Sayaka walked through the long corridor of the Kiryuu main residence, her footsteps quiet but heavy with thought.
She didn't believe Reina's story—not fully. There were too many gaps. Too much heat behind the lie.
But she didn't press.
Not yet.
Outside, the clan moved as usual—training, speaking, laughing—but among the elders and guards, the news of the attack had spread like a subtle fire. It was unusual. Unsettling.
Especially to one man.
Elder Takeru.
A veteran of three wars, quiet and severe. He'd been the first to tend to Reina's wounds when she returned. The first to notice her stance. The calluses on her fingers not of a common traveler—but of someone who had trained in hidden places.
Now, he stood by the inner courtyard, hands behind his back, watching the sparring warriors—but his mind wasn't there.
"Elder," a young scout said, approaching. "We searched the area. No signs of a camp. No stolen money. No insignias on the bodies either."
Takeru turned his eyes to the boy. "How long had they been tracking her?"
"We… don't know. There were faint tracks. But their approach wasn't random."
"I thought so," he murmured.
The scout hesitated. "Do you suspect she's lying?"
"I suspect," Takeru said slowly, "that girl is running from something far bigger than what she claims."
He didn't say more. But his eyes drifted to the guest house.
To Reina.
---
Meanwhile…
Reina leaned against the window, her arm still wrapped in clean bandages. She watched the trees sway beyond the compound.
She should've been resting. But rest had long abandoned her.
A knock sounded at the door. Soft. Familiar.
Sayaka.
Reina turned just as the door opened—and for a moment, Sayaka's eyes caught on her, standing there against the light.
"You should lie down," Sayaka said, entering.
"I can't sleep," Reina replied, her voice low.
Sayaka crossed the room and handed her a folded cloth. "You're still sweating. You're not healed yet."
As Reina wiped her brow, she looked at Sayaka through the corner of her eye. "Do you think I'm lying?"
Sayaka didn't flinch. "I think you're not telling me everything."
A beat.
Reina laughed quietly. "That's fair."
"You're lucky you're injured," Sayaka added. "Or I'd have dragged the truth out of you by now."
Another silence fell between them—tense, but not cold.
Then Sayaka's tone softened. "Who were they, Reina?"
Reina turned away, pretending to fix her blanket. "Thieves. That's all."
Sayaka stepped closer. "If they come again, I won't hold back."
Reina turned back, her gaze sharp now. "I don't want you getting involved. This is my fight."
Sayaka tilted her head. "But you're staying under my clan's roof. That makes it my problem."
Their eyes locked.
Fire against fire.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Sayaka's voice dipped. "Next time, don't go alone."
"…I won't."
The night was quiet.
Soft wind swept past the sliding doors, rustling the lamps ever so gently. The rest of the compound had long gone silent, but in Reina's room, a faint flicker of light still danced.
Sayaka knelt beside the basin, sleeves rolled up, her hands dipped in warm water. She wrung the cloth once, then turned toward Reina—who sat quietly on the edge of the bed, hair falling like ink over her shoulder.
"You should've told me earlier," Sayaka murmured. "The wound opened again."
Reina winced as Sayaka gently pulled back the thin fabric of her robe, revealing the gash on her side—newly dressed but red and angry beneath.
"I didn't want to bother you," Reina said quietly.
Sayaka glanced up at her, eyes narrowing just slightly. "You don't bother me."
The cloth met skin.
Reina flinched, hissing softly—but Sayaka's hand was firm, confident, and warm. She pressed the damp cloth carefully around the wound, cleaning the dried blood, her breath steady despite how close they were.
Reina could feel every movement. Every gentle touch. The warmth of Sayaka's fingers brushing against her ribs sent a shiver up her spine.
"You're tense," Sayaka noted, not looking at her face.
"You're cold," Reina whispered, "but your hands are warm."
Sayaka's hands paused.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Reina's breath caught in her throat. The world grew quiet. Just the faint dripping of water into the basin and the whisper of her own pulse in her ears.
Then Sayaka went back to her task, slower now. Focused. Controlled.
She took a fresh bandage, leaned in, and began wrapping it around Reina's waist, her fingers brushing the small of her back, then the curve of her hip. Their proximity was almost unbearable—closeness soaked in something they both couldn't name yet.
"You… don't have to do this yourself," Reina murmured.
"I want to."
Sayaka tied the final knot gently, smoothing it with her palm. Her hand lingered—just a second longer than necessary—before she pulled away.
Reina exhaled slowly, her face still tilted toward the shadows. She didn't trust herself to meet Sayaka's eyes again just yet.
"You should change," Sayaka said after a pause. "Your robe has blood on it."
Reina nodded.
Sayaka reached for a folded kimono set to the side and held it up.
"I'll help you."
"You've done enough," Reina said, voice low but touched with something almost shy.
Sayaka tilted her head, a rare teasing glint in her eyes. "You're not embarrassed, are you?"
Reina laughed once—soft, breathless. "I don't know what I am."
Sayaka helped her slip off the old robe, careful not to brush too hard against her bandages. Her touch was gentle—reverent. When the new robe slid over Reina's shoulders, Sayaka's fingers lingered again—this time on the nape of her neck. A silent pause.
No words.
Just warmth.
Just the closeness of two women caught between secrets and something new.
Sayaka had touched countless wounds before—her own, her soldiers', even strangers on the battlefield. But this… this was different.
As her fingers smoothed the fresh bandage over Reina's waist, something pulsed beneath her ribs. An unfamiliar heat. A flicker that made her forget what she was doing for a breath too long.
Her hand brushed against Reina's bare skin again—accidentally, maybe. The curve of her waist, the dip near her ribcage. And Sayaka froze.
Soft. Warm. Alive.
Reina looked up at her just then, eyes slightly glassy, as if she too felt the tension strumming between them like a bowstring pulled too tight.
Sayaka quickly looked away.
What is this?
She cleared her throat, fingers fumbling just slightly as she reached for the robe to cover Reina again. But as she leaned forward, her gaze caught the hollow of Reina's throat. The way her collarbone moved with each breath. The faint scent of crushed petals clinging to her skin.
A sharp pulse struck Sayaka's chest.
She tucked the robe around Reina's shoulders, but her hand didn't move away. It lingered. Her thumb brushed a stray lock of hair from Reina's cheek, and that was when she realized—she was trembling.
Just faintly.
She'd fought beasts three times her size. She'd killed men with a single blow. She'd stood unshaken in the face of death.
But this girl… this strange, quiet girl with eyes full of secrets—she was shaking her.
Sayaka's breath caught.
Her gaze dropped to Reina's lips—slightly parted, unguarded.
A sudden urge surged through her chest.
Kiss her.
No. No. She pulled her hand back quickly, like she'd been burned.
"It's done," she said, her voice low and tight, eyes avoiding Reina's completely. "You're clean. You should rest."
Sayaka stood so fast she nearly knocked over the basin. She turned away, her heartbeat thundering in her ears, fists clenched by her sides.
Behind her, Reina spoke quietly, "You're shaking."
Sayaka didn't answer. Couldn't.
She stepped toward the door, but her hand paused at the frame.
She didn't look back. "Call me if it hurts again."
(To be continued)