Timelines: Loss

Palo-Mei stood in front of the memorial wall and stared at the gold etched names before her.
SEL-MEI
DIRK
Tears welled up in her eyes as sadness overwhelmed her. She had lost both her parents in quick succession, and the grief felt unbearable. Palo-Mei reached out and ran a finger over her mother's name, feeling the cool black stone of the wall under her touch. Why? Why did they have to die? It was so unfair. Anger suddenly flooded through her and she raised her bionic arm, intending to slash their names from the wall.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Palo-Mei paused and turned at the sound of the voice. Behind her stood the major, Kiara-Ne. Slowly Palo-Mei lowered her arm and frowned.
"What are you doing here?" she asked moodily.
"I've come to pay my respects," Kiara-Ne said calmly, her eyes glowing softly as she looked at the names.
"Then you should have gone to their funerals," Palo-Mei snapped.
Kiara-Ne glanced at the younger woman.
"I don't do funerals," she said.
Kiara-Ne lowered her head slightly as she remembered Palo-Mei's parents.
"They were true soldiers," Kiara-Ne said, her voice almost a whisper. "Warriors to the end. I can only hope that when my time comes, I go out in the same way: My wounds to the fore, and my enemies blood on my hands. You should be proud of who they were."
Palo-Mei turned away as the Major looked at her once more, waiting for a response. As much as she respected Kiara-Ne, Palo-Mei didn't want to talk to her right now. She just wanted to be alone with her grief.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" Kiara-Ne said, continuing on unconcerned. "You wish that the pain would just go. And sometimes it does, but then you see or hear something that reminds you of them, and it all comes rushing back. I know what that's like. I know what you're feeling."
Palo-Mei spun around, all the anger and sadness that had built up inside of her exploding forth at Kiara-Ne's words.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" she yelled at the older woman. "DON'T YOU DARE CLAIM TO KNOW WHAT I'M FEELING! NO ONE DOES! MY PARENTS ARE DEAD, DO YOU HEAR ME, DEAD! HOW COULD YOU EVER KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOSE THEM SO QUICKLY?"
Kiara-Ne's eyes began to glow a fierce red and Palo-Mei braced herself for a fight. The Major had a reputation for being able to go from 'normal' to downright scary in a heartbeat, and her temper was not something to be on the receiving end of.
"Do you think you're the only one who's lose loved ones, Child?" Kiara-Ne said, her voice icy. "We're soldiers, we've all lost someone at some stage. Do you really think your pain is greater than Archer's or Aurore's at losing Dirk? Or Nikolai, Base, Ali-Co, or Sasha over losing Sel? Or how about Bullet? You're uncle and Sel-Mei shared a long history together."
Kiara-Ne closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her voice becoming calm and reflective.
"And yes, I know EXCATLY what you are going through. I too stood at the brink of despair like you do now, and I know what it's like to step off and let it consume you. I lost my father when I was only 16. He was killed whilst on a mission. Mother took the news hard. They were Soultouched, and the thought of never seeing him again rocked her to her core. It ate away at her and she began to grow ill and waste away. Within a year she had become so weak that they admitted her to the medical wards for full time care. I was with her when she died. She was so frail you could see her bones poking through, and her skin was a brittle as tissue paper."
Palo-Mei looked at Kiara-Ne in shock as she heard the pain in the Major's normally unshakable voice.
"Mother's last words to me were to get her lipstick so she could look her best for Father."
"I... I'm sorry," Palo-Mei said softly, looking down as her rage ebbed away. "I didn't know."
"You weren't supposed to," Kiara-Ne replied, the strength coming back to her voice.
A warmth entered the older woman's eyes and she placed a hand gently onto Palo-Mei's shoulder.
"You're parents may be gone, Palo, but know this. They will always be remembered fondly."
Palo-Mei groaned.
"If you're going to add that they will always be looking over me, then I think I'm gonna hurl."
Kiara-Ne raised an eyebrow.
"Do I look like I'm sentimental enough to say something silly like that?" she said.
The two women shared a rare smile, and Kiara-Ne turned to leave, pausing momentarily to add one final thing.
"If you ever need to talk more, Palo, my office door is always open."
Palo-Mei watched as Major Kiara-Ne walked away, and nodded slightly.
"Thank you, 'Aunty'," she murmured quietly.
Palo-Mei looked back at her parent's names, filled with a new determination to honour them. After all, if the major could get past her pain, then so could she. She just needed the time...