Sunny leaned his head against the car window, his skull rattled in his head as he stared at the trees going past. He hadn't seen trees like this since he moved out of Faraway, he didn't realize how much he had missed it. It was an odd kind of beautiful, seeing the dim evening sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting speckled shadows on the ground. He didn't like the cold gray buildings that populated the city. It didn't feel like a home; this felt like a home.

He sat in the passenger seat, something he'd only been allowed to do ever since he left Faraway. Growing up has its perks, apparently. He glanced at his mom, who was staring intently down the road and looked back out of his window.

He saw his reflection in the mirror, his black hair being blown back by the wind from outside. He wore his prosthetic eye today. He didn't like to usually, and often preferred to just wear a white eyepatch over it, but he wanted Basil to feel comfortable when he saw him. He didn't want Basil to just be thinking about how he had hurt him.

It had been a long year, but he was finally going back. It still didn't feel real, he didn't think it would until he was standing face to face with Basil. His mom was going to drop him off outside of his house; she said he could stay for around a month, but if he needed to leave earlier or later she could work with him.

He appreciated that he could leave early. He was worried that his friends weren't going to take well to him being there. Or maybe Basil would realize he wasn't quite as ready to hang out with him as he thought. That was his biggest fear.

He sighed and looked down at his lap where his Gameboy Advance was laying. He really should have charged it before he left. He wondered if Kel had one, maybe they could play a game together. He always used to have all the video game consoles, so he'd probably have one?

He just wanted to connect with his old friends again.

"Welcome to Faraway Town" the sign greeted him as they sped past.

Faraway was so much smaller than he remembered, at least compared to the city. Houses and shops were spread apart, and what things were relatively close together were still separated by a solid tree-line.

Before he knew it they were pulling into his old neighborhood… taking a left… and another left.

Before he knew it they were on Basil's street.

He gripped his thigh, he was so close now. His heart started to race. He wasn't ready. What if this didn't work? What if his friends didn't want to see him? Was Basil going to be upset? He hadn't seen him since he left the hospital, what if Basil wasn't ready either?

He took a deep breath as the car rolled to a stop outside of Basil's house. His mom looked at him sympathetically, he was much more obvious about how he felt than he thought. He smiled at her.

"Thank you for driving me here, Mom."

"Of course, honey. Make sure you call if you need anything, okay? You have fun, Sunny! It's gonna be great!"

He nodded, and exited the car, taking his suitcase out of the backseat. He moved to the sidewalk and waved to his mom as she drove off.

This was it. He bit his lip before walking up to the house. There was no car in the driveway, was Basil home? The side of the house had an elaborate garden, much more established than the last time he was here. More like back when he and Basil were kids. He hadn't been kidding about caring for his garden.

He stood in front of the door and steeled himself. He'd been here a hundred times before, what made this any different? It was going to be just like old times.

He set his suitcase down and knocked.

"Sunny!"

What could almost be described as a yelp came from inside the house.

"Hang on! Sunny!"

Sunny smiled.

"I'm coming!"

The door swung open.

Basil stood before him, just as he remembered, but so different. Basil was taller than him, though not by much. When did that happen? Basil had always been the shortest of the group. A bright pink flower shone from his slightly unkempt hair. It was still Basil.

He felt like he was staring at the boy for an eternity.

"Basil..."

Basil embraced him. Sunny wrapped his arms around him and held on as tight as he could, resting his head against Basil's shoulder. It felt so right being there. He squeezed his eyes before they could start to water, wishing he could stay right there forever. He missed his best friend so much. How long had it been since the two hugged like this? He was so warm and gentle…

Too soon, far too soon, Basil pulled away and smiled at him.

"Your hair's grown, Sunny."

"I meant to get it cut."

"I love it. It suits you, you should keep it."

It was such a simple interaction. But… that's what made it special. Just like old times. They could talk as if they'd never been apart.

He really had meant to get it cut. He hated staring at it in the mirror. But… if Basil liked it, maybe it was okay.

"Come inside! We gotta get that suitcase in my room!"

Sunny nodded and picked it up before following Basil.

His house smelled the same as it always had, incense burning mixed with a sweet flowery smell coming from the open window. This was home. He looked around, the place was mostly the same as it was last year, at least as far as he remembered.

"Polly's out of the house, she's going shopping to get some food for us to have over the trip! I think she's probably going to bring home fast food for dinner, I hope you're excited!"

Basil looked back at him anxiously looking for confirmation, Sunny nodded, as he followed Basil through the house.

He felt tense as they neared Basil's room. Things hadn't been the best last time they were both in there. He could tell Basil was a little on edge as well, as he paused in front of his door.

"Well… Let's go in!" Basil said, opening his door and walking inside.

Sunny followed him and set his suitcase down by the door. There was already an air mattress laid out on the floor for him, with a huge pile of blankets on top.

"I know you like to keep warm…" he murmured shyly, "So I made sure to get extra blankets here for you!"

"Thank you." Sunny's chest felt hot, Basil always remembered the little things.

"Oh, Is this that plant?"

Sunny walked over to the blooming tulip flowers, the ones Basil had sent him pictures of a couple weeks ago. It looked even more beautiful in person. Pure, and delicate.

"The one like you!" Basil affirmed, standing beside him now.

"It's pretty."

"Isn't it? It looks amazing this time of year, it's my favorite.

The two just stood there for a moment, before Sunny remembered his gift.

"I forgot... I got you a present, Basil."

He went back over to his suitcase getting on his knees and opened it up, pulling the green sweater out.

"Here! For you!"

Basil took it from his hands and examined it while Sunny looked up at him expectantly.

"Oh! Roses! And sunflowers! And it's my favorite color! Sunny, I love it! I'm going to go change into it now, okay? I'll be right back!"

Basil ran out of the room, grabbing a pair of pajama pants out of his dresser before he went.

Sunny looked around Basil's room, taking it all in. It was mostly the same as it always was. Plenty of flowers, a bookshelf populated with tons of colorful books, an elegant dresser, and a twin sized bed with a green blanket. Just as he'd left it.

He felt a wave of unease being back in this room. A place he'd spent so much time in during his childhood. He didn't like to think about the past too much, it brought back bad memories. It scared him.

He had to focus on the new memories.

A few moments passed, before Basil entered the room again. His mind cleared.

"Well?" Basil said.

The sweater fit perfectly, if not a little big. Still, sweaters are supposed to be comfy! Basil looked so cozy in that sweater, he was almost jealous. Not to mention the pajama pants to match. It looked… nice on him.

"Perfect! It won't be too hot?"

"No, especially not at night!"

Basil smiled.

"I actually have something for you as well! Just a minute!"

He grabbed a book off of his shelf.

"Here!"

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

"It's a book that really helps people with drawing! I know you've been doing a lot of art stuff lately, so I thought that might help!"

Basil looked at him, eyes wide, almost nervous.

Sunny was already flipping through the pages, he smiled. This looked like it would actually be useful.

"I love it Basil!"

"Really? That's a relief." Basil sighed. He was really stressed out about this, wasn't he?

"Thank you so much."

The two stood for a minute with their gifts, just looking at each other. Sunny hadn't been in a room alone with Basil since the hospital. He felt nervous, but he couldn't place why.

Before he could think about it any more he heard the front door open.

"That must be Polly! Let's go, Sunny!"

Polly came holding bags from a local burger joint and set them down on the dining room table.

"Hi, Sunny!" she said, without missing a beat, waving at him, "It's nice to see you here again! I assume you've settled in mostly?"

Sunny nodded, "Yes. Thank you."

"Of course! You're always welcome here. You two can go ahead and start eating. Sunny, I wasn't sure what you'd like, but there's a few different kinds of burgers in there, you and Basil can pick and choose which you like. There should be plenty of fries too."

Sunny and Basil both thanked her again, before sitting down across from each other and opening the bags. Sunny's stomach growled, he hadn't eaten since before he had left his house, and that was hours ago.

"Here, Sunny. This one's just plain," Basil said, "You usually like those right?"

Sunny nodded, he always had.

"I'm so glad that you're here you know, Sunny."

"I like being here."

Sunny unwrapped his burger and took a first bite. He hadn't had this place before, but it was good.

"Tomorrow I think that we should try to find Kel and Aubrey. What do you think?"

Basil had begun eating as well.

"I think so…" Sunny set his food down. He felt sick thinking of seeing his friends again. "I guess we have to, don't we?"

"It's gonna be fine, Sunny! They seemed excited, didn't they?"

"I guess so. I still don't know when Hero is supposed to be here."

Basil seemed bothered at the thought of Hero.

"Maybe Kel would know? I can't imagine it'll be too much longer, I think it was around this time last year he came back."

Sunny remembered when Hero came back last year, how he'd saved him and Basil from drowning. He always managed to live up to his name.

"I hope… he still likes us." Sunny said, "I'm scared"

Basil nodded, "Me too… but he emailed you first. We just have to trust in our friend. It's all we can do."

The two sat in silence.

"Do you remember the last time we were eating together here, Sunny?"

"Kind of."

He remembered how Basil ran off. How scared he was in the bathroom. What did Sunny see? What made the bathroom so frightening? It was just Basil, right?

His head started to hurt.

He felt like he was missing something.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Sunny. It's probably a bad memory…"

"No, I'm sorry... I just got distracted. What were you saying?"

"Just, I'm happy you're here. That day I thought I was never going to see you again. I… don't know what I would've done Sunny," the boy looked at Sunny, "Thank you. You've done more for me than you know."

Sunny nodded. He knew what Basil meant. That day they fought… it could have gone very differently. For both of them. That night the secret could have been buried forever.

He was glad it wasn't. The truth sets you free, as they say.

"It took both of us," Sunny said, "You saved yourself."

"I almost…" he glanced at Polly, and shook his head, "We're okay now. That's what matters, and I'm so glad you're here."

What did Basil leave unsaid? He would ask about it later, this conversation wasn't one that needed to happen in front of Polly. She probably worried about Basil enough as is.

The two finished their meals.

"Okay! I'll help Polly with putting away the groceries, you go unpack okay?"

Sunny nodded and stood up from the table.

He walked, alone this time, to Basil's room. He took his toothbrush from his suitcase. That was really the only thing he'd packed aside from clothes and the picnic stuff.

He also grabbed his pajama clothes from his suitcase, just an old t-shirt and pants. He went to bring it all to the bathroom but paused outside of the door.

What had been in there that scared him? He opened the door and slid inside, locking it and flicking the light on.

He stared at himself in the mirror. It was just him.

See, nothing to worry about.

Still, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. There was something wrong.

He set his toothbrush down on the counter and quickly changed before running into Basil as he left.

"Hi! Oh, is everything okay? You don't look so good…"

Sunny offered a half-smile, "Hi. I'm okay."

Basil nodded, though he didn't look convinced, "Okay… if you're sure. I was just going to brush my teeth, we could together like we used to?"

Before he knew it, they were both standing in front of the mirror. It really was quite obvious Basil had grown to be taller than him standing side by side beside the boy. Well, he was younger, so maybe it made sense. Basil was already seventeen, Sunny still had another month. Schools in Faraway tended to accept students a year earlier than usual, so the gang would all be graduating this year, despite being a little younger than usual. Hero graduated a year later than he should have to his understanding. Apparently he failed the year of high school after Mari's death.

He felt terrible for that.

He shook it off. He couldn't be worried about that right now. Any amends he needed to make with Hero he would when he saw him again. He would be brave enough.

He felt better being in the bathroom with Basil than he did when he was alone in there. Basil made rooms feel safer. He could almost forget everything that bothered him when he was with Basil. Almost.

The two had hung out in the living room for a while, sitting on the couch and talking while the TV played. Basil updated Polly on their plans, how they were hoping to go to Gino's tomorrow with Kel and Aubrey, and how Sunny was hoping to be able to have a picnic with everyone once Hero was home. Polly thought it all sounded great, and offered to drive them if they ever wanted to go somewhere far. Sunny thought it might be fun to go to the beach again.

Basil and Sunny sat on the floor in Basil's room now, and Sunny was rummaging through his suitcase. He pulled out Basil's old photo album!

"Here, look what I brought."

He placed it on the floor between them.

When was the last time they looked at it, just the two of them? Basil would always show Sunny his new photos as he placed them in the book, but that was a long time ago. Maybe Basil would want to take more pictures now? That was his hope.

"Oh, you remembered it!"

Basil opened the book, and the two looked at the photos. He laughed and pointed at the picture of Sunny playing his old Gameboy. "You know, this one was always one of my favorites, Sunny. What I wrote was true… you've always been a great listener."

Sunny nodded and looked at the picture of him. It was one of Basil's favorites? He had to find one of his favorites. He flipped through the album and stopped to point at the photo of him and Basil sitting together. Where he was showing him his new book.

"I like this one."

"I like that one too! You look so interested. You're always interested in what I have to say, aren't you, Sunny?"

He just nodded again. They looked so happy in all of these pictures. He couldn't help but think of all the great memories they could have made if things had been different. If Mari had never died, if he hadn't locked himself away after she died.

"Basil… I'm sorry I left you," he looked up to meet Basil's eyes.

Sunny had messed up a lot, he made so many mistakes. But one of his biggest ones was abandoning Basil. They would have been stronger together than apart. Why didn't he go to him? What was holding him back all those years? He hated himself for it.

"I missed you, Sunny." Basil said, "It… got really hard sometimes. I never stopped believing in you though. I didn't lose hope until… until I found out you were moving. That's when I realized I might never see you again."

He paused, looking down at the photo album, a sad smile on his face.

"If that happened… I knew the truth would never come out," he looked back to Sunny, "I was too much of a coward. And… I don't think it was my place. I was in denial. I… I don't know when I truly accepted you made the mistake and it wasn't… Something. It might have been the day at the hospital I truly understood. Maybe I just wanted to pretend. It seemed easier to accept, didn't it, Sunny?"

Something... that's what Basil had been talking about in the bathroom that day. Something behind him? That's right...

Sunny nodded. He didn't know how he would've reacted if his friends found out about what he did before he told them. He didn't even know if he knew what had happened until the words were out of his mouth. It was all hazy.

It would have been so much easier if it had been Something behind him, just like Basil thought. It wouldn't have been his fault, and Basil would have been right for helping him. Because it wasn't his fault.

But it was.

And what Basil did was wrong too.

He had to accept that.

"Good people can do bad things." Sunny offered Basil a smile, "I think you're a good person."

"So wise," Basil smiled back, "I think you're a good person too, Sunny."

He nodded.

That's all he needed.

There was still one thing on his mind though.

"Basil… what were you saying earlier? When you interrupted yourself."

"Oh…" he sighed, "I shouldn't have said anything but… it'll just bother you if I don't tell you, huh?"

Sunny nodded.

"I… I don't think I would be here right now if you didn't show up when you did that night." Basil stared at Sunny, "I would be dead. I was planning on it. That night we fought. You saved my life, Sunny."

Sunny knew Basil was close to losing to himself, but he needed to hear it confirmed. He had felt such a strong pull to Basil that night, the urge to save him. On some level somehow he knew Basil needed him. Maybe that's just the bond best friends share.

Sunny swallowed, "I'm glad you're still here."

Basil smiled, "It's getting late. We should get to bed, Sunny. We're gonna need to be rested if we're hanging out with Kel tomorrow… he's always high energy, isn't he?"

Always one to divert when the conversation gets to be too much about him.

Sunny nodded, he slowly closed the photo album and set it on the floor beside his air mattress. He watched as Basil turned the light off, then climbed into his own bed, still wearing the sweater he gave him. He hoped that he actually liked it, and wasn't just pretending to make Sunny feel better. Sunny really liked the present Basil bought him. He was always so thoughtful.

He pulled the blankets over him, he was almost smothered by a huge mound of warmth, but he liked it. Again, Basil was always so thoughtful. He curled up, holding his knees.

"Sunny... are you excited to see Aubrey?"

"Aubrey?"

"Yeah. I know you used to have a little crush on her."

"Oh," Sunny said, "Maybe a long time ago, not anymore. I'm excited to see her, I guess. But just as my friend that I miss."

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure," Sunny thought for a moment, "You know, Basil... I was most excited to see you."

"I was most excited to see you too, Sunny."

The two laid in silence for a moment. Sunny didn't care for Aubrey in that way anymore, even back when he might have had a little crush on her it was nothing big. Nothing compared to the bond that he and Basil shared as best friends. He was excited to see all of his friends again, but Basil was his main reason for wanting to come back to Faraway town. If no one else liked him, he would be okay just hanging out with Basil.

Basil yawned, causing Sunny to yawn.

"Goodnight, Sunny."

"Goodnight, Basil."

He closed his eyes. He felt more at peace here than he had in years.

Tomorrow would be a good day. He had to trust his friends.

He could do that.