Reconciliation, Twice Over

Silence.A deep, tense silence filled the room as they stood facing each other.

Naru couldn't take his eyes off her. His Leyla.She was here. She was finally in front of him.But he didn't know what to say.

Should he just hug her? Should he accuse her? Should he admit how much he had suffered?

Leyla, of course, was the first to break the silence.

"Well… at least you didn't attack me with spells when you walked in. Progress."

Naru blinked, then sighed. Of course. Of course, she would start the conversation her way— with sarcasm.

"Yes, progress," he muttered, stepping toward her. He wasn't sure if he was strong enough to keep his distance.

He sat beside her, leaning on his hands, staring straight into her eyes.And then, without warning, his eyes welled up with tears.Loud, painful, with no attempt to hide them.

"Damn it, Leyla…"

She rubbed her own eyes, unsure of what to do.

"Hey…"

But he didn't stop.

"I loved you so much… I hated you so much…" His voice was hoarse. "Why? Why did you leave me? Why didn't you tell me?"

Leyla bit her lip. "I didn't have a choice."

"Bullshit!" he shouted. "You always had a choice! You could have… You could have told me, you could have trusted me!"

"Naru—"

"How was it here?" he interrupted. "Did Raizen… touch you?"

She looked up at him through her lashes, then shook her head.

"Raizen was… more than kind to me. He even forced me to eat, to dress properly, to smile…"

Naru immediately felt jealousy creeping up his spine.

"Of course, he did," he muttered through his teeth. "May his food burn in the oven."

Leyla chuckled. "You're still the same. Jealous."

"Of course, I am! My wife… and my… my son… or daughter…"

She felt her heart race.

"You know…" she started, "I was pretty shocked."

"Oh, really?" Naru smirked.

"Excuse me, we only slept together once!"

"Well, I hit the target right away, didn't I?"

Leyla rolled her eyes but couldn't stop herself from smiling.

And then…

Naru leaned in.

She felt his breath, the warmth of his body.His hands cradled her face.And without any warning, passionately, hungrily, deeply— he kissed her.

His lips were needy, warm, both gentle and possessive at the same time.He kissed her as if trying to pour every emotion, all his pain, love, and longing into that one kiss.

Leyla didn't pull away. On the contrary, her fingers instinctively slid through his hair, pulling him closer, as if she never wanted to let him go.

Naru whispered softly between kisses:

"Never… not even in my wildest dreams… did I imagine kissing my wife in Raizen's castle…"

Leyla let out a breathless chuckle. "Oh, yeah, super romantic."

But then—

The door suddenly swung open.

"Oh, for the love of all spirits!" Raizen's voice rang out. "My eyes burn! I do NOT want to see this!"

Naru and Leyla froze.

Raizen dramatically raised his hands and turned his head away as if he were about to go blind.

"Please, whatever you're doing in my castle…" He paused and waved his hand dismissively. "You know what? I don't even want to know. Just continue, but in your own room, oh prince on a white horse!"

Naru smirked.

"What's the matter, Raizen? Jealous?"

Raizen scoffed instantly. "Yes, I'm jealous of you defiling my castle with your slobbering romance."

Leyla sighed, placing a hand over her face. "Oh no… here we go…"

Naru grinned mischievously.

"Don't worry, friend, I'm trying not to touch anything that belongs to you."

"Liar! You touched my Leyla!"

"My wife," Naru corrected him with a smug smile.

"In my castle!"

Leyla glanced between the two of them.

Were they going to fight?Or maybe… hug?

Raizen's face turned serious, his usual smirk fading.

"Anyway, before you continue with… that… I came here to tell you something important."

Naru immediately straightened up, and Leyla blinked.

Raizen ran a hand down his face as if mentally preparing himself.

"But just so you know, this is the last time I'm barging in on a moment like this. Next time—"

"Raizen." Naru cut through the dramatics. "Just say it already."

Raizen sat down in a chair, crossed his legs, and gazed at them thoughtfully. He didn't seem like the same cold, heartless enemy Naru once knew.

Something about that made Naru uneasy.

"Alright," Raizen finally said, breaking the silence. "I came here to talk."

Naru raised an eyebrow. "About what? How you deceived us all?"

"No," Raizen replied calmly. "About the artifact."

Naru shot to his feet so fast he nearly knocked over his chair. "Wait… you found it?"

Raizen nodded, then smirked. "I didn't just find it. I gave it to Leyla to bring to you."

For a moment, Naru looked like all the air had been knocked out of him.

"You… gave it to her? And you didn't use it for yourself? For power?"

"The thought crossed my mind," Raizen admitted with a small smile. "But I couldn't. I mean… maybe I would have before, but now…"

He glanced at Leyla, then quickly looked away, almost uncomfortable.

Naru studied him in disbelief. "So, Leyla had that much influence over you?"

"It seems she did." Raizen shrugged. "I kept her here against her will. And I regret that. I truly, truly regret it."

Leyla and Naru exchanged glances.

"To be honest," Raizen continued, "if it weren't for her pregnancy, I probably would've kept her here even longer. Maybe I would've been selfish and never let her go. But… she was carrying your child. And I… I'm weak when it comes to her. I couldn't keep her here knowing who the father was."

His voice was quieter now, serious.

"At the end of the day…" He looked at Leyla with a small smile. "She loves you."

Leyla exhaled softly.

Raizen leaned back, running a hand through his hair.

"From now on… I won't bring back her memories of me. Let her continue her life as it was before. Let her just be Leyla. Let her be yours."

Leyla watched him for a moment, then asked:

"So, will you two finally bury the hatchet?"

Naru immediately scoffed. "No chance."

Raizen didn't smile right away.

Leyla gave him a look— her big, shining eyes practically saying, 'Seriously? After everything?'

Naru groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled, "but don't expect tea parties or best friendship bracelets."

Raizen smirked. "I couldn't handle that either."

Naru took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Come to the celebration when the baby is born."

Raizen raised an eyebrow. "Are you seriously inviting me?"

"I appreciate that you took care of her when she needed it most."

Raizen studied him for a moment, then gave a slow nod.

"Count me in."