Author's Note: Written for sonataofsilence at the JaegerCon Gift Exchange on Tumblr and their wish for Mako/Raleigh friendship and what happened to them after the war.
Disclaimer: I own neither the movie nor the characters. I don't earn any money with this piece. I just do it for fun.

When he wakes up, it's to an empty second bed, but all he has to do is fall into the bond and there she is, a beacon of light, beating in rhythm with his heart. Her presence is somewhat muted though, less bright and more shadowed, but Raleigh knows why. Knows why because just a few days ago, his own had been just as dull and haunted by a ghost that's never going to leave him.

He looks at the map they pinned to the wall and the over forty blue pins scattered along the coastlines and islands. Over forty cities with almost two decades' worth of memories of loss, pain and despair. More than once Raleigh felt like he couldn't breathe during their journey, more than once Mako's eyes were rimmed with tears. Memories can pack one hell of a punch, leaving invisible wounds and scars.

Don't chase the rabbit, it whispers in the back of his mind but his eyes still linger for a moment on the one pin symbolizing his own past (Yancy?) before moving south to the last one they placed there two days ago (Mom? Dad?).

Rubbing the back of his neck, Raleigh follows the invisible string connecting him to Mako, steps through the open door and finds her in the living room, sitting on the couch facing the open doors leading to the balcony, arms wrapped tightly around her legs and chin resting on her knees. He leans back against the wall, his eyes dark as he watches her in the pale morning light.

This part of their journey, the last part, is the hardest. It weighs on them, those painful memories of being lost and losing, of being alone in a world full of monsters and shadows (where are you?). These demons of their past wanted to sink their claws into their skin and drag them under, drag them to that godawful place where there's no light, no hope, no life, never letting them go again.

He'd battled his a few days ago, following a memory of jaeger-sized footsteps through deep snow until he reached his brother's empty grave. Mako had been with him step for painful step, had been his anchor in the storm, had been beside him when he'd finally broken down and cried for Yancy.

Then, just a few hours ago, Raleigh had done the same for her when she'd said her final goodbye to the ghosts of her parents at the Tokyo Memorial, placing a small red shoe on the stone shaded by sakura trees before stepping back and bowing one last time. The flash of pain in her eyes as she turned to him had resonated within him and wordlessly, he'd open his arms to her. She'd come willingly, tucking her head under his chin as her fingers twisted into his sweater.

Their bond had flared brightly for a heartbeat and he'd pulled her closer, resting his cheek on top of her head. The world fell away as they'd held each other, two broken parts that somehow, against all odds, had made a whole again. They're each other's fixed point, and with Mako by his side, the scars on his soul and body no longer feel like chains. He knows, it's the same for her too.

A hum brings Raleigh back to the present and he tilts his head as Mako shifts until she's facing him, bracing her arms on the back of the couch. In the dimly lit room, he can't make out her features, all he sees is the electric blue in her hair.

"Hey," he says cautiously, but what he's actually asking with that one word is, Are you okay? Do you want to be alone? What can I do?

Mako ducks her head, hair falling into her face, and Raleigh squints against the first rays of sunlight. Did her lips twitch upwards? He's still wondering whether the light played a trick on him or not, when Mako unfolds herself and holds out a hand in silent invitation, and there is his answer.

Raleigh shuffles over to her, and once he's close enough, he can see she's giving him a soft smile that lights up her eyes. Something loosens in his chest and he takes her hand, entwining their fingers as he slides onto the couch next to her. Settling back into the pillows, Raleigh puts his arm around her shoulders, and Mako's head comes to rest on his bare shoulder, not shying away from the burn marks but careful not to put too much pressure on them. As she does, his hand brushes against her hair, once, twice, and soon he lets blueblack strands slip through his fingers, the motion calming, soothing.

It's close as drifting as they can get, just them and the silence, and they both sink into it, soak up each other's presence and the warmth of the rising sun. They're at peace, for the first time in god knows how long, and though the mombrotherdad-shaped wounds are still there, the edges are no longer as raw and tender as they've once been.

He's on the brink of dozing off when Mako moves, turning her head slightly to look up at him. "Raleigh?"

"Hm?" He blinks owlishly at her.

"Let's go home," she says, and home to the Hong Kong Shatterdome echoes through their bond.

A sleepy smile flits across his lips and he gently tugs at a blue hair strand. "Yeah," he replies, squeezing her hand. "Let's go home."

- END -