Crunch, crunch,
Footprints pressed one by one into the wide blanket of white snow.
Xion hurried his steps, letting the snow pour down on his head.
“Rein…”
Reinhild had collapsed at the far edge of Root where it met the forest. Snow fell over him, covering him in white.
The instant Xion found him, he ran in a panic and gathered him into his arms.
He hadn’t been there long, so his body was still warm, but his cheeks and the tip of his nose—white as the snow—were tinged red.
“…”
Xion wanted to call Rein’s name, to whisper that he had missed him, but he shut his mouth for fear Reinhild might hear.
Carefully brushing the snow from Reinhild’s head and shoulders, Xion lifted him up.
And, savoring the joy of having gotten Reinhild back, he went home.
To their house for just the two of them.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Where… is this?”
Three hours later, Reinhild came to and sat up.
Right then, as Xion was watching over him, he barely held back from blurting “Rein.”
But he couldn’t restrain himself from pulling Reinhild into an embrace.
“Uh—?”
Hearing Reinhild’s flustered voice, he realized his mistake.
If he suddenly did something like this, Reinhild, who remembered nothing, might find it suspicious.
Yet he didn’t want to let go of him, either.
In the end, there was nothing Xion could do except hold back from speaking Reinhild’s name.
“…”
“…”
In an awkward silence, Xion held Reinhild in his arms for quite a while.
Perhaps from being so startled, Reinhild didn’t push him away.
He didn’t get angry or bolt in fright.
He was just stiff as a board.
He was certainly flustered.
What he wanted to do was stroke Reinhild’s face, kiss him, and soothe him with an “I’m sorry for startling you.”
But instead, Xion merely loosened his arms a little around the rigid Reinhild and opened his mouth.
“Welcome to our village…”
Even at Xion’s forced excuse, Reinhild only darted his round eyes about, taking the measure of things.
Right now, Reinhild would be thinking he’d just woken from a seal, headed for the Demon King’s castle, been driven out, and barely survived to flee here.
He didn’t know where this was or who Xion was, so of course he wouldn’t know how to react to Xion’s behavior.
All the better, actually. Now he had an excuse to hug Reinhild as much as he liked.
If he said this was a place where all greetings began with an embrace, Reinhild, who didn’t know much about the human world, wouldn’t be able to avoid it.
And since there was no one else in the village, there was no need to worry he’d go hug some random person to “say hello.”
Rein…
He wanted to say his name.
He wanted to see Reinhild’s face, turning back to him with a delighted smile when called.
Struggling to calm a heart that felt ready to burst, Xion finally spoke.
“My name is Xion.”
He should have asked for a name, but he couldn’t form the words through the swell of feeling.
Fortunately, after hesitating a moment, Reinhild introduced himself.
“I am… Rein.”
“Rain. It’s a good name.”
Xion was happy that this time too Reinhild gave the name “Rein.”
It could have been a coincidence, but thinking it might be the influence of memories sunk deep down somewhere pained his heart.
Perhaps still wary, Reinhild couldn’t meet Xion’s eyes and only stared down at the quilt.
He worried he might still be in a lot of pain even now.
Xion reached out to check Reinhild’s condition. Reinhild hunched his shoulders and looked back at Xion with a startled face.
So he is wary, after all.
He knew it, but it hurt.
Still, it was better than sobbing, writhing, and running away.
“Rein.”
“…Mm?”
“Rein.”
“…”
Keeping his eyes fixed on Reinhild, who frowned as if to ask what on earth he was doing, Xion called his name over and over.
“Rein.”
“Mm.”
I missed you.
Xion pulled Reinhild into his arms again.
Very carefully, as if afraid he might shatter.
Reinhild did not push him away.
A good start.
❖ ❖ ❖
Reinhild’s condition was better than expected.
Whether a capable mage like Ainel had treated him or not, his heart showed no abnormalities, and the holy power that had tormented him was quiet.
All the cuts from glass and broken magic stones had healed without a trace.
While Reinhild slept, Xion brought his lips to the center of Reinhild’s palm.
The very hand he had cut to run a magic circle, from which red blood had dripped.
“Rein, it’s time to wake up.”
“Ugh…”
Even if he’d lost his memory, perhaps the habit of getting up early from his time with Xion was set in his body.
Reinhild woke quite well even at an early hour.
Half-asleep, rustling, he took the warm milk with honey Xion pressed into his hand.
Nodding off, Reinhild nevertheless finished the entire cup.
“How does it taste?”
“It’s good.”
Perhaps still very cautious, Reinhild watched Xion’s face for a reaction with every word he spoke.
His manner was quite different from when Xion first brought him to Root, but given how different the circumstances were then and now, it wasn’t strange his reactions were different.
After waking from the seal, the memories of being with Xion had been completely erased. It was only natural he’d be confused. He had surely fled the Demon King’s castle at summer’s end, yet when he opened his eyes, it was winter.
It was clear he had misunderstood that he’d been unconscious for half a year and woken after receiving Xion’s care all that time.
“Rein.”
“…”
Even now, when Xion stroked his cheek like this, he showed no dislike and didn’t pull away.
That made Xion both happy and a little bitter.
He was thankful Reinhild’s memories were gone, and yet his heart ached.
“For breakfast I prepared pork dishes.”
“Pork?!”
In an instant Reinhild’s face brightened. With eyes shining, he scampered out.
The table was laden with appetizing food.
Thick slices of bread soaked in an egg mixture with heavy cream and cinnamon, then browned in butter; assorted fruits alongside.
Pork sliced for easy eating, marinated since the previous night, thinly sauced and roasted in the oven and a hash of bacon diced with onion, bell pepper, kale, and potato, topped with a soft-fried egg.
There was also soup and a fresh salad—truly a lavish spread.
“Is today some special occasion?”
“To me, every moment with Rein is special.”
“Hmm.”
More interested in food, Reinhild reacted offhandedly to Xion’s words, sat down, and bit into the toast.
“It’s delicious!”
Eyes round, Reinhild turned his head toward Xion.
Even when he kept watching Xion or was wary of him, simply putting tasty food in his mouth would make Reinhild happy.
If he was lucky, he’d even smile at Xion like now.
I’m glad I learned to cook.
During the half year Reinhild couldn’t remember, and throughout the long time coming and going at the Demon King’s castle five hundred years ago, he had carefully, over a long stretch, adjusted Reinhild’s palate to his cooking.
Just because he’d lost his memories didn’t mean that fact would change.
“Rein.”
“Mm?”
“Is it good?”
“Mm.”
Ah, I want to kiss him.
He wanted to press his lips to that mouth chewing nonstop. He wanted to take those cinnamon-dusted fingers into his mouth after he grabbed the toast by hand.
If he licked his lips on the pretense of brushing off crumbs, how would he react?
Would he show only a guileless face, not knowing the meaning of the act, like the first time they kissed? Or would he, like that first kiss after waking from his long sleep, flush bright red, unable to push him away and only stamp his feet?
It had been a long time for Xion, but for Reinhild this kiss would be remembered as the first; he wondered how he would respond.
He wanted to find out right now.
He wanted to grab Rein, swallow up those lips blinking in bewilderment, kiss the white skin that smelled sweet, and trap him forever in his arms so he couldn’t escape. He wanted to leave his mark on Rein’s every moment, to exist in every hour, every second, in everything Rain imagined… whatever form that took was fine. Just a little longer…
“What are you doing?”
“Ah…”
Xion snapped back at the sound of Reinhild’s voice.
Reinhild was staring fixedly at Xion’s left hand, which had reached out toward him and then stopped.
It seemed his body had moved first toward Reinhild without his conscious thought.
Had he not halted halfway, he might have grabbed Reinhild’s shoulders, pulled him in, and made all those imaginings come true.
I mustn’t do that.
Wearing a gentle smile, Xion used his left hand left hovering in midair for a moment to pick up the sauce bottle beside Reinhild.
Then, acting as if nothing were amiss, he poured sauce over the pork and ate.
Mouth stuffed with toast, Reinhild didn’t take his eyes off Xion.
“Hm.”
Reinhild stared at the sauce bottle with keen interest.
Come to think of it, while he would spread jam or whipped cream on bread, he didn’t put sauce on cooked dishes.
Back when Xion had been visiting the Demon King’s castle day in, day out to bring him food, he hadn’t brought sauces, so he could savor more of the dish’s own carefully prepared flavor.
Perhaps the habit still lingered, and even with the bottle right in front of him he didn’t reach for it.
The thought that, even without memories, their shared past had seeped into Reinhild’s every little action made Xion unable to stop smiling.
After a brief hesitation, Reinhild followed Xion’s example and poured sauce on his pork.
Did he just want to copy him? How cute.
“Mm. As expected, it tastes better plain.”
That thoughtless comment from Reinhild made Xion’s spirits soar without limit.
Perhaps because his face brightened so much, when their eyes happened to meet, Reinhild flashed him a radiant smile.
It was the first smile Reinhild had shown since returning to Root.
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