It took the couple more than an hour to walk back to their home. They might have had an easier time if Elly rode the black stallion, but there were some problems about that idea. Aizawa wasn't too sure how he'd changed in the first place, and he doubted it was a good idea to do so in the light of day. They parted ways with Hizashi and walked slowly, hand in hand down the dirt road that led to the town. Ignoring the curious looks they received, they went straight through and eventually were walking down the sandy path to their cottage.
"I'm so happy to be back." Elly stepped past the threshold and gestured grandly at the warm and cozy surroundings. She turned to Aizawa as he followed behind her. "And I thought I was never going to see you again."
He sighed, nodding. "I know. I thought so as well. And, if I may..." He held up the soft, white seal skin. "What am I to do with this?"
She smiled. "It doesn't matter. I can change without it since you accepted me."
"You gave me something so special. I ..." He carefully placed the pelt on a chair and reached around his neck for the end of the necklace he always wore. It slipped off without a fuss, like he somehow knew it would. Aizawa stared at the chain in his hand as he remembered his mother. "I want you to have this." He placed the chain gently around her neck. "In fact, I think <i>she</i> wants you to have it."
"Your mother."
"Yes. It's never come off my neck or opened in all these years." He shrugged. "I think I knew it was magic, but I ignored the possibility."
Elly ran her finger lightly along the locket, nodding as she listened. It was a simple metal - brass, maybe, not gold -- but for it to remain pristine after all these years and never broken or come off proved its nature. Still they both jumped, startled, when the pendant snapped open the moment her fingers brushed it.
Inside was a lock of dark hair. She held it in her palm, entranced. "Why now? Why would it open and reveal this?"
Aizawa reached out to take the hair and feel it curl around his finger. "It almost feels alive," he choked harshly. "It feels..."
She threw her arms around him as he stiffened, his eyes popping open and a gasp rushing out of him. "My parents," he groaned. "I remember the night they died."
"Oh no," she whispered, already near to tears.
He continued, one hand gripping the hair as they held each other close. "I guess people found out what we were, my family. They burned our home down while we slept. I used to have this nightmare about it, and I'd wake just as my mother pushed me to safety, after she presses the necklace into my hand." He frowned. "And my lower back hurts every time."
"The ..." Elly paused. "Aizawa, love, pooka can't retain a human form without giving themselves away. They always feature one type of horse attribute on their person." She ran a hand down his back, causing him to shiver.
"Wh - what..?"
"Your scar. I sometimes see it when you bathe." Her fingers traced the circular patch of skin at the base of his spine. "Your mother must have torn your tail out so you could pass for a human. You didn't have one in horse form."
"I uh, didn't?"
"You didn't notice?"
He snorted. "I was too busy, so... no."
"Give me the hair," she sighed. He passed it to her and she touched it to the scar. The wound reverted back to smooth skin, the hair rooting in place as if it had never left. "I thought so."
He rubbed awkwardly at it. "What did you do? Am I going to have a two inch spot of hair over my ass now?!"
Elly giggled. "No. I think it will all grow back. But you can easily hide your tail as an adult."
He blinked, nonplussed. "Huh."
"Your hair really is beautiful." She stroked it away from his face and brushed her lips on his in a fleeting kiss. "I know you think it's silly when I say it, but mine's always been short like this. Yours is so <i>long</i> and dark."
He chuckled and kissed her back the same way, though he lingered longer, his eyes staring hotly into hers. "I guess so, if it's really a mane."
They broke apart with some regret, knowing if they wanted to eat later, they would need to gather fresh ingredients, prep and cook them. Yet the night was not long in coming, and they had waited longer before. A few more hours was nothing compared to the possibility they would have been parted forever.
That evening Aizawa bathed and washed his hair without any prompting. He went a step further and braided it as he'd never done, surprising her even more since she didn't realize he even knew how. He chose a pair of clean, new trousers and decided on a front lacing shirt which he had bought from Hizashi years ago for a special occasion that never came. It was softer than cotton, a flowing, black garment that complimented his hair and pale skin. His efforts paid off; he noticed Elly casting glances at him throughout dinner and when the last dish was put away he walked over and took her hand in his.
"Shall we retire early to bed?" He brought her hand up to his lips, his gray eyes asking the real question.
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