Ever since that fateful day, Sagi had been afraid of getting angry.
Marno had assured him time and time again that he had control over the afterling, but Sagi didn't want to take any chances, particularly not now that he was living in Mira with Milly. She'd already lost most of her body to an afterling attack; if she died to the monster caged inside him, he wasn't sure how he'd live with himself.
With that in mind, he carefully monitored his emotions. If negative feelings were threatening to overwhelm him, he'd do everything in his power to calm himself down, even if that meant he had to bottle them up. He knew it was unhealthy, but he felt it was a reasonable price to pay for ensuring Milly's safety.
Marno didn't agree. "Sagi, when all that bottled up anger and frustration starts to leak out, the entire dam will break. When that happens, you'll risk hurting Milly more than if you'd just let it all out when it first surfaced."
The warning was given to him so often that he always had a response ready on the tip of his tongue. "That won't happen. Not if I can help it. The dam will never break."
What Sagi didn't realize was that his mask was failing as time wore on. His anger was slowly becoming more evident in his expression, tone of voice and overall demeanor, meaning Milly eventually noticed.
"Sagi, are you okay?" Sagi was surprised when Milly approached him with her soft-spoken question, concern shining in her eyes.
"Yes, of course. Why are you asking?" he responded automatically, searching her expression for any clues.
Milly wasn't convinced. "Sagi, don't lie to me," she murmured, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. Sagi felt his heart skip a few beats, before kicking into over-drive. "You can trust me. What's wrong?"
"I've been worried." The answer spilled from his lips involuntarily, a mix of his racing heart and Marno's insistent whispers causing him to confess.
"About what?" Milly's entire face was now flooded with concern. That coupled with the hand still resting upon his shoulder caused his heart to shatter, spilling out all his secrets.
"You." Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and embracing her. She made a small noise of surprise, but didn't attempt to pull away. "I've been so worried the afterling inside me will escape and hurt you…"
"Sagi, listen to me." Milly slipped her arms around his neck, and he froze, unsure of how to react. Was she… "As long as you stay true to yourself, the afterling will never escape. It's not your emotions that control the afterling- it is your heart. So long as that remains pure, you'll stay in control of yourself."
Sagi's grip on her slackened as his head sank to her shoulder. "You think so?" he whispered hoarsely, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.
"I know so." She gently lifted his chin up, smiling. "Sagi, don't be afraid to cry. It'll be good for you."
As though her words had been a trigger, small droplets of water began flooding down his face. "Milly…" he choked up.
"Ssh… Sagi, it's okay," she hushed him. Then, without a word, she leaned in, pressing her lips to his, eyes slipping shut. It took Sagi a moment to process the fact that Milly was kissing him, but once he did, he immediately started kissing her back.
When they broke apart, Milly looked away, her face flushing a brighter crimson than that of a sunset. "Oh my gosh, Sagi, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have gone and kissed you like that, I don't know what came over me…"
"Milly, what are you talking about?" It was Sagi's turn to shush her, smiling. "That was great! I haven't felt like that in a long time."
"R-Really?" Milly suddenly seemed so hesitant, so shy. Sagi decided that, at that moment, it was all or nothing.
"Milly, I've always had a crush on you since your first appearance in Alfard, your strength and beauty always dazzling me," he began. "Your presence was a comfort during our journey, and your personality brought me relief after a long day." He chuckled nervously. "Milly, I guess what I'm trying to say is… I love you."
"S-Sagi… do you m-mean it?" Now Milly was crying, but these were tears of happiness.
"Of course, Milly," he smiled, gently wiping the silver droplets from her face. "But I only truly came to realize it back when we were escaping from Tarazed, and you were willing to sacrifice yourself for me." He chuckled nervously, glancing down to the side. "That touched my heart, Milly. I'm guessing… it isn't a stretch of the imagination to say you feel the same way?"
"No, not at all," Milly agreed, tears speckling her face. "Sagi…"
He embraced her once more, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I know, Milly," he whispered. "You don't have to tell me. I know."
It was obvious that she wanted to say something, but her happy sobs were constricting her speech. Instead, she did the next best thing; she tilted her head upwards so she could kiss Sagi again.
This kiss lasted longer than the first, and although hesitation still lingered, it was only in minute amounts. Love was the main factor, drowning out all other emotions in its golden glow.
Sagi and Milly were benefiting from the kiss on deeper levels, as well. Sagi's heart had previously resembled a wild tsunami, great waves rearing up and lashing out to drown him. Now, his heart was still and calm. As for Milly, all the doubts and fears she'd gathered over the years were melting away, letting her positive emotions shine through.
When they broke apart, they were both finally complete, having found that missing half in each other.