✧— Ｉ＇ｌｌ ｃｏｍｅ ｂａｃｋ ｆｏｒ ｙｏｕ
Eight more years... Eight more years. Gorou didn't know if he would be able to make Rea wait another eight more years, but it was all the time that he needed to find his family. And hopefully, they weren't like his. When tomorrow came, he left with a curt goodbye to his father. He had declined coming back with him, even when he asked one last time. "I know it's hard, but for some, laying down everything to explore out here is our life. And it seems like you've found a new family already." Those words stung coming from Orochi's mouth, and yet he still wanted to hold them close to his heart and never forget them.
Click.
"The Great Adventurer's letters to Rea... I'm afraid I can't keep track of how many I've sent." He began, his voice frail. He had been crying ever since he made his way on to the whale, but once he calmed down he decided it was time to send Rea another message. "Well... I've decided that I've been taking this whole journey too lightly. This... All of this is real, and nothing in that dumb book could've prepared me for that... My dad's not coming home, and neither are my mom or my sister. They never got lost... They just never wanted to come back," He could feel tears welling in his eyes again, but he shook his head to stop them. "I guess you could say meeting my old man wasn't all bad, though. He was chosen the same time that your mother was chosen and he said that she always talked on and on about returning to you and your brother. So..." He sniffled, trying his best not to start crying again. "This isn't a game anymore. I'm gonna bring them back to you." For the first time in days, he smiled genuinely. "Hang in there, Rea. This is the Great Adventurer Gorou, signing off."
Only now did he realize how vast, and empty the Great Unknown was. Whatever beauty he saw in it before was drained from his eyes, and all he could think to do was lay down on the grassy back of the Great Whale, and sleep.
✧✧✧
Her eyes slowly opened as light began to filter in from the window, and she shielded her face from it for just a moment. "Mm..." She grumbled, sitting up from her bed. "Raime?" She looked back and forth as she rubbed her eyes. "Did you leave the curtains open again?" No response. She began to feel a bit nervous, this planet wasn't the most safe, after all. She threw some clothes on hastily and made her way slowly down their makeshift stairs, her heart pounding just a bit. However, she stopped in the middle of the stair case upon hearing another voice, a foreign one speaking to her son. "Raime?! Who's down there?!" She ran downstairs in a hurry and her eyes widened at the sight of a rather tall man. Horns adorned his head, and two tails swished behind him. His hair was style in a messy mohawk, and the sides of his head were messily shaved. Not to mention... He was wearing a shoddily modified version of the uniforms the Schools of the Unknown gave out to the chosen children. "Who... Who are you?!"
He looked up at her, his eyes lighting up. "Ah!" He nearly pushed past Raime to give her a hug. She was a bit too surprised to fight it off. "I couldn't mistake those streaks in your hair, not in a million years..." He hugged her a bit tighter. "I'm here to bring you home... I'm here to bring you back home to Rea."
✧✧✧
His eyes sparkled with wonder. Even after all of the tragedy this unknown has brought upon him, it somehow never ceased to amaze him. Rea's mother clutched to her son Raime, and shielded her eyes once more. "This..." The man's eyes grew wide and he stepped ever closer to the edge of the Great Whale. "This is the whale's final destination. This is where they all return." The place was ethereal beyond comprehension. Blinding light shown from the stars that flooded the void of space. It was no longer black and inky... It was vibrant and beautiful. It no longer brought the man pain, but instead it filled him with intense hope. Rea's mother and Raime both stared in wonder. "I-I never thought I would see the day..." She whispered, covering her mouth in awe.
"Of course he knew..." Raime piped up. "It was here all along. The Great Whale's do have a routine!" The man nodded. "It's always been to come back to their home. And then their young travel around the Great Unknown, just as they once did." He kept his back turned and tried his best to stay calm. The sheer beauty, and the promise of home after all the time was overflowing within him, and being released as silent tears. It didn't take long for them to finally reach the center of their home, and he was surprised to see something he had never anticipated. Baby Great Whales, playing in this void as if they hadn't a care in the world.
They had gotten enough supplies to last them this long, and only now did they realize they were running a bit low. Easier to transport to the other whale, he supposed. "We'll have to ration our supply wisely..." He murmured to himself, but if it took going with out enough food to get back home, it was a risk that he would take in a heart beat. "Alright," He looked back at the two, and smiled the widest smile he had in the past eight or so years. "Hehe, ready to go home?"
✧✧✧
Click.
"The Great Adventurer's letters to Rea, the final log." He drew in a deep breath. "I know you had to wait a long time, and there were several times where I scared you and you thought I almost died, I promised I would stay alive for you and get back in one piece. If I ever broke that promise... I don't think my spirit would ever be able to rest, hehe... But I think that even if this journey was reckless, I learned so much... And not just about the Great Unknown. I guess... Some people belong out there, in the stars." He chuckled. "They don't really have time for families I suppose. I thought that I was like that too... I wanted to see the stars and meet all the different kinds of creatures that book told me about, but when I heard my dad say those words to me, that you meant nothing to me because I came out here... I knew that wasn't me. It wasn't like you're family, either. They were just as stuck as I was... But I promise, I'll never leave you like this again."
Knock, knock.
The door opened slowly.
"Hey there, Rea." He could hear his voice playing in the other room from a speaker. He had been getting them after all. It took all of his power now to bawl his eyes out and pull him into a hug. "Our first mission was a success. I've returned home with... A few additions, hehe. This is the Great Adventurer Gorou, signing off, safe and sound."
Finally, Rea rushed into his arms, afraid that if he might just disappear again if he let go.
But he didn't, and they were a family again once more, as it always should've been.
