Holidays

* Knock Knock. *

"Come in," Dosuke called, lying in a hospital gown on his bed, glancing toward the ward's door.

The doorknob turned, and the door opened.

A familiar sound of wooden sandals echoed as a girl in an orange short-sleeved shirt entered. Her long hair flowed over her shoulders, the tips slightly curled, blending grace with playfulness. She carried a brown food box.

"You're here, Sister Tachie," Dosuke greeted, smiling at the approaching figure.

"Why are you sitting up? Doesn't your wound hurt?" Tachie asked with concern, unpacking an array of delicacies from the food box, filling the table before Dosuke.

"It's fine, Sister Tachie. I'm a medic myself, I know my limits," Dosuke replied, eyeing the spread she arranged.

"Alright, eat up. I'm visiting Soma and Takuto next," Tachie said.

Tachie had been discharged a few days earlier. Aside from a wound from Erming's poison needle, she'd suffered only minor scrapes. She had left the hospital yesterday, admitting she couldn't stand the smell of antiseptic.

With free time after her discharge, Tachie had taken to preparing lunches for Dosuke.

Looking at the feast, Dosuke said, "Tachie, this is too much. You must've gone to so many shops, it's too expensive!"

"Hee hee," Tachie giggled, covering her mouth with her delicate hand. "It didn't cost a thing. I made all this myself, Dosuke," she said proudly.

Dosuke blinked, stunned. He hadn't pictured Tachie as a cook. * Clan kids are wild, fighting and cooking like that * Dosuke thought.

"It's amazing. So delicious!" Dosuke picked up his chopsticks, took a big bite, and gave Tachie a thumbs-up. "I never knew you could cook, Sister Tachie, and so well!"

"It's no big deal. It's part of Hyuga clan tradition, girls learn these skills young, especially branch family members," Tachie said, her tone wavering briefly at "branch family." She continued, "In the Hyuga clan, girls are assigned fiancés at 16. We're taught cooking and household management from childhood."

"Wait, you're only 13?" Dosuke blurted, chopsticks pausing midair. * She's only 13? She seems like 15 or 16 * Dosuke thought.

Tachie sat beside Dosuke's bed, resting her elbows on her thighs, her waist slightly bent, hands cupping her face. Her legs swung lightly, too short to reach the floor.

Her shins swayed gently, catching the noon sunlight, their pale, jade-like sheen dazzling. Her sandals hung loosely on her toes, the heels scraping the floor with each swing, creating a soft * suri, suri * sound. Her toes gripped the sandal straps tightly.

"Eat already, stop staring," Tachie said, playfully tapping Dosuke's shoulder as she caught him staring.

"I'm eating, I'm eating! Gotta eat more before you get married and I lose my chance," Dosuke teased, chuckling.

"I'm 13 now and a chunin. If I don't become jonin, the clan will assign me a fiancé at 16. If I'm lucky, it'll be someone from the main family, if not, a branch member," Tachie said, her voice heavy with disappointment and unease.

Seeing her somber expression, Dosuke's heart stirred. "Don't worry, Sister Tachie. You'll definitely become a jonin. Not just that, you'll take control of your own future," he said firmly.

"Haha, thanks, Dosuke," Tachie laughed, cheered by his words, noticing rice grains stuck to the corner of his mouth.

"Wait a sec." As Dosuke leaned in to eat, Tachie reached out, gently wiping the rice from his lips with her right hand.

Her touch sent a tingle through Dosuke, her fair face drawing closer. A ripple of warmth spread in his chest as her fingers brushed his mouth.

"Dosuke, I brought you some tasty food!"

* Bam! *

The ward door flew open, revealing a petite figure. Yukino stood there in a vibrant purple dress, a sharp contrast to her usual nurse's uniform. The dress gave her a lively, youthful charm, as if the sunlight itself brightened in her presence. Her hair, normally tucked under a nurse's cap, was tied into twin ponytails, bouncing with her energy.

She held a plastic food box.

"You, you, you," Yukino stammered, spotting Tachie so close to Dosuke's mouth. Her ponytails, as if mirroring her mood, drooped limply.

"Oh, Dosuke, you've already eaten," she said awkwardly, eyeing the food on the table.

"Yukino!" Dosuke called out.

"I'm going to check if Dr. Yasumoto has eaten. Eat up, Dosuke!" Yukino blurted, shutting the door.

Her footsteps faded down the hall.

Dosuke buried his face in his hands.

"Didn't know you were so popular, Dosuke," Tachie teased, standing with a half-smile.

"She's just a colleague from the hospital," Dosuke explained, unsure why he felt compelled to clarify.

"Hmph!" Tachie snorted, ignoring him. "I'm off to see Captain Soma and Takuto. Take your time eating." She grabbed her food box and headed out.

"Wait, Sister Tachie, I'm coming!" Dosuke said, quickly shoved two bites of rice into his mouth and hurried after her.