.
Three years later…
Koi's eyes opened slowly. At first, he didn't move. The room was quiet, except for the crackle of firewood and the soft howl of wind outside. His small hands rubbed at his face before he sat up in his little bed, blankets falling off his shoulders.
Then he saw the window.
Everything outside was white.
His eyes lit up. "Snow!" he gasped, a big smile spreading across his face.
He jumped out of bed and ran—well, more like stumbled and waddled—down the hallway, bare feet slapping against the wooden floor.
"Mama! Mamaaaa!" he called.
In the main room, his mom stood near the stove, her black hair tied up lazily. She was holding a steaming cup of tea, still dressed in a robe. The fire flickered behind her.
She turned and smiled when she saw him. "Good morning, sleepyhead."
Koi ran straight into her, hugging her leg tight.
"Mama! It snowed! Can we go play? Can we? Please?"
She looked out the window, watching the snow swirl through the air. "Not today, sweetheart," she said gently, brushing his hair back. "There's a storm."
Koi blinked. "A storm?"
"Mhm. It's too windy right now. Tomorrow should be better."
Koi frowned, letting go of her leg and crossing his arms. "But I wanna go noooow…"
She knelt down and kissed his forehead. "Tomorrow. I promise."
He huffed, puffing out his cheeks in a pout.
Just then, the front door creaked open. A blast of cold air rushed in, and Koi squeaked, jumping back. His dad stepped inside, brushing snow off his coat. He shook out his hair, which was dusted with flakes.
"Papa!" Koi shouted, his pout forgotten as he ran over.
His dad smiled and scooped him up with one arm. "Hey, kiddo. You're up early."
"It snowed!" Koi said. "Mama said we can't play 'cause of the storm."
His dad raised an eyebrow at his wife, who just gave a small shrug. Then he looked out the window. "She's right. Wind's rough out there. You'd blow away like a leaf."
"I'm not a leaf!" Koi said, trying to flex. "I'm strong!"
His dad chuckled. "Let me see those muscles."
Koi balled up his tiny fists and puffed out his chest. "RAHHHH!"
His dad laughed. "Alright, alright. Very scary."
They sat down near the fire. Koi was in his dad's lap now, sipping warm milk while his parents had tea. The fire crackled, and the wind rattled the windows now and then.
"Papa?" Koi said suddenly.
"Hm?"
"I wanna be a ninja when I grow up. Like you."
The room went quiet for a second.
Koi looked up. His dad wasn't smiling anymore, not the same way. This smile was smaller… kind of sad. His dark eyes stared at the flames for a moment.
His mom didn't say anything. She just looked away, down at her tea.
His dad finally spoke, his voice soft. "You do, huh?"
Koi nodded. "Yeah! I wanna be strong! And fast! And do flips!"
His dad looked at him, then gently tapped his nose. "Being a ninja's not always fun, Koi."
"But you were one, right?"
"I was. Your mom too."
Koi blinked. "Then I can be one too!"
His dad's voice got even quieter. "I hope… you don't have to."
Koi tilted his head. "Huh?"
His dad smiled again, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I hope you get to be something else. Something safe. Something happy. A normal life, you know?"
Koi didn't really understand what that meant. He looked to his mom, but she was still staring into her cup. Her eyes looked… far away.
"But I wanna protect people," Koi said quietly.
His dad didn't answer right away. Then he just pulled Koi in a little closer and kissed the top of his head. "Let's worry about that when you're bigger, okay?"
Koi nodded slowly, even though he still didn't get it.
The rest of the day was quiet. The storm didn't stop, so they stayed inside. Koi helped his mom with soup—well, he stirred it too hard and spilled some, but she smiled anyway. His dad carved him a tiny wooden fox, and Koi painted red lines on it with a small brush.
By evening, Koi was yawning every few minutes. He tried to fight it, but his little body was done.
His dad grinned as he stood up. "Alright, little warrior. Time for bed."
"Nooo…" Koi groaned, dragging his feet.
"How about a story?"
Koi paused mid-whine. "A story?"
His dad nodded. "Then tomorrow, snow ninja."
Koi smiled wide. "Okay!!"
He ran to his room and dove under the covers, his fox toy tucked beside him. His mom followed and sat nearby, still quiet but watching. His dad pulled up a chair and took out a book—an old orange one with wrinkled pages.
"What's that?" Koi asked, eyes wide.
"It's called The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi," his dad said. "It was my favorite when I was little."
Koi giggled at the funny title. "What's it about?"
His dad smiled. "A ninja… who never gives up."
He opened the book and began reading.
"Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a ninja with a dream. He wasn't the strongest, or the fastest, but he had the biggest heart."
Koi's eyes stayed wide the whole time. His dad did different voices, made silly faces, and even acted out a punch or two. Koi giggled so hard at one part he snorted.
His mom smiled softly from her seat, watching them both.
Koi's eyes began to flutter closed as the story went on. His voice got sleepy.
"I wanna be gutsy too…"
His dad stopped reading and smiled down at him. "You already are."
Koi yawned. "Night night, Papa… night night, Mama…"
"Goodnight, my love," his mom said softly.
His dad leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Sweet dreams, Koi."
As Koi drifted off to sleep, the snowstorm outside raged on—but in their little house, everything felt warm, safe, and full of love.