ren wondered if he had triggered memories in kai. it looked like he was in painâŚhis smile fell, and he reached out touch him, but stopped because he worried he might make it worse. that was the last thing he wanted. still, he wanted to help. he hated seeing kai hurting like this. he didnât think this would happen, but in hindsight, perhaps he should have realized how painful the process of regaining memories would be. but kai wanted to rememberâŚshould he stop him from doing that? even if it was painful, wasnât it better to know things than be left in the dark?
âof course. aichi-kun and i are really good friends too.â he smiled a little again. of course the conversation would revolve around aichi. it was just like kai to be focused on that. even without his memories, aichi was so important to him. ren reached out to wipe away his tears. âi know lots about aichi-kun. the way he is nowâŚheâs usually not like that. you must have remembered a little about him, right? heâs usually more shy and soft-spoken. itâs really cute. actually, how he normally acts is similar to how you are right now. itâs almost like you swapped personalities.â he found it rather amusing that such a thing happened.Â
âaichi-kun is someone very important to both of us. and youâre someone irreplaceable to him.â he heard that aichi was the reason the world was the way it was, and it made sense. of course aichi would want a world where kai was happy, even it was at the cost of being in kaiâs life. though there were still some holes in everything, like why aichi hated vanguard so much. he would have to figure out that too. âyouâre the person that saved aichi-kun. thatâs what he told me, at least. not the aichi you saw, but the real one. he loves you, and you love him too. maybe you donât remember it, but i do. itâs like you two are soulmates.â
                    kai couldnât help but lean into renâs touch. of course, he couldnât recall if heâd ever been so close to ren before, but it felt right. after ren explained who he was, even if the flashes of incomplete memories were painful, the discomfort of being around him melted completely away. just like he trusted ibuki, he could trust ren. he needed people he could trust. he didnât even have miwa anymore. â i donât remember much. â he truly felt like ren was on his side. he could be open with him about this. maybe he could help. he already remembered a little more from being with him. â it comes in flashes, but nothing that ... tangible. sorry, that doesnât make much sense. â swallowing a sob, he softly added, â ... i remember his smile. â
                         his heart felt warm at renâs description. he couldnât recall the way aichi acted, or how aichi spoke to him, but hearing that kai was irreplaceable to aichi warmed his soul in a way it never felt before. it ignited his spirit even more to help aichi. he couldnât let aichi carry his burden alone, whatever it was. he was going to find out what was wrong and help him. he hated seeing aichi with such a pained face.
                          â ... i saved him? â kai didnât remember anything like that. that didnât sound familiar to him at all. he wondered what aichi meant by that. â love ... ? s - soulmates? â kai felt his face heat up. he had never been in love. he had crushes on ibuki and miwa in the past, but nothing strong enough as love. maybe that was why he felt so drawn to aichi. still, it was embarrassing. he couldnât think about that right now, his already fragile heart couldnât take it. he had to focus on what was more important. â ren ... do you think i can save him again? heâs in so much pain, and he doesnât want me to play vanguard, and he doesnât want me to be with him. he wants me to be happy ... but i canât be happy knowing heâs in pain. can someone like me ... really save him? âÂ
                          he felt so lost and helpless. he didnât have anyone he could rely on. he wanted guidance from someone that could help, but everyone who knew anything about him was gone or didnât want to tell him. they just wanted to pull his strings around without cluing him in on anything. but he didnât feel that way with ren. maybe he and ren really were as close as he felt they were.