Just As You Are

Author's Notes: This is actually the epilogue to my story on fanfiction.net called Just As You Are (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3168281/1/ link if you're interested in reading the entire backstory) but I figured this would do as a stand alone although I think it'd work better if you read the entire story. I decided after all to upload it here since there aren't too many fics in the Flame of Recca section. Hope you guys like it

Just As You Are Epilogue:


The sun cut diagonal lights through his yellow curtains. It cast a somber glow inside his home, as if the rays knew that it was nearing its goodbye. Goodbye, he would be saying those words soon.

“That’s everything,” Fuuko cut through his thoughts. It was both a question and a statement, perhaps even a plea…stay, just stay.

“My entire life’s packed into boxes,” Tokiya said as he stretched his arms and rested them on the soft cushions of his couch, one of the last items yet to be shipped off to Tokyo.

Fuuko left her leaning form on his door frame. She weaved through the maze of brown boxes, some bigger than others with random words like ‘Books’ and ‘China’ written on the top with a black felt tip pen, until she reached his side. She plopped down to his side, the sofa springs bouncing a little at the sudden weight. She let her head reside on the nook of his shoulders as she tucked her long legs underneath her. Sometimes he still thought how abnormal it was that they could be so normal, like this.

“Did you really have to sell your apartment? I mean, when you come home for breaks, where will you stay?” she asked as she toyed with the frayed hems of her denim shorts.

Tokiya only sighed, half in exasperation; she had asked this question a million times before. “I’m not swimming in money, you know that. I may have a scholarship but I still need to buy books, pay for room and board and a bunch of other things. The cost of living in Tokyo is much more expensive.”

Fuuko only pouted up at him.

“I can always stay at Recca’s, or Domon’s,” he added, as if to appease her.

“You can stay at my house too,” she offered.

Tokiya raised an elegant eyebrow. “I don’t think your mother would approve.”

She only blushed prettily before letting out a tiny giggle. As much as Mrs. Kirisawa liked him, he didn’t think she was too happy when she caught Tokiya trying to sneak into Fuuko’s room through her bedroom window past midnight. He couldn’t really blame her; he didn’t exactly have honest intentions. He was just glad that he was still welcome in the Kirisawa home; on the condition that he enters through the front door, stays in the living room at all times, and leaves the moment the clock strikes nine p.m.

Silence engulfed them as he let his eyes fall shut while she stared at the now barren walls of his house as if she had only realized now how dull the white paint was.

“I can’t believe you’re really leaving tomorrow,” she said, her voice matching the melancholy air around them.

“It’s not forever. I’m sure you won’t even notice, you’ll be busy with senior year,” he assured.

She placed a finger on his jaw and directed him to look at her, his eyes flying open at their own accord. “Trust me, I’ll notice.”

He grinned halfway. “I’ll notice that there isn’t a monkey constantly bugging me too.”

“Just make sure you don’t notice too much that you’ll start craving for other monkeys,” she joshed but there was an underlying seriousness in her tone.

“I don’t think there’s another monkey in this world as phenomenally human as you,” he replied as he gently nuzzled her cheek.

“Would it hurt to just tell me outright that I’m wonderful?” she chided.

“Yes, actually,” he said unflappably.

She punched his shoulder.

“I still have a reputation to keep, I can’t go around fawning over you. Everyone would think I’d gone insane,” he explained as if it was something elementary.

“Remind me why I’m still with you?”

“It’s because I’m an incredible kisser.”

“And modest, don’t forget modest.”

“That too,” he said with a smirk. He schooled his face to its usual cool as if preparing to either impart great knowledge or scold her or both, before speaking again, “Work harder this school year, Kirisawa. You’re going to be with me at Tokyo Uni next year.”

She gave out an affronted gasp. “I don’t have a choice in the matter?”

“I’m not letting you go to college on the other side of the country. One year is long enough,” he confessed. And he was being sincere, never mind the fact that he knew she easily softens whenever he gave her that vulnerable puppy dog look.

“I’m a shoo-in, my Mom’s friends with the Admissions officer, remember?” she joked.

“I’m sure you’re a shoo-in even if she weren’t,” he said honestly.

Fuuko smiled at his words. He was still amazed at how small words of encouragement from him could brighten her smile even more. “Thanks, Mi-chan.”

Simple, she can be so simple and yet she could open up so many facets of his heart. “I’ll miss you everyday,” he mouthed against her skin, breathing heavily as he finally let the words out.

Tokiya cupped her chin in his hand and crushed her lips with his own, not minding the clash of her teeth against his lip at the suddenness of his move. He nibbled her lower lip gently before running his tongue across it asking for permission which she readily granted. Their tongues waged in a fierce battle and neither cared who won as he eagerly pushed her to lie down on her back on the couch using his weight. He moaned as she lifted her left leg trapped between his thighs, her knee grazing the inside of his thighs sensually. She deliberately repeated her movement and giggled as he helplessly groaned in pleasure. They had somehow fallen into a habit of competing on who was better at making the other pant weakly in desire. And Tokiya was not about to lose. He planted wet, open-mouthed kisses along her jaw and traveled down her neck, stopping to suck gently on that spot just underneath her ear. He smirked victoriously against her skin as she unconsciously started moaning his name over and over. But he wasn’t finished with her yet, not nearly. He wriggled a bit down her body until his mouth was level with her bountiful breasts, his arms propped up on either side of her. He let himself marvel for a second at how extremely perfect they were before dropping his head an inch taking in a mouthful of one peak through her shirt, never mind that she wouldn’t be too happy with the telltale suspiciously round saliva marks he would leave there. He sneaked a hand beneath her shirt, tickling her stomach lightly before he snaked it under her bra and gave her left breast an almost painful squeeze. She groaned with wanton lust and the competition was thrown into the wind as she impulsively unhooked front clasp of her bra and lifted her shirt up to her chin, baring her glorious breasts to his gaze, an open invitation for him and him alone.

Tokiya wasted no time, he swirled his tongue around her areola before suckling on her right breast once more like a greedy babe while his hand continued to knead the other. Fuuko moaned louder as she arched up to his mouth as if she wanted him to take them all in.

“Mi-chan…” she breathed. He didn’t mind the childish nickname at all, not when she was moaning it so sensually as if she was begging him to devour her.

She grasped a handful of his hair and pulled it against his scalp, a sensation bordering on pain. Her thighs moved deliciously against his hardness. He felt so hot and he swiftly pulled his shirt over his head, not wanting to spend a second more not being buried between her breasts. He looked up to watch her while his tongue lazily licked a firm, pink nipple. She had her head thrown back allowing him a perfect view of the graceful silhouette of her neck, her eyes had fluttered close and her mouth was parted. She was lost in absolutely ecstasy. With a regretful sigh, he righted her shirt and lifted himself off her and lay down beside her, half of his body almost falling off the narrow couch. He placed an arm over his eyes as he breathed heavily, trying to calm himself.

They have gone farther before, much farther, but they never made love. It was as if they had an unspoken agreement that if the other was too far gone then it would be the other’s responsibility to stop. And it was his turn today. He knew she wasn’t ready and he could never be ready without her.

Tokiya could feel her shift beside him and he had a vague idea that she was righting her clothes before she moved away. But he received the shock of his life when he felt more than saw her straddle him, her clothed core settling directly on top of his still frenzied groin. He moved his arms away from his thighs and was greeted by the wondrous sight of Fuuko, flushed and heaving and completely topless.

“Fuuko…” he whispered so lowly that he thought the sound of his voice was swept away by the bare breeze.

“Mi-chan, I want you, I want this,” she said softly yet steadily, not an inch of doubt in her tone. She ground her hips against him to drive the point home.

He sat up, trying very hard not to be overtaken by her luscious curves and the heavenly sensations her movement was racking throughout his being. He stilled her hips with his hands to try and clear his head. “You don’t have to do this because I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“I don’t want to do this because you’re leaving, I want this because I love you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her naked chests against his, her hardened nipples scratching his skin.

“Are you sure?” he asked one more time.

Fuuko smirked at him. “Just shut up and make love to me.”

“Impatient, are we?”

Tokiya managed to smirk back at her even with the intense heat coursing through his brain. He lifted Fuuko off him and stood up on shaky legs. She looked at him questioningly.

“We’re not making love for the first time on my rutty couch,” he explained.

She laughed lightly.

Tokiya held his hand out to her in a gentlemanly fashion, somewhat an irony in their half naked state, yet not. She took it and their fingers intertwined as he led her inside his bedroom.

It was different when you knew exactly what was going to happen as opposed to just going with the flow and dreading the moment he had to stop. Tokiya’s hand shook as he reached out to her, tight knuckles caressing her flushed cheeks. Fuuko shuddered at the relatively tame contact and he knew she was nervous too. But the flame in her eyes told him that she was as excited as he was and he made a pact with himself that he was going to make this good for her.

He drew her to him and touched her lips lightly with his, reveling in their softness and heat.

“Um, Fuuko, before we start I was just wondering, do you have any, er, condoms with you?” he stammered. They never really had a chance to broach this subject with her.

She flushed, red patches appearing on her breasts. “Actually, I’ve been on the pill for a bit over a week now so you don’t have to worry about that,” he could hear her whisper as she nuzzled his neck.

He smirked, she had always been a responsible girl. “Good to know.”

His hands reached down to massage her breasts as he willed her backwards until the back of her knees met the edge of his bed. She buckled and fell on her back with him not far behind. He began to kiss down her body, pausing at her sensitive spots. A lick on her shoulder, a suckle on her nipple, a tongue in the hole of her belly button, a bite on her protruding hipbone until he reached the edge of her short denim shorts. He unbuttoned them expertly and hooked his thumbs on its sides. She lifted her hips up as he slipped it down her buttocks along with and wriggled until he pulled it all the way down her legs leaving her in her immaculately white cotton panties. He placed his hands on the inside of her thighs, a silent command to part them. Her scent reached his nose and his eyes immediately flew to the already soaking center of her underwear. One hand cupped her sex, the heat he felt there going straight to his cock. He rubbed her without intention before finally slipping his a finger around the edge of her cloth barrier and letting it play with her wet folds. She bucked against him as she whined incoherently. He wanted to see her, all of her, her panties were simply in the way and in a burst of impatience he ripped them off, the crack of their threads resonating around the room. He flung them away, not checking to see where they landed. How could he look anywhere else when Fuuko was splayed before him, naked as the day she was born? His gaze traveled leisurely down her body, from the intensity of her eyes, to the sensuous pout of her lips, to the elegant curve of her shoulders, the proud mounds of her breasts, down her slender waist that gracefully swayed to her hips until he reached the neatly trimmed patch of already soaking purple curls.

“Mi-chan, stop staring,” she teased.

“Let me consider that for a moment…no,” he answered with a smirk.

He kissed her again before he stood up beside the edge of the bed and kneeled down and eyed the swollen lips of her vagina hungrily. He hooked his arms around her thighs and pulled her until her butt was on the edge of the bed and his face was a breath away from her pulsating heaven. Her breath hitched as it dawned on her what he had planned for her.

“Uhh, Mi-chan,” she moaned as he blew cool air at her heated opening.

Tokiya licked his lips in anticipation and slowly dipped his head down to take his first taste of her but the heel of her hand on his forehead stopped him.

“What?” he asked, a bit annoyed that he lost his momentum.

She worried her lower lip and her eyes refused to meet his as she spoke in a whisper, “I’m just not sure you want to go there, it’s just that I haven’t showered since this morning…and well…I don’t know what it’s like down there but it can’t be all that nice…”

He smirked at her naiveté; obviously she still didn’t completely understand how his hentai demon worked. “I wouldn’t do anything that I didn’t want to.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently forced her to lie on her back. She complied stiffly and he could feel the tension in her thighs, as if she would love nothing more than to clamp them shut and bar him from accessing her. But he would have none of that, he wanted to do this for so long.

“Relax, Fuuko, just relax,” he whispered in low husky tones as he trailed soft, teasing kisses on the inside of her thighs until he was close enough to her musky scent. With two thumbs, he spread her outer lips. At his touch, her legs almost shut together but his broad shoulders between them made it impossible. He dipped his head once more and his tongue gave the swollen lips of her vagina a slow, torturous run through.

“Tokiya…”

“God, you taste fucking amazing, Fuuko,” he managed to groan out before he dipped his head in earnest and attacked her inflamed clit with staccato movements of his tongue. She thrashed on his bed as her thighs fell apart wider, relinquishing control to his ministrations. He moved his tongue down her opening, giving her outer lips a thorough lick before pushing it in and out, mimicking what he wanted to do with the straining cock in his pants. Her juices were now running down to his chin and to the baby soft skin between the globes of her arse. Her thighs shuddered involuntarily. He stole a glance at her. Her hands had impetuously flown to her breasts as she pinched and teased her nipples to hardened points, the sweat was starting to build up on her forehead; she had her eyes closed and her mouth formed a teasing O as she loudly moaned, almost a scream. God, he would love nothing more than to ram his hardness down that beautiful mouth of hers but no, this wasn’t the time, this was about her. He closed his eyes and concentrated on eating her pussy out; if he looked at her for any longer he was sure he was going to come in his pants.

His tongue went back to her nub once more and nipped it gently, worrying it between his teeth while the hand on her knee moved over to her opening. He held out an index finger and without warning pushed it inside until it was buried up to his knuckle. Her vaginal muscles clenched around him and his cock twitched again in excitement as he imagined her doing just that with a larger appendage. His finger probed her until he found that rough spot inside her and vigorously pushed it. She let out a shocked scream at the new sensation. He could tell she was close the way she was writhing beneath him as her juices leaked out of her and stained the white linen of his bed covers. He wanted her well lubricated before he entered her, wanting to alleviate as much of the expected pain that came with losing her virginity as much as he could. He redoubled his efforts on her clit as he slipped another finger inside her as he pumped in and out.

“Unnnhh, Tokiya…” Her breath was coming in slow pants now and the shaking of her thighs told him that tension low in her belly was about to break. He didn’t let off until she held her breath, her head thrown back, as she arched almost off the bed while the waves of her orgasm ran in violent streaks through her. She rode his tongue until her energy finally gave out and she slumped back on the bed while he lazily licked her cum clean off her skin.

“Mi-chan, stop, no more,” she said weakly as she moved her pussy away from his pleasurable torture. He took pity on her and stood up with a smirk. Well, yes, of course he was pleased with himself. Kami, she looked good enough to eat, the fresh glow of orgasm tingled her skin and he wanted to do nothing more than to swallow the beads of sweat that traveled down the valley of her breasts. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn’t realized that he had been stroking himself through his pants until he caught her eyes zoning in on him. There was something so hot about watching her watch him while he touched himself as she laid there devoid of any clothing.

Fuuko braced herself on her elbows to get a better view of the little show he was giving her. He unbuckled his belt and made quick work of his pants and boxers, pushing him down his legs before kicking them off his feet. Her eyes widened with interest and he would like to think she agreed with his size. She sat up fully until her head was level with his waist. She held his wrists and wordlessly asked him to pull away from his hold on his manhood. Her hand shook as she reached out to him. An index finger traced the pulsating vein on the underside of his erection and he groaned appreciatively. Encouraged by his reactions, she wrapped a hand around him, her thumb and index finger unable to meet around his width. She moved her hand up and down with uncertainty, watching his face studiously for reactions. He remembered nights in his living room, when they were alone in the dark and just watching some really bad cable TV and after he finger fucked her to a frenzy with his hand shoved underneath her school skirt, he would guide her hand to his cock, still tucked in his pants, and taught her how to massage him until he was breathless and panting. But this, this was so much better.

Tokiya closed his eyes while she continued to stroke him, her hand now wrapped around him tighter while the other one reached up to tentatively cup his twin sacs. He placed a hand on her shoulder as his legs threatened to give out as his hips gently thrust in her hand. He could still feel her eyes on him, watching him curiously, in an almost detached fashion as she memorized all the ways she could make him squirm. His eyes suddenly flew open when her lips touched the tip of his leaking cock in a light kiss.

“Fuuko…” he moaned breathily.

The movement of her hands stilled. “I heard guys liked it when girls do that,” she said innocently, her eyes looking up at him from beneath curled lashes.

She didn’t need him to confirm this when a trickle of pre-cum glided over her thumb. Her tongue slipped out as she took a small drip of him and swallowed. He couldn’t tell if she liked it or not…but he concluded that she must have not minded when she wrapped her lips around his head and swirled her tongue over the tip of his erection. She took him in her mouth another inch…Kami, she was going to be the death of him.

Tokiya gently pushed Fuuko’s head away. “I won’t last very long if you keep doing that,” he answered at her unspoken question.

Fuuko nodded in understanding. She slid backwards on the bed as Tokiya kneeled on the mattress and crawled to her like a predator stalking its prey; except the prey seemed extremely happy to be caught. She stopped when her head hit the headboard. She spread her legs wide to accommodate him as she wrapped her arms around her shoulders. He moved over her and kissed her lips hungrily, not minding his taste in her mouth one bit.

“Are you ready, Fuuko?” he said near her ear as he rubbed his groin between her heat.

“Yes,” she said in a whisper but it reverberated to him with the clarity of a wine glass.

“This is going to hurt,” he warned.

“Don’t you think I know that?” she returned with a slight chuckle unbefitting of the mood around them.

He only smirked and rolled her eyes at her as if she was a petulant child before kissing her chastely on her lips. “Well, since you know so much, can you tell me if I should do this slowly or all at once?”

“All at once, I don’t like prolonging pain,” she said readily.

He nodded, he knew she could take it but it still didn’t stop him from not wanting her to get hurt as much as possible. He reached a hand between them and rubbed her clit once more until she was breathing quickly and softly bucking against his hand. He held his cock in his hand and positioned it at her entrance, groaning at the feeling of her wetness grazing against his tip. Tokiya looked straight at her beautiful, attentive purple eyes, glazed over with desire and love and he desperately wished that his eyes were as expressive as hers because he wanted her to know just how much he loved her. She gave him a lazy smile as if to tell him, ‘I know, Mi-chan, I know’ and with that he swiftly entered her, going past her barrier without pause until he was buried inside her to the hilt. She cried out at the inevitable pain and he kissed her in an attempt to absorb the pain even though he knew it was impossible.

“Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” he murmured incoherently as he kissed away the tears that had fallen to her cheeks.

She felt so hot and tight around him and it took all of his energy to stay still as he waited for her to adjust to his size.

Fuuko had her eyes shut tight, crinkles forming around them as her tears continued to squeeze out. As her breath began to even she said to him, “Mi-chan, it’s okay to start moving now.”

“I can still…hold…don’t worry,” he panted out.

She didn’t respond with words, only with the clenching of her tight muscles around him. He didn’t need any more encouragement as he experimentally moved an inch out of her and slowly pushed back in. He kept up the slow pace until her own hips rocked with him and her hitched breathing was replaced with slow and sexy moans.

“Mi-chan, faster,” she commanded.

And he couldn’t have denied her if he tried. He picked up the pace and they held a quicker rhythm, the sound of skin slapping against skin and the squishy sounds they made as he moved in and out of her reaching his ears. He rested his head on the nook of her shoulders as he reveled in the feeling of her tightness clamping him so deliciously. Kami, he was close, so close. He reached between them, his hand sliding swiftly on her sweaty stomach as he rubbed her clit with his thumb with determination. He could fall over the edge at any moment but he steeled his resolve to wait for her. She was moaning his name now, her feminine cries making him harder when he didn’t think it was possible to even be this hard. The tension gathered in his testicles and he expertly placed his hands on the back of her knees and pushed them up until they were almost level with her ears. The new angle allowed him to penetrate her deeper. He pounded inside her in quick, hard thrusts, his own moans of pleasure drowning out hers. She was clenching around him again as her tits bounced along with his pounding. ‘Just a little more, Tokiya, she’s close,’ he thought to himself as her breathing hastened. Her hands did not remain idle as she reached around his back, fingernails scratching before they went down to the globes of his arse and she began kneading them softly. Beads of sweat appeared above her lips with her mouth pouted seductively. He dipped his head down to kiss her, practically bending Fuuko in half. Her thighs trembled and he swallowed the whimpers coming out of her mouth, he adjusted his angle again and with one particularly hard thrust inside her she came apart in his arms again violent shudders. Her eyes rolled back to her head before they fluttered shut, her nose crinkled softly as her mouth opened wide in a silent scream. She was absolutely breathtaking. Her muscles gripped him in tight spasms and he couldn’t hold it back any more. Another two or three thrusts and he emptied himself inside her, his body still mindlessly pistoning in and out of her in uneven jerks until he couldn’t move any more.

They stayed still in their position for an eternity of a second before he released his hold on her legs, letting them fall down with a thump on either side of him as he cushioned his head on her breasts but he stayed inside her even as his cock softened. It would be nice to stay buried between her legs forever, he thought for a moment.

Fuuko opened her eyes and their gazes locked. She smiled wanly. “That was…”

“Phenomenal,” he finished for her.

She grinned cheekily. “I was going for amazing.”

“Phenomenal is more appropriate,” he said with conviction.

She flicked his nose in response before letting her head fall to the side as she caught her breath. He rested his head still on her breast, no plans of moving out of her for a while. One hand threaded around his hair as she stroked him lazily.

Tokiya looked up at her tired form once more. “Hey.”

“Hmm,” she said eyes still shut.

“I love you,” he said sleepily.

Her eyes opened in half-mast. “I love you too, Mi-chan.”


…

It was a common sight in airports to see couples kissing madly without a care in the world as if trying to stack up on kisses that they were sure to miss during their time apart. But if you knew Tokiya Mikagami and Fuuko Kirisawa, you’ll discover it was extraordinary.

“How much trouble are you going to get into with your Mom for not coming home last night?” he asked her as he tucked a strand of purple hair behind Fuuko’s ear. It was nine am and they’d gone from his apartment straight to the airport. Fuuko didn’t want to risk not seeing him off by going home first to change and opted to wear one of his standard button down white polo shirts over her denim shorts. He thought she looked cute in his clothes.

She rolled her eyes. “Let’s just say I’ll be sure to get into Tokyo Uni with all the time I’m going to spend studying this year.”

“That’s good then,” he assessed. Whoever thought he’d be the one who had a bad influence on her?

“Call me when your plane lands?” she asked.

“Of course,” he said as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

He never really understood why people hated goodbyes until now.

“Mikagami! Fuuko-chan! Thank Kami we caught you in time,” Recca shouted as he waved at them a couple of feet away. Yanagi, Kagerou, Domon and Ganko, piggybacking on Domon, trailed behind him.

Fuuko moved away as she let the others bid their goodbyes to Tokiya.

“Tokiya-san, I made you some sandwiches for the trip. And I made a drawing of the entire Hokage so you’ll always see us!” Yanagi said, handing him a rather large brown paper bag.

“Couldn’t you have just taken a picture?” Domon said callously and was promptly hit on the head by Recca.

“Arigatou, Yanagi-san,” Tokiya said politely as she tiptoed to give him a tight hug.

Kagerou stepped up to him next and handed him a box wrapped in red Japanese paper. “I knitted you a sweater, Tokiya-san, it’ll be winter soon and I don’t want you to get cold. It’s in your favorite color of blue too,” She placed her palms on either side of his head and placed a kiss on his forehead. “Take care of yourself; study hard, although I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that.”
He chuckled shortly before bowing to her and mouthing, “Arigatou.”

Ganko jumped into his arms and he readily carried the girl. “Tokiya-niichan, I heard they had the best chocolates in Tokyo, make sure to send me some, okay?”

Tokiya nodded.

“Hey!” Fuuko admonished.

“And for Fuuko-neechan as well,” Ganko appended.

“Good girl!” the wind-wielder said with a wink.

Tokiya turned expectantly to Domon and Recca. “Did you two primates get me anything?”

Recca and Domon gave each other knowing looks and Tokiya instantly knew he shouldn’t have brought up the subject.

“Hugs, man!”

“We got hugs for you, man, right here!”

They tackled Tokiya who barely had time to react and enveloped him in a rib-crushing group hug. “Can’t. Breathe. You. Two. Smell. Like. Crap.”

“We’ll miss you too, dude,” Recca answered as they let him go.

Tokiya couldn’t help but grin because he knew he’ll miss them too.

“Flight 113, non-stop to Tokyo is boarding now,” the PA system announced over their heads.

“That’s my flight,” he said with a heavy sigh.

Fuuko moved closer to him and gave him one last kiss before moving to stand next to Yanagi.

Tokiya turned around, his carry-on in one hand and their presents in another. Before he crossed the boarding gate, he turned to look at them one last time. Recca had an arm slung around Yanagi, Fuuko carried Ganko in her arms, Domon stood next to her and Kagerou seemed to watch over them all as she stood just a little bit to the back. They were his family. And somehow leaving didn’t seem so bad. Because he knew that someday he would be coming back home to his family.