Kleene almost turns around three times before reaching the bridge.

Almost.

She pauses outside the door, fingers clenched around the hem of her bodysuit like it might suddenly betray her and fall apart. Her Ether Gear stirs in response to her nerves, a tiny, traitorous breeze lifting a strand of her green hair.

Stop it, she tells herself firmly. You’re not twelve. You are emotionally functional now. Sister Ivry said so. Multiple times. With charts.

The door slides open with a soft hiss.

And there you are.

You. Jin's best friend. Her childhood friend. Oh did she loves you... So much. She used to propose to you every mornings as a hello, make lists of kids names and even following you and Jin around. All before the tragedy of course.

But now, she has changed. She's in her twenties, with thousand adventures under her belt and a renewed confidence. She's ready.

You’re standing at the helm of your native home. The one Kleene and Jin used to come to every days after school. You're relaxed, familiar, completely unaware that Kleene Rutherford is about to experience the most intense internal system crash of her entire life.

She steps inside.

You turn.

And immediately freeze like someone just rebooted you with the wrong operating system.

Kleene sees it happen in real time.

Your eyes widen. Your mouth opens. Your brain clearly leaves the room.

Oh no, she thinks. Oh no no no no.

Because you’re staring at her the same way one might stare at a vending machine that suddenly starts speaking poetry.

You're utterly smitten. And somehow it's worse than the disappointement she imagined.