Written By: Armina Qi Saxton

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Epilogue: Where's Gino?

She looked out into the ocean that surrounded the island, her arms wrapped around her as she stared out into the blue water as a small fire crackled nearby. It was late into the night, she knew, but sleep was not about to come to her just yet. Not even the cold air could keep her inside, not when there were other things on her mind that were keeping her up at this late hour. Only the lapping of the water calmed her to a point where she wouldn't go insane with fear and worry, two feelings that she had never once experienced at the same time nor at the degree in which she was feeling them now.

Sasha turned her head up towards the cloudless sky, her tear-stained cheeks red and swollen from crying. It was nights like this, no matter what time of the year it was, that she loved to just stand at the water's edge and look up at the stars that were shining down upon Gaia that night. Instead of feeling like she could reach up and take one of the stars into the palm of her hand, it was as though the sky was father away from her then it should be. Something inside of her wanted to scream at the world around her, but she felt like she couldn't scream any longer.

Her lungs would not permit her to give any loud screams and her throat was sore from talking so much in the last few days. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, as though she had not slept in days and had been going by caffeine alone. Few knew why she looked so terrible, when she hid behind a mask of perkiness. Only Moira seemed to know the fully story and, under a horrible pain of death, was willing to tell no one. Perhaps his hidden love was why she was standing out upon the beach near the charred remains of the Gambino Mansion, staring up at the stars.

Sasha felt something warm come over her shoulders and she jumped at the touch of something cold brushing against her arms. She looked over her shoulder to see Leon standing behind her, fully clothed in his armor, as he wrapped a blanket over her shoulders. Smiling an unspoken thank you to him, she took the edges in her hands and pulled them closer to her body. He stepped back and to her side, turning his attention to the ocean in front of him.

"What are you doing out here so late at night? Dawn will be coming shortly, and I doubt there will be few others who won't voice other concerns of you being out here by yourself," He said with a quick glance over towards her. He had seen the red eyes and knew who she was thinking of; if there was anything that he could say to her, then he had already said it.

"Couldn't sleep. The ocean air helps sometimes, to calm me," Sasha said with a frown. "I could ask the same thing of you."

"I've got the late night, early morning watch of the port and island. I've got a valid reason for being out here in the cold weather and more then enough on to keep me warm. You, on the other hand, don't in either case."

"I was just thinking about someone, that's all. Someone I haven't seen in a while and very worried about," She said, turning her eyes back towards the sea. If Leon read her expression correctly at the moment, he would have seen more then a hint of worry upon her face.

"Let me guess: Gino?" He asked, not even taking the time to think about his question, although he should have already known the answer to it without asking. She nodded briskly, pulling the blanket over her even more tightly. There was something else that he knew, but did not dare to voice his questions in case he was wrong.

"Where is he, Leon? You headed up the search for him right after the Olympics, didn't you?" Her voice was pleading, as though she was trying to get away with something she knew she couldn't otherwise. Leon's face changed to the same rock-solid expression that he had given Edmund the day of the memorial over two months ago, his eyes turning downwards. "Leon, answer me. Please."

"I can't tell you much, if I don't know myself. Yes, I searched for him the day after the Olympics, as well as a few others. Gambino himself ordered it, but only if Gino didn't show up at the mansion's doorstep in a week or two. Some of us weren't about to just sit down and wait for the boy to come back on hands and knees, like his father expected him to. I don't think that man cared if his son ever came back, if the search was just a ploy to keep everyone guessing where he was." Leon raised his eyes up, yet kept them confined to the water ahead of them as best as he could. He found that he couldn't keep his eyes straight upon the water as he normally was able to do in situations like this; instead, he turned towards Sasha and kept his eyes away from her as best as he could. "I have a feeling that Gino did return home, but everyone else was in the dark about it. There are things that even I don't know about the Gambinos, same as everyone else, and Johnny keeps a lot of things secret. Better then I ever could."

"You don't believe he went back, do you?" Sasha whispered quietly. Leon shook his head on this, shifting his weight slightly. He was nervous, of course, about giving news to people, even if it was good news. It always affected him in ways that he didn’t expect anyone to understand.

"I honestly don't know if he did nor not, Sasha," He answered as truthfully as he could. "Hell, I wouldn't blame Gino if he didn't want to go back home, with the things I've heard that went on in that household. There are, however, people in this land that care for him deeply."

"Yes, there are people who do care for him," Sasha said, a soft smile coming upon her lips. Leon gave her a sideways glanced, the subtle look that came into her eyes and the way she was smiling confirmed his earlier suspicion. He smiled at the thought, wishing he could do the same. That quickly faded when she turned quickly towards him, a fire replacing that short-lived look of love. "But where is he? Why haven't you found him yet? He isn’t dead, is he?"

"That's the problem, Sasha. No one knows. Not even the Council does and they have long since abandoned the search for him." The pained looked upon her face, from what he could see in the dying fire's light, brought his own haunted feelings to the surface. It was the look that he had failed someone that he could not take as he attempted to push back these same feelings. He was glad it was still dark enough for Sasha not to really see the expression on his face. "I...I can't keep looking for him. There is only so many places I can look and so much time I can devote to finding him. I'm sorry, Sasha."

"I know there is so much you can do. I was hoping that there was something new you could have told me," She said, wiping the few tears that she had left from her eyes with the edge of the blanket. "And, no, you didn't fail anyone, Leon. It is as though Gino doesn't want to be found. I hope that is what it is."

"To me, failure is not an option," He said automatically and he regretted saying it not even a moment later. Sasha's right hand found itself upon what little face he had exposed from out underneath his helmet, her palm connecting swiftly across her right cheek. It took him by surprise as he staggered back, putting a hand to the place where Sasha had slapped him.

"Leon, don't you EVER let me hear you say that again!" She shouted at him before she gasped out loud and put the same hand she had slapped him with to her mouth. A horrified expression came upon her face, all color draining from her feature. "Oh, Leon. I'm sorry. I....I....it was just that...."

"I think you've been spending too much time around Ruby. You've picked up a bad habit of hers, I believe," He said, rubbing his cheek on last time before lowering his arm. He tried to smile it off but couldn't, upon seeing her horrified expression. "Look, you better get back home and get some sleep. Good night.....er, rather, good morning."

Leon turned around and started to walk back up towards the main road that wove itself around the Marketplace and towards the port, still shocked at the fact that he had been slapped. Sasha still stood there, looking after him, not moving nor saying a word to the retreating figure. She stood like that for a few moments more, still in shock of the action that she had taken. It was the emotions she was feeling, about not knowing where Gino was, and upon hearing Leon all but blame himself for not finding him that he had made her do such a thing. She looked out upon the ocean, her hand moving away from her mouth as she pulled the blanket back around her.

"Gino, where are you?”

****

This was a place on the other side of Barton, past a small river and towards the east. One could say it was a junkyard for things that ere long since forgotten, if it wasn't already declared a town by the Gaian Council of past. Few Gaians ever traveled this far east to a place that not even the shopkeepers seemed to have remembered. They only went the distance if they needed something for their homes or just salvage a few pieces here and there. It wasn't crowded like Durem, nor as small as the island, but it was just enough for those that lived there and that was just fine by them.

Nothing ever happened in this place, not counting the few times, late at night, when it seemed like everything was lit up by a new robot being built or was out of control. It was quiet for the most part, even on the days where there were more then just a handful of people there, looking for more then one odd item. It was quiet enough, they supposed, then what their sister city was like. Even so, they wished something would happen that would bring life to their normally peaceful existence, without having to travel the distance to the next town over or to anywhere else.

Nothing ever happened in this place, until that very moment. It was the early hours of the day, a time when most people were still in bed and trying to get the last few moments of sleep until their alarm woke them up. It was not a time for late-risers to be up and about, nor was it a time when one would think something would happen just as quickly. Not even half of Durem was awake and it seemed like the city never slept during the day or night hours. However, even those in Durem would have been shocked at the figure that stumbled into the cluttered space that was called Aekea.

The stranger looked no older then the age of nine, but was at least sixteen years by Gaian standards. He wore what some would considered an outdated costume of elegance, that looked like it had been dragged through the pits of hell and back again. Dirt, mud, and blood covered most of his clothing, his feet dragging his worn body through the first through paces into Aekea until he fell upon his knees, one hand holding himself up while the other clutched the same arm that held him up. His young face was smeared with dirt that looked like it had been on there for a while, his hair matted and tangled with mud. His clothing was torn and frayed, each article of clothing looking as though it hadn't been washed in months or possibly years.

If one were to look closely at his eyes, those deep purple eyes that were as blank as the morning sky, they would have seen nothing there. Not a trace of memory of where he was, how he managed to get there, nor was there any sign that he would remember why he was in the state he was in. He couldn't even remember how he survived the months that he last had been seen, not even if he tried. He couldn't tell anyone his own name, no matter how many times he was told who he was and where he had come from. He didn't know and didn't expect anyone else to, either.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was something shiny and metal coming towards him.