Chapter 28
Spear & Shield
Chapter 28
They took their time on their walk back.
Every step had Yasu slipping back to her usual self.
A quiet conversation flowed between them, the words and meanings unimportant at the time.
At some point, Gai flipped back onto his feet, deciding that forty laps was “a decent warm-up.”
The pair had lapsed into a comfortable rhythm, meandering a path neither was aware of, slipping onto one of the wooded trails that splintered from their main path. It didn’t go unnoticed, however, when the trail narrowed and their shoulders began to brush every few steps. And yet, neither chose to speak on it.
When their hands brushed, Yasu could only clasp hers behind her back and duck her head to cover her blush. She didn’t know what was happening. She didn’t know when their morning encounter had strayed from being casual to something… more. Or maybe it had never been casual to begin with, she just hadn’t noticed.
They had wandered into a seldom-traveled path that led around the edges of the clan compounds. A little neutral territory that served no purpose, housing only trees and wildlife. Yasu found the turn into isolation comforting, in a strange way. Right now, nothing needed to exist outside of them. The rest of the world faded away, and she was okay with it.
She didn’t mind because he brought her back into the sunshine. And that sunshine feeling was worth it.
Gai watched her the whole time they were together, whether Yasu knew it or not. He watched the light come back into her eyes, doing what he could to distract her from whatever darkness had crept up on her.
He’s done it before. A well-earned skill on his part, developed after years of pulling his friends from similar moments. Yasu was much easier than others, seemingly calmed by his presence alone. Normally, he desired a challenge, but in this case… Well, he was more than satisfied with the result.
Which is why when they passed an empty training field, he extended another offer to spar.
And even though Yasu had a report to draft, followed by preparations for the monument construction, she nodded with a smile anyway.