A/N: Hey there my darling readers!! Here is the chapter you've been waiting for since Tansho and Tasuki first met ^_^ (Well, maybe not.) Anyways, do enjoy your reading experience! P.S. If any of you would like to know more about the traditional Chinese wedding ceremony, see the author's note at the end of this chapter for more info! ^_^ Oh, and I need to thank all of you for the reviews! I've got over 400!! Dear god that's a lot of reviews! ^_^

Chapter 50
Sunset Wedding

We leave the shadows and heavenly smells of the courtyard garden behind us. Although still perplexed and dazed by the revelation of my dream and his mystic visions, we are able to part ways again for the few hours it will take to arrange our somewhat sudden marriage. He has already asked Chichiri to oversee the ceremony, and now that we know where and what time it will be held, he must search out the Priestess, His Highness, Lady Hoki, and the other warriors to invite them to join us in the seraglio garden at sunset. I, of course will be off soon to invite Koi, Misa, Okichi, Lady Junko, and the other courtesans. Both Tasuki and I decided a small amount of guests would be better concerning the somewhat unorthodox way in which our wedding will be held.

I watch as he strolls off in the direction of the gates, turning around once to give me a mischievous wink. I blow him a playful kiss in return, which makes him chuckle. Although the eerie conversation we had only minutes earlier is still heavy on our minds and hearts, it has never been natural for us to dwell on the unhappy or disturbing. The both of us are spirited and jovial in nature. It is these traits of mine that have seemed to keep me alive for the last five years. Although my sense of humor has seemed to suffer the worst in the past few months, it is well on its way to being healed now that my lover has returned.

When he has disappeared from my sight, I clamber up the wooden steps to the veranda of the building myself and the other women are staying in and rush as gracefully as I can manage to Koi's room. I can tell by the low position of the sun that it is well past the fifth hour of the afternoon. Although the sun will not slip below the horizon until close to the ninth, this leaves Tasuki and I little time to arrange our wedding. I knock on my dearest friend's door and am surprised to see a lady wearing a shockingly beautiful over robe of jade green silk, under which nestles an equally gorgeous under robe the color of snow. Around her waist is a lavender cord, from which dangles several jade pendants that bob against her shapely thighs. The lady giggles at my shocked expression, and I lift my eyes to see Koi's vibrant golden hair bouncing happily around her perfect face.

"Look!' she cries, taking my hands and pulling me through her door into a small alcove similar to the one in my chambers. "Look at what Lady Junko gave me as a welcome gift!" She spreads the snowy skirts of her under robe out and twirls around like a little girl, showing off her lovely outfit. I watch in admiration; the soft green and creamy colors truly accentuate Koi's bold golden hair. "And there are more in the wardrobe!" she continues jovially, "Dozens of different colors! I don't give a damn if they belonged to a courtesan before I got them! They're gorgeous!"

I grin at how happy she is. She skips into her bedroom and spreads her arms out over her head. "Can you believe this? This room alone is bigger that the house I was born in!" Suddenly her face softens from the excited smile that had been spread across it since I first walked in. Her eyes gleam at me, their soft blue hue weighting on my heart. "How can I ever thank you, Tansho?" she replies sheepishly, walking back to where she left me standing in her alcove. "Without you, I would be lost."

My darling Koi. My dearest friend. She doesn't know this, but without her I would be lost. I gather her into my arms and laugh gently into her hair. "Just be happy," I answer, "That's all the thanks I need." She gratefully returns my embrace and rests her head on my shoulder momentarily before backing away and inquiring me with knowing eyes.

"So what have you been up to since we arrived?" she asks.

I grin without realizing it. "Planning," I answer truthfully.

"Planning what?" she retorts.

"My wedding."

He face goes blank, and I cannot help but laugh at her bewildered expression. "Your what?" she cries, shaking her head.

"My wedding," I repeat, "Tasuki and I are getting married tonight."

Koi opens her mouth as if to chide me, but I see her think differently of it. Instead, she opts to prop her hands on her plump hips and gaze at me with her brazen, inquisitive eyes. "And just how long have you been planning this?"

Refusing to be intimidated by my friend's teasing but obviously daunting posture and tone of voice, I see myself into her sleeping chambers and take the opportunity to compare it with my own. "Just today," I reply plainly, running my fingers carefully over the smooth wood of her new wardrobe.

"Tansho," she hisses, though not menacingly, "This is serious! You're really going to marry him?" I turn to look at her, stunned by the strange chill of her voice. I see her blink under my hard stare, obviously sorry for the shrewd remark. "I know you love him, Tansho-but-but he's going to war soon. You'll be separated for who knows how long. It nearly killed you the last time he left. Can you go through that again, knowing that it's your husband who's away and not just your lover any more?"

I suddenly realize that she's concerned for me, not doubtful of my decision to marry Tasuki. She's right. She saw the suffering I went through during those three months he was away doing his duty to his god and his priestess. But if I survived it once, I sure as hell can survive it again. And I told him I would marry him if he swore to love me until the day he died. He swore, and so I am already bound to him. I bound myself to him long ago; how else did my spirit follow him over the oceans and lands?

"Yes," I answer her, my voice stern but still soft enough to let her know I'm not angry, "I will endure hell again if I must. It can't be that bad the second time around." She frowns at my blunt, irreverent joke. But then lifts s corner of her shapely lips into a lop-sided smile, unable to resist my eccentric charm.

"You have my blessings then," she sighs, opening her arms to invite me into them. I'm grateful for her embrace of acceptance, but still doubtful of her trust in my actions. As if reading my mind, she's quick to continue. "I just don't want to see you so sad again. It broke my heart, Tansho. But you're so happy when you're with him-so I guess this is meant to happen." I smile and squeeze her tightly to let her know I agree with all my heart.

"Thank you," I whisper.

"Still a little sudden though," she remarks playfully, "But I guess, considering the circumstances, that couldn't really be helped." She pulls away to give me a wink. "I'll go tell Misa and Okichi."

"Thanks. I'm off to tell Lady Junko and the other courtesans. They should be having tea soon in the courtyard," I reply.

"At least no one's going to be moping around tonight, thinking about going off to war tomorrow," Koi remarks with a shrug.

"Yeah," I agree, "I suppose it will take our minds off what's to come." I pause to muse on this for a moment. I truly do hope the cheerful air tonight will help everyone forget for a few hours the oncoming war. It may end up saving some of us.

It would be an understatement to say lady Junko and the other courtesans were excited to be invited to Tasuki's and my wedding. The way they carried on and on about it made it clear to me that the life they had lived inside the harem was sheltered and isolated. People were married every day outside the palace walls (though most of the brides were not once prostitutes, and most of the bride grooms were not celestial warriors of a phoenix deity). Still, I was more than happy to allow them to chatter happily with me, asking me what I will be wearing, what they should wear and so on. I sat with them for a while in the gazebos, sipping tea and nibbling as daintily as my hunger would allow on the sweet dumplings. Koi, Misa, and Okichi joined us soon, all of them as excited as the courtesans over the impending wedding, though of course more concerned for my welfare considering how long they have known me and the seriousness of what I am about to do.

But the sun began to set, and I hurried back to my room, my friends at my heels, to make myself as presentable as possible for a woman who just learned she was to be a bride mere hours before the ceremony. I loathed to part with my mother's crimson and onyx-colored gown. Although I had worn it all day, and the ruffled hem of the under robe was a bit dusty, it still shone in beauty far above any of the other lovely gowns Junko had left as a welcoming gift. I only hoped that she would not be offended that I didn't choose one of them.

Koi slipped the ruby-encrusted hairclip from my hair, the one Tasuki had given to me, in order to brush out my tangled mahogany locks. She then arranged it a bit more intricately, in honor of the significant occasion of my wedding, by piling half of my long locks carefully atop my head in a neat chignon and pinning it in place with the golden and ruby clip. This left delicate waves of dark brown hair cascading down my back. She then selected a couple of golden hairpins from the few I had packed from the tavern, pushing them gently into the base of the chignon to allow the elegant ivory jasmine flowers dangling from their tips to sway along with the waves of my loose hair. After carefully painting my lips with a hint of rogue, I was awe-struck at my reflection in the mirror. If no one was the wiser about my past, I would seem no different than any of the other noble ladies of Konan. I could not help but smile.

But as I stand here now, facing Tasuki in the blood-red shadow of the dying sun, our friends surrounding us as if protecting us from evil spirits, I am more than happy to smile. Chichiri is with us beneath the beauty of the western gazebo, now seeming to be on fire with the rays of the setting sun, holding a silver tray on which two small bowls of tea sit. The presence of the people with us is overwhelmingly comforting, as if their souls are whispering silent prayers for us. I sense the smiles of my dear friends, and realize how badly I wish Asako were here to share this with us. And I sense the spirit of Suzaku in this place, and wonder if it because of the presence of His Priestess and warriors, or the scarlet color of the setting sun-his color. The color of love, the color of blood, the color of passion, the color of my lover's hair, the color of beginning and end. I am sure that if I turn my head only slightly I will catch a glimpse of crimson feathers. But my eyes remain connected with Tasuki's, unable to move at all. The way he is gazing at me makes my skin flush with blood, my heart thunder behind my ribs, my breath flow like the north wind. And I wonder if the intensity of my eyes is doing the same to him. At Chishiri's direction, we reach out simultaneously and grasp each other's hands.

There were no letters sent to ask for my hand in marriage, there were no gifts or dowry, there is no red veil to shield my face from my bridegroom's gaze, there is no mother at my side, and there is no mother at Tasuki's side. To all high-society of Konan, our wedding is a joke, one not to be taken seriously, one not even considered legal. To those who believe in tradition over love, it would be more acceptable for Tasuki and I to live together in a common-law marriage rather than partake in this seemingly disrespectful ceremony, mocking custom. And yet those who care for us are surrounding us in the gorgeous light of the scarlet sunset, and they care only that we love each other, not that we break custom by the alleged heterodoxy of our wedding. Unconsciously, I lift my head in pride. To hell with custom!

"Praise be to the Heavens and all that dwell therein," Chichiri announces reverently, beginning the ceremony.

"Praise be to the Heavens and all that dwell therein," Tasuki and I repeat in unison, although his heavy accent causes him to fall slightly behind me. I quickly repress the urge to giggle since this is the most deferential part of the wedding ceremony and would not tolerate any disrespect, whether it be good-natured or not.

Our guests repeat after us in quiet voices, and Chichiri continues.

"Praise be to the Earth and all that dwell herein," he replies, his tone of voice still heavily respectful.

"Praise be to the Earth and all that dwell herein," we reiterate as smoothly and in sync as we can manage. As before, our guests repeat after us.

"Tasuki," Chichiri replies, his voice having returned to its usual upbeat tone now that the most reverential phase of the ceremony has passed, "Please bow to Tansho in honor of her ancestors, and repeat after me." My red-haired beloved obeys, releasing my hands to bow deeply before me. He rises, and once he has taken my lonely hands in his again, repeats the monk's words.

"I give homage to the mothers and fathers before you, and to those that shall come after."

I smile in return, and straighten my back when Chichiri ceremoniously calls on me to do the same as Tasuki. "I give homage to the mothers and fathers before you, and to those that shall come after," I reply timidly after bowing to him. He is eager to grasp my hands again, telling me he is as comforted by my touch as I am at this point in time. His beauty is almost unbearable in the glowing crimson light of the sun.

"Please take the cup on the right, Tansho," Chichiri replies happily, lifting the tray until it is hovering between Tasuki and I. "Tasuki, please take the left one."

"You now bind yourselves to each other before the Heavens and the Earth and all that dwell within them. May good fortune, happiness, prosperity, and a long marriage be yours!" Chichiri announces enthusiastically, nodding to each of us. We hesitate, unsure if there is anything else left to say. The monk frowns impatiently. "You can go ahead and drink, you know!"

Relieved that there is nothing else to repeat or no one else to honor, Tasuki and I heartily down the sweet warmth of the tea in a single gulp. When we finish, and realize that the ceremony is over, we can hardly contain ourselves. Like excited children, we fall into each other's arms, earning a good-natured chuckle from our guests who are now clapping happily for our new union. I slip my arms around my husband's neck and pull him down into me, pressing my lips eagerly to his, relaying all my happiness and excitement through the ardor of my kiss. I feel his arms wrap securely around me, pulling our bodies close together in the scarlet glow of the setting sun. It will be gone soon, but it matters little to me now. I finally have a feeling of complete happiness, not an emotion similar to it that is tainted gently with sorrow or uneasiness or anger. All that flows through my veins in perfect euphoria, something that I have never had the privilege to experience.

We pull away to smile at each other giddily, then turn into the waiting arms and happy congratulations of our friends. I never knew such peace existed in the world. This feeling I have, embracing my dearest friends, accepting the excited hugs of the beautiful courtesans, bowing timidly to the young Priestess before having her embrace me wholly as if she's known me her entire life-this is what I know my life will contain for however long the gods choose to let me remain on the earth. This is what I had so long ago when my mother still lived, this is what I lost the day Shingen hoisted me into his rickety cart to carry me into the capital. This is what my beloved warrior, my darling Tasuki, returned to me. And as our eyes seek each other's out in the ocean of our friends, I pray that he knows how thankful I truly am, how much I love him, and how much I will love him until the day we are parted in this world only to be reunited in the next.

I make my way to the emperor who is talking softly with Lady Hoki, their hands entwined. If it were not for the scarlet pendant that rests between my breasts, then I would not even be here. Before I forget, and before he leads his empire in war tomorrow, I must return the thing that saved my life. I approach my emperor meekly, my head bowing slightly in respect.

"Highness,' I reply, slipping the brown velvet cord over my head and holding out the heavy metal medallion to him, "I thank you for giving this to me. It saved my life once, and I will never forget your kindness."

The expression in his powerful golden eyes is breathtaking when he gazes down at me gently. "It is yours to keep, Miss Tansho," he answers sternly, and yet with a delicate softness to his voice that has always been there. "You never know when you may need it again." He reaches his hand out to my out-stretched one, and curls my fingers over the warm metal of the Seal. Astounded, I press the medallion to my heart and bow deeply before him, then bow to the Lady Empress, who stands patiently at his side.

"I thank you with my heart and soul, Highness."

"And I congratulate you on your marriage, Tansho!' he replies happily, smiling down at me warmly. "I wish you and Tasuki all the happiness and love either of you can withstand!"

"As do I!" Lady Hoki pipes up giddily, making me smile.

I bow again in respect. "I thank you again, Highness. And I thank you as well, Lady Empress. Your wishes have already befallen me it seems, for I believe I have never been happier in my life."

Lady Hoki steps up to me and gently lays her soft hands on my shoulders to pull me into a quick but heartfelt embrace. "I am overjoyed for you, Tansho," she whispers, "We are kindred souls, you and I. We both love men destined for a life of glory and power, and possibly sorrow, and yet we love them just the same."

She pulls away and I gaze thoughtfully into her lavender eyes for a moment, pondering her words. But then a shout comes from the din of laughing, spirited voices behind us.

"Everyone!" Lady Junko announces loudly, trying to lift her voice above the good-natured clambering of our guests. "If everyone would please quiet down-" I see her pretty face flush with irritation. "Everyone hush!" she finally yells as respectfully as possible, her hands propped impatiently above her long legs. "The seraglio servants have prepared a small feast in honor of Master Tasuki and Lady Tansho. If you would please follow me to the dining hall, then we could begin!"

Tasuki makes his way over to me as our guests follow obediently after their hostess, still chattering happily. I slip my hand into his playfully and nudge him with my shoulder.

"Hungry?" I whisper to him, my eyes still following the small crowd of people, all of whom seem eager for a freshly cooked meal.

"Nope," he answers matter-of-factly, "You?"

I tilt my head skywards to give him a cunning look. "A little-but nothing I can't take care of later." At this, he grins wildly at me, and doesn't waste any time in pulling me gently towards my room. But I pull back on his eager tugs, a different idea suddenly popping into my head.

It's about time I teach him something. Perhaps it will make me feel a little better when he leaves tomorrow; it was one of the things, as a matter of fact, that kept me terrified during the time he journeying with his Priestess and fellow warriors.

"I have something better we can do," I say suggestively. He frowns, puzzled.

"What the hell could be better than-"

I stop him with a quick pat of my fingertips on his lips. "Calm down," I laugh, tracing the shape of his mouth with my forefinger, "And just trust me. I promise you'll get what you've been wanting."

He sighs heavily and mumbles beneath my fingertips. "You have no idea!" I give a breathy chuckle at his charming impatience and slip my hand into his again, preparing to lead him to the imperial docks on the south side of the palace. We will be greeting the ocean soon.

A/N: Ahhh! Another happy chapter for once in my angst-ridden career. ^_^ I hope you enjoyed that sap-filled ceremony (I really loved writing it). I'm just adding on this little author's note to kinda give you some info on the traditional Chinese wedding if you're wondering how much of my research I actually incorporated in this. Well, considering the special circumstances of my story that would have most likely been taken into consideration thousands of years ago in China, I have not stuck with every detail and custom of a traditional wedding ceremony. My first reason is that the storyline and certain circumstances of "Tansho" would never allow me to incorporate every minute detail even if I wanted to (it would just be impossible for an aspiring writer such as myself to pull off ^_^) The second reason is the fact that Yuu Watase based The Universe of the Four Gods on ancient China, but it isn't really ancient China (actually, Hokkan was based on Mongolia)-therefore I can screw up the traditional Chinese wedding as much as I damn well please! ^_^. But I will tell you the main points of the traditional Chinese wedding that is still followed today in high-class society just as closely as it was thousands of years ago.

There is a customary way in going about a Chinese wedding-it is known as "The three letters and six etiquette", an extremely detailed and tedious string of events and customs that make up the traditional Chinese wedding. Tansho briefly touches on a few of these in a paragraph of her thoughts, though not in detail (basically only to voice her opinion on silly rituals that focus more on tradition that love). And I only slightly made reference to "the three letters" in my story, because they deal with the families of the bride and groom (and I think you all understand my reasons for skipping that part seeing as both Tansho and Tasuki have certain family problems at this time in their lives.) Basically all that goes on is formal requests for marriage by the groom's family for the bride in the form of a letter, a "gift" letter in which gifts for the bride are listed, and the acceptance letter from the bride's family. Now comes the annoyingly intricate part. "The six etiquette" deal with the events before, during, and after the wedding itself-a few examples being the groom coming to get his bride, the consultation of a fortune teller, the actual wedding ceremony, the preparation of the bridal bed, and so on and so on, blah blah blah. I skipped over a shit-load of that in the story (for obvious reasons), and went straight to the ceremony, which was open to pretty much whatever the hell I wanted to do with it.

The traditional format of the Chinese wedding ceremony is as follows: paying respect to the Heavens and Earth, paying respect to the bride and groom's ancestors, and serving tea to the families of the bride and groom in order of their status in the family (i.e.: mother first, followed by father.etc). It was interesting to find out through my research that there was no priest, no rings, or even any vows such as in a traditional Western- like wedding. Cool, huh? And as you can see from my story I improvised a bit in places and added in my own little part of the ceremony since neither Tansho not Tasuki's families are present.

Now with that over, I've also decided to answer a few of my latest reviews since I've been so damn busy lately and haven't had the time. Ok, here we go -

Kitty Lynne: You, my dear friend, have got to be my best reviewer. You're always so complimentary, but you have also brought to my attention several times things that could use improvement. So, I want to say thank you for everything you've done. And I also want you to know that I consider you one of my best friends, Lynne! Oh, and in answer to your question about whether or not Tansho and Miaka will be meeting soon - they already have! Don't you remember before Tasuki and the others were leaving for Hokkan, and Tansho was introduced to everyone? Well, I never really created a dialogue between Tansho and Miaka, but they did meet (and will meet again in the future! ^_^)

Spork Warrior Kore: Thank you so much for all your great compliments. I'm glad that reading "Tansho" has moved you so much emotionally. That's what I aim for when I write - giving my readers something that moves them and makes them think.

I also need to formally apologize for how long it took to finally post chapter 49. I'm in the process of beginning a new job and simultaneously picking out and scheduling my classes for next semester, so I'm sure you guys can understand my time problem. But things will start leveling out again soon and I promise that I'll get back on track. I think I hate it more than you guys do when I'm late updating (no new reviews to read! ^_^)

I think this is the longest damn A/N ever written by anyone ^_^. I've just not been communicating with you guys lately and I really wanted to start talking with you again! Though I promise my future A/N's will not be as long (or possibly longer than) the actual chapter. ^_^ See ya'll later! Love ya!