I haven't watched Soukoku no Maryu yet. If the events in the canon of the film mess with this drabble, welp.
The days Kouga was gone were not entirely rough on Kaoru. Occasionally she would catch a glint of gold in her peripheral vision, feel a certain strength wash over her when she was stressed over deadlines.
But Rei dropping by her tiny apartment a couple times a week certainly helped a bit.
During most of his visits, he would arrive with a couple slices of strawberry shortcake in a box from the shop down the street. Kaoru would already have tea prepared for their hours of chatting. When the weather was especially gloomy, Rei would bring along hot cocoa, very seriously insisting it helped chase away the clouds.
Each visit, their respective slices were eaten mostly in silence, Kaoru commenting on Rei's appetite for sweets every couple weeks.
With the carry-out box set aside, plates and forks in the sink, and cups refilled, they got to their usual catch-up chatting.
One week, Kaoru noted a stray cat in the nearby alley and recently started leaving food out for it. The next, Rei rambled about a new cake shop that opened in his area. (He was quite enthusiastic, and hoped Kaoru would take the time to visit it one day.)
On more than one occasion, Silva will chime in with more serious conversation. Zero is slacking on his patrols and He needs to eat more protein. Kaoru would just laugh. She appreciated the frequent updates on the western territory's Knight.
The hours passed too quickly on most days. Before they knew it, the sun was beginning to set and Silva was reminding Rei he still had to travel back to his own home. Rei bid Kaoru farewell as streetlamps flickered on, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and was on his way.
But on the days their conversations stretched far too late, one friend would catch the other glancing toward the window at the front of the apartment. Kaoru was never good at hiding her emotions and her sad smile always gave her away. Rei would be less obvious to an outsider. Between them, it was plain as day to each other that their minds were on someone who had yet to come back.
By that time, Kaoru would take pity on Rei's heavy lids and ushered him to the couch. He'd be gone when she woke, leaving behind a Sorry for the intrusion, and thanks! note.
–
The day Kouga returned was during one of Rei's visits. His initial smile upon being greeted by Kaoru quickly turned into a thin, tight line when Rei piped up with a cheerful, "Took you long enough!"
It was all Kaoru could do to keep from laughing as the western Knight slipped past them with a grin, stuffing a piece of sponge cake in Kouga's mouth to avoid questions. By the time Kouga recovered, Rei was sprinting down the street, casually waving behind him.
The following days were spent catching up on more than stray cat news and involved much less cake.