A/N: I did some revision on Imperfect Solution and the earlier chapters since I had to add more details on when/how Ace made his pivotal decision so there's oh hey... time to play around with more KeiAce scenes XD

The next time he opened his eyes Ace found himself back in his own room and lying on his old futon. Has he been moved?

He tried to move his head and found he could move his body much better this time. And he found Keiwa lying asleep next to him. How... pleasant. To think that he'd immediately get to see the person he wanted to see again the moment he woke up.

How amusing...

Ace smiled as he continued to stare at the sleeping tanuki. What an odd sight indeed... for a fox and a tanuki to sleep so close to each other. Or even, for Keiwa to lie so close to him like this... considering that he is a 'kitsune'. Could Keiwa be feigning sleep right now? Or was he really asleep? Yet just assuming that would only be overestimating what Keiwa could do.

It's strange how their relationship had developed until now. As much as he never intended to act in any certain way around Keiwa, their dynamics were really like how the old tales Yakumo Eisu used to read and hear from people around him. Foxes and Tanuki shared some similarities, yet they're also rivals. Doesn't that just practically describe the relationship between him and Keiwa? Often, in the past, he had acted as if he had always been manipulating Keiwa to suit his own advantage... attributing it to his foxy nature. But really, given the things he had decided and chosen to do... which had more or less influenced by his relationship with Keiwa; wouldn't Keiwa be the better trickster? All these times, in order to find and save his mother... he always needed to plan many things from the very start. Yet Keiwa always acted spontaneously however he wanted, which can lead to many uncertain outcomes. Even when he wasn't obliged to do it (nor did Keiwa ever insist on him doing it) he kept ending up being drawn to want to help Keiwa or save him from a pinch. Even when they should have remained enemies, it hurt him so much to have to fight Keiwa on the opposing side.

How did Keiwa manage to embed himself into his heart so strongly?

.

As much as he was happy to be able to see Keiwa again, Ace knew what his being here instead at the Desire Temple should mean. It meant that Keiwa DID come to save him from the DGP people. And not just Keiwa even, but Michinaga and Neon... and probably Ziin too. They came to save him... whether or not they realize fully what kind of consequences they might have faced by doing it. So even if a part of him was glad to have been taken away from that place, he couldn't really be truly 'happy' about it.

And if Keiwa was aware of what happened to him enough that he would go as far just to save him, that should mean... Keiwa found out about the circumstances that led to him becoming DGP's new Creation Deity. Ace sighed. And he had hoped that Keiwa would never find out about it.

But wait... about that, considering that he was here instead of the Desire Temple... what that should mean to the 'deal' that he made? His mother—!

"Argh!"

He inevitably let out a loud groan from his throat as pain shot out all over his body when Ace tried to get up from the futon. And unfortunately, the sound also woke the sleeping Tanuki beside him and right away he felt his body being enveloped by a familiar warmth... in an attempt to soothe the pain he felt in his being. And as much as Ace shouldn't be enjoying such close bodily contact with this person given their circumstances, he found the sensation of being held like this by Keiwa comforting.

xxx

"Come on, say aah—!"

Ace just stared at Keiwa unresponsive, as the spoonful of porridge hovering in front of his face remained uneaten. Keiwa just heaved a long sigh. "Come on, Ace... you gotta eat. Or do you want me to do the aeroplane thing?"

That seemed to hit a nerve as Ace opened his mouth to complain, but Keiwa took the chance to shove the spoon into Ace's mouth... prompting him to swallow the offering albeit unwillingly. It practically silenced Ace almost at once, but judging from the horrid scowl and reddening ears Keiwa knew that his friend was not very pleased with him. The sight amused him so much, but Keiwa resisted the urge to laugh at Ace.

"I'm not a kid..." whined Ace, lacking his usual vigour.

Keiwa nodded his head. "I know, but you've been unconscious for a long time you need to regain your strength." The young man shrugged. "You have no idea how awful I felt, seeing you being bound to 'that' place. Or how 'light' you felt when I had to carry you out from there."

Keiwa hastily shook his head and forced out a wide smile.

"Anyway, we moved you back to your old room. I cleaned it up a bit before that but sorry... the posters are too much so I took them down. Neon tried to add a bit more cheer to the room by changing the curtains and adding some other small furniture." He snorted at himself at the recollection, "We took out the bed and brought back the futon after yesterday though. Can't have you falling off the bed again."

"Keiwa..."

His friend seemed to be ignoring him as Keiwa tried to feed Ace again. Keiwa looked up to face Ace squarely. "Your mother is fine, but she wasn't ready to see you properly after everything that had happened. Give her time."

Whatever argument Ace had in mind to say earlier was immediately extinguished by those words as he allowed Keiwa to continue feeding him (he could've done it himself but Keiwa wouldn't let him).

It just reminded him that there were still many other things that remained unresolved.

.

"Why did you do that?"

Ace winced at the question as he struggled to not let it show to Keiwa when the sudden movement triggered another burst of pain in his chest. There it was, the Question. It was something that he almost brace himself for but didn't want to confront. He wished no one would breach that question to him... so that he wouldn't have to answer it. Because he was afraid to find out how much hurt his actions had caused to the people he cared about.

But suppose... he couldn't avoid this situation, huh?

Not like he wouldn't try...

.

"What did you mean? What did I do?"

Keiwa felt the side of his mouth twitch as he continued to stare at Ace's face to try to read him properly. So that's how he wanted to deal with this, huh?

The old him would've just snapped and left this room. And that's how miscommunication would've continued to lead them astray and split them apart.

Even now... after several attempts to challenge the DGP in order to gain a chance to save Ace from those people, he still couldn't figure out why Ace changed his mind and decided to offer himself in exchange for his mother's freedom and the DGP's continuation. Even if it's to save Tsumuri as well, he could've just run away with both his mother and Tsumuri. Why relinquish his own freedom for someone else's wish? That didn't make any sense!

While he never told Ace that he decided to give up his wish so that Ace wouldn't have to feel bad about pursuing his selfish desire, he thought that Ace would understand his thoughts. How could he still be selfish as wanting his own wish fulfilled while also letting someone else continue to suffer in order to grant that wish? Didn't Ace tell him that once before, when he first started getting involved with the DGP? He had lost his head for a while after finding out the truth about his parents' death as well as the truth about Ace's existence and his mother, but he realised his folly in the end. He was wrong to believe that Ace had enjoyed being in the DGP and playing 'hero'. How could he... knowing how the DGP worked?

That time he had chosen to stay behind as Ace left him to confront Suel alone. Had he known what Ace had planned to do, he would've gone along to stop Ace.

"Why did you do that? I thought you wanted to save your mother and end this stupid show. But you let them turn you into that statue and use you as a plaything!"

"Why would you do that?"

.

Ace smiled weakly as he glanced up to look at Keiwa.

"But if I do that.. you wouldn't be able to save all those people you wanted to be revived."

Keiwa grabbed Ace by the collar as if about to hit him. But instead, Keiwa pulled Ace into his embrace and he wrapped his arm around Ace's body tightly.

"You idiot! How could you think I'd be fine if you do that?"