The sun had long dipped below the horizon by the time Yukari and Hinote made their way back to their cave. The sky above was painted with the deep purples and blues of twilight, stars twinkling faintly as the cold night air began to creep in. For any normal person, the chill would've been unbearable, but Yukari barely felt it now. Five years of training, and she could control her body's temperature at will. Still, old habits die hard, and Yukari glanced at Hinote, who had already started shifting into her phoenix form.
"I don't need your help with the heat, you know," Yukari grumbled as they reached the cave entrance.
Hinote's feathers burst into flames, the massive bird's body glowing warmly as she made herself comfortable in the cave. "Sure, kid, but admit it your nights are way cozier with me around."
Yukari rolled her eyes, tossing her bag of gathered food onto a nearby rock. "Cozy? More like roasted. I feel like I'm sleeping in a bonfire."
Hinote smirked, her beak curling in that distinctly smug way Yukari had come to know all too well. "Well, at least I'm contributing. It's not like I'm going to go hunting or something."
Yukari snorted. "Of course not. Heaven forbid the mighty phoenix lifts a talon to catch some food."
"Exactly," Hinote replied, lazily extending one fiery wing. "That's why you're here to do all the peasant work."
Yukari shot her a glare but didn't argue. After five years, she'd grown used to the constant barrage of insults and teasing from Hinote. She just had to be faster with her own comebacks.
With a sigh, Yukari rummaged through her haul some fruits she had gathered along the way, but the prize was the meat. She'd managed to hunt down a decent-sized animal earlier in the day, though it had taken longer than expected. After all, Hinote wasn't about to help with that either.
"Fine," Yukari said, pulling out the meat. "I'll cook the food. But don't think for a second I'm making yours any less burnt than usual."
"Perfect," Hinote replied, her voice smooth and teasing. "Just the way I like it charred to a crisp, like your sense of humor."
Yukari grumbled under her breath as she started preparing the fire, carefully regulating the flames with her magic. She had gotten pretty good at cooking over the years, not that Hinote would ever compliment her on it.
The crackling of the fire filled the cave, and the smell of cooking meat soon followed. Yukari sat back and stared into the flames, her mind wandering as she waited for the meal to finish. It was funny when she first met Hinote, she would've given anything to get away from the annoying, smug phoenix. But now, five years later, they were… well, friends wasn't the right word. Maybe partners in crime? A dysfunctional team? Whatever it was, it worked.
Once the meat was done, Yukari divided it between them though she made sure Hinote's portion was extra crispy, just like she'd promised. Hinote glanced at her charred meal with an approving nod before tearing into it with a few sharp bites. For someone who prided herself on elegance, the phoenix sure had the table manners of a wild beast.
Yukari ate more slowly, savoring the taste of her hard-earned catch. As they ate, the warmth from the fire and Hinote's glowing feathers filled the cave, casting flickering shadows on the walls.
"So," Hinote said after a while, her voice casual but with a hint of curiosity, "what's the plan?"
Yukari looked up from her food, raising an eyebrow. "Plan? For what?"
Hinote shrugged, a plume of flame curling lazily from her wing. "For your magic. All this training what's it for? What are you going to do with it?"
Yukari froze, caught off guard by the question. She hadn't expected Hinote to ask something so… serious. For years, it had always been about the next spell, the next lesson, the next technique. But a purpose? She'd never really thought about it in detail.
"I mean… I just want to get stronger," Yukari said, giving the most generic answer she could come up with.
Hinote's sharp eyes narrowed. "Don't give me that 'stronger' nonsense. Everyone wants to get stronger. Why? What's your goal?"
Yukari shifted uncomfortably, poking at her food. She didn't want to admit that she hadn't exactly figured it out yet. How was she supposed to explain something she didn't fully understand herself? She wanted to become powerful, that much was true. But why? Revenge? Protection? Maybe something more… personal?
"I… don't know," Yukari mumbled finally. "I just want to be strong enough that no one can hurt me. Or boss me around."
Hinote raised a fiery eyebrow. "That's it? 'Don't hurt me, wah wah'? Come on, you can do better than that."
Yukari scowled. "What do you want me to say? That I want to rule the world or something?"
Hinote chuckled. "Please. You'd set the world on fire in five minutes and then complain about having to rebuild it. No, I just want to know what drives you, kid. You've got all this power at your fingertips. So what's it for?"
Yukari went silent for a moment, her gaze drifting back to the fire. What was it for? She thought back to the village, to the people who had shunned her, to her parents who had abandoned her. There was anger there burning, deep-seated anger. But there was also something else, something more subtle.
"I guess…" Yukari said slowly, her voice quieter than before, "I don't want to be alone."
Hinote blinked, surprised by the answer. "Alone?"
Yukari sighed, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them. "Yeah. I mean, I spent my whole life being treated like a freak. Even my own parents hated me. But… you haven't left. You're still here, even though I'm annoying and mess up a lot. I guess… I don't want to lose that."
Hinote stared at her for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, in typical Hinote fashion, she snorted and shook her head.
"You're such a sap," she said, but there was a softness in her tone that hadn't been there before. "But alright, fine. If your grand goal is to not be alone, I guess that's something."
Yukari frowned, clearly embarrassed by her own honesty. "I told you it was a dumb answer."
"It's not dumb," Hinote replied, settling down and wrapping her wings around herself like a fiery cocoon. "Just vague. But hey, you've got time to figure it out."
Yukari glanced over at her, surprised by the uncharacteristic reassurance. "You're not going to make fun of me for it?"
"Oh, don't worry. I'll make fun of you tomorrow," Hinote said with a grin. "Right now, I'm too tired. Plus, I think you're being serious for once, and that's just boring."
Yukari chuckled, shaking her head. "You're the worst."
"And you're still a fire chicken," Hinote shot back. "But you're my fire chicken, so I guess we're stuck with each other."
The cave fell into a comfortable silence after that, the only sounds being the crackling of the fire and the soft rustle of Hinote's wings as she settled in for the night. Yukari leaned back against the stone wall, her mind still spinning with thoughts of the future, of her magic, and of the strange, fiery creature who had become the closest thing she had to family.
As the flames flickered and danced, Yukari smiled to herself.
"Goodnight, you overgrown feather duster," Yukari muttered, closing her eyes.
"Sweet dreams, fire chicken," came Hinote's lazy reply.
And with that, the two settled into a peaceful, warm night together.