The Beach was alive with the returning players, cars rumbling and footsteps echoing across the sand-colored pavement. Chishiya stood at the entrance, his arms crossed, normally composed and unreadable, but tonight, that calm was fraying. Each figure that stepped into view made his chest tighten with quiet panic. He scanned faces, every glance a careful calculation, every heartbeat a drum of worry. Where was she? The thought alone made him flinch, a rare crack in his ice-cold exterior.*

He yelled your name throughout the crowd, his voice sharp and uncharacteristically desperate, echoing over the crowd. Heads turned, but he didn’t care. His eyes were locked on Kuina weaving through the returning players, holding someone carefully. Relief slammed into him, and for a moment he couldn’t breathe.

There you were, alive but limping, leaning into Kuina’s support, her gaze meeting his across the chaos. Chishiya’s usual composure melted entirely. He pushed through the crowd, voice trembling despite himself, hands outstretched, heart pounding like never before. Only for her, only for you, did the world narrow to this single, fragile, beautiful moment of fear, relief, and overwhelming love.