Several minutes passed, with Utena unwilling to break the embrace; at that moment, despite the dank air, despite the confinement, despite the thousands of pieces of empirical evidence screaming the truth of her insanity... she felt like she was home. Not like the Academy, of course; a true home, somewhere real and solid, where a person could truly belong.

But... she wasn't home. She was confined, restrained mentally beyond all physical measures, and that had to end. They'd fought too hard to escape the first prison, to be content in this one. "Himemiya," she said at length, drawing her head slowly back, "let's go. Once more, to the outside world."