The Day of Thunder

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru had asked Satsuki to meet him here. It was a bit farther than they'd met the other day, for their very engaging sword practice. With the wind blowing, the area was much less foggy. It was a pleasant spot, on the far edge of the field, in the shade of a tree. A bit farther from Lady Anjing's steely gaze, and even more steely fist. This time, Hikaru had wanted a bit more privacy. After all, what he had to share was for Satsuki, and no one else.

Hikaru was nervous.

He took a deep breath. He was dressed in his fine kimono, soft blue and grey and white. A small canvas with wooden backing leaned against the tree. He carried a small pack. And, for the last... Hikaru swallowed. As momentous as many occasions throughout his life had been, and with the possible end of the world looming, he still felt that this may be the most important of all.

Hikaru took a deep breath. He was ready.

[Togashi Satsuki]

Satsuki didn't have the nice clothes she had worn for a winter court five years ago. With space and weight being of the highest priority, there was a limit to how many 'nice' clothes she had packed (even if her mother and extended family did their best to give her clothing that was practical and pretty). So for this she wore some of her nicer clothes of pale colors and gold, featuring twisting vines and dragons worked into the fabric with weaving and embroidery.

While her white hair had been braided back into a cord, it couldn't stop a few errant strands to dance in the wind as she approached Hikaru with her hands folded neatly in front of her. In a way, she felt like she was walking towards her destiny... which she was, of course, but in a way that made her both excited and nervous. She had told Anjing that Hikaru couldn't really fail if she had already chosen him, but... what if he did? What if he disappointed her with his answers, and she could see that they weren't compatible?

Despite all the troubles of the world around them, Satsuki didn't spare any thoughts to that now. What mattered now was only Hikaru and her.

She stopped at a respectable distance from the handsome man, unable to hide her smile as she curtsied all proper. "Hikaru-san, are you ready?"

[Doji Hikaru]

Even if it hadn't been a clear day, even if he could not see her walking towards him, Hikaru would have known Satsuki was coming. The wind blew around him, tugging at his clothes, his hair. All stayed in place... except, of course, his single white lock. It came free of the tie he'd so carefully used to secure it, to billow and tug directly towards Satsuki. Hikaru smiled. It seemed as drawn to her as he was.

As she drew closer, Hikaru found his breath catching, his pale eyes widening, just a little. Satsuki was always beautiful, but at this moment, she seemed especially so. His eyes lit up, a smile of his own leaping to his lips, as she curtsied. Well. This was a formal courtship, as Lord Nanzi had courted Lady Doji. Let them be formal as well.

"Satsuki-sama." He said, bowing with practiced grace. His smile grew as he straightened, just for a moment. "I am." He took a breath. "Three days ago, you set me three tasks to prove myself worthy of seeking your hand in marriage. I am pleased to inform you that I have completed these tasks. I will demonstrate them in the order in which they were written."

Hikaru started to reach into the pack he carried, then paused, looking at Satsuki. "If you are ready, Satsuki..." His soft voice had lost that formal edge. This was real feeling, confirming that she really did want to go on.

[Togashi Satsuki]

Luckily, her folded hands were hidden in her voluminous sleeves, so it wasn't visible that her fingers were being fidgety. Nerves and excitement alike. Her green gaze focused on Hikaru, taking in the details of how he was dressed and acting, and then looked at the supplies he had brought with... which made her even more curious .

She swallowed, and nodded. "I'm ready to see your results, Hikaru-san."

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru looked at her a moment longer, then nodded slowly. "Very well." He said.

He straightened, that formal edge returning. "The first answer was the easiest one, or so I felt." Reaching into his pack, he drew out a ceramic jar. Carefully, he pulled off the waxed paper that sealed it; inside seemed to be only blackness. "I thought of how I might seek to do such a thing, to hold the stars in my hand. And the answer, as it so often does, seemed to lie in my art."

A few steps took him to the tree, and to the canvas beneath it, and the blanked laid beneath that. Hikaru knelt on the blanket, drawing forth a paintbrush. Now that they were closer, one could see that the canvas showed grassland and trees, rising up into... nothing, actually, for the painting lay unfinished at the top. Glancing briefly at Satsuki, Hikaru dipped his brush into the jar, gathering up black paint, and then made a careful stroke across the top of the canvas.

It was black, but it sparkled, and suddenly the forest was beneath a night sky.

Hikaru rose, turning and bowing, the jar held in his hands. "Behold, the stars in the palm of my hands." He said.

[Togashi Satsuki]

With obvious curiosity on her face, Satsuki watched Hikaru. Had he painted a night-sky...? It would be an expected use of his artistic talents, but... no? There was no nightsky. Then he dipped the brush into the jar of paint, and created a streak of glittering stars on nightly black.

Her hands unfolded as one came up to her face, the tip of her index finger playing at the border of her lips in an effort to not bite her nails in excitement as she smiled widely.

"So I see! Ah, that is very clever!" she exclaimed. "You made a new type of paint even!"

Then she remembered herself and calmed down a little. "But what of the next riddle...?"

[Doji Hikaru]

Seeing Satsuki's excitement brought a smile to Hikaru's face. Despite that, it did not diminish his formality, merely shifted it to a more comfortable form. He bowed. "Kaiu Tai-san called it glitterstone. Crushed and mixed in proper proportions into paint, it has this effect." Straightening, he carefully resealed the paint, tucking it away in his bag.

Turning back to Satsuki, Hikaru took a deep breath, than smiled. "This one took me a little longer. How do I show the strength of fire to the woman who can command it? Who knows what fire can do so much better than I? But then, when an idea was sparked," his lips quirked at that, "-it spread quickly. The answer..." He reached into his pack...

... and pulled out a perfectly polished bronze mirror. Holding it out, he angled it, until the image of Satsuki's face was reflected for her. "... was you, Satsuki-sama."

Hikaru stepped a little closer, keeping the mirror angled properly. "You are fire. You are brilliant and bright and energetic. And you are also the strongest, bravest woman I know. When I think of fire, I think of you, and when I think of courage, I think of you." He smiled. "I only had to realize they were the same."

[Togashi Satsuki]

Glitterstone? It seemed like a very fitting name if it could sparkle like stars like that. She imagined her mother and younger brother, along with many others in the Saru would be very excited too over a new paint like this. Especially if they knew its origins.

And as Hikaru shifted his form to more formal again, so did she, and once again folded her hands before her with the fingers interlaced. She nodded for him to proceed as he put away the paint.

As he was holding something up for her to see, she leaned in closer... and eyes widened in surprise to see her own reflection. Satsuki hadn't been sure what to expect of this challenge and had been ready for a surprise, but not the surprise of seeing herself.

In a rare sight, Togashi Satsuki blushed in a fully red color that stood out starkly against her otherwise pale colors. "I..." she stammered a little, and smiled. Flattered and embarrassed all at once. "Thank you. I didn't know I inspired you so."

[Doji Hikaru]

"Almost from when you first hugged me." Hikaru said, grinning suddenly. "But perhaps most when you risked everything to help me in my quest. That was when I knew..." He closed his eyes briefly, remembering not just the scene, but the feeling.

His eyes opened. "There is the final task."

Hikaru took a deep breath. "This one was the most challenging for me. As with the first task, I first turned to my arts." He smiled wryly. "And while I tried at it for a bit, while I think I have some talents with the flute, I am not so conceited as to think I could produce the most sublime sound with it." Gently, he shook his head; even now, his white lock was drifting towards Satsuki. "Ai-sama set me on the right path. But from there, I realized, that if the first answer was me, and the second answer was you, surely the third answer must be us."

He stepped closer, almost close enough for an embrace. "May I have your hand, Satsuki-sama?" Hikaru asked, his voice soft, his eyes on hers.

[Togashi Satsuki]

She grinned too. It had been a fun moment of mistaken identity there... that had turned out for the better. And then she had willingly surrendered herself to the Moon's control, all on the hope of coming closer to helping Hikaru and Doji. And so, the answer to the second quest was acknowledge and approved with a firm nod.

For the last, Satsuki almost held her breath as she waited to hear the answer. Us..., her lips parted slightly, looking down to her hands, then up to Hikaru. The fingers separated from one another, freeing her hands to reach out almost timidly to Hikaru - for him to take them.

"Yes."

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru took a deep breath. This was the one he was least certain about. And the least within his comfort zone. Only, looking into Satsuki's lovely green eyes, that was no longer true. Smiling, he took her hands. With his right, he entwined his fingers with hers, but with his left, he took her hand into his, his palm over her knuckles.

"I have some worry that this is hubris as well." Hikaru said. "If so, well, perhaps my suit was never meant to prosper. But I dare to hope that you might find this sound sublime." Gently, he guided her hand upwards, to his chest. With a shrug and a tug, he shifted the neck of his kimono, opening it just a little. His gaze still locked with hers, he guided her hand to his chest, against his skin, over his heart. She would feel the heat of him, of his blood, of his heart, the steady thrum of it strong and firm.

"Us..." Hikaru whispered as he leaned forward. His hands squeezed Satsuki's as he guided their lips together for a kiss, tender at first, but with a rising passion.

The steady thrum of his heart grew faster, louder, beating for her.

[Togashi Satsuki]

Her breath trembled slightly as Hikaru guided her hand to his exposed chest. Despite the chill of the season and weather, her touch was warm, almost hot, but not uncomfortably so, and the skin of her palm and fingers were lightly calloused.

"Us..." Satsuki murmured, echoing the word with him until their lips met in a warm and passionate embrace. The hand tightened slightly over his chest, as if she wanted to hold on to him closer. The kiss she returned to her suitor spoke more than any words of how well he had completed his tasks and she accepted them all.

[Doji Hikaru]

As they kissed, Hikaru released her left hand, but only to slide his arm around her waist. Almost as if he could read her mind, he pulled her closer, pressing her form against his. One kiss became two, then three, as Hikaru found himself unable to break away, wanting to savor this moment as long as he could.

Finally, reluctantly, he pulled back a bare inch, just enough to speak, his breath still mingling with hers. "Then we shall be wed. My love." Hikaru whispered hotly, unable to keep from brushing his lips against hers again. "You have only to name the time and place, and it will happen."

[Togashi Satsuki]

Their heat was exchanged in breaths and she kissed him one more time before speaking again.

"We will be wed, my dearest," she giggled and hugged him tightly in return, relishing in joy of it as they gave passion a small rest. Maybe everything was moving fast now, but right now it felt just right to her. "Though married today or in a year, our destinies were entwined since we first met I think. And will forever be already." Satsuki giggled one more time and rested her head on Hikaru's shoulder as she held him tightly.

"But you know, if we wait more I think folks here will lose their minds since we already delayed this long. What do you think?"

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru laughed openly, his joy bubbling over. "Yes. Entwined. That's a very good word for it." He lifted one hand, catching their hair where, once more, his white lock had become entangled with hers. He sighed pleasantly as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Hearing that response, Hikaru blinked. Folks here...? Oh. And yet, as fast as it was, it felt right.

Turning his neck, Hikaru kissed Satsuki's cheek. "I would marry you this minute if you so desired." He said, his voice quiet, but fierce. "But... tomorrow, perhaps?" That felt like the only compromise he could make between propriety and his need to be married to Satsuki as soon as humanely possible.

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Tomorrow," she agreed, firmly. "You and me, and those closest to us." Big gatherings had never been she had cared for, and like her mother, she wanted only the most important people in her life with her for something so important and sacred.

And with that, she kissed his cheek, and then lips. "Today, let's speak freely and enjoy eachother's company, without having to worry about propriety, yes? Auntie Anjing will be putting a boot on my back if I don't, I think," Satsuki laughed softly, still holding onto Hikaru. "Talk about the future, hopes, and dreams, as if there's nothing but happiness ahead of us?"

[Doji Hikaru]

"You, me, and those closest to us." Hikaru echoed her, smiling. "Yes."

He closed his eyes into the kiss. "But for today, just us..." He grinned as he, while keeping her pulled tight against him, savoring the warmth of her body against his, led her beneath the tree. He paused there, lips brushing against hers, then to her jaw, her ear... "And believe me, my commitment to propriety faded several kisses ago, Satsuki." He murmured.

"Well, we can't have that." Hikaru murmured, chuckling softly. "As I learned yesterday, Lady Anjing has quite the firm boot." His hands guided her further, helping her to kneel down on the blanket with him. "Let us ensure we can tell her that there are no uncertainties between us."

[Togashi Satsuki]

If there had been a risk of her blush receding, it had been dispelled now as it seemed to make itself a permanent fixture on her face. Despite everything happening around them, she was able to just think only of them and this moment right now, and it made it easier for her to just delight in the feelings that were surging through her.

"I never thought I'd hear a Crane, let alone a Doji say that," she teased in soft tones, letting him take the lead for them to sit down on the blanket he had brought.

"Oh... did you have a training match with auntie Anjing yesterday? She is pretty tough, right!"

[Doji Hikaru]

In fact, Hikaru grinned, delighted at making Satsuki blush, even as he blushed himself. Like her, feelings ran high. The thought of not touching her, not stealing a kiss from time to time, simply wasn't possible.

They sat on the blanket, his knee resting against hers; again, the thought of not doing so was unbearable. "You inspire me, Satsuki." Hikaru said, his tone matching hers. "Sometimes that means giving my all to complete three tasks. Sometimes that means kissing you, and not caring for the consequences." He leaned closer...

The reminder of Lady Anjing made him pause. "She is very tough." Hikaru said, a touch ruefully. "It was very much a test more than a training match. It took me some time to clean all the mud off, and I think I've got a bruise here and there. In the end, though, she seemed satisfied." Smiling, he gave her hand a squeeze. "I imagine you've spoken with her recently as well?"

[Togashi Satsuki]

Satsuki herself sat comfortably with her legs crossed, one hand holding Hikaru's and the other on the knee against hers. A small thought in her mind wondered if her parents had been like this before they married. Or any of the other Kami and their spouses. Shiba and Yuzuru, for certain, much for the same reasons as her own parents - they just seemed kind and loving with eachother.

"I did. Same day you and I had our sparring over there," she briefly directed her attention in the direction of their practice-field. "She had all sorts of pressing questions. Some good, and some... well, she means well," Satsuki chuckled and looked back to Hikaru. "Like what we want for the future, if we've talked about that. Like... family and such."

Awkward chuckle.