Now that it was actually happening, Kamil realized Annie hadn't been back in almost two years. A lot can happen in two years. Yet, Bluebell stayed almost the same – a safe, comfortable space for Kamil. What Raeger told him about returning home made him wonder how much Annie had grown and changed since she left.

Kamil and Annie just arrived near the Bluebell and Konohana area. The train stopped right by a forest pathway, which lead to the tunnel that connected the two towns. Annie's hands grew cold and sticky with sweat, but when Kamil offered to hold her hand, he didn't mind. She couldn't hide her trembling, as they approached the rather large group of villagers that came to see them. However, Kamil phoned his friends beforehand advising them not to overwhelm her too much. The villagers – consisting of the two mayors, Ash, Laney, Georgia, Kana, Dr. Ayame, and Hiro – greeted the two with warm smiles, patiently waiting for Annie.

"He did it. Cam brought Lillian back," Mayor Rutger said under his breath, beaming. Rose, who was holding on to his arm, squeezed it reassuringly.

"My my, like a knight and princess," she said quietly, only loud enough for them to hear.

Her husband shook his head. "I don't think Lillian was saved, rather she just lost her way and Cam helped her remember."

If only Mayor Rutger knew the weight of his words, or perhaps, he would find out later, when he's prepared for that conversation with Annie.

Meanwhile, Kamil waved back with his free hand, saying, "Hello everyone! Good to be back." He gave Annie's hand a gentle squeeze.

Annie added, her voice hesitant, "Hello, it's been a long time."

Laney, who still had trouble containing her emotions, was the first to move and took Annie's words as an invitation to embrace her. She rushed over to them and wrapping her arms around Annie, she burst into tears. Annie let go of Kamil's hand in surprise, before holding on to her old friend.

"Welcome back," Laney said, her throat tight. Her chin rested delicately on Annie's shoulder, trying not to stain her shirt with the tears that dribbled down her face.

"Hey… come on, Laney," Kamil sighed, "you're so dramatic like your dad."

"Oh hush," she pouted, before hugging Annie even tighter. "I missed Lillian a lot, okay?!"

The rest of the group awkwardly watched, not knowing what to do. A giggle escaped Annie shortly after though, cutting the tension in the air, ringing like a bell.

"Hi Laney," Annie said, like her name was a breath of fresh air, "I'm back. I missed you too."

Laney released her friend so she was facing her and she couldn't hide the surprise and happiness on her face. Annie gave her a smile, then turned to everyone else. "I missed you all a lot. I'm sure Kamil gave you a little bit of background information, or maybe you knew from the beginning, or figured it out yourself." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Kamil noticed she wasn't trembling as much anymore. Laney's simple hug made her relax a little. "These past few seasons, I needed time to heal. I wasn't the best at handling it before, but Kamil's been helping me through it. I'm still going through it… this battle with myself, and I'll probably be for a while, but I'm stronger now and I'm not afraid."

Kamil couldn't hide the proud smile he had on his face. She was glowing to him. She was so beautiful… like a flower… With that thinking, he started wondering if he was actually turning into Giorgio or Dr. Marian.

"The first thing I should've done was apologize," Annie told them. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I'm sorry for leaving like that, and I'm sorry I couldn't have realized all of this sooner. I'll explain everything to you as soon as I'm ready…"

There was a brief pause, as the villagers collected their thoughts but didn't know who would speak first.

"I forgive you," Ash answered back, his voice clear. Kamil recognized his best friend's expression, and the kindness in his misty eyes that told him his reply was words he longed to say since the start. "We all do. I think I can say for everyone here that the most important thing is that after all of this, you still came back. Doesn't matter when."

Dr. Ayame with a knowing smile and a hand on her hip, added her usual words of wisdom, "Yes. Healing isn't linear and there aren't deadlines you have to meet for it."

"If there's more we can do for you too, we're here for you," Mayor Rutger added, as if promising not to repeat his mistakes.

"Yeah, and we're hella proud of you, Lillian!" Kana chimed in, his grin reaching his eyes. "The good and the bad, you toughed it out like the badass you are! You're looking great!"

Hiro, who was standing next to him, facepalmed. He mumbled, "Couldn't you have picked a better word for Lillian, Kana?"

"Nah, I think it's perfect!" the horse keeper laughed loudly.

"Thank you, Kana," Annie giggled.

"Well, now that's cleared up, let me hug Lillian!" Georgia hollered. "You're not the only one who missed her, Laney!"

"Get in line, Georgia," Kana teaser her, nudging the redhead cowgirl. He was already walking up to Annie, and with his strong arms, lifted the girl off her feet and held her in an almost crushing hug.

"Kana, don't you start!" she shot back, crossing her arms as she patiently waited for him to release Annie.

"Oh, here we go," Ash and Hiro exclaimed in unison, knowing the bickering that would ensue. Mayor Ina and Mayor Rutger even chuckled, knowing the pair's relationship. Kana set Annie back on her feet to hold Georgia back, who protested and demanded to hug Annie.

Kamil found himself laughing at the two, but looked over to check on Annie. "You good?" he mouthed out to her as they exchanged glances.

Annie's eyes glistened. Although it had been two years, Annie was still used to the dynamics of the villagers. She watched them endearingly, scanning each of their faces, and recalling even the smallest of facial features and details. She replied out loud, "I'm just so happy I'm back."

Kamil didn't think he'd hear those words altogether in one sentence from her, and so soon. Warm tears of joy were shed that day as each villager shared a moment with Annie, telling her how they were glad to see her, and how they wanted to catch up soon already, even when she had just arrived.

Happy… yes, this was for her happiness… but…

I'm so happy too.


"Cam, Lillian, you both look so good!" Howard praised them. He took Annie's hands in his large ones. He held them tightly, shaking them with reassurance. "Lillian, have you been eating well there? I know farming is a lot of work, especially for someone your size!"

"Yes, Kamil and the others have been taking good care of me," Annie replied with a giggle.

"Oh, as expected of my boy Cam."

"How's the café been?"

"Wonderful! I've made so many new things since the last time we spoke. I'd love for you to try them."

After everyone walked Kamil and Annie to Howards café, they all went their separate ways to let the two rest before they would meet up again.

"Dad, how about you make that chocolate cake for dessert tonight!" Laney interjected, as she helped Kamil and Annie bring in their small luggage.

"Laney, why would you suggest that? Are you trying to kill me," Kamil murmured, stopping in his tracks at hearing the words chocolate cake.

"Oh alright, we'll have tom yum soup for dinner to make up for it!" the girl countered, earning a nod and a chuckle from him.

"So you'll be staying overnight, yes?" Howard said, noting the overnight bags. "Cam, you know you're always welcome since we still have a room for you, but what of Lillian?'

Annie began to explain, "Actually, Howard, I-" but the care owner went on, as usual.

"Your luggage is here and you didn't book a room at the main hall…" He placed a finger on his lip in thought. His eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. "Dear Cam, why not offer to share your room?"

Kamil's face heated up in embarrassment and so did Laney's.

"Howard!"

"Really, Dad?"

They spoke together in unison, in identical tones, as if they were still children whining to their parent. Only Howard could make the two react like that in an instant. Annie's witnessed it before, too. Whether it was Howard teasing Laney or Kamil, this wasn't the first time they teamed up against him!

"I'm only teasing," Howard laughed lightly, waving his hands up and down, and unfazed by their expressions.

Laney huffed, "Dad, I told you, I have an extra futon and she's staying in my room!"

"Thank you for worrying, Howard," Annie said with a nervous giggle.

"Right, silly me, I forgot," Howard said, covering the smile creeping on his lips behind a few fingers. "Anyway, let me know when you're done unpacking. Laney help them while I go whip us up a snack."

Kamil wasn't surprised – in fact, he saw this coming. Even back then, Howard always teased him about Annie.

He began to unpack some souvenirs he promised his friends – perfumes from Klaus, a few trinkets from Mistel, and other things he picked up in the market. Without thinking, he casually asked loud enough for Annie to hear across the room, "Oh yeah, did you bring your pills in case?"

It became a normal conversation for the two of them, but when he looked at Annie, he realized Laney was still in the room. He wondered if he said too much.

"I mean…" he began nervously.

"Yes, I did! Thanks Kamil," she answered nonchalantly, even shaking the container which had them to prove it. Kamil also noticed that Laney wasn't fazed by it.

Instead, Laney asked, "Did you need an alarm for it, or anything, Lillian?" which made Annie beam.

"Aw, thank you, but I'll be fine."

"Okay, let me know if there's anything – hey, Cam is that for me?!" the blonde girl suddenly drew her attention to the gifts Kamil laid out on the table. She began to sniff each of the perfumes, picking out her favourite one.

Annie giggled. "Kamil and I picked them out. We hope you like it."

"So it is for me, right?! Oh my Goddess, thank you!" she squealed.

Kamil rolled his eyes then laughed at her. "You're so annoying, Laney," he told her.

Never change, Laney.


For lunch, Annie and Kamil spent it in Konohana, at the tea house. Reina was one of the first to arrive, which was quite unlike the shy botanist. Blush dusted her cheeks when she greeted them and sat beside the two. Kamil recalled Ash saying how she was interested in Oak Tree Town and its wildlife. Kamil gladly shared as much information as he could, and he could see her eyes light up in fascination and hear her voice become confident when she asked more questions. When Annie joined in the conversation to share her thoughts, Kamil simply watched the two girls interact with a small smile on his face.

"Cam, you may not know it, but we were all rooting for you," a voice said on Kamil's other side. No one was sitting to his left, so he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard Dr. Ayame's alluring voice so close to his ear.

"Dr. Ayame!" If the woman had her stethoscope on her, she could probably hear his heart racing. "Hi there."

"Oh, the food here is so delicious… just like my mom's cooking," Ayame mused, clapping her hands in excitement for her order, oblivious to Kamil's shock.

"I-I'm sorry, Dr. Ayame, what do you mean you were rooting for me?"

Ayame gave him a gentle smile, but her eyes were a mystery to him. "I mean this. Only you could do it."

Kamil chuckled nervously. The way Ayame spoke was similar to Marian. He didn't know what their true intentions were… but obviously, it had something to do with Annie, right? He wondered if the two doctors knew each other – if they did, they would definitely get along.

He finally replied, still thinking about her words, "Well, thank you for your support?" It made Ayame giggle.

Kamil didn't question her further, especially because more Konohana villagers arrived. Kana, Nori, Hiro, Ying, even that panda man, Sheng, came to join them for lunch. Annie couldn't stop smiling and when Kamil saw it, he thought…

Oh, Dr. Ayame was talking about that.


After lunch, the younger Konohana villagers walked Kamil and Annie around the mountain area, where the rest of the friends from Bluebell met up with them. Annie and Kamil also used this opportunity to give out the souvenirs they brought for them. With so many excited youths, they were a large and loud crowd – their voices echoed and got carried by the wind, above the rest of the noise of nature.

"Laney here's been helping Georgia on baking sweets."

"Why don't you ever invite me for some taste testing?"

Kamil no longer felt tense near bodies of water, especially with all of his friends with him.

"Oh Cam, you should've seen the look on Hiro's face when Kana…"

"Can we please not talk about it-"

"Annie, how are the villagers in Oak Tree Town?"

"Let's see… Where do I start?"

The group didn't realize time passing by, but it's not like they cared. All of the side conversations stopped when Ash suddenly brought up, grabbing everyone's attention, "Oh Annie, have you met Phillip yet?"

Annie shook her head and looked at Kamil, who also looked just as curious. Even Kamil didn't recognize the name. Ash scratched the back of his head nervously. "I guess whenever Cam visited, he didn't bother to stop by your old place."

The two raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"He's the new rancher here. He moved in a few months ago, actually," Nori explained. "His parents are pretty well off… He bought both property in Konohana and Bluebell!"

"One of his cows is expecting so I've been helping him out a lot on his farm," Ash added. "He's probably in Bluebell still…"

"Only if you're comfortable, of course," Georgia said, reassuringly touching Annie's arm.

There was a slight pause, and the friends all waited for her response. "You know, I'd love to meet him. I want to see who's been taking care of the farm."

Ash introduced the duo to Phillip. He was a tall, strong looking young man, probably a few years older than Kamil and even Kana, who was the eldest in the group. His brownish-reddish hair was long and shaggy, the longest layer reaching his broad shoulders, coupled with bright blue eyes. At first, his appearance was quite intimidating, but once he smiled, he seemed more approachable.

"Nice to meet you, Cam and Lillian, I've heard so much about you from Ash," he said, shaking their hands. He looked behind Annie, seeing the rest of the villagers with them. "I see you brought the whole gang with you."

As Phillip showed Kamil and Annie around the farm, they took in the changes he made. There was fresh paint on the barns and chicken coops, some newly planted trees and stumps where he cut down the old ones, and even some more fencing around more areas. Tulips were in the flowerpots, instead of the usual daisies Kamil and Annie were so used to. Meanwhile, the animals were content, eating at the lush grass, or frolicking around the field.

"It looks great, Phillip," Annie told him with a proud smile, making his face flush. "I admit, I sometimes think about this place and what could've been, but after seeing you take care of it so well, it's giving me closure. In fact, it just motivates me to do better in Oak Tree Town!"

It was new and different – it wasn't Annie's home anymore, but she was comfortable with this change.

They let Phillip continue with his work, and he even offered to have the two over again but at his place in Konohana. As they left, the sun was starting to set, and that was when the group finally realized how much time passed.

"It's getting late, Konohana folks should probably head back now," Kana said, motioning for the rest of his neighbours to come with him to the tunnel.

"Yes, be safe on your way back home, everyone," Nori agreed.

Ash yawned, stretching his arms out. "I'll go this way," he gestured in the other direction, "I should probably head back home too. Cheryl wants me to play with her before dinner."

"I'll go on with ya," Georgia said.

"Cam and Lillian, you leave tomorrow afternoon, right?" Reina asked, before walking away.

"Yes, but we'll be sure to stop by to say our goodbyes," Annie answered. "Then of course we'll visit again soon."

"Don't forget to drop by again, ya hear?" said Georgia, with a grin.

Annie nodded her head and said with a sincere smile, "I won't!"

"Anyway, enjoy the rest of your night everyone!"

"Bye!"

"Goodnight guys!"

"Bye Lillian! Bye Cam!"

As everyone went their separate ways, Laney, Kamil and Annie walked back to the house, ready for the tasty supper that waited for them. The dinner with Howard was pleasant and filled with laughter – a perfect way to end the day. They would sleep well that night, still warm and content, after the good food and company.

Don't forget!

Before Kamil went to his room to sleep, he felt a hand grab the back of his shirt, stopping him. The voice behind him was a whisper, but her words echoed loudly in his mind until he fell asleep,

"Thank you for coming back with me, Kamil. I won't ever forget today."


a/n: never thought i'd say this, but this is the second last chapter! thanks for reading. reviews are always appreciated! :)