Torchlight flickered across the marble walls, casting restless shadows dancing along Kaito's words. His tone measured, recounting the night's discoveries as his voice carried through the palace corridors. Each word, intentionally refined to diminish the full horror of the southern village and later blunders.

  Airi walked beside him, listening with rapt attention. Her head tilted toward him as her eyes fixated on the child cradled in her arms. Details of the cave and the mysterious elderly couple stirred fresh waves of curiosity in her chest. Questions pressed against her lips, sensing his hesitancy to expand encounter.

  "I find it strange that demees know of a child like this. They aren't known to reside in the Living Realm either. I suspect this child must be of great importance to them. When should we expect they'll come to retrieve her?"

  "No, not at all. They gave me a few supplies and said 'she's yours'," Kaito nervously replied, gesturing to the satchel strapped to his side.

  She quickly grabbed the leather bag, forcing him to halt mid-stride. Her eyes narrowed, peering at its contents. "These items are imbued with a strange energy. What exactly is this?"

  "Oh! That…,” Kaito anxiously responded, his throat tightened, scuttering for an explanation. “The demees said to feed her the herbs to control her temperament because she has a sensitive stomach. The clothes and mask are to protect her delicate skin."

  Airi's eyebrow rose, rubbing the fabric between her thumb and finger.

  "What I'd like to know is what should we name her?" he continued, motioning her forward. "They never told me her name."

  Placing the fabrics back into the satchel, she entered the great hall alongside him.

  The vast space blended ancient Japanese architecture with contemporary elegance and magical nuances. Polished wooden floors reflected the warm glow of hanging lanterns, creating an inviting atmosphere. Along the eastern wall, a large opening served as a living canvas, showcasing an enchanted botanical garden filled with vibrant flowers and lush foliage. At its center, crystalline waters spiraled upward from a mystic fountain, defying gravity as they weaved in mesmerizing spirals.

  She paused before a large painting mounted on the hall's western wall. The artwork depicted towering mountains shrouded in mist, their peaks disappearing into clouded skies. At the base of the largest mountain, a dark cave entrance yawned open like a hungry mouth.

  Staring at the shadowed opening, her grip cinched around the child. "...Kaname. We'll name her Kaname."

  Kaito uncomfortably shuffled beside her. "Are you sure? Why not Temari? Or, I don’t know.. Rin?”

  Refusing to acknowledge his questioning, she scoffed, eyes remaining forward tracing the painted cave's depths.

  “I'll have the tailor create clothing from the fabrics,” he added, conceding to her demeanor. “We’ll be able to reuse them as she… as Kaname gets older.”

  As she turned away from the artwork, Kaname's sudden cry tore through the mounting tension. Her wails bounced off the polished wooden walls and rippled through the hall.

  His face went pale, hands hovering uselessly around the child in a panic. "I don't know what's wrong with her, Airi! Why is she crying!!! What should we do!?”

  Kaname rubbed her fists against her eyes and mouth while her wails grew louder, drowning the backdrop of the fountain's gentle melody.

  "Should we... take her somewhere quieter? Is it too loud? IS SHE SICK?"

  Airi repositioned Kaname in her arms, lightly swaying her side to side. "Relax, She's fine. You're not the only one who's had a long day. She's just tired."

  Moving toward an ornate chair positioned near the tall windows overlooking the royal garden, she settled into the seat. "Dear, I want to take a closer look at those herbs.”

  Kaito fumbled with the satchel, pulling out the small handmade pouch and unraveling it. "Is there something wrong with the herbs? You think they've gone bad?" he asked, extending it toward her.

  She inclined the bloom closer to her nose, inhaling the sharp powdery musk of the leafy greenery. "...No…, they're fine. Of the highest quality, in fact. Have the servants prepare feedings from these and order them to save the seeds."

  Kaname's cries intensified, tightening his jaw in irritation. "And the child, will she be like this all night?"

  Airi shot a sharp glare at him, immediately correcting his attitude. "Hmmm, don't worry…after I'm done with her, she'll be calmer than a sleeping bear in winter. However, you seem to have forgotten how to handle a restless child. Do you care to ass-"

  Desiring to avoid the aftermath of his remark, he whisked the fabric from the satchel and threw it over her head, interrupting her mid-thought. In the same movement, he pressed a quick kiss onto her forehead and hurried toward the servants' quarters.

  "Come now, little one. Let's get you properly cleaned up," she smirked, pulling the fabric off her head and throwing it over her free shoulder.

  Rising from the chair, she adjusted Kaname against her chest and proceeded through a side passage into the royal bathhouse; its entrance marked by golden encrusted doors. She pushed through them and entered the warm, humid space beyond. Steam rose from the natural hot springs feeding the elaborate bathing pools. The air carried the faint scent of mineral-rich water and roses.

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  The royal bathing chamber stretched out like an underground oasis. Multiple tiered pools descended in graceful steps, each one fed by gushing waterfalls sparkling with embedded crystals. Luminescent stones lined the pool edges, highlighting the violet-pink glow across the water's surface. The enchantments chiseled into the very stone maintained its perfect temperature.

  Airi laid Kaname and the fabric down on a nearby stone bench and began removing her kimono. Twisting her dark hair into a high ponytail with a bone clip, she turned her attention back on to the child. As she carefully unwrapped the fabric, the dirt, dried blood, and forest debris clinging to her glowing brown skin unveiled. Kaname's unique fragrance instantly struck her with surprising potency despite the grime.

  "Oh, my, you do have quite the scent,” she uttered, lifting Kaname. ”How... interesting,"

  Testing the temperature with her toes, she slowly stepped in, one leg after the other. The heated water embraced them as she settled into the pool, drizzling water over Kaname's tiny form. The child cries faltered, transitioning into adorable coos in fascination of the glistening droplets.

  Appreciating this tranquil moment, Airi felt herself drifting into memories she rarely allowed to surface. The steam rose around them, creating a dreamlike haze blurring the boundaries between past and present.

  "You know, Kaname..." she began softly, her voice vulnerable. "I've always dreamed of having a daughter, but the choices I made in my youth destroyed that possibility."

  She washed the dirt from Kaname's skin, lathering her with a bar of soap.

  "I was reckless back then. Driven by rage and a thirst for vengeance… it consumed everything in its path. Those I sought to destroy were the same one who shaped me into their perfect weapon. And I allowed it."

  The warm water lapped against the pool's crystalline edges as Airi pulled Kaname closer, cradling her against her breast.

  "Motherhood was a portion of the price I paid... Yet somehow, against all logic, I conceived Yasushi. Even now, I don't understand how."

  Her voice grew quieter, tinged with wonder and confusion.

  "Physicians, mystics, even the Elders all said the same thing. ‘My body couldn't sustain life,’ yet that guileful man who found you never questioned the miracle, never demanding explanations I couldn't give."

  She placed Kaname on her back, floating the child on top of the enchanted waters. Her silver hair darkened, spreading around her head like liquid moonlight and defining her loose curls.

  "And now fate brings you to us," she murmured, watching the child's hands create ripples. "With those rare features, I suspect my husband envisions you as my son's perfect companion."

  After finishing their soothing bath, she gathered Kaname from the waters, drying her off in a plush towel warmed by the bathhouse's natural heat.

  "There, much better!" she smiled, adjusting her own robes as they exited the corridors and proceeded to the master's chambers.

  Sliding its door open,the spacious room showcased the pinnacle of refined taste. Exquisite furnishings sat arranged with perfect balance. Delicate shoji screens filtered soft starlight into intricate patterns across the polished wooden floor. The Chika clan's twin serpent insignia dominated the room's center, burned deep into the wood as a permanent reminder of their lineage.

  Plush tatami mats bordered the sleeping area, their earthy fragrance mixed with the garden's night blooms drifting through the open windows.

  With a tepid bottle of milk in hand, Kaito hovered over Yasushi, sleeping curled up beneath the covers. A faint blush colored his weathered cheeks at the sight of her carrying Kaname.

  "I had the kitchen prepare this while you were in the bathhouse," he whispered, handing her the bottle.

  She swirled the bottle, watching the green sediment dance into a cloudy spiral. She poised herself on the bed's lip, and adjusted her hold on the bottle. The child seized it before it even touched her lips, her hands wrapping over hers iron-tight grip.

  "Kaito," Airi giggled, watching the child hungrily fed. "I don't wish for Kaname to be hidden away from the world."

  Starlight filtered through the chamber's tall windows, illuminating his grim countenance.

  "It's far too dangerous for a child like her to have such freedoms, Airi. She's not like us. Her very presence will bring unwanted attention to our clan."

  Kaname's grip on the bottle loosening, her eyelids growing heavy as she yawned, succumbing to exhaustion.

  Airi lightly patted milk from the corner of Kaname's mouth, her mind working through her husband's predictable response.

  "What do you think she could be? Perhaps some new form of Yazumi?"

  Kaito ambled to the window, his silhouette tense against the starlit glass.

  "Yazumi have been known to breed outside their species, but Kaname bears no resemblance to their kind. After my encounter with those demees, I suspect she originates from another realm."

  His voice dropped, turning to look at the child.

  Though I cannot fathom why or even how they gained access to ours.

  “I plan to investigate this discreetly. Until we know exactly what Kaname is, only a select few can know of her existence."

  She tilted her head, acknowledging his demand. "As for that hideous mask given to you, lock it away… She's far too precious to cover up."

  "Then she never leaves the palace grounds. I'll allow her freedoms confined no further than to the outer sanctums but only under constant supervision."

  Airi rested Kaname into the bed beside Yasushi, her fingers tracing the child's cheek.

  "If that's the case, then I request she receives a proper education and undergoes combat training.”

  Kaito shifted his stance, crossing his arms.

  “In my clan, it's unnecessary for future brides to receive any education. You know this.”

  "I'll overlook her lessons and mold her myself," she pressed, stepping closer to him. "By the time she reaches child-bearing age, she'll be a companion this clan can be truly proud of."

  Her eyes hardened. "And envied by all."

  A smile grin slid across Kaito's lips, foreseeing the benefits of his wife's proposal.

  "As you wish, dear. I'll leave her upbringing to you.”

  The couple gazed down at the sleeping pair, Yasushi's arm already finding its way around Kaname.

  Kaito wrapped his arm around Airi's waist as her eyes lingered, observing Yasushi's gesture. “Come. The children can. Join me for a walk through the garden."

  She nodded, following his lead as they strode toward the balcony. Kaito hopped onto the balustrade and leaped down, falling several meters before landing in the garden's walkaway. Turning back, he raised his arms and caught Airi, falling gracefully behind him.

  Lowering her softly onto the cobblestone, they walked hand in hand along the winding paths in comfortable silence.

  While their footsteps faded into the night, Yasushi's eyes fluttered open. He lay motionless, absorbing his parents’ conversation. His face, beet red in admiration, gazing upon Kaname sleeping beside him. He pulled their shared blanket higher, tucking it around her. Sleep tugged at his consciousness before fully grasping his thoughts. He arched over, planting a childish kiss on her forehead, and settled back into his pillow.

  Ahhh… So this is my companion…