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Although still in ruins, Ostia really was beautiful, Ai thought.
Her treasured shovel strapped to her back, Ai walked the streets as she took in the sights of people rebuilding all around her, and most smiled and waved at her as she passed by. Of all the people Alice had brought into the sealed city, some had decided to leave and return to a home they hoped may still be waiting for them, while others had opted to stay and make the peaceful life they had in the seal real. Already people had grown used to being free of the seal, but Alice had told her that they would have to become accustomed to aging again, and that the time they now found themselves in was not the same time they had originally left. Ostia's clock had begun to move again, and no one yet knew what would become of that.
But Alice had also smiled and told Ai that he was thankful that he, Dee, and the rest of Class 3-4 would be able to grow and experience birthdays again.
Ai stopped in front of a familiar yet unfamiliar house. While inside the seal, she had explored the city thoroughly in hopes of finding clues, so these streets were still familiar, even if the houses now showed their true selves. This house she had only visited once briefly in the seal, to see Dee and walk with her to school, but had never gone inside.
She gulped. Most of the people still stayed in the houses they had lived in while inside the seal, such as Ai, Julie, and Scar, who stayed with Alice in his former home, and they did whatever they could to help with repairs. There was still much to be done, but Ai wasn't alone, so it wasn't so bad. Still, there was something missing, and she still had a world to save.
Inhaling a deep breath, she knocked on the door and called out, "Dee, are you there?"
After several tense moments, the door opened, and Dee's expression was calm yet unreadable. "Oh, Ai. What brings you here?"
Ai put on her best smile. "I wanted to see you, of course! Are you busy?"
Dee's expression softened, and she put on her blue jacket as she stepped outside. "Guess I can't stay inside forever, huh?"
Ai's chest hurt at those words, but said nothing. Dee didn't seem to be avoiding them, and she helped with repairs, but at the end of each day, she returned to her own empty house, just as she had done inside the seal, on the other side of the black surface. They had all fallen into a routine again, and Ai didn't want that.
As they walked, at first they only talked of small, insignificant things, like about repairs and what that building used to be or what this street was called. Ai already knew most names thanks to Alice, but she liked hearing Dee's thoughts and perspective too. Dee's smile was the same as ever, but also hesitant, and whenever her hand brushed against Ai's, she froze and her cheeks went red, but Ai didn't know what to make of that, and they both fell quiet.
Finally, Dee broke the silence. "So why did you want to see me so badly?"
"Because I missed you!" Ai exclaimed, trying to hold back a giggle. "That's reason enough, isn't it?"
Despite her blush, Dee still smiled, and it seemed sincere to Ai's eyes. "When are you going to head out on your journey again?"
"Hm, I don't know." Ai tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We could stay here a bit. Julie and Scar seem to like it here, and I'd like to see the real Ostia you and Alice have told me so much about."
Dee glanced at a pair of ruined houses. "It'll be a long time, and even then it won't be the same as it was before."
"But that's okay too!" Ai tried to smile for Dee. "Maybe we'll travel for a little while, and then when we return, the city will be completely new!"
Dee's smile softened, and she said nothing as she took Ai's hand into hers. Her fingers were surprisingly tight, and she let out a soft giggle as her red eyes twinkled mischievously, but they also carried a different kind of longing. She was more like her old self again, bold and teasing, like the self-proclaimed "Witch of the West" or the ghost called "Whisper," but she still reached out with only a light touch, as if hesitant again.
Yet Ai was happy as her fingers laced with Dee's.
Soon they walked alongside a calm river, and Ai found herself drawing closer to Dee. In the seal, she hadn't wanted to choose between Dee and Alice, but in regaining his memories Alice had managed to free Dee and the rest of his classmates, and Ai had wished to save him from disappearing. She had created a miracle with her very own heart, and sometimes she wondered if she was still dreaming. She didn't want to fear losing either of them again, but she didn't want to fear change either. Since that day she buried her father and left her village, she wanted to keep looking forward, into the world she wanted to save.
She looked up, and the frozen Ferris wheel came into view. Giving Dee's fingers a gentle squeeze, she took in a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She couldn't say she truly understood Dee, not yet, but if time had begun to move again, she wanted more, to embrace that change.
And when Dee looked at her with those red eyes, she found something between them had changed, and she wanted to seize that hope.
"Dee," Ai said firmly. "Aren't you lonely in that empty house all by yourself? Why don't you come live with us?"
"Huh?" Dee blinked in surprise, and her cheeks flushed crimson. "Live? With you? But you'll be setting out again eventually, won't you?"
"Well, someday, and when we do, I want you to come with us. I really enjoyed traveling with you too."
Much to Ai's surprise, Dee laughed and reached out to cup Ai's face. Her hands were soft and warm, and ever since she had regained her physical body for good, Ai found herself longing more and more for her touch. "Ai, you really are a strange girl, aren't you?" she said with that familiar, playful smirk.
Ai's cheeks flushed against Dee's hands. "I've been worried sick about you!" she pouted. "You've been keeping to yourself too much lately, and I miss you!"
"I really should learn to believe in you, huh?" Dee said softly, and she leaned in closer to Ai, her breath warm on Ai's lips. "You know, asking me to live with you sounds like a proposal."
"W-What?" Ai squeaked, and her entire body felt as if it were on fire.
Dee smirked again, and she pressed her lips against Ai's.
That kiss felt both too short and like an eternity, and when Dee reluctantly took her lips from Ai's, her smile was still bright. "Thank you, Ai, for saving us. For saving me."
Ai raised her hands to touch Dee's face, and as Dee's eyes watered, Ai lifted herself onto her toes to press her lips against Dee's for another kiss.