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“I cannot believe you have dragged me into this. I ought to chop off your head!”
Rui groaned. “Airi, come on…”
“I absolutely will not! I can’t believe you threw away the Storybook of Legends! And you stole my map to do it!”
“Keep your voice down, will you? Or you’ll get me hexspelled before we get it back!”
“I will not keep my voice down!” Airi shrieked. “Because I’m top of all of that, you drag me into this library before dawn so we can hope that Mafuyu agrees to try and teleport us into Wonderland to find it?! The same Wonderland that has been cursed for years now?!”
“…Yes?”
“I should have ended you when I had the chance when we were still home.”
“Hey! At least we’re going back, right?”
“Rui, please…” Kanade whimpered. “If you keep that up, she might not wait until we’re home.”
Emu swung her legs back and forth, humming to herself. They’d sort themselves out—she wasn’t too concerned.
“To be quite honest,” Rui admitted. “I just hope that you and Ena don’t kill each other.”
“Ena?” Airi raised an eyebrow. “Why would I worry about her?”
“Because she’s…” Kanade gestured. “…Ena.”
“So?” Airi crossed her arms.
“Okay, even if you aren’t concerned, she will be.”
“Let her be.” Airi huffed. “Clearly, I’ve got bigger things to worry about.”
“You all have no faith in me.” Rui sighed. “Would I have dragged you all into this if it wasn’t a good thing?”
”Yes!”
“Well, I mean…”
Rui placed a hand on his chest in mock offense. “How could you say such a thing?“
“Because it’s true.” Airi claimed. “And to be honest, I don’t understand why you want to do this at all! You’re the one who threw the book down there in the first place, but now that you’ve been caught, you’re going to help Ena and the others get it back?”
“I have a feeling that I don’t have much of a choice in the matter…”
“Then what was the point of doing it in the first place?!”
“…I got bored?”
“Bored? Bored?!”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Rui raised his hands up in fear. “I had a good reason, I swear it!”
“And do tell,” Airi hissed. “What is that reason?”
“…If I tell you, you’ll laugh.” Rui flushed.
“How about if you don’t tell me, I’ll send you to the chopping block?!”
“Alright, alright!” Rui whined. “I…I did it for—“
The doors to the library creaked open.
“Sorry.” An squeaked. “That was loud—I hate these doors. Mafuyu and Ena are coming, I promise.”
“Oh?” Airi raised an eyebrow. “You’re joining us as well, An?”
“Yes.” An curtsied. “And it is an honor to join you on this journey, Princess Airi. I truly am excited to see your homeland.”
Airi waved her off. “Don’t be like that. We’re classmates, no need for formalities.”
“Ah…yes, of course.” An cleared her throat. “But really, I am excited to go to Wonderland. Is it really as, uhm…wondrous as everyone says?”
Airi let out a soft chuckle, one An didn’t expect. “I personally think so, yes.”
“Aha…! In that case,” An grinned. “I can’t wait!”
An skipped off to sit next to Emu, and Kanade followed her while Airi’s glare returned as she looked at Rui.
“And for the record, I still don’t appreciate you dragging her into this, either.”
“…Sorry.” Rui’s ears went flat. “In my defense, I didn’t think she’d get this involved.”
“It doesn’t matter! You still took advantage of her stress and now look at her! I can see it in her eyes, so overwhelmed with the guilt and the stress of this secret you made her keep!”
“It’s not like I would have made her if she told me she didn’t want to!”
“You knew she was desperate enough to consider it, though, didn’t you?”
Rui grumbled. “Well…yeah.”
“Rui…”
Airi placed her head in her hands with another groan, and Rui felt shame rise to his cheeks. Truly, he hadn’t meant to involve his friends—any of them—in his own personal desires like this. And now, he had felt bad for dragging An into this, too.
Airi was right, he only asked her because Rui, like the nosy cat he was, knew she was questioning her destiny and would agree to anything as long as it meant she didn’t have to make a choice. But these past few days, An had become so light, yet so heavy at the same time. The secret weighed on her, she felt utterly terrible, but the idea of truly being free from the curse that was her story made her smile so brightly. Rui understood why people seemed to be so enchanted by her—her joy seemed to be infectious, and she shone like the sun when she grinned.
And after she had begun to open up about how her struggles—her friendship with Ena, her story—Rui had grown to care about her, too.
At the time, he thought throwing that book away was the best decision for not only Nene, but all of Ever After. Now, if they were just going to get it back in the end anyway, had he just made others suffer for his own selfish desires after all? Desires that would now amount to nothing?
“…I’m sorry.”
“No,” Airi shook her head. “No, no I’m sorry that I lashed out. It’s just…I can’t help but worry about you, Rui. All of you. You doing this could’ve gotten you in so much trouble. If you had gotten hexspelled, and we were separated…”
“I know.” Rui admitted. “I shouldn’t have risked it, and I shouldn’t have dragged so many people into it, either…”
“I doubt Emu, Ena and Mafuyu finding out was your fault. I just…I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
Rui hated it when Airi got that look in her eyes. She spent so much time worrying about all three of them, trying to protect them without hovering, keeping them all untied until they got back to Wonderland one day, if they ever went back at all.
Ever After hadn’t been the kindest to her, and now Rui was adding onto all of her stress with this…
“Just…please, Rui, if I lost you, I—“
Rui pulled her close. Airi rarely let them indulge in physical affection with others around, but An seemed too distracted by Kanade to notice either of them. “I won’t make this mistake again. We’ll get the book back, and everything will go back to normal, and I’ll—I won’t worry you like this anymore, I swear.”
Airi exhaled shakily, letting herself melt into the embrace.
“…Thank you.”
She let him hold her for a few more moments before they broke apart, just in time for the library doors to open once more.
“Forgive us.” Ena muttered as she and Mafuyu walked in. ”Some of us struggle with the concepts of punctuality and waking up on time.”
Mafuyu ignored her statement. “Is everyone here?”
“Mhm!” Emu chirped. “So, what are we gonna do?”
Ena looked at Mafuyu, who nodded.
“I…I think I can get us through the curse. Maybe.”
“Maybe?” An echoed.
“I can try. I most certainly can’t reverse the curse without my full power, but…”
Mafuyu stared down at her hands.
“I know how. It might just be enough to get the seven of us into Wonderland.”
“How do you do it?” Airi questioned.
“I just have to recite my mother’s curse backwards.” Mafuyu explained. “That’s all.”
“And you’re sure this’ll work?”
“…Somewhat.”
“Hey, I’d trust it.” Rui shrugged.
“That brings me zero comfort.” Airi huffed. “However, I can see that we have very few options, so I am willing to try.”
“If Airi’s willing,” Emu hopped up. “Then, so am I!”
An and Kanade quietly approached the rest of the group, and with a final once-over, Airi nodded.
“Seems as if we’re all on the same page.”
“In that case,” Ena titled her head. “Mafuyu, if you would?”
“Mhm.”
Mafuyu closed her eyes, breathing deeply a few times. She knew the exact wording of her mother’s famous curse, The Evil Queen had particularly made it her lullaby ever since the day she cast it. It took no effort to remember the words said.
She muttered to herself slowly, carefully reciting the words backwards, ignoring the persistent, pounding pain in her skull and the twist in her stomach.
Kanade gulped, her hair whipping in the sudden wind as she and An clung to each other. It suddenly occurred to them—as well as everyone else—that they had never seen Mafuyu actually use her powers before.
Emu, from what Kanade could tell, seemed unaffected somehow. She might have even been fascinated. Truly, what did phase that girl?
There wasn’t any time to find the answer before the seven of them vanished into nothingness.
“Ugh…”
An rubbed at her eyes, struggling to adjust to the light.
“Owchie…my head…”
“Tell me about it.” Rui groaned. “Hey, does anyone else feel…heavy?”
“It’s probably due to what you’re wearing, Rui.”
Airi stood in front of them both, red lips perfectly shaped into a delicate line, regal and intimidating as ever, and…
…Wearing something she was so not wearing a few minutes ago.
“Woah, Princess Airi, what kind of fairy glamor do you guys have in this place?”
“Just Airi.” Airi corrected An. “And I like to call it Wonderland Magic. Look at what you’re wearing.”
An looked down at her own hands, suddenly realizing her sleeves had vanished, and in their places, vines covered in roses made their way up her arms.
That wasn’t even the strangest part.
“Am I supposed to…” She stumbled a bit as she stood. “To walk in this?”
“How else would you get around?”
“Rui, don’t be ridiculous.” An scoffed at him. “I am—my dress is—I look like a rose!”
“So? At least you don’t have a clock hanging off your tail!”
“I don’t know what you’re all complaining for!” Emu spun around a few times. “These outfits are Wonderlanderful!”
Well, at least someone was excited.
Kanade tugged on her hair slightly. At least the magic of wonderland was kind enough to braid her hair for her. Unfortunately, they were not kind enough to allow her the luxury of air. Whoever invented corsets tied with ribbons should be sent straight to the Queen’s castle for a good head-chopping.
At least the color of the dress was nice. A pretty mauve, one of her favorites.
“Ngh…”
The groan caught her attention, and she and Ena turned their heads at the same time.
“Mafuyu?” Ena asked, carefully stepping closer. Her newly acquired massive red bow seemed to be throwing her off balance. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Mafuyu insisted. “That just…that was a lot of magic.”
“Too much, maybe?” Kanade questioned. “Do you need to lie down?”
“No, no…we can’t waste any time. I’ll be okay.”
Kanade made a face, and looked at Ena, who sighed.
“…If you say so.”
“So,” Airi spoke up, her voice rising in volume. “Now that we’re here, we’d better get searching. There’s no telling where in Wonderland that book ended up.”
“Where should we start, then?” An questioned.
“Naturally,” Ena began. “The well where the book was dropped is the most logical choice—“
Airi held up a hand, cutting her off. “Which is exactly why it won’t be there.”
“What?”
“This is Wonderland.” Airi reminded her. ”Logic and illogic, as you'd define it, are typically swapped here. If, logically, the book is near the well, it is most definitely not there.”
“Wh…huh?” Ena sputtered. “But that’s—that doesn’t make any sense!”
“Makes sense to me.” Kanade shrugged. “Airi, where do you think it is?”
“We’ll find out.” Airi turned. “Come along, everyone. We are going to my palace.”
“We are?!” An gasped excitedly. “You mean, where the Queen of Hearts lives?!”
“Yes.” Airi nodded. “Once I explain everything to mother, I am certain she’ll have everyone in the kingdom searching for the book within the hour. We’ll find it much quicker that way.”
“One problem.” Kanade raised her hand. “A walk to your palace from where I think we are right now is ages away.”
“Then I suggest we get moving. Let’s go!”
Honestly, there was no denying that tone.
Ena was uncomfortable, and it was a sensation she wasn’t used to feeling.
She felt so small, following Airi around Wonderland, as if she wasn’t the next Snow White. Following orders was…it had never been Ena’s strong suit. And yet even she had given into Airi’s will.
She lingered at the back of the group, arms crossed as she scanned everyone.
Airi was at the head of the team, and An stuck to her like glue, the same way she stuck to Ena when they were both children. The brunette remembered those days fondly, days where a much smaller An and Kohane would follow her around as if she was the most amazing girl in all of Ever After—because she was.
Even the questions An asked Airi were familiar. ”Princess Airi—er, Airi, sorry—what will it be like when you’re Queen? What kind of parties do you throw in your castle? Can I come?! Please, please, please?”
Airi didn’t appear annoyed, rather, she answered An’s questions with a soft smile. One that Ena was convinced didn’t exist until just now.
Rui and Emu walked behind them, talking each other’s ears off. Irritating, as usual, but every time their voices were absent for a bit too long, Ena found herself pained by the silence.
Then, just in front of her, were Kanade and Mafuyu. The two of them had hardly said the word, aside from Kanade occasionally pointing out things she recognized, but the fact that they were even close at all was still enough to drive Ena insane. She spent all this time trying to keep Mafuyu’s rebel ideals away from her friends, just for all of them to end up in this situation…
“Ugh.”
And this stupid dress wasn’t at all easy to walk in. The sudden weight of the extra hair she did not have a few hours ago, accompanied by a large, lopsided bow, made balance quite the difficult task.
This was what Ena White had been reduced to. A circus act. Her mother would be furious if she saw this.
“Ena?”
“What?” She snapped, scowl set firmly on her face. It was an unbecoming expression, but Ena just couldn’t help it this time.
Kanade recoiled slightly. “Are you…alright?”
Mafuyu looked between them both, before picking up her pace and walking forward, as if sensing something Ena couldn’t. As usual.
“I’m just—“ Ena huffed. ”Splendid, Kanade, truly. We have been wandering around this strange world for hours, with no end in sight, I am tired, hot, and my feet ache from these heels. And to top it all off, anytime anyone has spoken to me, it has been to give an order as if I am some kind of dwarf.”
“O-oh…”
Ena felt a bit bad, truly. After all, it wasn’t like any of this was Kanade’s fault, and yet here she was, snapping at her as if she personally was the one who cursed Ena’s entire school life.
“I’m sorry.”
“Huh?”
“I’m sorry.” Kanade repeated. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t like it here. It’s all uncontrolled, unpredictable and wild. Certainly not anything you enjoy.”
Well, she was right about that. “That’s one way to describe it.”
“I also don’t think our company is helping.” Kanade continued. “I don’t suppose you and An have made up yet…?”
“No,” Ena hissed. “We haven’t, and I don’t think we ever will.”
“Why?”
“She hates me!” The brunette cried out in exasperation, the group far ahead of them all now. “You weren’t there when—when I found out she…!”
“Stole the book?”
“Yes! She was talking to Rui and, well, I don’t know, it’s like she thinks I’m some sort of tyrant or something! And ever since Thronecoming, she’s only spoken directly to me twice! If that isn’t hatred, I don’t know what is.”
“Hm,” Kanade hummed. “On the contrary, I don’t think she hates you at all.”
“Whatever-after gave you that ridiculous idea?”
“The fact that she’s avoiding you at all.” Kanade shrugged. “I mean, think about it. An’s always been the most outspoken out of all of us, aside from you. If she truly had a problem with you, if she, with all her heart, truly and deeply hated you…well, I think she would have said that by now.”
Ena hated how right she was, because that fact made An’s before far more confusing. “So she’s avoiding me because she…doesn’t hate me?”
“I think so, yes.” Kanade nodded. “But you still hurt her. She may love you to death, but…”
“But she thinks I’m a tyrant.” Ena finished. “Cruel though to destroy her life if she doesn’t do what I say…”
She bit her lip, rubbing at one of her arms lightly.
“Every single person or thing that’s a ‘threat’ to her Happily Ever After, she goes crazy over! If it’s not Mafuyu refusing to sign, it’s Emu or Airi or somebody else ‘distracting’ Tsukasa, or it’s my cousin ‘influencing others and betraying her royal blood’ or it’s me ‘allowing Akito to remain against her’—which, need I remind you, she doesn’t even want me speaking to him! How can I allow him or not allow him to do anything if I’m supposed to cut contact?!”
“…Then again, I suppose I…haven’t been doing much to prevent her from forming that assumption.”
“Really?” Kanade seemed surprised, not at the claim, but rather at the fact that Ena was admitting it at all.
“Those things she said to Rui, what she called me…have I truly hurt her that much?” Ena shook her head. “I never meant to be malicious towards her, or anything like that. I…she’s my best friend, I only ever wanted what I thought was best for her. For all of us. As future Queen, it is my job to guide Ever After. Have I…been doing it wrong?”
“Probably.”
“Okay, you didn’t have to say it like that.”
Kanade giggled. “Just being honest with you. If it makes you feel better, I don’t think you’ve done anything irredeemable.”
“Really?”
“Really. You’ve probably got a lot of apologizing to do, along with whatever it takes to earn the forgiveness of not just An, but other people you’ve hurt.” Kanade smiled at her reassuringly. “But if anyone can master the art of righting their wrongs, it’s Princess Ena White.”
“…Hmph,” Ena let out a muffled giggle. “Does the Wonderlandian air always make you this wise?”
“I guess it does.”
“Hey.”
Airi’s voice, as loud as ever, cut them off, and before Ena could blink, the moon suddenly rose.
“We will rest here.” Airi declared. “And wait for the sun to rise again. I am sure we’re all in desperate need of a good night’s sleep.”
“I’m starving.” Rui whined. “Emu, what have you got in that hat of yours?”
“I thought you’d never ask! Tea sandwiches, anyone?
Nighttime in Wonderland was…surprisingly pleasant. Or perhaps it was because Ena’s feet could finally rest after all of that walking.
The spot they had chosen to rest for the night was a by a river. At least, Ena assumed that’s what it was, but she wasn’t sure she could call it that if the water was pink instead of blue and also flowing in the opposite direction of the ocean, or lake, or wherever it came from. That was what Kanade had said, anyway, but she also said it was safe for Ena to dip her feet into, so she did just that.
“Ah…”
It felt perfect at a time like this.
“Soothing, isn’t it?”
Ena’s momentary peace was broken by Airi approaching her, slipping off her heels and sinking her own feet into the water beside Ena.
“Yes.” Ena nodded, clearing her throat. “It is.”
“I’m glad.” Airi hummed. “I was worried you’d hate everything about this place, the way you have been scowling all day.”
“Ah, forgive me, it’s just—I’m not used to hiking so much. It hasn’t put me in the best mood.”
“I figured. I guess I should’ve taken it easy on you all.” Airi sighed. “I’m just so used this, this is almost nothing to me.”
“You mean you and Kanade would really just…explorer, then? Days at a time like this?” The thought seemed unimaginable. Ena was hardly allowed to leave the palace walls as a child—certainly not to go exploring or without an entourage of guards and her mother accompanying her.
Airi shrugged. “It was fun, those trips. We had all of the time in the world to run off for days at a time. When the idea of being queen seemed so far away. When the thought of me having to attend Ever After High was just ‘something to consider’ rather than a guarantee. Y’know, before…”
“…The curse?” Ena finished for her.
“Yeah, that.”
It hit Ena all at once, then. Kanade and the other kids from Wonderland had lost their home, and she knew that, but being here, speaking to one of them face to face like this about something that must’ve destroyed them from the inside out…
They were never meant to be at Ever After. They could attend, and typically those from Wonderland attended Legacy Day to sign their book in front of others like everyone else, but very few children of Wonderland had actually attended Ever After High in the generations past.
Considering how much they loved this place, all four of them would have likely continued their lives here, if not for the curse.
Ena was never meant to know them. She was never meant to drag Kanade to her lunch table one day and introduce her to An and Kohane, she was never meant to hear Tsukasa complain about Rui’s irritating pranks, she was never meant to see Emu bouncing down the halls and she was never meant to see Airi scare away anyone who walked within five feet of her. They were supposed to be home.
And they had that stripped away from them.
It felt so obvious now, and Ena felt, well, stupid for not letting it sink in before, but she found her heart aching at the thought. It was no wonder why Kanade was so anxious about making friends when they first met, why Rui, despite his antics, was so aloof, why Emu would always mention the others when talking to other students and why all of them put so much trust in Airi. Why she guided them all as firmly as she possibly could.
They were all each other had. A fate they didn’t choose brought them to Ever After, and Ena was shocked that it hadn’t destroyed them.
The thought made her shudder. The four of them had to give up everything…fate chose something for them. It wasn’t Destiny, but like it, they still had no choice in the matter.
Could this be what Mafuyu meant?
“…Princess Airi.”
“Hm?”
“I think I have…” Ena huffed and sat straighter, making eye contact with Airi. If she was going to do this, she would do it right. “I think I have severely misjudged you all this time.”
“Misjudged?” Airi repeated.
The following words tasted bitter on her tongue, but something in Ena’s heart practically forced her to say them. “Yes. I…I am ashamed to admit that I did not always think of you in the most positive light.”
“You aren’t the only one.”
“Still, as future queen, I should have known better than that. I…I should have been kinder. I thought you and your friends—“ Ena looked at them briefly. “Emu, Rui, and even Kanade for a time, I thought rather poorly of you, based on where you’re from. You all come from a land that is unpredictable, one that appears to have no rules or limits, things that I cannot stand. Furthermore, you in particular, Airi, you…have a way with things, qualities that I should have as a future Queen, but I don’t. Even today, as we were walking through Wonderland, I couldn’t help but be angry that you were leading us, and that you were so good at it. The way you command others is…quite admirable.”
Airi’s eyes widened, and she blushed slightly.
“I will admit it, I treated you as if you were an adversary out to get me, as if we were in competition. And I let my own assumptions and judgement cloud the way I treated you, and the way I let Ever After High treat you. That was entirely unfairest, and for that, I’m…”
Ena exhaled. Admitting you were wrong was a shameful thing, but it felt even more shameful to double down, so she wasn’t about to do that.
“I’m sorry. I see now that, beyond being a hexcellent leader and someone who will make a great Queen, you are so, so strong, for putting up with the terrible hand Ever After dealt you after loosing it all, and I hope that I can learn from your example.”
“…E-Ena…”
For a moment, Airi was silent, and Ena worried she had somehow said something to offend her, but then…
”Hic!”
“…!”
Airi quickly covered her mouth, attempting to quiet herself down. “I apologize, th-this is…quite unnecessary.” She wiped at her eyes. “I-I just…you’re one of the only people who have said something so nice about me.”
“I am?” Ena asked in disbelief.
“Mhm. Back in Ever After, it was only Kanade and the others or my roommate. Everyone else, even if they didn’t appear to hate me, seemed to afraid to even start a conversation with me. Even An today, when she spoke, she was trembling, and when she finally got comfortable, she praised Wonderland, my kingdom, but not me. Hearing such words from someone was strong as you, without an ounce of anxiety in your tone, it…!”
Oh. Godmother, Ena was going to have to give all of Ever After High a lecture when they got back. Sure, okay, she knew Airi wasn’t exactly beloved, but not a single compliment aside from her roommate?! How wicked. To think that she enabled such behavior, ignored Airi’s very existence whenever she wasn’t seething over her and let such mistreatment fly under the radar…
“Oh, Airi…”
“It’s fine, really, I just didn’t expect it, you know?”
“I…yeah.”
Airi soon composed herself, and the two of them sat in silence, watching the moon reflect on the strange water.
“Thank you for saying all of that.” Airi whispered a few minutes later. “I hope that we can have a positive relationship as queens.”
Ena felt her lips curve into a smile.
“I do, too.”
A pause.
“…And while we’re at it, do tell me, how do you get your lips to be such a perfect red?”
Airi laughed. “I’ll show you my makeup when we get back, deal?”
“Deal.”
“Oh? Isn’t that nice.”
Mafuyu looked up and turned to see what Kanade was looking at.
“Hm. Never thought I’d see Airi and Ena actually having a positive conversation.”
“Wonderland makes strange things happen.” Kanade shrugged. “That’s what my mom said, anyway.”
“I do wonder,” Mafuyu began. “Why did your mom choose to stay in Wonderland with you?”
“Hm?”
“I mean, I heard it when I was younger. Your mother was given permission to move there with you despite it technically being against your story, since you’re not supposed to know anything about it when you fall down the rabbit hole. My mother used to say that your mother was very by the book when they were in school, so I wonder…?”
“Oh.” Kanade tucked a hair behind her ear. “To be honest, I’m not sure either.”
“No?”
“No. I was so little when we moved that, as far as I was concerned, Ever After had never been my home, so I didn’t care to know about why we left, and I don’t think she would have told me, anyway. If I had to guess, I’d imagine she was just so fascinated by this land that she couldn’t help but want to stay. It draws you in like that. One would say she even got…too drawn in.”
Mafuyu frowned at her words. “What do you mean?”
“She disappeared.” Kanade replied. “Vanished, one day. I don’t know where. Towards the end, she started making less and less sense, even to me and the people from here. Told me one night that she was going to go exploring somewhere. She never came back.”
“You sound so unaffected?”
“I’ve learned to live with it.”
Of course, she learned to not think about it, lest she spend hours upon hours going mad, looking for every riddle and clue to find her mother, but that was something Mafuyu didn’t need to know.
“I…I see.”
Kanade took another sip of her tea before Mafuyu spoke again. “It is actually quite nice to talk to you.”
“Hm?”
“You are one of Ena’s friends.” Mafuyu explained. “I am sure you heard a lot about me, but Ena did not talk about you, Kohane or An often. I doubt she would have allowed us to be close, since I may have corrupted you with my rebel ideals, or something of the sort. But this is pleasant, I enjoy your company.”
Kanade coughed, a blush coating her cheeks. “Ah…well, I’m glad that I’m not boring you, or confusing you. And I hope I haven’t been rambling on too much, I tend to do that…”
“Not at all.” The smallest smile appeared on Mafuyu’s face. “Please, keep talking.”
“About what?”
“Wonderland. Home.” Mafuyu didn’t know what a home felt like, and she was so curious. “How does it feel?”
“It feels…”
Kanade breathed deeply. She looked around at all the sights she was so familiar with, things she thought she might not ever get to see again.
Her heart bloomed with a familiar feeling she thought she had lost forever.
“…Warm.”