HSV: Day 1 (Mittens) I'll Be Home for Christmas

Akiko rechecked her bandages, carefully concealing them with layers of clothing; the multiple wounds she'd suffered during her mission hadn't quite healed, and the doctors were probably furious when they realized that she'd vanished in the middle of the night. She had been arguing with them for two days to let her go, and they refused, telling her that she needed to rest. It was nearly Christmas though, and she needed to get home. She needed to give Kiyoshi the pink and white mittens she'd knitted during the long nights on the road when she couldn't sleep or the nightmares woke her yet again. It hadn't been easy since she'd been gone.


A few weeks into her latest exploration mission, Akiko came across a small village that was being terrorized by a  band of rogue ninja. She stayed to help. They were able to take care of the problem with some help from a group of ninja the village had hired; the shinobi had been in transit to the village when Akiko arrived. Unfortunately, on the night before the final fight, she'd been ambushed by three of the enemies and suffered some serious injuries.


Akiko picked up the box, wrapped in pink and topped with a big black bow, and wished that she the time to bake a cake, too. No one knew that she'd come back. Not even her parents; the house was empty when she arrived, sneaking in through the back door. She felt excited but nervous as she went downstairs and grabbed her jacket.


'I hope he's happy to see me,' she thought; her heart pounded in her chest as she stepped outside and turned towards Kiyoshi's house.