Memorize (Book One)

* Here and now *

I roll on my side and through the concealment of my eyelids, I see her.

She is here. Now.

I just have to slide my arms alongside my beloved to feel her warmth, as she's lying here, with me.

This is all I've ever wanted. I hold her a little tighter, and I open my eyes.

She's looking at me. She has bright emerald eyes.

Brighter than the trees. Brighter than the fresh grass beneath us.

I am dazzled. Again.

"Love you Hera. Forever."

"You are me, and I am you. Forever."

"We are. A promise is a promise."

I bask in the warmth of her glowing body. She's so frail between my arms, yet I know how strong she can be.

I close my eyes and feel the heat beneath my chest, growing intense. I hug her and a searing pain invades my legs.

It's expanding now, and I'm achingly opening my eyes again. She's not here anymore. My arms are empty.

The pain's swelling and I'm looking up at the green canopy... Waves of yellow grass are undulating before my eyes, and the fresh moss is gone.

There are no trees. All I see is a glaring blue sky.

From afar I perceive the shape of a tall person who is advancing. I distinguish the dancing movements of their white garment. My arms are burning now and I don't know what to do or where I am.

I'm surrounded by a hot hazy mist and the blurred landscape is trembling relentlessly around me.

The silhouette's getting closer now. A face is approaching mine. A man is observing me. He seems concerned, yet a benevolent gentle smile is hovering on his lips. I see tiny wrinkles around his eyes and on his forehead.

He is calmly touching my arm now. I don't know if I should be afraid, but I feel instant well being and I can't withhold a deep sigh of relief.

Somehow the burning sensation has gone. I think I'm going to fall asleep. Through my half-shut eyes I see the man stepping away and bending over an inanimate body. From the blond hair and strong stature,  I recognize Starling.

It's all coming back to me now. Hera cannot be here in my arms.

She's so far away from me. Back on our Mother planet. Where we belong.

We have crashed.

Are the others dead?

The man slowly turns Starling's body upward, looks at his face and freezes.

A long moment follows. A steady breeze is carrying dust and sultriness.

Far behind them, I spot the contour of the utility pod.

I feel she is dying. I feel her consciousness fading. Like little wavelets of energy, ebbing away.

We have crashed, the pod is wrecked, and we won't be able to use her anymore.

I don't know if the pod's hurting. I could swear she is. She doesn't want to go.

Suddenly I hear a sound behind me.

Someone is standing up...

This little woman... She's getting back on her feet. Her suit's partly torn and she wipes the bleeding scratches on her face.

But she's alive. She too, is staring at the man.

The stranger's hand is on Starling's forehead. He remains as still as the mountains in the background.

Kizuna opens her mouth, and her words journey through the thick sweltering space.

"Where... where do you come from?"