Final Chapter: Wet Hands

The morning came, notifying me that the time to resume my travel had arrived. However, before stepping out of the room, I was met with a surprise. A sheet of paper was on the floor near the door. Someone must have slid it in while I was sleeping. A quick inspection revealed the following message, written in pristine handwriting.

'I left a llama outside, because I can't travel with two of them. You may take it with you if you'd like. Stay safe!

-M'

I found myself smiling.

Wasting no further time, I exited the inn, and lo and behold, a white llama was leashed on the fence outside. It was still garbed in the wandering trader attire, and an empty chest was hanging on one side.

I wasn't certain how beneficial it would be to drag an animal along, but I decided to give it a try anyway. So, I loosened the end of the leash that was tied on the fence post, and onwards I went, the llama in tow.

The sun had just risen, so Cornelia was still sleepy. Once I covered a considerable distance from the village, I looked back, in order to give it one last glance. Seeing the buildings imbued with a soft pink hue, gave me an unprecedented and inexplicable feeling of serenity.

I snapped out of it quickly enough, however. I had no time to lose.

Traveling through the southern plains, eventually led me to a vast winding river biome. Or, maybe I should say 'led us'. Regardless, even though the scenery was nice to look at, navigating through it would prove to be a bit of a nuisance.

The river, even though it hardly looked like it was flowing, was rather wide, and because it was twisting along the terrain, I either had to swim through it multiple times, or build a rudimentary bridge to walk across.

It wasn't a big deal in the long run, fortunately, because the river's path diverged from ours later on. Thus, traversing through rolling plains and meadows took up the majority of our time, once again. It was starting to feel a little monotonous, which made me think,

'Three days of walking… That doesn't sound like the easiest thing in the world by any stretch…but I won't let that stop me.'

...

Gradually, I could feel something in the atmosphere change. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what that something was, but I could subtly feel it in the air. The humidity, maybe? An attentive look at the horizon revealed that the area we were about to enter had significantly darker and mushier grass.

Some oak trees, covered in vines, had sprouted next to plentiful puddles that were brimming with murky water. Lily pads were floating along the surfaces of the bodies of water. Mushrooms of all kinds - but mostly brown, were abundant. It was plain to see that we were entering a swamp.

Although I had never explored a biome of this kind before (aside from maybe that lush cave), I couldn't say I was particularly thrilled. Treading through the marshland's disgusting waters wasn't the most pleasant activity. Thankfully, something peculiar enough to make me momentarily forget about that, caught my eye.

Off in the distance, in front of a tree line, stood proud and tall, a brown mushroom. A giant brown mushroom, at that. Seriously, that thing was taller than the average oak tree, and it almost reminded me of the crimson fungi from the Nether. That said, its brown cap was completely flat, unlike any other fungus I was familiar with.

The natural oddity, as interesting as it may have been, wasn't quite as interesting in of itself, as what had been placed on it; a torch. In fact, each side had a single torch, placed at eye level.

I didn't want to jump to hasty conclusions, but that felt like a sign that someone had been through here before. Perhaps even...Rana. Even though it had taken quite a good chunk out of the day to reach the marshland, my motivation was rejuvenated by that alone.

So, we left the swamp's grimy terrain behind, and entered the birch forest that was beyond it, in a much happier mood than when we had first arrived. The birch forest itself was a medium sized one, and it would take us until the afternoon before we got to the other side.

What awaited us, ultimately provided another obstacle of sorts. We were in a bay, and an ocean spread out as far as the eye could see, which led me to a predicament in regards to my furry companion.

'Would it be wise to bring the llama along, or should I just leave it?'

Honestly, I couldn't even figure out a way that would allow it to sail across the ocean with me, since there was no way we could fit on the same boat, and while its occasional hums provided some comfort and company, I didn't want to endanger it.

With that mindset, I removed its leash, and let it be free. It unceremoniously trod away toward the forest with the first opportunity it got, while I was busy setting down a crafting table, in order to construct a boat.

I wasn't very on board with the idea of paddling again, so I could only hope that this ocean wasn't as vast as the other one. I steeled my nerves, pushed the boat into the water, and continued on with my search.

...

As the sun was getting ready to cast an orange glow onto the water, I began to wonder,

'When Rana wrote that she would be traveling for three days in a row, did she mean during the nights, as well?'

The intuitive interpretation would be 'no', and though I wasn't absolutely positive that that was indeed the case, I felt safer with the idea of resting while the sun was down. In fact, I had learned that nighttime in the sea was far safer than on land, since little to no hostile mobs could spawn on water.

Therefore, I went to sleep basically care-free, and that marked the end of the first day.

Not much of note really happened during the second day. Sure, waking up after sleeping in a cramped boat was an ordeal, but that was mostly it. Also, as a side-note, sleeping in a boat under a starry sky sounds like a romantic idea in theory, but I couldn't tell if the stiffness I felt was worth it...

That aside, it wouldn't be until the afternoon that something interesting would happen. To preface this, I should clarify that land in the form of small, grassy islands was far more common in this ocean, as opposed to the other one.

By 'small', I mean that I could see their entire surface just by standing on the shore; that's how miniscule those landmasses were. They served as useful pit stops for me, at least. They let me rest up for a moment, and occasionally, an animal or two would somehow manage to spawn on them, which kept me fed.

One of the islands even had a dirt pillar, with a lit torch in its center, a telltale sign that I was still on the right track. Now that that's out of the way, I can finally bring up the actual eventful discovery of the day.

My eyes widened when I saw a large, mountainous land mass looming over the horizon. Its outline was nothing like I had seen before, as some large cubic structures were center stage. A few shapes even resembled that giant mushroom I had come across back at the swamp.

Curious to explore this peculiar land, I sped up. So much so, that my boat started to rock violently. Not wanting it to overturn, I slowed down immediately...only to find out that not only did the wobbling not cease, it actually intensified!

Right when I was going to continue forward, the boat filled with water, and was sent plummeting to the depths, me following closely behind. It felt as though a great underwater force was dragging me down, but frantic glances revealed nothing.

I tried in vain to swim upwards, yet in spite of my struggles, I was forced to watch as the surface was getting farther and farther out of my reach. While this was happening, the temperature of the water was increasing at an uncomfortable rate.

Everything was happening so fast that my mind couldn't keep up, until I finally hit the bottom of the ocean, back first. In a split second, I felt an extreme burning sensation, which was completely unprecedented.

I pushed myself up, but as my hand touched the sea floor, I got burned even worse. I let out a yell, and I lunged myself upwards, by quickly kicking my legs. I landed on my feet, as tears of pain were starting to form in my eyes.

As best as I could, I forced my eyes open in order to assess what had just transpired. It would appear as though I was trapped in an underwater whirlpool, caused by...a patch of partially solidified magma blocks!?

An innumerable amount of questions bombarded my mind at that instant. How was this happening? How had I not noticed the bubble columns that the magma was creating from the surface? How long had it been since the magma had formed there? How had it not been petrified yet? And most importantly...

'How do I get out of here?'

If there was one positive to this situation, it was that I was standing in the middle of the whirlpool, so the water was swirling all around me, giving me a pocket of air that was just big enough for me to not drown. Granted, the air was incredibly hot, but not unbearable, and I at least had some time to spare.

My feet were starting to heat up, but my leather boots would provide good enough insulation for a little while longer. Surely, there must've been a way out of this, though. Looking around, I saw something awe-inspiring amidst the kelp.

A large, wooden structure was half buried in the gravel of the ocean floor. Because it was slanted, I had to turn my head sideways in order to make out what it was. A full-blown ship! It had decks and even a mast intact.

I may not have remembered everything from my past life as a being of creation, but I did remember the thought process we'd put into building structures like this. We would sometimes build certain things that were meant to look abandoned, or left in disrepair.

The same mindset applied to this ship, too - it never sunk; it was merely built that way.

We never could have imagined that one day, some of our builds would actually end up being abandoned, never to be finished. I could imagine that many of my peers had no idea that, on that fateful day, they had placed their last block… I certainly hadn't. I couldn't have foreseen that the mineshaft system I had started to build with Alex would end up unfinished... We both had so many dreams for the future...

'What am I doing!?'

I returned to the present after mentally scolding myself, and reexamined my position. Now wasn't the time for reminiscing. The only way out of this that I could think of, was to mine the magma block away. As I brandished my pickaxe, and got ready to start swinging, I was met with another, less pleasant surprise.

A few blocks away from me stood one of those trident-wielding drowned zombies. I recalled the trouble one of them had caused Rana and I back at the pond. The biggest difference was that now, I was quite literally out of my element.

It stepped back, and launched its weapon at me. I just about managed to place two dirt blocks in front of me to block it. While at it, I barricaded myself from the right and from above, leaving my foe only one way to get to me. If it was as intelligent as any other mob, it would fall for it.

Once I saw it pass me by, I delivered the strongest sword thrust I could. Unfortunately, since I was half underwater, my movements weren't as nimble, which made my attacks less effective.

For some unfathomable reason, the same didn't apply to the drowned. Using its trident as a melee weapon this time, it retaliated with quick jabs of its own. We reached a stand-still for a moment, where none of our hits could land on the other.

I felt somewhat frustrated, for had this duel taken place in any other environment, it wouldn't have even been worth mentioning. Regardless, I dished out a kick, which ultimately looked meager. At least it was enough to drop the drowned's guard, allowing me to get an opening and finish it off.

Now that that was finally out of the way, I harvested the magma block I had been standing on, and the vortex around me subsided instantly. I then swam to the surface as fast as I could. Holding my breath for such long periods of time wasn't something I was accustomed to, but I breached the surface without any further incident. The only problem was that I was in the middle of the ocean without a boat.

Gathering my surroundings, I decided to swim to that odd landmass that grabbed my eye earlier, since that was the closest stretch of land to me. Swimming was definitely slower than going by boat, but I at least didn't have to do any more obnoxious paddling.

...

After getting to the beach with no small effort, and dragging myself through it, I got up and dusted off my clothes afterwards. My right hand still hurt thanks to that burn, but once my health indicator filled up, the pain slowly started to recede.

Taking a good look at my surroundings, I got the impression that I had ended up in some sort of psychedelic dreamscape. The ground was covered in a gray, fungal substance, which I believed was called 'mycelium'. I didn't like the sounds it made when I stepped on it.

Much like how grass was abundant in nearly every other biome, mycelium was ever present here, along with other fungal entities. Giant mushrooms, which came in both brown and red varieties, were as common as trees.

With careful steps, I walked along the hilly terrain, while wondering if the pain I felt by coming into contact with the magma blocks knocked me unconscious, and this was just a dream I was having. It didn't sound too improbable; my dreams have always been on the weird side.

A weak 'moo' interrupted my musings. Initially, I felt joy that there were at least signs of normal animal life, but once I saw what had made that sound, I cursed internally for jumping to hasty conclusions.

It was an animal that looked a lot like a cow, with the only difference being that its skin bared a striking resemblance to a red mushroom. Most commonly, cows in this world were brown with white spots. This one still had its white spots, but instead of brown, its hide was red. Its eyes were dead-black, and tiny red mushrooms were growing on its back. Looking a little further ahead, I spotted an entire herd.

This was genuinely one of the most disturbing creatures I had ever encountered. The ravager was probably the last time I had ever felt this uncomfortable by the appearance of an animal. Of course, this thing wasn't even doing anything concerning; it simply wandered about the environment. But even so, I couldn't help but wonder,

'If I stay too long on this island…will I become a host for parasitic mushrooms, too?'

...

Not really wanting to give that thought too much merit, I continued exploring, while also quickening my pace for good measure. A part of me couldn't believe that such an otherworldly biome was part of the Overworld.

Near the southern beach, I stumbled upon a structure made of birch wood. It was virtually identical to what my house looked like when I first built it, both in terms of shape and size. That meant that it was supposed to serve as a temporary shelter. There was only one person who could have possibly set this up.

Clenching my fists a couple times, I knocked on the door. I could see light sip through the gap between the door and the ground, so if she really was inside, I wouldn't want to scare her by barging in.

"Rana, are you in there?"

I pushed the door open once enough time passed, and stepped inside...only to find an empty room. A lone torch was emitting light from its spot on the wall, letting me see with ease the crafting table and furnace that were left to idle in a corner.

This sight, in contrast to the previous signs she had left behind to mark her presence, demoralized me a lot. I had mentally prepared myself for a reunion, but it was clear it wasn't the right time yet. It was only the second day of searching, after all.

Even so, a seed of worry had instilled itself in my mind. I could have stood there to give each uncertainty and 'what-if' time to nourish, but I knew that the longer I'd hesitate, the less likely it would be for my quest to end in success.

So, even though sunset was upon me, I crafted a new boat, fully bent on proceeding. I had sailed for almost an entire night before; I could do it again. Standing on the southern coast, I could faintly see land on the horizon.

Outlines which I could only assume were trees, taller than any other kind I was familiar with, stood out, essentially serving as a beacon until the sun would set completely. I had to make that count.

...

I made it to the other side before dawn, after half a night full of my favorite activity, paddling! I had honestly gotten sick of it, but it wasn't like I had any other alternatives. As a side note, I managed to get some rest during the night, so at least I could remain alert if need-be.

That would become of crucial importance, for the moment I stepped into the sand, monsters of every kind showed up to give me a warm welcome. Skeletons, spiders, creepers, zombies, you name it.

Thankfully, I managed to lure a creeper into exploding right next to some of its comrades, which, while risky, paid off immensely. The sun eventually came along to finish the fight, giving me the first real opportunity to examine the new biome I wound up in.

There was no mistaking it; I had ended up in a jungle.

The area I was in wasn't inherently dense, but as I stared ahead of me, it was evident that that wasn't going to be the case going forward. Jungle trees came in all sorts of sizes. Some were small enough to be mistaken for oaks, while others put the spruces from the taiga biome to shame.

Vines were hanging from the trees' rich foliage, much like how it was in the swamp. Other trees even had cocoa growing on their barks. Even watermelons were sprouting up from the ground in some spots.

While a fresh and exotic sight, I could already tell I was going to have to be especially cautious, because hostile mobs could be hiding behind every corner, giving them the ideal opportunity to ambush me. Following along the boat's trajectory, I delved deep into the jungle.

...

After some particularly treacherous traversing, I reached a clearing. I had spotted it after climbing up to a treetop. With a quick glance, I concluded that if Rana wasn't here, then I was, simply put, probably never going to find her, and here's why:

Every element of this campsite told me that it was built to last more than a single night, unlike the previous shelter of hers I found.

Curious, yet also a little nervous, I inspected the various structures closely. There was a memorial of sorts, built near the outskirts of the clearing. At least, that's what it looked like to me. It was a short barrier, built out of cobblestone, spruce planks, and diorite. A wooden sign on its center, had the following text carved on it:

R.I.P.

Frosty

the Snow Golem

There was a second sign below that one, which wrote:

Braver than I will

ever be.

Above the first sign, was an item frame, inside of which was a single snowball. Although I didn't have the full context, this memorial told a sad story, no matter how I looked at it.

On the other side of the clearing, right next to the central tree, was a pen with a gray donkey that was lazily grazing on the grass. Lastly, was the central tree, which had been turned into a tree house built out of jungle wood. The roof was made of leaves, from what I could make out.

A ladder that went along the log, led up to a wooden platform, which had fences marking its outline, serving as railing. On said platform, I could see the entryway to her base. At least, I really hoped it was her base. It seemed like something she'd build, anyway... It suited her.

As I took a deep breath and started climbing, I wondered what the best first thing to tell her would be. What would she even say? What would the tone of the confrontation be? The anticipation was eating away at me, inside out.

Once I made it to the top, I spotted a familiar, sand colored feline.

"Sky?"

He was already looking tense when I saw him, but once I uttered his name, he hissed at me, and leapt down. I ran up to the fence, only to see him flee deep into the jungle. That was not an encouraging sign, but I couldn't let that deter me. Once again, I was standing in front of a wooden door, which probably separated me from her.

"Rana, are you in there?" I asked after knocking a couple times. "It's me, Steve."

...

No reply. Maybe she was just shocked to hear me?

"I'm coming in!" I warned her. I swung the door open.

Empty.

Alright, maybe not totally empty, but she wasn't inside regardless. Stepping in, I noticed that this room was at least more furnished than the previous house of hers. The jukebox, the familiar creeper painting, and a bed were all here and accounted for, yet their owner was nowhere in sight.

*Sssssss...*

I turned around as fast as I could manage, and lifted my shield. And yet, even though there was the instantly recognizable hissing sound of the creeper, the explosion never came. With a peek, I realized that there was no creeper, either.

'What in the world?'

A whistle came from a corner, next to the jukebox. A red parrot, with blue and yellow feathers was sitting there, watching. At the apparent lack of danger, I drew a sigh of relief. I neglected to bring up that while I was traversing through the jungle, I'd occasionally hear zombie groans, or spiders hissing, even though no monsters were nearby.

As it would turn out, parrots had the ability to mimic sounds they heard, which is what threw me off so badly, both then and at the present moment. The parrot in question, hissed again like a creeper. Then again. And again... Afterwards, it went back to whistling.

I wasn't sure what to do now, but as I was standing there, my mind followed a terrible line of thought. When I thought of the parrot's innate ability to mimic sounds, in conjunction with Rana's absence... My eyes widened. My heart began to accelerate.

...

'No... Surely... No... No!

Rana... Was she...

Did a creeper...?

No...she couldn't have!'

...

I bolted out the door, and jumped down the ladder. Darting my eyes around the clearing, and seeing it so desolate, caused my worries to spike. I cupped my hands around my mouth, and in an act of desperation, I yelled as loud as I could.

"RA-NA, WHERE ARE YOU?"

...

The only response I got was the sound of a few parrots flapping their wings, before flying away.

...

I felt my vision blur.

Rana... My love...

She couldn't have died…not to a creeper...

I refused to believe it. I refused to believe that I'd never see her again. That I'd never hear her laugh again. That I'd never feel her warmth again... That I'd never listen to her talk about Earth, or any other thing she liked again...

...Rana...

...

...

...

"...Steve?"

Did...did I just...?

I slowly turned my head over to the monument. And there she was. Standing halfway behind it. She looked different from how I remembered her; instead of a green raincoat, she was wearing a shiny iron chestplate, and her hair was a little shorter; she didn't have pigtails anymore.

Her facial features seemed a little sharper, too, as if she had been hardened during her travels out in the wilderness. But even with all that, there was no mistaking those glimmering blue eyes, always filled with compassion.

"R-Rana?"

I took a step toward her slowly, almost mechanically, while she did the same. This repeated once more, until we ran to each other's arms.

"Steve, you..."

"Oh, Rana..."

We repeated each other's names a few times, just to certify that we were both, indeed, there. Afterwards, we remained there, locked in a tight embrace. I was clinging onto her as though she'd crumble to dust, but it wasn't like she was holding back either, in that regard.

Feeling her breaths that were tickling my neck slow down, I hesitantly broke the hug. A moment later, she followed suit, which left us staring into each other's eyes, neither of us knowing what to say.

"I-"

"How-", she started, simultaneously. "Sorry. Say what you wanted to say."

"I...I missed you."

Her eyebrows furrowed deeper.

"I missed you, too. So much... But, you found me first. Where...where did you go? Where have you been?"

I swallowed.

"That's a long story...and I'll tell you all about it, Rana. Everything. Just," I added as I clutched her shoulders, "not today. Please. I'm begging you. Not today."

She nodded sluggishly.

"I understand... How...how did you know where to find me? Did you read the note I left you?"

"I did."

Her eyes lowered to the ground between us.

"Well... What do you think?"

I didn't respond straight away, but in due time, I wrapped my arms around her waist, and gently pulled her toward me.

"I love you, Rana. More than anything else in the world. You're so sweet, and caring, and being around you makes me feel so fuzzy inside. I love the way you see the world, and the things you enjoy in it. You even help me see things I'd find mundane in a new light. That's why there's nothing I'd like more than to return you all the joy you've brought me. I want to make you smile every day."

I stared into her eyes. She didn't seem to display much of a reaction at first.

"Steve… Do you mean all that?"

I hugged her again.

"Every word."

It was only then that she hugged me back. I felt her shiver, and a restrained sob made its way into my ears.

"Come on... Don't cry... Please," I asked meekly.

"'D-don't cry'? 'Don't c-cry'!? Wh-what's wrong with you!? Listen to yourself!"

It occurred to me that I was crying too. I seemed to be doing that a little more often, as of late. I hadn't even noticed...

"You're right. Forgive me."

...

She calmed down after a while, as did I. She then took a step back, and caressed my face gently.

"I never got the chance to tell you this in person like I wanted to, so... I love you, too, Steve. I love you with all my heart. Being with you makes me feel so...secure... I'm just...so happy we're together again..."

"I am, too, but...why do you look and sound so sad still? Is something wrong?"

She inhaled deeply.

"You...you're really here, right? This moment... I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"Do you really fear such a thing?"

"Just...if this is a dream, then...when I wake up...I'll feel awful."

I could see how such a thought would be scary for her, but fortunately, I had an idea that could potentially eradicate her fears once and for all. I cupped her face for a moment, and felt just how soft her skin was. Moments later, my lips were on hers.

I felt her tense up for a split second, until she eventually kissed me back. It was soft, and pure, but I unfortunately had to break it prematurely by smiling. It was okay, though. I was certain we'd get more opportunities in the future.

"How about now?" I asked, "Do you still think there's even a chance this could be all in your head?"

She stared at me with wide eyes at first, until she started to shake her head. That was when I saw her smile for the first time in what felt like ages. She removed her chestplate, and was left with her white t-shirt. I didn't know why she did that, until she flung herself at me. I caught her with a smile on my face, and lifted her into the air.

She planted a kiss on my lips and nuzzled her cheek against mine. We remained silent for a while, just listening to the sounds of the jungle that surrounded us, until I uttered a question I had.

"I told you that I was going to recount my journey to you at some point later, but how about you? How was your journey?"

She reached a hand to where one of her pigtails used to be, but since she no longer had any, she settled to rub the back of her head.

"Well, it definitely had its ups and downs, and of course I missed you a lot, but truthfully, it wasn't all bad."

"Really? How so?"

"Hmm, at least I made some friends along the way. Oh, I know! I'll introduce them to you!"

She whistled loudly toward the treehouse, and that red parrot flew out the doorway, ultimately landing on Rana's shoulder.

"I named her Gale, and I found her here, in the jungle!"

"Ah, so that's the rascal's name, then. She gave me quite a scare, I'll have you know."

"Ha ha, yeah, I can guess why; she likes to mimic monster sounds. What did you hear her mimic?"

"A creeper..."

She laughed at that.

"Ha ha ha! Oh God, that sounds horrifying! You must've seen your life flash before your eyes, right?"

"Something like that," I admitted, "and yet, it wasn't my life I was most worried about."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"Here's the thing... I knew you must have been around, but I couldn't find you anywhere, so when I heard your parrot - or, Gale, rather - mimic a creeper, I thought you...you know…"

"You thought I died?"

I nodded bashfully.

"I got so scared..."

She looked at me sadly.

"Aww, Steve...I'm sorry you had to go through that."

She pecked me on the cheek.

"Don't worry about it," I stated. "It's my fault for once again underestimating just how strong you really are. I should have known that a dumb creeper wouldn't be enough to take you down," I noted as my hand slid down her waist.

She nodded confidently.

"You said it! ...Oh! I forgot someone important!"

She headed over to the animal pen, and I followed suit. I noticed idly that Sky had returned from wherever he'd gone off to, and was lying down next to the pen. Without any stalling, Rana gestured to her donkey.

"This is my good pal, Bonkey! I met him in a savannah up north, by the desert we went to! Have you been to it?"

"No, I have not, but...you named him Bonkey?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Why?"

She shrugged.

"It just sounded funny to me.

...

What? Why are you laughing?"

"I...I just missed you a lot, you know?"

"Yeah...me too."

There was another thing I wanted to ask her.

"Ah, by the way, It might be a touchy subject, but may I ask what the memorial is all about?"

Logically enough, that seemed to have deflated her mood.

"...It's okay, I'll tell you. While I was traveling, there were times where I felt so…alone. I decided to build a snowman with some of the snow I got from the mountainside, you know, the one near Cornelia. I thought it didn't look human enough, so I carved a pumpkin, and placed it on top of it, so it could look like a head. Then, all of a sudden, it came to life!"

"Really!?"

"Yes! It was like a golem, but made of snow! Anyhow, I was so excited that I had a new friend with me, so I named him Frosty. Frosty…was a brave soul. We'd even fight monsters together. One night…we got overwhelmed. He died in battle. I was…devastated. I had lost my only friend…It still hurts to think about. That's why I cut my hair, and built this memorial for him. So…yeah…"

Hearing the enthusiasm gradually leave her voice was more crushing than I wanted to admit. I hated that someone so sweet had to endure such hardships.

"...My condolences."

"Thank you… I'm mostly over it now."

"You won't be alone anymore," I assured her by placing a hand on her shoulder, and she nodded, smiling to herself.

"So, what do you want to do now?"

That was a perfectly valid question. After everything that had transpired, it was only natural that we had forgotten how to operate together.

"I'm not sure...I don't know what the first thing to do should be, but..."

I took her hands and stared deep into her eyes.

"I was thinking we could build something special together. A place we could both call 'home'. Judging from this base you built, I can tell you're a natural at building. So, what do you think?"

She flashed me a wide grin.

"Of course! There's nothing I'd rather do, honey. But, for now, all I want to do is take a bath, because I just returned from a mining trip, and I'm all dusty. There's a small pond nearby. So, uh...would you...like to come along with me?" she asked with flushed cheeks, and I accepted wholeheartedly.

It felt so strange, yet also so gratifying to think that after all this time, I could actually call this person, not just my friend, but also my lover. As we made our way to the pond, hand in hand, I couldn't help but ask, "By the way, do cats walk backwards on Earth?"

She seemed bewildered at that.

"No, why?"

"Uh, no reason. I was just...curious."

...

"Steve?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"...Rana."

"What?"

"I love you, too."

THE END