[D14 EM Tanabe's] Blessings (Closed)

[Susaki Tanabe]

Last night had been, intense, it had been an evening of love, desperation, hope, fear. Making a space their own, making a moment their own. It was the last night of uncertainty, for all they knew they could wake up to fiance's they had never met so they took full advantage of it.

The resulting morning was a groggy one but no good yojimbo could afford to be a heavy sleeper. The sound of paper sliding under his door was enough to rouse the large Otter.

He carefully extracted himself from the embrace of his Crab and padded over to the door. He picked up the letter and his heart raced as he knew what it was. A deep breath, then another and slowly he opened the paper and a wide smile broke out over his features. He excitedly ran back to the futon (a noise surely heard in adjacent rooms should they be occupied) and jumped in it being distinctly less gently as he wrapped Yasu in a large hug.

[Kuni Yasu]

Yasu came awake as he moved, but chose to remain still waiting for a hint as to why her not-a-morning-person Otter was up before her. The thudding footsteps had her halfway up before his arms were around her, her own reflexively encircling him before she can register note or smile or anything.

"What?! Tana-kun?" The night floods back, what day it is, and she holds him harder. "What is it?"

[Susaki Tanabe]

In the rolling chaos of the hug Tanabe eventually ended up on top of her wide smile looking down at his fiance. His voice was excited and happy "Well let's just say I'll soon no longer be Susaki Tanabe." He said with a giddy chuckle.

He leaned down giving her a firm kiss his arms tightening slightly around her. As they separated he looked deep into her eye "Good morning my love, my rock, my betrothed." His eyes were swimming slightly with happy tears as he looked down to her but none fell yet.

[Kuni Yasu]

Her own smile grows slowly as the careful walls she'd put in place around the entire question of 'what if the Deer chose otherwise?' dissolve. Her own eyes fill with the relief of it as they kiss, tears starting to seep into her hair as she takes a long, slow breath, letting the last of that caution flow away, leaving only joy.

"My deep and shining waters," she replies, running her hands up into his hair. "Kuni Tanabe," is said quietly, experimentally. "husband to be." She pulls him into another happy kiss.

"mmm, what are we supposed to do all day with this news? I mean...besides an offering at the temple?" Her smile is radiant as she wipes at her eyes. "Just walk around like any other day?"

[Susaki Tanabe]

He smiles brightly as the kiss is returned deeply and fully. As they separated and she asks her question he chuckles a little "I'm not sure, like any other day but at the same time not like any day I've had before."

His smile was light and bright and he looked as if he were floating "I cannot remember the last time I felt so much happiness." He beamed "there will be a lot to do. I have much to learn."

[Kuni Yasu]

"And time for it. Though I admit, I'd rather you joined us and started as soon as possible," she pauses, expression mock serious for about three seconds before that smile breaks through again, "just...of course...for those lessons to begin as quickly as possible." Shifting pleasantly beneath him, her hands run gently down his back.

[Susaki Tanabe]

He hums a little pleasantly as the hand runs down his back and a soft chuckle "Ah and no other reason than that?" He asks smiling softly with a raised eyebrow.

His arms are around her "it will be hard not being around you for a time. Small parts of seeing eachother in the mean time when we meet families and such. Not sure how long this all usually takes." He said half in thought mostly just voicing things that came to his mind as they did.

[Kuni Yasu]

"I think the time can depend on a lot. High status things take longer with all the negotiations. Minor clan, marrying into a minor Great clan family? Hopefully less. I want you to have a home with you as soon as we can when every extra day means something could happen to one of us, you know?" She rests happily in his arms, eyes on his, pulling as much of this moment to memory as possible.

She reaches to cup his face. "But there are many reasons, known and suspected, to get in and out of my wedding robes as soon as I can." Thumb brushing across his cheek, she asks, "are you traveling home down through Beiden to the River of Gold, or some other route? Wherever 'home' is for you just now."

[Susaki Tanabe]

Tanabe smiled "Well the boats will pick us up in the lake in the Aokami Forest and then I'll basically be home. Not sure if we are headed for Ehime Toshi or not depends on what the boats are in the middle of might be carrying cargo, might have passengers or something." He shrugged "I don't ask too many questions just sort of go where the river takes me and do my duty along the way." He said returning her smile giving her a small kiss.

"Will you be returning straight home soon?" He asked not sure when the Crab delegation was leaving.

[Kuni Yasu]

Yasu returns that kiss happily, her fingers raking back into his hair to hold him close just a moment longer. "I suppose I'd hoped you were spending a little time overland and we could travel together." And scandalize everyone else in that caravan at night, most likely. "I imagine we'll leave as soon as the Deer kick us out, so...pretty quick I'd think."

Her eyes widen a moment with a thought that hadn't occurred to her previously. "Where..how do I write to you if you're hopping from boat to boat, love?"