'I already love someone, and it's not you.'

For a moment, Taka froze as all the frustration and anger he held melted into nothing, leaving him to look at Kaiya with empty, wide eyes. For a moment, his mind couldn't process the words, nor a reaction for them. The words echoed through the basecamp and, for a single moment, Kaiya made eye contact with Lee, from the side of her eye. Her words followed by that particular eye contact created some connections in Lee's mind. His breathing began to stutter at the realisation. Could it really be that way?

Lee wasn't the only one who saw the connection. Without any warning, Taka fell on to the ground, his body changing at a speed faster than lightning. The clothes began to succumb in him as his body became smaller. His limbs were turning anorexic and misformed, the bones in them becoming visible as the skin stretched on his body like never before. His lower face grew longer and thinner as his head turned smaller, his hair shorter. He became inhumane as black fur grew all over him. Within a second, he was fully transformed into a wolf. He let out a sound between a bark and a howl.

Without him saying anything, Kaiya knew what he meant. He wanted to see her power as a wolf. He wanted to see her power as a Kobayashi. Thing was, she didn't know how she did it last time. She just... her father dead. The memory came back to her, along with the feeling. Yet, still nothing.

Suddenly, Taka jumped in the crowd -which now formed a semicircle around them- to their right and bit onto someone who let out a yelp in pain. It didn't take long for the crowd to clear and give Kaiya a clear view- Lee was on the ground, one of his legs bleeding heavily as Taka stood over him, growling warningly.

A shiver of pain came upon Kaiya and, before she knew it, she was in her wolf form. Lee couldn't even tell what happened.

He was on the ground, paralysed in shock and fear, and the next thing he knew, the dark wolf growling at him was pushed off him by an auburn, slightly smaller wolf, who didn't hesitate to charge the other wolf multiple bites and scratches. Slowly, Lee got up in a sitting position, looking at the two wolves fighting.

'What... What's happening?' He asked.

'Kaiya transformed into a wolf and she's fighting Taka!' Kiba informed, excitedly. 'Pretty awesome, huh? She's that brown wolf.'

'How did she...?'

'Transform? She got triggered when Taka bit you.'

'Ah...' Lee whispered in awe.

It was an odd fight to watch at first, as an outsider- it was all bites, scratches and various yelps. Suddenly, Kaiya backed off a little, as she placed some space between her and Taka. There was no way she'd win there. Not like this.

Without any further notice, she sped off through the forest. He understood her choice well, and he didn't question it for a single moment. All those people were never meant to watch their fight. He chased the girl through the grey forest as night settled itself in, until she eventually stopped a forest side, with a deep cliff to their right. Kaiya turned around and began to charge him again with various bites aimed at his neck.

'What's... How's he better than me?' Taka barked frustrated, pushing Kaiya away for a moment. 'What does he have that I don't? He's an outsider! A pathetic one! Not ever that scum of father of yours was-'

'He's only so much better than you! Lee is so much better than you could ever be!' Kaiya answered, in the same frustration, continuing to charge attacks. 'And don't you dare bring my father into this. Lee's got skills and powers you could never dream of. Maybe he's not in our clan but he's so much of a better person than most people here, including you!'

In an act of blind rage, Taka raised one of his paws and dashed it with his claws over Kaiya's right side of the face. She backed away in pain, as blood began to drizzle from a painful, deep line that traced over her eye. Luckily, she had her eye closed at that moment. Unluckily, there would probably remain a mark there. Kaiya cursed under her breath.

'He's so kind and sweet, no matter how strong you get, your skills won't matter against Lee as a whole. He's just as hardworking as you, an amazing goal he's near reaching, no matter what you try or say, Taka, you won't be able to change how I feel! Do you understand?'

'Goddammit!' Taka said as he charged, once again. 'Why are you like this? You... You've always got everything. Did you lose your brother? Boohoo, at least you had one. I have none. Not even a sister! You didn't get to meet your biological father until later in life? I didn't get to meet mine at all. At least you have your step-dad. He's so good, it didn't really matter that much if you met your real father. I had none at all!'

'What are you saying, you idiot?'

As he tried to put her to the ground, Kaiya twisted her body just in time to turn the tables in her favour and put the wolf on his back, allowing her to scratch some wounds on him.

'Do you even know the stress of,' Taka said as he forced his way back up, 'being born as the Alpha's child? It kills me every day ever since I was born! I must be like my mother, hell, even better!'

'I know! I was born to a prodigy under a family of other prodigies on my father's side. I have the exact same expectations. It's not really easy in Konoha either, y'know?!'

Kaiya kept a distance from Taka, waiting for his answer.

'At least,' Taka charged Kaiya's shoulders with some scars, 'you had friends to talk to! People by your side! I have none! Kaiya, I... I'm jealous of you!'

'Your honesty will change nothing now, cousin. 'It's too late.'

She charged some hits on his face that had him blind and disoriented for a few moments, giving Kaiya just enough time and power to force him closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. Just as he opened his eyes, his back legs slipped on the edge, letting his body drop, hanging onto his front paws.

'Kaiya...' he said, between breaths. Deep down he knew it. He knew nothing would change. This was the result of his lifelong work. Yet, hope never ceased.

'I'm sorry, Taka. You don't deserve my mercy.'

If you looked closer, you could see some pity in Kaiya's eyes. She didn't like the idea of killing. She never did. But in cases like this, as much as she hated it, it couldn't be helped. It was either him or her who had to die that evening.

'So be it, Kaiya.' He said, quietly. 'If things can't be changed, then... I'm sorry. I hope... If we are to be reborn once again, I hope we'll get to meet again. I guess I'll wait for you 'till then.'

Without saying anything further, Taka's grip loosened, letting himself drop into the deep pit that would end only by a river shore about 5 kilometres below. Kaiya closed her eyes, and it wasn't until a distant thud! was heard that any defensive wall she builds against her emotions broke, allowing an immense sadness to come out,
as she returned back to her human form.

At first, she didn't know why she cried, but it all came to her. She cried because cousin was dead, her father was dead, Lee was put on the verge of death twice in the span of a few hours, she should've been dead. Twice by now. She cried, because of all the rude things thrown at her in the ANBU regarding her grandfather. She cried, because of the suffering her now ex-boyfriend was put through because of her choices. She cried because she missed the life she once had as a child. She cried because she felt lost. And nobody could help her.

She was aware of one thing- she was the only one who could pick her up when she felt lost. It was no one else's responsibility or ability to do so. She was her own responsibility. If she didn't care for herself, nobody else would. That's what her mother always told her. She wept the last tears she had in her, there in the darkness, by herself.

As one problem vanished, another problem appeared. How was she supposed to bring the news of her cousin's death to her family? She got up and took her time while walking through the forest She had her bloody hands in her pockets, as the scratch over her eye hurting more than ever. For all she could hope, it wouldn't get infected.

In the basecamp, light murmurs were the only thing to be heard, along with the sound of wood cracking under various fire pits.

'They've been gone for a while.' Lee told Kiba as they sat next to a fire made by Kaito, by their tent. 'I hope Kaiya's alright.'

'Don't worry,' Kiba answered. 'Kaiya's strong.'

'She is.' Fuzasane said, as she brought slices of meat for the fire. 'No matter what others say, she always manages to find her way.'

'Hm? What do you mean?' Kiba asked as Fuzasane impaled the meat on a wooden stick, before holding it over the fire.

'I, eh... I said some things to her regarding you and Taka. She rejected it completely, I thought it was just because she thought it was stupid, but who knew she already had a plan in mind? She never tells me that kind of stuff.'

For a moment, no one said nothing.

'What did you tell her?' Kiba asked.

'When she came first back home a few years ago, I began talking to her about, y'know, getting married. She's fourteen, she's starting to grow into a young woman, she must think about these things. She must consider, y'know? I told her I knew she didn't have the best relationship with Taka, but maybe she should consider a relationship with him. She automatically said no, of course, and... I asked her about you. I didn't know much about how well you two got along -I mean, I still don't-, but she never spoke badly about you. She was outraged by the idea!'

Kiba bit his lip as he began playing with the ground, while Lee listened closely without making a move, absorbing every word.

'I thought her opinion would change with time, but... she didn't. I... I didn't expect her to already love someone that way.'

'She didn't love me like that back then.' Lee corrected, words slipping his mouth before planned. 'I mean, she didn't love me at all. We were friends, we cared for each other like any teammate, but nothing romantic. I began to feel that way towards her at some point, but it took time to, um, to realize these feelings, and... I don't know when or how she began to have the same feelings, but it wasn't back then.'

Fuzasane nodded. 'I see.'

For a moment, her mind flickered to when she first found Kaiya and saw the place where she lived in. The place had, along with Kaiya's smell, a smell that was exactly the same as this boy's. She accused the girl of having a rather intimate relationship with someone at just fourteen, only for it to be confirmed as a mere misunderstanding.

It was then that Fuzasane fully realised how little she actually knew about Kaiya. She might've thought they were close, but, they weren't. Not in the real sense. She didn't know who her friends were if she was interested in anyone -not until now, anyway-, hell, she didn't even know if she truly felt welcome there! Her daughter might've been alive and kept her in touch, but their relationship was weak, like a mere obligation, and it continued to worsen.

'What's your name?' Fuzasane asked Lee.

'Oh, my name's Lee.'

Fuzasane nodded.

'Lee, why did you come all the way here, for Kaiya?'

Lee's cheeks gained a red tint.

'I need to tell her something.' He answered simply.

Kiba sighed, exasperated.

'You'll never get to stand a chance with Kaiya if you talk like that, man.' Kiba said, before turning to his aunt. 'Aunt Fuzasane, I think I already told you, there was an attack in Konoha, and Kaiya nearly died. One of the people who invaded Konoha threw a large shuriken towards Kaiya, but she didn't get stabbed because Lee came just in time and let himself get stabbed instead.'

Fuzasane's eyes widened, as she looked at the two boys. 'Is that so?'

'Yeah, he has a huge mark on his back now, as proof.' Kiba nodded.

Out of a sudden, agitation appeared in the clan, as many people began to talk loudly and yell, as someone appeared from the forest. Every head turned around, to see a bloody Kaiya, with many scratches on her face and neck. She opened her mouth and, for a moment, she managed to quiet the entire clan.

'Taka's dead.'

Various cheers were heard, only to be stopped once again when a tall, middle-aged woman hurried herself to Kaiya and grabbed her by the shoulders.

'Impossible.' She stuttered. 'How did you...'

'I didn't do anything, aunt Ichika.' The girl said calmly, as she looked up to the Alpha. 'He fell off the cliff. He let himself fall.'

'Liar.'

'What do I gain from lying?'

'Don't act stupid.' Ichika growled. 'He was supposed to become Alpha, right after me. But now it's you.'

Kaiya's eyes widened a little. 'When?'

'He was already crowned, you fool. While I was still in charge, he was preparing.'

'My daughter,' Fuzasane said loudly as she made her way to the two. 'is no fool. She earned her right by fighting Taka. If she was stronger, then that's it. She's the right successor to become Alpha.'

Ichika frowned to her sister, before leaving as masses of cheers and applauses were thrown in Kaiya's way.

'Hey, Kaiya,' a voice said, next to her, 'good job.'

Turning her head around, a fifteen-year-old Kouta was standing next to her with a smile.

'Thanks, Kouta.'

'Although, it should've been me.'

Kaiya laughed lightly as she pushed her brother's head forward. People began talking about the ceremony for the Alpha, which honestly made Kaiya cringe a little. The ceremony was more like a feast where the new Alpha was acknowledged. With all that happened that day, she felt exhausted and her wounds didn't help. Honestly, Kaiya didn't feel like she could bear a ceremony at that moment.

'Mom, I don't think I can do the ceremony now.' Kaiya told her mother, quietly. 'I'm not feeling well enough for it.'

'The ceremony for the Alpha will have to be cancelled until tomorrow morning.' Fuzasane yelled.

There were various sighs and whines of displeasure, but everyone obliged. For all they knew, Ichika's tyranny was over.

'What did he do to you?' Fuzasane asked Kaiya as she disinfected her wounds in their tent.

'He hit me with his claws.'

'Girl, you're lucky you're not blind in one eye. For all I can tell, your eye will be fine, but this'll leave a permanent mark. Oh god, and your mouth too.'

Kaiya put her hand at her mouth and it was then she felt a deep cut in the right corner of her mouth. It wasn't as big at her eye scratch, but it was just as deep.

'It's fine.' Kaiya said as she looked at her mother. 'At least I'm not dead.'

'Don't talk like that. Let me see your hands.'

Kaiya did as she was asked and, within fifteen minutes, all her wounds were all carefully disinfected. It was already pretty late when they were done and, when Kaiya laid down, thinking she could fall asleep, the only thing she got was proof that she wouldn't fall asleep yet.

Although feeling a little bit more at ease, her mind was still clogged with thoughts that kept her awake. Quietly, Kaiya stood up and left the tent, careful not to wake her mother up. If she couldn't fall asleep, she could at least take a walk to clear her mind. And she knew just the right place.

As she walked through a small pathway in the forest, it didn't take long for Kaiya to realise she wasn't alone. She stopped in her tracks, and so did the person following her.

'What do you want, Lee?' She asked.

Lee wanted to facepalm himself. How did he forget her senses were much better than the average person's? Within a second, he was walking alongside her.

'I, um, I couldn't sleep, and I heard you leave. Where are we going?'

'We?' Kaiya snorted in amusement. 'I need to clear my mind, and I know a place where I can do that very well. It's not that far away, about ten minutes from here.'

'Hm. So you have your own place where you can go if you ever feel the need to be alone? That's nice.'

Kaiya smiled. 'It's not necessarily mine, there are other people there as well, sometimes. But yes, when I feel like I need to be alone or I need to think, I go there.'

'Could you please elaborate?' Lee asked, curiously.

Kaiya sighed. 'So there's this old house in the woods, not too far away from here. It was made especially for Spirit Seers, like me.'

'There are more Spirit Seers? I thought there was only one, and just in your family.'

'Well, yes and no. Spirit Seers only come in my family. But I have a big family, and it so happened that in time, some people separated from the clan and started a family on their own, creating various branches, all connected to each other. I think there are only three or four so-called branches, and they all existed for a few hundreds of years. Each one of them has a Spirit Seer. We often vary in ages, and it isn't uncommon for the Spirit Seers to be born in different generations, and not even meet each other.'

Seeing the curious look on Lee, she knew she must explain further.

'Spirit Seers are a little complicated to explain, but I'll do my best to explain it simply. We're humans, just like you. Practically and physically speaking, I'm not better than you or any other ordinary person. But Spirit Seers all have a guaranteed obligation to be reborn. Reincarnation might be the right form for it, actually. Most of us live three to four lives, but some live more. We usually don't remember anything from our past lives but, through practice, we can remember most things or the most important parts. And the time between our lives, it's all just a guess. We can be reborn almost as soon as we die, or in a few months, years, or sometimes even hundreds of years after our death. That's why one Spirit Seer can be born say, now, while the others die and won't be born again until later on.'

'And... do you remember anything?'

'Very little. I know this is my second life, and that I died when I was nine, killed by people. Many details are all a blur.'

Lee grunted as he kneeled a little forward.

'What's... your leg. It got bit pretty badly, didn't it? We should go back.' Kaiya said, stopping in her tracks.

'I'm fine. Really.'

'Do you want your leg chopped off?'

'Don't you trust me?'

'Trust doesn't have anything to do with your health, Lee. I'm concerned about you, y'know?'

'Concerned?' Lee asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively, along with a smirk. 'What kind of concerned?'

Kaiya sighed, as she turned around and continued walking on the path. 'Don't be an ass.'

Lee pursed his lips, realising his comment was off.

'Oi, Kaiya, don't leave me here like that!' He said, as he hurried to catch up to the girl.

After a few quiet minutes, the forest stopped the trees grow for a rather spacious, circular area, where a house made itself present in the middle of it. The house was rather large, with three levels and build quite widely across the meadow. With a good architecture inside, the building could've held up to thirty people only so well. Passing by the meadow, a river rippled quietly along until it would eventually pass by the Kobayashi basecamp, and even further than for many kilometres to come until, in the end, it would meet the sea surrounding the land of Waves.

The two wooden stair steps creaked as they walked on the veranda. Leaning with her arms on the thick balustrade, Kaiya analysed her nails for a moment.

'Why did you even come?' Kaiya asked. 'Why did you follow me here?'

'To this place, or from Konoha?' Lee asked, imitating Kaiya's gesture as he looked at her.

'Both.'

'I needed to tell you something. I realised how close you were to die during that Akatsuki attack and I really wanted you to know about it.'

Kaiya looked up, locking her gaze with his.

'Spit it.'

Something in her voice made Lee back away a little for a moment, giving him an urge to look away and scratch the back of his neck.

'Well... look. I've always liked you, okay? You're an amazing person. You're caring, and smart, and- and sweet,' he said at a fast tempo, his voice gliding to the highest notes possible and back to his normal ones, his heart almost beating out of his chest, 'but recently, I started to realize that I care a lot more about you. I, eh... I love you.'

For a moment, he paused, allowing the sound of crickets fill in the silence between them.

'However,' He added quickly, 'I understand that you're in a relationship, and-'

'It's fine,' Kaiya said quietly, as she broke the eye contact for a moment, 'We broke up.'

'Oh.' Lee said, his heart sinking a little. He should've been happy- in a way, he was. But the tone in the girl's voice wasn't the happiest. 'I'm sorry to hear.'

'Thanks. But I wanted to talk to you as well, actually.'

At that moment, Lee felt how his heart soared into the sky, full of hope. 'Really?'

Kaiya nodded.

'It took time, to be fair. I didn't even realise it. I... the boy I was with before, I cared about him deeply, I loved him, but, it feels different when it comes to you. It isn't just some affection and trust, but more. You know that time when I was low on Calcium and you spend the night over?'

Lee nodded, now with an awkward, goofy smile on his face.

'I didn't really like to admit it, but, I felt really good. Like, I felt really safe and I could actually rest well. I knew everything would be fine since you were there. You've always been there, ever since I first came in Konoha. You never really pushed it and respected what I said, and always supported me endlessly. I appreciate it more than you can imagine. Even now, you're still as supportive and there, no matter of what happens. I don't know what I would do without you, honestly.'

Lee shifted a little in his spot as a goofy laugh came out of his mouth. His happiness was way over his heels, and it came into the form of some embarrassing idiotic reactions. Kaiya sighed, amused by the boy. She locked eyes with him as she took a step closer to him. Without saying a single word, there was a short question of permission and an answer between them.

'I must be mad.' She said, before pushing her lips against the boy's, letting him catch her waist as her body dropped closer to his.

The kiss didn't last longer than a second- Kaiya's eyes went wide open as she pulled away, unwillingly making awkward eye contact with the boy as her face flushed red. She leaned onto the balustrade for some balance.

'It's- It's fine.' Lee stuttered, in no better state. 'Are you...?'

Kaiya nodded. Without any further hesitation, Lee pressed back his lips onto Kaiya's as he closened the distance between them, their hands wrapping around eachothers waists. For someone who never was in a relationship nor kissed before, Lee couldn't describe the feeling. He felt like he was in cloud nine, and how he could do anything. As for Kaiya, she was in a relationship before and yes, she kissed before. This time, it felt different. It felt better, more right, and less worried.

Eventually, Kaiya felt how Lee cracked a smile as he broke the kiss. She pulled the boy in a tight hug, resting her chin on his shoulder.

'I love you.' Kaiya said quietly, her voice with a few octaves higher.

'I love you too.' Lee answered, as he pressed his lower face on Kaiya's shoulder.

For a while, neither of them said or did nothing. Eventually, Kaiya loosened the grip she had on the boy. Lee got the message quickly, as he let go of her and created some space between them. In a way, a tension between them disappeared, only to let another one appear, at least for Lee.

How'sin God's name was he supposed to act around her now? They were definitely not just friends anymore, but he had absolutely no idea how a couple should act like. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind.

'You know,' Lee said as leaned against the balustrade, 'after you left Konoha now, something happened and every dead person was brought back to life.'

Kaiya's eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. 'Then my father...'

'He's fine now, yes. Alive.'

Kaiya couldn't help but feel relieved. 'Thank God! But... how?'

'I don't know, really. I think Naruto-kun had something to do with it, but I wouldn't be able to tell you anything for sure. I came after you almost immediately after you left.'

'That's very kind of- your wounds!' Kaiya gasped in realisation. 'Your back! It got hit straight on by that shuriken. Did it hit your spine? It would be really bad if-'

'If the shuriken would've hit my spine, it would've just slowed me more from coming after you. It didn't hit my spine, but it was close. Some of those healing slugs healed most of it.'

Kaiya sighed, as she shook her head in disapproval. 'May I see it?'

Lee shrugged. 'Sure.'

He lifted his jacket, to reveal a large cut in his jumpsuit soaked in blood, under which lay a large, white line surrounded by reddish skin.

'We should clean that up.' Kaiya said decisively, as she helped Lee put his jacket back on. 'And your leg wound, too. Let's head back to the camp.'

Lee nodded quietly, as he followed Kaiya back into the forest.

'We didn't meet any Spirit Seers. Are there...?' He asked.

'Yes, actually. A boy at the age of nine. But don't worry. You'll meet him, eventually.'

Lee bit his tongue as he tried to block the grunts caused by the sour pain as Kaiya cleaned his leg by a nearby river. It was painful, but he understood the importance of it. Eventually, it seemed like his wound was clean enough to stop enduring that torture, as Kaiya took a roll of netting mesh, that would eventually be rolled many times around his leg.

'Turn around, I want to see your back again.'

'It won't be painful, will it?' Lee asked, as he turned around and taking off his jacket.

'Doubt it. Your wound is closed, but it's still not good to have all that blood on you. Clean your hand and face.'

Lee did as he was asked, quietly. Much to his relief, his back didn't hurt at all while Kaiya put water over his wound.

'Thank you.' Lee said, quietly. 'For cleaning my wounds and all.'

'Anytime.'

Soon enough, Lee's wounds were clean, and they were heading back to the basecamp. Without even noticing, Kaiya's hand held Lee's, the two hands resting in Lee's pocket.

'There's my tent,' Kaiya said as they got close to Kaiya's tent. 'Goodnight.'

'Goodnight.'

They let go of each other's hands and separated ways. When she entered, Kaiya did her best in being as quiet as possible, but there was no point in it- Fuzasane was fully awake, and she looked at Kaiya expectantly.

'Well? Where have you been?' Fuzasane asked.

Kaiya's face gained a shade of bright red. 'Oh, I- uh... For a walk. I felt like I couldn't fall asleep.'

'Hm, interesting. And with whom?'

Kaiya bit her tongue. In a way, she was aware that her mother would know if she was lying, but she just couldn't bring herself to say it.

'No one,' she said, eventually. 'Just me.'

Fuzasane sighed. 'I won't eat you if you'd tell me the truth. I mean it now.'

Kaiya laid herself on her bed, which was made of various furs and skins piled neatly over each other. She was laying on her back, looking at the ceiling.

'You always say that, but it always ends the same way. You don't like him, anyway.'

'Oh, so you've been with someone?'

'There's no point in talking about it.' Kaiya said as she turned with her back at her mother.

Something in Kaiya's scent signalled how she felt sad, making Fuzasane purse her lips a little. When she came in, the girl was fizzing with positivity, only to be turned into a pack of anxiety and sadness. Did she really fail so hard as a mother?

'It's okay if you don't want to talk about it with me.' Fuzasane said, after a while. 'I was very worried about you and your safety, but he's a good boy, I know it now. I... I hope you'll be happy with him, no matter what I or anyone else in this family says. If it doesn't work out, it's also fine. You can always come back, you know it. You're still my daughter, no matter what, and I love you.'

Kaiya felt how she teared up on the inside. It was the first time her mother ever told her something like this. Before then, her mother was thinking in a very ride-or-die with no turning back manner. Before she knew it, she could hardly block the sobs anymore. She didn't even want to cry. She didn't want to be weak. She needed to be strong, that's what everyone said. Tears were for the weak. Liars.

'It's... It's not that I want to talk to you about it.' She said, between tears. 'It's just that you always get so angry and you yell at me so much about... about anything! I know you just want the best for me, but... I don't like it when you yell at me like that.'

Fuzasane didn't know what to say. Not at first, at least. She was aware that she got angry at the girl and scolded her maybe a little overboard lately, but she didn't realise it affected her so badly. Not to the point where she just wouldn't talk to her about anything in her life.

'I'm sorry. I'll do my best to not get so mad at you from now on and talk more calmly. Is it alright?'

Kaiya nodded, eventually turning around to face her mother. 'Mhm.'

Fuzasane smiled, as she proceeded to clean the girl's face from the tears. 'Alright then.'

For a while, it was quiet as the two sat in the darkness of the tent.

'Mum.' Kaiya said, catching her mother's attention, who responded with a light humming. 'I was with Lee at the Spirit Seer house.'

'What did he say?'

'Multiple things, but he confessed that he loved me.'

'Oh? What did you say?'

'I, uh, I told him I had the same feelings for him and...' Kaiya's voice trailed off.

'You kissed?' Fuzasane guessed.

'Yeah.'

'Alright.'

Kaiya's eyes widened. 'You're okay with it?'

'Why shouldn't I be? It eventually happens to any couple. I kiss your father, as well. It's not illegal.'

Kaiya couldn't help but smile. 'Thank you, mum.'

A large boulder, probably one of the largest, if not the largest, was lifted off her. If her parents were supportive of her relationship, it really meant it was alright. This time, Kaiya fell asleep within minutes. She felt easened, as thoughts were neatly arranging in her mind. She was unexpectedly, yet irrevocably in love with Lee, and, with her mother's approval, it only meant she was one more step ahead.

A/N

Hi guys! How's it going?

Now, I want you to imagine I wrote this chapter in less than a day. This whole thing, in the span of 12 hours. 4.2k worth of words. Yes. Then, I came back some time later and added another 1K to it. And transformed it into a 5.2K chapter.

But it's the good tea, and this is the tea I've been willing to spill for months. And it's not over! The good stuff just began.

See y'all in the next chapter!

-Avery