• I sat on the edge of the roof, assessing the current situation. Below me, in the alleyway, a horrible scene was unfolding. A group of pretty girls ganging up on a more beautiful one. As they began to rip her hair, tear her skin and scratch at her eyes... My rage built up higher and higher. Even if that girl was a horrible person... she didn’t deserve that treatment. I slid down and into the rabble, who ran, leaving the poor girl there...
    “Ple... Please.... He... Help M-m-m-me....” The girl was reaching up to me, her skin barely attached to the flesh and sinew that was her hand. Her blond hair had mostly been ripped out and her eyes were bleeding – nearly empty sockets save a speck of colour that was her iris. The rest of her skin – if you could still call it skin – wasn’t in much better condition. Yet she lived. My emotions welled up and over a threshold I never knew I had... My hands started to glow in the dim light and I knew I had the power to help her. I reached her hand, smoothing some skin back into place, healing her as I went.
    “Alice Black...” I whispered. “Though your sins have been great... I give you a second chance to live a better life...” I placed my now glowing hand over her eyes. “Alice... You may not have the same place... but you will still be accepted...” As I did this, I was calling an ambulance to our location. I knew that I shouldn’t or couldn’t heal her fully... I stroked her forehead soothingly. I touched upon other places on her body, healing some of the worse parts. As the ambulance approached, I bade her to lie down.
    “Thank you, angel, for watching over me...” I leaped back up to the rooftop and watched as the ambulance crew carried her away, my thoughts only of if I had done the right thing... A hand held my shoulder gently. I sighed.
    “I had to help... I couldn’t let that happen, even if she may have deserved it...”
    “You did the right thing, Dark. You need not worry of consequences.”

    This is not the story of what happens after that. This is the story of how I got there.

    ***(Chance Meeting)
    I was running. Yes, running down the High Street. I was late to meet a friend outside a restaurant when I met her. More precisely, bumped into her. ...Thwack!
    “I’m sorry... I’m really sorry...” I said as I fell backwards onto my rear end. She was hard. There was silence as a gentle hand was offered.
    “That’s alright. I like to see that youthful energy in use.” I looked to the woman. She was... jaw-droppingly beautiful – everyone around her had their tongues hanging out. Male and Female. I gratefully accepted her hand and stood up. “Are you alright? You ran into me pretty hard...” I bowed to her.
    “I’m sorry, M’am! Are you alrigh-“ She laughed.
    “Yes, I’m fine. Now... You’d best hurry along. Your friends will be waiting.” She giggled lightly.
    “Thank you, M’am!” I bowed again, and jogged off again. I reached the restaurant – lo and behold, my friend had just got there. Ren Menora; a blond (and black streaked) haired, black eyed girl with an uncanny knack for knowing just what’s going on. She’d also brought another friend; Ivy Enmesh. Ivy’s naturally pale skin, tall slim build and raven hair make her look like a vampire – and her habit of dressing in black makes this a natural thought. We all began talking madly. We’d met up to talk, and talk we did. I thought nothing of the woman I’d crashed into, nor of the fact she knew I was meeting a friend. Well, not until afterwards. How did she know that I was meeting friends? Maybe it was just a good guess... As an teenager, you just don’t think of these things until they come back at you...
    ***(Wet Encounter)
    A month after the crash into the woman, I was at a swimming pool. I like swimming. It’s calm and soothing for me. Although...
    “Hey, Fatass! Don’t jump in the pool – we want some water too!” I glanced at the source of this comment. A blond haired, brown eyed girl who essentially was a stick in clothes. Alice Black, a ‘popular’ person. “Yeah, it was me. What’cha going to do? Squash me? You can’t catch me to do that...” The jibes continued. I looked ahead. Yeah, the reason she was being like this was because a totally hot, older boy was standing by the Rapids. He hadn’t paid the least bit of attention to Alice or the other hot girls. He had flawless olive skin and nearly waist-long brown hair. The most stunning aspects of him were his emerald eyes and his knee-melting smile. And he was smiling at me, if only briefly, as if to say: ‘Don’t listen to them. You look fine to me.’ And he was gone again. I think he went into the Rapids. I would too, if I had the clearly unwanted attention of all the girls there. In fact, that’s what I was going to do. The pretty girls are cowards – they’re too scared to enter the Rapids on fear of messing up their hair or nails.
    “He’s mine, chunky chinky!” One of the girls yelled to me as I entered the Rapids. I, rather childishly blew a raspberry. I enjoy the Rapids, too. Why shouldn’t I? I dropped into the Rapids, rapidly accelerating around bends. I feel the need for speed. About three-quarters of the way around, I saw the hot boy taking his time around a corner. I couldn’t slow down in time and we collided.... eventually we both shot off the end of the Rapids into the neutral pool. We had tangled up completely. The fact my shoulder-length dark hair had come loose from its ponytail and was now all over the place along with his wasn’t helping us. We were under the water for what seemed an age before we both emerged from the pool. Our hair was in tangles... We took one look at each other and started laughing. He reached out while I was still giggling and flipped some of my hair back into place, which made me blush and stop. He gave that melting smile and took my hand, kissing the back of it casually. His skin was so smooth and his lips soft. A woman called out a name.
    “Alex!”
    “I suppose it’s time for me to go... My name is Alex.” I nodded, telling him mine whilst telling him about my dislike of my name. He seemed trustworthy.“You shouldn’t worry what they say... You are beautiful in your own way.” He bowed slightly to me. “You are truly talented, little Miracle... Mirari.” He pulled me to him easily. I was probably crimson at this stage, but he kissed me on the cheek anyway. “I hope I see you again, Mirari. I... would love to know you more...” He let go of me, bowing as he walked away. The other girls were hissing at me after he’d gone. I was still pink when I got changed and went home. My Mum asked why I was pink – I answered that I’d had a good workout. It’s true, my cheeks had had much experience of blushing today. I... I didn’t think I’d see him again. That was a dream, surely. A beauty like that surely wouldn’t be interested in a fat, ugly person like me?
    ***(Hot Dates)
    Two months after meeting the beautiful Alex, Ren, Ivy and I were up to our usual ‘Misfit’ sport – Party Crashing. This event was in a nearby town. Everyone was getting tanked up on alcohol, and didn’t care that we’d crashed the party. Yeah, the party was large. Eventually, the party got so large – the music got so loud – the people were so drunk... Even I’d had some drink. Ren and Ivy were in a worse state than me, and we got separated. Now... at this stage I should mention that I am not completely straight. I do fancy girls and boys. This was why a curvy, bubbly girl who was slightly drunk and flirting with me managed to get me into bed with her. It was blurry what exactly happened, but we were enjoying ourselves in the bedroom, certainly... before I knew it, I had her number on my phone and we were ‘dating’. Yeah, I got some hell from the ‘Popular’ people for crashing the party the next day, but that’s usually the case. It didn’t help with the swimming pool incident, but never mind... he was so hot! Ahem... I couldn’t wait for the weekend... Days blurred.
    The next thing I remember, I was on a ‘date’ with the girl from the party – Katherine. Yeah, we were getting on well. I’d gone over to her house – her Mum and older brother had gone out. As I entered the house, I noticed something wasn’t quite right about the house – but I couldn’t quite put a finger on it. The air seemed heavy inside and around the fairly ordinary looking house grounds... it was a large house, it looked impressive. She led me up the drive, half bouncing me into the large living room after leading me down several large corridors.
    “So... has anything interesting happened to you recently?” She asked casually after we’d sat down.
    “Nothing recently... Although...” I hesitated. She smiled at me, urging me on. “...the most interesting thing happened about two months ago. I bumped into a hot boy at the local swimming pool. I have no idea who he is... but he decided to call me Mirari...” She laughed.
    “That sounds really cute.” She threw her arms around me. “I’ll call you Mirari, as well!” I sighed in delight. I am really uncomfortable with people calling me by my full name...
    “You can call me Tsu, in return.” She smiled sweetly at me. We sat and talked about things over tea and other soft drinks. Eventually our talking led to more and we retreated to the bedroom. We were just lying there, in her bed when we heard a sort of shouting. Drunk shouting followed by her bedroom door opening. We both looked around to the door. To my shock... the hot boy, Alex, was standing there, looking drunk.
    ***(Wings of Fate)
    “Het’ien sha fora’ie de shan...” Tsu stood up.
    “Frettaya diet na... shaa kien Mirari giet lastot!” A language I didn’t understand – but I caught the Mirari bit. “Re’nan kelli’ah jiet na!” There was a blur. All of a sudden, I was in his arms... Tsu was trying to pry him off of me. I could smell the alcohol on his breath as he leaned in to kiss me... I tried to get away from him, but his grip was like stone. He locked lips with me – now I could taste the alcohol... a mix some other potent drinks... I kicked him where it hurts and ran out of the door when he let go... I ran down the corridors, trying to find an open door to hide... None of the doors was open. And, for the life of me, I couldn’t find the exit...
    “Mirari!” Tsu called after me. As I tried doors, I could hear her yelling at him – apparently, he was her brother, Alex. “Alex! You’d just better hope that door... AUGH!” I finally found an open door – a dark room. I didn’t care. The drunken Alex reminded me too much of when I was younger... I was scared witless at the memories that resurfaced. I ran into the room... and was very surprised to find there was no floor... and I dropped. I screamed so loudly! It was black – as I fell. I could hear a yell from above...
    “No! Mirari!... Alex! ETHA’s core... Get Mum...” I fell for what seemed like a long time, gaining speed before my fall was slowed by... threads? I hung in midair by nearly invisible threads that were only visible if you concentrated on them. They were so fine... I wondered how anything that fine could support a behemoth like me. I was being held by my arms and my legs supported by more threads. It all felt so weird... I felt safe, but... Where was I? I felt funny...
    “Where am I?” I thought it was useless to speak, but I felt... it felt like there was someone there... colours of concern came into my head... what was that? Someone was worried. It’s going to hurt in a minute... I saw eight wings sprout from my back, as if I was dreaming... Then, the pain came. It felt as if my back was sprouting wings or something big... eight of them! The pain spread through my back and through my blood... I screamed again... A voice echoed in the darkness...
    “Here I bind you to my core.” I whimpered. I’ve never been in so much pain. “I have manifested some of your powers... Your power is great, little one. Your fate decides that of many – your power reaches far beyond the reach of mortals... You don’t yet know of your fate, but your wings are now spread, ready to fly... Do not be afraid... Your heart will pull you through...” Something in those words soothed me... I felt... different... The threads released me, and I fell again. This time... it was so slow... did I still have the wings? I hit the floor and collapsed. I didn’t have any energy. A light appeared. It was urging me to stand and take it through colour. I slowly did. A ball of light, no bigger than my thumbnail. And it hinted at having eight wings... It hovered between my hands, illuminating the small space. A door in front of me opened, throwing light into the dark room I was in. I was a little dizzy, but recognised the people in front of me. They looked astonished that I was standing up, let alone alive. They looked above me.
    “She... she has eight wings! Mum... she’s...”
    “I see that... Hmm... It seems as if we’ll have to make space for her...” I was weak – understandably so – and this talk was too much for me to take. I blacked out. The last thing I heard was an array of colours and three panicked voices...
    ***(Understandings)
    “Alex! You got drunk again... Your liver’s not going to last if...” A kind but harsh voice.
    “Yes, Mum... I know.” There was a pause. “I thought there was nothing to live for...” A youthful voice, one yet to break. Yes, the voice of the hot boy I met before... Alex.
    “Alex... She’s still alive. She’s still here. Just... don’t scare her.” A cold and steely voice. “HaKura, when you called and said a non-admin had entered ETHA’s core, I thought I’d have to be dealing with a body. But no... we have a survivor.” I could feel an air mask over my mouth and nose, and smooth sheets against my skin.
    “Yes, but Sam, we know that she’s as powerful as HaKura.” A cheerful voice. “We can’t get rid of her; not with this much potential.”
    “Yes, but she’s just a kid.” The cold voice again.
    “Well, so is Kat – but she’s here. She’s technically an admin. Even if you think she’s too young...” Alex.
    “Yeah!” Tsu’s voice. “She’s very powerful – she saw the door in the first place.”
    “Hmm. I think she can hear us.” I carefully opened my eyes to the scene. Two women, a man, Alex and Katherine. I recognised one of the women as the woman I bumped into... Alex and Tsu’s Mother, I’m sure... She put one hand on mine comfortingly. “It’s okay. You’re in good care here.” She looked at me with a gently concerned look. The man gave me a cold look.
    “Stupid girl...” Everyone shot nasty glances at him. I flushed. The woman holding my hand giggled softly.
    “Ignore him... Mirari.” She smiled. It seemed everyone would take to that nickname... “My name is HaKura.” She gestured to the other woman. “This is Samantha, and the cold man is Samuel.” Samantha bowed whilst Samuel grimaced. They looked... almost the same. Twins? HaKura blinked twice before smiling. “They are twins. Samuel is the oldest.” She gestured to Katherine and Alex. “This is my daughter, Katherine, as you know.” She paused. “That is Alex, my son. I apologise for his rude behaviour – he decided to drown his sorrows...” He bowed, then kneeled down, keeping his head lowered. I couldn’t find my voice to answer. HaKura seemed to sense this, and smiled. She turned to Samuel. “Samuel, we’ve got to check that door...” She left the room, taking him with her. Samantha removed my air mask.
    “Hello, Mirari.” I smiled at her. Nope, still can’t find the voice. She also seemed to know this, and continued to talk. “You can call me Sinistra.” She offered her hand and I shook it. She smiled and helped me stand up. I was a little wobbly, but nothing to worry about. Tsu put her arms around me.
    “I’m sorry, Mirari...” I still couldn’t find my voice, so I now tried gestures and facial expressions to get across that it wasn’t her fault. She smiled. “No... I’m sure I could’ve done more...” She looked worried, and Sinistra looked puzzled.
    “You still haven’t got your voice back, have you?” I shook my head. We all looked at Alex, who was still on the floor. He didn’t move. Sinistra smiled. “He’ll stay like that until you forgive him and ask him to move.” She giggled. “No offence, but I hope you don’t get your voice back for a while. That’ll teach him for getting drunk again.” She lowered her voice. “He’s in a real state half the time.” I finally found my voice.
    “I wasn’t... planning to leave him long.” Sinistra smiled.
    “Ah, you have your voice back!” Tsu gave me a little squeeze.
    “That’s good news!” She released me and I wandered to the kneeling Alex.
    “It’s okay. You were too drunk to think. I forgive you.” There was a pause. “You can get up now. That looks like it’s hurting...” I think he smiled as he slowly got up. I backed away slightly. I was still slightly afraid of him – what was he like now he was sober? But... his beauty still held my interest. I turned to Sinistra, meaning to ask for something, but he grabbed my arm. It sent what felt like a spark running down my back. “Please, let go of me.” He didn’t. Tsu tried to pry him off of me, to no avail. I turned to face him, trying to pull away. “Alex. Let go.” He didn’t – instead, he hauled me over his shoulder and ran. I heard Tsu and Sinstra calling after him. “Tsuuuuuuuuuu!” He finally stopped running after a while, entering a completely white room. The room only had a block in the corner. He put me down on the block and kept me there, guarding my escape route. “Alex... what are you doing?” I was frightened now. What was he going to do to me? He grabbed my arms a little roughly and I shut my eyes. I whimpered in fear... He seemed to panic slightly, and loosened his grip.
    “It’s okay... It’s okay. I’m not going to do anything to you...”
    “Then... Then why did y-“
    “I... I j-just wanted to apologise in private, Mirari.” He slowly moved his arms up to hold my shoulders. I looked up at his face. He had a pained look on his face. “I... I didn’t mean t-to scare you... I beg for your forgiveness... and a second chance...” He looked so upset... I reached to touch his face. It was... wrong for someone that beautiful to look so sad...
    “Hey... I said that it was okay, didn’t I? You didn’t have to do this...” He took the hand reaching for him, and kissed the back of it, his lips lingering there. I could feel the heat rising – I was blushing. “Alex...” He looked up at me.
    “Please. Call me Ragi.” He let go of my hand and reached for my face. I flinched as he touched my cheeks. He held my face in my hands and he leaned in. I could smell his breath – sweet and spice infused – as his lips reached mine, if only briefly. He withdrew quickly, seemingly afraid of hurting me. He blushed slightly and looked to one side. “I... I’m sorry... I... I could-couldn’t...” Well, he wasn’t the only one. I reached for him and put my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest. He froze before putting his arms around me, too. We were still for a long time before the door creaked behind him. I couldn’t see who it was, but I recognised the slight sadness and then cheerfulness. Tsu. She was happy.
    “Aah, I see that I was right.” Huh? There were some colours of regret... of confession. “I’m sorry, Mirari... I... knew that you two would...” I blushed. “You don’t have to say anything, Mirari... I understand because I saw it long before we met.”
    “But, Tsu...”
    “You get sparks when you touch him. You reached out when he looked sad.” There was a pause. “I’m the one that should be apologising, Mirari. I got you so Alex could...” I could see the colours that said she was being genuine... I sighed. Yeah... being used. “Um... Alex kept going back to the pool to meet you again... It was so sad...”
    “I... I don’t...”
    “I’m so sorry for leading you... I’m so sorry I...”
    “I understand...” He gave me a little squeeze. It was going to be fine between us all. “Thank you...” Yeah, I knew this was the right thing. He began to cry, but he was so happy...
    ***(Learning)
    Ragi, Tsu and I were sitting in the living room of their house. It had been a week since the... umm, Incident. We were drinking tea and talking about the past week over biscuits. Well, until we heard shouting, that is.
    “I am NOT putting up with-“
    “Samuel, Calm Yourself.” Samuel burst through the door, followed by HaKura. He hadn’t noticed us on the sofa.
    “She isn’t one of the lineages. She has little or no evidence of power or control. NO.” I raised my eyebrows, whilst Tsu and Ragi shrugged. I think this is what Samuel’s like normally...
    “That may be so, but she has the biggest potential of all. She has eight wings and touched the core DIRECTLY. You can’t even go in there because you are repelled.” HaKura looked slightly annoyed. “She has Eight Wings. Which, I should add, is TWO more than ME.”
    “She’s just a KID, HaKura-sama.”
    “Yeah? She’s a kid that can overpower us all.” HaKura grinned. “She’s got a lot more potential than us because she’s still young.” I blushed.
    “Untrained kids like her have no place at ETHER.” Ragi nudged me. I looked at him. He mouthed something about asking.
    “So why can’t I be trained up?” Samuel finally noticed we were sitting there. He looked paler than usual. HaKura laughed.
    “Brilliant idea.” She giggled. “Samuel, would you object to me training her?” He looked pretty angry, but sighed.
    “It’ll be a waste of time, HaKura-sama...” He shot a warning glance at me. If looks could kill... “...but that is your decision.” HaKura clapped her hands.
    “That’s settled, then.” She turned to me. “Then, Mirari... shall we begin? It may take many, many weeks...” I nodded, if a little uneasily... What have I just set myself up for?
    ***(Begin)
    “She’s pretty good.”
    “Indeed.” I could hear HaKura and Samuel talking as Ragi taught me some hacking basics using an Internet search engine. Occasionally, he’d have to take over the computer, doing so by getting behind me and then putting his arms around me. After the fourth time, he decided to sit behind me, putting his arms around my waist and resting his head on my shoulder.
    “This would be easier, don’t you think?” I mumbled an agreement. “Aww, you’re not too bad, Mirari... Actually, you’re catching on quickly.” He brushed his cheek against my neck, sending a little spark of sorts down my back. “Now...” He continued to teach me some techniques, maybe his hands lingering on mine for longer than needed... maybe he was closer than he needed to be, as well. He kept brushing his cheek against me, occasionally kissing my cheek – causing me to flush. HaKura giggled behind us.
    “We’ll leave you to it, then. Keep working, Mirari! You’re doing well.” HaKura took Dextera out of the room, smirking. Have I missed something? Ragi snuggled up against me.
    “Mum says you remind her of herself.”
    “Is that a good thing?”
    “I think so.” He kissed my cheek. “She refers to you as a HaKurama.”
    “Ha...Kuh Ra Mah?”
    “It has two meanings. One meaning is ‘Little HaKura’. The other is ‘Eight Winged Heart’.”
    “So, your Mum is either ‘Eight Winged’ or ‘Winged Heart’.” He giggled.
    “Wow, that’s good.” I blushed. “Eight Winged.”
    “Ah, I see... So, ‘Ma’ must mean Heart.” He nodded.
    “It also means little, cute or dear.” He kissed my cheek again. “You’re my MaMaMaSi.” I blushed again, and he chuckled, squeezing me again. “My cute little dear one.”
    ***(Behind)
    “But, HaKura...”
    “No buts, Samuel. She stays.”
    “She hasn’t even-”
    “Even if she isn’t as good as I think – which I doubt will be the case – she is staying.”
    “Why?”
    “She’s helping Alex get better. He’s not depressed anymore. Did you see?”
    “I admit that.” Samuel sighed. “But her skills...”
    “I know, she needs more practice. That needs time, my friend.” HaKura smiled. “It’s nice to see Alex sober outside of school. He loves her, do you realise that?”
    “I see it more as a puppy love at their age.” Samuel pouted. “But, I admit that he’s been a bit more perky recently. Do you really think that it’s because of that little idiot?” HaKura nodded.
    “I know it’s because of Mirari.” She smirked. “Are you doubting my abilities?”
    “No M’am.”
    “Good, good.” HaKura grinned. “Because I see a biiiiiig future ahead of Mirari!”
    ***(Curves)
    Months pass. Months of learning how to use a computer, how to do anything on a desktop computer. At this stage, I was nearly fifteen, Tsu being the same age and Ragi around a year older. As a pair, me and Ragi were now inseparable. He’d cling to me as much as possible – not that I minded – and would always help me if I needed. I never knew why, because it was a sensitive subject and I knew that I shouldn’t press on it. I’d never been so close to anyone before... It was at this stage of my learning that HaKura called me into a room I’d never seen before in her house. Ragi was very reluctant to let go of me...
    “Aah, but why would I let go of Mirari? I know what...”
    “She’ll be fine, Alex.” HaKura murmured. “I will not let her come to any harm.” I had no idea what was going on, nor what was coming. Ragi did, however. HaKura sighed. Ragi gave me a little squeeze – his arms were around my waist and his head rested on my shoulder. I turned my head slightly so that I could brush my cheek against his.
    “Raaaagi.... I’ll be fine...” He sighed.
    “I know, but...” He let go of me, and I followed HaKura into the room. The room itself was black – on a table in the middle of the room sat, what to me, looked like a two pairs of goggles and 20 little pyramids. They were all wired to the centre of the table. HaKura gestured to the stools by the table. I sat down at one and she sat at the other, opposite me.
    “This, Mirari, is the pivotal point in your ETHER career. These devices here connect to ETHA directly through your nervous system.” She giggled. “I won’t go into the details, but it means you will have control by your thoughts and movement.”
    “I... I don’t understand...”
    “You will, in time. For now, just put on these visors and the tips. Like this...” HaKura put the ‘tips’ on, followed by the ‘visor’. From the parts that fitted over the ears, little wings came out, to my surprise. I followed suit. You couldn’t see through the visor – it was pitch black. As I started thinking what to do next, I felt a stabbing feeling in the ends of my fingers and by my ears. I whimpered a little. It felt as if needles were being inserted deep into my flesh. Everything went silent – I couldn’t hear my own breathing, I couldn’t hear anything... And then more pain came... It felt as if wings were sprouting from my back again... Then I could see. It was cloudy, and I had the sensation of strings emerging from my fingers and being pulled into the mists. And other strings, pulling me from different places. I became aware I was in a dress – where there was skin on show, I could feel the strings against my skin – and the long skirt billowed as my long hair was blown upwards... I wasn’t standing on anything, just floating, wind blowing from under me. I tilted my head back, looking up at whatever was pulling the strings here... Then it all faded, as did all these sensations.
    I became aware again of standing, eyes closed. I opened my eyes. It was black, with enough ambient light to see HaKura standing in front of me, smiling. She was standing there in a gold dress – the one that I had just been in... I then looked down at myself. Crap! I was in the nude! I bent down to cover myself up. HaKura giggled.
    “Well done for getting here, Mirari. But there is no need for that.” She walked over to me and bent down, too. “Now that you are here... you can do as you please with your appearance. Think of it as your avatar for a game that you can customise as you please.” I blushed, willing to be different. I stood up, my frame changing so that I was taller, thinner and had more curvature. My hair even grew down to the floor in the style that I wished. A black mass came up from the floor and wrapped itself around me, creating a modest scaled bodice and long skirt. It was a little awkward to move in. I looked down at it, frowned and changed the outfit so that the skirt was shorter, with shorts underneath and the bodice more... revealing. HaKura stood up, smiling.
    “Is this okay, HaKura?” I decided to walk about, testing this new form. I even ran around, demonstrating extreme acceleration and agility. I also stopped instantly. Not out of breath or anything – my pulse hadn’t even quickened. “Is this what it’s always like when you login?”
    “Yes. Very well done. I think that’s the fastest anyone has called clothing...” She walked around me, checking my new form out. “...It’s also the best first form I’ve seen. Far, far better than Alex...” She laughed. “I don’t think he’ll mind if it’s you that knocks him off as the ETHER Prodigy... Right. Time to log out. All you have to do is will to logout.” She disappeared. I did as she said, and I was sitting down again. I pulled off the goggles when the ‘tips’ fell off. I saw HaKura’s smiling face, and was unconcerned about my now dribbling fingertips. Oh boy... How am I going to explain these? “I think that’ll do for today, Mirari.”
    “But that wasn’t-“
    “I know, it didn’t seem like much... right?” She chuckled. “The first login is just to create your image. It has been stored, and the clothing can be changed at will, as you found out.” She giggled. “Actually, you’ve learnt pretty much everything you need. No need for a second session, I think...” She began to look like she was thinking very hard. Then the hardness lifted and she smiled again. “Yes. Next time we’ll get you on the Mod Units. That should be challenging enough for you. But for now... I think I’d better let you go. Alex is getting more and more restless.” I looked down at my fingertips. They all had holes in, and were all gently seeping blood...
    “Umm... what about these?” HaKura gently took my hands, examining them carefully.
    “Do they hurt?” I shook my head.
    “No, they're just bleeding over everything...” She smiled, and I noticed a faint glow surrounding her hands as they held mine. They felt warmer, as if they were glowing too... HaKura giggled as the glow stopped.
    “Better?” I blinked twice. I’m not quite sure... I looked at my fingers.
    “Ho- Wha- Wh- Wow.” Healed. No sign of the previous wounds... “Wow. Thank you...” HaKura looked slightly confused, but didn’t press it. I think she was a little surprised that I didn’t ask about it. We stood up and headed for the door, but HaKura stepped in front of me, blocking my exit. “HaKura?”
    “Mirari... I’d like to thank you for choosing Alex. You don’t know why he hurts, but you’re soothing it. I really don’t think he’d be able to function without you in his life... So... thank you. You don’t know what miracles you perform...” I blushed. Way too deep, very embarrassing talk... “Now – get back to him. He’s bound to be pulling his hair out.” She opened the door and ushered me out, shutting the door behind me. Slumped on the floor, next to the door, was Ragi. When he saw me, he shot up and put his arms around me.
    “Let’s go have a cup of tea, Mirari.” We walked deliberately slowly to his living room, locking the door as we walked in. He had prepared a tea set and biscuits on the table, and I sat on the sofa as he poured out the tea from the teapot. He smiled. “Mirari, how did you do?” I described what happened and what I did. He nearly choked. It seemed HaKura wasn’t exaggerating – I had just broken all known records for that particular stage – and he looked very pale when I told him the next bit.
    “Hmm. She also said that next time I’ll use Mod Units. What are Mod Units?” He was terribly pale – and looked ill.
    “Mod Units... They are the final stage, and the most dangerous.” He grabbed my shoulders. “Mirari... Are you sure that’s what Mum said?” I nodded. He squeezed my shoulders with a look on his face that would’ve turned milk sour. Although he had a firm grip on my shoulders, I put my hands on his arms.
    “It’s okay, Ragi... It’ll be okay.” He leaned in and kissed me on the forehead.
    “I wish I could be that confident.”
    “It’ll be fine.” I smiled at him sweetly. He kissed my lips and then sighed. He let go of me, and we continued our tea talking about other things. He seemed worried, even though he put a happy facade on. When the time came for me to go home, he gave me a tighter squeeze than usual. Was it really that bad using Mod Units?