Something was obviously on Stella's mind. I could tell by the way she was twirling her hair. It was just something I'd noticed about her since we met.

"Okay, yeah. So I was gonna teach you how to do some mobility drills. But I kinda wanted to talk to you about something, too," she explained.

"What's up?" I asked, curious.

She grinned. "It's nothing bad. I just didn't wanna talk with the Power Fitness kids around."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Stella sighed. "Because I'm not good at being social with them, okay?"

"Really? I think they're pretty nice. You get along with Suguru, right? I mean he's not a member but they're obviously gonna rope him in."

"Yeah, he's alright. But those guys are so intense. And loud. And they have such high energy. It's exhausting."

I shrugged. "They're alright. I met this guy named Kaz, and he's pretty nice. He was kind of awkward, but I thought it was endearing."

"Kaz huh?" Stella asked, tilting her head.

"Anyways," I said. "What's up? Why are we over here, and not over there?"

She sighed. "After the whole mess with Sammy back there, I've been feeling... frustrated. Like, really, really frustrated.

I nodded. That made sense. She was a former tournament champion in martial arts as a kid, after all.

"I get that. You were challenged to a fight, and then you lost it right before entering the gym. It must be a huge blow to your pride."

She shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "Yeah. It's not that I've ever been a sore loser or anything. I guess I just assumed after the training exercise that I had gotten my edge back after running through half the class. It's just... I've been slacking. I've been goofing around as my alter ego and not really practicing and getting better in general. And now I'm not sure where to go from here."

"So... about secret ancient magic family kung fu?" I asked.

She chuckled. "Yeah, that."

I blinked, and she gave me a mischievous look before dropping her voice low.

"Obviously, I was fostered by the head of the Matsudaira clan, and she's the one who taught me my family's style. She told me that I'm not allowed to teach it to anyone unless I marry them or they're a blood relative."

I blinked again.

"Oh."

Blood relative?

She was giving me a look like she was expecting me to realize something. I thought about it for a moment. We were half sisters, and that meant that...

"Oh."

She smiled. "Yep."

"Oh! So you want to—"

"Yes."

"But—"

"Yes."

"But aren't Lady Matsudaira's techniques literally priceless secrets?"

"Yep. And I want to show you how to do some of them. As long as you promise to keep it secret, too."

I was floored. This was a huge deal.

"But... why?"

She shrugged, and looked a little embarrassed. "Well, for one thing, you need to know how to defend yourself. I mean, I'm not saying you're helpless or anything, but it doesn't hurt to have an ace up your sleeve. And besides..."

She trailed off. I waited, and she bit her lip. She looked a little uncomfortable.

"Besides what?" I asked.

"It's just... I know you have a lot of magical power, and I know that you don't know how to use it. And it's not like I can help you with that all that much. But I can help you learn some fundamentals to protect yourself up close, at least. And besides, you're my sister. I don't have a lot to give you, but I have this."

"Stella, that's—"

"Hey, don't mention it." She grinned. "Now come on, let's get to work. We're gonna get started on some basic movements and breathing exercises. Okay?"

I shook my head. "No, my problem is what you said about not having a lot to give me."

She blinked, looking a little confused. "What do you mean?"

"Stella, I know you. I've known you for almost two weeks, and we've spent a lot of time together. You've given me so much, and I haven't had a chance to give you anything in return."

She laughed, but it was a bitter sound. "I mean, Sienna, come on. We've hung out a lot, but that's not really giving. It's just friendship. It doesn't count the same way."

"Of course it does," I argued. "Friendship is important, and you've given me that."

"Sienna, I—"

"Stella, you've been there for me. You've supported me, you've been my friend when I needed one. You've been there for me when I needed someone to talk to. You cried over me when you thought I was critically injured, even when you barely knew me. You've done more for me than all but a handful of people in my life in that time, and I'm not sure if I've done enough for you in return. I don't think I have."

"Sienna..."

"And now you're offering to teach me your priceless, secret, family fighting style?"

She shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's not like she's around to protest. And I'm not a stickler for the rules like she was. Plus, no offense, but it's going to be a long time before you can actually use it. Your physique is just awful."

"Hey!" I pouted.

She giggled. "Sorry, sorry. But seriously, it's gonna take you months to even be able to move beyond the absolute basics, because you're just not strong or fast or flexible enough yet. Hell, it's going to take a long time before you can even get to the point where you can start practicing the actual moves. But, there's stuff we can work on now that'll help you down the road, and it'll get you started on the path to getting strong enough to practice the real stuff."

I smiled. "Thank you, Stella."

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, too. "Don't mention it."

Then, she extended her back, arching it to the sky, and then she bent her legs, putting her hands on her knees. She leaned her lower body to the left, stretching her muscles out.

"Follow my lead, okay? I saw you squatting with Ichigo and Albert there. It's important to keep your spine healthy and flexible, especially as you get stronger."

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I nodded. She took a breath and exhaled, and then she moved her body to the other side. Then she bent back, and stretched her arms out.

"This is a good stretch for your back. Feel it in your lower back?"

"Y-Yes," I said, following her lead. It was a good stretch. It felt like I was opening up my chest and shoulders. It was also hard, though, and I was feeling a little winded.

We ran through a number of stretches and mobility exercises for the next ten minutes, and by the end, I was a little tired. But it felt good.

"Okay," she said as we finished up. "Now, this next part is a breathing exercise. Sit with your legs crossed, and place your hands in your lap. Close your eyes. Take deep, slow breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Focus on your breath, and clear your mind."

I did as she asked. It was peaceful.

I felt a little silly, sitting here in the middle of a huge gym with my eyes closed and my legs crossed, but it was nice to focus on my breathing, and not have to think about anything else.

I didn't know if I was doing it right, but I was trying my best.

"Now, think about your body. Feel the energy inside you. Let it flow through you, and out of your palms. Imagine a warm, bright light coming from your hands, and let it fill your body. Let it fill the room. Let it fill everything. Feel it in your hands, your arms, your chest, your legs. Let it fill every part of you. Let it flow through you. Let it fill your lungs, and let it flow back out of you."

"Erm. Like my mana?" I asked.

"Sort of. This is similar, but not quite the same. It's a deeper part of you. You'll feel it when you find it. Just try to relax. You'll know when it's right. Just er, don't accidentally fire off a Luminary Bolt in our corner here, please."

I giggled. "I'll try my best. Twilight Aster gave me a similar exercise to do to help me with controlling my mana a bit easier. Maybe it's related."

"Maybe," she replied. "This is similar, but different. The goal is to feel it through your body instead of externalizing it. It's a lot more difficult to master than just channeling mana."

I shrugged. "Well, here goes... er, nothing?"

I closed my eyes again, and focused on my breathing.

I felt the warmth of the light in my hands. Instead of letting it spark through into the familiar golden orb, however, I relaxed, and imagined that it was flowing through my body. It was a slow, steady flow of energy. I imagined that it was spreading from my hands and through my arms, into my torso, and then into my legs. It was a gentle, soothing sensation.

"I... I think I feel it," I whispered.

"Seriously?! Sheesh! I can feel it rolling off you."

Stella sounded perplexed and a little jealous, but she was still encouraging.

"Wow. Uh. I guess you're a natural. I mean, it's a bit choppy and not perfect, but it's amazing that you're able to pick it up this quickly. I mean, it's a lot harder than the basic mana channeling exercise. But I guess those help. It took me months before I really felt it. I was expecting you to take a few weeks at least."

"I don't know what to say. I just did what you said."

She snickered. "Well, whatever you're doing, it's working. Keep going. Try to balance it so that it coats your body evenly. You're still externalizing a lot of it, and you have to keep it inside."

"Okay..."

I took another deep breath. I felt the energy flowing through me. It was a warm, comforting sensation. I focused on my breathing, trying to keep the flow of energy steady.

...

My mind wandered, as I meditated on the energy inside me.

I felt the energy flow through me, and I felt... safe. Warm. Protected.

It was a strange sensation. I'd never felt like this before.

I was alone, but not. I was surrounded by this warm, comforting energy. But I couldn't help but feel that it was incomplete. It was a nice feeling, but it wasn't the same as having someone hug me.

I felt myself fading into the sensation. I felt my body being enveloped by it. I felt my mind drifting away.

Then, I heard a voice.

It was a familiar, friendly one. One that I'd missed without even knowing it.

"Hey there, Sienna! Been a while, hasn't it?"

My eyes snapped open and I nearly fell backwards.

Sitting across from me on the mat was a familiar, but very unexpected face.

She was a cute, fair-skinned girl with short black hair and big, dark eyes. She wore a long, pink hoodie with white accents and an inner shirt with a stylized heart and the word 'LOVE' printed on it. She wore a short black skirt and stockings and had her legs tucked underneath her. She was sitting cross-legged and leaning forward, resting her chin in her hands and elbows on her knees, staring at me intently.

She looked almost exactly like Stella, except that she was dressed completely different, and her hair was shorter, darker and she had dark brown eyes instead of hazel.

She was also, somehow, even cuter and more girly looking than Stella. Her hoodie had a pair of white and pink bunny ears attached to the hood, and there was a pair of fuzzy pink and white bunny slippers on her feet.

She smiled warmly at me, and her eyes twinkled as she pulled her hood back. The girl didn't look that much older than me, maybe in her early to mid twenties at most. But she had a short haircut I associated with suburban moms and not college students, and a very youthful, friendly face brimming with energy.

"W-who are you?!" I stammered. "Where's Stella?"

The girl in front of me giggled and winked. "Don't worry about it. We're in a safe place, and no time is passing where you were. Think of it like an in-between dimension. I can't stay long, but I really wanted to introduce myself and say hi."

She stood up and stretched, popping her back and neck. "Man, I've been waiting for you to figure that trick out for forever."

"What's going on?!" I said, standing up. "How did you get here?"

She snickered and winked. "Oh, it's a secret. But I wanted to introduce myself."

I narrowed my eyes, and she grinned and stuck her tongue out at me.

"We got to talk when you were fighting that silly billy little emo kid when reality's walls thinned, remember?" she chirped. "I was the one who saved your cute little booty from your mana going all splody-woldy. Seriously, that mother of yours always pretended to be the logical, rational one but she's totally the type to just recklessly throw everything she has at the wall to see what sticks. She's so extra sometimes."

I blinked, stunned. "Wait, you're... huh?!"

She pouted and crossed her arms. "You totally forgot me, didn't you? I saved you from total annihilation and you don't even remember me. Well, aren't we ungrateful, missy! You're just like your mother, you know? Always doing crazy, reckless things and just hoping it works out. She was always trying to do things the hard way, and it was such a pain to keep her from getting herself killed. But she was always too stubborn to listen. God I love her, but sometimes she's just such a bonehead. You're lucky you take after your daddy, at least when it comes to smarts. And you're both cuties, too."

I blinked again. "No. I. Uh. Just surprised. But that... That would make you..."

"Yep! That's right." She grinned and struck a pose, her hands on her hips and her chest sticking out. "The one and only, in the flesh! Or, well, ghostly energy. I'm not really in the flesh anymore, since I'm dead. But that's fine, because I'm still here. Kinda. Ish. It's complicated."

My mouth was hanging open. I closed it and opened it again to speak, but nothing came out. I shut it again. I was still stunned by her sudden appearance, and her attitude. She was a lot more bubbly and cheerful than I'd expected, given who she was. And she looked a lot like Stella, too.

"Cat got your tongue, huh?"

"No. I... I'm..." I said.

She winked and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, I get it. I know, I was surprised too. I thought it'd be the end, going out the way I thought I would. But, hey. Stuff happens. No use crying over spilled milk, right? And at least you're still alive. That's all I could have hoped for, and then some. I'm just glad I was able to save you."

I shook my head. "But... I thought you were..."

"Dead?" she asked. "Well, yeah. I mean, I'm a ghost. Ish. Sorta. It's a little hard to explain. I was gonna try to appear earlier, but you were still getting used to your powers, and your mom's are kinda crazy, you know? Like, I tried to talk to you through the mirror, and that didn't work. I tried a lot of stuff that didn't work, and I'd just fade in and out of awareness. Then I got the idea that I could use your little meditation practice as a way to contact you. Pieced together a theory on how I'm still here through that and everything. And my own experiences with this in-between place. And whaddya know? Here I am. It worked. But I'm only here for a bit. I'm not sure if I can help much, since I don't have all my memories and sense of self and stuff intact. So, I can't just pop in and give you advice whenever you need it, but I can try."

"You're really her," I breathed.

"In a sense." She winked and giggled. "But you can just call me mom. Or Aunt Jinny, this is a weird enough situation as is."

I shook my head. "But I..."

"Yeah, I know. You're confused. But don't worry about it. I'm here to help you however I can, and that's what matters. And, hey. I'm proud of you, kiddo. I saw what you did back there, against that stupid little emo brat."

She grinned and winked again, flashing me her iconic sideways peace sign.

"You did great, sweetie. I know it was hard, and you did the best you could, and found your sister and saved your friends. Again and again. I'm proud of you. You've grown up to be an amazing woman."

I couldn't help it.

I hugged her.

She was warm and solid, and smelled like flowers and chamomile. I buried my face in her chest and sobbed. She wrapped her arms around me and stroked my back. I cried for a while, just letting it all out.

I'd been through a lot in the last few weeks.

And now here I was, hugging a ghost. It was all so much.

"I missed you," I mumbled, my words muffled by her clothes. "I never even met you but I missed you."

"It's okay," she whispered. "Let it all out. I'm here. I'm here, Sienna. Let it all out..."