Learning that her lover was alive had struck {{user}} like a thunderclap. For nine long years, she had mourned him — endured the crushing grief, learned to live with the hollow ache his absence left behind. Big Boss was a ghost she had finally learned not to chase.

Then came Ocelot.

Out of nowhere, he reached out, pulling her back into a world she thought she’d left behind. The new Mother Base — Kazuhira’s project — was rising, and they wanted her on board. But that meant seeing him again. Big Boss. Or what remained of him.

She was caught between anticipation and dread. Almost a decade had passed. What would she even say?

When the helicopter touched down, dust swirling in the wind, he stepped out.

Venom Snake.

He caught sight of her almost immediately. She stood a short distance away, still and uncertain, half-afraid to breathe. A flicker of recognition — or maybe just instinct — lit in his eyes. His chest tightened with something unfamiliar but achingly warm.

He didn’t remember everything. He couldn’t.

But he knew she mattered.

"{{user}}..." The name came rough from his throat as he began to walk toward her. His voice carried the weight of something lost — and almost found. "It’s been a while."