A Song to Bloom

by Woofemus

Hanayo and Maki are from two rival ninja families living in the village of Otonokizaka. While Maki takes their family rivalry very seriously, Hanayo would much rather figure out how to befriend her instead. AU

2. Chapter 2

Rin and Nico stood at their usual meeting spot outside, leaning against the fence. They looked at each other, frowning. "We said meet here before the sun hit its peak right?" Nico asked.

"Y-yeah! Kayo-chin's usually never late, I wonder what might have happened..." Rin trailed off worriedly.

"Rin-chan! Nico-chan!" The both of them looked up and opened their mouth to greet Hanayo before they died down, their eyes widening instead.

There, down the road was Hanayo. What shocked them the most though, was that behind her was a scowling Maki with her arms crossed, dutifully following after Hanayo.

"K-Kayo-chin?!" Rin shouted, immediately running forward to pull Hanayo away. "What are you doing to her-"

"Rin-chan!" And Rin stopped, blinking at how Hanayo's voice was surprisingly steady this time. She smiled at them, turning to gesture to Maki. "I-it's okay, really! I was the one who invited her out."

Nico and Rin shared a look. Hanayo looked behind her, smiling gently as if she was trying to coax an animal forward. Maki rolled her eyes but she walked forward, her posture so stiff that she seemed more like a statue than a living person.

"... hello," Maki greeted in the flattest voice ever, quickly glancing at both of them before she looked away, pinkness creeping into her cheeks. Nico and Rin stared at her wordlessly, glancing back and forth between Maki and Hanayo.

"U-um... I'm sorry, I-I wanted her to come. Is... that fine?" Hanayo asked, shuffling her feet as she looked up pleadingly at Rin and Nico. The both of them felt a tug on their hearts and nearly agreed on the spot, but still... they looked at each other, unsure.

"... w-whatever," Maki said in that moment, huffing. "I don't even want to be here, go h-have fun with your friends." With that, she turned around and began to walk off.

"A-ah! Nishikino-san! Wait!" Hanayo reached out and grabbing Maki's arm before she got too. Maki froze, eyes immediately darting down to where Hanayo's hand was. "Please wait! I..." and her voice trailed off, looking at Rin and Nico hesitantly.

"Hey!" Rin marched forward. "Kayo-chin invited you out! Why are you turning down her offer?"

Maki scowled at her. "S-shut up! It's not that! I just know when... when I'm... not..." her voice trailed off and she looked down at the ground, glaring at it instead of finishing her sentence.

"... you can come with us but you better be on your best behavior," Nico called out. She shot a look over at Hanayo before meeting Maki's eyes. The unsaid warning was understood, when Maki stiffened up but bit back her retort, slowly nodding. Satisfied, Nico turned around and walked off, waving her arm for them to follow after her. "Let's get going then! Nozomi's already waiting for us over in the woods. I don't want to see what she's made Honoka blow up this time..."

Rin grabbed onto Hanayo's arm, glaring at Maki. "Rin's still not okay with it but if Kayo-chin wants this then..." Just as Nico did before, Rin stared at Maki threateningly. Maki met her eyes before looking away with a scowl, curtly nodding.

Hanayo glanced between the both of them, suddenly wondering if she really had made the right choice to invite Maki out. But Rin began to tug on her arm, dragging her away. "Nico-chan's already got a head start, nya! We gotta meet up with her!"

Hanayo stumbled after her, struggling to hold on. "R-Rin-chan! You're-you're going too fast! A-ah!"

So caught up in trying to follow after Rin that she realized she forgot she was holding onto Maki's arm as well. Her hand slid down and out of pure reflex, Maki caught her hand, but now the both of them were stumbling along, trying to pull after the energetic girl.

Maki managed to catch her balance in time and now she was easily following after them. She stared at the nearly foreign hand inside her own. The urge to pull out of it was strong, but...

Hanayo's hand was warm.

-1-

It was awkward in the beginning, Hanayo had to admit. Maki was too prideful sometimes but she was always so... flustered? She wasn't sure if that was the right word, but Maki always seemed so... oddly tense. Whenever Hanayo tried to address her, Maki would always flinch with a small yelp before looking over at Hanayo worriedly, as if she had done something wrong. Maki slowly got better but it still stuck with Hanayo, and she felt even more timid when she needed to call out for her. Soon though, Maki no longer resisted as much whenever Hanayo tried to ask her to come play or train with the three of them, only giving her a curt nod before quietly following after her.

Rin had taken to teasing Maki mercilessly, quickly becoming one of Rin's favorite targets to prank. If it wasn't for Maki's own quick reflexes, Hanayo was sure the amount of pitfall traps the Nishikino heir would have fallen in would have severely increased (though it didn't matter much when Rin planned for those too and had a second surprise in store.) Hanayo could see the way Maki visibly strained to keep herself from blowing up but she always somehow always managed to refrain, settling for scowling deeply at everything.

Hanayo often tried to get Rin to stop or at least hold back and she did, for maybe a day or two until she started again. She couldn't help but think this was Rin's own way of revenge for what had happened between Hanayo and Maki, always trying her hardest to rile up the other girl and make her storm off in anger. It was impressive that Maki somehow managed to keep her cool though Hanayo knew she had come close several times by the way her face seemed to turn so red with anger and embarrassment that her whole head looked like a tomato.

Nico didn't do much until they were older but she constantly watched Maki like a hawk, waiting for her to commit some sort of terrible transgression so she would have an excuse to pull her away from Hanayo. But Maki never did, but sometimes after she said something, she'd randomly apologize and even Hanayo wasn't sure why and what Maki was apologizing for sometimes. Maki just had a blunt and honest way of talking that was different from Rin and Nico, something Hanayo didn't mind.

It was a very gradual process and though they constantly kept trying to keep Maki in check, they were beginning and trying to accept the other girl in their own little way. It helped that Maki was always the one who had the spare bandages ready whenever anyone got hurt, especially Rin. It was during these times when she was bandaging them up that she lost her usual aloofness and scolded them for not being more careful. Even Rin had learned to stay quiet at these times. After making sure everything was cleaned up, Maki would nod and revert back to trying to appear indifferent, as if she hadn't just chastised them for being reckless.

But... did Maki feel the same way as them though? Hanayo always tried to include Maki in their activities, happy that the other girl was no longer treating her with animosity, but she had never considered Maki's feelings. Did Maki only go along with her because she felt guilty for what had happened? If Hanayo had been forcing Maki this whole time... then...

Hanayo would learn her answer soon.

"Hey," Nico called out to them one day, "you're all coming with me on a mission."

Instantly, all three of them were alert. "H-huh? M-mission?" Rin said, suddenly nervous. Though Maki looked unaffected, Hanayo didn't miss the way she began to play with her hair, twirling it around her finger.

"A-aren't... aren't we too young?" Hanayo asked in a quiet voice, glancing between all of them. Maki was a year older but they were still younger than the age meant to be assigned missions.

"Well, not really mission," Nico admitted with a shrug. "Old man Tanaka lost his fox and he asked me to help him-"

"Is that it?" Rin interrupted with a frown. "That's so easy, nya! Why do you need us then?"

Nico shot a snide look at her. "Because his fox got lost in the woods, past the cliffs."

"... you just don't want to look by yourself," Maki said under her breath.

"Nishikino, I heard that." Nico scowled at them. "Anyway, let's go! There's still light and if we're lucky, we'll be able to find it today. Otherwise, we're all going back tomorrow! And if you don't follow right now, I'm waking all of you up at the crack of dawn then!"

With that threat hanging in the air, all three of them immediately took off after their future chief though not without grumbling under their breaths. Nico ignored them all, smiling smugly as she led them to their destination. The walk was quiet and Hanayo wanted to try to help alleviate some of the weird tension that still existed between all of them.

"T-Tanaka-san's fox was the orange one right?" Hanayo asked, wanting to make sure. It was usually his daughter that helped track them down whenever it got loose but his daughter had been on a long term mission and wasn't back yet. Nico nodded.

"Yep, the one with the scar on its ear." Nico looked into the small pouch she carried on her waist. "Hm, I don't have any treats in case it gets into a tough spot..."

"Then we'll just use Nico-chan's hair," Rin piped up, grinning. "Animals love your hair, nya!"

Nico slowly turned around, her voice a menacing tone. "Rin..."

"Just kidding!" Rin said easily, sticking her tongue out playfully at the older girl. "Then..." She looked over at Maki, who tensed up at the sudden attention. "Rin bets Nishikino is the type of person who doesn't get along with animals, so maybe we could use her as bait."

"T-that's not true!" Hanayo cried out. "T-the alpacas, they, u-um, seemed to like her!"

"Y-yeah! The alpacas... uh, like me?" Maki furrowed her brow in confusion, wondering whether that was really a good thing or not.

Rin snorted at her. "That's probably because you're always around Kayo-chin, who always has treats for them!"

Maki narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth, and said nothing, closing it. "Hmph," she huffed instead. "W-whatever, it doesn't mean anything!"

"Nishikino, stop being a sore loser!"

"What?! What are you talking about?!"

Hanayo couldn't help but smile to herself as she listened to Rin and Maki argue back and forth. Only a while ago, Rin could barely address Maki without some form of hostility. Now, she was teasing Maki in lighthearted fun, and even Maki was responding back instead of silently fuming as she had always done. There were still times where the both of them were still distrustful of each other, with Rin watching Maki carefully and Maki trying to pointedly ignore her when this happened, but it was... it was progress, Hanayo wanted to think. It had to count for something!

"We're here!" Nico announced then, bringing Hanayo out of her thoughts. She glanced all around, taking comfort in the familiar trees and greenery of the woods.

"You guys check out around here, I'll be around the cliffs. Don't come there unless you have a good reason, it's too dangerous for you." And she couldn't help but smirk, shooting a look over at Maki. "I'm sure Nishikino knows."

Maki immediately flushed, her trademark scowl on her face.

"Alright, I'll be going now and I'll be coming to check up on you all every now and then so don't slack off!" And in a flash, Nico was instantly gone.

"Let's get started then," Maki said with a sigh, voicing their mood for all of them. They split up, going to different parts of the woods to search individually.

After some time, Hanayo wiped the sweat off her brow, staring up at the sky. The sun was further along in the sky, going down now. She couldn't help but feel as if they were searching forever. She swore she leaped around the whole forest like three times, even using some of the treats she had in her pack too to try to entice the fox out, but all to no avail. Hanayo jumped down from the branch she was on, easily landing on the ground with a small gasp.

"Koizumi, how's it going over there?" She heard Maki call out. Hanayo glanced behind her, wondering if Maki had always been nearby or if she just happened to be there.

"I-I haven't found anything—" and she stopped when she heard the rustle of bushes in front of her. She snapped her head back down, alert.

A pair of ears stuck out of the bush before the furry head of a fox followed. Hanayo blinked at the beady eyes looking at her curiously before she recognized the scar on its ear. She tensed up her body, ready to spring into action. The fox looked at her and Hanayo swore it gave her a smile before turning around and dashing off, bushy tail waving behind it.

"A-ah! Wait!" Hanayo scrambled on her feet, rushing off.

"K-Koizumi!"

Hanayo ran, keeping her eyes trained on the tail. So focused on trying to follow it that when it abruptly leaped into a bush, she nearly crashed into a tree. But she managed to right herself in time and stood before the bush it had disappeared into. It rustled tauntingly.

Taking a deep breath, Hanayo reached into the bush, feeling around for the-

A sharp pain made her yelp and pull back. When she looked at her arm, there was a bloody gash running down the length of it.

"Koizumi!" Maki was next to her then, looking at her arm.

"A-ah, Nishikino-san," Hanayo mumbled, watching Maki inspect her arm. The pain hadn't quite hit her yet—ah, there it was now, as she sucked in a breath at the terrible sting. "S-sorry, I wasn't c-careful."

"Never mind that, this..." Maki reached into her bag, pulling out a small container. She opened it to reveal some sort of ointment inside. "Here, treatment for your arm." Before Hanayo could blink, Maki had taken her arm and began to slather the ointment onto it, covering her wound. Hanayo tried not to cringe at the pain but Maki noticed anyway.

"S-sorry, I'll try to be gentler," she mumbled, going slower this time. Hanayo shook her head but her attention went down to the small bottle Maki had.

"Did you get this from Kotori-chan?"

"No, I made this myself." And Maki froze, as if realizing exactly what she said. Hanayo blinked at her.

"You... you made this yourself?" she asked.

"No! I mean!" Maki looked conflicted, as if she wanted to tell her but at the same time, didn't want to. Hanayo smiled gently her and shook her head.

"I-it's fine if you don't want to tell me."

"N-no! I... it's..." Maki sighed, finishing putting on the ointment before reaching into her bag to pull out bandages. She talked as she wrapped Hanayo's arm. "I... I did. I made it." Her voice was soft. "B-but it works and I-I'm not u-using you as a-an experiment or s-something! I, um, tried it on myself, and i-it worked s-so I know it works! They're almost as good as Kotori's herbs! I... think."

Hanayo blinked at her, still trying to make sense of Maki's words through all of her stuttering. Once she did though, she smiled. "O-oh! I, um, thank you. You're... um, knowledgeable about herbs then, Nishikino-san?"

Maki looked up at her but didn't answer right away. Hanayo realized why when she pulled away, having finished wrapping Hanayo's arm.

"It's not really that deep of a cut but remember to change the bandages every few hours. If you need more ointment, u-um..." Maki looked away, scratching the back of her neck as her voice began to get quieter and quieter, "j-just come find me and I'll give you more. I'll try to, um, put this into something smaller."

Despite the fact that Hanayo had to strain her ears to hear the end, she managed to catch everything. She nodded before looking down at her arm, inspecting her bandages. "Nishikino-san, I didn't know that you also... um, knew about healing." Maki looked up at her, frowning as if Hanayo had said something weird. Hanayo waved her hand frantically. "A-ah! I mean, I wasn't trying t-to, er, make fun of you, I-I just meant like..."

"No, I know." Maki looked away from her, her cheeks red for some reason. "I... I... um, there... there was some texts around and I read... up on some of it, I guess. Ah, b-but never mind that though!" she exclaimed suddenly. Hanayo became confused, wondering what else they were talking about.

"Y-yes?" Hanayo asked hesitantly, when Maki made no sound after her outburst. Maki's cheeks reddened and she glanced side to side first before looking at Hanayo in an oddly serious way.

"My... my name, you... you should... use that instead," she mumbled before rushing out a string of words in one breath. "I-I mean! It just feels weird to have you call me by my family name all the time and!" She ran out of breath but it looked as if her momentum also ran out as she returned to mumbling under her breath. "I... I mean... it's... I..."

Hanayo blinked at her. "Your... your name?" Her name...

"Ma... Maki," she said slowly, as if she had learned a new word. A moment passed and the both of them widened their eyes. Hanayo's face felt like it was on fire and she cleared her throat. "U-um! I... I-I mean, um, Maki... Maki-chan?"

"That's! That's, um, that's fine." Maki said in a high pitched squeak, looking away and twirling her hair.

"Maki-chan," Hanayo tried again, wondering why saying Maki's name was making her blush. The more she said it though, the more natural it was starting to feel. "Maki-chan. Maki-chan. Maki-"

"S-stop saying my name so much!" Maki pouted at her. "It... it sounds so embarrassing if you keep saying it."

"O-oh! Sorry." Hanayo swallowed, gathering her courage to voice her own request. "T-then... um, you... you can use my name too." For some reason, the words made Maki gape at her. Hanayo waved her hands frantically, rushing to clarify. "It's... it's only fair? I-I mean..."

Maki swallowed, feeling nothing but apprehension as she spoke. "Ha... Hanayo." She widened her eyes, as if she was discovering something for the very first time. "Hanayo," she said again, in a quieter and still unsure voice.

"Maki-chan," Hanayo returned with a nod, trying to smile reassuringly.

"Hanayo..." Maki said again, still blinking with wonder.

"Maki...-chan."

"... Hanayo?"

"Maki-chan!"

"... what the heck are we doing?" Maki said instead, her face exasperated. The sight of it made Hanayo giggle, now realizing how silly they were both being. Maki let out a quiet laugh as well, the corners of her mouth quirked upward. The sight of that made Hanayo pause, staring at Maki.

Hanayo was always so used to Maki's usual scowl that it seemed weird for the other girl to make any other expression. Before, the smiles Maki used to direct at her were all smug as she gloated about her victories. And now, however small it was, Hanayo couldn't help but notice it here.

"... are you staring at me?" Maki asked suddenly, slightly uncomfortable. Hanayo shook her head, quickly realizing she was caught. "W-what is it?"

"N-nothing!" Hanayo quickly squeaked, getting up on her feet. "T-the fox is probably gone, we should go back, Rin-chan might be worried about us," she said instead, hoping to distract Maki. "A-and, um, t-thank you for taking care of my arm!"

"... no problem," Maki said with a shrug though she still looked at Hanayo strangely. "Let's get going then." They walked back to the clearing they all started at and Rin was there, worriedly looking all around. She let out a shout once she spotted them, rushing right over.

"K-Kayo-chin?! Where did you-ah! What happened to your arm!?" Rin exclaimed as she ran over to them.

"I'm okay!" Hanayo quickly said. "I-I saw the fox and it went into a bush and I tried to reach in but I got cut instead." She let out a sheepish laugh. "Um... Ni—I mean! I... u-um... M-Maki... Maki-chan helped me bandage my arm."

Rin paused, looking between the both of them. Hanayo tried to push down the blush threatening to blossom across her face although she was still better than Maki, whose whole face was already as red as her hair. Rin's expression instantly became sly.

"Kayo-chin, you're getting close to Nishikino! Which means..." She slung an arm around Maki, playful smile on her face. "Can Rin use your name too," she asked, obviously meant to tease the girl some more. Maki shot a quick look at her before looking away.

"... do whatever you want," she responded instead, sighing.

Both Hanayo and Rin were taken aback, sharing a look.

"We're... we're... w-we're..." Maki swallowed, glancing at the both of them before she looked down at the ground, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. "Aren't... aren't we... um... f-f-friends?"

Hanayo and Rin blinked rapidly and quickly shared another look. Maki was still refusing to look at them with her face turned downward, her hair falling in front of her and hiding whatever expression she currently had on.

"Huh?" Rin was the one who spoke, looking questioningly at the both of them. "Huh!? Really?!"

"N-never mind! For-forget it." Maki spun around on her heels, quickly walking off. "I-I'm going to check the other side of the woods, you two should go-"

"Maki-chan!" Hanayo shouted worriedly.

She froze in her tracks though she didn't turn around. Hanayo looked over at Rin. Her friend still looked uncertain but Hanayo knew her and recognized that Rin felt bad for her initial reaction. She nodded, hoping Rin would understand. Rin slowly returned the gesture and faced Maki, taking a deep breath.

"Maki-chan!"

And finally, Maki turned around, her eyes wide as she stared at Rin, who had shouted. The both of them stared at each other, as if waiting for something to happen. Hanayo opened her mouth-

"W-what is it... R-Rin?" Maki finally stuttered out. Her whole face turned bright red again and she kept shooting glances at Hanayo, as if asking for help. Rin was the same way, expression pleading for help as she looked at Hanayo.

Hanayo couldn't help but laugh, smiling at the both of them. And soon, before she knew it, they were both joining her, laughing.

"Is that the sound of slacking off I hear?!" Nico appeared next to them in that moment, and they all scrambled away, back to their original mission. Nico watched them all run away, shaking her head and muttering about 'stupid kids.'

In the end, they caught the fox, but not without Maki and Rin getting scratched up in the process. Hanayo gave one last pat to its head before she handed it back to its owner, being the only one the fox would even allow to get close.

"Couldn't you have just used Honoka-chan's dogs?" Rin asked afterward, wincing as she poked at her cuts. Maki slapped at her hands.

"Stop touching it, you'll make it worse," she said. Rin scowled at her.

"You're doing it too, Maki-chan!" She reached out to slap at Maki's hands but crashed into Nico, who now slowly turned around to look at them.

"... that's right, huh."

Even Hanayo couldn't help but join her friends in groaning in unison.

-2-

The seasons changed, and so did they.

They grew older, old enough to finally accept missions and jobs at sixteen years. Since Maki was a year older though, she already had a head start on it, but that was also all thanks to Nico.

"Here, your new mission," Nico said as she slapped the back of Maki's head with a scroll. Maki hissed with pain but said nothing, taking the assignment with a curt nod. She opened it and read through the contents, grimacing as she did so.

"... seriously, an escort mission? Those are so boring," Maki complained. "And why the hell is it so far away?" Nico shrugged, smirking at her.

"You want someone to keep you company then? I'm sure Nozomi or Honoka are free-"

"Don't you dare," Maki interrupted, her face pale at the thought.

Nico snickered at her. "Keep up the good work, Nishikino." She turned to Hanayo after. "Ah, right, Hanayo, I need your help later. The Hasekuras have some extra bags of rice and they agreed to let me-"

"R-rice?!" Hanayo immediately brightened up, nodding furiously. "W-whatever you need, I'm there!"

Nico gave her a strange look before she shook her head, smiling wryly. "Well, that was easier than I thought. Gotta run now, I'll see you later!" Waving goodbye to them, she disappeared in a flash. Maki still looked displeased, frowning as she stared at the scroll in her hands.

"If you don't like the mission, I can ask Nico-chan to give you something else," Hanayo said worriedly. Maki glanced up at her before waving her hand.

"No, it's fine, I'll do it." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's tedious but nothing I won't do, don't worry about it." Maki made a face. "And it isn't as if I can refuse anyway..."

"H-huh?"

Maki tapped the scroll. "The assignment is in two days and the village is also more than a half day's worth of travel away, so I'll have to leave tomorrow morning. There'll be no time to find anyone else. Probably no one wanted to take the mission anyway and she gave it to me. Like she always does," she added under her breath.

"Why... why would Nico-chan do that? Why would she wait so long?" Hanayo asked confusedly.

"... to piss me off," Maki muttered before shaking her head. "Never mind, I'll take care of it, don't worry about me." She turned to Hanayo, her expression apologetic. "I'm sorry, I won't be able to help you out with your garden."

"N-no! Don't worry about it, Rin-chan will be helping me out." Hanayo smiled at her. "G-good luck on your mission! Oh, what time are you planning on leaving tomorrow?"

"The morning, maybe just a little past when the sun comes out," Maki answered before she turned to Hanayo. "You don't have to, you know." Having heard this line many times, even from Rin too, Hanayo only shook her head and smiled up at Maki.

The next morning, Hanayo woke up earlier than normal. She sighed tiredly and rolled over, retreating further into her blankets and closing her eyes once more.

She snapped awake some time later, eyes wide with panic. "O-oh no! I wasn't supposed to sleep so late, ah..." She quickly scrambled out of bed, realizing she was now going to be cutting it close.

After refreshing herself up, she rushed to the kitchen, hoping she could make it in time. Once she finished, she quickly gathered her things into a small bag, running out the door.

"Hanayo, going out so soon?" Her mother called out. Hanayo yelped and nearly tripped on her face, surprised from the shout.

"I-I'll be back soon!" she answered back, quickly putting her shoes on and running down the familiar road.

Maki was already at the entrance of the village by the time Hanayo caught up to her. "M-Maki-chan!" Her friend turned around, eyes wide.

"Hanayo? When did you get here?" Her surprised look turned into amusement. "You just barely woke up, did you? Here..." Maki reached out, smoothing over a piece of Hanayo's hair. "It was sticking out."

"Ah..." Hanayo smiled gratefully at her. "T-thank you."

Maki nodded, a pink tinge on her face. "U-um, yeah, no problem. What are you doing here? I'm about to head out."

"Oh! Um, here!" Hanayo held up the bag in her hands. "I-I made some rice balls for you."

"... hm?" Maki blinked, looking down at the bag. "Ah..." She sighed, a tiny smile on her face. "Really? You don't always have to do this every time, you know."

"I-I know, but I want to," Hanayo replied, smiling back at her. "I would have made more but I accidentally woke up a little later." Maki looked away, the pink hue changing to a red now.

"U-um, yeah. I... guess." She took the bag from Hanayo's hands, holding it gingerly. "T-thank you."

"Of course!" Hanayo chirped out. "Good luck and stay safe on your journey."

"Yeah. I'll... I'll be off now, then." Maki nodded at her. Hanayo watched her leave, waving at her. She was about to walk away when Maki turned around. Maki slowly raised her hand, waving at Hanayo one last time, a gesture Hanayo eagerly returned with a wide smile. With that, Maki finally turned back around and took off in a leap.

Hanayo nodded to herself, turning around. "I need to get ready for today too," she said, walking back. Despite her determination, she let out a giant yawn. "A-ah... maybe after a quick nap first... I did wake up earlier than normal..."

Before Hanayo knew it, two weeks had flew by in the blink of an eye.

Maki still wasn't back yet and though the thought was worrying, Hanayo knew Maki could take care of herself. She was the Nishikino heir after all, and there wasn't anything she couldn't handle, Hanayo liked to think. Rin teased her for worrying but Hanayo knew her best friend was worried too, acting a little too cheerful in order to help distract the both of them.

"It's Maki-chan, nya," Rin said reassuringly as she hefted the bag of soil onto her shoulders. "Kayo-chin, where do you want me to put this?"

"A-ah, um, over there!" Hanayo pointed with her shovel before returning to digging a hole. "I know, but Nico-chan said it wasn't that hard and it wouldn't take that long, maybe only a week at the latest."

"You're just worrying too much, Rin thinks," her friend answered, throwing down the bag of soil and running back to pick up another one. Still, as Hanayo looked up, there was an uneasy look on Rin's face.

"I hope so," Hanayo murmured, putting it out of her mind to focus on the task she had been doing for the past two weeks.

Four days later, Hanayo was approached.

"Ah, Hanayo-chan!" She looked up-she immediately became stiff, bowing deeply.

"U-um! Ni-Nishikino-san!" she greeted.

"Hanayo-chan, so formal!" Maki's mother laughed, waving her up. "There's no need for that."

"A-ah, um, r-right." Hanayo slowly straightened herself up, preparing herself for what Maki's mother could want with her.

"Sorry to ask this of you but have you seen Maki-chan anywhere?"

Hanayo blinked. "Huh? Didn't... didn't she have a mission?"

"No, she came back last week already. Ah, she finished it without a problem, don't worry." Nishikino-san smiled reassuringly.

"O-oh, did she?" Hanayo furrowed her brow, thinking to herself. Maki liked to rest for a day or two before meeting up with them, but she would at least send word to let them know that she was back safe and sound.

"She's been waking up early in the morning and heading off until nighttime. I was hoping you might know but..." Nishikino-san sighed, a sound of worry. "She won't even tell me, her mother, anything! Ah, they just grow up so fast..."

"I-I'll try to find her, Nishikino-san," Hanayo replied nervously. "I-I'm sorry I couldn't b-be more help, um..."

"Ah, no, of course!" Nishikino-san patted her on the head. "Thank you for being Maki-chan's friend. I know she has a hard time opening up to others, especially to you."

"O-oh! Um, ah... um, yes, of course," Hanayo could only say, too flustered to say anything else. She hadn't been expecting Maki's mother to say something like that. She felt her cheeks warming when Nishikino-san smiled at her in a way that told her that she knew. Hanayo bowed awkwardly, murmuring her goodbyes and that she would help find Maki before rushing off.

She went all over the village, searching for familiar red hair. It was to no avail though, as she was sure she circled the village twice already. She was silently thankful that she still kept up her training, as she leaped from building to building. She was sure it would have taken twice as long if she had run on the ground instead. Where... where could Maki even be now...

"Hanayo-chan! What are you doing?" A voice shouted out.

Hanayo turned her head downward to where the shout came from. Nozomi and-oh! She jumped off the building, landing carefully in front of them and bowing slightly.

"H-hello," she greeted, awkwardly glancing between amused green eyes and curious blue ones. "U-um, you wouldn't happened to have seen Maki-chan anywhere, have you?"

"Maki?" Eli glanced upward in a thoughtful expression. "Not around the village specifically but I caught her once in the woods."

"R-really?!" Hanayo blurted out. "O-oh, um, sorry."

Eli blinked, taken aback for a moment before she nodded. "That was maybe two days ago though? During the full mo-" And she broke off, coughing to herself. "Excuse me. Not sure if she'll still be there but you can try."

"Um, okay! T-thank you for your help!" Hanayo bowed again in thanks. "I'll, um, get going now." She turned around, hurrying off.

"Good luck," Nozomi shouted after her. Hanayo shouted her thanks.

Of course, the woods! Hanayo wasn't sure why she didn't come up with this sooner. She reached the outskirts of the village, staring up at the familiar trees that she had known her whole life. It was almost like playing in her own backyard at this point. She readied herself, about to leap atop a tree before she paused.

... ah, but where in the woods though? Hanayo realized she had forgotten to ask Eli where she was. She stood back up, hand on her head as she thought to herself.

There was one place that was coming to her right now, but... there... there...

Before she realized, her feet were already taking off, easily going through the woods on a familiar route she used to travel on. Well, it was worth a try, Hanayo only thought. She'd figure it out from there.

… not that she really needed to, as she spotted Maki on top of a familiar stump in the middle of a familiar clearing, hunched over with her eyes serious as she stared ahead of her. Hanayo stilled, feeling a wave of familiar feelings hit her as she took in this sight. Unable to help the sudden apprehension and nervousness she felt, she crept closer.

Concentrating so much on keeping quiet that when Maki sighed loudly, the sound made Hanayo yelp in response. Maki snapped her head in her direction.

"W-w-who's there?!" she shouted, a dagger in her hands already and poised to strike-

"Maki-chan!" Hanayo shouted, rushing forward with her hands raised to stop Maki from attacking.

And Maki yelped instead, falling over onto the ground. Hanayo gasped, immediately rushing to her side and helping up the other girl. "Maki-chan!"

"Ha-Hanayo!? What are you doing here?!" Maki said, blinking rapidly at her.

"I... um... your mother asked me about you and I... I got worried and went to find you..." Hanayo trailed off, unsure now, especially when Maki let out an annoyed huff. "S-sorry, if you want to be l-left alone then I'll-"

"No, it's fine." Maki looked at her, the corners of her mouth twitching upward in an attempt to reassure Hanayo. "I... um, thanks, I guess."

Hanayo nodded, still uncertain about what else to say. It looked as if Maki wanted to be left alone but she... she said it was fine? The situation felt so surreal to Hanayo who couldn't help but remember that time, when Maki only looked at her with nothing but disdain and anger. Despite everything that happened since then, she couldn't help the nervousness she felt.

"... Hanayo, is something wrong?" Maki asked then, looking at her worriedly. "You're quieter than normal."

Hanayo snapped her head up, gaping at Maki. "H-huh!? I should be asking you that!"

"W-what?" Maki didn't expect that answer to be fired back at her. "I... I just... um." She looked away, sighing. "I... I guess, yeah."

"... huh?" Hanayo didn't expect to give up so suddenly. "Maki-chan... is... is there something bothering you?"

"... hm." Maki shrugged her shoulders and grunted, a sound that could have meant anything.

"If... if something's bothering you... then... then, I'm... I can... I can listen if you want." Maki turned to her, and Hanayo's voice trailed lower and lower, nervously mumbling. "If something's bothering you, I can... I can listen! I'm here to help. But that's, um... if you want... a-and if you don't th-then that's... that's okay too! I..."

"... Hanayo." Maki's tone was exasperated. "I got it, thanks."

"... o-oh," Hanayo could only answer, sighing as she realized she had made a fool out of herself.

"I mean!" Maki shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't... I didn't mean to say it like that. I mean, thanks for... um, being here, I... I think."

"N-no! I, um, understand, it's fine."

Just like that, they lapsed into another silence that Hanayo couldn't help but think was awkward. There was something obviously bothering Maki and Hanayo wanted to help but at the same time, she didn't want to prod the other girl. She wanted to wait for Maki to tell her but it looked as if her friend was more content to brood in silence instead. That had to be why Maki didn't tell them they were back yet, and Hanayo had intruded on that. If Maki wanted to be alone, then Hanayo... had to leave-

"Hanayo?"

"Y-y-y-yes?!" she yelped out instead, snapping upright. Maki turned to her, raising an eyebrow. Hanayo cleared her throat, letting out a careful smile. "S-sorry. But, um, yes?"

Maki stared at her, as if studying her. Hanayo fidgeted under that heavy look, glancing away. When Maki spoke again, her voice was soft. "Hanayo... have... have you ever thought about what you want to do?"

"... eh?" Hanayo met Maki's eyes, blinking rapidly. "What I want to do? Like... huh?"

"Like..." Maki pushed her lips together, as if she was debating whether to speak or not. "Like... your... your future. Something like that."

"My... my future?" Hanayo furrowed her brow. "I... I'm not sure, I guess."

"... ah." It was the only thing Maki said before she looked away. Hanayo felt as if her answer disappointed Maki and she struggled to clarify.

"I... I mean, I'm probably... probably not really going to be... a ninja," Hanayo murmured, feeling nothing but uneasiness. "I can keep up with t-the training now and the easy missions but the h-harder ones... I don't think I can do it. I'd probably fail them all." She stared down at her hands, smiling ruefully. "I'm... a disgrace to the Koizumi. I feel like I was born to the wrong family-"

"H-Hanayo!" Maki stood up, facing her with anger. "Don't... don't talk about yourself like that!"

Hanayo kept her gaze down as she spoke her next words. "But it's the t-truth! E-everyone else is just so much better than me, and I can barely do any of the easy things, even when you're all teaching me h-how to be better... I don't e-even have anything special about me—ah!"

Maki reached out abruptly and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her and forcing Hanayo look at her.

"Stop talking about yourself like that! Just because you might not be the same like that rest of us doesn't mean that we're better or you're worse. I mean, I still can't figure out when you sneak up on me," she added with a mumble, coughing awkwardly afterward. "A-anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you're... you're... you have your own talents too, and you shouldn't always get yourself down about the things you're not good at. Maybe... it's just better to concentrate on the things you're good at instead."

Maki's voice was quiet as she continued. "You're... you're better than you think you are."

Hanayo could only listen to Maki's outburst, still stunned at all the things Maki had said about her. "Maki-chan... you... um..."

Maki glanced at her, sighing softly. "Trust me, I know that you're... you're not worthless. I... I mean... I'm always watching you and you're always working so hard, so I know-" Maki trailed off, widening her eyes when she realized what she had revealed. "W-wait, I... did I just..."

Hanayo looked at her confusedly. "You're... you're always watching me?" she asked, stunned at the revelation.

"That!" Maki yelped, shaking her head. "I mean, from back then! I mean, when we were still, um, fighting! I mean, of course I had to! You were supposed to be my enemy and rival and... and! And you... you just!" Maki covered her face, trailing off in a squeak.

Hanayo could do nothing but blink in surprise. What... what was she supposed to think, after an admission like that? It was something she never thought she'd hear Maki say, much less be here reassuring Hanayo that the words Hanayo constantly echoed in her own head were wrong.

It seemed surreal, especially when several years ago, Maki herself was telling her the same things. And now, to hear Maki say otherwise, trying to tell her she wasn't worthless...

Hanayo felt something stirring inside of her, a small kindling of a hope she thought would never come to fruition. She wanted to speak but her tongue refused to work with her, not that her mind was.

"Maki-chan," was all she could manage, still too bewildered to say anything. Maki let out a squeak but still continued to hide her face behind her hands. Hanayo almost wanted to laugh. Instead, she slowly reached out. The tip of her fingers brushed Maki's hand-

-and Maki leaped backward, staring at Hanayo as if she had committed a heinous crime.

Hanayo really did laugh this time, the sight too comical for her to not. Maki frowned but there was a tiny smile on her face. "I-I'm, sor-sorry," and Hanayo let out another snort, covering her mouth. "It's, you just, looked so funny, and I couldn't-" she couldn't speak, still laughing.

"Yeah, yeah," Maki grumbled, rolling her eyes as she walked back. "I, er, um, didn't... um, mean to... say something like that. At least aloud," she muttered.

Hanayo laughed again, smiling up at her. "I... I didn't mind. Just... thank you, for... for saying all those things." She shyly looked down at the ground. "I feel better about it now."

"... I-I guess that's good then," Maki said, still looking embarrassed. Knowing Maki couldn't see her face, Hanayo smiled widely at herself, indulging herself. After calming herself down, she looked back up, looking at Maki curiously.

"What about you then, Maki-chan?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"U-um, the same thing you asked me. What do you want to do in the future?"

Maki slowly looked at her, as if studying Hanayo for... for something she wasn't sure of. She continued staring and Hanayo couldn't help but fidget under the attention.

"... to be honest, I'm not sure."

"H-huh?!" Hanayo blinked at her, eyes wide. "You... you don't know?! Like... you don't want to be the head of your family?"

"Yes! W-wait, no, I... I mean... I..." Maki groaned in frustration, running a hand through her hair. "I... I'm the heir so of course I have to take over the family but... I... I don't want to be... a ninja."

There were a lot of things that could surprise Hanayo, but none of them held a candle to what Maki had just told her, even in light of everything that had just happened earlier.

"The Nishikino aren't as, well, huge like the Koizumi. I have to be heir because there really isn't anyone else. And we've always been ninjas, that's just how it is. That's... that's why I've been training my whole life. But... I don't think that's what I want to do." Maki sighed deeply.

"If not a ninja, then... what... what would you do?" Hanayo asked quietly. It felt unfair of her ask this of Maki, not when Hanayo had the same problem as well. She wasn't fit to be a ninja but she was born to the main family, and she had never heard of anyone in her family giving up the title of heir to someone else not of the head family. She wanted to ask her mother but the thought of even asking something like that made Hanayo feel like she was disappointing her mother, who had done nothing but encourage her to do her best.

Maki remained in thought, crossing her arms. "Maybe... maybe a doctor?" she spoke quietly, heat rising to her cheeks at the admission.

"A doctor?" The words were further than what Hanayo expected to hear but somehow... they made sense, the more she thought about it. Maki did seem to know a lot about the herbs and plants, and she had always made sure to see to their injuries with lots of cautious advice on how to take care of it. Hanayo looked at her friend, and found Maki had shrank within herself, waiting in anticipation for Hanayo's answer. "I think it suits you!" She nodded excitedly. "You'd be a great doctor!"

"R-really?" Both Maki's expression and voice were hopeful before composing herself into impassiveness. "I-I mean, you're j-just not saying that, r-right?"

Hanayo smiled at her. "Of course not. You're always amazing at everything you do. And doing something like this, helping out others instead... I think it's wonderful."

Maki stared at her, eyes wide with disbelief. "You... y-you really think so?" she asked, her voice soft.

Hanayo nodded with certainty, the most sure she had ever been in her life. "Of course! I... I believe in you! I'll support you all the way!"

"You're... enthusiastic," Maki only said but Hanayo knew it was out of embarrassment, by the way she looked away, twirling her hair. "I-I-I mean, it r-really isn't what I'm s-sure of, t-to be honest, but..." Her face turned red and her next words were rushed and almost inaudible. "It makes me happy to know I have your support." It took a moment for Hanayo to register what she had heard but when she did, Hanayo nodded again, smiling widely.

"Of course, Maki-chan! You're... trying to help me out, and I want to do the same for you too."

"Help... you out?" Maki looked at her strangely. For some reason, Hanayo felt as if Maki seemed conflicted by her words, by the way she suddenly frowned. "I... yeah, I... guess. I mean, it's... the least I can do," she mumbled, suddenly uneasy.

"Maki-chan?" Hanayo asked worriedly, concerned at the way her friend suddenly seemed down.

"No, it's nothing, never mind. I just... um, y-yeah, I just..." Maki sighed but met Hanayo's gaze, giving her a small nod. "U-um, thanks... thanks for listening to me, I-I guess."

Though Hanayo wasn't convinced, all she could do was smile at Maki, feeling as if for the first time, they finally understood each other.

-3-

"Hanayo, is that you?" Her mother called out as soon as she opened the door, returning from being out with Maki and Rin for the day. "Come look at this!"

Her mother had rarely sounded so excited and with curiosity bubbling inside of her, Hanayo went to find her mother. She found her in the guestroom, a letter in her hands. "Mother? What is that?"

Her mother smiled secretively at her. "You won't guess what I just found!"

And Hanayo could do nothing but listen with wide eyes, absolutely bewildered as to what her fate had almost become. This... she had to tell Rin, was all she could think.

"Rin-chan!" she called out excitedly the next day, running even to get to her best friend faster.

"K-Kayo-chin?! What are you so excited for?!" Rin asked with a smile on her face, taking in Hanayo's excitement as well.

"Y-you won't believe what my mother found!"

Hanayo relayed exactly what had happened, leaving out no details. Rin's eyes were just as wide as Hanayo's when she found out as well.

"You're kidding me," was all Rin could say. "I didn't know your family was that old-fashioned!"

"W-well, we are... old," Hanayo said. "But to think that even I had something like that! It seems kind of amazing."

"Kayo-chin, would you have gone along with it though?" Rin asked, looking at her thoughtfully. "I mean, probably not but still, if it still existed today, do you think you would have-"

"Hey, sorry I'm late," a voice interrupted. Hanayo and Rin turned to find Maki standing there, disgruntled. "Nico just dumped a whole bunch of errands on me as I was coming."

"That definitely sounds like Nico-chan," Rin said with a snicker. Maki groaned, rolling her eyes.

"... yeah. Anyway, what are you talking about? Did I interrupt anything?"

Hanayo grinned at her. "A-ah, you wouldn't believe what happened yesterday! My mother found a letter and inside..." she paused for dramatic effect, sharing a look with Rin. Maki raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting patiently. Hanayo continued, unable to contain her own excitement. "I apparently had an arranged marriage between one of Father's-"

"Hanayo-chan!"

Kotori came up to them in that moment, hand on Hanayo. "The alpacas are loose again!" And just like that, she took off in a run.

"O-oh!" Hanayo chased after Kotori. "S-sorry! I'll try to be quick!"

Rin waved goodbye to her, shouting afterward. "Good luck! Don't let them get near Nico-chan again!" Hanayo turned her head to give them a nervous smile before running away.

Rin turned back—and found Maki staring at the spot where Hanayo was at. "Hanayo... has an arranged marriage?" Maki asked slowly, narrowing her eyes as she glanced over at Rin.

"No she doesn-" and Rin paused, carefully studying Maki. The other girl looked completely displeased, the corners of her mouth downward. The way she looked right now reminded Rin of years before, of when Maki used to give Hanayo that same look. And now...

It made Rin want to laugh at how much things had really changed. And this was something Rin could use to tease Maki endlessly about.

Rin shrugged her shoulders, hoping she didn't look too obvious. "Kayo-chin was just about to tell me too when you came, so Rin doesn't know either, nya!"

"Is... that so." Maki looked as if she didn't trust Rin but left it, crossing her arms. "Hanayo..." she mumbled, a dark expression on her face. Rin could only hope that nothing would come out of this. She'd tell the truth if Maki got any funny ideas.

When Hanayo finished rounding up the alpacas, it was already nighttime. Knowing that Rin and Maki had already given up waiting for her, she went home instead.

She knew, as she stepped inside the house, that tonight was different.

"Hanayo, come here!" Her mother called out. Hanayo immediately ran over to where her mother was, in the guest room. Her mother smiled at her, along with unfamiliar people Hanayo had never seen in her life. She almost yelped before remembering her manners, bowing to them in greeting. "Hanayo, this is your father's old friend! Why don't you come over and say hi? They even have a child your age too."

From the other end of the table opposite from Hanayo, was a boy, who shyly smiled at her. Hanayo slowly nodded, still trying to wrap her mind around all the new guests. There was something... strange, something off she was feeling, and she was trying to figure out what was bothering her...

And it hit her that since she was chasing the alpacas all day, she was dirty, and this meant how she looked right now, full of grime and smudges on her kimono, was their first impression of her.

"A-ah! U-um, I'm sorry, I'm a little dirty right now and I... I-I, um—excuse me!" and she rushed off but not before bowing deeply in apology.

Later, Hanayo had learned that they were the Fujishiros. Hanayo had recognized the name from her father, when he told her stories of when he was young and got lost at sea and it was the elder Fujishiro who had saved him. Then they had lost contact because of her father traveling until he came to the village and married her mother and in a twist of fate, Fujishiro had chanced on the village and ran into her father. They were coming back from visiting their relatives and only meant to take a quick stop to restock on supplies before heading out again before her father ran into them. Of course, her father had invited them to stay, and now here they were.

Somehow, Hanayo wasn't very surprised to learn later on that she had to show their son around the village. Their parents were busy catching up, and Hanayo thought she was imagining it but her father's friends seemed intent on pushing him out with her. She hoped she was imagining it.

Now, they stood outside, wandering aimlessly as Hanayo thought about where to take him. For a village full of ninjas, there really... wasn't a lot remarkable about it, if Hanayo had to be honest. Not everyone was a ninja, as evidenced by the Kousakas being a family that focused on making desserts (and things that exploded, but that was a different story) and including several more families of her other friends, but... there really wasn't much they had.

"Fujishiro-san, is there any place you'd like to see?" Hanayo asked, gesturing all around. "Oh! We have alpacas! Ah... but maybe Kotori-chan's busy today... maybe not..." She trailed off, wondering what to even do.

"Koizumi-san, you don't have to... um, show me anything special. We can just walk around and you can point out things?" he offered, smiling politely at her. "My family will be here for a few days so there isn't... that much of a rush."

"Oh... I... I guess we can do that." Hanayo gestured to the road. "U-um, I guess, we can go down here first?" Fujishiro nodded his agreement, and they went off. Hanayo pointed out the houses of her neighbors and friends, explaining what each family did.

"Over there are the, u-um, Sonoda, and they do traditional dancing-"

"Kayo-chin!"

Hanayo stopped speaking, looking up to find Rin waving to her. "R-Rin-chan!" she shouted, waving back.

"Kayo-chin! Are you busy—eh?" Rin blinked, turning to look at the boy behind her. "Nya?"

"Ah, this is... um." Hanayo turned to him, smiling politely as she introduced him. "One of my father's old friends arrived yesterday, and this is... um, their youngest son. I-I'm supposed to show him around right now."

Rin stared at her incredulously for some reason, eyes moving back and forth between them. Then she looked as if she wanted to laugh, glancing away afterward as if she had a secret.

"Rin... has to do some damage control," she said mysteriously, spinning around. "Good luck, Kayo-chin!" she called out as she took off in a running start, leaping onto the nearest house.

"R-Rin-chan!? What do you—a-ah, she's always too fast for me..." Hanayo sighed, whimpering quietly.

"You... you guys really are ninja," Fujishiro said, quietly awed. "My family are all merchants and even if we do hire ninjas for help, well... I've never actually gotten to see one in action."

"R-really? This... this is pretty normal?" Hanayo said, wondering if this really did seem strange to someone like him. This was what she had grown up with, and she had no doubt to believe she would see this for the rest of her life.

"It's... it's so cool," he said in an amazed whisper. He turned to her, excited now. "Does that mean you can do that too? What else can you do? Is there-"

Hanayo waved her hands, trying to keep up with the steady barrage of questions but before she even realized, the whole day was gone and all she had done was talk about what they normally did in the village. Despite not doing very much, Hanayo felt drained of energy. It wasn't very often that they had guests over and though Hanayo was willing to entertain, there was only so much... attention she could withstand.

The next two days were almost largely the same, with Fujishiro asking about what their village did. There was a minor incident with one of Kotori's alpacas, hopping down the road and excited to see Hanayo until it saw Fujishiro and without any warning, spat at him. Kotori came running not long after and both Hanayo and her apologized profusely while he reassured them it was fine, awkwardly laughing with spit on his face.

The oddest thing though, had to be how Hanayo couldn't quite shake the feeling that they were being watched. When she tried to look all around though, she couldn't see anyone though she could have sworn she heard some sort of faint yelling in the distance that she sounded suspiciously like Rin.

… maybe the stress of having guests over was starting to get to Hanayo more than she thought. It certainly wasn't helping that Hanayo had most certainly picked up what her father's friend were hoping for, by pushing their son and her out together. He was friendly and polite, Hanayo couldn't deny that. He listened attentively when she talked, especially when she described what they did in the village. His family also had considerable wealth that could still be passed onto even him, the youngest of four siblings. It would have been a good match, for the both of them.

But there was only one problem, as Hanayo let her thoughts tread into dangerous territory, of something she only allowed herself to dream of.

When Hanayo and her mother were both alone in the kitchen, working on dinner for the guests, Hanayo finally gathered her courage and spoke up. "M-Mother, u-um, did... were... were you, u-um, expecting me and..." and she trailed off, her courage leaving her just as quickly as it came. She glanced behind her, to where her Father and their guests were, hoping for her mother to get the hint.

"Ah," her mother had only said, nodding with a smile. Though Hanayo had always listened to her parents, her heart fell at the confirmation. She was silent now, uneasiness building inside of her.

"Hanayo," Her mother said as she laid a hand on top of her head, smoothing back her hair. Hanayo looked up at her questioningly. "Your cooking's getting a lot better! At this rate, you'll be even better than me! When I was your age, I actually barely knew how to cook. Your grandpa insisted on making me take as many missions and assignments as I could, to show up the Nishikino. And if it it wasn't that, it was always training."

"H-huh?! Really?" Hanayo didn't know about this. Her mother laughed, smiling as she recalled the memories.

"Your grandfather was very insistent on it though I didn't care for it. Nishikino felt the same way as me. Maybe that's why Maki-chan's grandfather tried really hard with her. Your grandfather would have probably tried the same with you, if he were still around."

Hanayo didn't know what to say, staring at her mother as if she had suddenly learned too many new things at once.

"Hanayo," her mother said then, looking at her, "you should do what makes you happy." She leaned down, pressing a kiss to Hanayo's forehead. Hanayo only nodded in her confusion, wondering what had prompted her mother to say those things. "Good, now..." Her mother turned back to the kitchen counter and put a large bowl of rice in her hands. "It's time for dinner."

Any stray thoughts were instantly wiped from her mind by the scent of freshly cooked white rice, and she didn't think about it until the next day. She stood outside, just a little way off from her house, hand on her chin as she thought to herself.

"Koizumi-san!"

Hanayo yelped at being interrupted and quickly turned around, finding Fujishiro coming toward her. Hanayo thought he was out with his parents but maybe not...

"Y-yes?" she asked.

"You said that you've also trained in the ways of the ninja, right? I mean, you're one of the legendary Koizumi!" he asked, a sparkle in his eyes. Hanayo couldn't help but freeze, realizing where this had to be going now. "Can you demonstrate some abilities?! You probably have some sort of super ability!"

"A-ah, that's... um..." Hanayo looked away, wondering how she could politely burst his bubble. "I... I'm not..."

Thankfully, Hanayo was saved from answering, when she realized there was someone familiar walking up next to them.

Except it wasn't really walking, now that Hanayo realized, but more like storming up to them, with an dark look in those violet eyes.

The greeting Hanayo was about to say died down when Maki only marched up to them and silently stood there, eyes trained entirely on the boy next to her.

"Who... are you?" Maki asked in a flat voice, the flattest Hanayo had ever heard from her.

Though Maki was shorter than the boy, she somehow managed to look as if she was towering over him, with her dark glare. He shrank back, eyes wide. He opened his mouth to answer but looked over to Hanayo, panic in his eyes.

"U-um!" Hanayo quickly said. Maki's eyes met hers and Hanayo nearly yelped at the intense look she had. "M-Maki-chan, t-this is, um, e-er-"

Why... why did Hanayo feel so nervous introducing him to Maki? It was impolite not to, but she felt as if there was something holding her back at the same time. What... what was it? This apprehensive feeling she had? Maki... she... why-

"M-Maki-chan! Why did you run off?! We weren't-gah!"

Hanayo was never more relieved to see her best friend until now, except Rin let out a choked sound, eyes darting back and forth between Maki and Hanayo in horror. "K-K-Kayo-chin! What a, er, surprise to see you here too! Ahaha..." Rin was looking at her apologetically though for what, Hanayo wasn't sure.

"Is this why you kept insisting on making me train with you and making me run all day," Maki suddenly said, whirling around to face Rin with narrowed eyes. She glanced back at Hanayo before looking at the now terrified boy.

"Are you the one then?" she asked, her voice low and threateningly. "If you think that I'll let you take away-"

"Nishikino! Mission time!" And before even Hanayo knew what was going on, Nico appeared next to them in the blink of an eye and in another blink, was dragging Maki off.

"N-Nico!? What the hell, didn't you just make me do something for you yesterday!?"

"Got another job up just now and we need your horse. Come on!"

"Dammit, let go of me—Nico!"

Rin let out a sigh of relief though Hanayo felt anything but, still entirely confused as to what had even happened in the past few moments. "Whew! That's one crisis stopped."

"R-Rin-chan! What's going on?' Hanayo looked over to where Nico and Maki had disappeared off to with a worried expression. "Is there something with Maki-chan?"

"Um!" Rin looked over at her, laughing nervously. "Rin... Rin kind of teased Maki-chan a little too much and um... you'll... you'll have to ask Maki-chan herself." She let out another nervous laugh, speaking under her breath, too low for Hanayo hear. "And she might really kill me this time if I do tell you."

"Ask... Maki-chan?" Hanayo whispered, unsure of why the thought of doing that was making her feel uneasy.

It wasn't as if she had many chances anyway, not when Nico and Maki returned a day later. Nico's greeting was the usual but Maki... Maki only nodded at her before dismissing herself suddenly, already leaping off before Hanayo could speak. Hanayo couldn't help but think she looked more than subdued, like the other time Hanayo had found her in the woods.

"Give her a few days," Nico said with a frown, sighing and muttering her breath but Hanayo swore she could something about Maki being an idiot.

Hanayo had no choice but to take Nico's advice, especially considering she didn't even get to see Maki. Rin and Nico came by sometimes, to chat with Hanayo and Fujishiro, but Maki was still no where to be seen. It hurt a little, knowing that Maki was avoiding her.

"It's... complicated, nya," Rin had said when Hanayo asked. "To be honest, Maki-chan's probably just overthinking things, you know how she is."

"Y-yeah..." Hanayo could only say, feeling the worry inside of her increase. If there was something bothering Maki, Hanayo wanted to help. But Maki looked like she was avoiding her, for whatever reason. And with Hanayo busy trying to entertain her father's friend and his family, she didn't have many chances to be able to sneak away and talk to Maki as well.

So it surprised her then, when Maki suddenly showed up in front of her.

"Uh," she only said, blinking at her. Hanayo blinked back at her, completely caught by surprise. They were both in the woods right now, with Hanayo out here to forage for seeds. She had thought about trying to find Maki but she didn't even know where to start, and Rin was too busy today to help her. So... why was Maki out here though?

"Are... are you alone?" Maki asked, glancing all around them. "That... that boy isn't here is he?"

"N-no, I'm here alone," Hanayo answered with a shake of her head.

"... good," Maki said though Hanayo wasn't sure why. But maybe it was, because this was the first time either of them were alone. Maki said nothing else but she seemed oddly alert, as if waiting for something to suddenly spring on them. If Maki wasn't going to say anything though...

"Maki-chan," Hanayo started, trying not to yelp when Maki immediately turned to her, "um... u-um, is there anything... anything wrong lately? It... it feels like you've been avoiding... er, me..."

"No I haven't," Maki immediately said, crossing her arms with a huff. "I know you're busy so I don't want to bother you."

"Oh..." Hanayo fell silent, wondering what to even say now. If Maki felt that way, then... was she imagining it? The way Maki was right now, she seemed... agitated, as if restless. Hanayo could sense her dark mood from where she was but maybe there was something else bothering her, and it was Hanayo's fault for presuming it had to do with her. "I... I'm sorry for bothering you then," she mumbled, turning around to leave.

"W-wait, no." Hanayo paused, turning her head to look behind her. Maki's hand was outstretched toward her and the brooding look was gone from her face, replaced by a apologetic one. "S-sorry, I... I didn't mean to say that."

At hearing Maki's words, Hanayo slowly turned back around, facing the other girl now. "Maki-chan?" Her friend had a strained look on her face, as if there was something she wanted to say but couldn't.

"H-Hanayo, are... are you..." Maki let out a sigh, growling under her breath.

"Maki-chan? Are you okay? Is there something wrong?" Hanayo rushed forward but stopped herself before reaching Maki, carefully keeping her distance away. The way she felt right now, Maki seemed like a cornered animal, and Hanayo had dealt with more than enough to know that coming close would provoke a reaction that neither of them would be prepared for. "Maki-chan," Hanayo tried again in a soft voice, pleading with her.

It seemed to do the trick, except Maki clenched her fists and glared to the side, angrily muttering. "I just! I don't want you to be in an arranged marriage! How dare someone else think they could just take you away? I don't like it! I'd rather have you marry me than to be with some stranger who just thinks you only look pretty and ignore every part of you that's also wonderful and-"

Maki continued to rant on but Hanayo could hear no more, gaping incredulously at Maki. Was... was that...

"... eh?" Maki stopped speaking now, wondering why something felt off. She looked at Hanayo, who did nothing but continue to stare at her with wide eyes, hand on her mouth. "What... what did I just say? H-huh?" And she gasped, staring at Hanayo in horror. "W-wait... did I just... again? I just..." she trailed off, gaping at Hanayo, her face as red as her hair.

"Maki-chan... you..." Hanayo couldn't finish, feeling her face heating up.

Hanayo didn't even know what to think. Out of everything that had happened so far, this was the one thing she never thought would have been possible. She thought Maki was done surprising her but she was still full of unexpected things. Especially this... especially this...

Maki spun around, hiding her face from view. "Just, just ignore what I said! P-pretend you didn't hear that!" And she ran off, disappearing into the trees.

Hanayo startled, staring at where the other girl used to be. She wanted to run after her but her feet felt heavy, as if rooted to the ground. She was still trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened, everything Maki said, and how she reacted... it.. it couldn't be, could it?

Maki's recent words echoed in her mind though. Pretend Hanayo didn't hear that?

How could Hanayo follow such a ridiculous request?

She stepped forward, her body stiff. She took another step, gulping as she thought about what she was about to do. Hanayo... she felt like if she listened to Maki and left now, she would be full of regret. She couldn't deny that it was the first instinct she wanted to do though, to run away and try to pretend nothing had happened. The words her mother spoke to her suddenly came to her mind though, the words Hanayo had also been trying to ponder over. "What makes me happy..." As if the words themselves gave her strength, she nodded and took off in a sprint, speeding through the woods.

It helped that Hanayo was intimately familiar with the woods, but Maki also was as well, and... well, Maki was fast too, and she was undoubtedly way ahead of Hanayo. She had a lot of work to do in catching up, if she could-

Hanayo nearly yelped as she quickly grabbed onto the nearby tree to brake herself, realizing Maki was actually on the ground just a little ahead of her, trying to pick herself back up. "Stupid root, I swear it came out of no where," she muttered as she righted herself, brushing the dirt off her clothes. Hanayo wanted to call out to her but she wasn't sure if Maki would bolt. At this moment, Hanayo didn't want to take chances, as she readied herself again and dashed forward.

"Maki-chan!"

The shout was the only warning Maki had before Hanayo barreled into her. They tumbled onto the ground, with Maki on the bottom and Hanayo on top. The both of them groaned at the same time, recovering from their fall.

Hanayo looked up, her vision swimming. Maki slowly looked over at her, eyes unfocused but before long, she broke out of her dazed state, blinking rapidly, her eyes meeting Hanayo's.

They both froze, realizing how close they were next to each other, how close their faces were. If Hanayo leaned a little further, she could... she... they'd...

Maki's face came into focus, and Hanayo could feel the heat rolling off of her. It made Hanayo squeak, suddenly remembering where she was and pulled away, the both of them unable to meet each other's eyes.

"U-um!"

"Er-"

And they both froze again, realizing they spoke at the same time. Hanayo looked downward-

"O-oh!" Embarrassed once more, she quickly scrambled off of Maki, sitting on the ground next to her. "S-sorry! I'm sorry!" she squeaked.

"H-huh?" Maki blinked down at herself. "O-oh, it's... um, it's okay." She slowly sat up, sighing as she put a hand on her face.

"Maki-chan?" Hanayo asked worriedly.

"Why did you chase after me? I... how am I supposed to..."

"B-because!" Hanayo pushed her hands together, fingers playing with each other as she mumbled. "I... I... f-feel... the, u-um, same... I-I mean! I'm not jealous or a-anything but I also! I also l-l-l-" She shut her eyes and forced the words out of her mouth. "I l-l-like! You... too! I like you too!"

Hanayo sucked in a breath, keeping her eyes shut tightly. She was... she was too scared to even look at Maki right now. If she had understood what Maki had said earlier though, then that meant, her feelings... their feelings... that meant... they felt the same, right? The silence seemed to stretch for too long.

"Why?" Maki asked, her voice choked. Hanayo snapped opened her eyes in confusion, not expecting that to be Maki's answer. Maki looked away from her, clenching her fists. "I... I treated you so badly and... I... you..."

"That's..." Hanayo shook her head. "That's all in the past though-"

"You deserve someone better than me!" Maki interrupted in a shout. Hanayo took a step back from surprise, eyes wide. It was as if the gates opened because the words began to rush out of Maki. "I already made you cry once and I... I can't trust myself to not make you sad and you deserve to be with someone much more wonderful, someone who'll give you everything you deserve, someone who won't make you cry ever, and that someone isn't... it isn't... that person isn't me!"

Hanayo swallowed, trying to work past the knot in her throat. Maki looked vulnerable and weak, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. She was a far cry from the awkward yet proud girl Hanayo was used to seeing. Did Maki feel like this the whole time? She didn't realize Maki had felt this guilty about everything that had happened.

Hanayo stepped closer to Maki, feeling a pang inside of her as each footstep made Maki flinch. Even now, as they stood in front of each other, Maki still refused to look at her, her eyes closed tightly. "Maki-chan," Hanayo tried, hands hovering with uncertainty, fighting against the urge to reach out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't... I didn't mean to say all of that," Maki whispered. "You... you weren't supposed to know. I don't... I don't deserve anything—a-a-ah!? H-Hanayo!?"

Hanayo could take no more of Maki's words. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Maki, clinging to her tightly.

"Maki-chan, don't talk about yourself like that!" Hanayo let out a sob, and Maki froze at the sound. "Y-you're different now! You're not that same person! We've grown up and changed! So... so p-please... please don't... don't say things like that. You're kinder than you think you are! I mean, that's why you feel like this, isn't it?" Hanayo shook her head, trying to keep her voice from shaking, holding back her tears. "Even though it's for someone like me, if you weren't kind in the first place, you wouldn't be feeling so guilty, even though you don't have to!"

"H-huh!? What do you mean someone like you!?" Maki put her hands on Hanayo's shoulders and pulled her back. "Hanayo, I told you, don't talk about yourself like that! You're a lot better than you think you are-"

"Then what about you?!" Hanayo cried out.

"Hah!? What about me?!"

"I'm not allowed to talk like this about myself, then what about you?!"

Maki looked taken aback, shaking her head. "That's! That's different! You didn't do anything wrong! I was the one who bullied you so much, and I'm probably the reason why you don't have a lot of confidence in the first place! So I have to make up for it!"

Hanayo stilled, mulling over Maki's words as she slowly met Maki's gaze. "Then... the only... only reason you say all those things is because you... you don't want me to feel bad? Because you feel like... you have to make it up to me? Not because... not..."

Maki blinked at her, furrowing her brow in confusion. "H-huh?! What? Wait, what... what were we talking about I... t-the reason I say all those things? It's... it's because I care about you!"

Hanayo slowly pulled away, out of Maki's hands. "I... n-never mind, I... think I get it now." She smiled. "Thank you, Maki-chan."

Maki froze at the sight, staring at her. Hanayo's smile... it felt off for some reason. Hanayo always smiled at her and Maki had learned the differences between each of them. The smile Hanayo had on... it... it wasn't happy. It was... disappointment? Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She tried to recall what they had been talking about but past the fierce rush of emotions from their outbursts, Maki wasn't even sure anymore.

Maybe they had lost each other at some point, and Hanayo was understanding something different than what Maki was trying to tell her. That had to be what happened, given how Hanayo had suddenly pulled back. Where... where had Maki gone wrong? She tried to think but her thoughts were far too jumbled to make sense of right now. She had revealed far too much, said things that Hanayo wasn't meant to hear.

Had... had she messed things up again? Then that meant she had to fix it. But what was she supposed to fix if she wasn't even sure what was going on in the first place?! She frantically tried to recall everything that had happened: her jealousy making her reveal her feelings, running away, Hanayo chasing after her and also admitting her feelings, and then Maki revealing even more things she wanted to keep buried-

Ah.

Even despite everything, Hanayo was still giving her a chance, and Maki wanted to take it.

"Hanayo, I..." She swallowed before reaching forward, putting her hands on Hanayo's shoulders once more. "Hanayo, I..." She struggled, trying to push back her embarrassment to speak the words she needed to say in this moment. The more she hesitated, the harder it was to push down the part of her that kept telling her she didn't deserve any of this.

Hanayo looked up at her questioningly. Maki couldn't speak, not even when she opened her mouth and tried to force herself. Nothing came out. Hanayo's face fell slightly, and Maki realized she had to do something. She looked down at Hanayo, at her face, tracing over those beautiful features.

Maki slowly leaned forward. She felt Hanayo tense up under her hands but paid it no heed, still inching forward. Hanayo snapped her eyes shut, unable to keep herself together for the inevitable moment.

She felt a brush on her forehead, different than where she expected.

"... eh?" Hanayo opened her eyes, blinking in confusion. Maki's hands were still on her but she was turned away, face dangerously red. "M-Maki-chan?"

"T-that's! It's, u-um, the... the best that I can do!" she squeaked, shaking her head.

"The... the best you can do?" Hanayo repeated, unsure of what was going on. She slowly raised her hand, touching her forehead, the same exact spot.

"B-because! I care for you! A lot! A-as... as a friend and e-even, uh, more... more than friend!" She inhaled sharply, and Hanayo thought she looked oddly triumphant. "T-there! I said it!"

"Maki-chan?"

"I... I care about you, even... more than... a fr-friend. I... I like you? Uh, a lot? Am... am I even saying it right this time?" Maki broke off with a frown, grumbling under her breath.

"U-um... th-then... does... does that mean..." She couldn't help but blurt out her next words. "Do you want to k-kiss me!?"

Maki let out a choked sound, staring at Hanayo. "I-I-I-I! Y-yes! I mean, wait, no! Ah, shit, I mean, yes! Yes? I-I mean I've thought about it sometimes and you-" She shut her mouth abruptly, realizing exactly what she saying in that moment.

Maki looked away just as Hanayo hid her face in her hands. This had to be the warmest she had ever felt her cheeks, Hanayo couldn't help but think in utter embarrassment. Even from behind her hands, Hanayo swore Maki would be able to feel the heat coming off from her face. They said nothing for several minutes, the both of them staring at the ground. Maki's hands were still tight on her shoulders although it wasn't rough.

Hanayo slowly spread her fingers apart and peeked up at Maki, finding the other girl with an entirely red face that matched both her own hair and Hanayo. "U-um, then... M-Maki-chan..." She slowly looked up at the other girl, smiling hesitantly. "That's... that's what you're supposed to say. I think."

"... oh." Maki huffed though she still looked away from Hanayo. "That's... that's what I meant to say in the first place! How the heck did you misunderstand me?"

Hanayo looked away, mumbling. "B-because I didn't think... that you would feel the same way! Y-you made it seem like you were only doing this because of... of what happened..."

"... I should be the one saying that," Maki muttered, sighing deeply. "A-and.. it's um, n-not... not completely... it's... um!" She coughed into her hand. "A-anyway! What... what are you going to do with your, er, arranged marriage then?"

Hanayo blinked, looking up at Maki with complete confusion. "Huh? What?"

"Your arranged marriage!" Maki said again, grimacing. She looked away, scowling. "Rin... that's what she said, and then Nico just kept calling me stupid, seriously, who the hell does she think she is? She said you weren't but... but, I..." she trailed off with a frustrated groan. "I don't know what's right."

"Oh." Hanayo wondered if Maki would get mad. "I'm, um, not in an arranged marriage."

Maki snapped her head at her, gawking. "W-wait, what?! Then... what about that letter you said your mother found?!"

Hanayo shook her head. "That... it was an old letter in our storage house and, er, it was a marriage proposal between me and a-another family, but my family didn't go through with it, and the other family already found another marriage candidate for their son anyway."

"... what?" Maki gaped at her. "What?! Then... then what about that family staying at your house?!"

"That's, um, my father's old friend back in the day. Completely unrelated to the letter! They came to visit because they happened to be coming this way on their way back from a relative's place further south of our village."

"They're... they're not here for... for an arranged marriage?" Maki said slowly, staring at Hanayo with a growing mixture of both relief and awe.

"U-um... I... I think they were hoping for one but my parents didn't give them any sort of definite answer... and I... I don't... think I would have wanted to anyway." She rambled on, unable to stop speaking. "I-I mean! The Fujishiros are nice, and their son is also very, um, kind, if a little too excited about ninjas, but... b-but..." Hanayo felt her whole face flame and she wouldn't have been very surprised if her whole body was also just as red, as she mumbled her next words. "H-he... h-he, u-um, isn't... he isn't you."

She heard Maki take in a sharp breath. She wanted to look but she was too embarrassed by her own words, keeping her eyes away from Maki instead. Hanayo didn't think she would ever be able to admit her feelings aloud. There was relief pooling in her but at the same time, the extreme embarrassment she felt right now outweighed that relief.

When Maki only stepped forward and took her in her arms, Hanayo could only let out a sharp squeak of surprise, hands fumbling as she clutched at Maki's sleeves. "M-M-Maki-chan?"

"Are you kidding me, I got jealous over nothing? I swear, I'm going to get Rin back for this." Hanayo could almost feel the scowl forming on Maki's face, as close as she was. She tried to pull back, to look up at Maki, but Maki's arms were too tight and Hanayo had no choice but to lean against her.

Hanayo still wasn't too sure what was going on, but Maki was hugging her, and that was more than good enough for her.

-4-

"Oh, I finished half of my garden the other day while you were gone."

"Hm? Is that so?"

Their voices were quiet, as if trying to keep from disturbing the tentative peace around them. The both of them sat next to each other but faced different directions, the both of them still too embarrassed to even look at each other. Hanayo glanced down at her hand, where Maki's fingers were splayed on top.

"U-um, yeah. Rin-chan was able to help me most of the time."

"... ah. Sorry I wasn't there to help."

"I-it's fine! You had that mission and... um... I still have the other half, you can help me with that. B-but only if you're n-not busy, of course."

Maki hummed a noise of agreement, shifting her fingers slightly. Hanayo felt every motion, every brush going over the back of her hand. She tried not to pull away from the feathery sensations.

Hanayo distracted herself by looking all around. This was around the area that she used to sneaked to, to listen to Maki sing. It was only several years ago but it felt like so long already. She wondered if Maki realized, or even remembered that event, at least in comparison to everything that had happened afterward. There was something that had always bothered and though she wanted to ask, maybe... maybe it was too personal now.

"Hanayo, is there something wrong?"

Hanayo yelped. "N-nothing's wrong! Why are you asking?"

"... is that supposed to be convincing?" Maki glanced behind her but Hanayo missed her look, too busy keeping herself from staring forward so Maki couldn't look at her embarrassment. "I mean, you just sort of got really tense all of a sudden. Something up?"

"... n-no, it's fine." She shook her head.

"Hanayo." And she yelped again when Maki's face was next to her. Maki studied her, brow furrowed. "Really, you're not very convincing. There's something bothering you."

"U-um... I... can..." but Hanayo shook her head instead. "N-no, it's-"

"Hanayo," Maki interrupted with a sigh, "what is it? Just tell me."

"Can... um..." Hanayo wondered why this seemed even harder than when they were confessing their feelings to each other. Maki opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but shut it, looking at Hanayo expectantly with a raised brow.

"Hanayo," Maki said again, exasperated now. "Really, what is it? You make it sound like I'm going to get mad." She shifted around and now they sat side by side, almost close enough for their legs to touch. Hanayo tried not to think about how even closer Maki was now, trying to come up with an excuse.

Maki slowly reached out, carefully laying her hand on Hanayo's shoulder. Their faces turned red at the contact but Maki kept her hand on, softly rolling her fingers in a coaxing manner. "T-tell me, I mean, I... I-I'm not going to g-get mad or whatever," she stammered out.

Hanayo glanced down at the hand on her shoulder, and risked taking a chance at Maki's face. Though Maki's face was pink, she was staring at Hanayo, silently pleading with her. Hanayo took a deep breath and steeled herself for what was to come.

"Um... Maki-chan... would... would you mind if... if I asked you to sing?" she asked softly.

Maki's hand tensed up, squeezing down slightly. "My... my singing?" Maki said slowly, as if she was in a daze.

"Y-yeah!" Hanayo pushed ahead, knowing it was too late to take back her words now. "I-I know it's been a while but I want to hear you... um, sing."

Maki looked at her strangely, frowning. "It's... it's been a while? But... I... didn't... didn't you hate my singing? That's... that's why... you..."

"N-no!" Hanayo shook her head. "I... I love your singing! I..." She took a deep breath, ready to reveal the secret she kept for so long. "I... I did hear you singing before. Before... you used to come out to this same spot to sing, and I used to sneak around every time to try to listen to you!" She smiled as she relived the memories. "Your singing was always so beautiful and amazing, I... there were times I wished I could listen to it forever... and..." Hanayo's voice trailed off as she continued, looking down. "But then you... you stopped... and... and..."

"That... I..." Maki's hand slid off of her shoulder and she cast her eyes downward. "You... you really felt like that? Really?" She closed her eyes tightly. "You... you really were speaking the truth then? And... and I just..." Her voice wavered as she spoke and Hanayo wanted nothing more than to gather her in her arms, especially when her face was full of guilt and remorse. "I'm so sorry for how I treated you back then, I was so stupid and I shouldn't have done any of that. I'm not very proud of how I acted back then." She turned away, unable to face her.

Hanayo slowly reached out, gently taking Maki's hand. smiling up at her. "It's fine, it's all in the past now." The familiar words made Maki suck in a breath and before she realized, she was talking once more, her voice still shaky.

"Someone... someone from my clan... they... they mentioned something about my singing and how it would affect my abilities as heir and I know it was only a passing comment but... but...!" Maki clenched her fists tightly. "I couldn't get it out of my mind. I... I was so angry. And I ended up taking it out on you. And... then... my grandfather, he just kept... telling me that I had to be better than you... I know it sounds like an excuse and I won't expect you to forgive me for it-"

"Maki-chan." At the sound of her name, she stopped, looking up. Hanayo cradled her hand, rubbing circles on it. "It's... it's in the past," she repeated again. "You're here right now, aren't you? And, um, if you... if you were still the same way, Nico-chan and Rin-chan probably wouldn't even let you hang around."

"They'd like any excuse to put me in my place, true," Maki couldn't help but agree too, smiling wryly.

"S-so... it's... it's okay now, Maki-chan," Hanayo murmured, patting her hand. "It's... it's okay now."

Maki looked down at their hands, still full of uncertainty. She remained silent, carefully brushing Hanayo's hand with her fingers, holding her gently as if she was afraid to break her.

"Maki-chan?"

"I... I know it's in the past but... it'll take me a while to get used to it. I always thought you would hate me for it, but then you just... kept trying to talk to me, trying to be my friend, and I... I didn't know what to think. I thought you were trying to get me to lower my guard so you could humiliate me with Rin and Nico later but you... you never did, and always tried to defend me even when they didn't trust me." She sighed deeply. Before Hanayo could speak, Maki caught her gaze, squeezing her hand. "I... I just... um." She looked away, coughing into her hand. "I... it's... it's what I l-like the most about y-you, y-your, er, u-um... um, k-kindness," she mumbled out.

Hanayo gaped at her, unable to believe what she was hearing. Maki slapped her face, growling under her breath. "Gah! What the hell is wrong with me today, I just keep... blabbing out things..."

"I... I don't mind," Hanayo said lightly, trying to smile at her. Maki gave her a look out of the corner of her eye.

"I hope not, since this is all about you," she muttered. Despite the tension in the air, Hanayo giggled. And soon, even Maki was cracking a tiny smile.

"Anyway..." Maki raised her other hand, fingers tapping against her throat. "I... I haven't sang since I was little though, so my voice might... m-might not be... um... good right now."

Hanayo wanted to giggle at how bashful Maki suddenly seemed to be but she smiled instead, running her thumb over the back of Maki's hand in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "I think you'll still sound beautiful."

"Just... just let me..." Maki cleared her throat and let a sound. She continued for several more seconds before quieting down, clearing her throat. "U-um, okay. Is there... anything you want to hear?"

"A song?" Hanayo thought to herself. "There was that one song you used to sing a lot. I think it was sort of fast but it sounded... sounded happy? U-um, is... is that making sense?"

"A song I used to sing a lot... oh!" Maki nodded. "Y-yeah, I know which one you're talking about now. It's... it's one of my favorite songs too. Yeah, I'll... um, I'll sing it... f-for you then." She squeezed down on Hanayo's hand and took a deep breath. There was a brief moment of silence, and then Maki's voice filled the air.

It was unfamiliar and Hanayo guessed that this was the very beginning, the part that she never got to hear because she had always arrived late, too afraid of being caught. Soon though, the tempo picked up, and Hanayo could hear the familiar melody once more. Maki's hand gripped her hand tighter as she let her voice ring through the woods as it once used to.

Hanayo couldn't help but lean against Maki as she listened to the song that had entranced her the first time mesmerize her again. She wanted to close her eyes, to fully let herself sway to the wonderful music, but she sneaked a glance up at Maki-

No, she realized in that moment, it was the beautiful smile of the girl who was singing to her heart's content that had captured Hanayo more.