Black Steel and Worldly Wisdom

Confessions

By Mystic Dawn

Summary: Tomoyo's been acting really peculiar ever since Kurogane's return to Nihon a couple of months ago. And it's not just his imagination. What on earth is Kurogane going to do when she presents him with a problem that he'd want nothing more than to have nothing to do with?

Warnings: There's some speculation in this in accordance to recent manga chapters (up to Chapter 120). Nothing serious, really.

It was the end of a typical and hardly extraordinary summer day. The sun cast warm and lazy shadows over the grounds of Shirasagi Castle, and the deep and soothing colors of the sun setting basked the interior of the castle with the slowly-creeping darkness of night. A light breeze caressed Kurogane's face gently. He sighed deeply and sank against the cushions blissfully. It was so wonderful to simply lie back and relax without a care in the world. The previous years had been so hectic that he didn't even remember the last time he had felt so calm and at peace.

"Kurogane?"

Kurogane huffed in exasperation. So much for having the last fading moments of the day to himself. He gingerly raised himself from his position on the floor and turned his head to see who had just appeared. But he needn't have turned. He could recognize her voice even without having to see the speaker.

Tomoyo purposefully strode into his bedroom, her long robes billowing and her sleek hair streaming behind her. Kurogane couldn't keep a small smile from creeping up on his face. Gods, how he had missed her. Her flawless features, her perfect face, her sharp wit and intellect. All that and more.

He had been somewhat surprised when, upon arriving in Nihon a couple of months ago, he had been greeted by a mass of raven locks that had obscured his vision when Tomoyo had thrown her arms around his neck and had buried her face in his chest, sobbing—yes, she had been sobbing—with relief.

"I was so worried!" she had gasped into his breastplate, her trembling fingers gripping at his cape desperately. "When Yuuko-san told me what had happened..."

And then she had drawn back to look at him, and he had been even more shocked to discover that she had grown into a stunningly beautiful young woman, causing old feelings that he had believed well-suppressed to come back to the fore once more.

And so, Kurogane had found out—to both his astonishment and horror—that Tomoyo had been in contact with the Dimensional Witch from the start. Yuuko had made Tomoyo send him to her so he could join the others on their quest to retrieve the feathers and discover his mother's murderer, and ever since then, Yuuko had been informing her of their progress. But towards the end—sometime in the world where they had met Kamui, Subaru and all the others—Yuuko had severed their communication ties in fear of Fei Wang Reed's 'secret weapon' discovering that they were more than two simple sorceresses who knew each other by reputation and name. And so, Tomoyo had gone for seven months without any information whatsoever, and as she had confessed to him afterwards in private, it had taken all of her willpower to keep herself from going mad with worry.

Thinking back on the past, Kurogane didn't realize that Tomoyo had seated herself sedately beside him on the floor until he felt her small hand upon his chest, pushing him back against the pillows. "We need to talk," she said crisply, her face inches away from his.

Kurogane swallowed nervously, averting his gaze from her luscious lips with difficulty. "Er... what about?"

He had noticed—to not have noticed was unthinkable—that ever since his return, Tomoyo seemed to be getting more close to him than usual. She would sit beside him on benches and stools, join him under the trees in the gardens, come uninvited into his chambers and settle herself familiarly upon his bed... He felt that she had changed in that aspect. She had become more daring, more provocative, more... womanlike. But she couldn't possibly be interested in him in that way... could she? He was certainly interested in her far more than was normal for a simple warrior serving a princess. He couldn't help his feelings, even though he knew it was impossible for them to be anything more than a princess and a ninja, but he had learned to suppress them. And anyway, as if she cared about him in that way!

"About us," she said with a faint hint of steel in her voice.

Kurogane recognized the danger signs. It was impossible not too. Whenever Tomoyo wanted to get a point across, she would always assume a serious—and somewhat dangerous—bearing. Her rather petite physique would cease to appear so small, and she would project full authority with her mere presence. Then her words managed to sink in.

"About us?" he repeated. Man! How was it that Tomoyo always had the ability to render him senseless with a few simple words and gestures? He was helpless before her. "What about us?"

Tomoyo refrained from rolling her eyes heavenward. "Things have changed ever since you left," she explained patiently, leaning down beside him upon her elbows. She looked at him critically. "You seem to be having difficulty in grasping that change was inevitable with the passage of time."

"I... don't think so," he said slowly. Of course he had noticed changes. They were everywhere he turned. He still couldn't believe that he had been gone for five years, as Tomoyo had calmly informed him two months previously with his return, for he would always find something new that he had originally thought otherwise.

"Are you sure?" she pressed. It was obvious that she was trying to get a point across, but it still miserably eluded him.

"Pretty sure," he said after a moment of scanning her face for some hint that would help him understand what she was trying to tell him. But he found no help there.

Tomoyo sighed and raised herself upon her knees. She pursed her lips in speculation and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "How old am I?" she suddenly asked him directly.

"What?" he demanded in bafflement.

"How old am I?" she repeated, more firmly.

"Er..." Just how old was she? She had been fifteen years old when he had left, hadn't she? He quickly did the math in his head. "You're twenty... aren't you?" he added quickly.

"Yes," she replied shortly. She looked up at him speculatively. "And what exactly is my position?"

"Uh... I don't get what you're trying to say," he admitted carefully.

"I'm a princess, aren't I?" she offered.

"Yeah..."

"And I'm a miko, right?"

"Right."

"And a dreamseer."

"Tomoyo, what's the point?" he finally demanded impatiently.

She hesitated. Her fingers played with the tassel of one of the cushions. "It's Onee-sama," she finally confessed. "She's decided that... I'm of age."

Kurogane sat up a little straighter. "Of age for what?" he asked, admittedly a little fearfully. The way she said it sounded suspiciously like...

"For marriage."

Kurogane blinked slowly as his fears were confirmed. "But... you don't want to get married, do you?" he said easily. No matter what changes had occurred in Nihon, he was certain that his princess would remain as she had always been... Certainly she wouldn't give in to her sister's wishes now when she had never done so before if they were not to her liking?

"I don't have any choice," she said heavily. "I've avoided the subject for long enough, using the excuses of me being a miko and a dreamseer, thus conveying that I already have a number of obligations... But I can't keep eluding her forever. Onee-sama's now even more persistent than ever in marrying me off."

"Hang on..." Kurogane said slowly in dawning comprehension. "Is that... is that why there were suddenly all sorts of nobles coming to Shirasagi!" he demanded in horror.

Tomoyo nodded mutely. "Onee-sama wants me to choose one of them before my next birthday."

Kurogane slammed his fist against the marble floor. "No way!" he bristled. "Those sods don't even know how to hold a sword straight! How in the world does that bitch expect you to be protected if your husband won't even be able to protect himself!" He drew himself up imposingly. "There's no way in hell I'm going to bend my knee to some sniveling excuse for a man!" he threatened.

"I don't want to marry any of them, either," Tomoyo told him. "But I've got to choose someone or else Onee-sama will choose for me."

"What! But that's hardly fair! She'll force you to marry someone against your will?"

"I know," Tomoyo said softly, hugging her knees to herself. "But she's right. I've postponed this for far too long. I'm going to have to decide soon."

Kurogane exhaled and raked a hand through his hair. "But none of them deserve you..." he mumbled.

Tomoyo arched an eyebrow. "Then who would you suggest?" she asked him.

Kurogane opened his mouth to answer, but realized that he had no answer. In his personal opinion none of the nobles were worthy enough for her. "Isn't... isn't there someone you like?" he finally asked her, scratching his head. "Even a little bit?"

Tomoyo half-shrugged. "Well..." she said quietly, her cheeks reddening slightly. "There is someone..."

"Oh..." Kurogane couldn't help but feel a sharp pang in his chest. Disappointment? He had been convinced that there could not possibly be anyone Tomoyo liked, but here she was, openly admitting that she did like one of those nobles. Who on earth had won her over? "Well... who is he?"

Tomoyo's cheeks turned even more red. "Well... he's the most unlikely person ever," she said. "Hardly anyone else likes him. He keeps to himself most of the times, and hardly ever talks with anyone unless he's forced to. He's a closed person, and I think a little shy."

"Well..." Kurogane said, forcing his voice to remain casual. "If you like him so much, even if everybody else hates him, then you should go for it."

"I should?" she asked in surprise, her face lighting up.

"Yeah." No matter how it hurt him, he knew he was doing the right thing. He suddenly gave her a stern look. "But you've gotta make sure he likes you too before you tell him, because I'll kick his ass if he hurts your feelings!"

"There'll be no need for you to hurt him," she assured him, smiling hugely. "I already know that he likes me. I'm just not sure if he'll make a good king."

"Well, that's okay," he said in a somewhat strained voice. "You can teach him everything he needs to know about that, and soon enough he'll be as good a ruler as you."

Tomoyo nodded slightly. "You know... I think I'll go for it. You give very good advice once you put your mind to it."

Good advice that was totally against him, he thought dryly. "Well, what are you doing just standing there?" he demanded. "Go tell him!" And leave me alone to get to grips with losing you,he added silently.

Her eyes swept over him, as if she were sizing him up. "All right," she agreed softly. She suddenly leaned forwards and tentatively pressed her lips against his.

Kurogane stiffened in alarm. His bemused mind tried to comprehend what was happening, and then he suddenly understood who the mysterious noble she fancied was. She had been talking about him all along!

After a few moments, she broke their kiss and looked up at him, her cheeks flushed with happiness and her eyes more beautiful than ever. "I want you," she breathed, stroking his face with her fingertips. "I've only ever wanted you."

He reached out and smoothed back her hair with his hand. "I know it's probably gonna sound sappy if I agree... but that's how I feel, too."

"Then do you consent to marry me?" she whispered.

He looked deeply into her luminous eyes. "I do," he admitted solemnly. He suddenly frowned. "But you're going to have a tough time convincing the rest of the world that it's a good choice."

Her laugh was clear and silvery. "That'll be easy," she said confidently. "The hard part was figuring out how to tell you."

Kurogane blinked. "Hang on... you planned this from the start, didn't you?" he demanded accusingly.

"Of course," she smiled mischievously. "Since it was quite obvious that you weren't going to do anything about it, I decided to take matters into my own hands."

Kurogane's shoulders sagged slightly as he sighed. "Well... I guess I'd expect no less from you," he finally admitted sullenly. "You're the type of person to resort to anything to get what you want."

"I suppose so," Tomoyo giggled, her expression one of smug satisfaction.

"Well, now that that's settled..." Kurogane shrugged and smirked, looking down at her. "Come here," he murmured as he pulled her to him. "You deserve a proper kiss..."