The Yakuza's flower

New cage

Ume's POV

The house smelled faintly of lavender and soil. My hands were freshly washed, and there was still a bit of dirt beneath my nails, but it didn't bother me. I liked the way it felt—real, grounding.

Maribel had gone quiet after Rey came home. She disappeared into the kitchen with him for a while, and when she came back out, her smile was gentle but distracted. Rey said something about being tired and went straight to the shower.

Something in the air had shifted. Not loudly, not sharply. Just enough for me to notice.

I sat on the small step outside the back door, the evening sun warming my skin. From where I sat, I could hear Maribel humming inside as she put something on the stove. I could hear the quiet creak of pipes, the shower running. A normal house. A normal day.

Still, my fingers fidgeted.

Something's off.

I shook the thought away. It wasn't my business. Not everything had to be a storm waiting to break. Not anymore.

Maribel stepped outside a few minutes later with two glasses of calming tea. "Here," she said, handing me one. "You've earned it."

I took it with a soft "Thanks," the warmness welcome against my palm.

We sat there for a while, just sipping and watching the sky bleed into orange.

"Did you ever think we'd end up like this?" I asked.

Maribel laughed softly. "You mean pregnant and covered in dirt?"

I smiled. "Yeah... something like that."

She leaned back, hand resting lightly on her belly. "Honestly? No. But I think maybe we ended up where we were supposed to."

I didn't answer right away. Just let her words hang in the air.

"Rey seems tense," I said after a beat.

Maribel glanced at me, and for a moment I thought she might say something.

Instead, she shrugged. "He's got a lot on his mind. But you know him—he broods first, talks later."

"True."

I tried to let it go. I wanted to believe it was just work. Just stress. Just the weight he always carried on his back. Not something darker.

So I nodded, sipped my drink, and leaned into the calm for the rest of the night.

———

Days turned into weeks. Then months.
Life at home was... different.

Not bad. Not exactly. But different.

Rey had taken it upon himself to act like some overbearing, self-appointed guardian.

Strict. Controlling. Watchful.

I couldn't go anywhere alone. If I so much as stepped outside for fresh air, he was there, watching. If I wanted to run errands, I had to take Maribel with me. If my phone rang, he wanted to know who and why.

It was suffocating.

I knew he meant well, but... I had already lost so much of my freedom. Now, even in a place that was supposed to be home, I felt caged.

"You need to relax," Maribel told him one afternoon.

We were in the kitchen, preparing lunch, while Rey sat at the table, arms crossed, watching us like a hawk.

"She's fine," Maribel continued, slicing vegetables with practiced ease. "You can't keep treating her like a child."

"She nearly died," Rey snapped.
I flinched. The words hung in the air like smoke. I hated how easily they still made my throat close.