"Sister Kaguya!"
A crisp voice rang out from outside the door.
Kaguya slightly turned her head. Soon after, a small figure poked her head in from the doorway.
It was Hanabi.
Little Hanabi was wearing a light purple dress today, her short black hair swaying gently with her movements. Her pure, Byakugan eyes were bright and clear, her face carrying an unconcealed curiosity. She first looked at Kaguya, then glanced at the various fabrics and furniture samples piled up in the hall, her eyes instantly lighting up.
"Wow, so many things!"
Kaguya looked at her, her expression softening a fraction. "You're here."
Hanabi ran inside with practiced familiarity. Over the past few days, she and Kaguya had gotten along surprisingly well.
In the beginning, Hanabi had actually been a little afraid of her. After all, the ancient and noble aura radiating from Kaguya was simply too intense. When she stood there in silence, it made people subconsciously hold their breath.
But later, Hanabi realized that while this Sister Kaguya looked cold, she wasn't scary at all. She just didn't know a lot of things.
She didn't know how to use the newly built elevators in the Holy City. She didn't know why people liked putting flowers on windowsills. She didn't know why ordinary people said "Thanks for the meal" before eating. She didn't even know why children liked playing on swings.
Hanabi found this fascinating. So, she began to teach Kaguya.
She taught her how to sit on a swing. She taught her how to tell different desserts apart. She taught her how to pick out the most suitable color for curtains from a pile of swatches.
Kaguya learned very earnestly. And just like that, the relationship between the two grew closer bit by bit.
Hanabi ran up to Kaguya and stood on her tiptoes to look at the catalog in her hands. "Sister Kaguya, have you decided how you want to decorate the room?"
Kaguya handed the catalog to her. "I have selected a few things."
Hanabi took it and flipped through the pages seriously. "White gauze curtains, white carpets, a white bed, white vases..." She looked up and blinked. "Sister Kaguya, you really like white."
Kaguya looked down at her own pristine white robes. "I am used to it."
"But if everything is white, won't it feel too cold and empty?" Hanabi tilted her head in thought, then pointed at a piece of light gold fabric in the catalog. "We could add a little bit of this color here."
Kaguya looked at where she was pointing. "Light gold?"
"Yeah!" Hanabi nodded vigorously. "When the sun shines in during the morning, it will look really pretty. Sister Kaguya's hair is white, and your clothes are white. If there is a little light gold in the room, it will feel very warm."
Kaguya fell silent for a moment.
"Warm..." she repeated the word softly.
Hanabi didn't notice the subtle shift in her tone and flipped another page. "And here, we can put some flowers."
"Flowers?"
"That's right," Hanabi said. "Big sister said that having flowers in a room makes you feel happier. Sister Shion also said that every corner of the city should have flowers."
Kaguya thought about it. "What should we plant?"
Hanabi instantly perked up. "We could plant lilies of the valley! Or roses! But since Sister Kaguya's place is right by the Inner Lake, I think planting white lotuses would look beautiful."
"White lotuses?"
"Yeah, flowers that bloom on the surface of the water." Hanabi gestured with her hands. "Very clean, very pretty. Just like you, Sister Kaguya."
Kaguya gazed out the window at the lake. The water was tranquil, perfectly reflecting the sky.
If that surface were covered in blooming white lotuses... it would indeed be a beautiful sight.
"Then we shall plant white lotuses."
Hanabi immediately beamed. "I'll help you plant them, Sister Kaguya!"
Looking at the bright smile on the girl's face, Kaguya's eyes unconsciously grew even softer.
Hanabi was still young. She hadn't experienced too much darkness, nor had she been completely warped by war. Her affection and closeness were incredibly direct.
If she thought Kaguya was pretty, she said Kaguya was pretty. If she felt Kaguya's house was too desolate, she earnestly helped her pick out warm colors.
She didn't think about titles like the 'Progenitor of the Otsutsuki' or the 'Mother of Chakra'. In Hanabi's eyes, Kaguya was simply a beautiful older sister who didn't quite understand how to live life and needed a little help.
This feeling was completely foreign to Kaguya.
But... she didn't hate it.
"Sister Kaguya, is it going to be very quiet here from now on?" Hanabi suddenly asked.
"It will."
"Then, can I come over and play often?"
Kaguya paused slightly. She looked down at Hanabi. The little girl was looking up at her, eyes sparkling. There was no probing in her tone, no fearful reverence—just a simple, innocent question.
Kaguya remained silent for a long time. Then, she gave a gentle nod.
"You may."
Hanabi's eyes curved into happy little crescents. "That's great! I'll bring snacks next time! Sister Ino said the Commercial District is going to have lots of shops opening soon—flower shops, dessert cafes, teahouses, and places selling clothes!"
She grew more and more excited as she spoke. "When the time comes, we can go shopping together!"
"Shopping?" Kaguya heard yet another unfamiliar term.
Hanabi explained earnestly, "It means going out on the street to look at things you like, buying a few things you want, eating delicious food, and then slowly walking back home."
Kaguya tried to picture the scene.
Herself and Hanabi, walking down the streets of the Holy City. The streets lined with flowers, glowing lamps, and bustling crowds.
No fighting. No seals. No enemies.
Just looking at things they liked, eating something sweet, and then slowly walking back home.
It was so simple. So simple that the past version of herself had never once imagined it.
"Alright," Kaguya said softly. "We will go together."
Hanabi nodded happily.
At that moment, several craftsmen outside had already begun moving furniture inside according to the plans Kaguya had selected.
A plush white carpet was rolled out across the center of the hall, and light gold gauze curtains were hung by the windows. As the sunlight filtered through the delicate fabric, the once-chilly hall was instantly infused with a soft, comforting warmth.
A wooden swing was also assembled by the lakeside.
Hanabi was the first to run over and take a seat. Giving a gentle push with her little feet, the swing began to sway back and forth.
"Sister Kaguya! Look!"
Kaguya stood under the corridor's eaves, watching Hanabi swing through the morning sunlight. The leaves of the White Birch Grove rustled in the wind. The surface of the lake shimmered with fragmented light.
In the distance, the Holy City was still under construction. The low, rumbling sounds of Earth Style jutsu drifted over, but they no longer felt oppressive. Instead, they sounded like the steady, pulsing heartbeat of a new world growing into existence.
Kaguya suddenly felt that the sound wasn't unpleasant at all.
She raised her head and looked toward the hundred-meter-tall Statue of the Six-Winged Angel God in the distance. Konan's stone visage stood proudly in the morning light, eyes lowered in divine, merciful grace.
Further away was the Administrative Center, the gradually forming streets, and row upon row of houses that would soon be filled with people.
This place would become the center of the ninja world. And it would become her new home.
Kaguya had once possessed the entire world. Yet, she had never possessed a true home.
But now, standing before this unfinished manor, watching the light gold curtains flutter in the wind, watching Hanabi laugh on the swing, and seeing the lake reflect the morning sun... a very faint, very light, yet undeniably real feeling bloomed in her chest.
So this was what a home felt like.
"Sister Kaguya!" Hanabi waved at her from the swing. "Come try it too!"
Kaguya watched her for a moment before slowly descending the steps. The hem of her white robes brushed against the grass, her long silver hair swaying gently behind her.
She walked over to the swing. Hanabi hopped off, eagerly offering the seat to her.
Kaguya sat down. The swing dipped slightly under her weight.
Hanabi stood behind her and gave a gentle push with her small hands.
The swing began to move. The arc was small, but Kaguya's body swayed forward and slowly drifted back.
The wind brushed past her ears. The sunlight fell upon her face. The lake, the birch trees, the Holy City, the sky—everything swayed gently in her vision.
Kaguya's eyes widened slightly.
Behind her, Hanabi laughed and asked, "How is it? Is it fun?"
Kaguya didn't answer immediately. A moment later, the corners of her lips twitched ever so slightly.
It wasn't a look of aloof indifference, nor was it the cold detachment she showed her enemies.
It was a very, very faint smile.
"Yes," she said softly. "It is quite nice."
----
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