Kyuden Shika

"Anything you want. Whatever makes you happiest, that's what we'll do." Still not believing he didn't think less of her now, maybe he'd even grow to resent her and their match. Narumi feared this revelation to him, the way it had been presented, the fact she'd hidden so much of her past... it'd always be there, looming. Threatening their future.
She pulled him down to kiss her again.

He smiles and kisses her again, when they eventually break away he adds, "Well I want you happy too. It can't just be about me."

"What makes you think I deserve to be happy? I mean, obviously I am, the Deer decided our fates would be tied together with a red ribbon. But I can't help thinking that ribbon is coloured with the blood of my uncle and the death of who I was before coming here. I don't understand why you still want me, how you could still love me." She states these things matter-of-factly with a small shake of her head.

"Everyone deserves ta be happy." He looks a little puzzled at the thought but continues, "There was stuff I didn't know. But that ain't anythin' new for me. I don't know lots of stuff. But the stuff I did know, the stuff I did see, all that still happened. All that's still there. So why would I love ya any less if the stuff that made me love ya is all still the same?"

Her brow crumples at that, following along his roundabout way and she can't help but smirk, can't stop from blushing.
"Hm. I think I'll be very happy with you. For as long as you'll put up with me. I'll do what's been decided, not for my sake but for yours, because you deserve something good and I'll be damned if I'm going to be the cause of any ruin for you."

"I hope so." He smiles then realizes how it could be applied, "I mean I hope ya'll be happy. I trust you'll be good for me and to me."

"But I don't deserve your trust," she argues flatly, and lets go of him to sit on the corner of his futon instead, curling legs underneath her. She glares knives at the folded pile of evidence against her discarded on his floor.

His brow furrows again in confusion, "Why not? I mean ya never lied ta me or betrayed me. Ya didn't tell me about yer past, sure, but that was the past. I mean I wish I'da known sooner so I coulda tried and helped sooner but that's hardly worth sulkin' over."

She looked way, way up at her mountain and gave a short, frustrated huff.
"This isn't going to go away. The sword will always be there, even when we can't see it, even long after we think it's gone. It won't be forgotten. I won't be forgotten and I'll always be looking over my shoulder." Her breath catches then and she wipes angry tears from her eyes.

He wasn't much of a tactician. He certainly wasn't much of a courtier. But he had been given just enough training in both to see things from a different angle.

"They played their hand." He shrugs, "Once it's in the open, and you've taken your punishment, there ain't nothin' more they can do with it that isn't already done. They were probably reckonin' on me hidin' it or not understandin' it then they'd have gettin' me in trouble ta hold over you as well. But that only happens if we do nothin' about it."