The wind outside howled against the walls of the small cottage, the snow flurrying violently in the dark of the night. Inside, the fire crackled, casting dancing shadows on the stone walls. Kaizen sat in silence, his mind far away, while Itsuro paced back and forth across the room.
"It's time to stop pretending, Kaizen," Itsuro finally snapped, breaking the silence between them. "You can't keep running from this. You can't keep pretending that you don't feel anything for Aoi."
Kaizen, staring into the fire, didn't respond immediately. Itsuro's words cut deep, but he wasn't ready to face them. His mind was still tangled in the mess of emotions that had begun to unravel ever since the village, ever since Aoi.
"I'm not running from anything," Kaizen replied, his voice low and controlled.
Itsuro's face hardened. "You're as stubborn as a rock, Kaizen. You've been acting like some lovesick fool for weeks now." He walked up to Kaizen and stood directly in front of him, forcing him to meet his gaze. "You need to stop being a simp."
Kaizen's crimson eyes flashed, and he stood, his frame towering over Itsuro. "Watch your tongue."
Itsuro remained unfazed, meeting Kaizen's glare with equal intensity. "I'm saying this because I care. You've been so consumed by her—by the idea of her—that you're forgetting who you are. Aoi has her own life, her own feelings. And you..." Itsuro paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "You don't owe her anything. You don't owe her anything more than what she gave you."
Kaizen clenched his fists, the anger bubbling beneath his calm exterior. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Sayuri," Itsuro continued. "You and she had barely known each other for two months before she chose Daigo. She left you for him. You don't owe her anything, Kaizen. Not loyalty, not love. She made her choice."
Kaizen's jaw tightened, the weight of Itsuro's words sinking deep. "Sayuri made her choice, yes," Kaizen murmured, his tone dark. "But I... I couldn't protect her."
Itsuro scoffed. "Protect her? You're still tangled up in that? You're not a knight in shining armor, Kaizen. And you know what? Even if you were, it's time to let it go. Stop carrying the weight of a woman who left you for a man who's more than willing to use her."
There was a long silence as Kaizen stood frozen, his mind swirling with Itsuro's words. Finally, he spoke, his voice quieter now. "I don't know how to just... let go."
Itsuro's expression softened slightly. "I know. But you need to start learning." He turned away, heading toward the door. "Aoi's a good woman. But she's not your past, Kaizen. She's not your burden."
Kaizen stayed still, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames. Itsuro was right, in a way. But could he really turn away from the feelings he had started to harbor for Aoi? The emotional confusion churned in his chest, and for the first time in months, he felt completely lost.
Later that evening, as the sky darkened into a deep, starless black, Kaizen found himself outside, walking beside Sakura. She had insisted on going fishing, her eyes sparkling with excitement despite the cold.
"Sakura," Kaizen said, his voice soft but steady. "Fishing isn't as easy as it seems. You have to be patient."
Sakura grinned, her small hands gripping her fishing rod as they made their way toward the frozen river. "I can wait, Kaizen. I've seen you wait. You're good at it."
Kaizen chuckled softly at her words. "Patience is a skill. But sometimes, it's about knowing when to let go of expectations."
Sakura stopped for a moment and looked up at him, her large eyes filled with curiosity. "What do you mean?"
Kaizen knelt down beside her, showing her how to place the bait carefully on the hook. He took a deep breath, feeling the stillness of the world around them, the ice beneath their feet, and the cold wind that brushed their skin. "Patience isn't just about waiting for something to happen," he explained, "it's about being at peace with the moment. Sometimes you can't control what happens next, and that's okay. It's about trusting that everything will fall into place when it's meant to."
Sakura nodded, but the confusion in her eyes remained. "So... you wait even if nothing happens?"
Kaizen smiled, looking out across the river. "Yes. You wait because sometimes the right moment comes when you least expect it. And when it does, you're ready for it."
They fished in silence for a while, the only sound being the distant rush of water beneath the ice and the soft rustle of their movements. Kaizen felt something shift within him, a calmness that had been absent for so long. Perhaps it was the stillness of the evening, or maybe it was the way Sakura's innocent faith in him had a strange kind of peace to it.
After a time, Kaizen stood and stretched, turning toward Sakura with a smile. "Now, let me show you something else."
He guided her to a quiet spot by the riverbank, where the moonlight was clearer. "Sit down with me," he instructed. "We're going to meditate."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Meditate? What's that?"
Kaizen chuckled. "It's a way to quiet your mind and become one with your surroundings. It's something monks learn to do, and I think you might enjoy it."
They sat cross-legged in the snow, the cold creeping in, but Kaizen focused on the warmth within him, the peace that meditation could bring. He guided Sakura through the breathing exercises, teaching her how to clear her mind and focus on the present.
At first, Sakura was fidgety, her small body not used to the stillness, but as they continued, Kaizen could feel her settle into it. Her breathing slowed, and she closed her eyes, her expression becoming serene.
"This is nice," she murmured after a while. "I feel... light."
Kaizen smiled, a rare warmth in his eyes. "That's the power of peace."
As they finished their session, the two of them laughed softly, the tension of the past weeks slipping away, replaced by a simple, shared moment of joy.
Later that night, after Sakura had gone to bed, Kaizen sat by the fire once more, his mind heavy with the weight of the conversation he knew he needed to have.
Aoi stood by the door, waiting. "Kaizen," she said softly, her voice hesitant. "Have you... have you thought about what I said?"
Kaizen's gaze met hers, his eyes serious yet filled with uncertainty. "I need time," he said quietly. "I need to understand this... before I can give you an answer."
Aoi nodded, her eyes softening as she gave him a small, understanding smile. "Take all the time you need, Kaizen."
As she stepped back into the shadows of the room, Kaizen sat quietly, staring into the fire, the unspoken words still hanging in the air between them.