Kira drove her teacher back to the archery building. Everyone had left by that stage, and the place was empty except for a few who needed medical attention, and of course, the medics. The archer helped the woman get to the right people, and she thanked Kira for looking after her. Trying to muster
another smile, the archer had almost none left in her. Leaving the building and heading back to Liara's car, Kira got in and started the engine to drive back to Liara's house.
It was a silent drive home. Kira gripped the steering wheel tightly, digging her nails into it. Frustrated, she was annoyed by how things had happened, but more worried that her friend was now hospitalized.
Pulling up outside Liara's house, Kira got out and stepped inside. She knew where the spare key was kept, so she was able to get in. Opening and closing the door behind her, she was hit with a flood of memories. Scanning the room, her eyes fell on the pictures on the wall. It was just Addison and Alita on the wall.
Looking towards the staircase, Kira pushed forward and ran up to the bedrooms. Walking past her
old room, she stopped by the doorway and peered inside. It looked like a guest room now, but Kira remembered when it was full of her furniture, with posters of the Three Lights plastered everywhere. There was no sign of the paint on the walls, just the posters at the time she lived there. She paused for a moment, remembering the fond times when she had lived there, when
four people lived there.
Walking into Liara and Alita's bedroom felt like an invasion of privacy -
their privacy, but Liara had asked for help. Pulling out her phone, Kira looked at her message again and began walking toward the wardrobe, pulling out pieces of clothing and tossing them onto the bed behind her, one at a time. Then she moved to the drawers, gathering socks and other personal items Liara had asked for. Kira placed them on the bed, grabbed a large bag, and started packing them inside. The archer wondered if Liara needed anything else. Kira gazed at Alita's side of the bed, frowning. She felt an empty void in her heart. Moving toward her side of the bed, Kira noticed her bedside drawer was open, and looked as if someone had been rummaging in it.
Kira stood there in silence, staring at it. The house was quiet, no one was there.
What was the harm in looking? Maybe Alita needed something in there?
Walking toward the bedside cabinet, Kira sat down on the floor and opened the drawer fully. She was greeted with papers - papers from the hospital.
Picking up a few, Kira read the text:
"Overdue Hospital Appointment," and then looked at the others, which said the same. Sifting through them, the dates added up to about eight, maybe even nine months of not visiting the hospital for her infusions and medical checkups. One of the papers was an outline of her condition. Pulling that one out, Kira's eyes scanned it, reading it.
"What the....She's... got a brain tumor? I knew she had health issues but... life-threatening sick?!" Kira thought, her face going pale as she recalled when Alita had coughed up blood.
Was that related? Continuing to read, Kira's grip on the paper became limp, and she whispered with a devastating tone,
"Oh, Alita..." Putting the paper down, Kira sat there, feeling as though her entire world had frozen.
"She has... only a few months left..." she murmured, her hands trembling.
What felt like only a few minutes was
actually about
ten minutes that had passed by. Kira just sat there, still holding the paper, staring into
nothingness. Coming back to reality, the archer stood up slowly and clenched her fist, the paper crinkling along with it.
"I don't get it. How could you do this to yourself, Ali?" she thought to herself, biting her lower lip. She wanted to know
why she had been skipping these visits,
why she put her body through so much trauma today.
Kira turned to Liara's bag, zipped it up, and swung it over her shoulder. She mumbled,
"I have to go," to herself in urgency. Maybe Liara knew about
this? Rushing down the stairs and into the living room, she made her way toward the front door. She stopped to glance at the table, which had a small cherry blossom-covered diary, and Alita's laptop. For some reason, the diary cover reminded her of Alita's kimono she wore today. Letting go of the bag, it dropped to the ground with a
'thud.' Pausing as she stared at it, Kira grew a little
too curious.
Walking toward it, Kira sat down in the
exact same spot where Alita had first been
introduced before answering the door.
Alita had been writing in her diary, which was
highly personal. But with Alita unconscious, Kira needed to know how Alita was really feeling, not knowing what had been going on in
this house. Sitting at the table, Kira opened the diary, and the first thing she saw was the date at the top. Beneath that, there was a number on each page. In brackets, it noted:
"Days of my diagnosis." It seemed to date back about
seven years when she had found out she was ill.
Seeing the numbers, Kira realized that Alita had other diaries dating back to
day one. This one was already in the 2000s. Kira flicked through the pages quickly, scanning each one.
"Day 2046"
"I received a letter saying I need to undergo this operation to save my life, but even if I go through with it, the chances of survival are slim. I canāt rely solely on the surgery. Thereās so much I still need to do. I havenāt seen Kira at all, she stopped coming by after Addison left. When I do see her, my heart fills with happiness, but I canāt bring myself to tell her the truth. I want to attend her archery events, but Liara believes Iām too sick to leave the house."
"Day 2172"
"I heard from Addison today, and it was nice to hear her voice. She talks about her career a lot now, and itās hard to believe she was ever a Starlight. Even though sheās retired, I think, deep down, she still cares about our Princess, and beneath her skin, in her heart remains a Starlight hidden somewhere... that's what I believe. We can't look away from our destiny."
"Day 2269"
"I went to the hospital today. I told Liara I was going, but I ended up at the park, eating ice cream instead. I hate lying to Liara over and over, but I have to prioritize my duty as a leader. I need to find the other Zodiac Senshi. I need Kira to remember, even just a little bit, but she wonāt even see me anymore. Who can I turn to? I feel so alone."
"Day 2387"
"Itās lonely, but I still manage to push through with a smile on my face. I canāt tell Liara the truth--she would hate Kira. Addison knows, and she blames Kira for it. Kira doesnāt understand; itās not her fault. Fate can't change who we are now, unless we're reborn, but who knows what happens then? Princess Nova was young, and she had no control either... Sorry, this is a sad entry. Iām just feeling really down today."
"Day 2538"
"Iām so happy! Today, it was announced that the Three Lights have returned. Iāve missed the energy and excitement of life here, especially the times we all spent together. I want to tell Kira that theyāre back, but for some reason, sheās not answering my messages. I just miss how things used to be, when we were all together, having fun."Flicking to the end of her diary entries, Kira noticed the last page was
today's date, which Alita hadn't finished.
"Day 2559"
"I hope today will be a special day! I havenāt been outdoors much lately. Iāve been working on my app. Addy says itās a waste of time, but sheās funny. I can see her using it a lot lately because I made the program, her logins are more frequent than mine!--Iām not sure why she is checking it all the time? Liara is happy with how Iāve been feeling recently. Iām not as tired. For some reason, ever since the Three Lights returned, Iāve felt this burst of energy! I wish I could share this with Kira, go back to how things used to be. I wish thatāIāll finish this later, someoneās knocking at the door! TBC!"The entry stopped there, they had a
special guest which completely took Alita away from finishing it.
Kira froze, feeling stiff. There was a huge gap of information missing from this. A tightness gripped her chest, as if Alita were hiding somethingā
not just her diagnosis.
