Future Echoes Author Psykorabbit2000 Scene 1 Aldebaran Royal Palace QUEEN KATRINA is sitting on her throne. Standing before her is ALLURA and ANDREW. Queen Katrina (smiling warmly) ”So you actually are thinking about being married and you want to have the wedding on Aldebaran?” Allura (nodding) ”We have spent the last several years talking about this. We have gone back and forth about it.” Andrew (nodding) ”One of the concerns was the history between Aldebaran and my race. In our histories, our two races were untrustworthy towards each other.” Queen Katrina (nodding) ”That is true. I do have to admit that when you first showed up here, I was surprised by it.” (looks at the both of them) ”It would give me an excuse to have Lance come back for more than the Festival of Wishes and Rejoicing. Cassie’s exile ends in two months. Fifteen years have gone by so slowly. They only come here for the Festival and promptly leave afterwards. Each year, Lance would leave the castle for the night and return the next morning. Each time that streak of white hair seemed a little thicker than when he left.” Allura (nodding) ”I have seen it as well, but he will never say why.” The Queen smiles and stands up. She walked forward and set a paw on each of their shoulders. Queen Katrina (smiling brightly) ”I have an idea. Hold the marriage here and we will do it the night before Cassie’s exile ends. That way, we can celebrate you marriage with Lance being here and Cassie will not have ot leave again after it.” Allura looks at Andrew and he nods. Andrew (smiling) ”Two warm moments. It sounds like a good idea.” Allura nods and Queen Katrina hugs both of them tightly. Queen Katrina (stepping back) ”It will be like when your dad and mom were married! That gives us two months to get things worked out.” Allura smiles and takes Andrew’s paw in hers. Scene 2 Outer Rim KINJITE is sitting in a chair in the dining area flipping through some papers. Kinjite (thinking) He looks up as the door slides open. CASSIE walks in. Her body is a lot leaner than when her exile started. Her muscles are well sculpted under her fur. Her clothing taste had changed as well. She now wore more leather, due to the durability of it. It fits her tightly and her hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail. She walked over and sat in a chair beside him. Her boots clicked on the ground as she walked. Cassie (taking the papers from him) ”What are you reading?” She quickly skims the papers and nods. Cassie (setting the papers down) ”Coming up a little short?” Kinjite (nodding) ”Doesn’t make any sense. We requested enough to last a month past the end of your exile, but inventory says we are coming up short by a two week margin. Somehow we ended up being screwed out of a month and two weeks worth of supplies.” Cassie flicks a stray hair out of his face and smiles. Kinjite (curious) ”What are you thinking now, Cassie?” Cassie (smiling) ”Just remembering how much we fought when the exile started. Now look at us after fifteen years. We act almost as if married it seems. Strange isn’t it, Lance?” Kinjite (leaning back in his seat) ”Time changes a lot of things, Cassie. I hope that enough has changed on Aldebaran so that you will get your second chance.” Cassie (smiling) ”So do I, but on a different subject. We received a signal from Aldebaran. It is directly from Queen Katrina. It address to both of us.” Kinjite (sitting up) ”Really? About what?” Cassie (leaning back in her seat and stretching) ”It seems your oldest daughter is getting married to that bat she has been hanging around with. Their getting married on Aldebaran, because they want you there to see it. Aunt Katrina and them set it up to be on the last night of my exile. They want both of us there to see the marriage and be present at the celebration of the wedding and my return.” Kinjite (smiling) ”Fifteen years. Stars, I feel like an old cat now.” He leans forward and places his arms on the table. Cassie laughs and puts an arm around his shoulders. Cassie (kissing him on the cheek) ”You are four and a quarter centuries old, Lance. Despite that, you still have the body of a young cat.” She gets up and pats him on the back of the head. He turns and watches her walk out the door. He shakes his head and walks out the door as well. Kinjite (while walking) ”Fifteen years. Cassie laughs as they walk up to the cockpit. Cassie (sitting down) ”Shall I reply to Her Majesty?” Kinjite (sitting in pilot seat) ”Yeah, Allura will kill me if I don’t show up there.” (looks at a star map) ”Let’s check out that cluster in Scorpio Sector by the white dwarf.” Cassie (punching keys) ”Sound like fun. Might find something to peek our interest.” The shuttle quickly orients itself and streaks off through space. Scene 3 Aldebaran Royal Palace, evening Allura quickly ran into the throne room and quickly bowed to the Queen. Allura (slight out of breath) ”You wanted to speak with me your Majesty?” Queen Katrina (smiling) ”I just thought you would like to know we heard from your father.” Allura (looking up) ”What did he have to say?” Queen Katrina (warmly) ”He seems to approve of your choice. That and he said he would be here for your wedding.” Allura stood there quiet for a few moments. She looked down slightly. Allura (quietly) ”I’m glad to hear that, but I just wish mom could be here as well.” Queen Katrina slowly stands up and walks forward. She gently puts a paw on Allura’s shoulder and Allura looks up at the elderly Aldebaran. Queen Katrina (warmly) ”I’m sure she would be here if she could. If there are others to invite though, we should get started. Some of them might have legal paper work of some sort to go through to get the time off.” Allura nods and pats the Queen’s paw. Allura (kindly) ”Thank you, your Majesty.” Allura bows again and turns to leave. Queen Katrina watches her leave and sighs gently. Queen Katrina (quietly to herself) ”To think, if things were different, I would have been her mother.” Scene 4 Deep Space, Kinjite’s shuttle. The shuttle glides through space, easily weaving through asteroid belts and chasing comet tails. In the shuttle Kinjite is piloting the shuttle as it streaks around an asteroid. He looks at the readings and raises an eyebrow. Kinjite “Hey Cassie, are you reading an energy signature out here?” Cassie looks up from the window she was looking out. Cassie (confused) ”An energy reading? Here?” Kinjite (nodding) ”Yeah, it reads as a shuttle.” Cassie looks at the readings and studies them for a second. Cassie (confused slightly) ”I am. It is reading as an Aldebaran shuttle. No life signs though.” (she looks at Kinjite) ”All the way out here?” Kinjite (punching a couple of keys) ”These are the days being a cat makes it worth it.” Cassie (realizing what he is doing) ”Curse your curiosity, Lance.” The shuttle slowly glides up to the other shuttle. The outside appearance is extremely close to Kinjite’s shuttle. Scene 5 Inside the shuttle An airlock slowly cycles open and Kinjite slowly steps through. A few seconds later, Cassie follows as well. Cassie (looking around) “Strange, it bears a strong resemblance to our shuttle.” (she walks over to a console and begins typing) ”I wonder… .” Kinjite stops and watches her. She quickly types and suddenly the screen pops up, offering her several search options. She quickly reads them and looks at Kinjite. Cassie (surprised) ”Lance, my access code you gave me to use works and works better here. It gave me full access to the shuttle. This isn’t a standard on Aldebaran shuttles. What is going on?” Kinjite looks around and shrugs. Kinjite “I’m really not sure, Cassie, but trust me, I plan on finding out.” He turns and starts walking down a corridor. Cassie quickly falls in step behind him. They head up the corridor. Neither of them notices the shadows slowly edging towards them. Kinjite looks around as they walk. Kinjite (thinking as they walk) They continue along down the corridor. The Shadows slowly creeping behind them. Scene 6 The Cockpit The door grinds as it is pulled open. Kinjite looks around and slips through the opening. Cassie slips in as well. Cassie (looking around) ”Looks like our cockpit as well, but there are four seats instead of two.” Kinjite nods and sits in the pilot set. He quickly punches on the keyboard and the monitor springs to life. Suddenly a feline face appears on the screen and looks at them both. Kinjite jumps back and a tendril springs from his arm, ready to strike. Cassie’s spell gem flare up, ready as well. Feline Face (computerized voice) ”Greetings Master Oni Lance and Mistress Cassie. It is nice to see you two again in such good health. How may I help you?” Kinjite and Cassie look at each other, shocked. Cassie looks at the monitor. Cassie (confused) ”Mistress?” Feline Face ”Affirmative. As of twenty years ago, you were deemed as the Mistress of this shuttle. Shortly after taking on Sister Ayla and after giving birth to your daughter.” Cassie looked at Kinjite and had a stunned look on her face. Kinjite turned to the monitor. Kinjite (calmly) ”And who made her Mistress?” Feline Face (smiling) ”That is a simple question, Master Oni Lance. Her husband did and father of her daughter. You.” Kinjite just stood there and dropped to the floor, stunned. Suddenly alarms starting going off and he sprang to his feet. Kinjite (demanding) ”What the hell is that?” Feline Face (after a few seconds) ”Hunters detected on varying levels of the shuttle. Attempting to seal them away.” (A few seconds later) ”They are sealed. All safe quarters are opened to you and Mistress Cassie. Please state your destination when you are ready to depart, Master Oni Lance.” Kinjite nods and turns to the door. Cassie falls in step behind him as he walks out. Cassie (shocked) ”Now what?” Kinjite (quietly) ”We look around I guess. Apparently, this was our shuttle, at one time. Try to find out what happened to us?” Cassie nods and gets a wicked glint in her eyes. She leans closer to Kinjite. Cassie (Whispering seductively in his ear) ”Sure thing, dear.” She smiles wickedly as she walks down the hall. Kinjite freezes for a second and turns to look at her. Kinjite (to himself) ”Frell, what am I getting into here.” He turns and walks down a separate hall. Neither noticing the darkening of shadows. Scene 7 In a hall on the shuttle Cassie walks down the hall and studies her area. Cassie (while walking) ”This would be around Lance’s and my quarters on our shuttle.” (looks at a door) ”This would be Lance’s quarters. A place to start looking.” She taps the open button, half expecting it to remain closed. She takes a step back when it slides open. She slowly pokes her head into the room and looks around, before walking in. She walks around the room, looking. Cassie (to herself) ”The bed is larger than his.” (opens a closet and sees male and female clothing in it) ”Do we share this room?” She sorts through the clothing, nodding at the female clothing. Cassie (admiringly) ”Apparently the other me has decent taste in clothing.” (she pulls out a silk dress and holds it up) ”Very nice taste.” She lays the dress on the bed and turns around. Her eyes fall on a picture that is hanging above the desk. She walks over and picks it up off the wall. IT is herself, Kinjite, and a younger female between them. She gently touches the young female. Cassie (to herself) ”I wonder who she is?” Computer Voice (from the desk) ”She is your daughter, Mistress Cassie. Her name is Orchid. Master Oni Lance picked the name.” Cassie looked down and saw the Feline Face on the desk. Cassie (nodding) ”I see. How old is she in the picture?” Feline Face (after a second) ”She is approximately fifteen in the picture. I see you picked out the spider silk dress. One of your favorites. I remember you use to wear it to *entice* your husband and you use to make comments on how good it felt to wear it instead of your leather clothing you usually wore.” Cassie hangs the picture back up and looks at the dress. She walks over and picked it up again. She gently ran her fingers along it, feeling its softness and smoothness. Cassie (to the computer) ”Tell me about Spider Silk.” Feline Face (after a second) ”Yes ma’am. Spider silk is a rare type of silk usually woven by the Arachnid Race of Taran 326. It is valued in any royal courts or any kind of social gathering. How they create it is unknown, but it is said to take three years to make enough to make a shirt. It took Master Oni Lance a considerable amount of persuasion to obtain you a full dress made from it.” Cassie gently held it up against her and looked in the mirror. Its dark crimson red sleeves and trimmed low neck line stood out in sharp contrast to her grey fur, as did the dark blue chest and body of the dress. As she moved, Cassie saw slight sparkles in it, that created a starscape effect over the darker areas. Cassie (quietly) ”Its beautiful.” Feline Face (nodding) ”Then why don’t you wear it, Mistress?” Cassie looked over at the computer. Cassie (quietly) ”It isn’t mine.” She gently laid the dress down and walked over to the closet. She found four other dresses, that she had the computer describe, that were made out of the same material. She laid them out on the bed and looked at all five of the dresses. Each one was just as beautiful as the other one and all were made with colors that enhanced her own appearance. Cassie turned to the computer. Cassie (calmly) ”I want to leave these five out like this. Please don’t mess with them.” Feline Face “I understand Mistress.” Cassie nods and walks out the door, after looking at the dresses again for a moment Scene 8 A different part of the shuttle Kinjite is walking down the hall, whistling while walking. He stops when he suddenly starts hearing some whispering. He focuses on the noise and starts to discern the words. Voices (whispering) ”Is it him? Has the Master return? We thought he was dead. Killed by the hunters. Does this mean the Mistress has returned as well?” Kinjite looks around and his eye narrows as he looks at the shadows. Kinjite (thinking) He walks towards a darkened hallway and notices the shadows seem to pull away from him. They pull from the center of the hall and create a lit path to a door. Kinjite raises an eyebrow and follows the path. The door slides open and he walks in. The room seems to be of a female’s room. There are silk blankets on the bed and the chair is soft and plush. He walks around and looks at the room. He walks over and slowly sits in a chair at the desk. Kinjite (looking around the room still) ”I wonder who’s room this was?” Suddenly the main drawer of the desk slides open, stopping right before hitting him. Kinjite looks down and sees a small book there. The top slowly opens and he sees writing on the first page. Kinjite (reading the page) ”Within these pages lies my own thought and secrets. None are allowed to read them without my permission, not even my dad and mom. Orchid.” He stops and looks around again. He feels a slight tingle going up his spine and his tail twitches nervously. Kinjite (nervously) ”Orchid?” Suddenly the pages of the little book begin to flip rapidly and stops on a page. Kinjite looks downward again and begins reading. Kinjite (reading) ”We have been in space since I was born and it has been fifteen years now. I have gotten to see several planets and races. I have learned so much from my dad, Master Oni Lance. He seems so wise and caring. We keep avoiding a specific planet named Atlantis for some reason. Mom won’t say why and Dad refuses to talk about it. What is wrong with that planet? The data banks say that it is inhabited by a feline race like dad. Do I have family there?” Kinjite slowly stands up and walks around the room, thinking. Kinjite (out loud) ”Why would I refuse to go to Atlantis? Is this during my exile? No, the book said that this Orchid was at least fifteen. That would mean Cassie and I would have had to had conceived the child shortly before the exile started.” Suddenly there was the sound of flipping pages again and Kinjite walked back over to the desk. He gently picked up the book and looked at the page it was on. Kinjite (reading) ”I over heard dad talking to someone in the cockpit. It was a female named Ayami. I heard a lot of sadness in her voice. She made references to their daughter Allura. Do I have a sister somewhere? How much older than me is she? Does she like different things than I do? When I approached dad about this, he didn’t talk about it. He just mumbled something about a different life and walked off. For the first time, I saw him with a tear running down his cheek. Who is this Ayami and who is this daughter named Allura?” Kinjite slowly set the book down and sat on the edge of the bed. Kinjite (stunned) ”I left Allura? I mean him… me… him… oh frell! What happened?!” Suddenly he felt two gentle pressures on his back that rubbed up and down. It felt good, but freaked him out. He jumped up and looked behind him. All he saw was a shadowy outline sitting on the bed, with its legs lying across the bed, as if it was leaning up against him. Kinjite (stunned) ”Who are you?” IT slowly stood up and walked through him, to the desk. It made a motion over the book and the pages began to flip rapidly. They stopped and the figure pointed. Kinjite walked up and looked at the page. Kinjite (looking at the figure) ”Orchid?” The figure nodded slowly. It reached up and gently touched his head. Female Voice (in Kinjite’s head) ”It has been a long time, Father. It is good to see you again.” Kinjite (stunned) ”But I’m not your father.” Orchid (in Kinjite’s head still) ”I know, but you are Master Oni Lance. I have seen several of them in the shuttle’s travel. We are bound spirits stuck in this shuttle by a dreadful presence. We have been looking for one to release us, but all have ran. You are the first to stay and talk. Please Dad, help me and Ayla.” Kinjite (calmler now) ”How can I help you?” Orchid (in his head) ”Either destroy the shuttle or defeat the presence.” Kinjite (after a moment) ”Just activate the self detonation device.” Orchid (wryly in his head) ”I would, but the presence *is* the shuttle. It will do all it can to keep you here. You must draw as much strength from yourself and defeat it.” Kinjite slowly nods and his eye focuses on the shadowy figure. Kinjite (firmly) ”I will.” Orchid (warmly) ”Thank you dad. That means I can finally rest now.” The figure pulls its hand away and slowly dissolves into nothing. Kinjite stands there for a second and then turns, walking out the door. He doesn’t see the shadowy tendrils following him. Scene 9 A nearby hall Cassie is walking along and a door slides open. She stops and looks at it. Cassie (curiously) ”Computer, which room is that?” Feline Face (on a nearby console) ”It is the personal chambers of yours and Ayla. I believe that is were you two would talk about special things and share tender moments.” Cassie nods and enters the room. It looks more like a harem room. There are plush pillows all around, lavish curtains hanging from the ceiling, and a large bed along one wall that looked like it could sleep six cats easily. Cassie (in awe) ”What kind of tender moments are we talking about?” Feline Face (on a small screen in the wall) ”I believe they were more of the intimate type.” Cassie feels her face blush slightly as it dawned on her what it meant. She clears her throat slight and sits on one of the pillows, sinking into it. Cassie (sighing slightly) ”Ohhh, this is nice.” (she looks at the screen) ”Tell me about this Ayla. Who was she and what was she like?” Feline Face (after a moment) ”Ayla is a special type of Aldebaran. She is a warm and caring cat, who takes great pleasure in making others happy. She specializes in massages and varying methods of entertaining others.” Cassie looks up from the pillow. Cassie (confused) ”You speak of her as if she is alive still.” Feline Face (smiling) ”That is because I am alive still.” Cassie jumps to her feet as she hears a door slide open. She spins to face it on the opposite wall. A female form is seen in the shadows. It steps forward, revealing a horror to Cassie’s eyes. It is a nude female. Her eyes are jet black as is her teeth. Her hair is a pale silver and her fur is a dark brown. Her skin seems to be hanging from her skeletal structure and she seems withered and withdrawn. Her fingers end in wicked claws and there is a sickly yellow mucus oozing from her claws and teeth. She is wearing almost jet black spell gems. Ayla (with a hiss of air) ”It is nice to see you again Cassie. We have so much to get caught *up* on.” Cassie begins backing to the door as her mouth hangs open in shock. Ayla lunges towards her and Cassie spins around, lashing out with a lightning fast kick. There is a loud crack and AYal stumbles back, her head hanging over her shoulder, towards the back> She reaches up and puts her head back on right. Ayla (smiling evilly) ”Foreplay? How considerate.” Cassie now screams for real and dashes out the door, with the horrific figure in close pursuit. Scene 10 A nearby hall Kinjite snaps his head around as he hears the scream. Kinjite (dashing) ”Cassie!!” He rounds a corner and sees Cassie pinned against the back wall, with some creature in front of her. Several tendrils suddenly shoot from his shoulders and latch onto the creature. With a fluid motion, he flings it to the side and slams it into the wall with a loud crunch. Cassie looks up and sees him. She quickly runs and hides behind him, as the creature stands up. It turns to them and smiles again. Kinjite swallows hard to keep the bile down at the sight of the creature. Kinjite (hoarsely) ”Who or what the hell is that?!” Cassie (peeking over his shoulder) ”IT is Ayla. Apparently she is part of the shuttle.” Ayla (slowly approaching) ”And female consort to Mistress Cassie.” Black flames erupt from Kinjite’s body and the creature stops in its tracks. Cassie stays next to him and finds some comfort in the flames, knowing that Kinjite is now even stronger. Kinjite (glancing over his shoulder) ”I thought you had better taste, Cassie.” Cassie (a hint of anger) ”I do damn it!” (suddenly a glint of fear in her eyes) ”Frell!!” Kinjite quickly turns and punches at the same time. His fist smashes into AYla’s face and goes through the rotten skull. He yanks back and leaps up, as Cassie ducks. He spins and his foot smashes into the creature’s chest. It shoots backward and slams into the wall again. Black blood spurts out of the hole and down the front of the body. Kinjite lands in a crouched position. He slowly stands, watching the corpse. Kinjite (firmly) “Cassie, what did you find out?” Cassie (slowly standing) ”Apparently, you and I were in a great deal of love and you would do anything for me. I found several expensive dresses that you apparently got for me.” Kinjite (still watching the corpse) ”I see. I had an encounter with the ghost of Orchid and apparently something happened to Ayami and I, from what I gathered.” Cassie (stunned) ”Ayami? You two split up? As much as you care for her?” Kinjite nodded. Suddenly the corpse twitched. The hole slowly began to seal shut. Kinjite (shoving Cassie) ”Quick! Get back to the shuttle!” Cassie turns and heads to the door. She glances over her shoulder and sees Kinjite heading a different way. Cassie (yelling) ”Where the frell are you going!?” Kinjite (as he heads out the door) ”To destroy this damn thing!” He darts out the door and Cassie darts towards the shuttle. She quickly reaches it and slams the airlock shut, sealing it. Cassie (gasping for air) ”I’m sure he’ll let me know when he is on the way or has some kind of trick up his sleeve.” Scene 11 In the shuttle Kinjite is racing down the hall. Again he notices the shadows pulling out of his way as he goes. He passes through some and feels a familiar presence as he goes through. Kinjite (while running) ”What is with those shadows?” HE hears the ragged breathing behind him and can smell the rotten flesh of the corpse chasing him. Ayla (calling from behind) ”You can’t do this! They deserve bodies to return to!” Kinjite (running faster) ”Like hell I can’t!” He darts out into a large oval room that has a large opening in the middle. He quickly dives over the side without hesitation. Kinjite (as he soars over the rail) ”If this is like our shuttle, then this will land in engineering!” He arcs over and into a freefall. Floors shoot by and he slams down on the ground in a crouched position. He lunges forward and begins running. He hears a sickening splat behind him as he moves out of the way. He runs up to the engineering door and punches in his code. The light turns read and “DENIED” appears on the small window. Kinjite (muttering) ”Frell. I was told it was the shuttle!” Several tendrils spring from his body and sink into the door. They begin pulling on the door and to his surprise, the door hold. He hears a squishing sound of footsteps behind him and a pair of hands grabs a hold of him. He begins thrashing around and spins around, landing a solid kick against Ayla’s head. The head is torn clear from the body and bounces across the room. He pulls back and lands a powerful uppercut against the chest and sends the body across the room as well. Kinjite (panting) ”I’m not strong enough! Have to destroy the reactor!” Voice (from the shadows) ”Then let me help you, you stupid one eyed cat!” Kinjite spins around and sees a black figure step out of the shadow. It looks like him, but is a ghost as well. Ghost (nodding) ”Been awhile since I’ve seen my body. Let me help you, so Orchid and I can rest finally!” (it points at the slowly standing corpse) ”That bitch killed Cassie, after costing me Ayami!” Kinjite nods and the ghost steps forward, right into him. The black flames suddenly increase in fierceness and intensity. The tendrils suddenly swell with new power. They sink into the door again and pull. There is a sound of steel being torn in two as the door is ripped from its frame. Kinjite throws the door aside and darts inside. He sees the reactor, running at full power and makes a quick choice. Kinjite (pulling his hands back and cupping them) ”No time to do this the gentle way!” Energy crackles all over his body and a ball of black energy forms between his hands. IT keeps growing, until it encompasses his hands. He snaps his hands forwards and a huge black tendril of crackling black flames lunges forward and tears through the reactor. It instantly explodes. Kinjite turns to run, but feels his body morph into a black tendril, against his will. He streaks through the shuttle, with the explosion right on his tail as he goes. The halls become a blur as he passes them at breakneck speed. Suddenly he sees the airlock approaching and tries to slow down, but something keeps him going. He shoots right through the door and into his shuttle. He feels his body shifting back into normal and falls to the ground. At the same time, he feels something being pushed into his hand and then he fell face first on the floor. There is a sharp jerking motion and the entire shuttle is flung from the other shuttle, before the explosion engulfs it. When things settle down, Cassie slowly helps him up to a sitting position and Kinjite looks at the package in his hands. It is a bundle wrapped together by a brown paper. There is a note on it. Kinjite picks the note up and quickly reads it. Note “Hey, you pulled it off if your reading it. Thank you from both Orchid and myself. We can finally rest and join up with Cassie and Ayami. Kinjite, don’t hurt your Ayami like I did. Treat her like a queen and love her always. This bundle is from Orchid to Cassie. It is a farewell gift to her mom, that she never got to give her. Signed Kinjite.” Kinjite looks at the package and hands it to Cassie. She quickly studies it and opens it slowly. Her eyes open wide at what she sees inside it. It is the five dresses she picked out. Scene 12 Later that night Cassie is standing before the mirror wearing one of the dresses and admiring herself in it. She turns and walks out the door quietly. Kinjite is sitting in the dining area looking out a window at the passing stars. HE hears the door open and gentle footsteps behind him. A paw gently sets on his shoulder and he looks up, seeing Cassie in the dress. Cassie (quietly) ”What do you think?” Kinjite (nodding) ”It looks good on you. I can see why he bought it for her.” Cassie walks around and stands beside him. Cassie (looking out the window) ”They really did love each other, didn’t’ they?” Kinjite (looking out the window) ”Yeah, but it had high cost apparently for them.” Cassie (quietly) ”I don’t pretend to know much about the after life, but…” (she looks at him) ”Do you think their together again?” Kinjite stretches in his chair and shrugs. Kinjite (quietly) ”Not sure. I spent four centuries in the world of demons, not heaven or hell.” Cassie nods and walks over. She turns on a radio and gentle music filled the room. She walked over and took his paw. He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. Cassie (gently) ”One dance. For them at least.” Kinjite nods and slowly stands up. As they begin to dance around, Cassie lays her head on his shoulder. Cassie (quietly) ”Lance, do you think…” Kinjite (cutting in) ”Cassie, I have enjoyed the last few years, but don’t ask me about if I leave Ayami. It won’t happen. Just enjoy the time we have left together, because when she is back, I will return to her and my daughter.” Cassie nods gently and they dance in silence for a few seconds. Cassie (looks up at him) ”Then can I at least think of us like that for the remainder of my exile?” Kinjite (smiling gently) ”I can’t stop you from thinking anything. Just remember, for the rest of *your* exile.” Cassie nods and gently kisses him. They continue dancing in silence. THE END