Two polite knocks on the door to the Student Council Room snapped the Treasurer of the Student Council out of his daydream.
"Excuse me, is Ma- Niijima-senpai here?"
The Treasurer gulped. "The President? I-I'm afraid she's stepped out. I don't know when she'll be back."
Ren sighed softly. "I see."
"I can take a message if you want…"
"It's fine. Would you mind telling her Amamiya was looking to speak with her?"
A nod. Ren returned it.
"Sorry to bother you. Um, good work with organizing the budget for the school trip."
"That was mostly President Niijima though..." he mumbled.
Ren shut the door behind him with care. Morgana poked his head out from the bag and watched him pull out a folded piece of lined paper from his pocket. After internally debating with himself for a few minutes, he turned on his heel and headed for the school gate.
Around the time Ren arrived at Aoyama-Itchome Station, Makoto returned to the Student Council Room, carrying an armful of binders and folders.
"I'm back. Did anything happen while I was away?"
The Treasurer shifted in his seat. "Uh, President?"
"What is it?" she asked, as she filed away papers and various forms.
"There was someone here to see you. The um, delinquent. You're not in trouble, are you?"
She soundly shut the binder of records. The soft thump reverberated through the student council room. "He's not a delinquent."
"President Niijima?"
Makoto wheeled on him.
"Ren-kun has been here for more than six months and has not caused trouble of any sort, regardless of whatever implausible rumors people like to believe." She stared him dead in the eye and planted her fist atop the binder. "How long are you going to make such irresponsible assumptions? Will you please take that back?"
"S-sorry." he squeaked.
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that." She gingerly brushed a lock of hair away. "Did he need something?"
"The d-delin-, uh, he-"
"Amamiya. His name is Ren Amamiya."
"Amamiya-san was looking for you. He didn't say what for. He just asked me to let you know."
She smiled faintly. "I see."
"Are you okay? You look kind of tired."
"Thanks for your concern but I'm fine. And thank you for telling me." She gathered a stack of papers and began filling them out.
"He probably had a question from the latest study guide. Yes, I've been tutoring him from time to time." she said, off his look.
"Only because the teachers asked you to. Right...?"
"I'm sorry; Did I make it sound like that?"
He fidgeted with his hands. "No. I mean, 'cause you're-"
A severe look from her dried up whatever little comment he had. Makoto added her signature to the bottom of the forms.
"He's been doing very well in case you were wondering. And he's always courteous and respectful to the teachers and his peers. Ask Ms. Kawakami if you don't believe me."
She handed him a stack of forms, ready for stamping.
"It could all be a façade. Some people are really good at hiding their true selves." he said cautiously, as he stamped the school's seal in the appropriate boxes.
She tapped her pencil to her chin. "Ah, I know what you mean. In some cases, there are those people who 'seem fair and feel fouler'. Those kinds of people are charismatic on the outside but they're actually the most deceitful."
It made her smile to herself ruefully as she thought of a certain someone who walked the line between foe and rival. "Conversely, there are those who 'look foul and feel fair'. I think that describes him better. People just need to give him a chance."
"Right…"
She smiled at him primly. "Thanks for your help. I'll take care of the rest. You can head on home."
The student treasurer trudged down the hallway. He scratched his scalp. "'Look foul, felt fair'?"
He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He needed a cold drink. After making it to the first floor he paused again. "'Ren-kun'...?"
After delivering all completed forms to the faculty office for the day, Makoto returned to the Student Council Room. Her phone buzzed and she saw she had four missed messages. Ren had called a meeting.
R. Amamiya: Sorry for the short notice but there's something I need to discuss with you all. Today if possible. Can you guys make it?
Futaba had responded first.
F. Sakura: Roger wilco.
A. Takamaki: Okay. What's up?
K. Kitagawa: I should be able to make it but I'll need to take the earlier train. Start without me if I take too long.
Makoto stared at her phone screen as Haru responded with a yes. Ryuji and Futaba were already waiting at Leblanc. She tapped the text message screen, watching the cursor blink. As she was the only one who had yet to respond, Makoto felt a sudden pressure come over her. Whether this meeting would commence or not rested upon her very answer...or so that was how it felt. Their communal agreement of being "in one accord" seemed more a binding chain than anything now.
She scrunched her eyes shut and exhaled sharply. Why am I letting this bother me so much?
M. Niijima: I'll be there.
...
After fighting her way through the crowded station and down the narrow windy alley, she was relieved to see the cheery lights filtering through Leblanc's windows, bidding one and all to stop by for a cup. She was certain that she was the last one to arrive and Ren was likely disappointed. She exhaled again, picked the leaves out of her hair, and entered the café.
"Excuse me."
She was greeted by the rich scent of coffee and the chattering of Leblanc's regulars. And there was Ren with six cups in hand, prepping for coffee.
"Makoto. You made it."
He smiled at her like he was glad to see her, the way he always did and it made her fiddle with the ends of her hair.
"I'm sorry I'm late. There was a lot of paperwork that needed to be done and I lost track of time. I know that's no excuse but-"
"It's okay. One of the council members told me."
He set the cups down and stepped around the counter to meet her.
"Honestly, I'm always making you apologize..." His hand came up to caress her cheek but stopped short as if suddenly restrained by heavy shackles. He retracted his fingers and turned his attention to the coffee grinder. "Why don't you head upstairs? Everyone's waiting. The coffee should be done shortly."
Makoto nodded wordlessly and did as he said.
There were still customers in Leblanc. He stopped for propriety's sake, she reasoned with herself.
Had there been a mirror, Makoto would have detested herself even more, knowing the momentary unease in her expression had slain that gentle smile of his. And she pushed away the image of the hurt in his eyes when she recoiled from his touch. It had been near imperceptible but because it was him...
Once everyone had settled into their seats and adopted their favorite sitting positions, did the discussion formally begin. Ren set his cup down and folded his hands.
"We're all here. Thanks for coming on such short notice, everyone. We were quite ambitious last time, weren't we? In fact, according to Futaba's scanners that was the most progress we've made so far." He looked down at his folded hands and sighed quietly. "So, last time I wasn't able to answer you guys about what we were going to do next."
Makoto kept her eyes on her cup. She could see his hands in her periphery. And she could hear layers of fatigue in his voice. Ah, how she wished she spoke to him sooner. Or was I just waiting for him to approach me?
Her throat felt dry so she took a long sip of coffee. She heard him draw a slow breath before continuing.
"We're going back, alright. But I wanted to give all of you enough time to recover first. I know what we went through was probably scary for some of you…"
Futaba's fingers stuttered over the keyboard. Morgana bumped his head against her chin.
"So let me say this first: I won't let that happen again. You have my word on that as your leader."
Haru raised her hand. "Wait, Ren-kun. I realize I'm speaking out of turn but allow me to voice my concern. Are you okay? And don't just say you are."
Ren looked around the room, receiving small nods and smiles from his friends. He smiled softly. "I really worried you guys, didn't I? Thank you, Haru. I'm okay now, really. And thanks guys for giving me time to sort things out."
"What're you gettin' all shy for?" Ryuji grinned. "How're we supposed to jump in now?"
Ann nudged his shoulder. "We can always count on you to un-awkward things. But yeah! I wasn't sure if I should say anything but it was kinda awkward."
"I'll say it again. It was our decision as a group to enter that tunnel. The responsibility lies with all of us. No one is to blame. Least of all you, my friend." Yusuke said solemnly.
The Core Thieves joked around over close scrapes and lucky victories. Futaba kept typing away.
Makoto finally spoke. "The deeper we go, the more risk we take, and the stronger the Shadows are. If I might make a video game analogy, monster levels increase in difficulty with each level you ascend. Or in our case, descend."
She glanced at Futaba for approval. The gifted hacker wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms over her knees.
"It's like we got trolled by the GM. Seriously, what was with that difficulty spike? We go down a floor level and my buffs were useless. That's just cheating!"
The wind rattled the window panes and the temperature in the room dropped.
"Futaba-chan…" Ann reached out with a sympathetic hand.
Yusuke walked over and laid a hand on her small shoulder.
"I'm okay." she muttered. Yusuke kept his hand there and Futaba didn't shake him off. She raised her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "Okay, listen! I did some analyses on what happened! It was a one in a million chance. Like a rare spawn kind of rare!"
"So, like…" Ann said cautiously. "Will we be running into something like that again?"
Morgana flicked his tail. "Probably not. But if we do, I know what to look for. The closest thing to it we've fought were the Shadows of corrupted individuals. I wonder sort of cognition made it seem so powerful?"
Ryuji chuckled and swiped his nose with the tip of his thumb. "I kinda wanna try fighting it again. That was pretty much the one source of excitement that day. Obviously the weak spot was the head. Just aim and boom! Head-a-splode!"
Ren smiled wryly and pushed up his frames. "Brute forcing our way probably isn't the best idea. We need a better strategy than that."
"Right. If we learned anything from this, we need to change up our tactics. If I may make a suggestion, we can have Futaba buff us before battle. Defenses to the max." Makoto looked up at him. That's when she noticed dark rings beneath his eyes.
He nodded at her. "Right. Let's give that a try."
"This will also prepare us for any challenges we face in future Palaces. The Shadows are more cunning due to the cognition of the Palace Ruler. It's best we approach every fight with optimized tactics and strategies. And to have an exit strategy if necessary."
Ryuji pouted. Ren and Makoto exchanged a knowing glance.
She smiled behind one hand. "I know we have fun battling and it makes for some-"
"Potent stress relief?" Ren finished for her.
"Right, that...too." She frowned and shook her head, ignoring that glint in his eye. But she couldn't help but feel a little happy that he was able to tease her like normal.
"But sometimes we forget how dangerous Mementos can be. We were reckless and overconfident in our skills. And because of that, we let a Shadow get the better of us. This was a good reminder."
Nods and affirmative hums went around the room. Makoto smiled and turned to address their hunched-over navigator.
"So Futaba, we're depending on you. Guide us to victory like you always have."
"Mm-hmm. I'll be the one protecting you guys. Not the other way around. Never again."
Yusuke gave her a reassuring smile, though Futaba had her face buried in her chest. "Worry not, Futaba. The choice I made in the midst of battle was and mine and mine alone. I knew if you were safe, you would get us out."
"Stupid Inari…"
"Hmm?" Yusuke tilted his head towards her. "Did you say something?"
"Stupid Inari! How long are you going to keep your hand there? You want it to be surgically attached to my shoulder or something?" she yelled, knocking it away. "See if I share my jagariko with you! The salad flavored ones!"
Yusuke flailed back, his mouth agape. "You! You little tsundere! And to think I was worried!"
She stuck her tongue out. "Hah! You think something like this would get me down? Had ya fooled, cheapskate weirdo Inari!"
"Who are you calling a weirdo?!"
"Settle down, you two! There are customers downstairs!" Ann exclaimed, making a shushing motion with her index finger. "No fighting!"
"Yeah, you tell 'em Ann." Ryuji drawled.
While Ren calmed Yusuke down and Ann stopped Futaba with her ninja-poking, Haru decided now would be the time take her friend and fellow third year aside to quietly ask: "Mako-chan, are you feeling okay? I know Ren-kun is pushing us to go back because of my situation and I'm happy everyone is so willing to help but we can take a break if you need it."
Makoto gave her a calm and confident smile. "I'm fine, Haru. I'm prepared for a little danger. That's why I became a Phantom Thief. Actually, I was more worried about you. How are you feeling?"
"To be honest, I felt powerless when we were up against that Shadow. But still, I knew I had to fight. Otherwise I'd go back to the way I was. Afraid to make a move. Letting others fight for me." Haru squeezed her hands together.
"You're doing fine. Remember, you're a part of the team now. Helping each other is only natural. You don't have to worry about this on your own." Makoto smiled warmly, remembering Ren telling her the same thing when she first joined.
Haru nodded and returned her smile.
"She's right, you know." said Ren, joining their conversation. "If there's something on your mind, you can tell us."
"Yes, thank you." She stood and bowed politely. "I want to be able to contribute to this team. I hope you'll allow me to get stronger alongside you."
"But of course." said Yusuke, ignoring Futaba's antics. "Where would we be without your colorful declarations of war?"
"Yeah. Noir's a lean, mean fighting machine! She just can't stop!"
Haru hid her face in embarrassment. Makoto patted her shoulder.
"Futaba, you may want to reconsider your choice of words…" Yusuke remarked.
Chuckles went around the room.
"We can't let something like this discourage us after coming this far, now can we?" Makoto gave Ren a small, apologetic smile. The look in his eye softened and the corner of his mouth quirked up. It was near imperceptible but she caught it.
Morgana pranced about on the table eagerly. "Queen's right! We couldn't call ourselves Phantom Thieves if we just stopped here! So? So? When're we going back?"
"Don't you worry, Mona-Mona. We haven't given up on finding those lost memories of yours. We're gonna go all the way down there if we have to." said Ryuji, patting his head. Morgana shoved his hand away.
"I- I wasn't worried about that! I just didn't want everyone's skills to get rusty. Yeah, that's it!"
Haru giggled into her hands. "Oh, Mona-chan…"
"He's not wrong." Futaba muttered, rocking back and forth on her heels. "It's like relearning how to play Super Bash Bros. And then you get owned by level 3 CPU's because you mixed up shield with grab. Not that that's ever happened to me though."
Ren nodded once and rose to his feet. "Okay. Then we'll meet up again this weekend. Meeting adjourned."
The Phantom Thieves dispersed into the dusky streets.
"Morgana, can you walk Futaba home?" Ren asked.
Morgana bobbed his head and slipped out the window.
"Okay. Let's clean up."
Ren sighed softly as he stretched his arms and looked around the attic, post-meeting. Chairs here and there, coffee ring stains and crumbs all over the table. But the ceramic cups and plates were gone. Makoto's school bag had been left behind on her chair.
He quickly stacked the chairs then stowed the table in the corner of the attic. Then he brought her bag to the spare table by the staircase, grunting as he set it down. Through the opening of the main compartment, he eyed several thick textbooks along with her notebooks and workbooks.
She was lugging all of this with her?
He was sweeping up leftover cans and napkins into a garbage bag when the sound of running water coming from the kitchen sink caught his attention.
"You didn't have to," he sighed.
Makoto kept her eyes on her work, stacking up plates ready for drying. "It's no problem. I'm almost done."
He leaned against the wooden beam, gesturing towards the door with his free hand. "I'll take care of the rest. You should go home. Sleep early if you can."
"It's faster if two people clean, right?"
The faucet squeaked shut. She dried her hands and grabbed the trash bag, bumping her hand against his. "And...I want to."
He regarded her briefly before releasing his hold on the bag. "Alright."
The door clanged shut. Ren looked around with his hands in his pockets. "Guess I'll mop the floor."
A strong wind blasted through the narrow alley and he heard cans scatter.
"Makoto! Are you okay?"
"Sorry! The wind it just-" She scrambled about picking up cans left and right. "It's just a few of them. I managed to keep the trash bag from flying away."
Makoto reached for the broken shards of a glass bottle. Ren was suddenly beside her. He seized her hand.
"Stop." His grip on her wrist tightened. "Just leave it."
"It's fine; they're large pieces," she explained, trying to keep the impatience from her voice. "I have to pick them up before they roll away."
"What if you cut yourself?!" he roared over the wind. The porch light swung over them, illuminating his pale face. His teeth were bared, his eyes were wide, feral and fearful.
There was nothing but cold silence save for the wind whipping around them.
She searched his face in bewilderment. He averted his gaze.
"Ren…what's wrong?"
"No, I…" He released her hand and staggered backwards. "I'll get a broom."
When he left, she rolled her sleeve back and inspected her wrist. The angry red imprints left by his fingers had just begun to fade.
He quickly returned with a broom and dustpan and implored her to go back inside while he cleaned up the broken glass. Not wanting to agitate the situation, Makoto acquiesced and went inside to wash her hands.
When she came out, she saw him slumped against the counter. His head jerked up when he heard her close the bathroom door behind her.
"Sorry I freaked out on you."
"It's alright."
"No, really. I just- I don't know why- I shouldn't have...to you..." His hand clawed the air, searching for some sort of plausible explanation. His head drooped and his hand along with it. "I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, Ren. I'm fine." She approached him carefully. "Are you okay though?"
"Yeah." He rubbed his head. "I just haven't been sleeping well lately."
"You too, huh?" she murmured.
He tilted his head. Sorry, didn't catch that.
"W-well we got things settled with the team and everyone's calmer now so that should put your mind at ease. I uh, hope you sleep better tonight."
"Right. Sure. Thanks for your help." He hastily hung up his apron and dimmed the lights. "Good night."
She fidgeted and pointed at the attic. "My bag's still upstairs so..."
"Oh. I'll bring it down for you."
"I can get it myself."
She darted past him and nimbly raced up the stairs. When she disappeared around the corner of the stairwell, Ren began the slow ascent one stair at a time.
She was hovering by the staircase, clutching her schoolbag tightly in her arms. "That should be everything."
"Okay."
They stood in place. Makoto smoothed her hair and pursed her lips. Ren slipped past her to grab his school blazer.
"Actually, there's something-"
As she reached for him, a gust of wind hit the café, causing the tree branches to scrape the windows and the lights to sway and shake. There was a loud pop like a gunshot and the attic went black.
She shrieked and hid her face in her hands. Her bag crashed on the wooden floor and tumbled down several steps.
"Makoto!"
"Ren!" She lowered her hands. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scream like that. I'll just get my bag and crawl my way down now…"
"Stay there," he said, calmly. "I'll come over to you."
She heard his footfalls come closer.
"Stretch out your hand."
Her eyes darted around the room blindly. "Where? I don't want to accidentally hit you."
"You won't. Just do it."
She slowly reached out into the darkness towards the direction of his voice. Her fingers found his and she slowly made her way over. His hand closed around her upper arm. He gently guided her to his side and had her rest her head against his shoulder.
"I-I'm surprised you can move so well in the dark."
"I've been living here for more than half a year now. I know the layout."
Her fingers curled around one of his suspenders. He laid his hands on her shoulders. She shivered and it made him wish his hands weren't so cold.
"Why don't we go sit on the couch?" he murmured.
The lights came back on. They both looked up.
"Oh. Power's back." he exclaimed nonchalantly.
Makoto disengaged herself and pressed her palms together. "Thank you for that. I…You should sleep. We can talk some other time."
"Makoto." His hand enveloped hers and he turned her towards him. "Tell me what's on your mind."
She stared at their joined hands..
"Even if I can't put it into complete words?"
"You have to start somewhere."
"Even if I weigh you down with my feelings?"
He intertwined their fingers. "Even then."
She bit down on her lower lip. "I don't…want to burden you."
Ren shook his head gently. "And I don't want you to bear this by yourself. I've told you this before but I'll say it again: you can rely on me."
"But...I don't even know where to begin. My feelings are all over the place and I'm not thinking straight. I need more time to process them."
Makoto began to shrink away but Ren drew her close and once again, gently guided her to rest against him.
"Then stay here." he murmured into her hair. "Stay here until you've calmed down."
She gripped his shirt. "That might be a while..."
He only held her tighter and she sank into his embrace.
After some time had passed, Ren motioned her towards the couch and had her sit first. Makoto bundled the ends of her skirt. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and her throat felt like it was closing in on itself. She cleared it and pursed her lips.
"What I'm about to say will probably upset you. But I need to get straight to the point." She took a deep breath. "You put your life on the line to protect us again. But this time you pushed yourself to the limit, at the cost of your health."
He sat hunched over with his hands on his knees, motionless.
She scrunched her eyes shut. "Do you know how worried I was? I didn't know what I was going to do if you didn't wake up. But what you said after that... It left me confused. But most of all it bothered me."
"Right. Of course you'd be." He grimaced. "I was wrong. I'm sorry if you like."
She saw the way he gripped his knees. She pursed her lips and after taking another breath to steel herself, she continued.
"It's not that you were wrong. It just wasn't fair...the way you said it. I felt like…you were...shutting me down." She shuddered and tried not to think of all the times Sae was short with her. She heard him sigh.
"So I went too far. Fine. I'll keep stuff like that to myself. Is that what you want?"
"I knew it. You are angry."
"Not at you."
"Then look at me when you say that."
He turned away.
She laid her hand on his forearm.
"Ren, you can't just shut me down every time you don't feel-"
"Don't you understand?!" he cried, jerking his arm back. "I screwed up and I almost lost you!"
Tears sprang to his eyes and he choked out his next words.
"I could've lost you..."
She glimpsed two tears trailing down his face before he whipped around. He cast away his glasses and kept swiping at his eyes in an attempt to make each tear be his last.
Makoto could only sit there, stunned. Ren was not someone who cried in front of others easily. Nor was he someone who raised his voice or lost his temper. And yet tonight, she had witnessed all three breaking points.
I didn't want to do this to him. I can't break down conflict gently like the way he can. I just hurt him in the process. After he comforted me too. I really am the worst.
His diaphragm spasmed and a stifled sob tumbled forth from his mouth. She watched as he slowly raised one fist towards his face, white-knuckled, nails digging into his palms, to - hit himself!
She came between him and his fist, placed her hand over his and lowered it. With her other hand she cradled the back of his head, bringing him to rest in the crook of her neck.
"Don't." she whispered.
"Sorry." His face pushed into her collarbone as she held him and gently stroked his hair.
He wept quietly, letting his tears fall like icicles melting beneath the midday winter sun, as she continued to hold him. They flowed freely and he watched them be absorbed by her skirt and his pants. His hand was a loose fist now with Makoto's right hand over it.
When he sniffed loudly she reached into her pocket, pulled out a packet of tissues, and stuffed a couple in his hand.
"Aren't you prepared?" - He wanted to say if his throat wasn't so constricted and his nose so plugged up so he settled for bumping his head against her in thanks and mopped up as much mucus as he could.
It hit her all at once. His trembling hands, the way he called her name like a lost child, the way he clung to her as soon as he regained consciousness. She knew he was in shock from what happened but she expected him to brush it off, the way he normally did. How blind she had been. Ren, her anchor, her constant, her touchstone had revealed one of his deepest fears.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't see it back then. I was the negligent one this time."
He shook his head. She continued to stroke his hair.
"I'm sorry I made it seem like I was ignoring you. I meant to talk with you sooner but one thing kept coming up after another."
"We both did."
His breathing was calmer now.
"I thought I'd give you some space first. Then one day became three. Then three days became a week." he said between sniffling. "And the rest...is all excuses at this point."
"Yeah. It didn't feel right. Not being able to talk with you. But I wasn't sure how to approach you. The more I thought about it, the more complicated it became in my head. And I thought maybe I was the problem. Maybe I was just overthinking things. I was afraid I'd just hurt you or I'd cause an even bigger misunderstanding."
Her hands trembled slightly. He patted her back.
"That's fine. I upset you. I know. All I could think of was how I failed to protect you. I didn't want to hear anything else. Least of all your kindness; thanking me even though I screwed up."
"This may be hypocritical of me to say but please don't think of yourself like that. You did protect me. You protected all of us. It doesn't matter how grim the situation looks. I'm not afraid because you're there. And you always pull through."
"You really do put too much faith in me." he croaked.
She laughed gently. "I meant what I said back there. You've brought us this far and you have not led us astray. I know I can entrust my life to you."
"Won't you let me wallow in self-pity a little more?"
"No."
He chuckled that low chuckle of his and she smirked.
"I won't take back what I said. You're the one I promised to protect." He swallowed the lump in his throat and wiped his nose. "I'm sorry, that's just the way I am."
She sighed knowingly. They were the same in that regard.
"Then in return, I'll use everything in my power to make sure you'll never be in that situation."
She smoothed his hair back and kissed his brow, allowing herself to linger there for just a moment longer.
"Thank you for always hearing me out." she murmured against his forehead.
When he lifted his face to see hers, she smiled warmly and wiped his tear-stained cheeks dry. Their eyes met and in that instant, they knew they were asking for the same thing.
It was a kiss that stayed gentle throughout even as it became fuller and deeper, alleviating both of their worries. It made Ren smile against her mouth as she relaxed and fell into his lap.
He held her close, supporting her back and waist with his hands. She stroked his cheek and wiped his eyes and the tip of his nose for good measure.
"I should get going. Will you walk with me?" she whispered.
Her hand trailed down the side of his face and he caught it in his and squeezed it.
"You don't even have to ask." he whispered back.
After retrieving her bag and his school blazer they walked down the stairs, past the muted TV, the burbling coffee siphons, and the serene Sayuri gracing the entrance. As Makoto's feet tread over the welcome mat, Ren's arms wound themselves around her and he pressed his nose into her hair. She held still. He squeezed her shoulders.
Sorry, again. They seemed to say.
She shook her head gently and clasped his forearms.
And though he whispered, "Ten seconds," neither of them kept track of the time, perfectly content to stay in that warm embrace until they both felt it was right to let go.