For the Tuann, fading was another word for dying. It was a slow and excruciating process that she'd heard about but never witnessed.
"I wanted to." Graydon's words were stark. "More than anything I've wanted in a long time."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because it would kill you to stay."
A tear rolled out of the corner of her eye as she looked away in shame. His grief more than she could bear.
Graydon touched her chin, turning her back to him. His face solemn as if to impress upon her his seriousness. "If I can't stop you, I might as well join you."
Kira's lips parted, her heart leaping even as she fought to reject his offer. "You can't. Your emperor needs his Face."
Graydon smirked, his features lightening. "Too late. It's already done."
Kira glared at him. "This isn't what I wanted, Graydon."
He shouldn’t suffer because of her mistakes. More than anyone, Kira wanted Graydon to live a happy and fulfilling life. Even if she couldn't be at his side.
Graydon was unaffected. "We make quite the pair, coli. One willing to sacrifice everything. The other unwilling to let her. It'll be interesting to see which of us wins this skirmish."
"You're insufferable," Kira said, giving up.
"I know. That's why you love me."
The hell of it was she did. Somehow. Someway. With her whole heart and soul.
There were still days she found herself surprised by that fact. That she could love someone so entirely. To the point they became the very breath in her lungs.
"Your oshota are going to kill me when they catch up to us," Kira grumbled.
"They're not going to be happy, no."
Kira eyed him unhappily. "You gave me so much shit about misplacing my oshota all those times and here you do the exact same thing."
Graydon's grin was roguish. "You made it seem so fun. I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about."
Kira sent him a repressive look. "How can I be fading if Jin isn't dead?"
She may have had some doubts before but her dream had allayed the majority. That had been the real Jin she was talking to. She didn't know how, just that he was.
"Quillon believes there's something hindering your connection. Whether that's distance or another factor is up for debate." Graydon paused, choosing his words carefully. "Even after you're reunited, there's a chance your ki deprivation may relapse."
Kira processed the news that all the work she'd put in until this point might be undone. She released a shaky breath, nodding in acceptance. "If it's this bad for me, how much worse is it for Jin?"
That was the question that haunted her.
There was no garden oasis for Jin to steady himself. He was alone and without backup. So very far away. With no one to explain what he was going through.
"Quillon doesn't know. Since Jin is one of a kind, there's no telling how his mind will react to being cut off from you. It could be he's totally fine. His lack of a biological body could mitigate the side effects for a time." Graydon paused. "Or it could be worse."
Her health was failing. Her mental state was suboptimal. And Jin might be faring the same.
What a pickle they'd landed in this time.
There was nothing to do but accept the situation and then plan around it.
Just like Himoto always said—"Kira-chan, you may one day be in a place where your back is against the wall. You'll want to scream about how it isn't fair. But people like us know the universe has never cared about ‘fair’. Fight forward. Always."
