Ken-ya

Maria LOVES dancing!

She wears a dress with a wide skirt because it allows her to move and dance without restrictions.

The light fabric also helps her feel less stifled during treatments or when her body grows weak.

To her, it’s also a symbol of freedom. Like a piece of clothing that doesn’t “tie her down” in a world where so many things limit her.

Since she was little, Maria found in dancing a way to forget about treatments and feel truly free.

Due to her illness, Maria often falls asleep anywhere: leaning back in a chair, resting against a wall, or even standing while waiting for something.

Still, when she wakes up in the middle of the night and doesn’t find Shadow in her room, she grabs her pillow and walks through the ARK’s hallways until she reaches the laboratory. There, she asks Shadow to come sleep with her.

If she’s told to stay in bed, she still finds ways to move: tiptoeing around, peeking through doorways, or dancing while seated just to feel like she’s “not trapped.”

Normally, Maria’s hair is soft and fluffy, with waves that sway with every step she takes.

When her health takes a turn for the worse, the softness fades: her hair falls straighter, dull, and lifeless, as if it too had grown weary. Shadow was the first to notice, and from that moment on, this subtle change became a silent signal that Maria was having a bad day. In those hardest moments, he sits behind her and gently brushes her hair not to “fix” it, but as his quiet way of telling her he’s there.

She prefers strap shoes because they give her a sense of security when walking; her strength isn’t always steady, and she fears tripping or having a shoe slip off if she ever needs to move quickly.

Shadow knows that if one day Maria isn’t wearing her stockings or her strap shoes, it’s probably because she’s too tired or unwell to dress the way she likes and that’s a silent sign she’s not feeling well.

If someone bothers Shadow or any of her loved ones, she doesn’t hesitate to step in front of them, even if she can’t fight. Her voice and posture alone are enough to make her stance clear.

During the ARK incident, when she and Shadow were separated from Gerald, Maria insisted on fighting by his side. Fearing for her safety, Shadow told her to hide and went off to face the battle alone. But Maria followed, determined to find him and help in any way she could. She fought with whatever she could get her hands on, her body growing weaker with every movement. In the end, after securing Shadow inside the escape pod, she stood her ground against the soldier aiming at her. There was no fear, no hesitation, only resolve and a flicker of anger in her eyes, as she prepared to pull the lever and carry out her decision to the very end.

One day, Maria told Shadow that when she got better and they finally went to Earth, the very first thing they would do was dance together at sunset.

The first time she tried to teach Shadow how to dance they nearly toppled over because he moved like a statue.

Maria learned to sew handkerchiefs and cloth dolls to pass the time. Once, she made a small Shadow doll and gave it to him. Even now, he still treasures it.