The night grew deeper. After Chiya left Fugaku's home, he went straight to his own residence.
Two people were still there, waiting for him.
Reaching the doorway, he caught the scent of enticing food drifting through the air.
He gently pushed open the door. The warm light inside spilled out, and Mikoto and Kushina were sitting at the dining table, as though they had been waiting for quite some time.
"Chiya-nii!"
Mikoto heard the movement and immediately stood up, her eyes shining with delight.
She walked quickly to the doorway and reached out to take Chiya's coat, her movements gentle and natural, as though she had long grown used to this kind of closeness.
Chiya smiled slightly and reached out to ruffle her hair.
"Sorry to keep you both waiting."
Beside her, Kushina also stood up, her red hair looking especially vivid under the lamplight.
She opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but in the end she only pressed her lips together. Her gaze drifted without thinking to the arm Mikoto had linked with Chiya's, and a trace of something lost passed through her eyes.
After all, she was not Mikoto. She could not be this gentle and at ease.
"Hmph, you finally showed up. The food was almost going cold!"
The proud Kushina grumbled with a show of dissatisfaction, though the eagerness hidden in her voice could not be concealed.
Chiya smiled and walked over to sit at the table.
"Looks like I am in for a treat tonight."
Mikoto gently scooped rice into his bowl and then placed a piece of meat in it.
"Chiya-nii, try this."
Chiya picked up the meat and put it in his mouth. A savory, rich flavor spread across his tongue, and he gave a satisfied nod.
"It tastes great. Mikoto's cooking has improved again."
Mikoto's cheeks turned faintly pink, and her eyes filled with joy.
Kushina sat to the side, watching the two of them interact. Her fingers tightened around her chopsticks without her realizing it.
She lowered her head and pushed the rice around in her bowl, feeling oddly stifled inside for no clear reason.
Mikoto noticed Kushina's mood with a sharp eye and hesitated for a moment.
Then she picked up a piece of tofu and placed it in Chiya's bowl, saying softly.
"This one, Kushina made it."
Kushina looked up sharply, staring at Mikoto in surprise.
'Why would Mikoto-nee do that?!'
Chiya was also a little caught off guard, but he picked up the tofu and tasted it.
The tofu was tender and smooth, with an excellent flavor.
"Not bad. I did not expect Kushina to have this kind of skill."
Kushina's face flushed red in an instant, and she said in a stumbling voice.
"It was, it was nothing, I just did it casually!"
Chiya looked at her flustered expression and could not help but let out a quiet laugh.
"Well, doing it casually and still making it this good means Kushina is quite impressive."
The tips of Kushina's ears turned so red it looked as though they might bleed.
She lowered her head, but the corner of her mouth curved up just slightly without her meaning it to.
She was clearly very pleased by Chiya's praise.
Mikoto watched her reaction, and a soft smile passed through her eyes.
The three of them sat gathered around the dining table like that, and the atmosphere gradually grew warm.
Kushina also stopped being as stiff as she was at the start. Every now and then she even took the initiative to put food in Chiya's bowl, though each time she had to add a stubborn "I just did not want to waste it."
After the meal, Kushina stood up on her own to clear away the bowls and chopsticks. Mikoto tried to help, but Kushina stopped her.
"Mikoto-nee, most of the food on the table tonight was made by you. You must already be tired. Leave the rest to me."
Mikoto paused, then nodded gently.
"Kushina, thank you for your trouble then."
Kushina gathered the bowls and chopsticks, carried them to the kitchen, and washed them carefully.
A moment later.
Kushina dried her hands and came back out, glancing through the window at the night outside.
"Mikoto-nee, it is getting late. I am heading back."
"Let me walk you."
"No, no need!"
Kushina waved her hands quickly.
"I can get back on my own!"
With that, she walked briskly to the doorway and pushed the door open to leave.
Just before she went, she turned her head and gave one last wave to both Chiya and Mikoto.
Chiya stood at the window and watched her figure disappear into the night.
At the same time, he became sharply aware of something.
A faint chakra pulse quietly fell in behind Kushina.
'Anbu ninja.'
"Chiya-nii?"
Mikoto walked to his side and called softly.
Chiya withdrew his gaze and smiled slightly.
"Mikoto, let us go sit out in the courtyard for a bit."
Mikoto nodded, and the two of them went out to the garden together.
The night breeze was faintly cool. A clear, round moon hung high overhead, casting a wide wash of silver light.
Mikoto handed Chiya one of the two cups of hot tea she had prepared.
"Thank you."
Chiya took the cup. Warm steam rose from it, and the scent of tea drifted pleasantly.
The two of them sat side by side beneath the eaves, looking up at the cold, clear moon, and for a time neither spoke.
After a brief silence, Chiya suddenly spoke.
"Mikoto, your Sharingan. It has already awakened, has it not?"
Mikoto's body stiffened slightly. The fingers holding her teacup tightened without her meaning them to.
She lowered her head and was quiet for a moment before giving a soft sound of agreement.
"When did it awaken?"
Chiya's voice was quiet, but it carried a seriousness that left no room for avoiding the question.
Mikoto drew a slow breath and said in a low voice.
"It was, on the day my parents left."
Her voice trembled slightly, as though she had been carried back to that night, the night of a girl who waited for her parents to come home and waited through the whole night without them ever returning.
Chiya turned his head and looked at the tips of her fingers, which had gone faintly pale.
The awakening of the Sharingan was almost always accompanied by a powerful emotional shock, and Mikoto's parents.
He reached out and gently held her cold fingers.
"That is all in the past now."
Mikoto looked up. The faint glimmer of tears shifted in her eyes.
In the moonlight, her gaze looked especially clear, and yet it held a deep, quiet sadness within it.
Under the surge of emotion, her black eyes shifted into a pair of Sharingan bearing two tomoe.
Chiya let out a quiet breath and reached out to draw her into his arms.
Mikoto's body stiffened for just an instant, then slowly relaxed, and she leaned against his shoulder.
"Chiya-nii."
Her voice carried a slight catch.
The grief she had kept pressed down inside her heart came rushing up all at once.
She thought of her grandmother who had passed, and then of her parents.
One face after another flashed through her mind.
At the end, the last face to appear was Uchiha Chiya's.
'Would Chiya-nii also leave her one day?'
At that thought.
The grief ignited as though touched by a flame.
The light in her crimson eyes dimmed, and the two-tomoe Sharingan began to show faint signs of evolving further.
"I am here."
Chiya gently stroked her long hair.
"From now on, I will protect you."
The two-tomoe stopped its evolution.
Mikoto closed her eyes, and tears slid down her face without a sound.
She gripped Chiya's sleeve tightly, as though holding on to her only anchor.
"I will also stay with Mikoto."
Chiya said quietly, his tone steady and warm.
The night breeze passed through the courtyard. The cherry blossom tree rustled softly, and petals drifted down with the wind, like a silent vow.
Mikoto leaned against Chiya's chest, and the shadow that had been hanging over her heart was gradually replaced by warmth.
She lifted her head and looked at the side of his face, close enough to feel each other's breath.
In the moonlight, a flush of red spread across Mikoto's cheeks, and her lashes trembled faintly, like wings about to open.
An Uchiha woman as gentle as still water, looking at him with that unguarded, waiting expression. Chiya would be lying if he said he felt nothing.
Looking at Mikoto's soft, stirred face.
'Damn, this is practically forcing him to make a mistake.'
'Mikoto!'
'Are you playing with fire?'
'If you were not still so young, i would definitely help you cool that fire down!'
Chiya drew a slow breath.
'No.'
'A few more years.'
Reason returned to Chiya's mind. He held himself back, lowered his head, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"Mikoto, it is getting late. Your grandfather will start to worry. Go back and rest early."
Mikoto's face turned completely red in an instant, but her eyes were full of sweetness.
She gave an obedient nod, though her heart carried a trace of surprise.
'Chiya-nii was actually being such a gentleman with me!'
'That is Chiya-nii for you.'
"Mm. Chiya-nii should rest too."
Chiya stood up and ruffled her hair.
"See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
Mikoto turned and walked out ahead, looking back with every other step.
A smile of quiet happiness rose at the corner of her mouth without her meaning it to.
Chiya followed behind her and watched with his own eyes until Mikoto had gone inside her home. Only then did he leave.
At the same time.
The Uchiha who had received Chiya's mission had, by this point, arrived at the seaside town in the direction Chiya had described.
"Captain Aoki, it seems like we are being followed!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Before Uchiha Aoki could even respond.
The sound of kunai cutting through the air came from all around them.
"Enemy attack!!"