Youri slipped out into the shadows of the corridor without another word. The sound of his boots faded away just as the cabin door creaked open again and Roland rushed in with panic written all over his face. "Sister, are you okay?"
Leonora was on the floor with her palms pressed flat against the cold steel, and her shoulders were shaking violently as she sobbed. She looked like a child again, crumbling under the weight of everything she remembered. "He was alive," she choked out. "I can't believe it. All this time he was out there suffering, and I just gave up on him."
Roland dropped to his knees beside her and took her by the arms. "What are you talking about, sister?"
"If it weren't for him," she said, and her voice broke completely, "I wouldn't even be alive."
Roland wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest while she cried harder, her whole body trembling with a silent scream of guilt. "Let's get you to bed," he said gently. "You're still hurt. You need to rest."
"No!" Her scream echoed off the sterile walls. "Call Thirty-six! I need him!"
Roland blinked at her in confusion. "Who is Thirty-six?"
"He's my friend." Her eyes darted around the room without focusing on anything, as though she were seeing ghosts. "Please, brother, call him. I need to see him. He's hurt too. He suffered so much because of me, and I didn't lift a finger to help him." The last of her strength drained out of her as she said it, and the final thing she saw before the darkness swallowed her was Roland's confused, frightened face as she slumped unconscious into his arms.
The ship glided into the docking bay of the Fansilia space station with its hull glowing under the neon strips of the hangar, and steam hissed from the vents as the landing clamps locked into place. Roland was down the ramp before it had finished lowering, and his voice carried across the whole dock. "Hey, Youri! What did you do to my sister?"
Youri stood near the edge of the platform with his back turned, staring out through the great window at the endless black beyond the station. "Nothing," he said coolly.
Roland's fists clenched. "She hasn't woken up in three days!"
Youri let out a breath through his nose, and the faint shape of a smirk crossed his face. "Look, Roboy, your sister was badly hurt. She needed rest long before any of this happened. Take it with a grain of salt when I say this, but nothing can kill her."
Roland took a step toward him, and something uncertain crept into his voice. "Aren't you going to drive us?"
Youri glanced back over his shoulder, and his expression was impossible to read. "I think my debt to your sister was paid a long time ago."
He walked away with the neon light glinting across the scar on his cheek. Roland and Anna exchanged a confused look as the sound of his boots faded into the hum of the station.
Leonora's room smelled faintly of antiseptic and burning candles. She lay motionless in her bed with her arms bandaged and her skin pale and fragile against the sheets.
"Doctor, how is she?" Roland asked, his voice heavy with worry.
The older man straightened his glasses. "She was badly hurt. She has cuts in every place imaginable, but she'll be alright. With some rest and a few procedures, all of her cuts and scars will heal." He paused at the door. "Anyone else who had been through what she went through would have died long before they made it here. Thank God your sister is so tough."
"I'm sorry for calling you on such short notice," Roland said, "but thank you for coming."
"Don't worry. It's my duty."
Two days later, Leonora's eyelids fluttered open, and she sat bolt upright in bed, gasping. "I'm home!" She looked around wildly. "Roland! Anna! Where are you?"
They burst through the door together. "Sister, you're finally awake!" Roland said, relief washing over his face, and Anna whispered, "Thank God, my lady."
"Get off me, you two." Leonora pushed them back, and her voice cracked. "Where is he?"
Roland's eyes dropped to the floor. "Youri left when we got back. I haven't seen or heard from him since."
Leonora's shoulders slumped as her mind drowned once again in memories of the institute. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I dragged you both into this mess because of my past."
Anna stepped forward. "Stop, my lady. Forgive me for interrupting, but you don't need to apologize to me. I'm your maid, and it is my duty to see to your needs — good or bad, dangerous or safe."
"Don't worry about me either," Roland added with a small laugh. "Somehow I came out of the whole thing without a single scratch."
Leonora's eyes filled with tears, and she pulled them both into her arms. "Thank you. Both of you. I'm so blessed to have you in my life."
The air inside Marta's was heavy with smoke and cheap whiskey. The neon signs flickered red across the cracked wooden tables.
"What's with the gloomy face?" Marta called from behind the bar.
"Leave me alone, Marta," Youri muttered with his head buried in his arms.
"Did you lose all your money at poker again?"
"I was so close this time. I could see the mountain of zells right in front of me. I just needed a three. Goddamn it." His hands curled into fists on the bar.
"I keep telling you to leave the table when it's enough, but you never listen."
Youri lifted his head and looked at her with shadowed eyes. "You know, sometimes you sound like someone I used to know."
"What? Don't compare me to those idiots you hang around with!"
"Yeah," he said. "You're right."
The doors swung open, and Marta's face changed. "I'd advise you to behave, Youri. You might not like who's coming this way."
Youri groaned and buried his face again. "Whoever it is, just tell them I'm passed out."
"I don't promise anything."
A tall woman stepped inside, her uniform catching the dim light. Marta's voice turned bright and cheerful. "Look who decided to come by! How are you, my lady?"
"Cut the crap and just give me a drink," Leonora said.
"Sheesh. I'm feeling generous today, so I'll let that slide."
"Thanks."
Marta set the glass down in front of her. "So, dear General, how was your day?"
"Plain," Leonora said, taking a sip. "I've been looking for someone all day. I came by hoping I might find him here."
"Oh? Who's this mystery man? Maybe I can help."
"Just a local drunk," Leonora murmured, and her eyes flicked to the shape slumped at the far end of the bar.
"Ah. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I haven't seen him today," Marta said, with perfect mock innocence.
"That's a shame. I was hoping to reward him for something he did for me. But I suppose I'll go, since he isn't here."
"Well, I hope you find him."
"Thank you, Marta. So do I." She left the glass on the counter and walked out. Her boots clicked across the wooden floor all the way to the door.
Later, Youri walked alone through the city's neon haze with his breath coming out in pale streams in the cold night air. "I should have kept my mouth shut," he muttered to himself. "Anyway, it's over now. Water under the bridge. Time to go make some money."
A black car swerved in front of him and stopped, blocking his path. The door opened, and a dark silhouette stepped out with her heels clicking against the wet pavement.
"You know you can't keep avoiding me forever," she said softly.
"I have nothing more to say to you," he said, without looking up.
"That may be true," she said, stepping closer. "But I have a great many things to say to you." Her voice trembled. "Ever since that day, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."
He finally looked up. Her eyes were burning, glistening under the streetlights.
"So I'll say it. Thirty-six — no. Youri Kronos." She paused, and her breath caught. "I love you."