"No!"

Hanzo ignored the single word that came calling from behind him, and continued to make his way towards his bedroom.

His body was aching all over.

Between meditation, his morning classes, his private classes, traveling to the Lin Kuei temple and back again, and then evening classes, he could feel the strain of his own age catching up to him. He could feel the strain of old injuries, either his own or Scorpion's, beginning to tear him down.

By tomorrow, he would be refreshed and ready to do it all over again.

But right now, he was exhausted.

And the last thing he wanted was a distraction from the relief of sleep that was awaiting him.

"No, no, no-"

Hanzo continued to ignore the voice as he pushed through the door and into his bedroom, and headed towards his bed.

He was still partly dressed in his uniform, but this would not be the first time he had fallen asleep in it.

It would simply be an issue for him in the morning.

A pair of hands managed to catch him just before he reached the bed.

And they managed to pull him back enough to where he couldn't use his weight to collapse himself down, and inevitably make himself impossible to move.

She was learning.

"You're filthy," Kitana remarked, as she got her arms around his midsection now, securing him to her. "I have a bath already drawn. You'll feel better afterwards."

"I would much rather sleep," Hanzo insisted.

"That's too bad, because you're not getting into bed like this."

Hanzo wanted to protest, but he thought better of it.

There was no sense in it.

Arguing with an Edenian was bound to drain one of a few hours.

But arguing with an Edenian Princess was a death wish.

Giving out a groan, Hanzo turned around in Kitana's hold; he felt her grip loosen to allow him to do so.

She was dressed in only a towel, and he was under the impression that she already had one foot in the bath when she heard him come in.

The subtle scrunch of her face, and the very inarguable expression it portrayed told him as much.

"Fine," Hanzo relented.

"Good," Kitana spoke, as she moved to take him by the arm now.

And he allowed the Edenian to pull him along, to draw him out of the bedroom.

He was beginning to regret allowing Kitana to make changes to their martial home.

Between Edenia and Earthrealm, they technically shared two martial homes.

Although the one in Edenia certainly overshadowed his own familial one.

He had thought nothing of it when Kitana wanted to reconstruct the bathroom entirely.

As far as he had been concerned, this was now her home too.

Little did he know what such resources would do to the woman.

"The Gods have granted us patience, you and I," Kitana remarked.

"It is more like they have cursed us," Hanzo replied.

The comment earned him a firm tug on the arm as she pulled him into the bathroom; although after all of the work Kitana had done, it certainly felt more like a bathing house now.

Hanzo waited for Kitana to release him, before he slowly started to undress.

Although perhaps too slowly as Kitana turned to help rid him of his clothing- and doing so much faster than he would have.

"My husband, the Grandmaster, going to bed while his spear is still attached," Kitana softly tutted, as she pulled his black shirt over his head. "Are you that tired? Or are you that scared to sleep unarmed?"

"With how hostile you are being, my answer will be the second one," Hanzo replied.

Kitana laughed, and leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek, before she stepped back.

Before she stripped off her towel and tossed it at him.

"Come join me when you are less afraid then."

Hanzo watched as Kitana turned and made her way to the bathing tub, before she stepped into it, submerging herself into the heated water.

And the sight of her visibly relaxing into the water convinced him to finish undressing, before he moved to join her.

As exhausted he was, even Hanzo had to admit that he could not pass on the opportunity to carelessly spend time with her.

So rarely did they have the chance to do so these days.

Kitana welcomed him with a warm smile as he inevitably joined her in tub.

"See? Don't you feel better?" she teased.

"No."

"Oh, don't be like that," Kitana grinned, as she moved a foot to press against his chest now. "Because if you fall asleep and your head goes below the water, I'm not going to wake you up."

Hanzo chuckled in return.

"Is that a promise?"