The City of Darkness

XIX: Family!

"Get out of here! Run!" She said.

"No! We can't leave you!" Shard yelled as he held Leah.

"Go now! Or you die with me!" She yelled back.

"Please! Run! Run away with us!" Leah screamed.

"I...I can't..this is the end for me." She said. She faded into white mist, a slash through her body.

"N-No!" Shard and Leah tried to reach out.

"Goodbye...my lovely..children.."

"No!! MOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!!!"

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Shard woke up screaming in his hospital bed, and saw a girl on top of him, staring at him, which caused him to scream again. The girl put a scarf in his mouth and stared into his eyes.

"Shush." Alice II said.

"W-What are you-" Shard whispered as he took the scarf out his mouth

"Why did you rescue me? Why am I not dead?" She stared into his eyes, as if they held the answer. She then looked away and sighed. "Shard..." she grabbed his shoulders. "What..what was mom like?"

Shard's face was flushed, trying to think back. His mom..was named Alice Izumi-Something...Shard forgot, it's been years since...Shard shaked his head, the memories to saddening for him. He broke into tears. "S-Sorry, Alice II. I can't answer you...try asking L-Leah.."

"O-Okay..." Alice II gave him a hug and walked out. She closed the door quietly and walked to Leah's room, where she asked the same question. "Leah, what was our mom like?"

"Did you ask Shard and he cried?" Leah asked.

"Yeah! How did you know?"

"Shard was the closest to her. Closer than I was, closer to her than dad." Leah looked away, thinking back. "I actually became a tactician due to his help...father..." Leah looked back at Alice II. "Sorry, I'm getting off track. Sit, sit!"

Alice II sat on the bed, Leah sitting next to her. "Mom was brave, more than anything. She loved to have fun, and was kind and gentle, yet powerful. She was a role model anyone could have."

"She sounds amazing." Alice II said. "So her name was Alice? That must be why my name is.."

"Yeah, maybe. Anyway, mom traveled with us for a long time."(*)Time passed as the two talked. Soon, it became noon.

"Thank you, sis. I appreciate it."

"Well, now you're apart of this family. So we act together, and we stay together. You're my little sister after all."

"A...family...you're right!"

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Later that day.....

"So you wanted to know why I did what I did?" Shard said.

"Yeah, I do." Alice II replied.

"It's because I believed that there was good in you, that you wanted to do good. But the people you were with turned it all around, flipping your way of thinking. If it wasn't out of anger, would you have tried to kill us?"

"No...I guess not."

"That's right. You're a 10 year old girl, a girl that they took advantage of, with all of your power and emotion. I knew that you could be better, which is why I asked everyone to save you as well. You're one of us. Never forget."

"Got it. Thanks, now I know..that people still love me. That people care about me, that they don't care about my strength."

"Yeah, about that.." Shard looked into her eyes. "I want a rematch!"

"A what?"

"Our fight was completely unfair, I was at a major disadvantage. But now, we can have a fair fight, a true fight."

Alice II looked at him, then looked down with a smile. "You wanna fight, hotshot?" She drew her scythe. "Then let's do this!"

(*)Read about what happened in ORIGINS: Shard Leo Izumi-Genesis and ORIGINS: Leah Genesis, coming soon!

Next time: Shard vs. Alice II; the official fight!