I arouse from sleep at the feeling of something warm under me. It moves up and down slowly in a steady rhythm. I'm laying on top of someone. My eyes flutter open and scan the room.

Oh. Right. That happened.

The events of last night come flooding back. Amata's proposal runs through my mind and I automatically feel the blood rush to my cheeks. He's the one that I want to spend the rest of my life with. He's the one I love so deeply that I'd be willing to die if it meant saving him.

Amata. I'll marry you. I will! After everything is over, we will get married!

Carefully, so I don't wake Amata, I sit up, covering my naked body with the blanket. Shush is nestled on the floor in my Element suit, asleep and snoring. My hair is down and it falls onto my bare shoulders.

Looking over at a peacefully sleeping Amata, I smile. He looks so much younger right now. His relaxed features give him a youthful looking appearance. Handsome, but young. It's amazing how much stress can age a person. His smooth, bare chest rises and falls, showing his scars and reminding me of what he's suffered through.

I run my hand through his messy hair. He seems at ease, no nightmares running through his mind. When was the last time he was able to sleep normally?

Leaning down, I press my lips to his gently, kissing him as he sleeps. We did so much kissing last night, and yet my lips still beg for more. My whole body begs for the experience of last night again, wanting my nerves to be electrified with that amazing sensation, but I suppress the urge. Instead, I just kiss him. Once, twice, a third time. His lips are nice and soft this time. My hand continues to stroke his hair as I admire his features. Thank God that he's actually gained back some of the weight he lost. He looks healthy again, not sickly like before.

Suddenly, with another stroke of my hand, he stirs and his eyelids open.

"Oh I'm sorry! Did I wake you up?" I ask. "I wanted to let you sleep a little longer."

He shakes his head and smiles. "No. It's fine." His eyes sparkle as he stares at me. Those bright, violet eyes gaze into my soul and I can't help but start to feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"W-why are you looking at me like that?" My face flushes as I look away in embarrassment.

"Because you look so beautiful right now," he replies. His hand reaches up and out from under the blanket and he plays with a lock of my hair hanging down near my face. "About last night: That was...amazing. It really was."

I nod. "Yeah... That was...really nice..." My eyes close, getting lost in the moment again. "You're right. It was amazing. It was pretty romantic, too. I've never been so close to someone like that."

"Me neither. Was it as good as merging?"

"Oh definitely!" A rush of warmth runs through me. "It felt even better than merging."

He grins. "Agreed."

Amata sits up, his part of the blanket falling around his waist, just enough to cover his...unmentionables. His lips part and connect with mine, sending me into a blissful heaven of kisses. It's nice to have privacy away from everyone else, so no one has to see us this intimate with each other. His hand reaches up and caresses my face, wanting me to press in even more so, and I do.

"So, when's our wedding?" I joke, pausing from our little moment.

He laughs. "Well, I told you, we'll worry about it later."

"Aw! I don't wanna wait!"

He playfully and lightly shoves me by the shoulders. "I'm surprised your cat didn't kill us."

I laugh. "Honestly, I think Shush has just given up by now." I place his hand on my cheek and hold it there. "But I loved it. I love you."

"I love you more," he says gently.

"Are you trying to one-up me?" I smirk. "I see how it is!"

He puffs out his cheeks, annoyed. "Can't you just let me admire you like this?! Don't make me take back what I said about last night being amazing!"

After a few moments of silence, we break out laughing. We hold hands and sit on the edge of the couch, still allowing the blanket to cover our bodies.

Leaning my head on his shoulder as we sit side by side, I say, "You know, you're still a dork."

He scoffs. "You're still a nerd."

"H-hey! Who gave you the right to say that about me?!"

"Uh, you did? Literally, when we first met, you told me outright that you were a nerd and you quoted 'Skies of Aquaria'."

I bite my lip, realizing he's right. Laughing nervously, I say, "Y-you're right. Ugh!"

We laugh even harder.

"At least no one interrupted us this time," I add. "We better keep our mouths shut. If this gets out, we are so screwed."

"And you can bet that Andy will be all over us about it. He'll be telling everyone back at the Academy," Amata grunts. "No matter what, we can't say anything. It's our secret."

I cuddle closer to him. "How's your leg? Are you gonna be able to walk on it?"

"I think so. It still hurts, but I can put up with it for now. What about your shoulder?"

I peer under the blanket. "It hurts. But I think I patched it up well enough to be able to use my arm more. We need to regroup with everyone now that we've had some rest."

"How are we gonna regroup? We're all separated. And Cayenne's communication device only connects to HQ."

I think for a moment. "If I had to take a guess, everyone probably would've headed back towards the Vectors. We should head there."

Amata nods. "Right." He looks at the floor. "Do you think our mission was successful?"

I shrug. "I guess so. I haven't been outside in a bit, but I think Mykage's activity has stopped. He's probably stuck at the moment since we interrupted his plans."

"What about the curse? How are you feeling?" He puts a hand under my chin and looks me in the eyes. It's been a while since I've seen his violet irises glint with such life. I almost get lost in his gaze again.

"I feel fine! No sore throat, and I don't feel any different." Lowering my voice, I say out of the corner of my mouth, "And obviously all my lady-parts still work."

Amata holds back a chuckle. "Oh yeah. Definitely."

I nudge him with my elbow, but I end up laughing anyway.

"Does this mean, we stopped the curse without any repercussions?" he questions. "I don't want to look out the window and see that the planet is dying because of us."

He grabs his Element suit from the floor and begins to put it on while I stand up, wrapping myself in the blanket. I head over to the window and peer outside at the city. The sun shines brighter than I've ever seen it on Altair. No one walks the streets, but strangely, there seems to be more life around us. I open the window and stick my head out. A butterfly swoops down to greet me and I hold out my hand. It lands and crawls on my finger.

Amata limps over to my side. "I think our mission was pretty successful, judging by this change in atmosphere."

The butterfly flaps its wings and decides to land itself on my nose this time. I look down at it.

Amata giggles. "You look ridiculous like that. Your eyes are crossed."

A big old smile creeps across my face as I chuckle. Eventually, the bug leaves my nose and flies away back outside. Amata's eyes are focused on me.

"W-what? What's with that stupid smile on your face?"

He quickly covers his mouth. "You're just..." He stands there, putting his weight on one leg, as he looks me up and down. "You look amazing in this light."

"B-but I'm naked and wrapped in a blanket!"

He shakes his head. "You really think I care?"

I sigh. "Can you pass me my Element suit?"

Amata looks down at it, eyeing the sleeping Shush. "Uh, am I gonna get attacked?"

Exasperated, I lean down and grab it, knocking Shush off and waking him up. He growls at Amata angrily, but for some reason, doesn't engage in an attack.

"Hey little guy! Have you finally lightened up to me?" Amata tries to talk with my pet.

Shush snaps in response and Amata leaps back. "Yeah. No. I'm not going near that thing."

A snicker escapes my mouth as I begin to put on the suit without hurting my shoulder. Once I'm fully dressed, I throw the blanket on the floor and grab a few rags. Using one, I tie it around my wound, and using the other one, I crouch down and wrap it around Amata's injury as well.

When I stand back up, Amata starts to twirl and play with my hair.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Turn around," he says. "I'm gonna try and do your hair."

Obeying, I turn my back to him. "Do you even know how to make a bun?"

He pauses before saying, "Well, no. But I wanna try." I feel his fingers pulling at the locks, figuring out how to arrange them properly. "Your hair is really soft."

"But it's messy-"

"Ssh. It's nice. I like it." He pulls away. "Finished."

I feel around my head. The bun seems to be pretty neat. "How's it look?"

"Beautiful," he says with a smile in his voice as Shush leaps into my hair.

"Okay. There's one last thing I wanna grab before we leave this place."

Amata raises his eyebrow. "What's that?"

Hesitating, I say, "You're not gonna like it..."

"Why am I not gonna like it? Is everything alright? What aren't you telling me?"

I turn and start to head towards the bedroom, where the remains of the Alteans that lived here reside, and the gun still lies untouched on the floor. The sight immediately makes me sick to my stomach. Amata hobbles behind me on one leg.

"No! Don't come in!" I try to push him away and block his view, but he just shoves me aside and stands in the doorway to the bedroom. A few seconds go by of him just staring at the scene. A minute. Longer. His eyes are wide and unmoving as he holds himself against the doorframe.

"A-Amata...?"

First, he finally directs his gaze at the bones on the bed, then the bones on the floor, and then the gun. He stares, fixated on it. I bend down and pick it up carefully, only to see his breathing quicken slightly and the sweat beading on his forehead.

"I'm bringing it for defense. There seem to be bullets still remaining," I say as I inspect the gun's chamber, but I'm not experienced with these weapons at all, and I shakily fumble with it, avoiding the trigger and firing it at all costs.

Amata swallows. "Y-you're bringing that...?" he finally chokes out after moments of silence. "D-do you have to?"

My eyes meet his, pity reflecting in his violet pools.

"I'll hang onto it. Trust me, you won't even need to see it."

I begin to tuck the gun into my boot, but I feel a hand stop me. Looking up at him, Amata says, "No. I-I'll take it."

"What?! Are you sure?"

He takes it from my hand and stares at the weapon. The blood completely drains from his face and leaves it a slight green color. His whole body trembles and sweat beads on his forehead.

"Amata, you're gonna make yourself sick-"

"No!" he cuts me off. "I'm the one protecting you. I'll hold it. It's my job to keep you safe. You shouldn't have to keep this with you." He sticks it in his boot before exhaling. "See? I'm okay. I can handle it."

I look at him, unsure whether to take the gun back, but I decide to leave it alone. Knowing how stubborn Amata can be, I realize it's not worth fighting about.

"Alright. Let's go."

He nods and leans on my good shoulder for support as we make our way towards the front door of the apartment. I'm happy to finally be leaving. I can't stand the essence of the place, especially with dead bodies inside and the gloomy aura hanging over our heads.

As soon as we make it to the roof, Amata scoops me up carefully and takes off into the air.

"Remember: Don't strain yourself," I say to him. "Don't go doing anything reckless."

"I'm fine. You're injured too, you know." His voice bears a different tone than usual. It's assertive and confident.

The city seems oddly quiet and unmoving. Mykage's mystery mass is still hovering far above into the sky, but it's more visible now that the energy isn't obscuring it from sight. It seems to be at a standstill since Ianthe was destroyed. How long will it remain dormant though?

"I don't like the look of that thing," Amata mutters. "Something feels extremely off about it. And..." He trails off.

"What? What's the matter?"

"I had a dream last night after we both fell asleep, and that thing was in it." He shakes his head. "I can't explain it, but I have a bad feeling about it. There's some sort of connection, but I can't place it."

I bite my lip. "Let's just regroup for now."

We near the headquarters where we came for the meeting with Izumo. I expect Amata to fly right past it, but he slows down as we get closer.

"Why are you slowing down? We should be heading back towards that cemetery."

Amata gazes longingly at the building.

"It's your mother, isn't it?" I say. "You wanna save your mom."

He nods. "Now is the perfect time, before the war picks up again and things get out of hand." His eyes meet mine. "Please...?"

I don't respond at first.

"Please, Mikono. I wanna see her again. She's my mother."

After what Alicia has done, Amata is willing to forgive her. She left him alone. She wasn't there for him. No one was there for Amata, and there's no doubt that it messed him up, as much as I hate to admit it. She allowed her own son to be tormented by others, as well as himself. He still continuously beats himself up inside over it all. A child needs their mother. I never had a great relationship with my parents, but at least someone was there. If it wasn't my parents, then it was my brother. I had someone who was willing to look out for me. Amata never did. I can't imagine being completely alone for years. It's no wonder that he constantly needs reassurance that I won't leave him. He's scared of pushing me away. I see that now. He's terrified of me leaving. After all that he's been through, he's worried that it's not worth tolerating for him.

But of course it's worth it. I don't care how many panic attacks he has. I don't care how much his PTSD takes over. I don't even care how many more times he may come close to death, nothing will turn me away. I'll always be there for him, no matter what happens in this messed up world.

And of course, I'll be there at his side while he saves his mom.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go save her."

Amata's face lights up. The beaming expression on his face could light up a Christmas tree, and his eyes gleam with happiness as he nods vigorously. "Okay!"

He dives down towards the building, and I have to hang on to him for dear life.

"H-hey Amata?!" I call over the wind in my ears. "How are we sneaking in?! Izumo won't be so welcoming this time around!"

"I don't know. I'll think of something."

We duck behind the building, taking cover. Thankfully, the city isn't really active and our chances of being spotted are not as high as last time. We both peer towards the entrance. Two guards stand on watch, just like when we came here for the conference with Izumo.

Amata glances at a small window nearby. "Think we can fit in there?"

I observe it. It's tiny, but just big enough for a person to climb through. "It's worth a shot. Let me get closer."

He moves closer to the window and I try to smash it with the heel of my boot. At first, it doesn't do much, but I try again. After a few times, a crack starts to appear, and little by little, it grows bigger and bigger.

"Do you have to make so much noise?" Amata grimaces. "We might risk being noticed."

"I'm almost there." I shove my foot through, and glass shards fall inside the room of the building. Carefully, I maneuver myself in Amata's arms, and I grab the windowsill.

"Give me a push."

Amata cautiously eases me through, and my head is the first part of my body into the room. It's dark, and I can't make out where the floor is. I try squirming through farther, being careful not to fall.

"Can you push my legs in?"

Amata slowly nudges them in, but I lose my grip on the sill and I feel myself diving face first downwards.