A few days go by. The therapy has been going well and Amata is finally able to walk on his own again. He's still a little wobbly, but for the most part, he can get around. That doesn't change the fact that he still wakes up crying every night, and the vomiting occurs from time to time. Often, I'll be sleeping next to him and I'll wake up to find him burying his face in his hands to sob. Then he'll cry so hard he'll run to the bathroom and have a puking fit. This whole thing must be hard for him.

Finally, after being out of commission for some time, Amata is being released from the hospital. I now help him change out of the hospital gown and into his clothes. I have to look away as he pulls on his pants, so I don't make him feel awkward, but he hesitates to put on his shirt. It's laid out on the bed, blood stained on the black fabric and a hole where the bullet went through. The front of the shirt has also been cut straight down the middle, where the medical staff had to cut it off of him for surgery. He stares at it blankly.

"Amata?" I put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

He looks down at his body and touches all of his freshly made scars. There's the bullet wound on his chest, sewn up incisions from surgery, stitches on his forehead, although that should go away soon, and even healed up openings from where tubes had to be put in. His once smooth and perfect skin is now riddled with painful memories of suffering. It looks like he might tear up at any moment.

"Amata? You with me?"

He blinks, snapping himself out of his daze and he flings himself onto me.

I'm taken by surprise. "A-Amata!"

He holds me tightly in his arms and his mouth is next to my ear. "I can't believe I'm finally getting out of here. But I can't shake the feeling that this whole thing still isn't over," he whispers to me.

I know exactly what he means. "You're right. It's not over. There's still more we have to get through. But we can do it. We'll get through it together." I pull away and start to kiss every single scar on him. "I love you. We can learn to live with this."

He pulls me in close again. "Thank you. It's good to know I have you at my side. I don't know how I would've gotten through all of this without you. Hell, I'd probably be dead by now, or still lying on a bed comatose on life support." He gives a shudder. "That's terrifying to think about, to be honest." I can feel him getting wobbly in the knees and I help hold him up.

"It's okay. You're alive and kicking. That's all that matters now." We pull away. "Get dressed," I say. "Everyone's probably waiting for you, so they can give you a big 'Welcome Back' celebration or something."

He smiles. "Heh. Okay. I kind of need a new shirt though. I can't walk around with that one."

I reach under the bed and pull out a little package. "I'm way ahead of you already," I say, smiling. "I bought it for you the other day knowing that you would probably need another one."

He laughs. "Wow. You're the best." He takes the package and opens it up. The shirt is exactly like the one he had before. He slips it over his head and puts it on. Perfect fit.

"Do you like it?"

"It's great. Thanks." Then he sits down and puts on his vest, socks, boots, and gloves. However, he frowns when he realizes that he only has two weights for his boots. "Ah great!"

I purse my lips. "Uh oh. Are you gonna be alright with only two?"

"It's okay. I should have more in the dorm room. I'll have to manage a few minutes without them. Just, if I start to fly away, make sure to save me."

I chuckle. "Okay then."

Finally, we walk out to the car that is waiting for us. Cayenne is in the driver's seat and we get in the back. It feels so good to get away from the hospital. I'm sure Amata is even more relieved than I am. Things are hopefully going to return to normal.

"Hey, Ginger," Cayenne says. "How ya' feeling?

"I'm okay," Amata replies. "Glad to be coming back."

The car ride is mostly a quiet one, except for one part where me and Amata talk for a little bit.

"This is gonna be weird, going back to the Academy after being stuck in a hospital room for like, three weeks."

I nod. "Yeah. At least you're out of there now. Things should get better, hopefully." I give him a quick kiss.

Cayenne eyes us through the rearview mirror. "I saw that," he says through gritted teeth.

After that, we don't say much else. We travel the rest of the way in silence. After some time, we make it to the Academy.

When we step out onto the courtyard, I can see that every single Element from Holy Angel is gathered. Tables are set up with food and drinks. There's even a banner hanging up that says "Welcome Back Amata" on it. Everyone really went all out with this.

As soon as we're seen, everybody erupts into a chorus of voices, cheering and shouting, congratulating Amata's return. He made it. He survived. He fought like hell, but he made it, just like Andy promised he would.

"Amata!" "Oh my god, you're back!" "How are you feeling?" "When are you coming back to training?" "Here, have something to eat! You must be starving!"

As everyone bombards him with questions, he just puts on a smile and joins the party. He's acting like his old self again: sensitive, sweet, funny, and even a little awkward. I think he's adorable and I can't help but grin as I watch him get welcomed back like a hero.

Someone puts a hand on my shoulder and I jump.

"Whoa! Did I scare you? I'm sorry."

"No, Andy, it's fine," I say.

He shoves a glass of fruit punch into my hand. "Here! Drink up! Loosen up a bit! You must be in desperate need of having a good time!" Suddenly, his face lights up as he says, "Can you believe it?! They lifted the romance ban! Now I can finally hook up with a certain chick and not have my head pounded in by Donar!"

I laugh. "Yeah. Now I can finally be with Amata."

Andy smirks. "Oooh! What have you two been up to when no one else is around? Have you kissed yet? Huh? Tell me!"

I sigh. "Fine! Alright! Alright! Yes. We've kissed. More than once."

He gasps. "REALLY?! No way! When? And how long have you guys been in a serious relationship?!"

"Well, I wouldn't call it serious-"

Andy nudges me. "'Not serious' my ass! Come on! When did you finally admit your 'undying love for each other'?" he says, chuckling.

"We kissed for the first time outside in the little courtyard, when you guys all came and we just totally blew you off. We've been serious since after he woke up from the incident. You know, when he suddenly passed out in front of us when you, MIX, and Zess came to visit? The morning after he woke up from his-"

He cuts me off. "Oh yeah. I remember that day." He looks away. "That was a tough day, wasn't it?"

I nod. "Yeah. It was."

"But wait, you two have been together for real since back then? No wonder you were acting so weird when we had that talk outside the bathrooms! I'm proud of my D.B. I knew he would come through!"

"Uh, what?"

"Yeah, I've kinda been egging him on to get with you since he first came to Neo-DEAVA. Guilty! But why didn't I see that you two were already close that day after the incident?!"

"Maybe you should use your eyes and actually look! I definitely saw something going on between them!" MIX walks over. "God, men are so oblivious when it comes to things like that."

Andy's face lights up. "Hey Babe!"

"Are you two, like, a serious couple now or something?" I ask. "You just called her 'babe'. And the romance ban has been lifted, so it's okay."

"Unfortunately," MIX mutters. Then she sighs. "But, there is something about him that I love. Like the fact that he claimed he wanted to fill the hole in my heart."

"Huh?"

Andy chuckles. "It's nothing. Although I had to go through hell before she finally accepted me. She slapped me! She thought I meant filling the other hole-"

She nudges him. "Will you shut up?! That is not a great topic of conversation right now thank you very much!"

The two engage in a friendly bicker, and I can't help but smile.

"Mikono?" Someone calls my name.

I turn to see my brother standing at least a foot away. My stomach twists.

"Cayenne! What's the matter?"

He makes his way over to me. "Can I talk to you for a second?

I gulp. "Uh, sure."

We walk away from Andy and MIX, gaining a little privacy.

Cayenne releases a deep breath before asking, "You read the letter, didn't you?"

I look at my feet. "So, you know, huh? I'm really sorry."

"It's okay."

"Huh?"

Cayenne sighs. "It's okay. If you ask me, Dad overreacts a little. You're not useless. You're not dead weight. And you're definitely not a coward. Although, I'll admit, I thought you were at first. But some guy made me realize that you aren't, and I need to let you make your own path."

"Who made you realize that?" I step closer to him.

"Amata did. When he first woke up here after his first time piloting Aquarion, he told me how you've changed. He said you wanted to be a better person and that I should cut you some slack. He firmly believed that you weren't a coward. I didn't wanna listen to him at first, but he was right all along."

I stand there for a few moments in silence before asking, "Amata really said that?"

He nods. "Don't listen to what Dad says. It's not true. I've seen it for myself. You hold your own pretty damn well, Mikono. I'm glad to call you my sister."

I start to blush. "Thank you, Cayenne."

He gives me a little nudge. "Now go have some fun!"

I nod and rush off, but something catches the corner of my eye.

In a corner near the entrance of the main building, someone is slouched against the wall with their knees pulled into their chest. They stare at the ground. I walk over.

"Amata? What's wrong?" I crouch down next to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, Mikono," he says. "It-it's nothing."

I place a hand on his cheek. "There's obviously something wrong. What's the matter?"

Suddenly, he pulls me in and hugs me. His warmth is soothing. "Amata? Tell me what's wrong."

He sighs, burying his face in my neck. "I don't know. I just feel, like, tired and...It's all very weird, to have life go back to normal."

"Oh Amata. You're just a little overwhelmed right now. I get it. A lot has happened. You need time to recover mentally, too."

"Mikono..." Amata pulls me in tighter. "I love you. What would I ever do without you?"

I feel the sudden urge to kiss him, and I do, planting my mouth right on his. He doesn't expect that and he starts to lift off from the floor. Oops.

"Mikono! Help me!"

I hold onto him, wrapping my arms around his waist as his legs flail around in the air. "I got you!" I have him, or so I think.

Before I even know it, I realize that my own feet are not on the ground anymore. We're in midair, and I notice everyone staring at us. "Amata! Get us down!"

He holds me in his arms, but he can't fly back down. "I'm trying! It's not working!" His head touches the underside of the roof's overhang.

Reaching up with my arm, I push on the overhang, using it as leverage to force us downward. It works and we start to descend, until Amata's wings give out and we plummet to the ground. I land on my feet, but he lands hard on his back.

"Aagh!" He winces in pain. "Crap!"

MIX, Andy, and Zess rush over.

"Amata! Are you alright?"

He sits up. "Yeah. I'm good. I forgot that my rib is still sore."

We help him stand up. "This is probably why you're not allowed to come back to training for a while," Andy comments. "You'll just beat yourself up again. Anyway, why are you guys over here? Tired of the party already?"

I bite my lip. "No. We're okay. We'll be there in a minute."

As all three of them walk away, I turn to Amata. "You've gotta get that under control."

He scratches his head and chuckles. "Sorry. I can't help it. Why don't we head back to the party?"

"Okay."

We walk back, only to find Sazanka standing at a podium at the edge of the crowd, Shrade right behind her with a piano. What could possibly be happening now?

"Alright you party people!" Sazanka shouts. "To welcome back Amata, I decided it would be nice to treat him with a song, played by none other than our own Shrade Elan!" She blushes and looks like she might faint. "Isn't he just dreamy?!"

"They really didn't have to go through all this," Amata chuckles.

"Just go with it!" As Shrade plays the piano, I hold Amata's waist and grab his hand. It's a position for dancing. I've never actually danced with anyone before, but I've seen couples on the street and on TV do this, so I just try to copy their movements.

Amata wraps his arm around my waist and starts to dance with me. The melody is pretty, sweet, and slow. I trip over my own two feet a little, but I manage to get the steps right. We smile at each other, his gaze warm and loving. I love every second of this. Other people have also started dancing. Andy and MIX do some odd rendition of ballroom dancing. I guess Andy isn't so great with his feet, and neither is MIX. Half the time, he just steps on her toes and she slaps him. Yunoha dances next to Zessica and pretends that Tama is her partner. Even Donar and Suomi have managed to dance.

Time seems to slow down around us. The music continues to play, but we both stop dancing. We just stand there, looking into each other's eyes, almost like in the movies. Amata's smile disappears and his face bares a serious expression, before he leans in close and goes in for the kiss, closing his eyes. His hands move to my face and mine around his neck. My heart flutters as I press in harder. His lips unlock from my own for a second before kissing me a second time, then a third, then over and over.

It takes me several minutes of making out to finally notice everyone staring at us. Shrade has not stopped playing, but anyone who was dancing before has now become distracted by me and Amata. We pull away reluctantly. I look down at my feet and so does he, embarrassed by the public display of affection we just showed.

But instead of everyone getting grossed out, they all start applauding. Even Ms. Suomi and Donar! We immediately lift our heads and look around in amazement. Andy is cheering and whistling his head off. Yunoha giggles excitedly. Cayenne stands with his arms crossed, a slight smirk on his face. And Zessica smiles sadly. She already admitted that she knows she and Amata can't be together, but I can tell it's still painful for her to watch us together. Yet she still seems genuinely happy for us.

"Why is everyone cheering for us? Shouldn't the commander and Ms. Suomi be upset with us for making out in front of everybody?" I ask.

"It's a miracle that I'm even alive right now, so maybe they're letting us have this moment to realize just how precious life is, and that we may not have another chance to kiss again. Tomorrow isn't promised for anyone." Amata's hand finds mine and our fingers interlock.

"Well, I guess that makes sense. I'm glad to see that you aren't so keen to...kill yourself like before. You're actually valuing life again."

Amata looks me straight in the eyes, his gaze even more intense than before. "There is no way I am ever going to do that again. As long as I have you, my life is worth living, even with all the pain." He squeezes my hand before leaning in for another kiss, this one is even more passionate than the last.

The sound of cheering seems to grow louder, and it makes me want to press in even more than the last kisses.

After several more moments, I feel a presence walk up to us. "Alright! Alright! We get the point! You love each other! You guys are so gross. Geez," Zess's voice rings out.

Amata and I stop kissing and look up at Zessica, Andy, Yunoha, and MIX.

"Ooooh! Was that a little tongue-action I saw there? Bro, I didn't know you had it in you to kiss that way!" Andy smirks.

"Uh, what? I-I never said I-" Amata's face turns red in embarrassment. "I-it was just a kiss! N-nothing else!"

"Oh shut up, Andy! No one said anything about french kissing!" MIX crosses her arms.

"What's french kissing?" Yunoha asks.

"Ah! Nothing! You'll find out when you're older!" MIX covers Yunoha's ears. "WHEN ARE YOU GONNA LEARN TO KEEP YOUR DAMN MOUTH SHUT, HOLE-BOY?! WE'RE KEEPING HER AS INNOCENT AS POSSIBLE FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN!"

We all chuckle as Yunoha just stares at us confused. "Um, I do know about some stuff-"

"NO NO NO NO! END OF CONVERSATION! RIGHT NOW!" MIX screeches.

The crowd begins to return to dancing and the chatter dies away as the soft melody Shrade plays begins to grow louder. Amata rests his forehead against mine and we shuffle our feet, "kind of dancing".

Closing his eyes, he murmurs, "I'm so happy you're mine. I couldn't have asked for a better girl."

I smile. "Thank you. I love you, Amata."

Time seems to slow down again, and we "dance" in our own little world. I wish this moment could last forever.