[He shifts carefully onto his side, letting Lortel get her arms around him if that's what she wants, and reaches up himself to lift some of her hair from her cheek.]

...Ruby... [he begins,] ...is a bright and pure-hearted girl. It's her lifelong dream to be an idol--to sing, dance, and be loved by the crowd. To shine on stage like the idols she saw sparkling when her life was at its darkest and most hopeless. She never thinks with her head-- [he notes with some brotherly rue,] --but she puts her whole heart into everything.

I think... she'll be fine. She's surrounded by people who love her, and they'll hold her until she finds her feet again. She was always the stronger of the two of us.

[That's what Aqua tells himself, anyway. That Ruby is strong. That she'll recover the way he never could.]

Ai...

[He falters, then reaches under his pillow to retrieve a keychain, which he offers to Lortel.]

Ai was the center of our universe. Even before we were her children, we were her most devoted fans.