(OOG: I don't know Irina's Zeboim vocabulary -- I'll leave it up to Arcana to create a list. ^_~ Instead, I put her words in brackets -- Myaru understands the language, and since this is from her point of view...)

"I'll be leaving you for a little while, Irina," Myaru said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the girl was listening. She just nodded, and Myaru went back to her packing. "The construction of your gear is already underway, so I hope to see you learning how to pilot the machines when I get back."

Her gear would not be finished for a long time, but hopefully Mordon would throw her into training before it was done. He should know how to go about it, having trained Ariath......

"Are you feeling well, Irina? No lingering effects from the crash?"

Irina shook her head emphatically, holding her hands up before her eyes and grinning like a child, eyes shining.

**Cute...... very cute.** The girl thought it was magic, or something very close to it. She had no idea what her body was capable of. How could that be turned to advantage? She would have to learn sometime...... But how would she keep her from learning before it was convenient?

**Try the usual. Deception, lies...... You're very good at it. Just watch the evil seep into the girl...**

Myaru suppressed the voice again, extremely annoyed. It was cropping up more and more...... and it was getting steadily harder to push it away. What was it about this body that brought her past out of the shadows...?

Well, she could get by without lying, cheating, or cruelty. She had done it before, after all. The duration of her stay in that sister's body had been spent entirely in meditation.

**Of course, a month later Kyouran ran you through. So does that really count?**

**Go away!**

**You think you can justify ten thousand years of damnable acts by one month of meditation?**

**I said --!** The voice withdrew suddenly, leaving her feeling empty...... and....... **No. I refuse to feel guilt for what I've done. It was necessary.** The hollow feeling refused to go away. Myaru sank onto her bed, letting her head fall into her hands.

"[You... okay?]"

Myaru lifted her head, and found herself staring into the hazel eyes of her charge. They looked back curiously, just a hint of concern visible.

"...... Fine," she said softly after a moment. Irina shrugged, but continued to watch her. **She really is more human than I thought. Who would have thought she would reach out to me of all people?** Myaru let a small smile crease her lips, and she stood up, securing her bag. Everything was ready. Ariath would be waiting for her on the surface.

What a...... surprise he was turning out to be. More so than Irina in some ways. He wasn't as cold as rumor made him out to be. She rather liked him. *Really* liked him......

**Inconvenient to love your victims, wouldn't you say?**

She didn't even bother to respond.

Irina tugged on her sleeve, and she turned around. The girl's dark eyes gazed at her hopefully. **What does she......? Oh......** She had promised the girl a present on their way back from dinner. Myaru reached into one of her robe's deep pockets and grasped the item she had had made especially for the girl - a bracelet.

"This is a nano-assembler," she said to Irina, holding it out. The bracelet glittered like pale green emerald, seemingly transparent, but warm to the touch. The girl took it gingerly, a happy smile spreading across her face. "Whenever you are hurt, or sick, it will release...... medicine into your body, so you can heal." She watched the girl nod eagerly, and couldn't help smiling.

The bracelet would only heal minor wounds, and relieve common illnesses, but perhaps Irina would assume that it was the bracelet healing her in case of injury...... it would not do for her to learn what she was truly capable of - not just yet. She needed time......

Irina threw her arms around Myaru's waist, squeezing hard. Myaru jumped, just as startled as she had been in the lab...... but after a moment she returned Irina's hug. A strange feeling spread through her body.

**I can't let this happen......** Myaru sighed and held the embrace for one more moment before gently disengaging Irina's arms. The girl didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary -- she just beamed and went back to her seat on the dresser, admiring the new piece of jewelry on her wrist.

She grabbed her travel bag, glad someone had already been by earlier to take the rest of her luggage to the airship. But before she moved from her spot, she observed Irina one more time. **Inconveniences galore......** Just the memory of the hug was enough to set her shivering. **I can't afford to let anyone in now......**

**No, not now. Not ever. Isn't that right?**

**Enough.** She left her bedroom, heading for the door. Aside from what the pack of fools that called themselves Gazel wanted, she had another purpose on the surface.

Find the Anti-type.

Find the second Prime.

The first Prime was a mystery to her...... it couldn't possibly be the one she had originally picked out of her memories. It was...... impossible, according to logic.

Of course, if her own existence was any indication, logic had absolutely no place in this world. But regardless, she had to find those two women if she wanted any sort of piece of mind in the near future. It was imperative to connect with her other half before the Ministry used the Gaetia Key, and the power of the second Prime could render her unstoppable.

It was worth any price, wasn't it? The blessed silence of death......

"Come, Irina," she said, pulling the door open.

**And so the game commences......**