Foreward

I seem to have a habit of leaving stories on the proverbial backburner for years at a time, before picking them up and finishing them. I myself don't really know why I do this, but it's about time to get to this story now that I'm more experienced in writing.

This story has several plots and was, in hindsight, a bit above my experience at the time. The reason for this is that there are several subplots stacked one on top of the other, and a massive amount of characters to work with. Now that I've finished Suzume and have more experience, I'll be tackling this fic over the summer.

Komorebi

Chapter One: Ohia Lehua

Early springtime on Izayoi wasn't all that different from Kauai, small flowers peeking through the bushes lining the forest path and a breeze rustling the leaves of the canopy above. Wispy clouds were strung across the sky, and the echoes of faint bird calls reverberated through the undergrowth.

Despite the calm atmosphere of the forest, Heat's eyes kept darting up towards the sky; it was involuntary by this point, as was the constant pricking of his ears for any hint of a ship engine. He hated that he kept doing this; ships were a common sight nowadays, but he was listening for a specific one.

It was no longer in operation. He could see it now, in his mind's eye; decommissioned, the turbines empty and the security systems dismantled, the thing being hauled off by its disgraced owner as he was flown to his home planet along with an experiment he never wanted to think about again...

"'S nice out here, isn't it?"

A deep voice interrupted his thoughts, and Heat turned to glance at Kixx, who had slung his bag over his shoulder as he walked. He was doing the same, only, Heat guessed, without the same mental baggage.

"Oh-yeah; it's a nice day today. Or night back in Hawaii."

Kixx nodded, though Heat could see he'd noticed the glances towards the sky. "Wonder how Myrtle's friends're handling things. Since you know. They only just started accepting we're aliens."

Heat snorted at the thought, "If we know them? Badly. Maybe Yuki'll be good at it-she did take in Yaarp, but the other two...I'm not sure."

"Maybe. Props for trying though."

"Yeah...think the transporter'll work well enough?"

Kixx shrugged, "We'll see. They'll call if they have problems."

"In any case, we're pretty lucky huh? Getting to be there for 001 when Jumba takes her out of that tank and all." He grinned at the thought and felt a twinge of relief as the nervousness evaporated from Heat's face. 001, or...gods knew what experiment number she'd technically be, was Hammerface and Clip's daughter. She'd been growing in a vat for the past few months, and was due to be taken out very soon-Friday in fact. The two had been called to watch the family while Lilo, Hammerface, and Clip went to Turo to finalize the bans on Gantu, Reuben, and Hamsterviel...though Kixx didn't care to focus on the latter reason. If not for his sake, for Heat's.

It'd been a year, but there was still a heaviness to his eyes that had refused to go away. He'd never seen it before the day he'd burst into Jumba's old ship after his escape. No matter how many trips they'd taken to Carmen and Spooky, how many times it'd wavered when Ani or Yuna or even Ai and Scratch visited them, the look always stayed.

He hated it, honestly. He didn't blame Heat for it, no-of course not. He just hated why he had it. The thing was an uninvited guest into his life-a constant reminder of Gantu and Hamsterviel's antics during Stitch's time on Izayoi.

Hell, he swore it'd been present at his proposal.

"What do you think they're gonna name her?" He asked, hoping to keep the conversation positive.

Heat shrugged, copying him and readjusting his luggage over his shoulder, "Dunno. Hammerface said he didn't want one based on her powers, so I think that opens things up."

"Opens 'em up way too much if you ask me. I bet his and Clip's Internet history's nothing but baby name sites and random generators."

Heat laughed, "Oh no-you think they're pulling all-nighters? Clip I'm not too worried about, but there's always Hammerface…"

"Calling it now, he's written books on them."

"Let's hope we don't trip over any while we're there then, huh?" The look wavered and Heat's pace quickened a little as the path began to open up. Kixx nodded, seeing he was soundly distracted from the more serious reason they'd been called over…

The house came into view, unassuming as ever against the backdrop of the Ryukyuan forest. The screen was closed, but it did little to muffle the chaos occurring inside-Kixx could hear Hammerface's raspy voice snapping at someone to slow down.

Considering past experience, he had a good idea of who it was.

Kixx almost instinctively dodged the pink bullet that shot out of the door at their approach, only to realize she hadn't been rushing for him at all.

"AGH-ANGEL! GET OFF!" Heat snapped, grabbing the hysterically giggling song experiment by the arms as he wrestled her off of him, "What's the matter with you?!"

"Ah-ah," Angel held up a finger to interject, "The real question is: what is right with me?"

Heat rolled his eyes, but she had already sped back into the house before he could respond-and jerked him forward so hard he fell to his knees.

"Oh gods…" He sighed and got back to his feet, frowning his dust-streaked fur, "I hope this doesn't mean what I think it does..."

Kixx sighed, "Hopefully not…"

...And then, there was Angel. While she'd tried to calm down within the year, her unwilling retirement from her career had soon left her bored and on a near constant hunt for attention. She was still herself, but he could see she had a similar look to Heat. It more than made sense...he tried not to think too much about the hearing loss she now lived with. Courtesy of those godforsaken mind-control helmets and curse.

Heat sighed and dusted off his knees and suitcase, waving to two green figures that had come out to greet them. "Hey Bon, Clyde!"

"Hey kid, glad to see you're still alive." Bonnie called back, a glass of lemonade held tight in her hand, "Hammer's bein' Hammer-as usual, so be prepared for when you go in."

Kixx snorted, "So I heard when we came up! He's holding himself together at least, right?"

As if on cue, a gray hammer-shaped head poked its way onto the porch, the owner turning it to the side to give him a full view of an irritated expression, "You have no idea."

"Oh I'm sure we'll find out. How's-"

Two bullets shot out of the door past Hammerface before he could finish and crashed right into his chest. Kixx sighed. "Hello Stitch-and Angel."

"Oh so now you say hi!" Angel exclaimed, "I was wondering when you were gonna do that!"

"To be fair, you didn't say hi to me either. What'd you expect?"

He was answered by Angel trying to pinch his elbow and rolled his eyes, holding her as far away from him as he could before turning to Stitch, "And how are you? How's school?"

Stitch grinned, "Tay got new students from Okinawa! Naga...that nice, three of 'em, but two're great! Tay's Takumi and Dolores!"

"That's good to hear, minus those three. How's Yuna?"

"Also good! Tay getting her and Ani!" The blue experiment sped off from the group, Angel detaching herself from Kixx to chase after him. Kixx shook his head as he watched them go; one may have been more hyper than the other, but together, they were near impossible to deal with.

For this week however, he supposed he could let it slide…

...Or could he…

Time would tell, he supposed.

Stepping inside the home brought him to the sight of the four older series talking amongst themselves, Bonnie and Clyde holding up checklists as Hammerface and Clip pointed to each line written down. They looked up and smiled at the two, Clip nodding towards the kitchen, "Blue and Pink ran down into the lab if you're wondering where they went. Them aside though, it's nice to see you."

Heat nodded, though Kixx could see the dullness grow a bit.

There were two reasons they were here. One, they were here to rein in Stitch and Angel in Lilo's absence. But the second reason…

The second reason-the real one-as to why they were there was because of Gantu and Hamsterviel. In case they got any ideas and decided they wanted to rip off the house's roof again…

The fact Gantu had done it at all to the Kamihara house, with Yuna's grandmother inside in some cases, never failed to make Kixx's blood boil. Doing it to the Pelekai house was bad enough as it was. This was somehow uglier.

He placed a hand on Heat's shoulder, hoping the look would disappear-and that he was the only one who noticed it was there. "Well hey. You'll tell us if they try and like, fight with the bailiff or something, right?"

"Yeah, we'll warn. You'll probably just be designated babysitters, so don't worry." Clip smiled at both. Maybe she noticed.

Maybe they all did.

Heat perked up and grinned, nodding to Clip, "Hopefully. Speaking of, where's Lilo?"

Hammerface nodded towards the basement door, "Talking things over with Jumba and Pleakley. Ani and Yuna are having a look at 001 and going over their camera roll."

"You should probably head on down there-you're gonna be taking over watching her for the final week after all." Bonnie said, nodding towards the kitchen, "Don't worry about your room by the way. Witch was here last night, so we've got plenty of 'em to go around."

"Oh; thanks Bonnie." Heat said, "We'll be right down-just give us a moment to put our bags away."

Their room was a temporary addition to the Kamihara house; according to Bonnie, it'd be removed when they left. It certainly resembled a typical hotel room back home; a single bed, a desk, a TV, closet, and bathroom were laid out in typical Witch fashion, though this time-thankfully, she'd remembered to pick a brighter color palette.

The two set their bags down on the floor next to the bed, Kixx casting a glance out the window as he straightened up. It was pretty big, gold-patterned curtains trailing down the sides. Knowing Witch, there was a chance there was some real gold involved. At least, he hoped not…

A sigh drew his attention to Heat, who was staring towards the door and down the hall in the direction of the basement.

"...I dunno if I can do this."

"...If it helps, neither do I Heat. But, they'll tell us if they escape, and...something tells me they probably won't. What's it going to be for Gantu and Reuben? No contact with Ratface?"

"Yeah. But you know who I'm really worried about. What if he finds someone else?"

"Then we'll tell the Federation."

"It's never been that simple."

Kixx sighed, walking over and taking Heat's hand. "Listen...I know you're scared. Especially now. Everything seems perfect, right?"

He nodded, ears flopping.

"Right...even if stuff comes up, I want you to know I'm not going anywhere. Even when I was evil, I found that song on my own. Played it backwards and ran. Remember?"

Heat's grip on his hand tightened. He couldn't help but notice it was the one he'd put his ring on. "I still think of that."

"Do I still come off…" He hung his head, and Kixx gently turned him back around. The look cast a shadow across his fiance's face as he stared at the carpeted floor of the room. "I am trying…"

Kixx cupped his face in a hand, "No one blames you Heat, especially not me. But...even with the other reason we're here...just try and relax, okay? Think of 001 and how she's coming out this Friday. All those names Nosy thinks she's gonna have. Remember his bulletin board? How that looked once he was done pulling all those strings through it?"

"And how annoyed Shush and Cobra got with him...yeah." Heat placed his hand over Kixx's and smiled at him, and he could see the look shrink into an atom. "They were okay with it-secretly, just not with how he did it at the station."

"I think...maybe something won't happen. Maybe that's how I should go about it this week. Glass half-full?" He asked, and Kixx smiled, "Something like that."

"Okay…" Kixx felt himself being pulled into a hug and promptly lifted Heat up, the thermal experiment giggling and nuzzling his cheek, "See? Maybe something won't happen this week. We'll be babysitters for the Pink and Blue Menaces, and then 001 when she gets taken out, right?"

Heat's "Yeah" was muffled against his fur, but he could see a semblance of calm remaining on his face as he stepped down from his lower hand. "Speaking of 001, they're probably waiting for us; we should head down there."

Kixx nodded, "After you."

They held hands as they made their way down the stairs to the basement, finding a long hallway leading to the main room. Two figures looked up from the bench they'd been seated at before power-walking over to them, the smaller of the two giving them an excited wave.

Kixx chuckled as Ani and Yuna hugged them both, "Miss us?"

"Miss you?! Of course! You've been on Hawaii for the past two months. It got lonely over here." Yuna exclaimed, "Plus, Penny's joined forces with that new girl...dunno if Stitch told ya."

"Aw geez; the resident Myrtles are banding together?."

Ani nodded, "Pretty much; her name's Reika. She's only here for the summer, but still. We're hoping she mellows out."

Heat sighed, "Hopefully she does. I can always drop you off at school if she becomes too much of a hassle."

Yuna laughed, "I dunno Heat. She doesn't have very good taste in design. At least taste that's not a bunch of frills and purple..."

"Oh. Yuna, come on…" Heat raised an eyebrow and gave her a sly grin, and Yuna flushed at the realization, "OH-no-I didn't mean the Witch comparison, Reika's just kinda snobby, that's all."

"Anyways," She glanced towards the main room, "Aunt Lilo's down there talking with Jumba and Pleakley. She says you're gonna be watching 001 while she's gone, so…"

"Wanna lead?"

The girls grinned and nodded, "Okay!"

The room was full when they stepped in, illuminated by a series of dim lights embedded in the ceiling. A half-circle of benches stood guarding the lab's monitors, the main vat standing in the center of it. Lilo looked up from one of the tables along with Jumba and Pleakley and smiled, making her way over to the two and giving them each a hug. "Hey guys. Was wondering when you were gonna head down here."

"We had a lot of baggage." Kixx explained, and Lilo smiled, "Ah-you're lucky, Hammer's calmed down for the moment. 001 saved you." She nodded towards the central vat, and Heat and Kixx peered over to see the aforementioned experiment and his partner, hands clasped together as they watched the tiny figure floating in the tank. Hammerface peered over and gave the two a smile, gesturing back towards the figure, "She was kicking again-you just missed it."

"Not to be worrying 033, they'll be getting many chances to see that in future." Jumba said, "001 is being almost complete. Only has her incisors left to grow out. Everything else? Done."

Heat and Kixx stepped towards the tank, the experiment within bobbing in its center-evidently from the prior kicking. 001 was a small experiment; even when ready to be taken out, she was only the size of a kiwi fruit and looked similar, long fluffy brown fur free-floating inside the vat. From the size of her claws and the shape of her head, she'd gotten both her parents' abilities-and from how active she already was inside the tank, everyone was assuming she'd be as hyper as Clip when taken out.

Kixx smiled at the figure; it'd been only two weeks since he'd last seen 001, but she'd grown a lot even within that small time frame.

"She's cute ain't she." Bonnie's voice came from behind him as her and Clyde stepped up, "Lot different from that tiny cell about five months ago. Who knew it'd turn into something so fuzzy."

"Well, she does come from me…" Clip said, smiling, "I'm just glad she's coming out healthy after all this."

"That is what matters." Heat said, looking up at 001, "I'm guessing the real surprise's gonna be her name?"

"Oh yeah. We hid that thing so well Nosy'll have to turn the post into a library."

The experiments were interrupted by their creator clearing their throat and stepping forward, holding up a binder, "If chit-chat is being over, I can outline rules for watching 001, eh?"

"Oh-oh yeah! Don't we just have to take measurements or something?" Kixx asked, and Jumba nodded, gesturing towards the monitor, "Only thing you'll be doing is copying them from here. Pleakley has...many binders."

"Many custom binders." He finished flatly, holding it up to reveal a sparkly pink cover with watercolor flowers strewn about the edges.

"What?" Pleakley asked, shrugging, "I thought it would work-there's a lot of space inside, and it looked pretty! I couldn't resist."

"Couldn't resist with all binders, Pleakley. Is not even being scrapbooks and yet." Jumba flicked the cover as he handed it to Heat and Kixx, "This is being yours, the rest are under table. Pleakley can be giving pointers if you need them."

"That in between crocheting." Pleakley retorted, holding up what appeared to be a tiny sweater and smiling to the two, "Really though, between this and your wedding, I've got my hands full! I must've made a whole closet for this newest little monster, and I've still got to ask you two for ideas for your outfits. After this is all done, but still."

The two experiments however flushed at the mention, Kixx putting his face in his hands and Heat's eyebrows raising. "Pleakley…"

"Aw come on! We're coming up on it pretty fast. Isn't it in July?"

"July 30th, yeah." Kixx said, "You're not overworking yourself, are you? How many of those have you made?"

"About twenty-don't worry, I spread them out over the months." Pleakley explained, "This one's the last-it's only for cold nights over here."

"Ah." Heat said, squinting at the sweater, "What about her claws?"

"Well…" The Plorgnarian shrugged, "I did make 20 of them for a reason…"

Lilo smiled, "It's good to see you getting back into the habit-especially after you got stranded."

"Not even a ship crash can stop my sewing skills; this last one really confirms it." Pleakley placed the sweater inside a shoebox filled with the remaining clothes and blankets; although they were a little obscured by the lighting, they appeared to sparkle, light gray thread momentarily visible before he placed the lid over them, "I just hope 001's a fan; I made sure to use organic yarn-even the glitter came from Witch."

"I think she'll be fine. Still," Hammerface peered at 001 for a moment, "thanks for being careful with her."

"...On the other hand…" He said, turning his attention to Lilo, "We should be going soon. You have the ship keys?"

Lilo nodded, holding up her bag, "They're in their pocket Hammer, don't worry."

"Right." The gray experiment looked back towards Heat and Kixx, "We'll check in, okay? Just focus on taking notes and wrangling Stitch and Angel."

Kixx grinned, "Will do Hammer. Tell us if Ratface screams when he's sentenced."

Hammerface nodded, but Kixx couldn't help but see his gaze linger on Heat for a moment. The comment hadn't just been for him.

Everyone came out to see the three off, Pleakley shedding tears at seeing Lilo piloting her own ship. Sunset came and went, the sun gently sinking below the treeline. The experiments had congregated in the living room, Ani and Yuna excitedly showing off their latest round of pictures to Heat and Kixx; the two had gotten into the habit of comparing and contrasting the local wildlife of Izayoi and Kauai in between Ani's usual of tourists and fish, though, by now, experiments and themselves had gradually started to creep into their pictures.

"-And this is from the shave ice stand-that's Reika and her friends in the background being…themselves, but they had their melon flavor back for the summer! We got some right after we took this." Ani explained, Yuna nodding alongside her, "It's kinda cool we've got so much in common-I'd like to try grabbing some Hawaiian shave ice once the transporters get going."

"Well, that might be sooner than you think Yuna; we've been testing them out when we visit; they've been holding up." Heat said, watching as Ani flipped through several more pictures before settling on a sunset view of the beach, "Us, Myrtle and her friends. Not sure about her friends though-they're kind of nervous about them."

Yuna nodded, "Yeah, I can see why they'd be like that; it's the kind of stuff we only see in the movies, you know?"

"Yep; even Lilo was a little nervous about it at first."

The group of four were suddenly interrupted by a key jiggling in the lock of the front door; it swung open to reveal Tigerlily, who barely managed to nod to Yuna and Ani through a stack of groceries, "Hey you two-can you help unpack the car? We stocked up for the week, so there's a lot."

"Will do-we'll be back okay?" Yuna said, her and Ani waving to Heat and Kixx as they dashed out the door. Tigerlily quickly placed the groceries on the table for stepping back into the living room and dusting off her hands. "Anyways-hey you two, thanks for staying with us. How've you been holding up?"

Kixx shrugged, "We're holding up. Still doin' work on the basin, but that's about it."

"Ah; yeah. I hear it's almost done aside from the river. You growing native stuff or is it a mix?"

"Mix. We got some oranges, but we make sure to set out bins for anything that falls off 'em." Heat said, though Kixx could see his face darken. Anything regarding the basin still upset Heat, despite all the work they'd done to restore it. After all, it was the one he'd made when he'd discovered his capture.

Tigerlily seemed to realize she'd accidentally struck a nerve, as she immediately changed the subject to something else, "...Right; Plaz is visiting for the night; he's outside with Ani and Yuna at the moment though, so he'll probably-"

"Oh, nevermind." She finished, seeing the scorpion experiment enter the room along with the girls. He grinned at the couple and raised a front leg in greeting, though not without noticing Heat's mood, "Hey! Are the 620's being manageable or are they giving you trouble?"

"The former Plaz; they're in the backyard right now." Heat explained, giving the plasma experiment a smile, "It's good to see you again; how's Zap?"

"Doing good, he hopes your charge's holding up alright."

"That it is; if it drops I'll help myself to the sugar in the pantry." Heat joked, "Transporter worked alright?"

"Yup. Here's to hoping it can send him and Sparks for this Friday." The scorpion experiment said, pushing his head into Ani's hand as she went to pet him, "Doing alright here Ani?"

She nodded, "Yeah; it feels weird to have online school while Yuna goes in person though. And I had to write down times I can call Hokū and everyone else back home."

"That's understandable; speaking of, he's been coming out of his shell more and more. Even came to the outer rim of the basin the last time we worked on it." Heat said, smiling at the thought of his nephew's improvement over the past year, "Hopefully he'll work up the courage to visit soon."

Ani nodded, "Yeah-Yuna and I got a bunch of her friends to greet him last time; he seemed to wanna try and come over, so maybe he'll be one of our visitors this week."

"That'd be good for him. He does want to visit, he's just…kind of nervous about it." Plasmoid sighed, "Anyways, I'm gonna go back out and grab the rest of the food; the last time I saw this much, it was for a wedding at the hotel."

Unloading the car, greeting Obaa, and cooking went by just as quickly as the sunset, the family sitting down to dinner as they discussed the day's events. Yuna and Ani led this conversation, at first detailing their respective school experiences, but soon turning to focus on the rest of the week.

"So-it's Plaz today, then Thresh and the clones, 627 and his family, Witch, Crystal, and Sparky, and then…everyone for Friday, right?" Yuna asked, and Kixx nodded, "Pretty much; there's gonna be thirty of us on Friday-18 captured and a few free experiments."

"Yeesh. Remind me to go out and restock before then." Tigerlily said, rubbing a temple, "I know Witch exists, but I can't exactly rely on her for everything."

"Well…" Heat shrugged, but Obaa shook her head, "I understand Witch is very generous, but we're alright Heat; besides, you are visiting to see a new baby, I don't want you working more than you have to while you're here."

"That is true." Kixx said, "Thanks for having us again Obaa; it means a lot after last year."

"Of course; we hope you have a nice stay." Obaa said, Yuna nodding beside her, "Yeah-I know you're here to help out, but we really hope you like staying here!"

Heat smiled, "Thanks Yuna; I think we will."

As he spoke however, he couldn't help but notice a certain pink experiment smirking into her plate as she fished for a stray piece of steak. He squinted at her-a squint that soon turned into a glare as Angel's eyes met his.

She stood up.

"P-"

Angel didn't even get the second letter out before Heat tackled her-immediately clamping a hand over her mouth as both their meals splashed all over him, "NO!"

She smirked behind his hand as the rest of the family groaned in annoyance, "Angel! Again?!" Tigerlily exclaimed, "How many times have you done this now? 25?"

"Lemme just-" Heat straightened up, moving his hand to the song experiment's ear, "2500 yen in the swear jar. Now."

"It was a fake-out-"

"Really? 5000 then. Go. Now."

"Fine." Her smirk dissipated as she left the table, leaving Heat and Kixx to clean off her placemat and meal remains. Tigerlily stood up to help them, sighing in exasperation at Angel's display. "Sorry about that; she's been pretty restless lately."

Heat shook his head as he wiped a glob of rice off his ear, "Don't worry, it's nothing I haven't seen before. Has she been doing this more than usual? Because when she does, it's…"

Tigerlily grimaced, "...She hasn't been wearing the aid."

The two experiments exchanged concerned glances; Angel had been given a pair of hearing aids during the year, but hadn't been wearing them much…if at all. It was easy to see why given who had initially kicked it off.

It'd started small, with her simply shouting more and more, but it had expanded over time. In the end, all it took was a few forgotten earplugs during her concerts before Angel was in danger of losing her hearing entirely. In a way, she was merely the other side of the coin when it came to their recent struggles, and her behavior made that very clear-the outburst at the table only being another instance of how hard it'd been on her.

Heat sighed, "I'll go and get her back. Hopefully she hasn't dropped the yen in yet…"

He was, however, too late, as the song experiment stole back into the room, ears drooping and eyes studying the ground. "Sorry."

"Aw geez. Angel…just…try and not…do that, alright?" Heat asked, "I know it's been rough."

"I'm not wearin' 'em."

"You should."

"But I don't need 'em."

"Angel."

"...How about this. We'll take you out of the house and spend time with you if you wear them and don't start anything. How's that?" Kixx asked. Angel paused for a moment, but nodded, leaning into Heat as he placed an arm around her, "Sorry."

"It's fine Angel, just…try this week, okay?"

"'Kay."

Cleaning up after dinner went quickly; Plasmoid was walked back to the Izayoi transport base by Tigerlily after a quick look at 001, while Heat had taken a shower to clean off the rest of the mess from dinner. He'd already settled under the covers when Kixx stepped into the room, albeit staring out the window with his arms crossed. Kixx couldn't help but notice his fur was bristling slightly, indicating he was still on edge despite the day's reassurances. Kixx flattened his ears as he sat down next to him, placing an arm around him and drawing him close.

"You sure nothing's gonna happen this week…?"

Heat's voice was a hoarse whisper in the still air of the room. He leaned into Kixx as he spoke, and his fiance pulled him into a gentle hug, "Heat, I promise it's gonna be fine. I can't…"

"I'm sorry. It's just…it's hard. I don't want to lose you."

He'd buried his head in Kixx's chest as he spoke, and the fighting experiment pressed his cheek against the orb on his head.

There'd been a time, once, when the roles had been reversed; he'd spent a lot of his early days after the rescue wondering if Gantu would catch Heat again one day, or that he'd go to work at the summer camp and never come back, but instead…

Instead he'd been the one to disappear, chased through his home by Gantu before being stunned by Angel's song and willingly leaving, saying nothing to Gantu raining plasma fire on their crushed in roof.

Heat had found it when he came home from work.

The early series had fixed it up while he was on the ship, but the yard was still recovering. To say nothing about the basin that replaced the clearing Gantu's ship had crashed into. The others had pronounced it the Minamina basin, but neither him nor Heat used the name, and both planned for a new one every time they went to terraform the place back to some semblance of life.

Speaking of which-they were both thinking about it by now, given the pair of wet spots that had begun to sink into his fur. Kixx sighed and wrapped Heat in a tight hug, feeling it returned with nearly the same strength, "I won't go anywhere, but…that's all I can say Heat."

"I know." Heat's voice was muffled against his chest, "I don't want to feel like this; it's not fair."

"You're including yourself there too, right?"

Heat shrugged, lifting his head out of Kixx's fur, "Should I…"

"Please do."

"...Well, I'll try then."

"...I can watch Angel if she bothers you, you know."

"It's not that, it's just…" Heat sighed and cast a glance out the window, "It's been a long time since I've seized up. I'm not sure I remember what it's like and…I don't think I can help her, especially like this."

"...I think that's Yaarp's job Heat, not ours." Kixx said, "And…I'll be frank-you've watched her for so long that I don't think you'll slip. You know her too well."

"That is true…" Heat's voice trailed off as he yawned, eyes starting to droop from exhaustion at the day's events. Kixx could feel him relaxing as he spoke and gently let him push himself out of the hug. The thermal experiment pulled the sheets over him as he laid down, curling up against Kixx as he lay down next to him, having set up the alarm as he'd done so.

"G'night Heat," He asked, taking his fiance's hand, "I'll be here when you wake up, alright?"

Heat smiled, squeezing Kixx's hand as he closed his eyes, "Okay. Love you."

"Love you too. Don't worry, okay?"

There was no response, but the loosening of his fiance's hand in his own told him why. Kixx sighed and pulled the blankets up to Heat's head, "It'll be fine Heat, I promise."