She tried to do as he said and failed. "I can't," she cried in despair.
"You have to! Just think of it like this - if this were a daydream, you'd have full control over it. Nothing would happen at all unless you wanted it to, and you wouldn't even think twice about it. That's the kind of control you need now. Believe that everything that happens from now on is within your control."
And just like that, she decided the liquid would stop. And it did.
"Thank goodness," Jasper said under his breath. More loudly he told her, "Now just free her. Shatter the crystal and let her free."
Her mind started to return to the nightmare. That's how Jian-wa had killed them. He had made the crystal explode. She couldn't do that. Neko would die.
"No! Don't lose focus!" Jasper panicked. "Stay with her. You can do this. Just picture her safe when you do it."
But rather than the crystal, it was Mi-chan's confidence that was shattered. Jasper was still her enemy. He might still be trying to kill Neko.
But not if he was falling for her. She had said it herself - Neko had saved Jasper's life and now he couldn't live without her. She was all he had to live for.
He was still encouraging her. "Remember, you are Mizuno Michiru, protector of your sister. You can do nothing that will hurt her. Just set her free."
*Destroy the crystal. But keep Neko-chan safe* she repeated to herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jasper's dreams had been wrought with terror for weeks after Amethyst had died. Finally, he had sought help from a monk on Eryx. It was that knowledge that he passed on to Mi-chan.
And it seemed to be working! But with every move Mi-chan made, he panicked that something would go wrong. Especially, when her face and body told him more or less what she was thinking. But he had to trust her. *Michiru-san can do this. She kept Neko-sama from drowning, didn't she?*
No sooner had he thought this than he heard the crystal shatter. "Neko-sama!" he cried, suddenly realizing that the fall from that height do some serious damage as well.
He turned in time to see all the liquid from inside the crystal splash to the ground and flood the entire area the fire encompassed. As it reached the fire, it extinguished it immediately. They were free� but where was Neko?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Neko didn't know what had happened, but she didn't really care either. One second she was moments away from drowning, the next it seemed she was in Mi-chan's arms, safe and sound.
Overcome with emotion, Neko began to cry. She didn't know how to express her overwhelming relief.
"It's alright," Mi-chan told her, her voice breaking. Neko looked at her and was surprised to see her crying too. Maybe she hadn't been as fearless as Neko had thought.
"Don't cry, Mi-chan," Neko begged her. "I'm safe. We're safe."
"I'm not crying, baka," Mi-chan said stubbornly. It was a lie, but it made Neko smile all the same.
But she frowned again when she realized Mi-chan was hurt. "Mi-chan, your arm!" Actually, it was about where the burning sensation she had felt was. She impulsively rubbed her arm at the same place.
"It's nothing," Mi-chan insisted, pulling her arm away and hiding it behind her back. "Just a minor burn, really. Don't worry about it."
"I felt it," Neko whispered. "You should let Jasper-kun fix it." She knew Mi-chan would reject the idea straightaway, but she meant it. She didn't want Mi-chan hurt anymore than Mi-chan wanted it for her.
"I'm sure I wouldn't want to inconvenience Jasper-san," Mi-chan said defensively.
"I don't mind," Jasper said quietly. "Whatever Neko-sa- Neko-chan wants."
Mi-chan looked back and forth between the two of them. She apparently couldn't think of another excuse and finally said irritably, "Whatever! Just do it."
Satisfied that Mi-chan would be okay, Neko turned from them and ran to Tenshi, who was still unconscious.
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