Kabuto Yakushi froze for a moment, then relaxed. He rested a broad hand on Anya's trembling back and gently stroked her soft pink hair.
"Of course not," he said with unusual gentleness, a trace of fatigue barely audible in his voice. "Something came up at the hospital, so I had to work late."
"Have you been watching too many Bondman adventures again?"
Just then, the front door opened again, and Yor came in carrying an elegant paper bag.
At the sight of father and daughter holding each other tight, her beautiful face lit up with a warm smile.
"Anya, look!" She raised the bag, her voice bright as though she were sharing a precious secret.
"I ran into Ran today, and she asked me to bring you Konoha's newest Three-Color Dango! She said they're sweet but not too rich, and they're peanut-flavored—your favorite."
By dinnertime, the little apartment was filled with the scent of food and a comforting warmth.
The dishes Yor had carefully prepared covered the table. Beside them sat the open box of Three-Color Dango, the soft, chewy dumplings dotted with different colors. They looked much like the life the three of them had pieced together: made of separate parts, yet whole and happy.
Anya sat between them, her father attentively serving her food on one side and her mother smiling as she recounted amusing stories from the day on the other.
"Mother, Father, today Anya..." She hurried to swallow her food, then gestured excitedly as she told them a story from the Bondman cartoon. Her words did not always come out right, but her emerald eyes shone with pure delight.
After dinner, Anya bent over her crafts assignment at the low table in the living room, her little brows furrowed.
Kabuto Yakushi sat beside her and patiently