"I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are."

A person does not choose the life they were given, but they can choose what they do with it. Who a person is does not rest solely on the cards they were given when they were born; they are defined by what they do *with* those cards.

This is a lesson some Mewtwo take to heart quickly and young, but others struggle with its complications for years. Ri and Two, mated for a long time, have never acknowledged the meaning of this eloquent quote, but now, with their life changing around them and faced with the reality that they may need to interact with the world in ways they aren't ready to just to be able to live, Two prepares himself to let go of his past and forge ahead to decide for himself what a Mewtwo is.

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Oh, as usual, this is up on my Ao3 too!

- Ri