I'm back, my wonderful readers. I've been on vacation for a while, but I've come back with massive brainstorms this time around. I hope you all are ready for some new surprises. (I keep myself updated on the Bleach manga, so I know that this story is incredibly inaccurate, but please just bear with me.) This is where Raine and Tsoa's stories really intertwine. This takes place maybe a month after the events of Steadfast Maiden and Little Firefly- and also a few weeks after Colors and Promises, for those of you who read that little ficlet. So once again, I say enjoy.
Disclaimer: I only own my OCs Raine and Tsoa and their Zanpakuto. The Bleach universe was created by Tite Kubo, therefore, it is his.
Chapter 1: Induction
It had been a rather stifling day in Karakura Town, and even in the Visored warehouse, it seemed inescapable. Even with the new fan they had had installed, it was unbearable, at best. Mashiro Kuna had, for once, discarded her one piece jumpsuit for a pair of shorts and light T-shirt. All she had the energy to do, it seemed, was grumble and whine about the warehouse.
"I'm borrrred!" she groaned. Her boyfriend, Kensei Muguruma, grit his teeth and rubbed his temple in annoyance.
"I told you I'll take you to the park in a little while." he growled.
"Honestly," Rojuro Otoribashi said, fanning his face, "I don't know why on earth anyone would want to go out in this heat." He swept back locks of his hair that hadn't been tied back and out of his face. "This is absolutely ridiculous."
"When will Shin-kun and Raine-chan come home?" Mashiro whined.
"Stop whining." Hiyori Sarugaki growled. "Raine and the dumbass'll come home when they damn well feel like it."
"But they need to come home soon!" Mashiro cried, going into one of her temper tantrums. "I want them to come home now!"
"Nice to know we were missed." came a voice from the doorway. The Visoreds looked up and indeed saw the newlywed couple- Shinji grinning his wide grin that showed off his teeth. For once he was dressed down in slacks and a regular black t-shirt that replaced his usual button-up and tie ensemble and wore his famous newsboy bap over that. Raine practically glowed in a light green maxi dress and had her dark red curls tied into a ponytail that hung over her shoulder. Her beautiful, light blue eyes shone and she smiled brightly at her surrogate family. Everyone at that moment seemed to forget that it was hot outside and instead got up to welcome the newlyweds home after their two-week honeymoon. Raine joyfully returned a hug from Mashiro while Shinji was left to 'enjoy' the usual kick to the face from Hiyori.
"How was the honeymoon?" Rose asked.
"Wonderful." Raine replied as she kicked off her sandals by the door and set her bag down. She went into the little kitchen area of the warehouse and retrieved a towel and returned to deal with the bleeding nose her husband had acquired. Gently, she attended to him with a knowing smile.
"A coupla rainy days, but the sunny days were flawless." Shinji said. "Nice ocean breezes and the water was just right." He cried out in pain as Hiyori's sandal made contact with the back of his head.
"Don't rub it in, asshole!" she growled. After retrieving said shoe, she retreated to the upper level.
"What's got Hiyori moodier than usual?" Shinji asked as Raine soothingly rubbed the back of his head.
"She's been like that for a while now." Love Aikawa replied, not looking away from his manga.
"Now, Love," Rose warned, "it's not Hanataro's fault that he's been overloaded with work." Raine winced. That would definitely explain things.
"So was your room super cool? Did you get a good view of the ocean?" Mashiro asked. Raine smiled and nodded.
"We were right over the water." Shinji said, holding the towel over his nose. "The floor of our room was nothin' but really, really thick Plexiglas."
"Basically you could see the fish through our floor." Raine explained to Mashiro, whose eyes became as big as saucers.
"I'd think that the last thing you two would be focused on would be the scenery." Lisa Yadomaru said under her breath. Raine blushed a bright red and Shinji shot her a deadpan look. Averting her eyes, Raine cleared her throat and picked up her bag to take to their room.
Dinner that night was quite an affair; it had been Kensei's turn to cook and he had started early, saying that they were going to do something big on account of Shinji and Raine's return. It was indeed a big thing. Raine wasn't sure she had ever seen so much food on the Visored's table- all of the smaller side dishes surrounded the large pot roast.
"Kensei, this is an absolute feast." Raine said with a smile.
"This is nothing, especially with the way Love and Mashiro eat…" he grumbled. Raine shot him a sympathetic look. Reaching over, she put a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's just… with you and Shinji married now… it's giving Mashiro ideas."
"Do you want that?" Raine asked.
"Eventually." he pointed out.
"Then you should tell Mashiro just that, that neither of you are ready for anything like that. If she really loves you- like I know she does- she will listen and understand."
Kensei considered her advice and nodded his approval. "Thanks, Raine." he said. The mentioned girl smiled back at him and then listened to the newest argument that had occurred between Shinji and Hiyori. She shook her head at them.
"Some things never change, do they?" she asked with a slight sigh. Kensei shook his head with good humor, and then went to break it up.
As the Visoreds sat down to eat, there was a knock at the door.
"Who could that be now?" Shinji asked, checking the watch that had been a wedding present from Raine. He looked to the door and sighed, getting up. Raine set her napkin down and followed. To their surprise, the visitor was none other than Ichigo Kurosaki himself.
"Long time, no see, Ichigo." Shinji said.
"Nice to see you, too, Hirako." Ichigo said. His gaze drifted over to Raine. "Hey, Raine." he said.
"Good to see you, Ichigo." she said, hugging him around the neck. The two smiled at each other, having gotten along quite well upon first meeting. She suspected it had something to do with the fact that they had similar backgrounds, and therefore could easily connect with one another. "What brings you here?" she asked.
"I just thought that I would extend an invitation." he said lightly.
"An invitation? To us?" Shinji asked, crossing his arms.
"Well I'm still part-Visored, aren't I?" Ichigo asked. "The Soul-Society wants me to become Captain of the Fifth Squad." he said. Shinji's eyes widened at this, but he then smiled.
"Good." he said with some degree of satisfaction. "Better than some dunderhead who doesn't know what in the hell he's doing." Ichigo smiled at this and nodded.
"I didn't even think you two would be back by now." he mentioned to the newlyweds. Raine smiled, as did Shinji, and the two looked at each other.
"Raine couldn't stand being away from her new family for so long." Shinji pointed out.
"I could only cringe as I thought of the kind of trouble Mashiro was getting herself into, now that we all have clearance to enter the Soul-Society." she joked. Ichigo chuckled.
"I'll be sure to let Rukia know that you're back, Raine." he said. "She'll be happy to know that you are; said something about how she loved having tea with you…"
Raine nodded. "Give my regards to her, as well."
"You can do that this Saturday." Ichigo said. "We'll be expecting you, both of us."
The thought of going to an induction ceremony greatly excited Raine. As she finished up the dishes and got ready for bed, she seemed to have a small skip in her step. She walked over to the couch where her husband lounged, reading yet another rather large book, and kissed him on the cheek.
"I was beginnin' to wonder when ya were ready to call it a night, darlin'." he said. Raine smiled back at him as he got up and stretched. "Race to the bedroom?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. Raine took that as a challenge.
"Don't keep us up all night, you two." Lisa quipped. Raine's head snapped back to the elder female Visored, and Shinji made his move, executing a Shunpo up the stairs. Raine looked at him incredulously and quickly followed after him. She caught up with him and noticed him laughing. She was about to tackle him when all of a sudden the room started spinning. Why now had she started to swoon? Shinji was at her side in an instant.
"Are ya alright, darlin'?" he asked softly.
"I guess I'm just a little more tired than I led myself to believe." she replied as she held her head. Without further ado, Shinji picked her up and carried her to the bed. Raine did her best not to blush- and failed. He snickered at his wife's silliness and set her down, poised over her so as to kiss her gently and lovingly.
"Ya said ya were a little dizzy after we got off the plane. It may still be jet lag. Don't worry about it." he said as he settled at her side. No more was said; no more needed to be said. He pulled her closer until her face was nestled comfortably into his chest. Her arms went around his waist and held him there.
The week passed by none too quickly in Shinji's opinion. He had heard that it took days for the side effects of jet lag to wear off, but Raine did not exhibit the ordinary symptoms of jet lag. She slept fine; in fact, there were days where he had to nearly shake her awake. There were days when she was so drowsy that she had to strain herself to concentrate with her work. In essence, she had zero inspiration. Shinji had been more than a little peeved with his wife when she had decided to leave work early. He had gotten a call from Raine's assistant, Ms. Tsukino, that she had left after passing out at work. It had taken Shinji about an hour to find her sitting at a park bench, her head spinning.
"Are you mad?" she asked. Shinji sighed at her.
"I guess I can't be." he said. "But ya shouldn't be goin' to work if yer feelin' sick. I want ya to see Captain Unohana just as soon as ya can. This is not normal for ya."
"Alright," Raine said with a sigh, "I'll speak with Captain Unohana after the induction ceremony."
"Mashiro," Kensei shouted, "you're the one who wanted to go to this stupid thing, now get your ass down here!" He growled in annoyance. After a week's worth of begging, Mashiro had finally gotten what she wanted- to see the induction ceremony. He didn't know what she was doing up there and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. All he know for certain was that they were going to be late.
"Okay, Kensei," she said, walking down. He heard the clacking of heels, unusual for Mashiro. Looking up the stairs, he swore his heart very nearly stopped. Mashiro was dressed in a bright orange sundress and orange polkadot wedges. Around her neck was a silver pendant with a bird wing and a turquoise-colored crystal. Her eyelids were decorated with a beautiful silvery blue shadow and her hair had been slightly teased and conditioned to curl. Instead of wearing a scarf around her neck, she was wearing a white head-scarf, keeping her hair out of those beautiful hazel eyes.
'Damnit, Lisa.' he growled.
"How do I look?" she asked, running her fingers through her hair.
Kensei smiled almost morosely and put a hand on her shoulder. "You look beautiful." he replied. "Come on, let's get going."
"Okay." she said with a playful grin. She ran past him gracefully and he shook his head at her. They joined the others who had gathered at the door. Hiyori wore frayed black stockings under black jeans and a red-and-gold brocade, wide bell-sleeved blouse and had replaced her regular red hairpins with silver butterfly pins and beaded sandals. Around her neck was the pendant that Hanataro had given her before they started dating. It had been the first time that she had worn it in about a week. Lisa had chosen a pretty little black dress for her ensemble and had allowed Raine to pull her hair into a French braid, since Lisa had clamored for something different. The youngest Visored was more than happy to oblige, seeing as how Lisa had spent most of her preparation time getting Mashiro ready. Rose watched with a serene smile on his face when Lisa entered the room, her black heels clacking on the concrete of the warehouse floor. He hadn't sincerely fussed as much as usual over his outfit; he had stuck to his black slacks and jacket, but switched his dramatic lavender shirt out for one that was a slightly subdued white one and had his hair tied back. Love had switched his usual jogging suit for a teal button-up shirt and jeans and a new pair of sunglasses. Kensei had opted for a white t-shirt under a plaid over shirt and black jeans. He had decided he would leave his gloves behind, but the combat boots stayed. Hachi had gotten a new suit for the occasion, a purple one that the others said reminded them of the uniform he had worn when he was part of the Kido Corps. Raine was the last to come down, dressed in a silvery-lavender dress and a white sweater. Her hair was tied back with the barrette Shinji and the others had given her for her birthday. She looked like a vision. Shinji walked up to his wife.
"Beautiful…" he murmured, causing her to blush once more. He reached for her, but she pulled away. "Ya promised, Raine." he reminded her. When Raine's head bowed in defeat, Shinji smiled and he picked her up. Despite having been through this numerous times, Raine still blushed whenever Shinji picked her up bridal style… like he was doing now. Shinji smiled at the chance he had to make his wife squirm once more. Raine groaned as he and the others took off.
They arrived amidst the hustling and bustling of the soldiers of the Seiretei. Once again, she was taken aback by the sheer number of them.
Ichigo had requested that they stopped by the Fifth Division barracks, so they did just that. Raine was a little surprised, though, to find three others waiting there, people she had never met before. The girl of the group was maybe taller than her by a few inches at best and had long, auburn-colored hair that cascaded down to her lower back. Her busty figure made Raine seem almost incompetent. The shorter of the two young men was skinny with glasses and chin-length blue hair. He was very stylishly dressed in white and blue garments. The taller one was what Raine would call a giant, with tan skin and brown hair that fell over his face.
The girl turned and her gray eyes caught sight of Shinji. A huge grin made its way across her face and she ran to him. "Shinji-kun!" she said, causing the other two to turn to the Visoreds.
"It's been a long time, Orihime." Shinji replied. "You look well."
Orihime smiled and nodded. "I've been taking college classes recently." Her eyes then shifted to Raine. "Oh, a new friend?" she asked sweetly. Shinji chuckled and looked at Raine, clasping her hand within his.
"Orihime Inoue, this is Raine Hirako, my wife." Raine felt a shiver of slight pleasure at the proud tone Shinji used when he introduced her. She smiled at Orihime and held out her hand.
"I'm guessing you're all friends of Ichigo's." she said. Orihime shook it kindly.
"We were classmates of his." the giant of a young man replied. "I'm Yasutora Sado; my friends call me 'Chad'." Raine smiled up at him and shook his hand.
"A pleasure, Chad." she said. She looked to the third stranger, who maintained a distance from the Visoreds. There was something disapproving in his eyes.
"Ishida." Shinji addressed politely. The young man nodded in recognition. Raine also politely nodded and smiled.
" 'Bout time you guys got here." Ichigo said. He looked fit to be a Captain, dressed in his Shinigami robes. Rukia was at his side with a knowing smile. She smiled at Raine, who smiled and nodded back.
"Sue us for wantin' to look our best." Shinji murmured. "It seemed like it was a really good idea, though, what with all the nobles here."
"What can you expect?" Ichigo grumbled. "The former Substitute Soul-Reaper's gonna be a Captain, and another one of the candidates is the Kawagari heiress. What's not to gape at like we're a bunch of sideshow freaks?"
Raine smiled at her friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It'll be alright, Ichigo." she said comfortingly.
"Easy for you to say." came a frustrated voice from the door. Everyone then saw Renji Abarai walk in and straighten out his robes out of nerves. "You're not up there where everyone can see you."
"Do you have stage fright, Renji-kun?" Raine asked thoughtfully. The soon-to-be Third Division Captain blushed and looked away.
"Maybe… a little," he replied sheepishly.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Renji. Everybody has it at some time in their life or another." Renji looked down into the youngest Visored's eyes and saw nothing but pure sincerity and encouragement. He had to admit that Raine was one hell of a good friend. She radiated love and patience and respect. True, she sometimes acted a little stubborn, but she had a firm belief in justice and doing what was good and right. The thing that everyone loved about Raine was that she could sense the good in others. When she was still a human, she had seen the good in the Visoreds, good that they hadn't seen in themselves. Renji smiled at her.
"Thanks, Raine. You saying that makes me feel a lot better about this mess." he sighed.
"Deep breaths, Renji." she advised. The Captain candidate nodded and began the exercise.
"Ah, I be seein' that we be all gathered here." a low voice said. Raine looked over and saw a Soul Reaper she had never met before; this must've been the third Captain candidate. She was small, a few feet shorter than Raine, with medium-dark skin and bronze curls tied back with a black bandana. The left of her nose had imbedded within it a simple silvery stud, her only piece of jewelry. Her most striking feature had to be her silvery irises, which to Raine believed seemed to hold knowledge of things beyond the spirit world. She smiled knowingly to her comrades, and then her gaze flickered to Shinji. "It be a while, Hirako-san." she said.
"I guess it has, Lady Kawagari." he responded with a smile. Her brow furrowed slightly, but Raine could tell it was only a playful kind of annoyance.
"How many times I be tellin' you to call me 'Tsoa'?" she asked.
"Well you're gonna have to get used to people calling you Captain Kawagari for a long time." Ichigo said with a chuckle. To this, Tsoa groaned.
"I be thankin' you for remindin' me, Ichigo Kurosaki." she said.
"Hey, Tsoa," Ichigo began, disregarding the previous conversation, "where's Sajin? I mean, I would think that he would want to be here with you every step of the way." A small smile spread across the girl's face and she shook her head.
"I be tellin' Sajin to stay and be witness to this event. He be doin' so much for me, the last thing he be needin' be another thing to fuss over."
Ichigo scratched his head. "I guess that makes sense." he said sheepishly.
Shinji cleared his throat, which gained Tsoa's attention. She smiled upon seeing Raine. "So this be the one mentioned in Gran'mama's prophecy." she said. Raine then looked at her husband in confusion.
"Remember I told ya that someone had told me I would find happiness in ya?" he asked. Raine nodded. "That was Kawagari-san's grandmother."
"Oh," Raine said, her lips forming an 'O' shape. She nodded respectfully at the Kawagari heiress. "It's an honor to meet you." she said sincerely. All of a sudden, Raine felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at the other girl, who smiled brightly back at her.
"It be I who be honored by your presence, Hirako-chan." she replied. "It be never thought that there be someone who be able to see so much good in the world, someone who be as kind and caring as you. If I may…" she asked, looking at Shinji.
"That's up to her." he replied. Tsoa turned back to Raine.
"May you what?" Raine asked.
"Read your future? All I be havin' to do is take your hand." she replied.
"Sure." Raine replied. After a moment of deep breaths, she placed her hand into Tsoa's. The latter closed her eyes in intense focus. After a few moments, a grin spread across her features, although Shinji knew that Raine was not to know the whole truth.
"Expect a wonderful surprise in the near future, Hirako-chan." she said.
"What does that mean?" Raine asked. Shinji rubbed the back of his head.
"Don't expect a full answer from them, Raine." he sighed. "The Kawagari don't believe in giving too much away. They feel like it'll… 'unravel the tapestry of life' or something like that." Tsoa glared at the Visored leader. "That's how yer grandma put it, at any rate."
A sudden rush of spiritual pressure entered the area and Raine then saw Captain Byakuya Kuchiki walk onto the scene. He still maintained that overly arrogant air to him, but Raine said nothing this time. She had gotten on the Captain's bad side once already.
"Renji, Ichigo Kurosaki, Tsoa Kawagari," he addressed. "It is time. Rukia, I think it is best that you join your Captain now."
"Right." Rukia replied. She turned to Ichigo. "Behave yourself, Kurosaki." she warned.
"I'll do my best, Lieutenant Kurosaki." Rukia smiled and then took off. Ichigo turned to find Shinji smirking and Raine looking at him dumbfoundedly.
"Well when did that happen?" Shinji asked.
"Just a couple of weeks ago. We wanted to keep it private, so it was just us plus Renji and my dad to serve as the witnesses. Byakuya was the one that married us."
"That's wonderful." Raine said with a wide, excited smile.
"Come," Byakuya said, gaining the Visored's attention, "It is time for us to take our places as well."
The ceremony was quite the occasion. Raine had never seen so many people gathered in one place. The ceremony itself was only a few minutes in length. The Head-Captain gave a short, to-the-point speech and then presented each of the candidates with their respective haori. For Renji, it was the spring green-lined haori sporting the number three. As Renji slipped into the sleeveless garment, Raine noticed the smile of approval that graced Rose's lips. Ichigo was also given a sleeveless haori that was lined with pale turquoise and had embroidered on the back the number five. Finally came Tsoa, who also slipped on a sleeveless haori that had a rust-colored lining and the number nine on the back.
"I introduce to you our three new Captains: Third Division Captain Renji Abarai," To this, there was a loud chorus of cheers and applause. Renji swallowed; he had never felt so nervous and excited at the same time. "Fifth Division Captain Ichigo Kurosaki," There was an even louder cheer as Ichigo was introduced. He only had eyes for one person, though, and she smiled as she stood beside her Captain. Orihime had joined in the cheering. Chad had shot him a thumbs-up and Uryu smirked in annoyance or approval. Renji placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder and smiled in encouragement. "And finally, Ninth Division Captain Tsoa Kawagari." he announced. There was a loud chorus of cheers from the seated officers and a round of applause for her. "May I have their respective Lieutenants step forward at this time."
At this, Izuru Kira stepped forward and nodded to Renji. Shuuhei Hisagi did the same for Tsoa, nodding in his approval to her. A round of murmurs occurred, though, as a few minutes passed by and Momo Hinamori still hadn't shown up. Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto both looked around as well, doing their best not to start up a panic. Ichigo played it cool, though and smiled through the whole thing in an attempt not to look bothered.
After this, the ceremony was over. There was a little gathering afterwards, where congratulations could be offered to the new Captains.
"Makes me wish we had something like this when I was inaugurated as Captain of the Fifth Division." Shinji said. Raine smiled as she looked to her husband.
"They must've thought you didn't need any more ego inflations." she quipped, causing him to give her the kicked puppy look. "That hurts Raine. I'm not saying it isn't true, but it still hurts." She shook her head at her husband. "How're ya feeling?"
"So far, so good. The room doesn't spin, at least."
"Congratulations, Ichigo." Orihime chirped.
"You'll go far." Chad said, his usual baritone laced with pride for his friend.
"As long as he doesn't just jump into everything carelessly as per usual." Ishida quipped.
"Why don't you say that to my face, Uryu?" Ichigo asked hotly. The group of people around them just laughed. The laughter was broken, however, when a large crash was heard. At the center of all of this attention was Lieutenant Momo Hinamori, or at least, that's who people guessed it was. Her hair was bedraggled and falling out of her cap and she had very dark circles under her eyes. She looked so tired. "Momo?" he murmured. She let out a light squeak and turned to face her new Captain.
"Oh, I am so sorry, Captain… Kurosaki. I didn't mean to sleep in so late. I thought I had set my alarm, I must've slept through it."
"Are you sure you're alright, Momo?" Captain Hitsugaya asked. He watched his childhood friend nervously, looking for the first sign of weakness.
"Oh, yes, Shiro." she replied with a smile as bright as she could muster. "I guess I've just overworked myself in trying to prepare everything paperwork-wise for Captain Kurosaki."
"You don't have to do that, Momo." Ichigo insisted with a worried glance.
"Nonsense, Captain." she replied. It's my job, and my pleasure, as your Lieutenant to make sure that there's as less work as possible, especially since you're just starting out." Ichigo was a little taken aback at this statement.
"Well, thank you, Momo." he said, to which she nodded respectfully. "I don't want you doing this all the time, though. Why don't you take it easy today? Get some rest."
"I'll be fine, Captain Kurosaki." she insisted.
"Well, in that case, why don't you get some coffee? That'll wake you up."
"Raine makes great coffee." Shinji insisted. The mentioned woman nodded and walked over.
"Just tell me what you like," she said, placing a hand on Momo's shoulder. She didn't expect the reaction, though. No sooner had Raine touched her, Momo flinched away as if having been burnt. Everyone in the vicinity was alarmed at the normally kind and upbeat Lieutenant's behavior. Before anyone could say anything, Momo had shunpoed away.
"What's gotten into her?" Shinji asked. Ichigo shook his head. At that moment, Raine began to feel woozy and would have collapsed were it not for her husband standing nearby. She gave him a grateful smile. He shook his head and moved to sit her down. "Wait here." he said.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I'm gonna talk to Unohana." he said. With that he disappeared into the crowd. He came back only a few moments later. "Yer seein' her tomorrow; no ifs, ands, or buts about it, Raine." he said sternly. She smiled demurely.
"I'm glad to know I have a husband who cares so much about my well-being." she said.
Tsoa watched with amusement at the scene across the room. She shook her head, although a slight frown came to her face upon remembering the rest of Raine's fortune. That girl would have to be careful; life would become very unkind very soon.
"Penny for your thoughts, Captain Kawagari?" a low voice rumbled. Tsoa looked up into the eyes of her anthropomorphic love and smiled sincerely.
"It be nothin' of any concern, Captain Komamura." she replied smartly. He chuckled at her.
"I am so proud of you." he murmured. Taking her hand, he led her to a secluded area of the room. When he was sure that they were alone, he dropped his professional barrier and knelt down to hug her, enfolding her completely in his arms. "Who would've ever thought," he murmured, "that the giggling, happy little girl I saved that night from the fires would stand before me this day as Captain of the Ninth Division and the woman that I love?" She grinned and nuzzled against his furry neck. He smiled. "So what now?"
She pulled away and looked at him in puzzlement. "What be you meanin'?" she asked.
"You've repaid my saving your life and you've also won my heart, and now you are a Captain. What is your next goal?" he asked. She contemplated for a second and then smiled.
"Whatever fate be bringin' me." she replied confidently.
"And..." he began tentatively, "what if another proposal came along?"
"What kind?"
"A proposal of marriage." he answered. Tsoa's eyes went wide and she searched Sajin's eyes only to find complete sincerity. "You have healed my heart, Tsoa Kawagari. You looked past my outer appearance and saw the man beneath that. You have accepted my love just as I have accepted yours. Will you please become my wife?"
Tsoa became silent for a moment, only opening her mouth to take deep breaths. For a moment, Sajin was afraid that she would refuse him, but then her mouth spread into a grin and she wrapped his arms around his neck.
"Yes." she breathed. "I will marry you." she said. He felt hot tears on his neck and pulled away.
"Tsoa..." he said, caressing her cheek gently, "you're..."
"They be happy tears, Sajin." she replied. She leaned in and kissed him on the muzzle. He pulled her head close and kissed her deeply and affectionately. The two of them breathed heavily with the emotions that ran through them. "I love you." she said.
"And I you." he replied softly. From a pocket hidden within his haori, he withdrew a small silver band on a chain. "I know how you are about wearing things on your fingers." She smiled and slipped the chain over her head. "Come, let's go back out there before they attempt to find us."
"Lord be knowin' that you need to be out there attemptin' to control Iba." she joked. They both chuckled and left the room hand-in-hand.
Ta-da! How's that for a first chapter? I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time, my dear readers, I bid you adieu.