Then –

"Chi..."

"Eh?" My eyes opened wide, and I gasped as Chi’s frail body appeared in front of me. She was unconscious. I reached out and gathered her close to me, realizing that she was warmer than I would have guessed. I was certain that she'd died during the battle, but here she was in front of me, still alive. I cradled her little body and brushed a kiss across her forehead before I spoke in a trembling voice that I barely recognized as my own. "Chi, what – "