Disclaimer: As always all credit goes to Shingo Nanami and フクロウ. Sadly this is the last KuraKasa fic that フクロウ wrote. I'm going to miss translating you tsundere boy... You were so entertaining. So I hope everyone enjoys this story.

紡いでゆく時

The Spinning Hour

Kasane x Kuranosuke

Part One

"Kuranosuke-sa〜n! Lunch is ready~!"

It's been three months since Kasane and he became newlyweds.

After being a couple for a year, they finally held a private wedding three months before.

He thought that his brothers would object, but the two of them happily gave them their blessings.

Though he was quite embarrassed by that, he was truthly very happy.

And so Kasane was welcomed into his home.

Usually they'll be at his lord's castle to do work, but on their holidays they would return back to his home and spend time together fishing or something.

….Well anyway they spent a lot of time together.

She seemed to get along with his brothers well so all was fine.

To begin with, that woman was always sociable so his brothers liked her already.

It's not like there was anything strange with them taking interest in her, it was more like they were interested in her because she was their little brother's wife, but somethings he thinks, 'Aren't getting along a little too well?' but really there wasn't anything going on with them.

Because she wasn't doing anything wrong he couldn't caution her… wait he's getting off track here.

Well, there were no troubles in their couple life.

Kuranosuke never before dreamed that he would one day marry Kasane, but he was quite satisfied with this life.

….For her to be at his side, smiling away.

He feels pretty fortunate.

However there was one thing that, well dissatisfaction might not be the right word, he remained bitter on since they got married.

….The truth is, during these three months since they got married they haven't spent the first night together.

No, well it's not like they had any problems concerning that area, plus it's not like Kasane refused him.

After the ceremony, on the day they were married, they were to spend the night together.

With just the two of them in their chambers, they were supposed to become one as a couple both in name and reality but…

Truth be told on that day, before that he was bombarded by work so all that lead up to him catching a cold.

And when the day finally came, in the heat of the moment he had a sudden fever…. and collapsed.

He recovered in 2, 3 days, but from his hazy memories he recalled how he blundered their first night together and couldn't show his face to her out of pure embarrassment for a while.

When he finally calmed down a whole month had already passed and Kasane stopped making fun of him for blundering that night.

She gave her usual smile and treated him normally like before.

He was so thankful for this that his heart could ache.

Even now he still felt disgraced enough to nail his head to the wall.

He was too scared to be made fun of again that he couldn't bring it up again.

...Because of that, he lost the timing to bring it up again and so three months passed without them doing anything.

His brothers already think that they've already done it so they would ask, 'How was it?' or 'If you don't know anything just ask us!'

They would shamley drop lewd tips for him.

Before his brothers wouldn't have this conversation with him.

Surely they only talk to him about this now is because they thought of him as a man.

Still it's his and Kasane's problem, Kuranosuke desperately made sure that that kind of conversation didn't come out often as possible.

He hated himself for his patheticness.

Since they were married, they slept in the same room together.

They pull neighboring futons together and bid each other a 'good night' before sleeping.

Of course he wouldn't be calm when the woman he loved was sleeping next to him.

Not only that that's his own wife.

Why did he have to feel so hesitant?

Even though he felt that way, he would then remember that night's blunder and would be unable to bring it up to Kasane.

If he were to repeat the same mistake, would he be even more disgraced?

...Thinking that, Kuranosuke would feel a chill run down his skin while his complexion pales; he would miss the opportunity to approach Kasane.

...Truth be told he was inexperience with women.

For one it might be because women didn't associated with him and the other might be also his fault*.

Kasane was his first woman.

He told her he liked her.

She responded back, 'me too'.

Just that made him so ecstatic.

His feelings for Kasane is real.

He believed that he would protect her for life, which is why he asked her to become his wife.

Though she was puzzled, she also answered to his earnest feelings.

He loved Kasane so he didn't want to hand her to anyone else; he'll protect that smile for the rest of his life and make her happy.

Though it might be due to the rashness of youth, it was no means an impulsive decision.

Kuranosuke fell in love with Kasane and after several years of consideration, he finally confessed to her his feelings.

He truly fell for that idiot woman from the bottom of his heart.

….To tell you the truth, he really wanted to do it with Kasane.

He wished to touch her and hear her voice.

It was a greediness of man that tormented him

If he demanded it, Kasane wouldn't possibly refuse him.

However, if he repeated his mistake again she would certainly think of him as an idiot. That thought made him frightened.

He's scared.

But he wanted to touch her.

Such contradictions tangled, choking him.

That girl's untouched skin, those unseen limbs.

Surely her lips are soft.

Being fascinated by her cute voice, her sweet scent and…

"Dahー! !"

"Eh! !"

As Kuranosuke suddenly cried out, Kasane jumped back.

Now that he remembered, Kasane was calling him that it was time for lunch; Kuranosuke frantically brushed off his delusions.

(T-that was closseee…! !)

Cold sweat dripped down his face and thanked whatever was out there for not saying anything weird then.

If you think about their ages, he was already 20 while Kasane was 19.

Not to mention their health was totally fine, tip top shape.

He couldn't help it being seized of such scandalous thoughts.

But he couldn't possibly let Kasane learn about that; that was more than he could bear.

Well perhaps it's because his blown of fantasies of his wife that he couldn't blame himself for such delusions, but even then Kasane looked like a young girl.

They met when he was 17 and now they are married.

His desires was now swelling out of him, trying to create it into reality.

"W-what's wrong Kuranosuke-san?"

Kasane worriedly glanced at him due to his sudden outburst.

That expression was so adorable, he wanted to embrace her deep into his arms.

"I-I'm fine, so don't approach me! !"

"Really?"

Blushing crimson red, he stepped away from her.

She gave him a doubtful gaze.

"Don't exert yourself, please tell me if you don't feel good. ….I get worried…"

As her eyes worriedly lowered down to her feet, his heart began to pound at her cute actions.

He was seized by the desire to embrace this woman in front of him.

Half by impulse, his arm almost reached out to hug her, but he managed to control himself in the end.

With his face flushed red, he made sure avoid her gaze.

"Then lunch is done so hurry back soon alright?"

She smiled and left.

As he watched her leave, Kuranosuke bowed his head into the tatami in distress.

So cute.

He couldn't handle it.

He wanted to touch her, but couldn't.

Such distressing thought always crossed into his mind.

Then he should touch her.

They're married.

Kasane would accept him.

But he couldn't make up his mind.

And that's when he began to hate himself for being so pathetic.

"No…"

Kuranosuke abruptly raised his head.

He's at his limit.

If he kept wasting time going in circles like this, just how many years no decades will it take before they actually consummate their marriage?

"T-tonight… I'll do it!"

Passionately gripping his hand into a tight fist, Kuranosuke renounced his goal with a huff.

TBC

*Because of his personality

I hoped you were all entertained by a husband Kuranosuke. Pft Kuranosuke… you sweet little tsundere baby. Stop, you're making me blush here. No wonder your brothers baby you so much.

Ah, that's right, everyone go watch Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu! It's not everyday you watch a Showa-centric period drama anime that centers around rakugo. And it's definitely not everyday when you get really, really top notch performances by great VAs. Please go watch it and have fun learning another culture of Japan that you may have never explored before!

Since my classes start tomorrow, my updates will now be weekly. So until next week, I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable week ahead!