The first thing Kaito noticed was the familiar pleasant smell.
Somewhere, not far from him smelled like fried chips. Good enough in a way the Corrupted Lands would never.
He pushed himself upright, legs trembling from disbelief. His boots scraped against the solid, familiar concrete instead of the dusty corrupted ground. He pressed his palm flat against the wall beside him, feeling the roughness of the brick.
A sudden tightness gripped his chest. His vision blurred before he collapsed onto his knees, moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes. Lips barely closing, saliva dropped slowly mixing with tears.
"I made it," he laughed, lips shaking. "I actually made it back."
His body still was worn up after all that happened in the Corrupted Lands. Dried violet blood stained his torn uniform. His hair was matted, his skin grimy, and his scent was unmistakably unpleasant.
Anyone passing by would think he was a vagrant.
Tri-ring!
[Teleportation Complete]
[New Location has been added: Corrupted Lands]
[Cooldown:48 Hours]
"Forty-eight hours, no kidding!."
A car passed by at the far end of the alley, headlights sweeping briefly across him before disappearing. No one noticed the battered young man sitting on the ground like he'd fallen out of the sky.
He reached into his inventory, hesitating for a second before pulling out one of the dark-purple Core Crystals. It caught the alley light immediately, glowing impossibly beautiful against the filth around it.
He closed his hand around it.
"Let's not show this to the wrong people," he murmured, slipping it back into the inventory.
A distant siren wailed. Voices echoed somewhere beyond the alley's end. Life went on, indifferent and blissfully unaware that someone who should have died had just returned.
Kaito leaned back against the wall and slid down until he was sitting again, this time with his head tipped back, eyes staring at the slice of night sky visible above.
"Mira's going to kill me," he said quietly, then paused.
"…No. She's going to cry first. Then kill me."
A weak laughter erupted, breaking halfway through. He pressed his palm over his eyes, breathing slowly, grounding himself in the sounds of Earth.
People laughed uncontrollably from somewhere.
Traffic was noisy as it usually was.
Someone argued over a phone call a few meters away.
"Hmm!."
A stray cat appeared beside him, thin, gray and cautious, its yellow eyes locking onto him for a moment before deciding he wasn't worth the risk. It darted away, climbing a rubbish bin that stood beside him up to the roof. Kaito watched it go, an odd feeling crawled his back, sending shivers throughout his body.
"Cats!"
Kaito never like cats, since he believed if one grows too old, it becomes a Bakeneko.
He pushed himself up again, this time fully, swaying slightly before finding his balance. His legs felt heavier here, gravity different, weaker in the Corrupted Lands and now suddenly honest. Every step reminded him of fatigue he had postponed rather than erased.
The alley released him reluctantly, as if the shadows themselves were disappointed he hadn't stayed. The street opened up ahead, wider, brighter, louder, and painfully ordinary.
This alley wasn't far from somewhere familiar. He recognized the rusted fire escape above him, the convenience store sign at the corner of the street. A few turns from here would lead toward his old walking route.
G6 Street
Kaito slipped his hands into his pockets and walked.
He paused at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. A group of high schoolers crossed in front of him, laughing loudly, shoving each other without fear. One of them bumped into his shoulder by accident.
"Sorry, man."
Kaito notted right after.
The boy moved on without a turning back and that's when it hit him.
He had been gone long enough to forget what being insignicant felt like. People passed by in ones and twos, laughing, arguing, staring at their phones, too busy to notice him, to them his just another man wondering the city.
He passed a glass storefront and caught his reflection.
The person staring back at him looked older, more muscular, his eyes were as sharp as a keen wolf. Not to mention his hair, it had grown at a rate that it ended up reaching his shoulders.
With nothing to say he resumed walking, with a faster pace reaching his apartment without having to see what else changed of him.
The apartment hadn't changed, well at least outside. The insides seemed like it had been renovated.
He watched as someone come out of the elevator. The last time he seen the elevator working was ten years ago, and since then no one deared to fix it.
He decided to take the stairwell as usual since his scent might make other people uncomfortable in the cramped space of the elevator.
He stopped in front of a door.
3B.
The paint was chipped near the handle. Kaito had meant to repaint it months ago.
Knock!
Knock!
And with that he closed his eyes whispering to himself.
"I am home."
The door opened like someone was waiting in the other side of it, and for a fraction of a second Mira simply stared at him as though her eyes were still negotiating with reality. Her brows knit together, lips parting slightly, breath catching in a quiet. She looked him over quickly, from his face to his torn clothes, then back to his eyes, as if afraid the image would disappear if she blinked.
"Kaito..?"
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him with sudden force, burying her face against his chest.He staggered half a step back before steadying himself, stunned by the warmth, the weight, the unmistakable reality of another human holding him. Her fingers curled tightly into the fabric of his clothes, knuckles whitening, as though she were afraid that loosening her grip would undo everything.
"Why did you have to go on a super secret mission without telling me?!" she sobbed.
"Super secret what?" Kaito froze.
"Taki-Chan said you were gone on a super important mission."
Taki..hana? At the mention of his name, something twisted inside Kaito. For a moment, an image surfaced of Takihana standing in this very room, choosing his words carefully, carrying the burden of a truth too heavy to place in her hands. Kaito lowered his head, fist tightening.
"Yea right." he laughed, trying to drive suspicion away. "I am sorry, I couldn't tell you there wasn't enough time.
She pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at him, though her hands never left his sleeves. Her eyes searched his face, lingering on the lines of fatigue, the faint marks he hadn't managed to hide.
"You look like someone who's been eating from trashcans," she teased, letting him insid the room. Must have been a tough mission."
"Mmh."
"You are still taking a bath!!"
"Sheesh, I was planning to."