Aiko woke slowly, the scent of fresh earth and smoldered embers still clinging to the morning air. Her body ached with exhaustion, but it was a distant thing, like a storm had passed and left behind only silence.
The silence was broken by the soft, rhythmic sound of breathing beside her.
Her eyes opened fully, and she turned her head.
Ryou.
He lay beside her, pale but alive, his face relaxed in sleep. Not the restless sleep of the cursed or wounded, but real, dream-filled rest. His chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm that made something tighten in her throat.
She didn't want to wake him, not yet.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she let herself simply watch him. No monsters, trials, timelines, or curses. Just him.
She brushed her fingers lightly over his, remembering the way his hand had gone limp in hers only hours before. A shiver raced through her.
He stirred.
"Morning," he rasped, his voice gravelly.
Aiko exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "You're awake."
He gave her a weak smile. "Wouldn't miss the part where you finally admit I'm always right."
She laughed softly, the sound cracked and small but real. "Don't push your luck."
He reached up, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You look different."
"So do you," she said. "You look... lighter."
"Do I?"
She nodded. "Like something let go of you."
He looked at his hands, then his chest. "Feels that way, too."
They lay there for a few moments longer before Ryou slowly sat up, groaning as he stretched his arms.
"It feels… strange," he said.
"What does?"
"Not having it anymore." He tapped his chest. "The bond, the power."
Aiko sat up beside him, hugging her knees. "I know."
"It's not bad," he added. "Just… different. Like I lost something that was never mine to keep."
"You didn't lose anything," Aiko said. "You gave it up. For me."
He looked at her, his expression softening. "I'd do it again."
She reached out and took his hand. "I don't want you to."
Their silence said more than words could. The air was thick with things left unspoken.
"I used to wonder," Aiko said quietly, "if I would ever feel normal. If I'd ever get to just exist, without being watched, feared, hunted."
"And now?"
"I think... I get to find out."
A rustle of leaves signaled Mei's arrival. She approached with her usual swagger, a pack slung over her shoulder and two small bundles in her hands.
"Hope you two are decent," she called, tossing one of the bundles to Ryou. "Breakfast. Don't ask what it is."
Ryou caught it and raised an eyebrow. "Looks like compressed despair."
"You'll live," Mei said. She passed Aiko her bundle, then flopped down near the embers of their old fire. "Smells like peace out here. Weird, right?"
Aiko smiled faintly. "Very."
Mei's expression shifted, more thoughtful now. "What now?"
Aiko blinked. "Now?"
"Yeah." Mei crouched beside the fire pit. "You shattered a legacy and ended a curse. Kinda feel like you should have a plan beyond 'sleep forever.'"
Aiko looked at Ryou, then at the sky. Morning light danced through the trees like a quiet promise.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But I think… I want to choose."
"Choose what?" Ryou asked.
"Everything. Where we go, who we become, what kind of world we leave behind."
Mei gave a crooked grin. "Good answer." She stood, stretching. "You earned it."