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Fae noticed, and either ignored him or nipped his tail if he came too close.

She did not refuse his presence; she simply did not acknowledge it. She ran her path and stuck close to Aiko. If Kenji followed, that was his choice, but he was not there on her invitation.

At night, the gifts remained untouched.

In the workshop, her single-minded resolve showed as her progress spoke for her.

Haruko-san began trusting her with pieces that were made of valuable wood and were made to last generations. She felt the change in the way he watched her now. There was less scrutiny, more expectation.

Belonging, she was learning, was not given; it was earned through sweat and blood and splinters in her fingers.

And Kenji, hovering at the edges of her life once more, was learning something too: that forgiveness was not easy, and he would need to earn it.

He caught her just beyond the workshop, where the path narrowed and there was nowhere polite to step around him.

"Fae."

She stopped and met his eyes with eyes that held no emotion.

"I'm sorry," Kenji rushed forth with his explanation. "For lying. For using your desperation like it was a tool." His hands curled at his sides, restrained, deliberate. "I need to make it right."

She studied him for a long moment, weighing the sincerity in his voice against the ache of having believed him once again. She had thought long and hard, and she wondered what she would have done in his situation. How far would she have gone to escape? It was hard to hold on to her anger...and she was tired. She missed her closest friend.

"There's an amulet," she said finally.

His head snapped up. "An amulet?"

She nodded. "One that might dissolve the bond. But it will take time."

Hope shone in his eyes—quick and bright. "Then there's a chance," he said, breathless. "I knew it. I knew there had to be—"

"Kenji." She held up a hand. "Listen."

He stilled.

"I don't know what it will cost," she said. "And I don't know if it will even work."

He nodded, slower now. "Even so." Then, with blunt honesty, "I want to pursue you. But I will hold back." His jaw tightened. "Being used by that demon left scars—things I don't yet know how to lay down."

She stepped closer, close enough that he had to look down at her.

"That doesn't make you weak," she said quietly as she placed a gentle hand on his arm. "It makes you brave. You survived by any means possible. You have made your parents so very happy."

Something in his expression broke open then: relief.

Before either of them could say more, boots pounded against stone.

One of the men from the gate ran toward them, breath sharp with urgency.

"Kenji-san," he said quickly, then glanced at Fae. "There are travellers at the door."

Fae's stomach tightened.

"They're asking for Fae-san," the man added with respect. "He says he has come from across the ocean from her pack."

Kenji felt his heart drop. It was Blaidd. It had to be.

Somewhere, far beyond the gate, the past had come looking.