Marriage
By Major Mike Powell III
The grizzled man's great mustache twitched as he gave his charge one of his rare smiles as the gorgeous redhead set down the steaming bowl filled to the brim with the delicious-smelling broth in front of him and the tantalizing aroma met his nostrils.
"Bloody 'ell, lass. I haven't had this in years! How did you even learn the recipe? Did you look through my gramp's North Africa journals again?" His English accent was thick in his gruff voice, yet Kasumi knew he was not mad at her.
Her lovely, gentle voice made her giggle a lyrical chime.
"Yes, I did. We've been eating plenty of Japanese dishes lately, so I thought I'd cook something you are more familiar with, Captain," the Japanese girl explained, finishing with a radiant smile. The man before her chuckled, a deep, throaty sound, as he picked up the bowl and a spoon.
"Well, fair enough. Thanks for the fo-" the mustached Brit was cut off by the coo of a messenger pigeon touching down on the floor of the wooden steps leading to the open door of the traditional-style home the Brit and Japanese shared.
The captain chuckled and looked on in amusement as Kasumi smiled and approached the tiny bird, feeding it a treat and taking the note off its leg and unrolling the paper to start reading it.
"It still makes me feel younger, knowing that some old methods haven't changed. How's she?" He asked before getting started on the meal Kasumi cooked for him. The ginger smiled softly and blushed just a bit.
"Well, she's fine. She got a big lecture from her mother after coming back home from an impromptu street fight. A boy was being bullied in an alley and she stepped in." The smile on Kasumi's face showed her respect and admiration for her pen friend. The captain nodded in approval.
"But let me guess: the cops showed up and took her in for vigilantism?" The Brit asked with humor. Kasumi sweat-dropped.
"Actually, no, Captain. She ended up with a broken nose and a black eye. Needless to say, Miyako-san was not happy…though she doesn't specify what the reason is, in this letter…hmmm…" Kasumi explained and looked cute cupping her chin and putting on a thinking expression.
Her guardian chuckled again as he finished his meal, sighing in approval.
"Ahhh, that hits the spot…tastes just like how my Grandma used to-" the captain was cut off both by the caw of panic from the pigeon as it took off into the air and the tale-tell sound of a grenade pin being pulled and then, the grenade itself bouncing off of one wall, then another…and then, a flashbang rolled to a stop in the middle of the room Kasumi and the captain were in.
"Bloody He-!"
The grenade went off with a deafening bang and blinding flash.
-o-o-o-
Kokoro's week was not going well.
The geisha-in-training had been distracted and in rather low spirits as of late, namely two weeks after her last letter to her pen friend had gone without response. Kokoro hadn't even seen the glimpse of a messenger bird on her window sill.
Every day she would return to her room from her lessons, martial arts training, or whatever she did until the end of the day, hoping to see the avian messenger waiting for her there with a roll of paper tied to its leg…and nothing. No word from her friend, the woman she looked up to since first fighting her…her Kasumi-sempai.
Each day that passed, Kokoro's concern and worry for Kasumi's well-being grew each time she returned to her empty room.
Not even the frequent visits of her (unbeknownst to her) step-sister, Helena, were able to keep the young geisha-in-training happy, or even so much as smiling, for long.
And then, her mother dropped a bombshell on her: an arranged marriage had been set up for Kokoro.
Kokoro knew this would happen. She really did. But that did not stop her heart from aching and the stress from building up, feeling as though she were aging up. She was so stressed and worried and she just wanted to at least read a single word from Kasumi-sempai…
The car ride to the building where Kokoro would meet her future husband (Her mother had said "future spouse", though, had she not?) barely even registered in her mind as she looked longingly out the car window, hoping against hope that a bird would fly towards the rolled-down glass to deliver a letter for her.
Alas, that was just wishful thinking and she soon found herself walking into a richly-decorated dojo with her mother placing a comforting arm around her shoulder.
"Kokoro-chan, I know you hate this, and I also know you're going through a hard time, losing contact with your friend…but, please, my child. I know you didn't ask for this, and neither did I…but, please, trust me. It's going to be alright." Miyako then gave her daughter an encouraging smile…but even in her current state, Kokoro could not help but feel like there was something her mother was not telling her…but Kokoro trusted her mother. And so, she gave a subtle nod and a soft "Hai, Kaa-san." Miyako smiled and then, gave three short knocks on the closed door before them.
Hearing the thickly-accented "Come in" from the other side, Miyako slid open the door and gently pulled Kokoro in with her. The girl kept her head bowed down as she knelt on the cushion on the hardwood floor of the dojo across the grizzled British man sitting cross-legged before her and the person sitting by his side.
"Kokoro-chan…meet your spouse…your wife, Hatsumi-san." Kokoro's silky, jet-black mane of hair almost whipped her in the face with the sheer force with which her head shot up, looking at her future wife with disbelieving emerald eyes.
The gorgeous young woman was clad in an ocean-blue kimono with soft-pink cherry blossom prints on the sleeves and blossoms climbing like a serpentine "S" across her chest as if carried by the wind. It was simple yet beautiful.
Her rich-ginger hair looked silky and immaculately-kept, held in a long ponytail that gently fluttered over her left shoulder, tied together close to the end with a yellow ribbon. Her skin was healthy and sun-kissed. Her eyes were a warm hazel and her face was youthful, beautiful…and really familiar.
"Hello, honored wife. Please look after me~" Hatsumi cooed and gave Kokoro a dazzling, loving smile upon lifting her head after a respectful bow.
"…" Tears made Kokoro's eyes blurry as the girl stifled a shocked gasp with her hand.
And then, the whole of three seconds later, Kokoro dropped any and all etiquette that she had been taught all her life to close the short gap between her and her friend, her sempai, and now, her future wife.
The black-haired martial artist tackled the ginger and sobbed into the crook of her kimono. The girl held Kokoro in return, cradling her in her warm embrace, all with a serene smile on her beautiful face.
"Kasumi-sempai!"
-o-o-o-
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Miya, it's John."
She sighed.
"…Damn it, Price. I'll have to trash this phone after this."
"You haven't changed a bit, lass."
"Just get to the point, Captain. I know this isn't a social call. What's going on?"
"I've been compromised. I need to run."
"Ok, so, what? You need money? You don't even have a debit card, old man."
"I won't need money where I'm going, and she can't come with me. She deserves better than this."
"…I see. So, what do you want from me, Price? What does Kasumi-san have to do with this…?"
"You know she's no longer being hunted, but she has nowhere to go. The bastards want to claim the bounty on my head. She needs a home, Miya."
"…Price, you're not asking me to-!"
"Miyako. Don't give me that. You still owe me one from Kyoto. I'm calling it in."
She let off a swear in her native language.
"Watch your mouth, lass. Even I understood that. Miyako, desperate times call for desperate measures. You know Kasumi deserves better than to basically be the babysitter of an old bastard that just refuses to die. And you know how she…"
She sighed.
"…I know. My child…she's not taking her absence well at all." She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Alright. Ok, Captain. I understand."
"Thank you, Miya. We're even now. We'll be there in one week."
"Ok."
"Alright. Oh, and Miya, try not to die this time?"
"…screw you. Worry about yourself, oji-san."
To Be Concluded…
Author's Notes: As requested by my good friend, ScarletVirus33. This one's for you, bub. I guess this became a two-parter, huh? I know this first chapter, or the premise, was silly…but I just wanted to try out this idea, y'know? LOL Don't worry, though. All the drama and such with Captain Price of the "Call of Duty" franchise basically becomes inconsequential in part 2. Chapter 2 is all about Kasumi and Kokoro, don't worry, y'all.
So, again: ScarletVirus33, amigo, this one's for you. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and will enjoy the next just as much, if not more~ ;3 The same goes to all of you, beautiful people lovers of the rather unorthodox, uncommon pairing of Kasumi and Kokoro.
Have a nice day~ Or good night~ Time zones and all, eh? XD
Semper-Fi! Carry on!