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Suletta didn't know how long she spent twiddling her fingers, trying not to think of anything, before the door finally opened and the white-bearded doctor with round glasses walked out. She stood up, snapping her hands behind her back. "Um..."
The doctor sighed, taking off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. "I can't tell if that girl is lucky or unlucky." He looked directly at Suletta. "I couldn't save her eye. But she'll live."
Suletta nodded mutely.
The man asked, "What relationship do you two have, anyway? Are you friends?"
She fidgeted. "I don't know," she finally said.
He shrugged. "Well, this isn't exactly a hospital," he looked around the bombed-out house they were holed up in, "so I won't be a stickler for visitation rules. She's conscious, so go ahead." He pointed his thumb at the open door behind him.
Suletta bowed deeply. "T-Thank you very much!"
The doctor raised an eyebrow, but just said, "No need for thanks. I'm just curious to see how far that girl's ideals can take her."
She didn't really understand what he meant, so she just bowed again, then hurried into the room, closing the door behind her. Aside from a couple washed-out toys and the moonlight streaming in from the half-gone wall, the only things in the room were a bed and the girl resting on top of it, her unbound silver hair streaming across the sheets, off-white bandages wrapped around her head.
Suletta blinked. She swallowed the saliva in her mouth. She did it again. She opened her mouth, but no words came.
"Oh for God's sake, Suletta." Miorine turned over, and Suletta flinched back. Miorine's black suit was torn, burnt, and its front was splattered with dark red bloodstains. Her left eye -- or where her left eye used to be -- was ensconced by dirty, bloody bandages. Dark circles spread under her remaining eye, her lips were cracked, and her skin was deathly pale.
It was the most beautiful sight Suletta had ever seen.
"Told you," Miorine said, jerking Suletta back into awareness. Miorine was pointing at her missing eye, smiling the most mirthless grin Suletta had ever seen. "Prospera was never going to kill me. She still needs me."
Suletta lowered her head. "Sorry," she said softly, "for letting her get away."
Silence descended upon them for a time. Finally, Miorine spoke again. "Suletta, I--"
"I know." Suletta looked up and recited the words she had practiced so many times. "You did it to protect me, right? Aerial did something similar. So..." She smiled her best smile. "It's okay."
"It's not okay!" Miorine shouted, and Suletta's eyes went wide. "Nothing's okay!" Miorine slammed her mattress with her fist, her eye flooding with tears. "I wanted to resolve the Earthian troubles, but I just made them worse. I wanted to help people with Gund, and our company's chief product just started a war. I wanted..." She wrapped her arms around her knees. "I wanted to protect you, but you're back in battle, in a Gundam, just to save me again. I really can't..." She hacked a sob. "I really can't do anything."
Suletta clenched and unclenched her fists. She had never seen Miorine this...this defeated. This hopeless. What could she even say?
Suddenly, she remembered what Miss Secelia had told her. "The princess spent her whole life surrounded by backstabbing sociopaths. She likes you because you're honest. So just say what you feel."
"M-Miss Miorine," she began. "You're..." She cleared her throat. "You're the smartest, bravest, kindest person I've ever met. You saved me so many times. So I'm sure...I'm sure that if you think about it, you'll be able to figure out what to do." Suletta scrunched her eyes shut, tried to borrow a bit of Aerial's courage, and shouted:
"But I don't want to be protected! I want to fight alongside you!"
She forced herself to open her eyes. Miorine was staring right at her. Her cheek was damp, but she wasn't crying anymore. Miorine's gaze was intense, focused, and Suletta's courage died as quickly as it had come. "I-I m-mean," she stuttered, "that's only if you're fine with me. Oh! But, um, I don't mean that in a weird way or anything--"
"Suletta." At that one word, Suletta's mouth clamped shut. Miorine swung her legs off the bed, stood up, and stalked toward her; Suletta unconsciously backed away. "Who else," Miorine said, "could I possibly," Suletta had never seen this look on her before, "want by my side," Suletta's back hit the wall, "other than you?" And Miorine kissed her.
Every thought flew from her mind, leaving it emptier than the emptiest vacuum of space. At some point, Suletta had closed her eyes. Then the realization hit, and Suletta made herself grasp Miorine's shoulders, push her away, and say: "C-Cheating is w-wrong!"
Seconds or hours passed. Suletta chanced a glance at Miorine, only to see her roll her eye, lean in, and kiss her again.
After waking up the next morning, together in the tiny bed, they told each other everything. Miorine went first, followed by Suletta. The sun was high in the sky by the time she finished.
"...I see," Miorine eventually said. "So she's doing this for Ericht."
Suletta just stared at the ceiling.
Miorine sighed deeply. "Well, we can't do anything here. Let's go back to Asticassia. We'll figure out what to do from there."
They stood up and fixed their clothes as best they could. But when Miorine walked toward the door, Suletta remained rooted in place.
Miorine looked back. "What's the matter?"
Suletta fiddled with her fingers. "Um. Aerial...or Ericht...she called me a 'repli-child.' I think..." She stared holes into the ground. "That means I'm a clone, right?"
She heard footsteps, then felt a sharp pain in her forehead. "Ow!" she yelped, leaning back.
Miorine's finger that had just flicked her was still out. "You're thinking something stupid, aren't you?"
"I--"
"Listen. What it means to be a clone is that you have the same DNA as Ericht. In other words, you're basically twins. Understand?"
Suletta rolled over Miorine's words in her head. "Twins..." she muttered. A smile crept onto her lips, then spread across her face. "Twins." Suletta giggled. "We really are sisters, then."
"Exactly. Now, then." Miorine turned on her heel.
"Um!" Suletta said. Miorine turned back, this time clearly annoyed. Suletta gulped, but she had to say this. "Miss Miorine. Um. I know what my mom's doing is wrong, but I also want...I want my sister to be free. And..." She lowered her voice, almost to a whisper. "I don't want my mom to die."
"...Alright, let's make a deal then." Suletta looked up hopefully. Miorine's face was hard. "I'll do as much as I can to save your family. In exchange," she pointed at her, "you have to stop calling me 'Miss.'"
Suletta's eyes widened. "But--"
"Who's the one who said she doesn't want to be protected? It was you, right?" Her finger jabbed Suletta's chest. "That means we're equals, you know. So stop being so polite. Now, practice."
"B--"
"Practice!"
Suletta wrapped her fingers around themselves, unwrapped them, then repeated. She opened her mouth. "M...M...Miorine."
"Again."
"Miorine."
"Again."
"Miorine!"
Miorine planted her lips on Suletta's. They stayed like that for a while, embracing.
When they separated, Miorine was smiling the most elated grin Suletta had ever seen. "Now then, shall we go off and fight?"