They stayed like that for a long time. Not talking. Not moving. Just breathing together, watching the stars wheel slowly across the sky.
Sleep came gently. Saeko's breathing slowed first. Her grip on his hand relaxed. Alex waited a few more minutes, listening to her steady breath and the sounds of the peaceful night.
Then he closed his eyes and let sleep take him too.
The fire died to ash. The stream kept talking. The stars kept turning.
And in the quiet wilderness, two people who had faced monsters and gods and everything in between simply rested, together, in the silence that held all their words for them.
