• PASSING TIME •

SOMETHING ABOUT SITTING STILL MADE LEE ANXIOUS. Every time she glanced at him, he was tapping his fingers, shifting back and forth, generally irritated altogether. She could tell that he wanted to move, do something. But she wouldn't let him, not until that ankle healed. Kazue couldn't bear the thought of him getting even more hurt because of her ignorance.

So, she kept him confined to the sleeping mat, allowing only a few test-walks to see if his ankle could hold his weight.

Lee was quiet, for the most part. He didn't say anything about what happened to him, and she didn't ask. Everyone comes around eventually, she thought to herself. But she had to wonder. Was it a gang? A few passed through these parts, getting into scuffles over territory and such. Kazue treated them all the same. Helping people was her duty, and she'd do it no matter the person. Plus, they payed her well. Lee doesn't look like the type to mess with them, though. 

He must not have been from around here, she decided. Not many in the area had such pale skin. The locals were all tanned from working in the fields and living under the intense sun. And no one cut their hair so short, down to the scalp, unless they were trying to change their appearance for the sake of going unrecognized.

Then again, she got a lot of people who wanted to go unrecognized.

Everyone has a story, and he'll tell me when he's ready. Whenever that may be, only the Spirits know.

"You keep disappearing," he said suddenly on the third day. She jumped, slamming her bowl down. Juices sloshed over the side, staining her fingers and sleeves bright red. Letting out a low hiss through clenched teeth, Kazue whirled around to see Lee leaning against the counter. He'd managed to sneak up on her, somehow, even though that counter was the only thing separating the kitchen and the rest area.

He stared at her hands, suddenly alert. "You're bleeding. Did you ... cut yourself?" What is that I hear in his voice? Could it be ... concern? She almost giggled. Aw, he thinks he scared me into getting hurt! Lee watched her, as if checking whether she was in pain. Though, he kept that same deadpan expression on his face.

"No," she said, grabbing a towel. "It's juice. I was just preparing a tonic." Kazue would have laughed at how his fever-flushed cheeks turned redder than a tomato, but the way he wobbled just standing up drove the amusement from her mind. "Sit down, Lee, you're about to pass out!" He rolled his eyes and plunked himself down on a wooden stool. She scowled and threw the towel at him. "You know that's not what I meant." It hit his face with a wet thwack and fell to the floor.

"I let you do that," he muttered, making no move to pick it up. "Where do you keep disappearing to?" The one eyebrow he still had rose in question. What happened to the other one? Probably whatever caused that scar, she decided. Lee crossed his arms, waiting for an answer. She'd removed the bandages from his left arm earlier that morning.

She frowned. "Disappearing?" She didn't recall going anywhere in the past few days. In fact, the only times she'd left the house was to check on the ostrich horse and ... "Oh! The garden!" Kazue laughed at his utterly confused expression. "I have a garden, just in there," she pointed to a door in the back, "where I keep and grow all of my supplies." Humming, she leaned against the counter. "How are you feeling? Do you think you could walk around without keeling over?"

Lee glared at her. "Of course. I'm not weak," he growled, raspy voice holding an incredibly defensive tone. He sounded offended by the question. Kazue grinned, and his sour look deepened. It really was too easy to rile him up. She enjoyed messing with him, if she was being honest with herself.

"Of course not," she agreed, pushing herself off the counter. "So, Mr. Tough Guy, would you like to see the garden or not?" Despite his best efforts, Kazue could see his curiosity bubbling over. A chance to move around and do something besides sitting on his mat? She knew he wouldn't pass up that chance.

He sighed and stood up, rolling his shoulders. "Whatever. Anything has to be better than sitting here and listening to you talk." A ghost of a smirk passed over his face when she pressed a hand over her heart and gasped, hey! It must have been a trick of the candlelight, though, because it was gone just as soon. "Show me the carrots, or cabbages, or whatever you're growing back there."

Carrots? "Trust me." Kazue beckoned for him to follow her. "It's pretty interesting." She unlocked the door and stepped through. After a moment, she heard Lee's footsteps right behind her.

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kinda forgot about this fic ngl but i wanted to write something soft and i was like "oh yeah kilig exists" and i hopped to it

also it's been a while so i kinda...forgot the writing style of this book....so sorry if it feels wEiRd, but at the same time i love kaz is any style, she's so cool uwu

next chapter soon, since i've got parts of the story pre-written lol