Brynne’s heart was pounding harder than she’d ever thought possible as she approached the doors to Syrcus Tower. They rumbled open as soon as she held up her precious cargo – the soul vessel containing the Exarch – allowing her to walk past and enter.

As they boomed shut behind her, though, she had to admit to some uncertainty. Where was G’raha Tia sleeping? The datalogs she’d recovered from the future expedition that had opened the Tower had said they’d found him ‘at its center’. She assumed it meant the Ocular, but what if it didn’t? And what if the soul transference didn’t work?

She shook her head violently to clear those thoughts. Steady now, Brynne. Don’t lose track of your objective. There was no room for doubts now. He was in here somewhere; she would find him and wake him up, and then they would see what happened.

In the end, she found him in the Ocular, as she’d expected. He was curled up on the floor near the mirror, the exact place where she and the Exarch had first… well. She pushed that thought away as well, kneeling down to examine him.

G’raha looked much as she remembered him, though the bracers from his arms and legs had been set aside, likely to allow for more comfortable sleeping positions. His face was serene in sleep, untroubled by the cares that had burdened the Exarch.

And here I am to gift those to him. Brynne huffed out a half-chuckle, half-sigh. It was fine, though. For this G’raha Tia, it would be a seamless addition. She placed the soul vessel beside his sleeping form, and waited.

As with the Scions, there was not long to wait. The vessel glowed, encompassing him for a moment, and then softly faded. At the same time, G’raha twitched, coming back to the waking world slowly. He stretched both arms and legs out, and then opened his eyes, blinking at the light before fixing on her blankly.

Brynne could not wait, her heart feeling like it would burst in her chest. “Raha…”

He blinked some more, and his eyes cleared. When they focused on her, he offered a sleepy smile. “I take it the transference was a success, if I’m waking to this vision of loveliness,” he murmured. “Or, now that I think on it, waking at all is – ”

He didn’t get further. With a low cry, Brynne flung herself on him, hugging his shoulders tightly despite the awkward position. “Raha,” she choked out. “You’re here…”

His arms came up around her. “I am here,” he responded, sounding equally choked up. “I really am here…”

“You really are.” She pulled back just enough to take in his face – the little half-smile, the wetness in his crimson eyes – and pressed her forehead to his. “Welcome home.”

“Thank you.” He shut his eyes, inhaled deeply, and immediately opened them again. “Have – have you always smelled so good?”

Brynne could not have helped the burst of laughter that escaped her if she tried. “You should know how I smell by now, shouldn’t you?”

“Aye, I should, but… I…” He blinked several times, and his cheeks colored. “Forgive me, I don’t recall it being so… so strong.”

“Your scent is different, too.” She smiled fondly at him, following his lead and inhaling deeply. “Less… mm… neutral, I suppose.” At his puzzled look, she followed up with, “I’d imagine the crystal covered some of your natural musk. It’s still familiar, just… more.”

“Ah, perhaps.” He rubbed one hand along the line of her spine gently. “It appears to have dulled my senses, too – everything in this body feels so…” He paused, brow furrowing. “… sharp.”

“It will likely take some time to adjust.” Brynne pulled back, lowering her arms from around his shoulders. “Can you stand? And walk?”

He released her as well, moving to push himself up. “Standing…” He grunted, grimacing a bit as he rose. “… yes. Walking…” He moved to take a step, only to stumble as his legs attempted to give out on him. She reached out to stabilize him, and he offered a rueful smile. “Apologies. I may require some assistance.”

“No need to apologize.” She ducked under his arm and looped one of hers around his waist. “It’ll be slow going out of the Tower, but my chocobo is just outside. We’ll have you at the Rising Stones in no time.”

“The Rising Stones…” he murmured, leaning on her as they progressed slowly forward. “I presume that’s the name for the headquarters of the Scions?”

“Right.” It felt somewhat nice to have his weight against her body. After the adrenaline rush of earlier, now she felt as though their every touch tingled her skin, even through their clothing. Get hold of yourself, she thought sternly, and attempted to redirect those feelings. “They’ll have a bed for you. And of course, you can share my quarters until we get you some of your own.”

“Of course.” He turned his head, and his breath brushed at her neck, causing the fine hairs there to stand up. She felt him inhale again, and then make a little grunt, as if in pain.

“Are you all right?” She halted their progress forward, just short of the exit from the Ocular, glancing over at him.

His face was flushed, and he deliberately did not meet her eyes. “Fine. I am…” His breath caught in the midst of another inhale, and he coughed lightly. “Perfectly fine.”

“You are not.” She frowned, watching his face for some hint of what ailed him. “Do not lie to me, G’raha Tia. What’s wrong?”

G’raha let out a sigh. “Very well. I suppose you’d notice sooner or later.” He turned to meet her gaze, and she was startled by the heat in his eyes, pupils blown wide. “The sensitivity of this body is… to put it mildly, maddening.” He leaned in closer, enough so that his breath brushed her lips as he spoke. Your scent and your touch are driving me quite wild, and the urge to put my hands on you is becoming more difficult to resist with every moment that goes by.”

“Oh.” Brynne stared at him, surprised. Oh. The intensity in his voice and gaze was kicking off some fluttering low in her belly. “Well.” She licked her lips, and curled her lips up in a smile, lowering her eyelids. “In that case, perhaps we should address that now, yes?”

“Yes.” He didn’t wait for her to say it twice, closing that last ilm between them and pressing his lips to hers. There was an urgency behind the kiss that caught her a little off guard, but it only stirred that heat within her further. He made a little raspy noise against her mouth, and his free arm swung over to capture her waist and pull her closer. “You are… divine…” he murmured, between fervent kisses.

“Flatterer.” She smiled into the rush, parting her lips as his tongue slid along them, and swallowing his little moan as he gained access. It was becoming a bit awkward with his weight on her, so she walked him to the wall near the door, bracing his back against it as they kissed open-mouthed.

He pulled her closer, and she slotted her thigh between his, rubbing up deliberately against the hard lump in his pants. He moaned low in his throat, and she broke the kiss to whisper, “Damn. You really are ready for me.”

“Very much so,” he ground out, rutting urgently against her thigh and sucking in a sharp breath as he did. “Please – ”

“I’ve an idea,” Brynne cut him off, pecking at his lips one last time before lowering herself to her knees. It put her exactly at the right height, and she hummed in satisfaction, reaching to undo his belt.

“You don’t – ” G’raha interrupted himself with a ragged moan as she palmed him through the fabric of his pants. “Don’t have to – oh, gods – ”

She made quick work of the fasteners on his trousers, leaning forward to mouth at his cock through his smallclothes, and watched his head hit the wall behind him, breath coming in little pants as he trained his eyes down to watch her in turn. “I want to, though,” she purred, breaking away to take hold of the waistband of both smalls and trousers.

Lifting them carefully over the curve of his cock, she pulled them down just enough to gain access and leaned in again to run her tongue from base to tip.

He bucked against her, swearing, and she brought up her hands to pin his hips to the wall, deliberately looking up and meeting his flustered gaze as she took the head in her mouth.

As she’d noted in the past, G’raha was sizable. Brynne had to hollow her throat to control her gag reflex as she took him in slowly, ilm by ilm, watching him pant and whimper and writhe helplessly above her. One of his hands shakily came up to the back of her head, urging her on as she lowered her mouth to the root. She paused for a moment there, and then began to draw back, starting the push and pull that would take him to the edge.

G’raha’s moans increased in volume as she moved; his hand threaded into her hair and demanded a faster pace, which she didn’t fight. His hips strained against her hands as he urged her on, with increasing urgency and uneven rhythm.

It did not take long before his body tensed up. “I’m – ah – I’m – ” His other hand came up to hold her head in place. “C-coming!” he gasped, and nearly doubled over as his cock pulsed in her mouth, a long, broken stream of raspy moans escaping him.

His release spilled into her throat, but still a large amount came up, escaping her mouth at the corners. She let him continue to hold her in place as he rode out his orgasm, only easing up and off his softening cock as he pried his shaking hands from her head.

Almost immediately, his legs gave out and he was sliding down the wall to sit on the floor, knees splaying on either side of her as he panted heavily in the aftermath.

Brynne wiped her mouth carefully with the back of her hand, and then moved in to kiss him. He leaned eagerly into it, slowly kissing back as one hand came up to cradle her cheek with trembling fingers.

“That was quite the reaction,” she said teasingly as they broke apart. It was an understatement – his responses to her ministrations had been an incredible turn-on. Her smalls were already soaked just from watching him come, and she couldn’t help but squirm a little, pangs of want spiking up from between her legs. “You weren’t kidding about being sensitive, were you?”

“Mm.” He smiled at her, eyes lidded with a kind of sated contentment. “Let me just say that this body will take… some adjusting to. That said…” He abruptly pushed himself up and over, urging her to lay down on the Ocular floor. “I find myself looking forward to seeing what it’s capable of.”

Brynne allowed him to move her body, smiling back. “Oh?” A little surge of anticipation went through her as he worked the front of her trousers open, pulling them and her smalls down and off. She kicked them aside as he crawled back up her body, parting her thighs to settle between them.

“For example,” he murmured, lowering himself to the floor and adjusting his position so that he could comfortably grip her hips, “satisfying my beautiful lover, who has been so kind as to meet my own unreasonable demands.” He leaned in to brush the tip of his nose against the top of her folds before replacing it with lips and tongue.

“Demands I was – oh, yes, there – happy to meet,” Brynne managed, raising her head to watch as that glorious mouth set to work. He was watching her in turn, his gaze lidded and hot. It made her belly flutter, the slick sensations on her most sensitive point sending little spikes of pleasure through her.

He hummed in response, and she just about lost it, tossing her head back to hit the floor as her body arched. One of his fingers slid through her folds as he worked, finding and pushing in past the entrance to her body.

It was the perfect counterpoint to his motions on her clit, the pressure inside her body as she climbed closer to orgasm hitting just right. She nearly voiced her complaints when he removed it, but the words died on her lips as he came back in with two fingers, increasing that pressure and the pleasure it brought.

The dual assaults were already bringing her close, little moans and whimpers escaping her as she squirmed against him, when he curled both fingers upward and found her sweet spot.

“Oh… gods,” she gasped, writhing in his grasp. She curled her hands into fists against the cool floor, toes curling as the pleasure within her rose to a fever pitch. “So close – so – ”

The dam burst. Brynne let out a cry and arched against the firm hands holding her down, heels pressing down on the floor as pleasure flooded her body. G’raha continued to work her through it, a second shuddering wave resulting from his efforts, before she became too sensitive and reached down to pull his head away.

He looked up at her heatedly, wiping his mouth in a slow, deliberate movement before pushing himself up and climbing her body to claim a long, slow kiss.

She returned it languidly, feeling satisfied down to her bones. When they broke apart and their eyes met, she couldn’t help a delirious little huff of laughter, which he echoed, laying himself down at her side with his arm around her waist and one leg still tucked between hers. He kissed the corner of her jaw and down her neck, mumbling, “I love you,” into her skin.

Those soft words sent a rush of warmth through her. Brynne smiled, shutting her eyes. “I love you too,” she whispered back, and for a long moment, nothing else mattered.

---

They did eventually make their way out of the Tower, and she helped G’raha to mount her chocobo in the seat behind hers with minimal difficulty. He clung to her waist as they flew across Mor Dhona, but peered around with interest, making comments about how small everything seemed from above and how fascinating to see it laid out like a map beneath him. Brynne was used to the sight, of course, but his enthusiasm was catching and she found herself enjoying the view as they traveled.

“Oh!” Tataru greeted her as they made their slow and careful way into the Rising Stones. She abandoned the tray of sweets she’d been preparing and ran over to greet them. “Is this…?”

“Raha?” Krile’s voice cried out, and Brynne looked up to see her rushing across from the door to Dawn’s Respite. “You’re here? But…” She hesitated, eyeing him tentatively. “Are you all here?”

“Hello Krile.” He smiled warmly from where he leaned on Brynne’s shoulder. “I believe I’m as here as I can be, though” – his brow furrowed thoughtfully – “with the soul transference there is of course no guarantee that all memories remain intact…”

An answering smile spread across Krile’s face. “Then might I be the first to say, welcome to the Rising Stones.” Her eyes looked suspiciously wet. “And welcome home.”

“Home,” G’raha repeated. His own eyes were gleaming. “Thank you, Krile.”

“Well.” She sniffed, wiping a quick hand across her face. “Let’s get you to a bed, shall we? You’ll be needing to rest up, and I’m sure the others are eager to welcome you as well.” She winked.

He blinked rapidly, and nodded. “Yes, of course.”

Brynne nudged his waist. “With some words for your reckless actions at the end, I’m sure,” she added, and watched him grimace. “Come on. Time to face the music.”

He sighed, but obediently moved with her to cross the room. To Brynne, making her way through the familiar halls with G’raha at her side, it felt like a brand new beginning.

And the future looked bright indeed.

The End