Xika nodded. She had unusual feelings for the younger Anthony too, but the gap in their ages was too great. And as an assassin in the Revolutionary Army's Assassination Unit, she could die on a mission at any time. She did not dare confess. She could only watch over him in silence and hope he grew up safe and sound.
After a while, Xika felt better. As a formidable Legendary Rank fighter, she had extraordinary vitality and powers of recovery. Given time, those gunshot wounds might not even leave ugly scars.
But when Xika braced a hand against the ground to stand, she suddenly realized she could not feel her left hand at all.
Only then did she remember that a Floating Cannon had severed her arm at the elbow. Her beautiful face tightened as she looked at the stump and smiled bleakly. "So I'm crippled now? Will I have to get one of those cold metal prosthetics like Uncle White? I don't know how they feel, but they certainly look awful."
The thought of wearing a metal Alchemical Prosthesis left Xika's mind wandering. At first, she felt miserable about being disabled. Now she was even less worthy of Anthony. But then she reminded herself that they could never be together anyway; they were like sister and brother. Her thoughts took another turn. What would a metal prosthetic feel like? If made through Alchemy, it ought to have simulated sensation. She could even fit weapons inside it, like hiding the Rapier she used now within the arm...
"Hey! Xika, are... are you all right?" Anthony saw her stare go vacant and feared her injuries had worsened.
Xika came back to herself and smiled calmly. "I'm fine. It's only half an arm. Uncle White lost both legs, a hand, a kidney,