It's a good thing that she has such a strong grip because otherwise, he'd probably lose her right now.

His hands aren't free to grab onto hers or any part of her that might help him stay afloat. The waves are crashing all around him. Not that there will be another chance to save himself if he falls into the depths again, but he'll take it anyway. Because he thinks he sees a glimpse of her smile in the watery haze that surrounds him.

"Nya," he tries to say, "you're drowning."

A laugh bubbles up from somewhere deep inside her chest, and she lets it roll over her lips before she responds with, "Yeah well I'm pretty sure you've already have. So we're even. What are you gonna do? Swim over and rescue yourself?"

He snorts, but then he's laughing too which is definitely better than crying.

"—and you know what else? I don't want you rescuing me anymore!" she yells and he wonders if she really means it.

His laughter dies quickly and he turns his attention back to the task at hand: swimming towards shore.

"Because I can rescue myself!" Her words echo and bounce around like the wave crests that surround him.

He doesn't hear her follow suit until the splash hits the surface beside him.

"Are you done yet?" he asks as she surfaces next to him, and he takes the opportunity to run up the shore.

"No, but it's getting dark and you look exhausted, so unless you wanna spend the rest of your life alone, I suggest you let me help you," she offers with the sweetest of smiles and he can tell by the glint in her eye that she's being sincere.

He takes a step forward and slips on the wet rocks below his feet. Before he can recover from the fall, she wraps her arm around his torso and lifts him effortlessly into the air.

"Whoa, whoa, wait! Where are we going?!"

Her answer comes in the form of splashing water against his cheeks. They break through the surface and he finds himself staring into a bright yellow sky. It hurts his eyes, but he manages to open them just enough to see the silhouette of a tree ahead. When they reach it, she sets him down gently, but still holds onto his hand tightly as they begin walking along the bank of a river that stretches as far as he can see.

They pass several trees lining the banks, each one more beautiful than the last, but none of them are quite as impressive as the massive blooming sakura tree that sits at the end of the path. As they approach closer, he notices that it appears to be glowing with an inner light, although he can't pinpoint where it originates from. A sense of peace settles over him and he breathes in deeply to soak it all in.

When she pulls him underneath its branches, he expects some kind of grand gesture, like her finally saying those three words. Instead, she presses her forehead to his and kisses his cheek softly before pulling away to stand on her own.

"Thank you for coming home," she says simply before turning around and disappearing into the sea.

A/N: Yeah, yeah, hate me for this one. Sorry not sorry. I promise the rest are fluffy.