When she found him, he was standing near the entrance of a small cave, his grin barely visible beneath the folds of his sashira. The rocky formation jutted from a raised portion of the canyon wall, its rough surface offering a natural overhang that provided much-needed shade.
She stepped closer and saw what Taiga had spotted. Beneath the overhang, the mouth of the cave yawned open, wide enough to give them space but narrow enough to be easily defensible. The air cooled immediately as she entered, and in the far corner, a faint trickle of water seeped from the rock, collecting in a shallow pool. It was just enough to refill their water skins.
Taiga dropped to his knees by the small pool of water, dipping his fingers. “I was starting to think we’d be crispy before we found anything.”
Iruka inspected the cave entrance, looking for signs of danger. “It’s defensible. No one’s been here in a while.”
“This is good,” she agreed, though she knew the real threat wasn’t the sun anymore; it was the shinobi scattered across the desert, waiting for nightfall.
“What do we do once the sun goes down?” Taiga asked, sensing her unease.
Aimee turned to him. “Do we still want to win?”
Both boys exchanged a look before nodding in unison.
“Then we rest now and align on a plan once the sun’s down,” she said, her mind already running through strategies.
“Yeah!” Taiga raised his fist for a weak bump with Iruka, who rolled his eyes.
After they had settled, Aimee tried to rest but only drifted in and out of shallow sleep, her thoughts circling the night ahead. The sun was sinking, and with it, the weight of what was to come.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she woke abruptly, her senses on high alert. Something was off.
Sitting up, her fingers brushed against the hilts of her swords. There were voices at the entrance. One was unmistakably Iruka’s, low and tense, but the other voice was unfamiliar, yet…somehow not.
Aimee silently unsheathed her swords, keeping her movements controlled as she crept toward the cave’s mouth, her body low to the ground and her heart steady as she listened.
At the entrance, she saw Iruka standing with his arms crossed, facing a young man covered in dried blood and streaks of black ichor. His Mizu Haven bandana was barely visible beneath the grime, and his hands were raised in a gesture of surrender, far from the weapons strapped to his wide leather belt.
“I thought the snake took you,” Iruka said. “There’s no way you defeated that monster.”
The young man huffed a laugh, shaking his head. “Defeated? No. Ran away when it went after Takumi? Yes.”
“So, you’re a coward, then?” Iruka’s eyes narrowed. “Your friend died.”
“I’m alive is what I am.” The boy’s lips curled.
Aimee’s grip tightened on her swords as she edged closer.
This must be Renji, she thought, eyeing the bloodied bandana.How the hell did he get out of the canyon alive?
Iruka remained silent.
“Look,” Renji began again, his voice dropping. “I’m just looking for a place to hole up until dawn. With my team gone…” His words trailed off, and he sighed. “I’m just trying to get out of this bleeding desert in one piece.”
“Of course! Please, join us.” Taiga brushed past the spot where Aimee was crouched. “We’ll leave soon to finish the Gekitotsu. We’re going to win! But you’re welcome to stay.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Aimee grumbled as she rose to her feet, slipping her swords back into their sheaths and stepping into the open.
Renji’s mouth quirked at seeing her. “Pleasant as always.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” She crossed her arms as Iruka barked, “Taiga! We don’t know this person.”
“What? He’s covered in blood and snake goo and wearing a Mizu Haven bandana. Who else would he be?”
Iruka raised a hand to his head, exasperated. “We are shinobi, Taiga. Deception is in the playbook.”
“Oh my,” Renji laughed softly, a smile playing on his lips as his gaze slid over to Aimee. “I wouldn’t want to cause any alarm. I can stay outside if that’s safer for you.”
