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[He'd never really seen Jihae like this. It wasn't that he'd never seen him upset at all; after all, Jihae had told him some very upsetting things, had bared his soul to him in certain ways. But he'd never seen him this shaken, or unable to speak. Even though he'd awakened Jihae out of his sleep, this much of a shock was something different.

Aiichiro tightened his grip, his body perhaps a little stronger than when he'd left.]

I'm glad to be home.

[It seemed like a strange thing to say, really. This city was a place he had some problems with, and there were parts of it he wasn't happy to confront again. But this part of it wasn't something he was confused or torn about at all; Jihae was a certainty.]

I'm sorry if I scared you, but I'm really all right. See?

[His soft smile should be proof, right?]

[Every time he had wished for the woman he loved to come back to life it had not been granted. So he had begun to wish for something else. To forget that there had ever been anyone who made him feel valued. Ariel, this accursed place, never ceased to both give and take. It gave him Aiichiro, then made him believe he was gone, only to grant his impossible wish.

At what cost?, whispered a voice from the past. An unimportant one. It would only be heard later. For now all he could see was the boy in front of him - it hadn't yet registered that he had changed. All that mattered was that the scent he had sought to recapture was no longer a physical trace of a memory. Ai's voice was as present as his grip, as the way the dark room changed his appearance, his this, his that, all of him, too much to process at once.]

I've missed you.

[He can't exactly say the same thing in return. After all, he had forgotten, while he was away. There's nothing he can do about that; it's not his choice. There's nothing he can do about the fact it will probably happen again if he ever goes home again.

But he can make choices about the now, and his choice has been to live with this man, to consider him family, to be close to him.

He pressed his lips against Jihae's cheek and closed his eyes, nuzzling against him.]

It was a really long time for you too I guess, even if it was only a couple of days.

[That gentle kiss and affectionate touch may as well have been magic for how it whisked away Jihae's sorrow. He could now believe that this precious person was safe, back where he belonged. Wherever he'd been was unknown, whatever his future there, here was where he was loved.

For a few minutes Jihae lapsed into silence, but as was usually the case with him it wasn't empty. His hands roamed over Aiichiro's clothes, returning the affectionate, primal expression of how happy he was to see him with nudges, rubs and whuffs all over him.]

A really long time.

[He sounded calmer now. It had seemed like forever, but just like that, it was over.]

You've grown. Your training...?

It's going really well.

[ He brushed his fingers through Jihae's hair, letting his friend just touch him as he liked, not minding at all. He reveled in it, in fact, being rediscovered this way by someone he cared so much about. ]

I got to swim with my friends on a relay team there was a lot of competition for spots on. It was really amazing.

[ He laughed softly. ]

It might sound silly, but I feel... almost at peace with it, with how far I've gotten there. But I'm glad I'm back.

[Plenty of stylists touched his hair but whether it was due to emotional or physical sensitivity he felt a vast difference between how each individual treated the act. With his eyed closed he would know Aiichiro best out of anyone. Jihae hadn't slept well if at all and now that the anxiety had been banished his body tugged his consciousness towards sleep.]

It is not silly. [He kissed over Ai's bangs then down to the perfectly cute little mark near his eye to kiss it, too.] Do you remember when you would not refer to them as your friends, but people whom you knew? I am so glad your friendships have grown as well.

They have. Here more than there still perhaps, but even there...

[ Aiichiro laughed softly, giving a cheerful little wiggle at the kisses. He so liked to be kissed, and when it was someone he cared about, it made it even better. ]

Nagisa-kun used to really overwhelm me a lot, but before a race I managed to challenge him the same way he's always done me, even at home. And my own team...

A lot of things changed on my own team this past year. But I'm really grateful for everyone, and everything.

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