Hayate thinks he may have just encountered his greatest challenge yet. He may have scaled mountains, treaded through the harshest terrain, and fought the mightiest of foes, but none of those things compare to the one thing that stands before him: his wife’s indecisiveness.

“Kazane, you know I love you,” Hayate said slowly, “but if you don’t hurry up and pick something, I’m going to drag you out of this store.”

Kazane wanted to get gifts for their children. It wasn’t for any special occasion. She'd just missed their kids so much during their three months away. He wasn’t against the idea. On the contrary, he thought it was a wonderful idea. What better way to celebrate their return home to their children than with gifts for them? If he had known it would mean browsing through several stores for the last 40 minutes looking for the "perfect gift," as Kazane put it, he would’ve shot down the idea from the start.

Okay, he wouldn’t have been that harsh. But he at least would’ve voiced his thoughts more instead of letting his wife do as she pleases. He tapped his foot and looked at his watch. They still had an hour before their train arrived, but it would take them about 20 minutes to walk to the station. 

"I’m almost done," Kazane said for the umpteenth time.

"You said that 15 minutes ago. And 15 minutes before that."

"I mean it this time!"

"Can’t you just pick something?" He asks. "I’m sure they'll like whatever you get them."

"You see, this is why the kids favor me over you when birthdays roll around. You never put any thoughts into their gifts."

Hayate's eyes narrowed. "So that’s what this is about. You’re still upset about missing Toshiro’s birthday." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kazane, he’s four! He’s not going to remember. And I put a lot of thought into their gifts!"

Hayate refrained from letting out a tired sigh. This wasn't like her. Usually, she knew exactly what she wanted by now. He didn't want to nag her, so he'd let this go on for a little while longer.

Slumping her shoulders, Kazane murmurs something under her breath. She turned to look at her husband with an apologetic expression on her face. A smile came across Hayate's face, then his expression hardened. He narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger at Kazane. "Just because you didn't give birth to them doesn't make you less of a mother."

"Sorry, sorry," Kazane mumbled.

A small frown flashed across Hayate's face as he went back to looking at his watch. "Look, we should be getting to the station soon. Let's just go home and buy things online or something."

“Just a few more minutes,” Kazane pleads, “I swear this will be the last one.”

Hayate rolled his eyes. As if she hadn’t bought enough stuff already. But he knew better than to say anything else. So instead, he simply smiled wryly and nodded. 

Eventually, Kazane was done picking out the final gift. Somehow she managed to keep the gifts simple, even if some were a bit pricey. When Hayate saw some of the gifts Kazane had bought, he frowned at his wife. “You’re spoiling them.” He comments.

“Just a little.” She responds with a shrug.

They made their way out of the store, side-by-side, and headed towards the station. The sun was starting to set outside, leaving a nice warm glow in the air. As they walked, they idly chatted excitedly about the upcoming trip to see some of their old students. Hayate smiled, wondering how much their lives had changed since they went their separate ways.

It wasn’t too long before they arrived at the station. Hayate checked the departure board and confirmed their train was on time. He ushered his wife towards the platform as the train entered the station. Kazane gave the train conductor their tickets and they boarded the train together. They sat next to each other and started talking again.

“Hijiri texted me,” Hayate informed. “The kids will be in bed when we get home.”

“Remind me to thank him tomorrow.” She said, “It was kind of him to look after the kids the whole time we were gone.”

Humming in agreement, Hayate nods. “Shiun’s been calling us for help a lot lately.” He recalls the events of the past three months. “You realize we would’ve been home a month ago if he hadn’t suddenly begged us to help?”

“He’s just under a lot of stress. Being Commissioner’s not easy, you know.” Kazane replies with a sigh.

“I know. I just wish he wasn’t so stubborn. He could have just asked someone else. But no, he insisted we be the ones to lead the case.” Hayate grumbles.

“Well, we did help him solve it. At least he knows who the culprit is now.” Kazane points out.

“Yeah, but…” Hayate trails off.

“Besides, there’s no harm in helping a friend out every once in a while. And it was nice to see him again.” His wife adds.

He was about to say something else when Kazane decided to change the subject. “Have you thought about retiring?” She asks.

Hayate raised an eyebrow. “From exorcism?”

“Yeah. I mean, we’ve been exorcizing spirits for a while now? Don’t you think it’s time we shake things up a bit?”

Hayate frowns to the point where it almost looks like he’s pouting. He’s never been fond of change, even when he knows it's necessary.

He looks out of the window for a moment before turning back to Kazane. "I don't know." He admits, subconsciously placing his left hand on the hilt of his katana. "I won’t lie, I’ve considered retiring. But I can’t help but think...

Kazane placed a hand over her husband’s, gently removing it from the hilt and firmly holding it. "What happened in the past cannot hurt us anymore."

Hayate looked at their hands. There’s no warmth, but Hayate imagines there is nonetheless. These bodies of theirs are nothing but wood, vessels for their spirits to cling to. Their swords serve as a constant reminder of everything they've been through and everything they've lost. The past he fears so much still leaves scars, even if they can’t be seen.

Still, he knows she’s right. Hayate’s mind wandered to all the memories they had made over the centuries. They fought spirits and demons, saved countless lives, and even started a family together. Was there anything left to fear? Whatever was a threat to them was most likely dead at this point. 

"We may not be getting any older, but our children are." Kazane continues. "I want to be there as they grow up. You know our line of work makes that difficult for us." She looks at her partner with a hint of sadness in her eyes and says, "I want to give them the life they deserve." 

Hayate takes a deep breath before giving Kazane a reassuring smile and replying, "Then that's what we'll do." 

"We may not be getting any older, but our children are." Kazane continues. "I want to be there as they grow up. You know our line of work makes that difficult for us." She looks at her partner with a hint of sadness in her eyes and says "I want to give them the life they deserve." 

Hayate finds himself questioning every decision he's ever made, overwhelmed with guilt. How has he never considered the extent of the toll this job takes on his family? Despite their financial security, he has never taken into account the impact of long hours and distant travel on his family. Sure, they're safe, but how does he feel about leaving his kids behind? It seems he's never stopped to think about it until now. Gods, he feels like an idiot. But then again, it's hard to put away your sword once you've learned how to wield it. If he didn't have someone like Kazane in his life, he probably wouldn’t even consider retiring.

“I'm not asking you to fully give up being an exorcist. But we need to at least limit ourselves on how many cases we take on going forward.” Kazane further clarifies.

"I don't disagree with you. It's a bit sudden," says Hayate.

“Look on the bright side, ” his wife mused, leaning back in her seat. “We can finally spend more time at home, just like we talked about.”

He hummed in agreement, smiling at the idea of being able to fully experience parenthood. “Guess you're right.”

As the train rumbled on towards their destination, the couple sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the ride, content in each other’s company.