"Aaaah! Mamma! Pappa! Help! Help-help-help! It's ...scary!" - Whatever it was. Takuma rolled his eyes at the drama of Satomi who was always dramatic.
Their parents ran outside anyway. Even still they were hoping for Grandma Purrcy to come back. She was sometimes scary but he didn't think his little sister had been referencing that.
There was silence for a bit and that did make Takuma's curiosity wake up. He got up from the couch and walked for the door. His mother's cry startled him and it made him freeze. "Hahaue! ...And Chichiue!"
He ran forward. They'd always been taught they'd never know their grandfather. His mother was crying as he skid to a stop behind his father where his little sister was cowering. This towering white four-armed winged creature surely wasn't his grandfather...right?
Takuma's eyes traveled down until he was looking at his mother's back and two other felinoids holding her as she was holding them. "I never thought you'd bring Chichiue back, Hahaue. I'm so happy," his mother cried. He wondered how his mother could stand to be so close to such an apparition behind them.
The creature was smiling, however. His white wings were furled behind his back, sticking up over his shoulders and out the sides as well. They looked soft but powerful. The upper pair of arms were folded and the lower two were one on each of the outer shoulders of his grandparents.
He did recognize the black and speckled coat of his grandmother. His grandfather was grey with white on his muzzle and his neck and down under his red kimono. His grandmother was in a similar plain black kimono. The white creature was clothed in a soft white garment, a shirt of a sort, and pants. The shirt was long and split up in front and each side, so likely the back as well.
The eyes of the creature lifted from the reunion below him to look at Takuma's father with the two children behind him. They were surprisingly kind eyes sparkling with delight. "Hello. Purrcy's already warned us this will take a while. She's always been known for very long hellos from a long time ago.
"I'm Michael. We're beginning to return again, those of us of Log Horizon. She hasn't told us all the details yet, so that's all I can tell you at this point."
MeowLi looked up at the towering Michael. He looked back at her. "Meow-Li, you knew me in the Gate of Time but I was under an illusion then so you won't recognize me. I was there to protect your mother, as a temple guard.
"I was the one who would come and collect you for them when you ran away, and who scolded Miru and Meiki for being mean, and had to go collect Setsubou when he would get lost in the library past dinner again."
"Oohh, you're the poor abused guard that we all got familiar with and felt sorry for," MeowLi said, rather impolitely.
"Yes," Michael sighed. "That was me."
Nyanta chuckled and patted Michael on the hand that was still on his shoulder. "That was an important time for me to learn how to trust mew. When I could no longer rely on mew in that way later, I discovered a hole I hadn't expected."
Michael looked at him seriously. "Thank you for trusting me."
"Chichiue, come and meet Kentaru and our children," MeowLi tugged on his hand.
Takuma's father bowed formally. "It is an honor to greet the High Priest of Izanagi and father of my wife."
Takuma took Satomi's hand in his and held it tightly. He made her bow when he did. "It is a pleasure to greet our grandfather." His sister bobbed her head. They were both surprised when Nyanta named them and spoke to them kindly. He seemed like a very kind man, although their mother had always called him stern. He supposed Nyanta could be both. "Where is the third?"
"Ah," his ears wiggled in embarrassment, although he tried to hold them still. "Yuu is in lessons. She will be home in a few hours." He was supposed to be at lessons. Maybe it would be okay, to have been here when his grandparents had arrived?
Purrcy's hand landed on Takuma's shoulder and she leaned down and kissed the top of his head. Quietly she whispered, "Don't say more. I've not told them everything yet." He gave an obedient nod. Purrcy greeted Satomi with a hug and kiss, and then Kentaru when Nyanta was done speaking with him. "Let's go inside and get settled," she requested.
Takuma watched in fascination as Michael shrank to normal Adventurer size and shape, looking as buff as most of them did if they were fighters. They walked into the guild hall and stood in the central area. "Which room is meowrs?" Nyanta asked MeowLi.
"We took the central one," she pointed, "Shiroe's office. And the children are in your room. We've been keeping the place clean, though, and can move wherever you would rather."
Nyanta looked at Purrcy. "It will be different. I almost want to ask for the room that has my porch as it will be simpler. But, I'm not sure everyone can accept that."
Purrcy waved a hand. "We can rearrange. It's going to be different. Life on Earth brought changes to everyone. Changes will happen again. Such is life."
"True. And we won't be here often while we're Adventuring."
"Yes, that phase will keep us all busy," Purrcy agreed. "How about letting them have your old room, then? Shiroe will want his back, I'm certain."
"That's acceptable to me," Nyanta agreed.
"That would have been Gareth and Brenner's room," Michael said and MeowLi's ear pricked up just a little.
"Their positions are changed now, you know that Michael. And Akatsuki will be with Shiroe so will have some say in how his room is rearranged as well, but it opens a room." Purrcy sighed. "I'm actually worried most about bringing Brenner back. I suspect he won't join us here. Each of them will be given the right of choice. We'll need to see what the final outcome is before we go too far into the planning. I'd like to hold discussing details and the current present and future until after I've gathered them."
MeowLi was now positively trembling. "You'll bring them - the Eagles - back here?" She'd told her children many stories about living with the guild Log Horizon, but not much whispered about the Eagles, only that they had also lived there and guarded the members of Log Horizon. His mother's reaction was making Takuma curious.
"Those who want to come and play with us before they begin their path in the cycle of Theldesia," Purrcy answered. "Michael is still trying to decide if he'll stay here at this time or take them separately."
MeowLi turned to Michael with everything taut. "You - you're one... the Commander, right?" Michael gave a tip of the head. "Please ...I would like to meet them, if it's possible. Akatsuki told me so many stories. The rooms were so empty, to imagine them all full and this place so busy ...was nearly impossible."
Michael looked a bit sad. "Yes, we were sad to be gone so long as well, although the other side of the planet was more home to us and we had a duty there."
He considered, then said to Purrcy, "You may let them know about going with Log Horizon on their adventures. You know for us it would be a separate contract. Perhaps they'll be willing for Akatsuki's sake and for the opportunity to push through dungeons under Shiroe's direction.
Michael considered it further, then finally shook his head. "No. It's not going to work. You can welcome them, but you need to let me ask that question. That's my position."
Purrcy gave an obedient nod. "Okay, if we can. Then Nyanta, will you allow us to go and start working on that while you catch up with our family?"
"Certainly, meow," Nyanta tipped an ear.
The door suddenly flew open and was slammed shut behind the final member of the family. A short felinoid figure was a blur across the floor as she ran at her grandmother to clasp her tightly while she shivered with tears.
"Hello, little one," Purrcy said lovingly, running her hand over the smaller head and purring to help her calm down. "I've missed you. Thank you for continuing to work on your studies so hard. It's good you've come. Family is more important."
The child relaxed somewhat, glad to not get scolded for leaving lessons early. When she was finally ready to let go, Purrcy pushed her away a bit. "I've brought with me some special people. You'll particularly want to greet your grandfather." Yuu stiffened slightly, then quickly looked around Purrcy. Her eyes fell on Nyanta and she took in a sharp breath.
"Hello, Yuu-chan," Nyanta said. "It's good to finally greet mew. I am also pleased mew're diligent with meowr studies. They will wait for a time." Purrcy pushed Yuu closer to Nyanta.
Yuu bowed properly. "It is good to greet my grandfather, when we had never hoped to." She looked up earnestly into Nyanta's green eyes, her own the same color. "I'm glad you've come to make Baba happy again."
Nyanta's ear fell a little. "Yes, I am too," he said softly. "The smiling Hahaue is everyone's favorite, isn't it?" Yuu gave a very firm nod of agreement.
Purrcy stepped over to give Nyanta a kiss. "Yes, I'm glad you're here, too. We'll be back shortly and over and over on my part. Please be expecting sudden appearances of family. Nyanta you might want to have them sit so people aren't tripping on each other. Please excuse the chaos." She moved away and over to Michael. They held hands and disappeared.
"Why did they hold hands?" Satomi asked.
"They've gone walking the realms. If mew don't want to get lost, or separated from companions, it's best to hold hands or something similar," Nyanta explained patiently. "Purrticularly since they're walking Time, although they would find their way back eventually."
-:-:-:-:-
Purrcy held onto Michael's hand very tightly. "What is it?" he asked her.
"I'm not sure how to handle how things have turned out," she answered. "This round we'll need to keep your and my relationship secret from my children and grandchildren. After that it won't be necessary to.
"And you remember how hard it was for me to learn to let you love me. Now I've got to do it in reverse, and become okay with being polygamous. That's not easy for Americans, you know. And even harder for someone who'd committed to having no more spouses ever once upon a time."
Michael caught Purrcy up and swept with his wings so that they flew forward. "I think you'll settle eventually. As you said there are a lot of new things. I already understand that it's his turn. While I have missed you since your death and in my years of continuing to live alone, he lived longer having to watch you silently. It won't be hard to let you love him this time, except the few times I get jealous. I'll come to you both when that happens.
"I think including him will be important. That was one of the things I understood after I'd talked to him enough. He needed to be included. The more we did that the more he was able to relax and be happy with us and with his own situation.
"I called him once a week just to talk. I knew as an introvert that wasn't something you would do and I didn't want to have the two of you hurt more. But I could do it and that helped him, too.
"He eventually would converse with me, and then even ask questions. I wouldn't ever push it too long, knowing he needed only small doses to stay content. I wasn't doing it to torture him, after all."
Purrcy sighed. "I'm so glad you're very good at that sort of thing. Thank you." She closed her eyes and sighed a pleasurable sigh. "When it's your turn, can we fly over the ocean, just the two of us? I want to be held like this in flight for as long as you can go so it can feel like forever."
Michael chuckled and kissed her. "Will you be a fox for me instead of cat when it's my turn?"
She immediately turned into her fox-kitsune form. "Absolutely," she answered. "And...," she grinned at him a fox's grin and started purring, "here I can keep the cat's purr."
Michael laughed and kissed her muzzle. "Even better. ...Then I'll be content until the next round. Love Nyanta. He needs you again. I'll stand behind you both. That's what matters to me most: that I can love you and that I can stand next to you and protect you." He held her more tightly. Softly he said, "Nyanta has gifted me more than I hoped. How can I not be grateful?"
"Because it's strange," she answered.
"You're strange," he answered back.
"Well, no argument there," she agreed. "I just didn't expect you and Nyanta to go strange."
Michael was silent for a while. "Maybe age and experience do that to a person," he finally said. "A lot of things that were so emotionally important when young, you get an understanding that it's okay to relax a bit, that the world won't end, that compromises can be as beneficial as standing your ground for your ideals."
He sighed. "We'll have to not tell the Eagles. There are a lot of them that won't get it either. Let them think I've returned you to Nyanta."
"I don't think so," Purrcy disagreed. "They already know from the beginning you wouldn't be able to do that permanently. They'll want to know if they should help you fight for me.
"I do agree it will be difficult in that way. ...Let me stand with you to talk to all of them. That way I can answer their questions, including in that area. They'll want the proper reality check, I think." Michael couldn't argue with that. They would.
"Do you want to do all of them with me? You'll observe for the most part, but it will begin to help you learn," Purrcy asked.
"Okay," Michael said softly and kissed her again. "Human." She changed to her Earth self for him and he kissed her the way he wanted to, long and deeply, having missed this Purrcy the most.
Izanagi had made her in the way it wanted the same as it had made him. He wasn't disappointed that she'd been given a youthful body that reflected the young her that they all knew had been inside from the beginning.
-:-:-:-:-
"Shiroe." He knew that voice. "You may choose. Do you wish to start new on Theldesia, or continue nearly where you left off?"
"Continue."
"You may choose. At what age would you like to start? You will age this time and die in your time."
"Am I beginning with all the same skill sets I left with?"
"Yes."
"Then let me start at age twenty-one."
"You want to live a long time." Purrcy was humored.
"Yes," Shiroe answered, a bit embarrassed. "And I want to have as many strong years to adventure as possible, but still be older than Akatsuki. Can I have that or is that going to be her's only to choose?"
"I'll ask when it's her turn."
"Thank you." He figured politeness was good even in this case.
"Please describe what you would like to look like, including the height and size details. You are recreating your avatar this one time."
"Will imagining it help?"
"Always." Again the smile was in her voice.
Having already thought of this often before now, Shiroe carefully described it. He wanted to maintain the visual of the Archmage as Theldesian's knew him by, but he wanted his real size back and to look more like himself (now that Akatsuki was used to that). It was complex, but in the end he was viewing an image outside of himself that he'd been viewing inside. He nodded. "Like that."
He was placed inside the body. He quickly checked his item lists and everything else to make sure he still really did own everything he was supposed to own. Even his bank account had been rising properly, surprising him how wealthy he was now.
Shiroe went looking around himself instead of at his status. It was the same sort of empty space that he'd meet Kishi-Mujin in. "Purrcy?" She immediately appeared. "Hug, please," he asked. She gave him one. He held on tightly. "I thought your death on Earth would be final for you since you couldn't go back through the door."
"It was. Izanagi brought Michael back first, since my Earth psyche was in my queen wedding ring. Nyanta required the me that had lived that time on Earth to be restored to him here."
Shiroe suddenly tightened his hold on her. "Nyanta's returned?"
"Yes. When it was time to bring Log Horizon back to Theldesia the AI's required I call him first. He was the one who made me return to Earth, when he came. I wasn't going to come even knowing all of you wanted it, but when he ordered it, I had no choice."
"Because he was the whistle holder."
"Correct."
Shiroe relaxed, then a little reluctantly let Purrcy go. "I'm glad you could be both there and here. Either place I would have missed you terribly. I did miss you terribly, before we retrieved you and again after you died there. I hope we'll get to be with you often now."
"Yes, I want to play with everyone, too," she answered. "Let me take you home. I have the others to retrieve and then we'll have our next meeting."
He smiled at her. "Sounds good." She took his upper arm in her hand and stepped. They were in the Log Horizon common room. She smiled and disappeared. Shiroe happily greeted Nyanta and then enjoyed getting to meet with MeowLi's family until the rest of his guild began appearing. That is, after Kishi-Mujin settled enough from her excitement at having Shiroe home again.
-:-:-:-:-
"Naotsugu, it's time to vacation and play and see all those vista's you've been waiting for."
Naotsugu grinned. "Hot-spot-vacation-city! I've been waiting for it, Hahaue."
"I know. You and boyhood joys that one never lets go of - and shouldn't. Shiroe's waiting for you, but first we have to set you up again. Ah, I'm required to ask like a computer. You may choose. Do you wish to start new on Theldesia, or continue nearly where you left off?"
"Continue." He was absolutely firm on that.
"You may choose. At what age would you like to start? You will age this time and die in your time."
He considered that. "Twenty-three." That would put him older than Shiroe for sure.
"Please describe what you would like to look like, including the height and size details. You are recreating your avatar this one time."
He would have rubbed his hands together if he had them. He and Marielle had actually discussed this plenty of times as they sat at dinner and reminisced. He described it. She still wanted him to be large enough to be comforting, he still wanted to be strong enough to protect her. "And I want my armor to still fit even with the changes."
"Acceptable." He was relieved, although it should have been able to do that.
An image appeared before Naotsugu. He carefully looked it over, thought about how each change would affect his movements and life in general. Finally he nodded. "That should do it." He was slid into the body and he blinked and moved around a bit to get settled into it. He had his stuff. "Right. What's next?"
"I'll take you to Shiroe and the Log Horizon guild hall and drop you off. There are still others to collect and return."
He gave a nod and they were suddenly in the guild hall, then Purrcy was gone. In two strides Naotsugu was holding Shiroe in a great bear hug. He couldn't say anything for a while, but Shiroe didn't mind. He was holding on almost as tight.
A soft clearing of the throat was next to them, though. Naotsugu recognized that and almost threw Shiroe for turning so quickly. Almost as fast as he'd let go of Shiroe he had grabbed Nyanta. Nyanta laughed at him, but purred and patted him on the back. "You wouldn't have come, except Purrcy," Naotsugu accused.
"True," Nyanta answered. "And when she was the still immature Purrcy I almost didn't. I made her go back to finish growing up purroperly."
"What nonsense is that?" Naotsugu asked, pulling back to look at him.
Nyanta smiled. "Michael was the one to finally teach her what it was to be a purroper wife. She couldn't have faith in herself as long as it was a contract requirement. This Purrcy is one I will love to love."
Naotsugu frowned at him. "Has he also returned?"
"Yes. We have an understanding," Nyanta answered calmly.
"Well, that's good then. No fights in the kitchen, okay?"
Nyanta raised an eyeridge of whiskers at him but didn't answer. "Mew remember MeowLi?" Naotsugu greeted Nyanta's family cordially.
-:-:-:-:-
"Akatsuki." Floating in the calm of existence-without-substance the woman smiled slightly. She'd lived a long life and learned a self-confidence she'd worked hard to earn. To have her name called was a thing of quiet pride.
"You may choose. Do you wish to start new on Theldesia, or continue nearly where you left off?"
"Continue." That was where everything and everyone she loved was going to meet again.
"You may choose. At what age would you like to start? You will age this time and die in your time."
"The same age as Shiroe. ...And I would like to die with him." Having him die before her had been difficult but she didn't want to leave him alone.
"Please describe what you would like to look like, including the height and size details. You are recreating your avatar this one time."
It wasn't hard to answer that question. "While I learned to not be ashamed of my height, I believe I'm now able to stand at Shiroe's side properly. I would like to be five centimeters shorter than him and make the proportions so that I can still be graceful. That will not be too tall and I'm willing to work to learn the differential. Otherwise, how I looked before is fine.
"Ah...and please if my clothes can already fit with my size change. I like to shop, but I don't need to at the beginning, I think." She'd thought of it in her last years of life alone in the little house as her way to help her have patience.
An image appeared before Akatsuki. It was tall and willowy. She fell in love with it immediately. The height made her blush - more with pleasure that she had finally reached that level of capacity. She gave a pleased nod and then was entering the body. Her feet touched ground.
She flexed, carefully bent her knees and stood again. A bit of walking told her just how much learning she was going to have to do. She took a breath. "Well, okay. I'll work on it there."
She was surprised to look Purrcy in the eyes, nearly. A hug was necessary and happily returned. "I'll return when I've brought everyone." Akatsuki nodded and they were standing in the common room, then Purrcy was gone again.
There was silence, then Shiroe was moving quickly, understanding that if Akatsuki stepped she'd likely fall flat on her face. His eyes were very wide.
"Well, that's not fair. I think I'll keep calling you Shrimp anyway. You're still skinny so it counts, right?" Akatsuki glared at Naotsugu, but couldn't attack him yet, and probably not for a few days.
"W-why?" Shiroe finally managed to ask.
Akatsuki smiled at him. "Because I want to really stand at your side as your equal this time."
She could tell that he wanted to say she already had, and she appreciated that, but in the next breath, he blushed. "Thank you," he said instead.
She kissed him. "I do hope you'll help me for a bit, though."
"Of course," he answered immediately.
Kishi-Mujin's delight at having Akatsuki back home filled her for a moment. Akatsuki gave her a return emotional greeting, also filled with happiness to be back where she'd never really wanted to leave in the first place, although she'd never trade out the years of standing next to Shiroe.
"A-Akatsuki?" asked a voice Akatsuki hadn't heard in a very long time.
She turned carefully, then smiled. "Hello, MeowLi. I got to properly choose my height this time, but yes, it's me." She was holding MeowLi next in a large hug.
"I've missed you so much. I'm so glad you got to come back while I'm still here."
"Me, too," Akatsuki agreed. She looked around, but Naotsugu caught her eye with his. She smiled at him shyly. "Thanks, Perv, for taking care of me."
He waved his hand. "You know that's what I do - even for you."
"Yes," she answered gently, glad to see him, too.
-:-:-:-:-
"Touya."
He turned his head, excited to hear that voice even though he couldn't see anything at the moment. "Hahaue! Is it time?"
"Yes, it's your turn. You may choose. Do you wish to start new on Theldesia, or continue nearly where you left off?"
"Continue with everybody."
"You may choose. At what age would you like to start? You will age this time and die in your time."
Touya drew in a sharp breath. Every age had been so exciting. "Seventeen, but let Minori know. I still want to be twins with her."
"Please describe what you would like to look like, including the height and size details. You are recreating your avatar this one time."
That was a little harder. "I'll get to age this time, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I think I would like to look like the me of Earth, only more buff so I can be a real tank."
An image appeared in front of him. He looked at it critically, then made tons of minor modifications until he was satisfied. "Okay. I think that will do it," he said.
Touya was put into that body. He flexed his biceps and ran in place a little. It was a body to practice in for a bit to get used to, but it wasn't bad. "Okay," he said.
Purrcy appeared in front of him and he gave her a big hug. She gave him one in return and they were at Log Horizon and she was gone again.
"Hey, it's my junior!" Naotsugu's big hand came down on Touya's head.
"Hey, it's big Onshi instead of scrawny Onshi," he joked back, tapping Naotsugu in the side with his fist.
"Hello again, Touya," a soft voice said.
He looked over. It was a mature MeowLi. "Hey, MeowLi. It's good to see you again. I guess some time has passed, huh? It's great to be back with you."
"Same. You're also looking a little different...but not as different as Akatsuki." Touya's eyes went wide as he looked and he had to agree.
Minori showed up next to Touya and gave him a large hug. "You were right, about the second door."
"I know," he grinned at her. "Look, it's MeowLi, and Akatsuki's not small." It was a happy time of greeting.
-:-:-:-:-
"Isuzu."
Isuzu was instantly alert, as if her heart would beat faster and her eyes had flown open wide, except she didn't have a body to do either. "I'm required?" she asked immediately.
"Yes." For all it was Purrcy's voice, and Isuzu was so glad to hear it after so many years, it was definitely either the Oracle or something similar, by the short direct answers.
That made Isuzu pause though. Dealing with fine print in contracts had made her wary. Theldesia before had taught that in spades when it came to the AIs. "In what way?"
"You will be required to help Shiroe and Log Horizon make course corrections so the world doesn't die to chaos."
"Soo...when?" she asked suspiciously.
"Any time it's needed. Not right now. Right now is vacation time."
"Oh, good. Do we get vacation when the work's done?"
"Usually." That sounded more like Hahaue - or Tetorō.
"Great."
As if picking up the computer program again, Purrcy said, "You may choose. Do you wish to start new on Theldesia, or continue nearly where you left off?"
Isuzu's heart clenched. "Where's William?"
"At nearly where you left off."
"Then." No other time would do at all. She'd already not wanted to come back, except for him.
"You may choose. At what age would you like to start? You will age this time and die in your time."
Isuzu paused, then sighed. That was going to be hard, wasn't it? William was still surely an Elf. "I don't get to live forever with him?"
"No," it was said gently.
"So that's why he said it like that then." He'd taught her over and over that he would always be waiting for her to come to him, even going so far as to tell her "whenever and wherever".
It made her a little sad that he'd known even from the beginning. She didn't really want to make it harder for him, or herself for that matter. "Will I get to remember every time that I want to be with him again?"
There was a longer pause. "What do you want: to have to discover it, or to just remember it?"
"Just remember it. I don't want to waste what time we could have." Isuzu was quite definite on that.
"Very well. As soon as Shiroe says the work is done, you will dream and remember him. But not before. Distractions can be dangerous."
"What about if we need him?"
"Maybe." Hahaue was quite firm that it wasn't going to be flexible. Isuzu sighed. She'd gotten at least one concession, she should perhaps accept it at that.
"Well, then, I'll be ...nineteen. That's old enough and young enough to live with him as his wife for as long as possible."
"Please describe what you would like to look like, including the height and size details. You are recreating your avatar this one time."
Isuzu picked herself, of course. It would make it very obvious to William she was back again. "Ah, we keep our lists, right? This is the repeat restart where we keep everything we earned the first play-through?"
"Correct." Isuzu relaxed. She had all the instruments she wanted and it would be nice to have Yomi-kun back again.
"Do you want to start with Log Horizon, or with William?"
That was harder. After some deliberation, she finally shook her head. "I love Log Horizon, but please pass on my regrets. I love William more and he's likely already been waiting too long. If I have to start all of my other starts with them, I can at least gift him this one first time."
"Very well."
Isuzu was suddenly in her body, standing in front of Purrcy. She got and gave her Hahaue hug, which she unexpectedly made into a longer one than usual. She wasn't likely to get to see Hahaue much either. Goddesses were busy people. "Thank you for everything."
"You're welcome. I love you."
"I love you, too. Come to my concerts."
"I will."
Isuzu smiled and then there wasn't a felinoid in her arms any more. Instead there was a hidden grotto in front of her that she recognized. Smiling, she pulled out her kokyū and played the lullaby that her husband couldn't stay away from. A shimmer of light appeared in the space before her. Slowly a blond elf that she recognized passed through it to stand staring at her, entranced until the last note of the song faded into the air between them.
William's hand reached out for her, beckoning her. Isuzu put away the instrument, then she was in her husband's arms. He held her tight enough to crush the air out of her lungs. His kisses began to travel down her neck and she laughed at him. "At least take me home first."
He somehow managed to stop and breathe a bit. Then he picked her up and took her back through the shimmer. He wasn't capable of saying anything. He was crying too hard.
After they'd properly greeted each other, Isuzu asked him, "How is it that you're an eternal Elf?"
William took a while to answer. "Inari came and asked me if I would become the Lord of the Elves. The elves were dying out and needed to rejoin the world outside. Inari needed someone to lead them who understood the full story - life, the game, the planet, how to lead, how to interact with the other races.
"It took me a lot of thought to agree to it. In the end I said I'd only do it if they gifted me a wife that could also be mine for eternity, and it had to be the perfect wife. Their answer was to tell me that person would enter the city the following day and I would know who it was."
William looked away a bit embarrassed. "You accused me of it being Shiroe-sempai, but it wasn't him. It was that. I was so nervous, honestly, that I was quite sure I was stumbling all over myself. I wanted to learn as much about you as I could as fast as possible to see if I agreed with them."
He looked back at Isuzu. "The more I saw, the more calm I became, and the more convinced they were right. I asked you to come with me when we sought out this place not just because I needed your music, but because I needed to end the quest properly and know for sure. I'd already completed the other quests. That was the last one.
"When we completed it, you were accepted at that time as the Lady of the Elves. I couldn't tell you at that time what they'd promised me. I wanted you to be able to make your own decision, without you becoming tied to the world before you could even accept me."
William's arm wrapped around Isuzu to hold her closely again. "I'm so glad you've finally come home. Hahaue's made us all wait a very long time, for humans."
Isuzu smiled at him. "So you're even still more human than Elf, yet?"
"Of course." She got another kiss. "It will take many hundreds of years before I'm considered anything other than an infant around here."
"I'll take it," she said, teasing, but happy. "And some year I might even show up while I'm still six and you'll have to take it."
"I will," he muttered into her hair. "That will be hard, but I'll take it." He was lost again and she let him. She'd missed him terribly, too.
-:-:-:-:-
"Beloved."
Tetorō's heart clenched and tears squeezed out of eyes that had only spirit matter as of yet. Warmth surrounded him until he'd recovered enough. "I have missed you so much, Hahaue. And even my wife, surprisingly. Gareth was so warm and supportive at the end. I was glad to not die alone."
"I'm glad," Purrcy brushed his head with a kiss. "You have learned to love. I'm happy for you. ...Tetorō, you may choose. Do you wish to start new on Theldesia, or continue nearly where you left off?"
"Continue." He'd committed to that path when the return door had been found and left open again. He was glad he was allowed to remember that now.
"You may choose. At what age would you like to start? You will age this time and die in your time."
"Eighteen."
"Please describe what you would like to look like, including the height and size details. You are recreating your avatar this one time." Tetorō took twice as long as Touya to get it just right, even though it was his pretty Earth self since he had also learned to love himself.
"You may choose to keep the two avatars or remove one."
That seemed somehow surprising and he thought about it for a while. "Will we have to recreate everything all over again each time?"
"No."
"I would like to stay male only. Erase the other, although I feel like I ought to make it something wild that would make me able to do sneaky things. It was too difficult to be something I wasn't, though."
"Learn transformation magic." Purrcy was dryly practical.
Tetorō laughed. "Good point." He was slipped into the body and she appeared before him. "Ah..., am I going to have to stay your ice?"
"When it becomes necessary. That cannot change because I am what I am. You and Gareth can share the duty properly from now on."
"Good," he sighed in relief, but inside his heart lept to hear Gareth was coming also. He'd been sad to leave Earth without being able to warn him.
Purrcy bowed her head to him and he reached out and pet it. They were suddenly in Log Horizon's guild hall and she was gone. His eyes scanned the room and a smile broke out on his face.
Tetorō spun for the joy of it and struck a pose. "The idol is here! The party can begin now." He was attacked with groans and arms wrapped around his neck. He laughed a very happy laugh, glad to be back with everyone in the place he could truly be himself.