It begins like this.
Another unfamiliar city that their traveling companions say is safe to stay in for the night, another place for Kinech to feel so completely out of place in. They make their camp and he elects to sit around Vellum and Nazare again. He thought he would have hated them by association with the other but he didn't. He found some sort of companionship in them, the first of many that would all surprise him. They spoke in hushed tones, continuing stories from the last night about their respected cultures. It was something both he and Vellum shared an interest in. Kinech thought that all his stories about the Bao would be negative but somehow he managed to surprise himself. He could speak for hours about their homeland, about all the wonders you could see there, about their strange inhabitants.
Urasundae's laughter stole the voice from his throat. Vellum was already reaching out to stop him but he had turned, eyes automatically going for that once bright spot in his life. They were huddled together across from them, foreheads touching as Ura smiled brightly, having laughed at something that man had said. He saw both their hands pressed to his fellow Bao's stomach and anger surged up through him, setting every last inch of him alight. He's on his feet before he knows it, striding far away from their camp. Vellum had tried to get up and go after him but Nazare placed a hand upon his arm, shaking his head, reminding him that he knew exactly what Kin was going through. So they let him wander, let him walk out back into the city they had passed through. Those who passed him by avoided his eye, their paces quickening just to get away from him that much faster. Each time it was another blow to his chest and he could feel his eyes burning. A hushed whisper, another fearful glance. A smile. He stopped completely in his tracks. A smile, closer. A hand reaching out, not hesitating in its touch.
"Are you alright?"
Kinech finds himself unraveling, giving into to all his misery as the stranger stands there with him, arms tight around his shoulders.
He returns the next morning to their camp, avoiding any and all questions about where he disappeared to last night. Urasundae tries to catch his eye but he turns away. He ushers them all to their feet and back onto the road. They have miles to go yet before the mountains that they would have to cross.
---
It takes a long time, over a year in fact, but Kinech does make his way back towards that village. The journey wasn't made completely alone. Saim and Ayr were the first to depart, taking the long, winding path back up the mountains. They had offered to allow the rest to stay and celebrate their marriage. A touching gesture but they all had somewhere else to be and so it was declined. Nazare stopped in the oracle's old village where Dehru had been left waiting for him. Vellum continued on with him despite Kin reassuring him that he knew the way back to the waters. He'd only leave him once they reached the outskirts of a small village they had once resided near at the start of their adventure. He gave the Bao a knowing grin before he too bid his farewells, returning on the path back to his friend.
Kinech would never admit to taking his time going through the village, searching each face for something familiar. He didn't have a name, no real place to look, or even that great of a memory of what the man looked like. His hopes quietly slipped away the closer he found himself to the opposite side of the place. He was ready to step foot back on the road that would eventually lead back towards where they had first began when he heard a shout. He turned, expecting some kind of hostility. He was met with a smile. The tenseness in his body that he hadn't even been aware of until that point finally eased. He stepped forward the last few feet, taking the strange human into his arms, holding him tightly as the man laughed and rubbed his back.
---
Their relationship was not easy. Kinech was still full of anger, still hard to get close to. He was stubborn and stupid and absolutely refused to even speak a single word about Ura. As far as he was concerned, the other Bao was dead. Leto never said a harsh word to him throughout the entire ordeal. He touched Kin only when he would allow it, soothing away some of the ache still settled deep into his chest. And he would talk. Oh, would Leto talk. He talked about anything and everything. It was all that kept them going in the early days. Kinech would allow Leto to lay back against his chest and he'd hold him as the human spoke. He'd tell the Bao about his work in the fields, about crop rotations and how this growing season was finally picking up. He'd tell him about being hopeful, about how none of his family would have to go hungry this year because the earth was thriving once more. And, oh, his family. Leto could speak on his family for hours at a time, he was so proud of each one of his siblings, of their children. He'd continue on until in a pause between stories he would notice how relaxed the other felt. More often than not, he'd find that Kinech had fallen asleep to his words. The first few times he had tried to get up and let the Bao rest, he was met with resistance and a very alert Kinech hissing at him. So, he remained where he was after a time, often taking a nap as well. He would never mention the surprised look on Kinech's face each time he woke to find Leto still there with him.
It is nearly a full year of this routine before Kinech finally speaks in turn. He plays with Leto's calloused hands as he speaks of the sea. He tells him of the deep, black waters that he called home. He speaks of the cold, of closing his eyes and letting the pressure consume him, drag him down to the very bottom of their home. They kiss for the first time after he has finished telling him of the ruins, of sunken boats and underwater caves that would go on for miles. He knew every inch of those caves. He misses the water more than he could properly express. Leto is quiet and Kinech thinks that he's done something wrong when the human gets to his feet. But Leto says he has an idea. He thinks they should move, that they should build their own home out there by the sea. Kinech kisses him with more love than he thought he'd ever be able to feel again.
Months pass as they work together to build a modest home close to the sea. Leto makes friends with the locals of the nearest village, trading labor for supplies while Kin dives deep into schools of fish to both sustain them and to trade as well. On days it rains and they can get no work done, they spend it in town. Miriam and her family have unofficially adopted the both of them. While Leto helps around the home to earn their stay, Kinech watches the children. He's so gentle with them, taking care to not even graze them with a stray claw. Story time with 'Uncle Kin' becomes the children's favorite thing. He can ever step two feet inside the home without all three of them attaching themselves to some part of him and begging for another story. He learns to stretch the truth, to make their ordeal with the berries some grand adventure full of glorious fights and grand heroes. Leto is surprised the day he finally hears Kin laugh. It doesn't sound a thing like him, it's too open, too free. The smile that comes more grueling months later after their house is finally built about does him in. Leto is absolutely thrilled with how far Kinech has come and he tells him as much. The Bao brushes him off, saying that he's still the same cranky fish that's he always been but he's smiling.
Their first night in their own bed in their new home, they make love. And Kinech's heart breaks all over again because he feels that he is forgetting Ura.
He had promised himself not to.
---
Miriam's children grow older and with each year, Kinech grows more quiet. He watches them with such obvious longing that it's painful for Leto. He had tried several times to discuss possibilities of children with Kin but, he always shut things down with the shake of a head. It takes him several more tries before he can gather the rest of his courage and finally sit Kin down.
"We need to talk, you avoiding me constantly is not helping either of us."
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Yes, there is. I've been with you for years, Kinech, I can tell when you're hiding something. It's about children again, isn't it?"
"Leto. Stop."
"No. Ignoring this isn't going to make it go away. It's only making you miserable and it hurts me when you're like that. I wish I could carry kids for you, I do. I can't though but, I'd be perfectly fine with it if you wanted to go find some woman to-"
"Enough."
The harshness of his voice would send a wave of fear through Leto for the first time since he knew the man. He had never spoken like this to him before. He didn't wilt under that intense gaze. He sat up straighter, staring him down.
"Kinech. I can't help you unless you help me to understand first. Please, I want to help you. I love you."
Kinech storming out of the house with an anguished cry was one of the last things that Leto had been expecting. He remained where he was for some time after, staring at the spot where the Bao had been. There was still so much they both had to learn it seemed. Leto's own chest hurts but he doesn't chase after the other. He's learned that Kinech will return, he's so fiercely loyal and one little fight would not drive him away. He still worries and the worry only gets worse with each day that passes. He begins to wonder if that is it, if that's how this ends. It is nearly a week before Kinech returns. He comes back in the middle of the night, soaking wet and he wakes Leto from a deep sleep. The human thinks he's dreaming at first until Kinech is pulling him out from the bed and into their living room. He gets them both settled onto the couch, holding him in close like he did when they first were together. Kinech talks, he first apologizes for leaving in the way he did. He couldn't face Leto feeling like he did so he had to go and get his head on straight. He tells him all about Ura and the journey they went on. He tells him about how much he still loves him, how he feels like he's betraying Leto just because of that. He explains to him slowly, painfully, what happened between them, about the wolf, about the child they were expecting. His voices about gives out on him when he tells Leto about the look that Noah gave him once upon a time. How it was not contempt or any measure of gloating. It was pity and it shook him down to the core. They stay up until the sun is rising, until Kinech is drained, voice raw, from all the talking. Leto leads him on back to their bed and they both sleep the day away.
The next morning Leto tells him that he knew for a while that he was still in love with Ura and that's okay. Leto loves him still. He also apologizes for suggesting he go find a woman to sleep with. He didn't know that it would hit him so hard. He promises that they'll figure out another way to start the family that they both want. All this only leaves Kinech confused, he asks how Leto could possibly still want to be with him. And the human laughs at him.
"Love. Love is kind of amazing like that. I want what he have to work because I care so much about you. I love you in all your prickly, angry glory. And it sucks, all of those things that happened to you. It means a lot that you've trusted me finally with all of it."
Kinech can only feel ashamed of himself for doubting the other.
---
Starting a family isn't as difficult as they first thought it to be. Miriam helps them get started inadvertently by telling them of this child abandoned by his parents just outside of the village. No one can properly take in as they are all busy with their own families or there's just no interest in taking in something so clearly unwanted. Leto knows the look Kinech gets in his eye even before he can speak. The child is an elf and they name him Kovanas. They pester Miriam for advice on everything. They take turns some days caring for the child as they work to balance both of their jobs. During the harvest season, Leto is gone for days at a time so Kinech remains at home or in town where Kovanas grows up alongside Miriam's first grandchild. In the colder months after the harvest is finished, Kinech is out at sea. He gathers fish in the deeper parts of the water where the men of the village can't reach. He can feel a storm coming hours before it hits, spending that time helping to secure nets and tie down boats. It's when one of the storms are almost unto him that he finds their second child. She's tangled into some netting, struggling and biting at the ropes that hold her in place. She bites Kinech as he reaches for her, sinking sharp teeth into his skin over and over as he frees her. Her tail is torn, an arm broken. It's almost as if something had tried to kill her. He takes her home where she spends several days recovering in the bathtub, glaring up at them from beneath the water. They name her Amaya and that year Kinech spends more time at sea than he has before, teaching her the way to split her tail and walk on land.
The third comes to them in tragedy. A young woman lost in childbirth, the man who fathered the child already long gone. Leto doesn't hesitate in telling his family that he'll take care of the little girl. He believes firmly that his youngest sister would have wanted it this way, for him to care for his niece. They name her Cilene in honor of the sister he has lost.
The fourth and last one to join their family happens later on in their life. The headstrong, just barely teenage Amaya drags home a boy covered head to toe in dirt and muck. He's the same age as Cilene but he doesn't speak. He can barely look them both in the eye for more than a second before trembling and trying to curl himself up into a corner. Amaya tells them his name is Marco, that she found him digging through someone's tossed kitchen scraps for food on her way back from school. They clean him up best the can, trying to give him a safe place to stay but the boy runs away frequently. Each time, it is Amaya who tracks him down and brings him back. She is determined to help the boy. She is the first to gain his trust. Through that, they are able to learn that he was the son of slaves. He was to be sold off to some other man but before that could happen, his father took him and ran. All he remembers is that they came from a cold place and they didn't stop running for a long time. His father was captured again in an attempt to give him more time to escape once the slaves had caught up with them. He has frequent nightmares of his father screaming at him to run for years afterwards. Each time he jolts awake, Amaya is already in his room, climbing into his bed to help calm him down and get him back to sleep.
---
Years pass. The children grow, they marry out into other villages. Kovanas leaves to explore the world, fascinated by his father's tales of his own adventures. Cilene returns to her home village, helping her aging grandparents and eventually taking over their farm. Amaya and Marco remain near their parents. Amaya takes to Kinech's line of work, helping the fishermen right along side him each winter. She marries an elf from a traveling merchant's band, someone just as strong willed as she. Marco takes no husband, takes no wife. He's content to remain by himself, raising various animals.
The years take their toll on Leto, he grows old, grows fragile. Kinech cares for him gently, holding his shivering body close each night as he struggles to find a restful sleep. They take slow walks up and down the shoreline every day that Leto feels strong enough. They are content to spend their time in silence, enjoying the company of the other while it lasts. When Kinech feels the end coming, when he begins the hear the voices of his people once more, he packs. It's Leto's last wish to be laid to rest with the rest of his family. The day before they are to leave, they take one last walk along the water. In the distance he seems him. He would know that bright hair anywhere, know the shape of that body, that still uncertain stride. His heart thunders against his chest and he draws Leto closer to his side. He knows that the other has seen him now, is approaching. He holds still, waiting until the other man stops still just a little ways off.
"Ura...?"
His voice carries over the crashing of waves and he sees the vision from his past stiffen. He turns. He leaves. Kinech swallows hard when Leto asks who that was. He assures him it was nothing, just his eyes playing tricks on him and they return home. They depart in the morning and he remains away for a month, taking his time to mourn Leto's passing.
Another unfamiliar city that their traveling companions say is safe to stay in for the night, another place for Kinech to feel so completely out of place in. They make their camp and he elects to sit around Vellum and Nazare again. He thought he would have hated them by association with the other but he didn't. He found some sort of companionship in them, the first of many that would all surprise him. They spoke in hushed tones, continuing stories from the last night about their respected cultures. It was something both he and Vellum shared an interest in. Kinech thought that all his stories about the Bao would be negative but somehow he managed to surprise himself. He could speak for hours about their homeland, about all the wonders you could see there, about their strange inhabitants.
Urasundae's laughter stole the voice from his throat. Vellum was already reaching out to stop him but he had turned, eyes automatically going for that once bright spot in his life. They were huddled together across from them, foreheads touching as Ura smiled brightly, having laughed at something that man had said. He saw both their hands pressed to his fellow Bao's stomach and anger surged up through him, setting every last inch of him alight. He's on his feet before he knows it, striding far away from their camp. Vellum had tried to get up and go after him but Nazare placed a hand upon his arm, shaking his head, reminding him that he knew exactly what Kin was going through. So they let him wander, let him walk out back into the city they had passed through. Those who passed him by avoided his eye, their paces quickening just to get away from him that much faster. Each time it was another blow to his chest and he could feel his eyes burning. A hushed whisper, another fearful glance. A smile. He stopped completely in his tracks. A smile, closer. A hand reaching out, not hesitating in its touch.
"Are you alright?"
Kinech finds himself unraveling, giving into to all his misery as the stranger stands there with him, arms tight around his shoulders.
He returns the next morning to their camp, avoiding any and all questions about where he disappeared to last night. Urasundae tries to catch his eye but he turns away. He ushers them all to their feet and back onto the road. They have miles to go yet before the mountains that they would have to cross.
---
It takes a long time, over a year in fact, but Kinech does make his way back towards that village. The journey wasn't made completely alone. Saim and Ayr were the first to depart, taking the long, winding path back up the mountains. They had offered to allow the rest to stay and celebrate their marriage. A touching gesture but they all had somewhere else to be and so it was declined. Nazare stopped in the oracle's old village where Dehru had been left waiting for him. Vellum continued on with him despite Kin reassuring him that he knew the way back to the waters. He'd only leave him once they reached the outskirts of a small village they had once resided near at the start of their adventure. He gave the Bao a knowing grin before he too bid his farewells, returning on the path back to his friend.
Kinech would never admit to taking his time going through the village, searching each face for something familiar. He didn't have a name, no real place to look, or even that great of a memory of what the man looked like. His hopes quietly slipped away the closer he found himself to the opposite side of the place. He was ready to step foot back on the road that would eventually lead back towards where they had first began when he heard a shout. He turned, expecting some kind of hostility. He was met with a smile. The tenseness in his body that he hadn't even been aware of until that point finally eased. He stepped forward the last few feet, taking the strange human into his arms, holding him tightly as the man laughed and rubbed his back.
---
Their relationship was not easy. Kinech was still full of anger, still hard to get close to. He was stubborn and stupid and absolutely refused to even speak a single word about Ura. As far as he was concerned, the other Bao was dead. Leto never said a harsh word to him throughout the entire ordeal. He touched Kin only when he would allow it, soothing away some of the ache still settled deep into his chest. And he would talk. Oh, would Leto talk. He talked about anything and everything. It was all that kept them going in the early days. Kinech would allow Leto to lay back against his chest and he'd hold him as the human spoke. He'd tell the Bao about his work in the fields, about crop rotations and how this growing season was finally picking up. He'd tell him about being hopeful, about how none of his family would have to go hungry this year because the earth was thriving once more. And, oh, his family. Leto could speak on his family for hours at a time, he was so proud of each one of his siblings, of their children. He'd continue on until in a pause between stories he would notice how relaxed the other felt. More often than not, he'd find that Kinech had fallen asleep to his words. The first few times he had tried to get up and let the Bao rest, he was met with resistance and a very alert Kinech hissing at him. So, he remained where he was after a time, often taking a nap as well. He would never mention the surprised look on Kinech's face each time he woke to find Leto still there with him.
It is nearly a full year of this routine before Kinech finally speaks in turn. He plays with Leto's calloused hands as he speaks of the sea. He tells him of the deep, black waters that he called home. He speaks of the cold, of closing his eyes and letting the pressure consume him, drag him down to the very bottom of their home. They kiss for the first time after he has finished telling him of the ruins, of sunken boats and underwater caves that would go on for miles. He knew every inch of those caves. He misses the water more than he could properly express. Leto is quiet and Kinech thinks that he's done something wrong when the human gets to his feet. But Leto says he has an idea. He thinks they should move, that they should build their own home out there by the sea. Kinech kisses him with more love than he thought he'd ever be able to feel again.
Months pass as they work together to build a modest home close to the sea. Leto makes friends with the locals of the nearest village, trading labor for supplies while Kin dives deep into schools of fish to both sustain them and to trade as well. On days it rains and they can get no work done, they spend it in town. Miriam and her family have unofficially adopted the both of them. While Leto helps around the home to earn their stay, Kinech watches the children. He's so gentle with them, taking care to not even graze them with a stray claw. Story time with 'Uncle Kin' becomes the children's favorite thing. He can ever step two feet inside the home without all three of them attaching themselves to some part of him and begging for another story. He learns to stretch the truth, to make their ordeal with the berries some grand adventure full of glorious fights and grand heroes. Leto is surprised the day he finally hears Kin laugh. It doesn't sound a thing like him, it's too open, too free. The smile that comes more grueling months later after their house is finally built about does him in. Leto is absolutely thrilled with how far Kinech has come and he tells him as much. The Bao brushes him off, saying that he's still the same cranky fish that's he always been but he's smiling.
Their first night in their own bed in their new home, they make love. And Kinech's heart breaks all over again because he feels that he is forgetting Ura.
He had promised himself not to.
---
Miriam's children grow older and with each year, Kinech grows more quiet. He watches them with such obvious longing that it's painful for Leto. He had tried several times to discuss possibilities of children with Kin but, he always shut things down with the shake of a head. It takes him several more tries before he can gather the rest of his courage and finally sit Kin down.
"We need to talk, you avoiding me constantly is not helping either of us."
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Yes, there is. I've been with you for years, Kinech, I can tell when you're hiding something. It's about children again, isn't it?"
"Leto. Stop."
"No. Ignoring this isn't going to make it go away. It's only making you miserable and it hurts me when you're like that. I wish I could carry kids for you, I do. I can't though but, I'd be perfectly fine with it if you wanted to go find some woman to-"
"Enough."
The harshness of his voice would send a wave of fear through Leto for the first time since he knew the man. He had never spoken like this to him before. He didn't wilt under that intense gaze. He sat up straighter, staring him down.
"Kinech. I can't help you unless you help me to understand first. Please, I want to help you. I love you."
Kinech storming out of the house with an anguished cry was one of the last things that Leto had been expecting. He remained where he was for some time after, staring at the spot where the Bao had been. There was still so much they both had to learn it seemed. Leto's own chest hurts but he doesn't chase after the other. He's learned that Kinech will return, he's so fiercely loyal and one little fight would not drive him away. He still worries and the worry only gets worse with each day that passes. He begins to wonder if that is it, if that's how this ends. It is nearly a week before Kinech returns. He comes back in the middle of the night, soaking wet and he wakes Leto from a deep sleep. The human thinks he's dreaming at first until Kinech is pulling him out from the bed and into their living room. He gets them both settled onto the couch, holding him in close like he did when they first were together. Kinech talks, he first apologizes for leaving in the way he did. He couldn't face Leto feeling like he did so he had to go and get his head on straight. He tells him all about Ura and the journey they went on. He tells him about how much he still loves him, how he feels like he's betraying Leto just because of that. He explains to him slowly, painfully, what happened between them, about the wolf, about the child they were expecting. His voices about gives out on him when he tells Leto about the look that Noah gave him once upon a time. How it was not contempt or any measure of gloating. It was pity and it shook him down to the core. They stay up until the sun is rising, until Kinech is drained, voice raw, from all the talking. Leto leads him on back to their bed and they both sleep the day away.
The next morning Leto tells him that he knew for a while that he was still in love with Ura and that's okay. Leto loves him still. He also apologizes for suggesting he go find a woman to sleep with. He didn't know that it would hit him so hard. He promises that they'll figure out another way to start the family that they both want. All this only leaves Kinech confused, he asks how Leto could possibly still want to be with him. And the human laughs at him.
"Love. Love is kind of amazing like that. I want what he have to work because I care so much about you. I love you in all your prickly, angry glory. And it sucks, all of those things that happened to you. It means a lot that you've trusted me finally with all of it."
Kinech can only feel ashamed of himself for doubting the other.
---
Starting a family isn't as difficult as they first thought it to be. Miriam helps them get started inadvertently by telling them of this child abandoned by his parents just outside of the village. No one can properly take in as they are all busy with their own families or there's just no interest in taking in something so clearly unwanted. Leto knows the look Kinech gets in his eye even before he can speak. The child is an elf and they name him Kovanas. They pester Miriam for advice on everything. They take turns some days caring for the child as they work to balance both of their jobs. During the harvest season, Leto is gone for days at a time so Kinech remains at home or in town where Kovanas grows up alongside Miriam's first grandchild. In the colder months after the harvest is finished, Kinech is out at sea. He gathers fish in the deeper parts of the water where the men of the village can't reach. He can feel a storm coming hours before it hits, spending that time helping to secure nets and tie down boats. It's when one of the storms are almost unto him that he finds their second child. She's tangled into some netting, struggling and biting at the ropes that hold her in place. She bites Kinech as he reaches for her, sinking sharp teeth into his skin over and over as he frees her. Her tail is torn, an arm broken. It's almost as if something had tried to kill her. He takes her home where she spends several days recovering in the bathtub, glaring up at them from beneath the water. They name her Amaya and that year Kinech spends more time at sea than he has before, teaching her the way to split her tail and walk on land.
The third comes to them in tragedy. A young woman lost in childbirth, the man who fathered the child already long gone. Leto doesn't hesitate in telling his family that he'll take care of the little girl. He believes firmly that his youngest sister would have wanted it this way, for him to care for his niece. They name her Cilene in honor of the sister he has lost.
The fourth and last one to join their family happens later on in their life. The headstrong, just barely teenage Amaya drags home a boy covered head to toe in dirt and muck. He's the same age as Cilene but he doesn't speak. He can barely look them both in the eye for more than a second before trembling and trying to curl himself up into a corner. Amaya tells them his name is Marco, that she found him digging through someone's tossed kitchen scraps for food on her way back from school. They clean him up best the can, trying to give him a safe place to stay but the boy runs away frequently. Each time, it is Amaya who tracks him down and brings him back. She is determined to help the boy. She is the first to gain his trust. Through that, they are able to learn that he was the son of slaves. He was to be sold off to some other man but before that could happen, his father took him and ran. All he remembers is that they came from a cold place and they didn't stop running for a long time. His father was captured again in an attempt to give him more time to escape once the slaves had caught up with them. He has frequent nightmares of his father screaming at him to run for years afterwards. Each time he jolts awake, Amaya is already in his room, climbing into his bed to help calm him down and get him back to sleep.
---
Years pass. The children grow, they marry out into other villages. Kovanas leaves to explore the world, fascinated by his father's tales of his own adventures. Cilene returns to her home village, helping her aging grandparents and eventually taking over their farm. Amaya and Marco remain near their parents. Amaya takes to Kinech's line of work, helping the fishermen right along side him each winter. She marries an elf from a traveling merchant's band, someone just as strong willed as she. Marco takes no husband, takes no wife. He's content to remain by himself, raising various animals.
The years take their toll on Leto, he grows old, grows fragile. Kinech cares for him gently, holding his shivering body close each night as he struggles to find a restful sleep. They take slow walks up and down the shoreline every day that Leto feels strong enough. They are content to spend their time in silence, enjoying the company of the other while it lasts. When Kinech feels the end coming, when he begins the hear the voices of his people once more, he packs. It's Leto's last wish to be laid to rest with the rest of his family. The day before they are to leave, they take one last walk along the water. In the distance he seems him. He would know that bright hair anywhere, know the shape of that body, that still uncertain stride. His heart thunders against his chest and he draws Leto closer to his side. He knows that the other has seen him now, is approaching. He holds still, waiting until the other man stops still just a little ways off.
"Ura...?"
His voice carries over the crashing of waves and he sees the vision from his past stiffen. He turns. He leaves. Kinech swallows hard when Leto asks who that was. He assures him it was nothing, just his eyes playing tricks on him and they return home. They depart in the morning and he remains away for a month, taking his time to mourn Leto's passing.
