Tsuki tensed for a second, feeling the bowl slip away from her, as she heard Himura besides her work on her meal. She stayed still, and as he placed a spoon in her hand, a small smile appeared on her face.
"Fish wasn't the best idea for someone who can't see... Here, take this" ”You’re right… Thank you!” Tsuki chimed, and placed two of her fingers near her lips, while the other hand was busy picking up the food. The sense of touch allowed her to better understand the distance, and she was eating her food as well now, mostly in silence as she buzzed from the idea of having a jonin team. She even muffled a laugh from the slight steel blue chakra spike at the end of her bed when the nurse left.
This felt
right. The three ninja were forming a bond between them, and she felt happy that they did. While they ate, Tsuki listened to them both, silently whispering “Yoshi” under her breath as if adjusting how it felt to say the shorter version of his name. She already dropped the honorific, which did indicate a sense of closeness between the two ravens. But this - whatever this was - was new and none of them knew yet what sort of path they will be forming in the future, how much trust, protection and memories their friendship will forge. It was a different feeling, amplified tenfold by the love she carried for Yoshinori, and the trust she had for Himura’s abilities.
Soon, the room fell a little silent, and Tsuki thought she’d tell a story of a D-rank mission years ago, getting a cat out of the tree for a nice old lady just down the street from the hospital. She told how the cat gave them both trouble, and at the end it turned out it wasn’t even the woman’s cat - hers was safe and sound at home, a sound of laughter echoing from them as the punchline of the story was delivered. She was smiling, her cheeks flushed and a happy rumble in her heart, as the bowls emptied.
While Himura was telling a more intricate story about his past missions, Tsuki suddenly straightened her back, a sense of worry painting her face.
”Thank you for visiting me, I really appreciate you both. Next time, lunch is on me - I’ll make sure to ca-” The door opened without much ceremony, as two Hyuuga men identical to one another walked in.
”Tsuki-sama, we came as soon as we could. Please, let us lead you back to the compound where you can receive adequate care.” The very slightly taller one announced, his gaze cold, fixed on her, while the other was looking between the men in this room. She wanted to say no, but she knew that, much to her displeasure, they were right. The medics down at the Hyuuga compound deal with the Byakuugan strain daily - she will be back on her feet way faster than in the hospital where nurses give menus to blind patients. She didn’t frown, the tips of her lips moved downwards very slightly, but she started to shuffle in her bed, bare feet touching the cold flooring of the room. She stood up, and waited, and the Hyuuga’s waited as well, because they knew, and she knew, that someone else was here as well.
An old lady slowly walked into the room as well, leathered fingers holding a small bag. Her silver hair was tied in a tight bun but her eyes had the same shade of color as Tsuki’s.
”Nanami-san… These are my… Friends.” There was a little hesitation in her voice, but Nanami just nodded, her gaze soft and caring as she walked over to the young woman, placing her hand in her arm, and slowly leading her out.
”I know, dear. Let’s get you home.” They stopped by the door and Tsuki turned around to them, well, in their general direction at least.
”Yoshinori, Himura-san, thank you again.” Nanami looked at them too, her gaze fixed on Himura for a moment, as if she was admiring the boy, and then she turned her eyes to Yoshinori, her gaze softening and a hint of a smile forming too.
She knew. They left, and the Hyuuga twins stared at them both for a moment in silence. When the first one left, the other gave a look at Yoshinori again, as if dismissing him, and left too, leaving the shinobi in the room alone.
