Morning sunlight spilled across Paras City, turning the glass buildings into pillars of gold. The city had changed over the past six years. The scars of destruction were still there if one looked closely, but life had returned. Streets were busy again. Construction cranes stood like metal giants in the distance. The world had moved forward.
Yet something was missing.
Inside the highest administrative building, Vice President Fella sat alone in her office. Stacks of documents surrounded her desk, and multiple holographic screens floated in the air, projecting reports from different sectors of the city.
Her pen moved nonstop.
The responsibility of leading Paras City weighed heavily on her shoulders.
Six years.
Blu had promised to return in three.
Now it had been double that time.
Her hand slowed for a brief moment.
Time passed so fast…
She tightened her grip on the pen and continued signing.
He said he would come back after repairing the planets.
What happened?
A thin line formed between her brows as worry crept into her thoughts.
Is he okay?
The city feels almost empty without him.
She shook her head lightly. Doubt wouldn't help. Work wouldn't finish itself.
Paras City needed stability. And until Blu returned… she would carry everything.
---
Far away, deep within the jungle, peace reigned in a completely different way.
Wano, the Forest Queen, slept soundly on a bed made from layered bamboo and woven leaves. Sunlight filtered gently through the trees above her. A small rabbit sat beside her head, calmly chewing on a carrot as if guarding her.
The jungle had suffered years ago, but nature was stubborn. Green had slowly reclaimed what was lost.
---
At Sai's dojo, silence held a different kind of intensity.
Sai sat cross-legged in meditation.
Six years had reshaped him. His hair was shorter now, his jaw sharper. His body had matured into refined strength — not exaggerated, but balanced and powerful. A pair of sleek blue goggles rested over his eyes, and the sword beside him gleamed with a sharper edge than before.
Energy pulsed faintly around him before gradually settling.
He opened his eyes.
A relaxed smile appeared on his face as he stood up and stretched his arms.
"That's enough for today," he muttered. "Didn't even sleep last night, but I still feel good."
Across from him sat Aoi.
She had grown as well. Her posture was more elegant now, and her tail — longer and fluffier — twitched whenever she was flustered.
Which, at the moment, she was.
She quickly turned her face away as Sai stretched, cheeks turning pink.
"Baka… just showing off."
Sai tilted his head slightly.
"Showing off? I haven't even flexed yet."
"Don't you dare!"
He leaned slightly closer, hands in his pockets, a playful smirk forming.
"And why not? I trained this hard body for a reason."
Aoi stepped back instinctively and lost her balance—
But before she could fall, Sai caught her wrist.
"Got you."
Her heart skipped.
"S-Stop doing that! Don't scare me like that!"
He chuckled softly and removed his goggles for a moment, revealing calm but teasing eyes.
"I just like your reactions."
Her tail swayed uncontrollably as she tried to regain composure.
Sai walked toward the kitchen afterward, humming lightly.
He opened the fridge.
Silence.
Empty.
He stared at it in disbelief.
"Seriously…?"
He held his head dramatically. "Why is it empty? I need tacos after training…"
He walked back into the hall with his shoulders slumped.
Aoi crossed her arms, pretending not to care.
"So that's why you look like a dying zombie?"
Sai suddenly rested his head lightly on her shoulder.
"I'm starving."
Her ears twitched.
"Then let's go to the supermarket."
His mood flipped instantly.
"That's genius."
Before she could react, he wrapped an arm around her waist.
"You're coming too."
Aoi froze.
"H-Hey! Don't just grab me like that!"
He grinned. "Relax."
Moments later, water gathered beneath their feet in a swirling circle.
The spell activated.
---
The supermarket was lively.
Aoi pushed the cart while Sai tossed in multiple packs of tacos without hesitation.
"I'll take eight chicken ones."
"Eight?!" she snapped. "Why so many? You should save money!"
He shrugged casually. "Food is life."
People around them glanced at the energetic duo.
Aoi lowered her voice. "Everyone is watching."
"Let them," Sai replied lazily. "They already think we're a couple anyway."
Her brain stopped functioning.
"What?!"
She grabbed a sandal from a nearby rack and threw it at him out of pure embarrassment.
Sai dodged effortlessly.
Unfortunately, the sandal flew much farther than expected and hit a bald man near the counter.
The entire store went silent.
Sai coughed lightly.
Aoi covered her face.
"This is all your fault!"
After paying, Aoi suddenly turned toward the exit.
"That's enough. I'm going home."
Sai froze mid-step.
"Hey, don't be like that."
"I hate you."
She didn't look back.
He pointed at her calmly.
"You're just acting. You like me."
She stopped at the door.
Slowly turned.
Completely red.
"How can you say that so shamelessly?!"
She stormed back, grabbed his collar.
"No tacos. Back to training."
---
Elsewhere, in a quiet home near the city outskirts, Yuki slowly opened her eyes.
The room was dim.
Her voice carried a deeper, more mature tone now.
"Morning already…?"
She sat up.
Six years had changed her completely.
She no longer carried the energy of a teenage girl. Her presence was composed, refined. Her hair was tied neatly into a ponytail, and a red band rested across her forehead.
A soft cloth covered her right eye — hiding the demonic eye she had mastered.
Her left eye glowed faintly gold.
She stepped outside and inhaled the fresh air.
"A morning walk should clear my head."
As she jogged lightly through the streets, a figure appeared beside her.
Honokage.
Floating calmly. Invisible to everyone else.
"So you finally separated me completely."
His tone was softer than before.
Yuki smiled.
"It took six years of meditation and soul training… but yes. You're free now."
He watched her quietly.
"You didn't have to struggle that much. I was fine inside you."
She closed her golden eye briefly.
"I didn't do it because I had to. I did it because I wanted you to exist as yourself."
For once, Honokage smiled genuinely.
---
Back at home, Astra rolled around in bed before sitting up abruptly.
His silver eyes were sharper now. His body, though still that of a ten-year-old, carried clear strength. Raw potential flowed naturally from him.
He jumped out of bed and stretched.
"Did I oversleep?"
He made himself breakfast, pouring juice into a glass.
He took a sip.
"Hmm. This is good."
He stared at the glass thoughtfully.
"Is this pineapple? Or orange? I don't know."
After eating, he returned to his room and dropped onto the bed again.
"Alright. Good night."
The door suddenly opened.
Yuki stood there, arms crossed.
"It's morning."
Astra blinked.
"It's night for me."
She walked over and grabbed him lightly by the head.
"You're coming with me."
"Where?"
"To the zoo."
He tilted his head.
"What's a zoo?"
Yuki stared at him in disbelief.
She pushed him back onto the bed with a sigh.
"What did I even expect…"
Astra rolled once and stared at the ceiling.
"I'm just asking honestly…"
Outside, Paras City thrived.
The jungle healed.
The dojo laughed.
Life continued forward.
But beyond the stars, in the silent depths of space—
Blu had still not returned.