I kept sniffing the air trying my best to keep up with Kara's scent. I knew we needed to catch up with the others soon, this city just seemed way too dangerous for us to be split up. Plus, we had some people to reunite. Seth seemed to be fine without Io (not in a bad way, but he wasn't overly worried that he'd never see her again), but Kovu still seemed to really be missing Kara. I know I'd be worried sick about Alex if he were still around.

Come to think of it, why was it so hard for me to tell them all about Alex earlier. I mean, once I got started, telling them didn't seem like to big of a deal. But why was I still partially stuck? About that time Ariel looked down at me and asked, "Hey, what's wrong?" I put on my all-too-familiar fake smile and said, "Oh, nothing. I-I'm just thinking." She frowned. I guess that time she didn't buy it. "C'mon Asuka. I've known you long enough to tell when something's bothering you! Now let's hear it. It may help your "condition" if you know what I mean," she said with a wink. In my mind I pictured Alex doing the exact same gesture and I felt the tears welling up in my eyes as I thought of him. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew what was keeping me from being human again. I know I had thought I knew several times before, but this time I was certain what the problem was.

It was my new friends.

Every time any of my new friends would do something that would remind me of Alex, I'd begin to feel sad. I saw his smiling face in my mind once again next to all of my new friends. That's when I finally broke down and cried. Sky stopped and turned around, "Hey, Asuka? You alright?" I couldn't help but sob. It was all stored up inside me since the day I first met Ariel. "I-I feel like," my voice cracked from all the sobbing, "Like I'm replacing Alex with- with you guys!" "What!?" Kasumi asked startled, "Asuka, you can never "replace" your brother!" I stopped crying for a minute and looked at her. "Look, I know you and him were really close, but you can't replace someone's impact on your life, you just can't." "She's right," Ariel smiled, "From what I can tell of him through your story, your brother would want nothing more in this world than for you to have friends that you can be close to. I know he's your family, but families can have more than one person right?" She was right. Life isn't meant for being close to one sole person and then never associating with anyone else. I'd finally solved the problem. I wasn't replacing Alex at all, I was expanding my "family". "I'll be right back," I said scampering off into a closeby ally.

About thirty seconds later I walked back out of the ally and looked at my friends, smiling and said in complete human form, "I'm cured."

Continue?
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HOORAY! Asuka finally became human again! That's why she could never accept thinking of Ariel as a sister, she felt as if she'd be "replacing" Alex! Now that that's solved, she's all better! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, again!