Author's Note: So sorry for the wait on this. This fic is a collab project, so I can only do it when both my collaborator and I are in the mood for Shiznat RP, which hasn't been often as of late. (You can blame the Legend of Korra finale for that if you want.) Anyway, I do hope you all enjoy!
To Tie Us Together
Chapter 2: Making it Perfect
Shizuru let out a sigh. She didn't know why, but today had been quite draining. She'd finally gotten Natsuki to sit down with her and make all the little decisions needed for the wedding - everything from the types of flowers on the tables to the fonts on the invitations. There were still a lot of big decisions to be made, but at least after today, most of the smaller ones had been dealt with. Even so… she would have hoped that after a day like today, she would have felt more accomplished. But something still didn't feel right. Perhaps it was nothing. Perhaps she simply needed to get more sleep.
Natsuki had noticed Shizuru taking more of a backseat in the wedding planning, but she decided not to talk about it then, opting instead to take the reins in the discussion. As the day turned into evening, it eventually got to the point where all Shizuru did was nod in affirmation, occasionally squeezing Natsuki's hand here and there. Thankfully, the list Shizuru had prepared was nearing its end, so they were able to push through it.
Once they were done, Natsuki let her fiancee head off to bed while she cleaned up the mess at the table, putting it away for now before joining her in the bedroom. Kiyoran was already asleep in his crate so she had no worry about him - he was old enough now that he wouldn't make a mess in the house, and he could wander freely if needed, but his crate was his bed.
Closing the bedroom door behind her, Natsuki shucked off her clothes and changed into some pajamas, climbing into bed where her lover was already half-asleep. Or at least, she thought she was half-asleep. "Hey, you okay?" Natsuki asked softly, curling up against Shizuru.
"Mm? Just worn out, I think," Shizuru said. Her mind certainly wasn't with her right now, and she wasn't even sure she'd heard Natsuki's question correctly. At least right now she could be certain that she felt Natsuki's body against her own, which always made her feel comfortable and helped her relax. Shizuru let out a yawn, snuggling back against Natsuki as she let her eyes fall closed.
Natsuki didn't press the issue; Shizuru certainly looked tired, and was outright exhausted when she left the table about fifteen minutes ago. "Mm, okay. Get some sleep," she replied, placing a kiss on the back of her love's head while wrapping her arms around Shizuru's waist.
Shizuru hummed gently in reply. After a minute of trying to settle down and get to sleep, she eventually let out a sigh. This just wasn't working. "...Natsuki?" she said at last.
"Mm?" came Natsuki's reply. She hadn't yet fallen asleep either, simply relaxing in bed and preparing to sleep.
"I think I know what's been bothering me today..." she said. She opened her eyes as she spoke, gazing forward. "Though... I guess I... don't really know the best way to put it into words." Shizuru let out a sigh. She'd have to try. "I just... I wish all our friends and family could be there with us when we get a legal marriage. The ceremony we're planning now... it just... that one part of can never be perfect."
Her eyes opened at the revelation. "... I see." It was all Natsuki could say, given the weight of the words. As it stood now, Japan was not a place where they could legally get married anywhere. The general consensus was very slowly changing its view of gay marriage within the country, but as it stood now it was pretty much impossible to legalize their marriage within these borders. Even if they were to marry elsewhere, would Japan still not recognize it? She needed to do some research on that...
Shizuru nodded slowly. She hadn't been expecting Natsuki to come up with a magic solution for that. "I think I got myself stuck on trying to solve that problem while we were solving all the other ones. But somehow I don't think the perfect invitations are going to do much there."
Natsuki gave Shizuru a reassuring squeeze with her arms, pulling her love in just a bit more tightly. "We'll find a way. I'm sure of it." It was all she could do to keep herself from getting too upset herself. As it stood, Japan was mostly homophobic, and in today's society and globally, they had to catch up, yet again.
Those words... There was something about the way Natsuki said it that sparked an idea in Shizuru's mind. She shifted her position, rolling over so she could face Natsuki. "Natsuki?" she said as she met her fiancee's gaze. "Do you think... sometime in our life, it will really be legal here?"
Closing her eyes for a moment, Natsuki opened them again, gazing into her love's eyes with a fire in her own. "It's only a matter of time. Japan is prideful, but the West has been legalizing it at an alarming rate. I heard that the European Union has stated it is a human right, not a privilege, which tells me that a lot of those countries have to change their laws. There's only so long that Japan can remain pridefully stuck in the past."
Shizuru nodded slowly. After a moment, she let a smile cross her face. "Then that's the solution. We do this now, for us. And then when the government finally comes around, we can renew our vows - for us, but for the government it will be our legal marriage. And we can invite everyone back then. It may take some time, but we can still make it all just perfect."
Natsuki nodded. She smiled softly, leaning forward to press her lips against Shizuru's for a moment, then pulled back. "We'll do what we can. For us."
Shizuru hummed in response to Natsuki's kiss. But after her lover spoke, Shizuru had to chuckle just a bit. "Well, I should count myself lucky then that the scope of things I believe we can do is quite large indeed."
Natsuki's smile turned into a grin. "Got that right. Now, let's get some sleep. We've got a lot of work to do."
Shizuru nodded. She leaned back in and planted a quick kiss on Natsuki's lips. "Agreed. Night, Suki."
