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Morning sunlight streamed in through the half-open windows, they were shoji in design. Beautiful bright ribbons of light slide across the floorboards of Kenji's kind old sushi shop. The scent of salt, seaweed, naturally hovered in the air.. A faint gust of wind, passing by and greeting the wind chime. A delicate tinkling sounds out.
Kenji sat up in bed with a small quiet grunt. Then one hand rises up to his face, it gently presses. His fingers naturally slid over to the scar that cut across his right eye. It was an old wound, he had healed from it.
A hot shower came next. The showers were always very nice, In his hard-working days it's the small amount of time he gets to himself. His long black hair clung to his back and shoulders, He exits once he dried off, he tied his long hair up into a topknot. Kenji then dresses. He pulls on his stained white shirt, and heavy black harem pants. On his feet he slides on his white tabi shoes, their undersides clad in black. Over all of it, his sushi patterned robe. The cloth rippling softly as he heads back to the bedroom. He paused before the small mirror on the wall. He messes with a few strands of hair, and after it fails, he gives up on it. Once arrived, he makes his way straight to the wooden nightstand. He picks up his iconic seaweed-patterned bandage. With simple hands, he wraps it firmly over the eye, tying it off around back with a strong knot.
In the kitchen, his hands danced across the prep station. Anything you could name. Tuna, salmon, octopus, each fish was carved nicely with utter skill. He sliced with the same precision he used back in his days of brawling. The blades may be different now, but his focus of course had never dulled out. He prepared the rice, fanning it with his hands while adding a tiny bit of seasoned vinegar, each grain glistening nicely, all ready to be formed under his command.
He then opened his shop just before the park had fully stirred, hanging the red lantern outside and unlocking the front door with a quick click. Of course a few elderly regulars shuffled in early, always on time somehow. Kenji bowed to each customer and served them warm tea and his usual convo. His sushi was prepared with care. It had garnishes and edible additions. All served with a kind smile.
It was always like this... day after day, a simple rhythm.
He’d wipe down counters between customers, humming quietly under his breath... It was an old melody from better times. At lunch, a surprise appearance. Bonnie and Janet once dropped by, courtesy of Stu. They had been arguing over who could eat more wasabi... Janet's eyes watered endlessly while Bonnie wheezed laughter. Kenji allowed himself a small chuckle of course, slipping them some extra rice cakes for the road.
Many rolled in each evening with the desire to dine on such delicate, but tasteful dishes. Kenji said little, but always nodded with some quiet appreciation. His fame as a sushi chef was growing more and more. Some people came for the food; others, for the calm presence him and his shop always radiated.
Naturally, that's all they would see... Nobody though, could see underneath Kenji's calm surface... Where a storm of anger brew. Slowly, rumbling...
Each night when the lantern was set out, and the final dishes were washed, Kenji would retreated to the back, He would kneel on the floor before an old crest of his original family. He now relishes these small moments with remembrance. Just like all the other times, he arrives with his knife in his hand. After the unsheathe, He pulls a shard of steel to it, and sharpened it with care. Every slow strike he whispered words.
“Soon, Not yet..." A pause. "But soon..."
He thought often of her. Of the woman who made the storms in his soul quiet. Her image was as beautiful as the wind across the grass, and so was her presence. Whether it was fierce, or soft, it was never possible to forget.
Kenji decided to sit in silence at the windowsill. He had his tea and sipped it, quietly watching the cherry blossoms swirl. The branches slowly but surely letting more and more free. “I don’t care if I fall,” he muttered, the sky darkened above. “I will show Starr Park the lengths a man without honor will go...”
Finally, he had reached the last day of the week. Business was slow. Oddly enough, it wasn't really uncomfortable. Kenji took in the respite as a sign. He moved quickly and retreated to the back once more. There, amid the quiet clatter of tools and weapons, he began to sharpen an arbitrary blade. He worked silently, letting the scrape of metal calm him.
That’s when he heard it-the soft chime of the front door.
He paused, sheathing this blade, heart twitching in his chest. Wiping his hands clean, he grabbed his small clipboard, menu tucked within, and an ink pen. Without glancing up, he moved toward the table the customer was sitting at, From the corner of his vision, he spotted a woman. Of course, his eyes were still focused on the pen. He gave it a shake, but there was no ink...
He spoke out to the woman casually, he was still fiddling, scribbling with this stubborn pen.
“What would pique your interest today, ma’am?”
It was then when the ink finally sputtered from the stubborn pen, just enough to splotch across the menu board. Kenji let out a quiet breath of triumph, tapping the side of the pen with satisfaction as he prepared for the order. He, while still not looking towards this woman, did take in the beauty of her voice.
It was Soft, Beautiful... Familiar...?
"To begin, I'll have the Sakura Bloom Uramaki... The plum vinegar rice, wrapped gently around the seaweed, cradling the sweet salmon filling within..."
Kenji's pen slowed, just a small bit. But he kept writing...
"Then... I think I'll take the Crimson Tempura Delight. Tiger prawns kissed by the small flame, crisped in delicate batter and then brushed with golden butter."
Kenji's wrist stilled. His eyes narrowed just slightly, not in suspicion... but in a calm wonder...
"And lastly... Night's Sweet Nigiri. Tuna, laid tender across a wad of vinegared rice. Finished with the softest stroke of salty soy."
Kenji stared at the menu board... no movement, no ink. The pen dangled from his fingers a bit.
“Ah...” he breathed out, his eyebrows lifting slowly, “An amazing selection...”
There was then a pause, his voice was softer now. Unintentionally reverent.
"It’s amusing honestly... that’s actually my favorite combinati—"
He then finally, looked up.
His eyes met another, very beautiful, pair of eyes.
The clipboard slipped from his hand, and fell on the floor with a faint clack.
A geisha sat there in the center of his shop, her hair perfectly arranged, her kimono flowing like a river made of a alluring, beautiful silk. Her silver fan hid her lips... but not her eyes.
Those eyes...
Kenji staggered back, stunned. “K-K….” His voice cracked somehow... The woman lowered the fan slowly, her eyes never leaving his. Her face had been fully revealed. Then, softly speaking out to him, “You speak to any woman, that kind of way, dear?” she teased and raised a brow. He stepped forward, pulled a nearby chair beneath him, instantly lowering his level to hers. His hands trembled, but still he reached out. Gently pulling her into an embrace as his head lowered onto her shoulder. She slowly rubbed her hands across his back, comforting him. Tears fell slowly... freely... "Kaze..." He breathes out, shakily...
“I had thought... I lost you…” he whispered. “I never lost hope, but it was so hard to hold on… my love." She pulled back from him, hands still on his shoulders, meeting his face with hers. “I know, my strong warrior..." Tears had stained her the back of her kimono, but she could care less for it. He tried to gain composure. “How did you escape? What did they do to you..?" Kaze’s eyes then narrowed with a calm fierceness. Her hands dropped to her lap. “Starr Park was unaware of what I was capable of. It took time. But I slipped through their net. Like a fish through cracks.”
Kenji stood tall then, gripping her hand tightly. “With you in my arms again, I can strike down Starr Park without fear... I can finally cut them down with a blade they have long deserved..." He walked to the front display, grabbing the paw of the ceramic lucky cat. With a twist, the head popped open. Then, a press. The back wall shifted, revealing racks of blades, armor, kunai, and smoke bombs.
Kaze smirked. “Ah yes, as vigilant as ever.”
“Of course,” Kenji nodded, then looked back to her. “It’s time to strike, my love.”
“And I shall join you when you do,” she said. Kenji's head reeled back in a jagged motion, his face covered in confusion.
“What?! No! I've only just now gotten you back!”
“True, but I will not rest until the both of us can sleep soundly once more.”
“You are not a weapon, Kaze...”
“I know what I am, Kenji. And we both, know what I’m capable of. There’s no point in suppressing it.”
Kenji paused, then exhaled slowly. “Very well. Then we’ll show them not vengeance, but justice.”
She got up and approached him. She then kissed his forehead. “Always such vigor in your voice.”
His face flushed red. She continued on. "And on an unrelated note, I am still very hungry..."
Kenji’s eyes widened.
“Ah! Of course! I-I had completely forgotten!” he stammered, while stepping back. “Your meal, my love, how careless of me!”
He moved with the grace of a samurai, but still somehow had the panic of a school boy. Turning right on his heel and bolted toward the prep area. The instant his hands hit the counter, something clicked.
His rhythm, his purpose, his memories, all glowing with beautiful color. His fingers danced across the blades. each motion was precise, each slice, perfect. The tuna was cut with clean confidence. The tempura was fried to a perfect golden crisp, not a bit overdone. The rolls were spun tight and elegant, seaweed wrapped heartily, as if they held treasure inside. Rice pressed just right, wasabi on the side was measured with just his gut. He moved like flowing water, and still struck like a storm. He was so focused, more than ever before.
Kaze stood at the edge of the kitchen, quietly watching.
Her head tilted slightly, taking in the amazement. She watched in awe. The simple and calm strength in his shoulders. The softness, yet urgency of his movement.
The man who had once laid down his blade to build something gentle, doing it before her eyes. He finally finishes.
"Sakura Bloom Uramaki, Crimson Tempura Delight, and Night's Sweet Nigiri,” he said with a flourish, presenting the tray. "Prepared to your liking dear."
Then, without a word, Kaze picked up the tray in her hands. She held it gratefully, and turned slightly. A small gesture, nodding toward the front doors of the shop.
The light outside was painted in soft purples and the small shine of lanterns. Night had finally fallen.
Kenji followed her gaze and immediately understood.
“Of course!”
He rushed to the front just as a tired customer stepped up to the threshold, rubbing their eyes and clearly ready to place an order. Kenji sent him a quick, apologetic bow, palms at his sides. “I’m afraid we’ve just closed for the night, friend,” he said gently. The man spoke out. "W-What? But it says you don't close until-" Without further notice, Kenji slid the doors shut infront him with a satisfying clack. He locked them and turned off the main room lights. The warm glow of his home deepened even more. When he returned, Kaze was already waiting for him, standing in the middle of the shop, tray still in hand. With a single free hand, she reached toward him and delicately took his fingers into hers.
“Come, Kenji,” she said softly, “Let’s dine here instead. Privately.”
He followed her without hesitation as she led him past the main dining area, through the split red curtain, and into his quiet, spacious bedroom tucked at the back of the shop. The walls were simple but strong. Small decorations. They were scrolls of calligraphy. One fair light above casting a golden hue over everything. It felt untouched by time, perfectly sound.
Kaze moved with poise and grace as she knelt onto the mat beneath them. It was a green tatami mat, and she went on placing the tray carefully in front of them. She settled herself like a fair breeze, and Kenji, perhaps a bit less graceful, promptly dropped down beside her with reverence in his drop.
He didn’t speak. He only watched, watched as she picked up a piece of Sakura Bloom Uramaki, lifted it carefully with her chopsticks, and brought it to her lips.
She took a single bite.
Her eyes fluttered wide the moment the flavor danced across her tongue. Her expression softened. It was nostalgia, comfort, happiness. It was all three.
Her voice came forth softly.
“Do you realize how much I have missed this...? You’re so good at what you do.”
Kenji turned scarlet instantly. He shifted his weight, and made a faulty attempt to hide his smile behind his knuckle.
“I-I mean... Nothing short of what you deserve, my love.”
She chuckled while finishing her piece, and without another word, lifted a fresh piece of Night's Sweet Nigiri.
She turned to him and held it forward with a little smirk.
“Ahh...?”
Kenji blinked. He gulped softly, then leaned in, mouth opening obediently... He wasn’t looking at the sushi, He was looking at her.
She was looking right back.
Their eyes locked as he bit down clumsily.
Some rice tumbled down from the sides of his lips as he chewed, still not breaking eye contact. His face scrunched, trying to stay composed while savoring amazing flavor on his tongue.
Kaze giggled softly, leaning closer.
"Such a messy eater."
She reached out, and with a single finger, gently picked off the grain of rice from his lip.
Then, with clear demure, raised it to her own mouth and let it disappear behind her curve of a smile...
Kenji blinked, swallowed, then exhaled softly. The moment hung there between them.
And then, in the exact same breath, they spoke out.
"I missed you."
Silence, and then laughter.
Both faces red and flustered.
It was the first time there was some blissful peace, not because of the lack of brawling...
But because she was here, Kaze...