[Day 8, Late Afternoon] A Walk In The Rain (Open)

[Bayushi Choudai]

The good, honest, steady rain of the morning had turned into patchy showers.

Which meant his little stroll lacked the proper melodramatic backdrop, but one couldn't have everything.

Choudai knew he was best off being alone here, instead of with her.

Regardless of what he wanted.

But the hedge maze was... much more "theirs" than her room at the Jinabori, however wonderful that had been.

But it's so much more than just... physical.

He strolled through the maze, not even able to pretend he could get lost in it anymore.

Oh well.

If they were going to take a day and not meet (and how much harder that was for him than getting through weeks apart when they weren't in the same areas!), he could at least savor the scenes of their meetings.

Our child. Ours. No matter that the kid will be raised a Shosuro, I know their- her? Oh, I hope it's a daughter- mother will raise her well. And I'll do whatever I can to make sure our child wants for no advantage I can arrange.

I hope our child has her eyes.

When he had gone to Naishou, he had been seeking his own death. He had figured getting killed in the war would let her grieve and then maybe move on. Maybe find happiness with her husband, who wasn't a bad man, as such things went.

What a fool I was. Because she's the missing part of my soul. So of course she was there too. Fate keeps bringing us together.

And now... now I need to go on living. For her, and for our child. For as long as my being alive does them more good than my death.