About ten years of time have passed living here...
...I can tell that Mother is fading away.
I first noticed the abnormality about three years ago. The volume of Ten's aura cloaking Mother was visibly diminishing. Every time she nurtured me with breast milk, and every time she conjured something for my sake, her aura reserves decreased slightly.
Ten reveals a portion of one's active, manifested aura (Kenzen Aura). Since active aura is merely what appears on the surface, observing Ten alone makes it impossible to gauge the total underlying potential aura reserve (Senzai Aura). That is why I failed to realize it in time—that Mother's underlying aura pool was gradually draining...
If only Mother could use Ren, I would have realized much earlier. But Mother cannot use any advanced Nen techniques beyond Ten and Hatsu... The fact that the drain has begun degrading her surface Ten itself is proof that her latent aura is nearly exhausted...
Does she have twenty or thirty percent remaining? Or perhaps even less...?
I already know the truth. This Mother is not a Nen Beast I created. If she were a construct born of my Nen, there is no way she would possess knowledge unknown to me. She has told me Father's name, what he did for a living, and how they first met. It is far too complete and detailed to be a product of my imagination.
If she is not my Nen, then whose Nen is she? The answer is obvious: she could only be my birth mother, who was forcibly awakened to Nen because of me and died of exhaustion right after giving birth.
Even after death, she created a manifestation of herself solely to nurture, raise, and protect me... Even though it was because of me that she died...!
And now, Mother is on the verge of disappearing once more. Every time she does anything for me, her aura is consumed... That spent aura never replenishes. She is walking a slow, gentle, but inevitable path toward total dissipation...
Naturally, I refused to allow it. I tried refusing her milk, attempting to eat scavenged food and rats instead. Disgusting or not, none of that mattered. Anything was better than losing Mother!
Yet, every single time, Mother would scold me: "You must never eat such unhygienic things!"
After being scolded three times, the deep mental taboo was irrevocably carved into my psyche: "I must never eat dirty things."
What's worse, every time she scolded me with intense emotion, her aura drained even faster. ...My desperate resistance had only accelerated the hour of Mother's demise.
"Aisha-chan. You must be getting hungry, aren't you? Let's have your meal."
Even if I tried to refuse, it was pointless. I would only be scolded and compelled to drink anyway... So, I drank. I accepted Mother's final gift of love...
Mother is already on the verge of fading into nothingness... Having given me her final feeding, her form is becoming faintly translucent, step by step...
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I won't be able to stay with you until the very end."
"Why... why are you apologizing, Mother? I'm the one... sniff... who should say sorry. Because you gave birth to me... I made you die..."
"Hush, now. It's only natural for a mother to stake her life for her child. It's nothing you should ever apologize for."
"...Thank you. For... hic... giving birth to me."
"You're very welcome. If anything, I should be thanking you. Thank you for being born into this world."
"Thank you... for raising... me..."
"Of course, my dear. Raising her child is what a mother does. Seeing you grow up so healthy and strong makes me so happy."
"Th-Thank you... for... l-loving me."
"Of course I love you. There is no mother in this world who doesn't love her child. If someone like that existed, I'd give them a good wallop!"
"...No, please! Don't fade away! Stay with me forever! I won't... be selfish anymore, I promise...!"
"I'm sorry, Aisha. I want to stay by your side forever too, but... I don't think I can anymore..."
"Aaaah, please don't go! Don't leave me alone!!"
"Listen closely, Aisha. These are Mother's final wishes. Please listen carefully."
"Don't... don't say 'final'..."
"It's wonderful that you're full of energy, but you must learn to be graceful and ladylike too. You are a lovely girl, after all."
"...Mhm."
"Take good care of your health. You must never eat unclean, spoiled food."
"...Mhm."
"You have a kind heart, Aisha, but you mustn't place blind trust in everyone. Observe the other person carefully, listen to what they say, and judge for yourself."
"I'm... not that stupid, you know."
"Then I'm reassured. And lastly... be happy. Painful and sorrowful things will inevitably happen as long as you live. But you must overcome those hardships and find true happiness."
"I can't... Without Mother... how can I ever be happy...?"
"You can. I know you can overcome anything. After all, you are my pride and joy."
"...I'll... try my best."
"That's my good girl. ...It looks like it's time to say goodbye..."
"Mother?! Please, talk to me more! Just a little longer!"
"My only regret is that I won't be able to see you in a wedding dress. I'm sure you would have looked so breathtaking..."
"Then stay alive until then! I'll give you as much of my aura as you need!"
"Don't be unreasonable, sweetheart. ...This is my very last request. Please don't cry. Let me see your smile. I don't want the last memory of my daughter's face to be one covered in tears."
"Y-Yeah. ...I-Is this... good?"
"Yes, you look so very adorable. ...Aisha, you are my greatest pride. Don't worry... I will always, always be watching over you from above....."
"?! Ah... Mother?! Mother, don't disappear! Don't leave me all alone...!!"
That day, rain fell over Meteor City.
And so, the water running down my cheeks was just the rain.
I made a promise to Mother. I promised I wouldn't cry.
Therefore, this... is just the rain.
◆
A full day has passed since Mother disappeared.
The sorrow still lingers, but I have somewhat sorted through my feelings.
Humans are creatures incapable of sustaining intense emotions indefinitely. No matter how fierce the grief, the cruel flow of time relentlessly wears it down. Of course, that doesn't mean this sadness will ever vanish completely.
...I cannot spend my days drowning in grief forever. I made a promise to Mother: that I would become happy. That I would overcome sorrow and hardship to find happiness. If so, I cannot linger here in a daze. Staying in this place won't allow me to fulfill my promise to her.
However, before I leave, there is something I must take care of.
"Pleased to meet you. Perhaps we might have crossed paths in the past, but since that was over ten years ago, allow me to say pleased to meet you."
"...What business do you have here, young lady? Did you enter knowing this is the Council Chamber of Meteor City?"
"Yes. You who sit here are the ones who decide the policies of Meteor City, correct? I came because I have a small matter of business. Please rest assured. I have no intention of harming any of you."
"...How did you get in here?"
"By suppressing my presence with Zetsu. As for locating this room, I figured it out by eavesdropping on conversations from people outside. Ah, the guards at the gate are merely unconscious. I inflicted no physical injuries, and there will be no lingering side effects. ...May I state my business now?"
"...What is it?"
"Before that, one question. Are you aware of the hazard zone located approximately twenty kilometers northwest of here?"
"?! ...Ah, the one that appeared about ten years ago..."
"My business is a simple request: please ensure that no one ever touches or trespasses upon that area. Can you grant me that?"
"...That is no issue. By council consensus, we had already decided never to interfere with that land."
"Then that is settled. Well then—"
"Wait, girl."
"...Yes?"
"We understand your request. But who on earth are you? We have never seen a girl like you in Meteor City. With your striking appearance, there is no way you could have gone unnoticed."
"...Are you praising me, perhaps? Nobody other than Mother has ever praised my looks, so it's a bit embarrassing. Ah, apologies. I haven't answered your question. Leaving without answering would be discourteous, so I shall answer."
"I was the one living in that hazard zone. Does that make sense to you now?"
"...?! You don't mean... the Devil Mother and Child from the rumors?!"
"...My mother was as kind and pure as an angel. If you ever insult my mother again, I won't take your life, but you should be prepared to lose an arm or two...!"
Gasp!
"...My apologies. I accidentally let my aura leak. I'll rein it in immediately..."
"In any case, I intend to depart from Meteor City for a while. During my absence, I will not tolerate anyone defiling the land where my mother rests."
"...Understood. We will strictly instruct everyone to stay away..."
"Thank you very much. ...Right. Since it feels unfair to only have my request granted, I will listen to one of your requests as well. Is there anything you desire? As long as it is within my power and not unreasonable, I will oblige."
"...In that case, if a situation should arise in the future that we cannot handle on our own, would you lend us your strength...?"
"...Understood. Quite a clever deal. However, I currently possess no means of contact..."
"Once you acquire a means of communication, you need only relay it to us."
"Fair enough, if you are satisfied with that. Well then, I shall take my leave. Farewell, gentlemen. Take care of yourselves."
"..."
This should suffice. With this agreement, that sanctuary won't be vandalized even after I leave. If the sacred ground holding my memories with Mother were ever desecrated, I might lose control and go on a rampage in blind fury...!
I've truly changed... This must be the result of Mother's overbearing education... Good grief, she was quite the handful of a mother. Don't do this, don't do that; do this, do that—she took the "helicopter parent" role to a whole new dimension.
...Mother. I'm going to do my very best. Please keep watching over me...