Bound by UncertaintyKira didn't move at first.
Eden's arms were still around him, holding on like letting go would undo everything she had just said.
For a moment, he simply stood there—silent, rigid, unreadable.
Then slowly, he turned his head slightly toward her.
"…Stop saying things like that so easily," he said.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it wasn't cold either.
That was what unsettled him most.
Eden didn't loosen her grip.
"I'm not saying it easily," she replied quickly. "I mean it."
Kira exhaled through his nose, as if trying to steady something inside himself.
"You keep saying you want to change," he said. "But you don't even understand what you're asking me to believe."
That made her pause.
For the first time, she looked uncertain.
Kira turned fully now, breaking her hold—but not stepping away.
Just facing her.
Up close, his expression was more complicated than anger. There was restraint there… and something else he clearly didn't want to name.
"…Last night doesn't prove anything," he said quietly.
Eden's lips parted slightly.
"That's not what I meant," she said. "I didn't do it for that."
Kira studied her for a long moment.
As if searching for something inconsistent.
Something false.
But the longer he looked, the less certain he seemed.
That bothered him more than it should have.
"…Then what do you want?" he finally asked.
Eden hesitated.
Her earlier fire softened into something more honest.
"I want you to stop thinking I'm lying," she said. "And I want you to stop acting like I'll disappear any moment."
Silence.
The room felt smaller again.
Kira looked away briefly, jaw tightening.
"That's not something you fix overnight," he said.
"I know," Eden answered immediately. "But I'm not asking for overnight."
That made him pause.
A different kind of silence followed this time.
Not tense.
Not calm either.
Just uncertain.
Finally, Kira spoke again—lower, controlled.
"…If you're serious," he said, "then you'll have to live with the consequences of staying here."
Eden's eyes lifted immediately.
"I already decided," she said without hesitation.
That answer made something flicker in his gaze again.
Not belief.
Not trust.
But awareness that she wasn't stepping back.
Kira turned slightly away, as if distancing himself physically would help him think clearly.
"…You're difficult to understand," he muttered.
Eden gave a small, almost relieved breath.
"That's fine," she said softly. "Then understand me slowly."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Kira finally spoke again.
"…Don't regret it later."
It wasn't a warning.
It sounded more like something he was telling himself too.
Eden stepped closer again—but this time, she didn't grab him.
She just stood there.
"I won't," she said.
And for the first time that morning…
Kira didn't immediately contradict her.