Author's Note: Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone! Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about our beloved Shizuru and Natsuki, even if my life doesn't leave me the time or energy to write for them as much anymore. I hope you all enjoy this holiday treat.

Hearthlight

Rating: T

Natsuki was beginning to feel the chill on her bare arms. For a moment, she paused in her efforts to light a fire, wondering if perhaps she should put her coat back on. ...No. The cold would provide her with good motivation to get this done soon, before the cabin got so cold even her coat wouldn't help. Besides, she was the Ice Silver Crystal. With a job title like that, she was practically forbidden from complaining about a little cold.

Or maybe a lot of cold. But she was doing this by choice, after all. After renting out this cabin for the evening, flying herself, Shizuru, and their dog out here, and shutting off the normal heating and lighting systems, she wasn't going to fail at the final task. She was going to light a fire with nothing more than natural supplies, even if she had to do it in utter darkness. No powered lighter to create a spark, no matches, and definitely no materializing her robe and pulling out her gun (however tempted she might be to do so).

She could practically feel Shizuru's gaze on the back of her neck right now. Maybe Shizuru wasn't actually gazing at her, but it felt like she was. This all did kind of feel a bit ridiculous, particularly the part where Natsuki had found herself trying to explain the traditions of this holiday to Shizuru. Of course, Shizuru had said it sounded sweet and romantic, and she was eager to try that… but she probably would have said that just to be nice even if she didn't feel that way. Okay, okay, Shizuru was probably being sincere. It was just this stupid fire that wouldn't light that had Natsuki feeling ridiculous right now.

"Um, Natsuki?" Shizuru said. A moment later, Natsuki felt her wife's hand placed gently against her back. "I don't mind if you cheat a little. It didn't sound to me like making the fire naturally was really the most important part of this holiday."

Natsuki breathed slowly, trying to resist the urge to growl at the sticks in her hands. "It is important," she said. She angrily began to rub them together as she spoke. "Thousands of years ago, they didn't even have matches to help start fires, but they had to. Especially in winter, and especially as the days got shorter. The least we can do is to get through on our own on this one day, the same way they did. If we can't make our own fire, we're supposed to do without, but there's no way I'm going to ask that of you and Kiyo, so I'm going to make a fire if it kills me. Or if I kill it, which is feeling more and more possible."

For a minute, the only sound in the room was of the two sticks in Natsuki's hands rubbing together. Finally, Shizuru spoke, her hand moving slowly up and down Natsuki's back as she did so. "Well, can I help then? I might have more luck than you."

Damn that hand. The tenderness in Shizuru's touch made it impossible for Natsuki to say no. But… her pride was at stake here. "Just… one… more… minute…" Natsuki said, redoubling her efforts to light a fire. Her muscles were beginning to burn from the exertion, but she couldn't give up. She couldn't… A spark!

Natsuki nearly stopped from surprise, but she managed to keep her arms moving. She leaned in, breathing gently on the spark to help fuel it. Her heart pounded in her chest, worried that it would die out, but somehow she managed to keep it alive. It slowly grew, spreading from one stick to the other. Natsuki gently put down the stick she was holding, and she reached out for some kindling. Just as she grabbed some, she felt a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Good job, Natsuki," Shizuru said. Her hand continued stroking Natsuki's back for a second, then gave it a brief pat. "I hope this means that soon I won't need to hold onto Kiyoran for dear life just to keep warm."

"Hmm?" Natsuki said, turning her head. Now that the fire was providing some light, she was able to actually see how her wife was doing now. True to her word, Shizuru had their dog curled up on her lap, embraced with the arm which wasn't currently patting Natsuki's back. "Um, well… that's… I guess…" Natsuki said, her cheeks blushing a bit as she stammered for words. "Er… sorry, Zuru. I really didn't want you to freeze for me like this…"

Shizuru shook her head slightly. "I'm alright. And Kiyo has a nice warm fur coat on, so I think he's alright too." Shizuru pushed herself closer to Natsuki, her leg now pressed up against Natsuki's. She moved her hand from Natsuki's back, reaching it around to give Natsuki's knee a squeeze. "So… what's the next part of this tradition?"

"Um, well…" Natsuki began to say, looking down at Shizuru's hand. She could feel warmth filling her cheeks again, but she tried to ignore it as she looked up at Shizuru. "You've kinda got the right idea there. Once the fire's lit, the whole family gathers together in front of it, and we just… spend some family time here, warmed by the fire. And then after a few hours, the kids and pets head off to bed and cuddle up together, leaving the parents to talk… about… par- What's that look on your face?"

Indeed, Shizuru had quite a look on her face right now. She was trying very hard to contain a laugh, and it took her a few seconds before she was able to talk. "Ara, Natsuki… you do know what your parents were really doing then, right?"

"Huh?" Natsuki said. "They were talking about boring adult stuff, and they didn't want to bore me to death with it."

"And that required you taking your pets with you, did it?" The look on Shizuru's face just got worse. Natsuki didn't know what was causing it, but that didn't stop her cheeks from quickly getting warmer.

"Well, I needed Duran to stay warm," Natsuki said. "And my parents had… each other…"

A smile grew across Shizuru's face as Natsuki spoke these words. Her hand slowly moved from Natsuki's knee, stroking up along her thigh. "They did indeed. Just the two of them, in front of a warm fire. Quite romantic, don't you think, Suki?"

Natsuki blinked rapidly. She was positive that her cheeks were bright red right now. "Um… yeah." She blinked again, then opened her eyes wide. "Oh, um, that wasn't my plan! It's not like I-" Natsuki found herself cut off mid-sentence as Shizuru leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her lips. Natsuki let out a soft moan of protest, but it only took a couple seconds for her to melt into her wife's kiss, and she found herself whimpering softly as Shizuru pulled away.

"Natsuki… my love," Shizuru said. She paused a minute, waiting until Natsuki was able to refocus her gaze on Shizuru before she continued. "I know. But if you did plan it, I wouldn't mind. Why would I ever complain about you putting in effort to do something so romantic for me?"

A smile tugged at Natsuki's lips as she heard these words. "Right. Of course. Sorry, I just got a bit flustered there at that realization…"

Shizuru nodded. "That's quite alright, love," she said. She simply held Natsuki's gaze for a long minute after speaking this, and it slowly dawned on Natsuki that perhaps there was an unspoken question in Shizuru's gaze.

"Um…" Natsuki said. She glanced down to the sleeping dog in Shizuru's lap, then back up at her love. There was no reason they couldn't put him in his crate, but… Natsuki slowly shook her head. "I think maybe I'm just in the mood for some family cuddles tonight," she said. "After all… well… it's… Well, I was kind of waiting until we were married before sharing this tradition with you," she said. She glanced down briefly, but then forced herself to look back up at Shizuru. "It's a family thing, after all. And well… it's our first time as a family. You, me, Kiyoran… and…" Natsuki glanced down again. She couldn't help it.

Shizuru's hand reached over to Natsuki's, and she gently guided it toward just the spot Natsuki's gaze had focused on. Natsuki let her palm gently rest against Shizuru's abdomen, spreading her fingers wide. "And her," Shizuru said. Natsuki could hear the warm smile in her wife's voice.

"...Yeah," Natsuki said. She looked back up at Shizuru, smiling back at her wife. "All four of us now." Natsuki leaned over, planting a soft kiss on Shizuru's lips. A moment later, she pulled back. "Happy Hearthlight, Shizuru," she said.

"Happy Hearthlight, Natsuki," Shizuru said, returning Natsuki's smile. Perhaps it was Natsuki's imagination, but it seemed as if Shizuru's cheeks might have been blushing just a bit right then. Or perhaps it was just the way the light of the fire shone on her cheeks. Whatever the reason, right now, Shizuru was the most beautiful woman on Earl.

"You couldn't possibly be more beautiful to me than you are at this moment," Natsuki said. The blush that formed on Shizuru's cheeks in response certainly wasn't a figment of Natsuki's imagination.

Shizuru glanced down for a moment, likely looking at Natsuki's hand on her stomach. "Natsuki flatters me so. I'm truly blessed to have such a wife."

Smiling at Shizuru, Natsuki leaned in. She planted a quick kiss on Shizuru's cheek, then rested her head on Shizuru's shoulder. "I love you, Shizuru," she said. "Thank you for humoring me with this."

Natsuki could feel Shizuru shake her head in response. "I'm not just humoring you, Natsuki," she said. "This really is a holiday to remember. Thank you, my love."

Natsuki let her eyes drift closed at this, a soft smile fixed on her face. She would certainly never forget this moment.