Luka stepped down and sat beside him, the proximity radiating a familiar, protective warmth. He reached out, his gloved hand hesitating for a fraction of a second before gently covering Yuki’s.
"You’re thinking about it again," a low, melodic voice murmured.
"In every life, I have found you," Luka said, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "And in every life, you have reached for me. It doesn't matter if you remember the words we spoke a thousand years ago. What matters is that you are here now."
Luka went still. To him, those memories weren't just flashes; they were a vivid, eternal ache. He had loved Yuki when Yuki was a woman, and he loved him now, regardless of the form he took. "The world has changed many times, Yuki. But the soul does not."