The Yakuza's flower

Welcome back

Ume's pov

The air felt different the moment I stepped off the plane.

Not just the shift in climate—but in everything.
The quiet hum of Japanese voices, the smell of old floors and clean wind, the weight of my childhood pressing gently against my chest.

Prince stirred in my arms, blinking sleepily as the airport lights passed over his small face. I tucked the blanket tighter around him and whispered, "We're here, baby. We made it."

I hadn't told grandmother about him.
I didn't know how to explain it.
Didn't want to do it over the phone.

So I just told her what flight I'd be on.
And she said she'd be waiting.

I spotted her from across the terminal, standing in her usual quiet way, hands folded neatly in front of her, Her eyes scanned the crowd, a little slower than I remembered, but still sharp.

I walked toward her with hesitant steps, the baby snugged to my chest in his baby wrap.

When she finally noticed me, her face lit up with relief—and something like disbelief.

"Ume?" she said, stepping forward.

I smiled—tired, nervous. "Hey, grandmother."

She hugged me first, arms gentle but firm. I melted into her for a moment. Then she leaned back, her eyes falling to the small bundle in my arms.

She blinked.

"...Ume?"

"This is Prince," I said softly. "He's... he's mine."

Her expression didn't change at first. Just silence, and the deep pull of thought behind her eyes.

I held my breath.

Then—her hands reached out slowly, touching his blanket, then his tiny arm. He let out a soft sound in his sleep.

"A beautiful baby boy," she whispered, voice trembling slightly. "He looks like you... and someone else."

I nodded, unable to say more.

She looked back at me—tired, worn down from everything—but I swear I saw tears building in her kind old eyes.

"Let's go home," she said gently. "You both need to rest."

———————

We took a taxi back to my grandmother's house

By the time we arrived at the house, Prince was fully awake—fussy and wriggling in my arms. Jet lag, new sounds, the change in air—he felt it all.

My grandmother had barely opened the door before the familiar scents and the soft, grounding quiet of home wrapped around me like a blanket I hadn't realized I needed.

"I kept everything the same," she said as I stepped in, kicking off my shoes.

I looked around slowly. Nothing had changed—

I was just about to ask where I could set Prince down when—

"Ume!!!"

The voice startled me.

I turned, eyes wide, as Kozue barreled out from the kitchen, followed by her mother—both smiling like I'd just walked through a portal, not across an ocean.

"What—?!"

Before I could say anything, Kozue threw her arms around me, nearly jostling the baby. I laughed, half crying.

"Kozue?! What—what are you doing here?!"

"I've been waiting for you to come back!" she said, pulling away just enough to look at me. "Your grandmother told us you were coming back , so we had to be here."