A pitch-black staircase.
Ren raised his hand and knocked on the door.
Creak!
The wooden door made a rough, grating sound as it opened, light spilling from the room and casting a glow on him.
"There you are… Good evening."
Kurenai stood in a red, low-cut slip dress, with hints of black lingerie beneath.
"Were you waiting for me?" Ren asked.
She immediately snapped back, "What are you saying? Of course not!"
Though she denied it, her eyes avoided his gaze, betraying her words.
Ren remarked, "You're wearing lingerie to bed now?"
Kurenai blushed deeply, lowering her gaze as she placed a hand over her chest.
Ren walked into the room.
It was spotless, with a set of drink glasses laid out on the table by the window and a neatly made bed.
Behind him, the door clicked shut.
"Want a drink?" Kurenai asked as she approached him.
Without a word, Ren reached out, slipping his hand gently from her neck up into her hair, brushing the nape of her neck.
She froze, her body tense, yet she didn't resist him, allowing his touch.
"How long have you been waiting?" he asked.
Her face flushed, she muttered, "I… wasn't waiting."
"Is that so?" he said calmly.
"In that case, I'll head out."
He withdrew his hand and turned as if to leave.
Seeing this, Kurenai panicked and quickly reached out, grabbing his arm.
"Don't…"
Facing away from him, she took a shaky breath, then wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into his back.
"Since afternoon…" she murmured softly.
"I've been waiting since the afternoon. I cleaned the room, changed the sheets, prepared drinks, took a shower…"
Ren turned to look at her and found her eyes glistening, her breath warm against him.
"Ren…"
She leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. "It's been a while," she whispered.
Ren met her gaze quietly. "Shall we drink?"
"…Yes."
They moved to the table by the window, each taking a seat. Kurenai poured them both a full glass, raising hers to her lips and downing it in one go.
"So, why did you decide to become a Jounin instructor?" Ren asked, lifting his glass.
"I thought it might be good to train Genin," Kurenai replied, then hesitated. "But all of my students are from noble clans, and one is even the heiress of the Hyuga family… I'm afraid it could be a bit complicated."
"And you?" she asked in return.
"The Hokage assigned me," Ren replied simply.
"Oh?" Kurenai looked surprised. "And who are your students?"
"Kids from the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi families."
"So… the new Ino-Shika-Cho generation?" Kurenai was taken aback. She might not have the same insight as Kakashi, but even she understood that being entrusted with the next generation of those families carried weight.
"Noble families tend to raise respectful children. Hopefully, their personalities won't be too unruly," she added.
Ren took a sip of his drink and, unprompted, said, "I never thought I'd end up teaching."
Kurenai began to understand that he was surprisingly invested in this new role.
"Might Guy has already mentored several Genin teams. If you're unsure, you could ask him for advice," she offered.
Ren remained quiet. For him, the bond between teacher and student was no ordinary connection—it reminded him of people from his past, those who were no longer here.
He could recall his own Genin team days, the faces of those who were gone.
His instructor hadn't been anything remarkable, just an unassuming Jounin, a name now only remembered by a handful of old friends. Ren had not yet grown so detached back then; he would join his teammates in harmless pranks, like putting wasabi in their teacher's bento to see him wince. They'd eat out at the teacher's expense, ordering too much and then helping wash dishes to pay the bill. Even trying to set him up with dates that always ended in disaster, leaving him nearly undateable in the village. His teacher wasn't the most patient person, but he tolerated them more often than not.
Back then, he believed that his knowledge could change everything.
But war had shown him just how brutal the world could be.
With every bond he formed, there came the pain of loss when that bond was broken.
Kurenai watched him lost in thought, silently refilling his glass.
"Are you thinking about being a Jounin instructor?" she asked softly.
"…Something like that."
"There's a first time for everything. Just get to know them sincerely," she encouraged, assuming he was just nervous about the student-teacher relationship and afraid he might fall short.
Ren shook his head. "When the things you treasure become tools to keep pushing forward in this world, your life becomes incredibly sad."
Kurenai didn't quite understand; his words seemed cryptic to her.
"But… my life is already a mess," he added, emptying his glass.
Kurenai's eyes reflected a slight sadness. There was a bitterness in his words, as though he was mocking himself. What kind of burdens did he carry?
She took a sip of her own drink.
"I think…" she began softly, "no matter the mistakes in the past, they're forgivable. What matters is the first step you take in the next moment."
Ren's gaze shifted back to the darkening night outside.
Before long, they'd finished the bottle, and a rosy flush had settled on Kurenai's cheeks.
"Want more?" she asked, surprised at how unaffected he looked.
She could handle her drinks well, usually even outpacing some of her male friends, but Ren seemed to drink like it was nothing more than water.
"No," he said, stopping as he often did, just short of indulgence.
Kurenai found herself thinking quietly, One day, I'll get him drunk and see what he's like with his guard down.
The breeze from the window played against her face, coaxing her eyes to close for a moment of peace.
The ticking clock marked the silence between them, the room falling still.
She gazed at Ren, her eyes slightly hazy. He looked back at her.
Ren slowly pushed his chair back, scraping the floor as he moved a bit farther from the table.
Kurenai bit her lip, stood up, and walked over to the window to close it. Then, with quiet, steady steps, she returned to stand before him, her hands slipping the straps of her dress from her shoulders. The red fabric slid silently down to the floor...
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