21: Alone
Sometimes he flies alone, although he prefers to share the skies with Daisuke and suspects that his friend feels the same way, there are times when the pressures of life behind masks get to be too much and he escapes into the sky for stress relief. He's been alone for so long that sometimes human or almost human companionship becomes overwhelming, and he takes to the skies on his own, for the freedom to simply be what he is. At those times his awareness of Daisuke fades to the back of his mind, becoming almost quiescent, with nothing coming through other than a very general awareness that his friend is there if he needs him. That is a comfort though, as it reminds him that there will always be someone if he needs companionship, and even alone he is not lonely.
22: Empty
The phrase 'empty air' is a lie; just because there is nothing visible doesn't mean it is empty. Air currents, silky, sinuous, and steely strong certainly are not empty air. Nor are the clouds that we dive in and out of as we play in the night sky empty air. They are wet and fun to use as cover for ambushing each other, or simply skinning the upper surface of a cloud layer and trying to get closer to the clouds while not being the one to touch them first. I bank left to where there is a slight dip in the clouds and skim it, Daisuke attempts to match me, but his toes trail in the clouds and I know that my flash of 'triumph' just crossed our link, and my partner knows he lost.