Forgiving and Forgetting

…

Moments earlier, before they're surrounded…

Nina successfully healed Aily's severe injuries. She was crying while healing her, because seeing her sister's filled with so many holes torn her soul. She was extremely glad that they came in time to save her. She thought Aily had died back then, but gladly she wasn't.

Her wounds had been sealed off. But her destroyed armor and her red dress were stained heavily in blood. Nina decided to discard her armor.

Pio on the other hand, had awoken already. She felt glad that she saw Nina in front of her eyes when she woke up. But seeing Aily in a bad shape made her felt bad, because she had failed to protect her.

"What's the matter, Pio?" Nina asked softly. "N-No… Pio… sad…"

"Why were you sad…?" Nina asked again. Her voice is sharing the saddened tone like Pio to show her empathy. "Pio failed to protect Miss Aily *hic* Pio… failed…"

Nina wrapped herself around her, laying Pio's head on her chest and patted her head softly. "There, there… you've done well, Pio. I'm thankful that you protected Aily to the last."

A few minutes later, Aily opened her eyes. She saw the dimly lighted ceiling above her. "Where… am I…?" she asked herself.

Suddenly, streaks of trauma torn her mind to pieces, she remembered when Queaz mauled her with his gun that fired projectiles that look like a tiny cannonball. She remembered how painful it was and screamed from the inside. Nina quickly caressed her and calmed her down.

"Sister…" she called out. "Yes… I am here, Aily." She replied soothingly. "Sister… I'm scared… I'm scared…"

"Don't you worry, my dear, you're safe now. There's nothing to be scared of anymore, because sister is here for you."

"I don't want to die… *sob* I… don't want to die…" Aily wailed endlessly. Nina gave everything she had to calm her down. "You're going to be alright, my little sister. You will not die here."

Nina successfully calmed and soothed her mind. She lied down on the floor again to continue resting. Her mana energy was strangely wiped out.

Pio watched silently with a saddened face in the corner. She sometimes turned her sights away from her. Soon, Aily realized her presence in the room.

She took a heavy breath and paused briefly. She then spoke to her.

"Hey, Pio… Why did you come back?"

"Eh?" Nina got perplexed by Aily's sudden question. She didn't get why Aily asked her like that. Meanwhile, Pio remained silent and was reluctant to answer.

"WHY DID YOU COME BACK?!" Aily shouted, shocking Nina and Pio.

"Aily! W-What do you think you're doing?" Nina could hardly understand what's going on. "What's the matter with the two of you?"

Aily's tears ran down her cheeks like waterfall. She ignored her sister's voice and proceeded to ask over and over to Pio. "Why… why… did you come back…? I never asked you to come back…"

Pio stepped back slightly, she felt traumatized from being driven out by Aily. But she rearmed herself with courage to show her face in front of Aily. Nina watched glumly at the tantrum Aily threw all of sudden.

"Pio…" she faintly said. Her trembling voice easily implies that she's also going to rain tears, too. "Pio… cannot leave Miss Aily."

Aily was frozen by her words briefly, only to backlash harshly, "What are you saying… huh…?" she said faintly.

"I dumped you, you know that right?! Why would you go back to the very person who dumped you?!" she shouted loud. Pio was extremely scared. Aily was none the lesser.

"Dumped…?" Nina wondered.

"…Liar…" Pio faintly said. "Miss Aily… is a bad liar…"

"Miss Aily said many bad words to Pio. Pio felt hurt, Pio ran away. But deep inside, Pio realized that Miss Aily was lying. Miss Aily say hate, but Pio believed you're not."

"Pio wanted to say I'm sorry," she conveyed faintly, yet adorably.

"What are… you talking about…?" Aily asked in a saddened voice. "If there was anyone that supposedly said sorry, that must be me!" she replied.

"Uhm-mm." Pio shook her head and looked down to the concrete. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to take Miss Nina from Miss Aily."

Aily was extremely shocked hearing those words coming from a girl that seemingly had little common knowledge. Nina, who was listening to the banter between the two, finally realized what's all this about. She reflectively masked her mouth and nose with her hands.

"They're… fighting over me…?" Nina thought to herself. Her face was shocked.

"Pio also lied to all of you. I can… actually sense people's feelings. I fooled all of you into thinking I'm a weak and stupid girl, whereas I'm actually born with esper powers." She said slowly. Her face was all written of her terrible remorse.

"I sense how you truly feel, Miss Aily. When the first time we met, when I cried in Miss Nina's cradle, when we visit a fay-shee-on shop, and when we return back…"

Pio enclosed her distance to Aily, while doing so, she spoke.

"You pitied me. You empathized how I feel as well. I'm happy someone acknowledged my pain because nobody else had ever acknowledged it. I'm happy that someone would be so kind to act like a second big sister to me. I'm happy to have someone with the same age number as I am. I am really happy."

Pio stopped when distancing only a few meters away from Aily. She kneeled down and looked into the floor.

"But Pio… stepped a bit too far. I sense your feelings of hatred after I got too close to Miss Nina. I noticed it, of course," said Pio. Her red hair was shaking along with her body. Her tears ran down over her cheek.

"I know… I know how it felt when someone took away your dearest person. Miss Nina is dearest to Miss Aily, right…? Right…?" she said while trying to hold her tears. Her words were quavering.

Aily's lips were twitching. She could not retaliate any of her words as all of them were true.

"…"

Pio glared Aily. She got even closer to her and beared a sadder face. "I'm sorry." She apologized again. "I promise I won't be too close to her. I won't take her away from you. And with that… will Miss Aily please forgive me?"

Pio begged for her forgiveness. Aily did not think Pio would do something like this. She had expected her to go away forever and not to show her face ever again.

"…ng…" Aily whined quietly. Her voice is hidden within her closed lips not wanting Pio to hear any words from her.

"Miss Aily…?" Pio asked slowly and softly. "Miss Aily… Miss Aily…?" she asked again.

After a few seconds, the young maiden decided to speak, "You really don't have to come. You know that, don't you?" she said with a sad voice.

"…I thought I know how strong that man was. I thought you're in danger. Pio just want to save you."

"And why would you do so?!" Aily loudly asked. "I turned you back into loneliness. Don't you realize that?"

"Miss Aily~" Pio whined. Aily's words marred her courage. Pio thought that it was impossible to make her understand why she returned. Pio thought that Aily was actually trying to kick her out. In a symphony of sadness, she turned around. Her dejected emotions fell down like falling water from a glass. Her tiny heart could not take it. She realized that…

…she had failed.

But in her disheartened self, Pio's attention was driven back to Aily upon hearing her words.

"…A trash like me… doesn't… doesn't deserve a kind loving person like you…" Aily cried faintly. "…That's why… I don't want you to return…"

Pio halted her cry. She turned around at her, seeking through her teary eyes. "Miss Aily…" she called out her name softly. She knew she could leave her now and so did the entire party. In contrast, she took a breath slowly and crawled back to her.

In front of the emotional girl, Pio crouched slowly and cradled her around her arms. She soothingly said: "It's not true."

Aily's tears brought to a halt by those words. Pio continuously gave a soft rub, stroking her head kindly. Her petite yet soft hands flow slowly on her line of blonde hairs. Aily felt a soothing, kind, and peace from the way Pio did it.

"It's not true." Pio repeated. "Pio feel every kindness from Miss Aily. Miss Aily might be cruel sometimes, but Pio can understand. Miss Aily bring joy just as Mister Marco and his friends do. Miss Aily would kindly help me. Even though you emit a strange feeling I don't know."

Aily recalled the way Pio spoke. It was the same like how Nina calmed her from sadness. Aily also remembered those words coming softly from her pink lips. Pio was using the same words given to her which was from Nina.

In the past, Nina had spread her arms around Pio, saying it was okay. It was also not true that Pio was alone. Aily also shared the same empathy like her sister. But her enviousness led her to cruel actions that could've caused a fatal blow to her.

"This… is my karma… huh…?" she quietly muttered. "I was lucky." She added deep in her thoughts. She was lucky that Queaz failed to end her life, thanks to Pio's just in time counterattack. If Pio weren't there, she wouldn't be alive.

"I… was given a second chance… huh…?"

…

"Hey… Pio…" she faintly called. Her wavy voice was still reeling from her teary eyes.

"Mm?" Pio responded softly.

"I want to say something to you…"

"What is that?"

Aily gathered her own courage. She felt like as if a stab to her opened wounds if she proceeded to say it. But in any means, she must not prolong this mess she made. She wanted to end it peacefully. And with that, she opened her mouth slowly and spoke.

"…I'm full of envy towards you."

Pio's eyes enlarged upon hearing it. Her mouth was gaping slightly without conscious.

"So…" she spoke softly. "…That strange feeling I felt flowing from you was called envy?"

"…Yeah."

"I see. I understand it now." Pio's hand was still rubbing Aily head softly. Her still mouth expanded into a relieved smile.

"Pio…" Aily called her name once more.

"I… I…

…I'm so sorry. Ah, I know my apology won't be enough for what I've did. I—"

"—Pio forgives Miss Aily." She stated clearly. "Pio can understand why Miss Aily being bad. But that doesn't mean Miss Aily hated me, right?"

Aily drove her breath in. "Darn it…" she mumbled. "She's my age. But she can forgive so easily… Pio, you little fool…" Aily sobbed as she spoke.

"…Hm." She nodded lightly. Pio's arms slowly tighten their grips around Aily. "I'm happy to hear that…

…Miss Aily, welcome back."

Aily widens her lips. She felt glad. "Are you kidding me, Pio…? It is me who was supposed to say welcome back, not you…"

"No, no…" Pio replied. "I welcome Miss Aily back for returning her feelings back to what they're used to: A frail yet kind one, he-he."

"Heheh… I suppose so."

The two had peacefully made up. The way those two girls made up caused Nina to draw tears while maintaining a joyful smile on her face. She watched with full gladness.

"I hope so. Oh, and one more thing, Pio," Aily replied. "Can you please stop calling me Miss Aily?"

"Eh? Why?" she asked cutely.

"That's not my point." Aily slightly giggled in her words, realizing that Pio really is lacking of common knowledge. "I'm the same as your age. I feel uncomfortable when someone the same age as I do calling me with titles." She then turned at her sister. "I believe… sister would be the same, too—eh? Sister?"

Aily was surprised to see her sister's face wet from her watery eyes. "You really are my little sister, Aily. I'm proud of you. Pio, too."

Pio smiled brightly in return. She raised her hand all of sudden, "Okie! Pio will now call Miss Aily… um… mmh…" she lowered her hand, foolishly thinking of what should she call her.

"Aily." Aily responded. "Just call me 'Aily'. I would be happy if you call me that."

Pio responded back with a cheerful smile. "Okay, Aily!"

"Aily… Aily… hm… Aily, Aily, Aily… hm! It sounds good! Aily!" she said goofily.

"Hey, come on already, don't embarrass me with your actions, now, will ya?" Aily retorted. The two laughs afterwards.

…

..

.

And then… Pio suddenly sensed something.

"Huh?!" Pio got surprised. "What's wrong, Pio?"

"Pio… sensed a bad sign…"

In her senses, she felt hundreds of human feelings sharing the same color, which described 'angriness and rage'.

Nina then heard masses of footsteps just below. Many of those footsteps were joined with the sound of metal slamming the concrete floor. She realized that they've been here for a bit too long. The Alidian soldiers had noticed their presence here.

They must escape now, or else they'll be caught. Aily reminded Nina to warn Marco quickly. Nina then calmed herself a bit, and decided to try her newly tested spell.

"Call!"