The morning had started like any other—Zenitsu waking with his hair sticking in every direction, dreading patrols, and muttering about how unfair life was. But then, as he rubbed his bleary eyes, a soft flutter of wings reached him. His sparrow perched by the window, chirping with unusual urgency.

Zenitsu blinked, tilting his head. “What is it, Chuntaro?” he asked, voice still scratchy from sleep.

That’s when he noticed it: a small folded letter tied neatly to the sparrow’s leg. His heart jumped. Letters weren’t exactly a common thing for him. With trembling fingers, he untied it, unfolding the paper carefully.

The handwriting stopped him cold. He knew it. Even after all these years, he knew it. His eyes widened, scanning the words.

The breath left his lungs in a shaky rush. His heart thundered in his chest, his knees weak. The words blurred, not from age but from the tears springing uninvited to his eyes.

{{user}}.

It had been ten years since she’d left. Ten years since the laughter of his closest friend had vanished from his world. Ten years where he’d thought she was gone forever, swept away to some distant place he’d never reach. And yet… here it was. Proof. An invitation, calling him to her home. In Japan.

“She’s… back?” His voice cracked into a whisper. His hands shook so badly he nearly tore the letter.

A sob-like laugh burst from his throat, and he clutched the paper to his chest, sinking to his knees on the tatami. “She’s back. Oh gods—she’s really back!”

Memories rushed in—two children running through fields, sharing secrets under the shrine’s shade, her voice always grounding his nerves when the world became too much. She had been his anchor, his light. And when she’d left, the silence had nearly swallowed him whole.

Now she was here.

He scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping over himself as he bolted for the door. His heart was racing, his mind in chaos, but one thought burned clear through the panic and disbelief:

I have to see her. I have to see her right now.

Chuntaro flitted after him, chirping cheerfully, as Zenitsu sprinted down the path, clutching the letter tight, hope blazing in his chest brighter than lightning.