Rika and Arya hid in a narrow alley squeezed between the walls of two buildings. With so little room to move, they had to press themselves against one side of the wall. Both were trying to calm down after running from the white snake they had just encountered.
Arya stood near the end of the alley and slowly peeked out from behind the wall. His eyes scanned the street across from them, checking every corner for any sign of the snake. Now and then he held his breath, trying not to draw the attention of anything that might still be wandering nearby.
After watching for a while and deciding it was safe enough, Arya finally stepped back from the end of the alley. He walked over to Rika, who was leaning against the wall not far from him. She hadn't moved from her spot, and Arya's steps slowed as the tension of their escape began to fade.
"You held my hand," Rika said suddenly, softly, almost in a whisper.
Her head was still bowed. A few strands of her copper-red hair had fallen across part of her face, while her hands slowly reached for the wrist Arya had grabbed earlier. Her fingers rubbed the spot for a moment, as if she were remembering the touch she had just felt.
Arya was startled. He froze for a moment before hurrying to explain.
"I-I'm sorry. The situation was really dangerous, so I didn't have time to think. I just wanted us to get out alive," he said, stammering. He sounded nervous, as if he were afraid he had done something that made Rika uncomfortable.
Rika stayed quiet for a moment. Her fingers were still touching her wrist before she finally lifted her face a little.
"This is the first time..." she said quietly, almost too softly to hear.
"I-I'm sorry. Please don't be angry. That was really only because—"
"I'm not angry!" Rika cut in suddenly.
She raised her face and looked at Arya. Her golden-brown eyes were glistening, and her voice, which had been soft a moment ago, came out louder than she had intended. There was something held back in her gaze, as if she were trying to tell him something that Arya simply couldn't understand.
Arya scratched the back of his head. He looked confused by Rika's change in attitude, which had been hard to read from the start. She said she wasn't angry, yet her expression and tone of voice suggested the opposite.
"Ahhh... sorry, but you look angry," Arya said, lifting both hands a little, as if to show he didn't mean to cause trouble.
"Really, I'm not angry," Rika replied. This time she sounded a little irritated.
Arya frowned. He studied Rika's face for a few moments, trying to work out what she was really thinking. But the more he looked, the harder it was to make sense of what she said.
"But your face clearly says you're angry," he replied innocently.
Rika went silent. Her lips pursed slightly, and her hands curled into fists at her sides. She wanted to say something but ended up not saying a single word. Her face slowly turned red, and she quickly looked away so Arya wouldn't notice.
"That's enough! I'm leaving!" she suddenly cried.
Without waiting for Arya's response, Rika rose to her feet. Her feet slowly lifted off the ground. Her body began to float, then drifted away, her face still wearing an annoyed expression.
"Eh? Wait!" Arya jumped up and reached his hand toward Rika. "Aaa... please, don't leave me alone!"
But his cry failed to stop her. The girl flew off into the distance until her figure slowly disappeared from view. Arya could only stand rooted to the spot, his hand still stretched out.
"Eh... she's seriously leaving me?" he mumbled.
He lowered his hand slowly and looked around the alley, which felt unfamiliar to him once again. They had only just escaped the white snake, and now the one person who could keep him company had simply left. Arya let out a long sigh. He truly didn't understand what had just happened, much less what had upset Rika so much.
Not far from where Arya stood, on the roof of an old building, a woman was watching them from a distance. Thick fog covered the area, drifting slowly between the buildings and the barely visible trees. A cold wind swept across the rooftop. Yet the woman stood calmly, as if untroubled by the strange atmosphere surrounding the place.
She wore a long red gown, its hem fluttering gently in the wind. Her hair moved with the breeze, and her eyes never left the two figures who had just parted ways below. From up high, she watched Arya and Rika's antics, a faint smile slowly spreading across her face.
"Aren't they adorable children?" the woman said in an elegant tone. There was a hint of amusement in her voice, as if the simple exchange between the two had just offered her some entertainment. Her eyes shone with curiosity as she looked back at Arya, who still seemed bewildered after being left behind by Rika.
But the smile slowly faded. Her gaze grew sharper, and the wind passing around her made the edges of her gown flutter again.
"But sadly, all of this must end soon," she continued, in a much firmer tone.
The fog moved again, covering part of the roof where she stood. For a moment, Nagini's figure looked faint behind the white veil. She was still there, but the warm smile that had decorated her face was gone, leaving behind a calm expression that was hard to read.