A buzz forced his eyes to shoot open in frantic panic. Brown wooden ceiling tiles came into his view first, along with the sensation of being laid in a bed.

Is this… heaven?

Sitting up and feeling sheets fall off him; Kai stared down at his hands which opened and closed at his command. Putting a hand upon his chest he felt a beating heart.

I'm… I'm alive… I'm alive!

Sun shone through a window to his left and he put a hand up to cover his eyes, joy making his heart flutter.

"I'm alive… I'm alive… but then that means…"

Throwing the sheets off him he raced towards the mirror that was in the corner of the room, Kai nearly screaming in joy.

"I'm young again! I'm me! I'm home!"

Seeing his old clothes on a dresser Kai frantically tugged on all of his clothing and rushed out the door, flying through the hallway and into the kitchen where his friends were eating breakfast. The smell of well cooked meat and eggs filled his nostrils and immediately Kai saw Ray sitting with a bowl of eggs in his hand.

Ray stared at him blankly until Kai began shouting at all of them.

"Max… Tyson… you're both okay! You're both here!"

Tyson glared at him and tilted his head.

"Yeah and? It's not like we left or anything."

"You're the one who" Max began a sentence but Kai's hug was enough to make him stop. Tyson froze where he was and dropped his plate, seeing Kai hug him as well.

"Oh you don't know how happy I am to see you both!"

"Kai? Is this really you?" Tyson asked as soon as Kai let him go. "Are you sure you're the stubborn Kai who told Ray off yesterday?"

"Ray… Ray!"

Whirling around to see his love sitting with a confused look in his face Kai leapt over the table and into Ray's arms, knocking him over to the ground. He embraced Ray hard as Ray sat up, his ponytail getting caught in Kai's embrace.

"Kai…"

Kai could feel Ray moving beneath him but before Ray could say any more he pressed his lips against Ray's, feeling Ray freeze. When he released Ray he felt tears burn his eyes and pass down his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry… about everything… I'm no good for you… but I'll try… I'll try really hard… to make everything up. We can have that shopping spree you wanted… a-and we can get that cat! You wanted a cat right? We can get you a dog as well and-"

"Kai." Ray said, Kai stopping his words. Kai stared at Ray for a few more seconds before feeling his bottom lip tremble.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" he embraced Ray again, who in return hugged him back. Kai's tears dripped onto Ray's shirt and he felt Ray sigh, stroking Kai's back.

After much coxing and kisses Kai finally felt normal again, Ray by his side and telling him that Kai was forgiven ten times over. Tears were never expected to come from Kai of course, but with a change of heart anything was possible.

His friends wanted to know exactly what happened to make his heart so light now, and Kai told them everything he remembered from his experience. He told them about their other selves, their lives and what he had. He told them how lonely and lost he felt, how everything he touched died or had become too corrupted to save.

His tale made their eyes widen, and even as they tried to explain that he was sleeping the entire time Kai insisted that he had actually travelled there. He had admitted his wish to them as well, to which he got many punches. They forgave him however, if he promised to never berate Ray again. Kai made his promise, and even thanked Ray for taking him back so quickly.

"So… I was that big huh? Almost seven feet tall?" Ray asked bashfully, sipping at the tea that was getting cold on the counter. Kai nodded back at him.

"You were huge, and your hair was loose. You had piercings all over your ears too."

"That would hurt."

"You looked really good. I would love to see you get one."

"In your dreams."

Kai smiled at Ray, who smiled back softly. The afternoon sun was already setting with the dusk of day, and Kai turned his head to see the day pass. His tale had taken the entire daylight, but in the end his friends had every right to know what had happened.

He had grown old, learned a lesson, and returned a new person. If his friends had not found him again, he would have been lost.

Getting up from his seated position, Kai rubbed his hand gently on Ray's head.

"I'm going to change. I'll be right back."

Walking towards his room he could hear the laughter of his friends at the spoken thought of seeing Ray with loose hair. Of course Ray would never do such a thing, he was conservative. Maybe 'he' would though.

Walking into the guest room where his clothes lay, Kai knelt down gently towards the floor as his eyes spotted something in the open doorway that led outside.

The cherry blossoms caught in the wind, drifting down to him and surrounding him with a sweet scent. In the branches of the tree Kai saw a few red birds fly up into the sky, calling their mates towards them. The light of the sun was disappearing in the sky but left the fires of its light in Kai's eyes.

As he peered down upon the floor he smiled and nodded his head, bowing down.

"Thank you."

A single red feather lay on the ground; its beautiful stem glittered with gold and orange.

'She' was watching.