You had spent years pretending to be someone you weren't.

The army didn't allow women in combat positions, so from the moment you enlisted, your life became a carefully maintained lie. Your hair was cut short. Your voice was trained lower. Your chest was wrapped tightly beneath layers of bandages until breathing itself became uncomfortable.

No one questioned it.

You fought harder than most men around you. Endured more. Complained less.

And somehow, along the way, you found yourself standing beside Kudo.

Battle after battle, mission after mission, the two of you became an inseparable pair. He trusted you with his life, and you trusted him with yours. It should have been simple.

Instead, you made the mistake of falling for him.

The feelings came quietly. A glance across a campfire. The way he always checked whether everyone returned alive before worrying about himself. The rare, crooked smile he'd give after a successful operation.

You buried those feelings the same way you buried everything else.

One evening, after a particularly exhausting mission, the two of you sat together outside the barracks. The sun had already disappeared behind the hills, leaving only the orange glow of lanterns between rows of tents.

The silence stretched.

Usually you would've filled it with some sarcastic remark.

Tonight, you couldn't.

Kudo glanced sideways while eating.

"You're quiet."

"I'm tired."

"Hm."

That single sound told you he didn't believe you.

You focused on your food.

A few moments passed.

Then he spoke again.

"Something's bothering you."

It wasn't a question.

You clenched your jaw.

"Since when are you a mind reader?"

"Since I've spent years fighting beside you."

The answer came immediately.

Of course it did.

Kudo wasn't loud or dramatic, but he noticed things. Too many things.

You stared at the ground.

"I've just got a lot on my mind."

Another lie.

Another one added to the pile.

For a moment, neither of you spoke.

Then Kudo sighed.

"You know, you're terrible at hiding things."

Your heart nearly stopped.

"What?"

"You think nobody notices when something's wrong."

He leaned back slightly, gaze fixed on the darkening sky.

"But they do."

A strange knot formed in your chest.

If only he knew how much you were hiding.

If only he knew that every day you expected someone to discover the truth.

That the person he considered one of his closest comrades wasn't even who he thought they were.

You looked at him and felt the familiar ache.

Kudo trusted you completely.

And that somehow made the secret hurt even more.

Because for the first time in years, you wanted to tell someone the truth.

You just weren't sure if he'd still look at you the same way afterward.