Terumi i walked quickly.
Passing through two alleys and turning past a dried goods shop, the riverbank finally ca into view.
A man sat beneath a crooked tree.
A few cats huddled around his feet, where a small pile of dried kibble had been scattered. The fading light of evening spilled across the river, casting a warm, golden outline along the side of his face.
i slowed her pace.
She didn't approach imdiately. Instead, she stopped at the street corner a dozen paces away, watching him.
Kitahara Kaede fed the cats slowly, scattering the food in tiny pinches—a stark contrast to the decisive efficiency he displayed in combat.
As i looked at his silhouette, the emotion that had been swelling within her since she left the Mizukage's office finally found a place to land.
She wanted to tell him about Yagura. She wanted to tell him about Genji's final words—that she had done "very well"—and how she had felt standing in that office when she spoke up. Her mind was filled with mories of the annotations he had scribbled under the lamplight, and his advice: "First state the problem, then the cost, and finally the thod."
But as she stood there watching him feed the cats, she realized that wasn't the first thing on her mind.
She wanted to ask him about his future.
As soon as the thought surfaced, i pushed it back down.
It was too early for that. Business first.
She rehearsed her words in her head. First, the news about Yagura; then, Genji's attitude; and finally, his plans for the future.
It wasn't overstepping; she was just asking.
By the third ti she told herself "I'm just asking," her ears began to burn.
i stepped forward.
Hearing her footsteps, Kaede looked up.
His gaze lingered on her face for a mont. His lips were slightly pursed, as if he were holding back a flood of words, yet he deliberately took his ti. There was a lightness in his eyes—a look of ease she had rarely seen on her face in recent years.
Kaede looked away, placing the last pinch of kibble in front of a calico cat.
The operation regarding Yagura was over. And the result was a good one.
The calico cat buried its head in the food, eating loudly.
i sat down beside him, resting her chin on one hand as she tilted her head to look at him. She remained silent.
Kaede didn't look back at her.
The river rushed by beneath their feet. Cats nudged and rubbed against his pant legs. The two of them sat in silence for a while.
i was waiting for him to ask first.
He didn't.
i felt a flicker of irritation, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it.
"Aren't you even curious about the mission?"
Only then did Kaede look up at her. It was a flat, neutral glance.
"No. Because I knew you could do it."
i opened her mouth, but not a single word ca out. She froze, her mind going blank for a split second.
She hadn't expected his first words to be like that. Such absolute belief in her.
i turned her head to look at the river. She could feel her ears burning and her heart racing. She stared at the ripples on the water for a long ti, waiting for the heat to subside.
Once her breathing steadied, she turned back, her voice regained its composure.
"Lord Yagura's control has been lifted."
Kaede's hand stopped on a cat's back. He didn't speak.
i continued.
"Senior Ao helped remove the external interference. Once Lord Yagura regained his senses, he chose to abdicate. Lord Genji has taken over."
She recounted the events at the Mizukage's office one by one: from Ao's sudden intrusion to Yagura's trembling hands as he knelt to pick up the purging lists, and finally to Genji producing that old, heavily annotated scroll.
When she reached the part about the proposal she had presented to Genji, her pace quickened.
"Scaling back high-risk missions, integrating the village's defenses, abolishing the bloodline cleansing, reforming the graduation exams, and providing proper burials for those wrongly killed."
She paused.
"Genji didn't object."
Kaede listened in silence without interrupting once. After a few seconds of stillness, he spoke.
"You did very well."
i looked down at the cat lying at her feet. The corner of her mouth curved upward in a smile, though she quickly suppressed it.
The light on the river dimd. A breeze blew through, shaking the leaves and casting fragnted shadows on the ground between them.
Silence fell again.
i gripped the fabric of her pants over her knee, then let go. In her mind, she brought up the question, tucked it away, and brought it up again.
"The village is finally going to get better," she said, her voice softening. "What do you plan to do afterward?"
As soon as she asked, she added a quick disclair. "You've been alone for so many years; I'm just asking."
Kaede heard her. He could tell she had spoken quickly, her voice pitching up at the end, as if she were afraid she would lose her nerve if she slowed down.
She thought she was hiding it well. In reality, she wasn't.
Kaede didn't answer imdiately. In his peripheral vision, he saw i sitting beside him, her head tilted, her fingers tightening rhythmically against her knee.
The silence lasted longer than i had anticipated.
"I'll tell you the day the village is truly better," he said evenly.
i recognized the evasion. She felt a twinge of disappointnt.
But he hadn't said "no."
She clung to that. If he wouldn't talk about the distant future, she would seize what was right in front of her.
"Then, at least promise on your birthday." She turned to look at him, her tone suddenly serious. "February eleventh. You'll spend it with ."
Kaede looked into her eyes. "Promise."
i could no longer hold back her smile. A look of joy washed over her face, and she quickly turned away to look at the cats.
"That calico got fat again."
Kaede looked down. "You fed it quite a bit too."
"I fed it dried fish. It's nutritious."
"Kibble is nutritious too."
"That stuff is just broken crackers."
"As long as they're full."
i glared at him, unable to stop herself from laughing.
The two sat side by side under the tree. Cats sprawled at their feet, and the sound of the river was faint. The wind blowing off the water carried a scent of dampness.
i didn't bring up the questions he refused to answer again. Her gaze remained fixed on him.
He looked the sa as always. But during that silence just now, she thought she had glimpsed sothing. There was an expression in his eyes she couldn't quite na. It had vanished so quickly that she wasn't sure if she had imagined it.
i's chest tightened. She didn't know why.
She stood up and brushed the cat hair off her pants.
"I'm heading back. I have a mountain of work to do."
Kaede nodded. "Don't slack off."
i looked at him. "I know."
She turned and walked a few steps before stopping to look back. Kaede was still sitting under the tree, head lowered as he petted a cat. The evening light was almost gone, and his silhouette was slowly fading into the dark.
i looked away and walked quickly along the riverbank. The sound of her footsteps gradually faded.
Kaede's hand stopped. A cat nudged the back of his hand, and he petted it a few tis.
The last bit of daylight reflected on the river. Then, it too vanished.
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