as a Sun who is the same power. The only time the Moons are stronger, is when the Suns are incredibly weak."

☾

Bucky dialled the number for the third time, silently begging them to pick up.

"Hello?" It sounded so much like Kiki.

"Hello...?"

"Sorry, hello."

"Who is this? How did you get this number?"

"I work with Shield. Your niece has been found."

"Really?! Oh, we have been waiting for this for so long! Can we come see her?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs Smith."

"Why are you sorry? This is what we wanted."

"Mrs Smith-" but she had hung up.

Bucky placed the phone next to him and lay down.

"They're coming, Ki. You can see them again."

☾

"You must decide. We are running out of time." Eliane said.

"I..." All Kiki really wanted was to give up, but she couldn't leave everyone at home alone to deal with Hydra. And she couldn't leave her sister. "I'll go back."

"My brave little girl," said Helia, cradling her face.

"Just, tell everyone I ever killed that I am sorry, and all I wanted was to survive." She could see her mother fading, and the path disappearing.

"All that was forgiven a long time ago."

☾

"Sol?" There was a woman rushing into the room. "Oh, Sol, you're alive!" Bucky assumed this must be Ayla, and the little girl behind her was Rosa/Maria. He didn't really know which name to use.

"Did you find Kiki? Where did you go?" Ayla bombarded Sol with questions, but then noticed her tear streaked face. "What happened? Sol?"

"She found me." Ayla wrapped her arms around Sol comfortingly. "But I couldn't save her."

"What do you mean? Where is she?" Ayla spotted the case behind them. "No. No."

"It's ok, Mrs Smith."

"NO!" She cried desperately. "I never found her. I never thanked her. She can't go before I found her again."

She walked over to the case and laid a hand over Kiki's face. "Rosa," she said more calmly. So she went by Rosa still. "Go outside. This is not something for you to see."

When she didn't move, Bucky took her arm and gently tugged it, trying to take her away. She held her ground and, as the pulls got more insistent, twisted her arm, pulling him down, and holding him in that position. It was his real arm, so he couldn't just pop it off.

"She looked after me for 5 years. I need to see her. I've seen more death than a lot of people in this room." Rosa let Bucky up and walked robotically towards the frozen Kiki. When she looked in, her face was unmoving. "That's not her."

Her mother came over, and whispered something into her ear, but she shrugged her off and carried on, "Kiki was life and laughter. Sure, she killed people, but she cared. She cared more than most people did. So this dead, lifeless person is not Kiki."