63 Homecoming

"Is this all that's left?" Akeno whispers, staring at the melted scraps of metal on her palm.

"Seems like it." I say, grimacing all the while. "I mean, I sort of expected it, but to see it like this is…upsetting."

When we were drafting up our plans, I'd already known that the reaction my Infernal Arm will cause will be violent. Incinerate Anthem might be housed inside Augusta's soul, but a physical remnant of the Longinus still remains somewhere inside Augusta's body.

I'd expected it to be damaged in some way after that. But I never could've expected this.

Nothing is left from the famed Longinus except a few scraps of metal, partially melted through and their original color lost due to intense heat. Not a single shred of Incinerate Anthem remains; the Longinus having returned back to Heaven's System to regenerate the functions it's lost. It'll take decades before another wielder of Incinerate Anthem comes.

It's sort of frustrating, really. It would've been nice to have a Longinus to experiment with.

Oh well. At least Satanael's Arondight is still intact and fully functional.

I take a glance at the sword I'm holding, and again I grimace. The thing hasn't stopped glowing since I first picked it up. It's also stubbornly attached itself onto my palm, like a child desperately holding onto its parent. I know why, of course. I might not hold any Light inside me, but my affinity is certainly the highest amongst all who currently live.

The only issue is that Arondight is unfit for me. Not for a lack of strength or durability or whatever.

I just…don't really want to use a sword. It sounds rather dumb, but I don't really need a sword to fight. And more than that, it doesn't work all that well in combination with my Ki. It can't act as a conduit for Senjutsu like Akeno's Raikiri can, and I can't change it without completely destroying it.

And, honestly, I can create better weapons on my own.

Arondight seems to know this. That's why it's doing all it can to cling to my hands, using what limited consciousness it has to forcefully keep itself stuck onto my palm. A clingy child through and through.

Unfortunately, I'm not so easily swayed. I'm not YHWH, and I doubt I will ever be. His memories will soon be mine, his throne mine to sit on, but I will never be him. My eyes have told me that multiple times.

So I hold the blade towards Akeno. "So, who'd you think will be perfect for this guy?"

She hums, leaning forward slightly as she stares at the holy blade. The sword seems to tremble slightly. "Not sure. Maybe one of the refugees?"

I raise an eyebrow. "You realize how bad of an idea that is, right?"

She blinks. "Oh. Right."

I chuckle. "Still, your idea has merit." I level a slight glare at the trembling sword. "Just have to find someone actually willing to use this."

And that isn't easy. The refugees will sooner throw themselves off a ledge than touch a holy sword, Dulio will probably use the sword as a clothes' hanger or something, and Tobio likes using scythes more than swords. I'm genuinely lost here.

…unless I use Arondight in a trade offer-

Ah, the sword really doesn't like that. It's shaking all over the place, and its hold on my hand becomes stronger than ever. Its shaking only gets worse when Akeno begins patting the blade, as if she's trying to comfort a terrified child.

But still, the inquiry remains. Who to give Arondight to? An ally I can give this to who'll be able to use its power to its maximum potential?

Hmm. I suppose I'll just have to wait for the perfect candidate.

I pull my arm back, and Arondight almost dims in relief as it finally gains some distance away from Akeno. "Anything else you want to grab?" I ask. "You know, before we go home and go to sleep."

"Well," She hums, and makes a show of obviously staring at the thing between my legs. "I don't know. Maybe I want to stay here a little longer, hmm?"

I sigh. "Getting a free show doesn't count." I say. "And you've seen it already. What's so special about it now?"

"Oh, it's positively glowing, Seicho-sama."

I roll my eyes. "Save all that for later, yeah?" I send a pulse of Ki into the ground, and the earth shakes slightly as roots begin growing along my leg. The roots fashion themselves around my waist, twisting across one another to form a belt of sorts. I slide Arondight into a conveniently sword-shaped slit. "Let's go home. I'm hungry."

We take off to the skies seconds later, passing right through the 'Isolation' barrier and appearing out into a bright orange sky. The late afternoon sun hangs in the distance, its rays covered by a thin layer of clouds.

"Wasn't it raining?" Akeno asks.

I smile wryly. "That's my fault." I say. "Flew here as fast as I could. Might've blasted the clouds away while doing it."

"Well look at you," She smirks. "You actually changed the weather by flying." She gives my shoulder a playful bump. "You know what that means."

I sigh. "Yes, yes. You get to choose our next vacation."

She giggles.

We continue flying. The skies are calm now, and we fly in relative silence. Neither of us are too tired, but we've had enough action for today. We would very much like to go home and sleep. Not before having a quick meal though. We're both pretty hungry.

It doesn't take long for us to get back to Kuoh. The town looks as peaceful as always, and the people are milling about in tranquil happenings. We descend into our home, slipping through our opened windows. The warmth of 'Home' rushes across us as we enter, and I can't help but sigh with relief as we finally arrive at home.

We dress ourselves simply. A pair of shorts and a shirt for me, and comfortable pajamas for Akeno. Which is rather surprising really; Akeno would've gone for only a shirt when it's only us two inside our house. I suppose she's just about ready to fall asleep after we get ourselves a quick afternoon meal.

I give our fridge a quick check, and immediately sigh. "We only have eggs." I say, grabbing four from the inner cabinet. "Is an omelet good?"

"I'm good with anything." She says, yawning slightly as she takes a seat by the dinner table. I nod, and I pull out a bottle of fish broth and some leftover chopped chives.

I begin cooking. I'm not the best chef—that's more Akeno's thing than mine—but I can still make some simple dishes here and there. I can learn to be better, of course. But it's not like I eat that much in the first place, and things like being healthy aren't much of an issue for me.

Minutes later, a plate of warm Tamagoyaki is served.

We eat silently. Neither of us really have anything to talk about right now, and we're both still adapting to the new sensations running through our bodies. I'm still getting used to the instantaneous signals my brain is receiving, and I can see Akeno playing around with some pure Mana.

Our meal is quickly finished, and before long, we're laying on our bed. Akeno's taken my arm as her personal pillow, and I find myself listlessly staring at the ceiling.

Neither of us are tired by any means, but we don't feel like doing anything either. There's a certain laziness keeping us here, as if our body is trying to force us to rest after that battle we've just gone through. It's an odd feeling.

"Thank you." Akeno suddenly says. "For everything."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "What's this all of a sudden?"

Her cheeks gain a tinge of red as she looks away. "It's just-, I realized how little I've said that." She confesses, closing her eyes as she leans her head into my arm. "So thank you. For saving me all those years ago."

I stare silently. I can feel the feelings carried in her words. The warmth and gratitude bellied in her tone. And in the face of that, I can't help but huff slightly. "The same applies to you." I whisper. She blinks, and I smile. "You stuck with me all this time. Clung to me even when most would've run away."

I turn to her, and she eeps as I pull her into a deep hug. "It means a lot to me."

"Ah. Um." She stammers. I'm not sure what expression she has right now—I don't bother using my eyes to find out—but her embarrassed voice makes me smile. "This is new."

I grin. "Do you like it?"

"...I do." She whispers, and there's a shy smile on her lips as she hugs back. "A dominant Issei is a good Issei."

I smile. "I'll keep that in mind, then."

She giggles.

In the end, we end up cuddling for a good hour or so. Akeno's cheeks are wonderfully red the entire time as she listens to the sweet nothings I whisper into her ears. It…isn't something I'd normally do, but something about Akeno feels especially vibrant that day.

And after that, as we lay in each other's arms, I realize,

"I think I love you." I say, awed and mystified and hopeful all at once.

She smiles. "I love you too." She whispers, her breath warm against my skin.

Her cheeks are bright red, and I have no doubt mine are as well. The moment feels electric, and I can feel a thousand words ready to barrel past my lips. Feelings and hopes and fears bundling together into a nearly incoherent mesh of emotions.

But I keep myself silent. There's no need for words. What I've said-, what we've said,

It's more than enough.

So I lean towards her, and we close our eyes as our lips meet. It's an electric feeling, and I shake slightly as I hold her close. She feels warm, and sweet, and so many more. I can't quite fully describe it.

I pull back, and I open my eyes to see her shaking. I can see the tears building in her eyes, and I smile as I wipe them away. She pushes her cheeks into my hand, and inevitably, it isn't long before I pull her close and kiss her once more.

And it takes me minutes before I can find the word to describe it. But when I do, it feels all too appropriate.

This woman I'm sleeping with; this woman who's been with me for all these years,

Kissing her now—it feels like coming home.