<div class="floatright">(http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/7056/asukatoyamato.jpg)</div><br/>Asuka took the file with an unnecessarily strong grab, but she didn't want to read it right now.  The words were simple enough, and she could discover the truth later.  If she let herself open up, if the true nature of everything she was feeling really opened up into the full deluge, she would drown in her sorrows before she could manage anything else.<br/><br/>"They were still my family," she managed, her voice already starting to break despite her best efforts.  "Maybe they were the only family I had, but you didn't mind stealing them away from me without a thought for what I might want."  Sparkles of energy started to cascade around her clenched fist, begging to be set free, to show everyone what she thought of all of this nightmare.<br/><br/>Hadn't she asked for this, though?  Hadn't she all but begged to be a part of all this and open up to her new powers?  Was it any surprise that she got more than she truly wanted?<br/><br/>The manashards faded, slipping from the orbit around her hand and tinkling upon the ground before disappearing.  "Here's what's going to happen," she said.  "None of us trust either of you right now.  Both of you seem like you're willing to let us go our own separate ways, and maybe that's true, maybe that's not.  We've just been through fuck all, though, and we're going to need some time.  If either of your people attack us, we know who we have to join.  Until then, we're going to do some research of our own and find out what's<em>really</em>going on."<br/><br/>She stripped off the hospital gown, giving Makoto quite a view as she threw on some jeans, a shirt, socks and sneakers, leaving underwear for someone with more time than she had.  "Makoto, I'm going to go get Yuka.  We'll all meet up somewhere after that; make sure the redhead doesn't run off without us."  Her voice didn't want to sound distraught.  She wanted to be strong right now.  She couldn't afford to fall apart or she'd ruin everything.<br/><br/>"You two," she looked to Mizuru and the alien healer, "can leave some way to get in touch with you if you still want to petition for our services, but I want you gone before Yuka and I come back.  If you see us as anything more than pawns in some gripe-fest between both of your organizations, you'll understand why."<br/><br/>With that, she was out the door, using her Zen Direction to wander her way towards finding her friend.  Only when she was out the door did the tears finally start coming, unbidden and leaving her with enough vision to see, but giving her enough quivers throughout her being that she had to fight to keep from collapsing.