Thirteen

Magi had blown up a bubble that they could see where the people were. Hanna saw a black cat and a girl walking next to it with long brown hair that had been dyed blue near the bottom. She was angry. Magi had done nothing wrong. For her own sister to be doing this to her was nothing but bullying. "Not that I have any siblings, but I'm pretty sure they don't hop for the chance of punishing each other," she thought. "Unless..." "Magi," she asked.

"Hmm?" "What is your relationship with Em like?"

Magi seemed overly uncomfortable with the question but went ahead and answered anyways. "I realize now that I haven't even told you the cause of any of this. Long ago, animal-kind and mankind had a fight over who would hold more power in the world. Humans won and it angered Em more than anything. She never wanted any war. She wanted to stay at home with her family and live in peace. But our mother wanted to take part in this. This was only because of the great pressure put on her. You see, my mother was the strongest of the animals. She was kind, patient, beautiful, and the most loving of all of us. She saw the good in everything, but she was strong at the same time. She was chosen to be the leader in the war which, at first, she did not want any part in. However, if she did not, and the animals won, she would lose her position. At the time, her position had helped us survive as a family. She didn't want to give that up for something as foolish as neglecting her duties as leader. Our father was against the whole thing. 'What if something happens to you?' he often asked. My father was a gentle cat. He did not want my mother risking her life. While she saw her situation of losing her place as leader over neglecting to lead as foolish, my father saw risking her life over something unneeded to fight over as foolish. For many nights they stressed over what decision would have to be made. One night, I got sick over hearing them trying to explain the right in their argument. I walked in on the conversation and sat down and looked at both of them. They asked me if I needed something. I said no, that I only wanted to help them decide. I told my mother that yes it would be foolish to neglect her duties. I told my father that it was also foolish to fight for something that is irrelevant to how we already lived. They were both right in their arguments. The only problem was that ONE of them was missing an important fact and we were going to find out who's argument it belonged to and that would show what decision would or would not be completely right. So, I used magic without realizing. Something only my mother could do. I began to show them both of their arguments. At the time, I never saw their faces showing wide eyes. I didn't even know I was USING magic until after a while, I began to notice their faces as I used it. Finally, we came to the conclusion that my mother's argument was more valid. I never knew what I had done." By now, many tears were going down Magi's face.

"I'm sorry Magi yo-you don't have to continue."

She shook her head and continued. "A couple days after that conversation, the day came up that my mother had already began preparing for the war. Em begged my mother not to. She hated the idea of this war. She wanted nothing to do with it and wished for our mother to feel the same way. But my mother only shook her head and said that this was something she had to do. Em spent many nights crying. She took after our father. She was gentle and was always thinking of other's feelings. So she didn't have much of an idea of how to deal with her own feelings. Usually, she went along with what other people said and didn't argue much. But I guess she felt very strong about this because it was the first time she had ever gone against another decision. I had never thought about any other person's feelings so I didn't know what broke her up so much. Even now, I wish I had had the same personality I do now. Maybe that would have stopped it. The sun hid behind clouds on the morning of the battle. My mother had woken up early and I had prepared for her. I had woken up even before her and helped her by packing her things and making her something to eat. She smiled and handed me a note and closed my paw around it. 'Please, when Em wakes up, give it to her,' she had said. That was the last time I saw her smile. The war had ended and-and they called us to the field it had happened on. I just stared with no emotion. 'She's not dead. She's waiting for us at the house ready to embrace us and say everything was alright,' I had thought. For the longest time, I had truly refused to accept that she was dead. I kept telling myself she had just left on an important business trip and wouldn't be back for a while. Em was similar but not quite the same. She had convinced herself that she had left the family to go and be safe somewhere. Finally, after many, MANY years, it was like my heart exploded and blood finally began coming to my head. I sobbed and sobbed for 5 whole days. It was like a very long time bomb had exploded in my heart. My father came up on the second day and saw me and knew. He sat with me, the two of us crying our heads off. While my heart had changed for the better, someone else needed consoling much more. But instead, she allowed hatred to build up. She blamed it on me, everything. She said if I hadn't butted in, mother would still be here. Her heart became bitter and shriveled up. She won't allow anyone to speak to her about mother. The only feeling she has toward me, our mother, AND our father, is hatred. Everyone was to blame in her eyes. Me, because I had proved mother correct. Mother, because she had agreed to put herself in danger. And father, because he didn't continue to try and stop her. I want to help her so much. I remembered the note mother had told me to give to her. Every time I tried to give it to her she got more angry at me. She said that we were no longer her family. She ran away and has been waiting for something like this to happen. For me to break a rule. That way, no one could get mad at HER for punishing me."

"Magi why did you come to me?" Hanna asked.

"I might have changed, Hanna. But it didn't mean I was completely. I could still look at people with no emotion. The only emotion I had ever felt was the sadness of having my mother die. So, when I saw you, I felt how you felt even though, you've never had the chance to love your parents. I looked at you with pity. And I hate myself for that. I am very, VERY glad I have met you. And that I've gotten to know you. It's such a blessing that you're my friend. Now, I feel that I have completely changed thanks to you and I feel very happy and I'm so glad that I've made you happy. Even though it was such a short time, it means greater to me than any other memory I hold dear."

"Yo-you talk as if we'll never see each other again. We will see each other again. You won't die. You won't.... MAGI!!!!" Hanna fell on the floor and cried and sobbed. Soon the floor around her was covered in tears. The cat was now also crying.

"Hanna I love you more than anyone else. I will try to stay with you for your sake. We'll beat them and regain our happiness right? Then I'll always be with you. Forever."

"Yes," Hanna said. "I PROMISE!" she held Magi in her arms and held her in a hug. "I promise," she whispered.

Kuro with his friends went down towards the portal as fast as he could. "Hanna can you hear me?" Kuro thought.

He heard a sniff and a, "Yes."

"Here's our plan," he thought.

After he was finished, "A-alright. I trust you and your friends Kuro. We'll wait for you," she thought.

"Come on guys," Kuro said. They nodded and stopped. Kuro's mom was at the bottom of the stairs next to the portal along with Aria and.... "Yuki?!" Kuro said.

"Kuwo can't go alone. We heawd what you said and we are coming," she said with confidence.

"M-mom? Aria? When did you guys come?" he asked.

"We came hearing about all the rumors and wanted to check on you. Turns out it was a good idea," Aria said and shrugged.

"I still remember that morning of last semester when you were all out of wack. Was this it? Why didn't you tell us, Kuro?" His mom asked.

"Obviously no one else I told believed me until today. What makes you think you would have believed me?" he asked.

"That's so true it's hard to argue with....." Aria said.

"Maybe we would've maybe we wouldn't have. That doesn't mean you shouldn't tell us," his mother said firmly.

"Alright. I promise to next time," Kuro said. "For now, I can't have you coming. It's just too dangerous."

She gave him a look that said, "Too dangerous for someone older than you?" "Kuro, your family is a part of this. We'll be by your side the whole way," she said.

He sighed. "There's no arguing with you is there?" he asked.

"No," she said plainly. He cupped his hands over his face and sighed again.

"Okay," he said. "We do this as friends and family." Aria gave him a toothy grin and they all cheered as they charged at the portal.