"Welcome home, Ren," Aoba said as he and the dark-haired boy walked through the door.

It's been a few months since Ren made his spectacular reappearance in the body of Aoba's slightly older brother, and Aoba intended to keep him safe until he got completely used to the feel of it. Ren looked around quietly.

"Does it look different from higher up?" Aoba joked, trying to put him at ease.

He smiled a bit. "I'm adjusting well."

Aoba smiled, that made him happy. "Come on then, let's drop your stuff off in our room. Grams wants to see you."

"You've made her aware of the situation?" he asked as they climbed the stairs.

He nodded. "She knows everything. She really is happy to meet her new grandson."

Ren looked at his new body, deep in thought. This worried Aoba. "But if you don't think of her like that, or if you're uncomfortable, I'm sure she'll get it."

"I'll do what I'm told," he replied, earnestly.

Aoba opened the door to their room, and closed it behind Ren. "You don't have to, do whatever you want Ren."

"I want to make the two of you happy," he said facing away from Aoba, staring at a wall.

Aoba hugged him from behind, his hands clasping each other. "Ren, do something that makes you happy. You're a person, just like me or Grams or Koujaku. You deserve to be happy just as much as anybody else, if anything you might deserve it more than others."

He was silent for a moment, with Aoba's arms around him. He turned around, and the blue-haired boy looked at him. Pressing his forehead to Aoba's, he was able to silently reassure him.

They stood like that for a few minutes before a knock sounded on the bedroom door.

Aoba turned toward it. "Oh, that must be Grams." He walked up to the door, and opened it, smiling.

"Sorry Grams I-" his words were cut off by his surprise as Noiz strolled into his room."Noiz! What're you doing here?"

His question was ignored, and Noiz walked over top the bed and flopped down on it, falling sound asleep. Ren looked at him with interest and mild disgust. Noiz's allmate came jumping in soon after, and tried to climb onto the bed with him. Due to it's size, it just kept falling down.

As Aoba was about to go help it, Ren kneeled down and gently picked it up, placing it into the bed with Noiz.

"Easy there, tiny one," he whispered.

Aoba smiled, as Ren stood back up.

Glancing at him, Ren flushed. "What is it, Aoba?"

"Nothing," he grinned. "Come on, Grams is probably waiting."

Ren nodded once, and followed Aoba out the door.

She stood in the corner of Dry Juice's hangout, delicately folding a small piece of paper. The men around her were talking about her, as if she wasnt there. And she acted as though she wasnt listening.

"She's a chick, what if someone takes her?" someone said.

"Or what if she tried to bang one of us."

"Whats the point of letting her njoin? Shes no match for anybody, not even Bug Bomb."

"Enough," Mizuki, the leader of Dry Juice said. "You're all being rude, who cares if she's a girl? She looks capable." He smiled at her. "And it'd be cool to be the first team with a female."

Not that that mattered to her. Her gender being a deciding factor on this seemed archaic, if not boring. But she didn't care.

She stared at the tiny folded crane in her hand. "534," she whispered to herself. She gently put it in her pocket.

Nobody was going to stop her from finding him, whether she joined this Rib team or not.

Grams looks different from this point of view, was Ren's first thought. His second? He couldn't remember ever being hugged this tightly.

Aoba always seemed afraid to touch him, as if his new body were paper and his own hands scissors.

"Thank you child, for taking care of this nitwit," she smiled comfortably up at him.

"Grams!" Aoba shouted, "you make it sound like I'm such a handful."

"Because you are,"she said back,

Ren laughed a little, under his breathe. Aoba seemed surprised, but smiled.

"Now, now," Grams quieted them. Turning to Ren she said, "you must be exhausted. Go up and rest."

Ren nodded, and started to walk up the steps quietly. She held Aoba back when he tried to follow.

"Aoba, be careful with him," she warned. "Ren himself may be strong, but Sei's body still has a lot of work before it can be healthy. I don't want you to get your hopes up too much."

Aoba looked at the steps Ren just went up. It never occurred to him that Sei may fall before Ren did. The thought scared him. He just got his friend back!

Aoba cleared his throat, and smiled at her. "Everything will be fine," he assured her. "Ren won't be going anytime soon."

He left before she could say anything else.

Climbing the stairs, Aoba used willpower to keep from imagining a world without Ren again.

When he got to the room, he saw Noiz sitting on the floor and Ren standing, as if confused as to what to do next.

"Is everything ok?" Aoba asked.

Ren smiled at him sheepishly. "I'm uh... not quite sure how to put on pajamas."

Aoba stood quietly for a minute before bursting out laughing. Ren looked embarrassed, and Noiz just looked bored.

Pushing Noiz out of the room, Aoba closed the door. Turning back, he saw Ren trying to take off his shirt.

"Stop," Aoba laughed. Walking up to him, he showed Ren how to take off his clothes and then put them back on. All in all? It took about forty minutes to get Ren in bed. He has so many questions. 'How do you put on a belt?' or even 'how do i button my pants?'

Laying down, with his soft raven hair sprawled out against the pillow, he looked serene. He took deep breaths, his chest silently rising and falling.

"You're not going anywhere," Aoba vowed. "I need you to watch over me, after all."

"Always," Ren breathed, before falling asleep.

Aoba silently closed the door, and turned toward Noiz. Noiz stood there uncomfortably, with his old Rhyme attire.

"What happened to the suit?" Aoba asked, trying to break the tension.

He looked down at himself. "I..." he began.

Aoba stood there patiently, knowing he shouldn't push Noiz.

"I want her to know who I am," he said quietly, almost vulnerably.

Aoba was confused. But as soon as the timid look was there, it was gone. "I'm looking for someone."

"Who?" Aoba asked.

"I won't tell you that, if you see her you should know," he said. He started walking down the stairs. Aoba went after him.

"Wait, how am i supposed to know?" he asked. "Why are you looking for her?"

He stopped at the door. Without turning around he said, "because she's looking for me." And then he was gone.

Aoba put his hands in his pockets, thinking. He locked the door.

Climbing back upstairs, he thought about what Noiz had said. Who was he looking for, and why? And why would he tell me?

Walking into his room, he saw Ren on the bed. He was curled up on his side, his knees up to his chest, his hands by his face. Aoba smiled at him. Climbing into the bed, Aoba faced him.

And fell into the best sleep he'd had in awhile.