It was a whisper of a breeze. Silent. A touch so light, the single strand of hair laying across her cheek remained motionless. The faint chill nearly imperceptible.

She took a deep breath. Dreams of something distant faded from her mind before she could even think to remember their presence. All she knew was the deep ache they left in their absence, lingering into her waking thoughts.

It was early morning. The lack of sunlight greeting her slowly opening eyes told her that much. Instead, the inn's sparsely decorated walls were cast in pale light from outside, coloring everything in monochrome. Beside her, Itsuki's figure lay peacefully beneath her futon's covers, her chest rising and falling with barely a sound escaping her lips. A mumble from the futon across from hers, however, broke the silence for just a moment. It sounded like Fuu. Maybe she was dreaming about her sister again.

She smiled at the thought and rolled over, wanting to wash away the aching in her heart with the sleeping face of her most important person. But the futon she turned to had its covers pushed over to one side. Empty. The ache gripped her heart as she reached over and touched the fabric of the futon. Warmth still lingered in it. The ache subsided slightly, but she was already pushing her body up to get a better look around the room.

A wisp of air passed across her neck, and with it a chill. Her eyes turned to the door leading to the deck outside. It was ajar, ever so slightly. The early morning was calm, but the chill of the autumn air still seeped into the room through the opening left for it. Slowly, quietly, she got to her feet and went to the door. She couldn't see anything through the slight opening. She hesitated – she didn't know why – but then slid the door open and stepped outside, taking care not to disturb the others and closing it properly behind her.

Her gaze, drawn to a flicker of shadow, fell upon the figure in front of her. The girl stood motionless, staring out into the distance. Beyond the trees. Beyond the horizon. A breeze passed by, gentle yet cold, ruffling the girl's nightwear and gently flowing through her red hair hanging down to her shoulders. Her left hand lay over her heart, and her right wrapped around the railing as if to keep herself from somehow drifting away. The moon floated in the sky behind the girl, bathing her in the soft moonlight.

Ethereal.

"Yuuna-chan…"

The girl slowly turned her eyes upon her watcher, surprised but at the same time smiling as if she had expected nothing else than this moment.

"Tougou-san."

Tougou's breath caught in her chest. The ache returned. Yuuna's smile was all she could see, but the flash of anxiety Tougou saw before Yuuna covered it with her reassuring smile made her feel like she had stepped off a ledge. For a moment, she truly believed that the girl in front of her, so beautiful yet appearing so fragile, would disappear if she looked away, if she moved at all. Like a dream. This feeling, one she thought she had left behind, once again clawed its way back into her heart.

"Did I wake you? Sorry." Yuuna broke Tougou's trance with her whispered apology.

"No, it's fine." Tougou pushed down the feeling and stepped over to Yuuna's side. Their eyes never left each other's. Closer, she could see the faint lines of worry on her expression. "You're up early."

Yuuna didn't respond for a few seconds. Her eyes turned back to the tops of the trees extending out into the distance from below. "Maybe I just wanted to experience this time of night out here. Peaceful, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Tougou took a deep breath. "It's a nice feeling. I'm glad we came." The air wasn't cold enough for her to see her breath, but it chilled her inside all the same. Standing there next to Yuuna, it cleared the last remaining traces of sleepiness from her body. She inched just a little closer to Yuuna and loosely clasped her hands together. Out in the distance, she could just barely see the occasional glint of moonlight reflecting off the waters separating Shikoku from mainland Japan. From the newly reclaimed world they fought so hard to win back.

"Sometimes I remember it as if it were happening all over again." Yuuna said it quietly. "Sometimes I forget it's over." Her eyes didn't waver from the distant horizon.

"Yuuna-chan…" Looking at Yuuna again, Tougou's eyes settled on the hand Yuuna still held to her heart. It trembled, gripping her chest. Yet Yuuna's expression remained unchanged.

"Do you dream about it, still?" Yuuna asked. Tougou nodded.

"Yes. Vaguely. Not often anymore." She shifted her gaze to get a better look at Yuuna's face. "... How often do you dream about it?"

Yuuna hesitated. Tougou could see conflict wash over her expression for just a second. "It's gotten better recently," she finally said. "It's gotten better, but… it still hurts when I wake up."

"Yuuna-chan, don't forget, we'll always be here to help you." Tougou reached over to the hand Yuuna had on the railing and lay hers over it.

"Yeah. I know." Yuuna barely moved. "But when I'm dreaming, I'm alone. It's dark and I can't see. And then there's fire. And when I wake up, I can still feel the pain. Like the curse is still there." Again, her hand on her chest trembled, tensing with her words.

"Does it… hurt now?" A hint of worry crept into Tougou's voice. "Is that why you woke up?"

Reluctantly, Yuuna made an affirmative noise. She finally turned to meet Tougou's eyes again. "Do you think…" Yuuna's lips moved wordlessly after that, stopping and starting until she finally bit down on her lip slightly. "Do you think this pain will ever go away?"

Tougou felt her heart break. The quiet emotions buried in those words still seeped through to the surface for her to hear. The slight tremble in her voice.

Tougou stepped behind Yuuna. Both of her hands slid over Yuuna's, this time holding them with a gentle, reassuring strength. She leaned her head against Yuuna and took a deep breath. She could feel Yuuna's heartbeat even through her hand, so strongly its rhythm echoed the girl's feelings. Those feelings of anxiety she could feel in her trembling body.

"Yuuna-chan, it won't last forever. No matter how long it takes, I'll be here to make it go away." She drew Yuuna in close, holding her in a gentle embrace. "And when it does, I'll still be here."

Her dearest friend's chest heaved slightly. Just once. She didn't make a sound. Tougou squeezed Yuuna's hands and tightened her embrace. She would always be there for her. Under her fingers, she felt Yuuna's hands tense and tremble, and then relax. Yuuna slid her hands over underneath Tougou's and, with a longing touch, laced their fingers together. The trembling in her body slowly faded, replaced with slow, steady breaths. Together, they gazed out into the distance. The chill of the night was forgotten, vanishing in the warmth of their embrace.

A strand of hair red hair fluttered through Tougou's vision. She smiled. Her hands gave a little squeeze to Yuuna's before she let go. The feeling that flashed through her mind still fresh, her fingers wove themselves into the shoulder-length strands hiding the nape of Yuuna's neck. She twirled them around, reminiscing, then began gathering them up.

"Tougou-san…?"

"You let your hair grow out a little."

"Ah… yeah. It… I don't know. It just felt like I should." Yuuna giggled. Her voice was light. At ease. It put Tougou at ease as well, hearing the difference from just minutes ago.

Pull. Twist. Wrap. Tougou set to work in silence. The minutes passed by. Yuuna's head swayed slightly as Tougou's fingers stroked her head.

"Hey, Yuuna-chan. Do you remember when we went to the beach last summer?"

"Yeah. It was really fun being together with everyone." Her voice was soft, as if she were in a daze. "Why?"

"The morning we returned home, you woke up early."

"Ah, yeah, you were already awake." Yuuna's head bobbed slightly under Tougou's touch, remembering that quiet morning.

"I didn't sleep well. I was uneasy the whole night. I thought watching the sunrise would calm me, but looking out over the ocean only made my unease grow. I couldn't stop thinking."

"When I saw you, you seemed distant sitting there. So beautiful. I didn't want to look away."

Tougou smiled. Her face flushed ever so slightly. "I'm glad you were there. You listened to my worries. I couldn't calm myself, but you knew just what to say immediately. I remember you braiding my hair and telling me you would be by my side to keep my negative thoughts away. It's what I needed, and you knew. It was so simple, but I cherish that memory."

"Tougou-san…"

Tougou put the finishing touches on the twin braids she weaved and tied them together at the back. The words Yuuna said to her back then echoed in her mind. "Yuuna-chan, I'll stay by your side even more than usual today. Today and every day you need me."

Tougou stepped back, and Yuuna turned around to face her. The trees, the sky, the distant waters. They framed Yuuna perfectly. The braids in her hair appeared like a thin, delicate tiara laid at the sides and wrapping around to the back of her head. Moonlight danced across her body, making her figure appear to glow faintly. Yuuna was there in front of her, and she was beautiful. This wasn't a dream.

Yuuna's smile shined brighter than Tougou had ever seen.

"Thank you, Tougou-san."

Yuuna closed the short distance between them once again and lightly touched her forehead to Tougou's. Their eyes gazed deep into each other's, their breaths drifting across their reddened cheeks.

Tougou closed her eyes. She felt Yuuna's arms wrap around her back and pull her closer. Tougou's arms slipped around Yuuna's waist. She wanted to hold her forever.

"Thank you." Yuuna's voice was barely a whisper.

Tougou felt a tender warmth press against her lips.