It was the start of another day for Mikage Shrine. The land god lay stiffly in bed, sleeping. The breeze gently rang in the air, stirring the leaves and making the wind chimes clatter. Birdsong could be heard in the distance, as well as the rhythm of approaching footsteps. Slowly, the door to the land god's room was slid open, and a curious bespectacled man stepped in, joined by the green eyed attendant. They knelt at the side of a young girl who was beginning to awake. A sharp pain ran through her body, deep and foreboding, and in that moment her eyes flickered open.

"Welcome back, Nanami-chan," murmured Mizuki. "Be careful, your body must be in an enormous amount of pain from the time travel."

Nanami sat up sharply and regretted she avoided Mizuki's advice. She immediately began to speak, her voice running on frantically. "There's no time to waste; I need to go back to the past now. I-I finally met with Kuromaru, I know what I need to do –"

This time it was Mikage to talk. "Wait just a moment Nanami. I understand your urgency but Tomoe would like to have a word with you before you go back."

"Tomoe?"

"Nanami-chan, Mikage-sama told Tomoe through the mirror what you are attempting to do. He said he wanted a word with you when you woke up."

"But…how much time do I have left?"

"Right now, it's best to hear Tomoe out" Mikage replied. "I have the mirror with me here, and I will leave you two alone to talk."

Nanami's silence equated an approval. She stiffened with anticipation and worry while Mikage carefully placed the hand mirror beside her and he left the room with Mizuki. Suddenly, the mirror began to glow. It was like that time so much earlier, when she had rescued him from Narukami and he had returned to her. But this time was different. The moment was full of sadness and longing.

A sickly Tomoe emerged from the mirror. Nanami had never seen him in such a disheveled state before. He crouched beside her, wheezing. It was apparent that the curse mark had spread over his whole body. Nanami covered her mouth and looked at him with anguish. She wondered what prompted him to appear before her like this, when a few days before he had been so against it.

"Nanami," he uttered, while trying to pull himself together. He had more than caught her attention. "Mikage told me what you are trying to do."

She nodded, serious. She could feel an upcoming onslaught of tears.

"Going back into the past, risking your life, being put in so much danger…Nanami, I want you to stop."

"Tomoe, I –" she muttered.

"Nanami, risking your life to protect the other is the familiar's job. I can't have you doing such dangerous things….I couldn't bear to –"

"Tomoe, NO!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Tears began to spill from her eyes and her voice and body grew shaky. "No, Tomoe, you don't understand. You don't understand." She took his hand, so fragile, and held it tenderly. Her tears rolled down her face and onto his hand continuously. Tomoe looked at her, waiting to hear his precious goddess's words. She held his hand to her face, and it was like 500 years ago, when they had declared their love to each other beneath the cherry blossoms. The contrast hurt her heart and she continued to sob. Nanami closed her eyes tightly, and then looked up at him. "Tomoe, I love you" she said in a soft, firm voice. "I don't want to live without you." She shook her head. "I won't," she said between tears.

Even in his dying state, Tomoe's face was full of a pain that ran a much greater extent than the curse. A teardrop slipped out his eye and he drew himself closer to Nanami. He ran one hand through her chocolate brown hair, using another to dry her tears. Tomoe held Nanami's crying face and pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you, too," he answered quietly. "I've always loved you." Tomoe looked downwards, and running his thumb over her lower lip, he dipped his head and kissed her.