The Wanted Unwanted Reunion

Kimiko’s breath hitched.

For a moment, the world felt distant, muffled, as if she were still trapped in the haze of unconsciousness. But no—she was awake. She knew that voice.

Her eyes locked onto the woman crouched in front of her.

“Mom.” She whispered.

The word caught in her throat, tangled between shock and something deeper—something raw. Nine years. Nine years without so much as a whisper, and now, here she was, tending to someone else as if nothing had ever changed.

Kimiko’s heart pounded. “You…”

Lan Xia barely glanced up, her hands pressing firmly against the makeshift bandage on Kira’s wound. “Good evening, sweetheart. It’s been a while.” Her voice was smooth, effortlessly teasing, as if this were some casual encounter between old friends.

Kimiko sat up abruptly, her head spinning. “What the hell is going on? Where—” Her eyes flicked past Lan Xia, landing on the two unconscious bodies nearby.

Zane.

Her stomach twisted. The last thing she remembered—

Flashes. Zane screaming, falling. The weight of exhaustion was dragging her down. A suffocating mist stealing her senses.

Her fingers curled into the dirt. “Zane—Kira—what happened to them?” Her voice came out sharper than she intended.

Lan Xia sighed, as if mildly inconvenienced by the outburst. “Your boy’s just sleeping. He’ll wake up… eventually.” She pressed down harder on Kira’s wound, ignoring the blood seeping through the fabric. “As for this one, she’s still clinging on. Stubborn girl.”

Kimiko stared at her, her pulse hammering against her ribs.

She should have been furious. She wanted to be furious. But instead, all she felt was—

Lost.

Throughout the years. She had imagined this moment more times than she could count. Reunions, arguments, screaming—something. But now that it was real, now that Lan Xia was right in front of her, the weight of it crushed her chest.

Nothing about Lan Xia had changed. The same careless confidence, the same knowing smirk. It was as if Kimiko had been the only one affected by the years apart.

Kimiko’s hands clenched into fists. “…You left.”

Lan Xia finally looked at her—really looked at her. There was something unreadable in her expression, but it vanished just as quickly as it came.

“And you grew up.” Her tone was unreadable, neither regretful nor nostalgic. Just… stating a fact.

Kimiko felt her throat tighten. She forced herself to breathe. Not now. Kira was dying. Zane was unconscious. This wasn’t the time for personal baggage.

So instead, she swallowed the lump in her throat and forced her focus elsewhere. “Is she gonna make it?”

Lan Xia raised a brow, as if amused by the shift. “Oh? Priorities. I like that.” She adjusted the bandage, pressing down until Kira let out a weak, unconscious groan. “She’ll live. But she won’t be happy about it.”

Kimiko exhaled, a mix of relief and lingering panic. She dragged a hand down her face, grounding herself.

This wasn’t over. The questions, the anger, the years of silence—it wasn’t over.

But for now, she looked at Lan Xia, her mother, the woman who had walked away all those years ago.

And all she could say was—

“…Why are you here?”

Lan Xia smirked, tilting her head. “You’ll have to be more specific, sweetheart. Here, as in this forest? Here as in saving your friends? Or here, as in—” she gestured vaguely between them “—our lovely little reunion?”

Kimiko’s jaw tightened. “Any of it.”

Lan Xia chuckled softly. “Would you believe me if I said I missed you?”

Kimiko’s glare was answer enough.

Lan Xia sighed, shaking her head. “Alright, alright. No sentimental nonsense. The truth is, She glanced down at Kira, her expression shifting slightly. “Well… I suppose I have a weakness for stubborn little girls like her.”

Kimiko’s chest ached with unspoken words. Is that what I was, too?

She shoved the thought aside. “…So what happens now?”

Lan Xia smirked. “Now? We wait for my ride.” She stretched lazily, tilting her head toward Zane. “And your boy over there wakes up. Then, well…” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “We’ll see, won’t we?”

Kimiko exhaled slowly. “One thing at a time.”