Trust is a special kind of word, despite only being five letters long. It is a word rich in meaning and ripe with hope. It is shared with only a select few people, and yet it's beautifully enchanting when someone discovers it.

Kiki has faith that handing Mitsuhide her sword is the right choice and that he'll protect it and give it back to her when they meet up again; she trusts him to be there, and knows she can help Shirayuki out and get them out of there safely.

She has trust that when she opens up to Mitsuhide, that he won't simply ignore her or twist her words around like a scrambled up puzzle, but that he'll listen and try his best to understand, no matter what it is that she tells him.

She knows he'll be there for her, just as he knows she'll be there for him too. They are a team, a partnership, two people with a common cause and an even deeper friendship; two that are close enough to be more like one person than two separate people.

It makes sense for Kiki that she longs to be this close to Mitsuhide, but also to be closer. She longs to get to know him better, and for their relationship to deepen with age and with the time. Kiki wants years to be like sparks to an ever burning flame, continual and yet new, and she wants this with Mitsuhide, a love that grows and a relationship that grows as well.

Mitsuhide is her partner, through thick and through thin, and she loves him. Even if the words are as slippery and hard to define as could be, even if it is unique to just her relationship with him. He brings her a little cheer and warmth when she feels nearly frostbitten, and he lifts her up then too, so she can see the sun.

He is clear to her, someone she understands well, and someone with the best kinds of intentions, and even if it gets hard one day, she wants to remain right by his side.