You turned around slowly, and looked right at me. You looked over all of us, but your eyes lit on me.

   I don't know what made me quietly say, "Okaeri."

   "Tada ... ima," you replied as your eyes passed out of focus, and you dropped to the floor.

   Something passed between us in that moment, but I don't understand what it was. Even now, as I step into the hospital room where you're sleeping, I'm not too sure why I said that. I barely met you a day ago, and I didn't much like you then. And I'm pretty sure it was mutual.

   So I don't really understand what I was feeling as you walked towards the Lucifer Hawk, intending to let him gather you into his embrace as you tried to find your own truth. But not understanding doesn't stop me from feeling, I guess. What else is new?

   And yet, suddenly, I do understand. Maybe it has more to do with what you are than with any sudden intelligence on my part, but I realize that this isn't the first time we've done this.

   We've met before, on other worlds than this.

   On one world, we met in the middle of a war, and you hated me for glorying in it ... only to realize, too late, that I didn't. And you spent the rest of your life trying to make up for that.

   On another world, you fell in love -- or what you thought was love, at least -- with me from the first moment we met, and tried every underhanded scheme you could imagine to get me to love you back. And I never even noticed.

   On a world very like that one, you died screaming my name in the silent places of your soul, and if I heard you I never knew for sure.

   And on yet another world, very like this one ... you killed me.

   No. I gave my life for yours, and counted it as worth the price.

   Will that happen this time? I don't know. I don't even know if this moment of clarity will last; if the moment you awake we'll go back to squabbling like some junior high school kids in denial about a crush.

   But while it lasts, I know. I love you, Katsumi Liqueur. And for some reason, you love me.

   We've got another chance to make it right. What more can you ask?





   Dedicated to Tsuru Hiromi and Matsui Naoko, of course.

   With thanks to Mark Ellis for the Irish Gaelic term, anam-chara, meaning soul friend -- friends or companions whose bond lasts across worlds and times.

   "Silent Mobius" was created by Kia Asamiya and brought to North America by Viz, Streamline and AnimeVillage. "Gall Force" was created by Hideki Kakinuma and brought to North America by Central Park Media. "Kimagure Orange Road" was created by Matsumoto Izumi and brought to North America by AnimEigo and AD Vision, but since nothing ADV brought over featured Akane they can go hang. This story, incorporating characters held under copyright by others, is copyright 2000 by Chris Davies.

   Nobody Sue Me Okay?

Chris Davies, Advocate for Darkness, Part Time Champion of Light
Fanfics: http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/banks/277/
Fanfic Revolution: http://come.to/hauthor
"I love you too. Why the hell else do you think I keep doing
this?" -- Warren Ellis.

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