You think I'd get better at this eventually

Kitsune’s comforting touches did little to help assuage the agony of utter failure that crushed Kumiho’s soul. If anything, they exacerbated the pain, the arctic male feeling wholly unworthy of her tenderness. He had failed her, failed Venom, failed Ashen. He didn't deserve any comforts in his defeat. She spoke his name softly and settled down in the sand beside him, but Iho didn't look up at her. He couldn't bear to look into her eyes right now. Even as she hugged him close, he just felt like a loser—at least, he did until Kit's final statement broke the silence between them. "Her sight is back, Iho." A feeling like a lance driven through his chest shocked Iho, his body going rigid as he slowly lifted his head and finally looked at Kitsune, incredulity breaking through the haze of sorrow in his icy eyes. Venom's sight... had come back? Just like that? No miracle cure or prayers or nothing?

Iho stared hard at Kitsune for a long moment, half trying to assess if he had heard her correctly, half trying to discern if she was telling him the truth or just trying to make him feel better. When neither her response nor her expression changed, Iho felt something in his mind break. He snickered, the corner of his lips turning up in a little smirk. That snicker evolved into a chuckle, then a laugh, and before long the saltwater-drenched wolf was full on belly laughing at the insanity of the situation. Of course it would be his luck that Venom's sight would come back after he embarked on a harrowing journey across the world! He'd done so much excessive work to find a cure when all he had to do was wait. Iho laughed almost manically as a combination of disbelief and relief washed over him, laughing so hard he could scarcely breathe and couldn't bring himself to stop.

"Her... Her sight... came back... just like that!" he repeated, his words broken up by uncontrollable laughter. "So I didn't need to leave at all!" Shaking his head, the white wolf sighed, caught between wanting to laugh more and wanting to beat himself up for ever leaving in the first place. "Kit... I'm so sorry. I tried to be a hero for you and I just ended up making a fool of myself and being gone for much too long. I'm sorry, I'm such an idiot."

"Speech"