[Akira can feel himself smiling, halfway between something terribly fond and the kind of lovestruck expression that doesn't suit his tough image at all. If either Ryoko or Taroimo saw him right now he'd die of embarrassment, so he's beginning to understand why she was so vehement about not being seen before.

But he's happy that she likes it here, and that she likes him and his family enough to say it.

He's quiet for a while, but to him at least it's a comfortable silence. He hasn't asked how she's feeling, but she hasn't complained yet, and she'd definitely have said something by now if she wasn't at least feeling a little better. Plus, if he asks her how she's doing, she might tell him she's feeling fine and she'd like to sit up now.

It wouldn't be any great tragedy to stop stroking her hair like this, but he doesn't know if he'll get the chance to do something like this for her again, that's all.]

Even after you've made it back...if you could visit occasionally...

[The way she's talked about the gates makes it sound like that might not be possible. If he understands correctly, this place in this time isn't one of the predetermined coordinates that she can usually travel to, and he doesn't know enough about how it works to really get into the details for this kind of discussion.]

...Well, I guess we can talk about that once we get there. Don't wanna work up your headache again.