Lost in Thought

Bacon and effs were on the menu for breakfast this morning. By the time she got downstairs, the food was ready and waiting.

Kitsume smiled at him and sat down at the table, eyeing her food hungrily. "Thank you very much," she said to him then began to eat.

He smiled. "Anytime." He said, sitting down to eat as well. He looked at her from his spot, and smiled again.

Kitsume smiled back softly then began to eat her breakfast, smiling in delight.

Once Yasha was done eating, he cleared his plate, and looked over at Kitsume. "So, what's on the agenda today?" He asked.

Kitsume finished shortly after and picked up her plate, pushing herself away from the table to bring it into the kitchen. She shrugged when he spoke. She hadn't planned anything for the day. "Anything," she replied, looking at him. "I have the day off so we can do anything."

Yasha chuckled. How long had it been since he had stayed in one place while not on an assignment? "Why don't you give me a tour? It's been years since I've been in the Mist Village after all.

Kitsume smiled and nodded. "Alright." she told him before leading him down the hallways and back to the set of stairs they had used the night before. "Not too much has changed."

He followed her, smiling. "Well, it will be nice to see everything. I left right after the war so...things were pretty bad here." He said, frowning at the memory.

Kitsume nodded and opened the door, stepping out into the sunlight. The village was busy with people. People and children bustled along the streets, shopping and playing. As soon as Kitsume walked out into the street, she was greeted by people with a soft smile and a formal greeting. A small girl ran up to her and grabbed a hold on the bottom of her shirt, looking up at her admiringly. "Good morning Kitsume-sama!" she piped. "Good morning Miya," Kitsume greeted back and patted the little girl on the head before she ran away to join her friends who watched in awe.

"You call miss Mizukage-sama by her name?" Kitsume heard them ask her and giggled to herself.

Yasha smiled warmly. "Wow...they really seem to love you, don't they?" He asked, looking around. The village was the same, yet very different from when he had been here last. There was an air of peace, of happiness that had not existed during the war, when he and Kitsume had been children.

Kitsume smiled at him and nodded her head. "Yes, everyone in the village respects me as I respect them,"

Yasha smiled and followed her, taking everything in. "I wish...things had been different." He said finally, looking over at her. "I wish...we hadn't been born in a time of war. Maybe then...Our parents would still be alive."

Kitsume looked over at him and frowned, nodding her head. She wished that too, but she knew it was inevitable. "I know.. I do too, but we can't live in the past. We should be happy for what we have right now."

He smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He said. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but he knew it wouldn't be a good idea. Not yet.

Kitsume smiled happily as a butterfly flew past them. Her smile was warm and happy. Without thinking, she hugged onto his arm and continued to look up at the sky. "This is around the time where the butterflies mate so they are all around this place."

Yasha blushed a bit, but smiled. It felt like when they were kids again. "Yeah, you're right." He smiled, turning to her. "Remember that time when I almost fell off a cliff trying to catch a butterfly for you?"

Kitsume giggled and nodded her head before shaking it. "Yeah! I was so scared I cried, remember? I didn't even help you, just stood there and cried. I was such a cry baby back then."

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I had to climb my way back up. Lucky I had my Dad's Kunai Knife with me." He smiled. "You know, I always wanted to protect you, to be strong. So I'm glad you didn't help." He chuckled.

Kitsume looked at him then and blushed slight. She smiled a warm, caring smile. "I am glad, because I liked when you would watch over me. It made me feel safe, like no one could hurt me even if they tried."

Yasha smiled at her, his fingers twitching, wanting to stroke her face. "Well, I would never let anyone hurt you. Then, or now."

Kitsume blushed dark and felt her heart beat hard in her chest. She felt the urge to lean over to kiss him, but she didn't want to make things weird so all she did was smile at him, "I am glad," she said softly.

He smiled back at her as they walked. "Sumi..." He said, after a few moments of silence. "I missed you." He said finally, after thinking about what he wanted to say.

Kitsume looked over at him and smiled large. "I missed you too Yasha.. A whole lot."

He looked at her. "I...." He said, but shook his head. "Never mind." He whispered. If he told her he loved her, that he had always loved her, even as children, would he just be pushing her away?