The Day of Thunder

Norikage had likely been debriefed, been thanked, been cheered, and had all manner of other things that he felt he didn't deserve.

He was tired of it and wanted to find Kumori. How the hell had he let her goget away earlier anyway? She has to meet with the Emperor? Pfft, lame excuses.

Eventually he poked around enough to figure out where she was wherever that really was

He stopped at a tent and was likely greeted by guards, who fortunately now knew who he was, so he was let in.

She was sitting on her military cot stretching out her legs that were now sore from the day's running.

Seeing him come in she looked up at him with tired eyes and a tired smile.

"Hey ugly..."

She stood up and walked towards him. She embraced him gently and spoke softly in his ear.

"Thanks for coming back."

He returned the embrace, putting his.hand on her head and leaning them together. "Thanks for waiting."

He took in all his sensory perception of her, feel, smell, listened to her breathing and heartbeat.

"You know, after we got back and you got pulled away, I suddenly felt more lost than I was at the shrine. Strange to say, I've been wound up this whole time. Now I finally feel like I can breathe again."

She held him still within her reach as she looked up to his face.

"Well... you'll just have to stay close by for the time being. I think we can all finally breathe... for the first time in years." She said with a smile.

"Yeah..."

He could barely remember what it was like before. He was so young then.

"Well, miracles happened...I guess Lady Doji will be pleased", he said and let out a breath. "Well, relieved..." He chuckled. "I doubt much changes for you though, you probably weren't even worried."

She laughed at his last comment.

"Not worried?" She smiled at him and shook her head.

"No... I get worried just like the next person. I think I do stupid things and throw myself into stuff as a way of getting out of that worry..."

She looked to him.

"Well, I never got the itch thinking you were in any real danger", he said with a smirk. He interlocked his fingers behind her. "Though I think it's sweet, you actually worried about me?"

He didn't expect she would say it, and would get a jab in return, but he liked that just as much.

"I had three cousins in that shrine. And Nao and Ai are my favorites." She said with a smile as she drew her face close to his.

"Well you're obligated by blood to worry about them", he countered with some snark.

Though inside his head, he was seeing Nao bleeding on the ground and the gruesome mess of gore Jigoku's champion made of Ai.

"Me on the other hand, you can't let a charming personality like mine go." He kissed her. "But I'm probably better when I shut up." The images wouldn't stop, now it was the incredibly tortured look behind Nozomi's stoicism, watching Shinsei fall and become The Enemy. He kissed her again.

She smiled and kissed him back.

"I sure hope you don't shut up... You'd be far less interesting as a statue." She said warmly.

"Having the luck to have not heard me say all the wrong things isn't the same as me being smooth", he told her. "Give it time." He squeezed her.

“I’ve heard you say plenty of stupid stuff. Just like you have heard me do the same…”

She squeezed him back.

“I like someone checking me when I am being a dummy… As long as it’s coming from a point of love…”

"Well if you want to hear something stupid from a point of love, I'd like to point out there's a cot in this tent", he arched an eyebrow.

She chuckled and blushed, “Soon I’ll give in to such requests…”

She smiled up at him, “I’m not sure the first impression I want for you on my father is… ‘There was a guy who went into her tent… and there were… noises.’”

She then winked, “Because I don’t intend to hold back on loving you when given the chance and a bit of privacy.”

A chill ran down his spine. Not from her admission of wanting to make sexy times (a little, actually) but whenever girls mention their father it's suddenly a bit worrisome.

And her father is the fucking Emperor.

Though her mother is probably the one I really don't want to meet.

"Well, maybe we should fix that", he said. "Not that I'd demand a meeting with your father but...", he looked sideways. "Well, if we're going to do this it should happen at some point."

He kept looking away.

"And I did kind of help save the empire."

She smiled and held his hands, “You did.”

She rubbed her thumb along his affectionately.

“I’m sure he would love to meet you… And he would love for a Bayushi to be at my side… As his twin has always been at his side.”