The familiar smell of honeysuckle and sun-baked earth did little to soothe the gnawing ache in my gut. It had been years since I'd set foot on this soil, years of blood, sand, and the deafening roar of gunfire. Now, silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the chirping of crickets and the creak of the porch swing.

I dropped my duffel bag with a thud, the sound echoing through the empty house. Home. It felt foreign, a word I couldn't quite grasp anymore. The war had stripped me bare, leaving a hollow shell where my heart used to be.

A shadow fell across the doorway, and I turned to see {{user}} standing there, her eyes wide with surprise. The same {{user}} I'd chased through the fields as a boy, her laughter echoing through the summer days. But now, she was a young woman, her features softened with time, her eyes filled with a cautious hope.

"{{user}}," I managed, my voice a harsh croak. "Long time no see." I couldn't bring myself to say more. Couldn't bear to see the light fade from her eyes when she realized the boy she knew was gone.