The orphanage had long since settled into silence. The younger children were asleep, the hallways dimly lit by the soft glow of nterns. Hiro sat at his desk, his eyes scanning the pages of an academy textbook, his mind fully engaged in preparing for his entrance exam. Kaya had been drilling him on history, tactics, and strategy, and he was determined not to let her down.
Dinner had been exhausting, with Natsume commanding the table’s attention, bouncing from one topic to another like a whirlwind. She had insisted on getting Hiro’s opinion on every single story she told, leaving him mentally drained by the time he retreated to his room. Aoi had been the one overseeing the meal, as Kaya had been absent, and Hiro hadn’t questioned it at the time.
Now, as he tried to focus on his studies, a knock at his door broke the quiet.
He turned in his chair. "Come in."
The door opened, and Kaya stepped inside, her presence immediately shifting the atmosphere in the room. She looked… different. Her usual strong demeanor was there, but her expression was softer, more hesitant than usual. Something about her posture made Hiro sit up straighter, sensing the importance of whatever she was about to say.
"You missed dinner," Hiro said, watching her carefully.
Kaya smiled faintly, closing the door behind her. "I had something important to take care of. But Aoi made sure you ate, didn’t she?"
Hiro let out a small sigh. "Yeah. Natsume made sure of that too. I think she went through ten different stories, and I had to react to all of them."
Kaya chuckled as she pulled a chair over, sitting down beside him. "She does have a way of making sure people listen to her."
Hiro closed his textbook, giving her his full attention now. "So… what’s up?"
For a moment, Kaya was quiet. She looked down at her hands, which were gripping something, though Hiro couldn’t quite see what it was. When she finally spoke, her voice was gentle.
"Hiro… have you ever wondered why no one has adopted you?"
Hiro blinked at her, taken aback by the question. Of all the things she could have said, this wasn’t what he expected.
"No," he admitted after a pause. "I never really thought about it."
Kaya’s gaze flickered, something unreadable in her expression. "Why not?"
Hiro tilted his head slightly, considering her question. "Because I never needed to be. I already had you."
Kaya’s breath hitched, her grip on the object in her hands tightening. She lowered her head briefly, collecting herself. Then, she lifted her gaze, and there was something resolute in her eyes.
"Hiro… would you like to make it official? Would you like to be my son?"
Hiro froze.
The words hung in the air, thick with meaning. He stared at her, as if waiting for some kind of expnation. But there wasn’t one. There didn’t need to be.
He let out a small breath, then smiled. A real, warm, unguarded smile.
"I always have been."
Kaya’s composure broke.
A shaky breath escaped her, and before she could say anything else, Hiro stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. Kaya let out something between a ugh and a sob as she held him back just as fiercely.
She had always protected him. Always cared for him. But now… now she would be able to call him her son, without hesitation, without question.
Tears dampened Hiro’s shoulder, and he didn’t mind in the slightest. He just held on tighter.
"You were always mine too, Hiro," Kaya whispered. "I just… I wanted you to have the choice."
Hiro squeezed his eyes shut, his grip tightening. "There was never a choice to make."
Kaya let out a wet chuckle, filled with relief, brushing her fingers through his hair before pulling back slightly. Her eyes were red, but her smile was radiant.
"Then let’s make it real."
She unfolded the adoption form she had been holding and pced it on the desk in front of him.
Hiro’s breath caught as he read it. His name. Her name.
It was already signed by the Hokage. All it needed was theirs.
Kaya handed him a pen, her fingers still trembling slightly. Hiro didn’t hesitate.
He leaned forward, carefully signing his name, solidifying what had already been true for years.
Kaya followed, sealing the moment with her own signature.
They both stared at the document for a moment, the weight of it settling in. A confirmation of something unspoken, something that had existed between them for so long.
Kaya let out a shaky breath before pulling Hiro in for another hug.
"We’ll drop this off tomorrow," she murmured. "And then it’s official."
Hiro nodded against her shoulder, feeling something deep inside him settle into pce. For the first time, he wasn’t just an orphan.
He had a home.
A mother.
A future.
Kaya held the form tightly, as if afraid to let go. But this time, it wasn’t out of fear.
It was out of certainty.
She had found her family. And she wasn’t letting go.