[Misato Anami]

Lani sat down and buried her face in her hands. The next round was soon but all she could think about was what happened after the battle…

“It’s been awhile Lani…” said the man. He looked to be a little older than Lani, his casual look said he was there for personal business, but even then, you could tell he had money.

Lani avoided his eyes and looked down. What was he doing here? Why? Her eyes looked over towards Vincent. Had he known about the visit…?

“Lani.”

Lani popped her head up and smiled warmly. “It has been awhile Rei.”

“Do you mind if we talk for a bit?” Lani shook her head and the two found a seat in the stands, away from the crowd. She sat next to him but kept her eyes on the field, watching the grass in the wind. She preferred to keep her eyes away from his. His eyes resembled his brother’s so well, she didn’t want to look in them again... “Look Lani…”

“What are you doing here Rei?” Said Lani in a tone that showed she wasn’t really excited about his presence. She started to become wrapped up in a story that she didn’t want to be in and all she longed for was to see the man she loved once more.

“I went and visited Ren’s grave before I came to see you. Look Lani. No one knows who you are anymore. When you disappeared after Ren’s death, everyone assumed you left for good. When I found you in the TOA months later, I didn’t know what to think. I wondered how it was so easy for you to just erase your past –“

“I never forgot. Not one day Rei. Everyday I relive looking out of my closet… seeing Ren’s body on the floor. Everyday I feel the same rage I had when I murdered his attackers… everyday I feel the same pain I did when I was running from everything. But now I’m living under you and your family’s rules – what else do you want…”

Rei sighed. “I know you had no where else to go. You joined the TOA because there were other people like you who were considered different among this society. My family understood that. But it was your relationship with him that made it different –“ Lani looked up and found Vincent talking to one of the competitors. Sitting up, she looked back at Rei.

“When I ran from the scene that night, where was I supposed to go? I just witnessed the only man I ever loved be murdered in front of my eyes. The only person who had, up to that time, ever accepted me as who I was. I wasn’t a freak to him, he loved me regardless of everything. So when I found the TOA it was like finding a part of him in it. People who accepted me. And if your family thought that Vincent and I were more than friends… and only months after Ren’s death… then they must have never really known me…” Lani stood up and looked back down at Rei, “Vincent treated me like a sister and I loved him wholly for it. But never would he be able to replace Ren. You and your family took even that away from me…”

Lani headed down the stands and started to walk towards one of the tents. She felt a hand grab hers and she turned around. Rei breathed heavily as he had run after her.

“Look. I sent you away because I thought it’d be better for you. Part of me didn’t want to believe it… if you and Vincent were together. How could I not think that?! The way you two talked to each other it was as though Ren never existed! But… but I also just wanted to see you happy again. Even when you were involved in the TOA years ago, you still never seemed truly happy. I thought helping you out, giving you a job and a place to live… letting you live without such a hard time… I thought you’d be happier that way…”

Lani looked at Rei. She could picture that’s how Ren would look years from now. The hint of change in his eye color when he’d get excited about something. “I just missed him. That feeling he gave me when I doubted myself. He made me feel so sure that I could overcome anything… and when I was a part of the TOA… I felt that part of him here…” Looking down, Lani felt as though she were about to cry and looked back towards Rei. “I better leave. I have another battle I must prepare for…” Before Rei could say anything, Lani told him to come to the next battle and walked away.

Her body began to ache, Lani didn’t know if it was the battle she was involved in.. or if it was just her nerves. But she didn’t want to feel that way anymore. Rei didn’t follow her after she walked away. He stood there for a few moments, watching as his brother’s only love walked away from him. Only to leave without a word even to Vincent. Finding a cot in the infirmary tents, Lani laid down. Putting her hands to her face, she didn’t notice Vincent come in.

What had happened to her life? In her whole twenty years, Lani had seen her love die, been shunned by many and only accepted by a few. Even then it became hell. When Rei found her in the TOA, they had used her “abilities” against her to make her do what they wanted. She was forced to leave and made to work for a large scale publishing company. They played off her white hair to be from some disease and gave her blue contacts to hide her orange eyes. The symbols upon her body were faint when she wasn’t battling and she used foundation to cover up the marks. She was set up in a nice apartment and chauffeured around in a fancy car. She lived a wealthy life… but she was never happy. She felt as though she were a mere puppet who was forced to be normal in order to be happy…

“I wish it were me instead of Ren…” said Lani as she began to fall asleep…


Lani looked at her right arm. Now fully visible, her symbols gave character to who she was… A sign of her heritage, a sign of who she was. Now it being the day of her next battle, Lani was more determined to win this than the previous. She wouldn’t let herself get caught up in family tidings … With the Twins of Odin at her side, her magic, and her own tactical strategies, Lani looked forward to battling her next opponent.

Walking onto the grass, her chauffer pointed towards the stands. Lani looked to find a woman about her age lying down. She looked back at her chauffer and smiled slightly. “This ought to be entertaining…”