Chapter Text
Rin stared at the house before her. Her bare feet pressed against the soft sand as Grace held her hand. He gently pulled her up towards the hill, and Rin followed with no hesitation.
She smiled wide as she turned behind her, to see Simon and Rocky following close behind. Grace opened the door to their new home, and she walked inside for the first time.
She held Shigeru to her side, and let go of Grace's hand to press her bear against her chest. She hugged him tightly as she explored the house, her eyes darting to the incredible walls and windows. She saw comfortable blankets and unique, beautiful furniture. She grazed her hand against the kitchen countertops and took off down the hallway, exploring each room.
Each room so different and creative in its own form. A bathroom, a kitchen, a bedroom, and a living room. Yet, as Rin explored, she found more to it then just that. Paintings lined the walls, full of trees and bright planets in the distance.
She pressed her hand against a painting that seemed eerily similar, and saw distant purple planets just on the horizon. She looked to the corner and saw a little girl running through the fields, frozen in mid-jump. She let out a teary laugh as she traced the girls figure, and saw more paintings as she continued on.
There were so many pictures, she could see Simon and Grace and herself in almost every single one. They looked happy, and at peace. She followed the hallway to the end, finding a door to her left.
She went to open it next, and found a small staircase leading upwards. She took the staircase, and saw paintings of trees and fields follow towards the top floor. She opened the door at the top of the stairs and stepped inside.
She let out a small gasp, and looked around at the magnificent room around her. A big, comfy bed sat near a set of windows on the far side of the room. Little lights decorated the walls around the bed, with a white dresser and an empty bookshelf. She walked into the room, taking in the beauty of it. She walked towards the bed and touched the pink blanket. She sighed in contentment, feeling how soft and comfortable it was.
She leaned down and sunk into the comforters, her body stretching over the pink bed. She felt something shift beside her and a hard object fell from out beneath her pillow.
She looked over and her eyes widened a little, as she took the object in her hands. A small electrical pad sat in her palms, and she immediately went to turn it on.
It turned on easily, and Rin sniffled as she noticed folders and folders of videos within it. She pressed one and watched herself live through the old worlds she used to know. She scrolled through the videos until she noticed new ones were uploaded only a little while ago.
She went to click them next, and a few tears dropped from her eyes as she watched these next videos. She saw herself laughing with Simon, or hugging Grace, or chatting to Rocky. Pictures and videos of their time on Mary took her through the last month, watching it happen all over again.
She leaned against her new bed and pressed the pad against her chest, and let out a deep, shaky sigh.
"Thank you." She whispered to the air, and she let herself drift away.
-
Grace took Simon's hand and pulled him to the back of the house. Simon followed willingly, taking in the fresh air. He breathed deeply, letting his eyes close for a moment until Grace led Simon down a small path behind their home.
"Follow me, there's something really special I need to show you." Grace said, and Simon watched the rocks grow less and less as they found themselves near a building in the distance. It was probably less then a ten minute walk from their new home, and Simon was eager to see what it could be.
A glimmer of light shone from the building, and Simon let go of Grace's hand to cover his eyes from the brightness. Grace guided him to the door and looked over his shoulder, his smile wide as he opened the large glass door before them.
Simon took a step inside and lowered his hand, his eyes immediately falling on the large tree before him. He stared at it in shock, and noticed the long rows of small seedlings in large garden boxes, that seemed to go on forever.
Simon let out a sound of disbelief, and Grace took his hand again as they walked towards the end.
"Bell peppers, tomatoes, a couple pumpkins. We got green onion and garlic, too. Mary gave us more then enough to start a proper farm, and I thought, why not give it to the best gardener I know?" Grace murmured, and Simon hiccuped as he stopped in his tracks.
He covered his face with his palm, wiping away the tears that fell. He leaned himself against one of the garden boxes, overwhelmed.
"Grace..." Simon sniffled, and Grace approached the front of Simon, while placing his hands against his hips.
"Yes?"
"I love you, so fuckin' much." Simon sobbed, and pulled Grace against his chest for a proper hug.
Grace moved his arms to wrap around Simon's middle, and hugged him tightly.
"I love you too." Grace murmured against Simon's neck.
-
Sometime later, as the three grew into the home they made together, Rin decided to walk down towards the ocean.
Rin stared off into the waves, feeling the ocean floor beneath her feet. It wasn't like her special reality anymore, because the water here was more then real. She could really feel the sand beneath her toes, and she hugged one of Grace's cardigans against herself.
She brushed the fox designs across her fingertips, and knelt down to place a palm into the water. Gosh, it was so warm. Like a hug from Simon.
She sighed happily, and let the water seep through her fingers. She watched the water dripping down her fingertips as she stood, and stepped back onto the dryer sand. She went to take a proper seat against the sand as she curled her legs up to her chin, and set her head against them.
She hummed a small tune to herself, and heard footsteps approach her right. She turned to see Grace smiling down at her, and he sat at her side.
"Hey, honey. How's it hanging?" Grace asked, and leaned against her lightly.
"Oh, good! Rocky said he's going to teach me Eridian today. He said I'm the perfect age to do it. Fourteen is a great age, its very important for any pebble to learn." Rin replied, and Grace nodded with a sad smile.
"Awesome." Grace replied, looking back towards the ocean.
Rin looked over to see Grace's sad expression, and she leaned back against him. She put her head on his shoulder and he relaxed slightly.
"Uhm. Rin, I came out here..to..give you this. Something I should've done a long time ago." Grace sighed, and dug into his sweater pocket.
He took out a piece of paper, folded neatly in half. Rin tilted her head in confusion as she went to take it from his hand. His head turned back to face the ocean again, a stray tear running down the side of his face.
Rin hadn't noticed his tears as she went to open the folded note. Her breath caught as she read the first line.
"To Rin
From : Dad
There was just so little time left after you were born.
I don't know how much love I managed to pour into raising you after your mother died...
But your smile kept me going.
I would like to have come with you, but I couldn't.
I wanted you to forget everything and move on... I knew you'd be alright.
But you'll get lonely, and remember.
I know you'll grow strong, and read this letter some day.
I really wish we could have spent more time together. I'm sorry.
You were so young back then, too young to understand what they meant. So let me repeat...
My final words to you."
-Shigeru (Your Loving Papa)
Rin read it slowly, and she clutched it close to her chest. Grace closed his eyes as Rin fell against his shoulder, pressing her face against his arm.
"He loved you, honey. To the moon and back. He made sure you were safe. He gave you a shelter when..when he knew he couldn't come with." Grace said, emotional.
Rin's tears fell gently down her face, and Grace wrapped his arms around her body. He hugged her gently, and Rin's body trembled as she let herself cry.
She cried for awhile, and Grace didn't move. He kept as still as she needed him to be, letting her release her emotions. It was a lot, and Grace worried it was too much. He felt a surge of guilt bubble into his throat, and before he could rambled off apologies, Rin began to calm down.
After awhile had passed, Rin finally pulled away. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked up to Grace. Grace met her eyes and she smiled, despite her tears.
"He gave me a shelter in the stars. But you gave me a home in them." She said, and Grace pulled her back into a hug, his own tears falling his face.
"Rin.." Grace sniffled.
"I love you, Papa Grace." Rin mumbled, and Grace let out a small choked laugh.
"I love you too, honey, so much." He murmured, and pressed a kiss on top of her head.
"I'm not alone, because of you." Grace added, and Rin sighed into his chest.
-
-
-
'Cause I left behind the home that you made me,
But I will carry it along,
Until you're gone.