Giyuu had woken up in his futon as the sun began to shine through his window. Even as the sun basked and its warmth attempted to wash over him, what truly made him feel warm came from under his covers. Yae clung to him in her sleep, her legs in a messy entanglement with his, her arms still wrapped around him, her face buried in the crook of his neck. The warmth from her body kept him relaxed as he felt more at peace now than he had in years. After their confession and time in the lake, Yae had dragged Giyuu to his room and as he told her to "Take on her prey". She was aggressive, passionate, determined, everything that made him love her. While they hadn't done anything too far or serious as their relationship just started, both had marked one another vigorously as a way to solidify their new connection. Now Giyuu laid in bed still as he waited for her to awake, simply enjoying the fact he knew he wasn't truly alone anymore.

Giyuu wasn't sure how long it was until she finally showed signs of waking up. He had simply laid there in silence or phased in and out of going back to sleep. What caused him to believes she was finally waking up was her little actions. She began to shift more, she was making slight noises, she was holding him slightly tighter now as if she was gaining back control of her body. With a soft groan let out in his ear, he finally greeted her as she seemed to be joining him in the day. "Good morning, hope you slept well." Yae groaned again and seemed to be almost hiding from the daytime. "Tell the sun to go back to bed." Giyuu chucked softly at the idea. "Never thought I'd see the sunshine try to hide away in darkness." Yae pouted as she finally pulled her head out of his neck still staying under the blanket. "Why do you think the moon always comes out of hiding? Because even the sun likes to rest."

Giyuu sat up much to the surprise of Yae who was still sat atop of him. Before she could whine for needing to move, Giyuu kept her wrapped in the blanket so she could remain comfortable. "You can sleep still while I cook breakfast, I doubt you'll want to stay laying down when you begin to smell it though." Giyuu attempted to try and slide Yae off of him to make their food, but found she was holding onto him even tighter. "You're strong enough to still move even while I'm holding you like this, I'm not letting you go now that I have you." Giyuu shook his head but a smile never left his face. "Should I expect this to be my life now?" Shut up, you love me for this." Giyuu kissed her cheek as he stood up finally, keeping the blanket on her still so she can stay in her darkness. "I do love you." Giyuu felt a small kiss against his neck and heard a whisper. "I love you too."

Giyuu kept Yae up with an arm even as she was wrapped around him. Giyuu was careful to cook with only one arm, even Torakkā and Yotogi came to investigate. Yotogi went to perch on Yae's head but heard Giyuu let out a small click of his tongue. "She wants to get a few more minutes of rest." Yotogi perched in Giyuu's hair and sat down. "Things are well?" The crow gently asked her vision bounced between the two humans. "Yes Yotogi, things are well. Yae and I are now romantic as of last night. Everything that was needed to be said has been spoken, we are a family again." Giyuu felt the young bird flap her wings and settle properly into place. Giyuu could feel Torakkā sniff against his leg as she looked to to the two. "We love each other, we won't let anything else get between us again." Giyuu felt Torakkā poke her nose against his leg and Yotogi peck softly at his hair. "Yes, I love you both as well."

Yae finally raised her head as the smell of food finally motivated her to get up. "Hmm... Food." Yae kissed Giyuu on his neck before finally releasing him from her grasp. She sat next to him at the table and looked down to the chicken katsu and vegetables. Even if she had let go of Giyuu, she still held onto his hand as they ate. "I still haven't looked in the mirror just what you did to me, am I going to be worried?" Giyuu looked down to his handiwork and shook his head. "I can still feel mine, and having to lay on them so you would be comfortable on top of me to sleep didn't help." Giyuu sipped his coffee with his free hand and could feel a set of eyes on him. "Is that you complaining about what I did?" "If I wanted to complain about my back I wouldn't have told you to keep going." Yae felt her face warm up as she ate breakfast in silence.

Yae had finally finished her breakfast in peace and decided to finally go back to her room and get dressed. It may still be her dedicated space, but she already decided to share Giyuu's room whenever they would sleep. It may function as a giant storage now, but it was still hers. Walking in front of the mirror, she was petrified to see just how Giyuu intended to mark her. "G- Giyuu Tomioka!" She screamed out as she saw herself in the mirror. "Yes?" Giyuu stood in the doorway as he was already on the way to return his blanket. "This is what you did to me?" Yae pointed to her neck as both sides were completely covered in bruises, even the upper parts of her chest were covered. Giyuu walked into the room and continued to stare at his work.

"The last time your neck was bruised was when Shinazugawa ambushed you. I didn't like the sight and covered it so no one would see you like that." Giyuu leaned down and kissed her neck softly and met her gaze. "I thought it would be appropriate to replace that image with a more pleasurable memory." Yae swallowed her saliva and breathed softly. "And if others see these?" "Let them." Yae pinned the man against the wall as she grinned and looked up to him. "You better keep meeting this new level of expectations I'm putting on you Giyuu, I don't want to risk forgetting who I belong to. You better be as good with your actions as you are with your words understand me?" Giyuu once again was stunned and only nodded at Yae's request. He wasn't about to already make her upset again. "Smart boy." She planted a kiss on him and walked to her bathroom. "Let's get cleaned up and we can figure out what to do today."

Giyuu had decided to inform everyone that helped him and Yae with their situation about their relationship. Kanzaburou was to be sent to Shinobu's estate, while Yotogi due to having more energy and her youth, was sent to both Tengen's and Mitsuri's. He offered them thanks in their trying times, and should they need anything he would owe them. As he was writing the letters, Yae decided to give him an idea. "Why not invite everyone over and make a day of it? They all helped us and we've never all been in the same place at once spare after Hashira meetings, they're our friends so us celebrating things could be a nice way to pay them back." Giyuu thought of it for a moment and saw the look of hope in her eyes. He hadn't realized just how weak he became from them. With a long winded sigh he scratched out the previous statement and began to write the new offer. "I'll get the wagon, we're going to need it to be able to feed three shinobi, us, two Hashira, and Kanroji. You better help me cook everything." Yae smiled in victory as she rested her head on his arm. "That's a fair deal."

After the crows were sent out, Giyuu and Yae had taken the wagon and embarked on getting enough food to potentially serve their guests. The wagon hadn't been used since Giyuu bought the furnishings for Yae's room as well as the food he thought they would need. And as Shinobu as well as Kanroji had stayed with Yae during the week of their separation, their current storage was running low. Giyuu truly was thankful Yae had talked him into letting her become a Slayer now, it meant two sources of income to be able to afford what they would need. Both were thankful that the nearby village had anything and everything they would need or crave.

As they were walking back and carrying the wagon, a realization struck Giyuu. "I'm sorry that all of this happened during your birthday." Yae turned her head to see what he would say. "We haven't been able to properly celebrate it. Our dinner was interrupted with the mission, then the Hashira meeting, then..." Giyuu didn't finish vocalizing his thoughts and shook his head. "We haven't been able to properly do anything, I'm sorry." Yae just smiled at him as she had forgotten her own birthday was only a week ago given everything that happened. "I can call you mine, that's a gift I've been waiting for since August. Hey, maybe we can call today or constellation celebration. If our friends can show up and we can all spend the day together, that'll make up for the ruined dinner." Giyuu watched as she kept smiling even as they were only just done with their issues. He was happy to see nothing could stop her from shining for long.

They had been gone for over an hour as to collect all they needed. As their home had already come into sight, it was a pleasant surprise to see Tengen and his wives standing here. Yae rushed ahead and ran into the women, pulling them all into a hug. "You guys really came! I thought you would send a crow back though." Tengen laughed as he struck a pose as if it were second nature. "We wanted this to be a flashy surprise." Hinatsuru smiled as she shook her head at her husband. "We also knew you even with our unannounced visit you wouldn't be upset." Makio nodded along as she smiled. "Plus Tomioka-sama is a good cook, how could we say no?" Suma threw her arm around Yae in a hug as she cheered in anticipation. "Can we stay the night pleeeaaaasssee? It'll be so fun for us to just relax and focus on enjoying the day!"

Giyuu smiled at the sight as Tengen approached him. "Giyuu, how'd things go? Your heartbeat actually sounds faster than that slow melody it normally has. Happy you finally got your girl?" Tengen teased as he bumped his elbow into Giyuu multiple times. He was not use to the camaraderie still, but humored the man. "Yes Tengen, I am happy. She more so though, she's waited on this a long time." Tengen watched as Giyuu's eyes were locked on Hasinaw. He was proud for his new friend, honestly. "Hey Tengen?" Tengen quickly looked back to the only other man. "Yae and I agreed we want to use today to make up for her birthday being ruined. We want to make it memorable." Tengen smiled widely as he knew just what was being asked of him. "Are you saying you need my assistance in making this day... Flashy?" Giyuu finally broke out a small laugh. "Yes Tengen, make it flashy."

Yae began to put the groceries away with the help of the Uzui women as a smile still hasn't left her face. "If you four want to sleep together, you're gonna have to cram some futons together. I don't care about y'all staying the night." Yae heard Suma cheer in victory and smirked as she knew the animals wouldn't be safe for long. Hinatsuru walked with Yae and was curious about how things went. "So who asked for the other first?" Yae smiled in confidence. "Neither of us, I told him he was mine and he told me I was his. That was the plan I made and that's how things were going to happen." Makio laughed as she wrapped an arm around Yae from behind. "That's our girl, he wasn't kidding about that confidence." Now that Makio was closer to Yae, she actually took notice just how bruised her neck was. Her eyes went wide and couldn't help but tease as now they weren't the only ones in relationships. "Definitely confident to be showing off your trophies."

"I told him he better keep it up too." Yae grinned as she met Makio's look. "I haven't even seen his back yet. Maybe once we're swimming I can see my own handiwork." She huffed and puffed her chest out as she felt proud of what she could've done. "So are you hoping for a boy or a girl first?" Yae felt her heart stop as she quickly shook her head. "We didn't do any of that we just became official last night! That's way too fast!" She quickly became deflated as she saw Makio laughing. Hinatsuru scolded her fellow wife and hugged Yae as the girl was as red as sunset. "Makio, leave the poor girl alone. She's still new to all of this and so is Tomioka-sama." Makio waved her hand as she recounted the days of when she, Hinatsuru, and Suma had recently married Lord Tengen.

"You think I don't remember how you and Suma were eager to prove yourselves when we all came together? He was having to sleep in a whole other room for a week because of you two not giving him a break!" Hinatsuru quickly covered Yae's ears and now was the one to become deflated. "Can we not talk about this while we're meant to try and enjoy today? We're guests as well so this really isn't the best place to act like this." "Alright alright." Makio sighed as Hinatsuru uncovered Yae's ears. "I'm just excited that we actually have another woman to talk to that's in a relationship. No one else lord Tengen knows has a partner other than the Master, we finally have someone else to talk to besides ourselves." Yae finally calmed down as she finished putting things away. "I don't mind it, it's like how Makio said, we're the only ones who have romantic relationships. It... Would actually be nice to get some help or advice of people that actually know how relationships work."

Tengen and Giyuu continued to try and plan how to make the day memorable for Yae's birthday. As they were talking outside, Tengen perked up and turned his head down the path. "Three heartbeats inbound." Giyuu turned to see Shinobu, Kanroji, and a girl being pushed in a wheelchair. "Ah, there they are, not sure who the third is though. She does seem familiar..." Giyuu smiled as he greeted the trio. "Thank you for actually arriving." Shinobu tilted her head and needed to tease her friend even when things have finally turned for the better. "Giyuu, you appear to have some strange muscle spasms or petrification in your face. I believe it almost looks as if you're smiling, unfortunately I don't think I have any cure for it." Giyuu rolled his eyes as he hugged Shinobu. "Thank you both for helping us, helping her." Shinobu threw her arms around him and smiled back in a way she didn't need to force. "Anything for my friends."

Mitsuri squealed as she picked up both Giyuu and Shinobu into a tight hug, unable to believe what she was seeing. "Tomioka-san and Shinobu are smiling together! I never thought I'd see the day where we're all in this good of a mood! I can't tell you how happy I am to see you two finally together Tomioka-san!" In her excitement she began to shake them in her arms. "Mit... Suri!" "Please... Stop..." The two Hashira pleaded for their safety as the world around them was little more than a blur. Mitsuri thankfully heard her friends and put them down before profusely apologizing. Giyuu finally could turn his attention to the girl in the wheelchair. Her chestnut hair seemed oddly familiar. "And who might you be if Shinobu brought you?" The girl looked nervous as she was surrounded by four of the Hashira but kept her eyes glued on Giyuu.

"My name is Senkō Akaruki Tomioka-sama, you met me at the Final Selection when Yae and the rest of us became Slayers." Giyuu snapped his fingers as he finally remembered. "That's right, you tried to tell me of Yae telling everyone of her training among other things and she tackled you." The girl still looked nervous but nodded at the answer. "Kocho-sama told me you and Yae officially got together and that she recieved your letter asking to visit. I was lucky enough she remembered me and offered to bring me along." Senkō watched as the man kneeled down to better meet her eyes, his seemed to have softened. It may just be the light of the sun or that he and Yae got together, but Senkō swore they almost shined. "I'm sure she'd love to see you again." Giyuu took hold of her wheelchair and began to push her. "We were actually just talking about using today as a late birthday celebration, your visit will certainly help make things more memorable."

"Yae, the guests have arrived." Yae heard Giyuu call for her and quickly rushed out of the kitchen. She knew Shinobu and Mitsuri would be ones to send crows back, so she figured something had to be important for them to only arrive too. As she went to greet her friends, she was surprised by just who she saw Giyuu wheeling in. "Senkō!" Yae charged her friend and hugged her closely, not seeing her since they all separated at Final Selection. "It's amazing to see you! Why are you in a wheelchair? What happened?" Yae finally took a good look at her friend of the forest and noticed she almost seemed smaller than before. "Really, what happened?" Senkō squirmed slightly as she flapped her sleeves, her arms genuinely being this short bothered her as she was already small. "Mt. Natagumo happened, was nearly turned into a spider, Kocho-sama said my medicine will get me back into slaying shape in a few months."

Yae held onto her friend's arms as she started to grow worried. "Don't worry, none of the casualty reports I saw last night had the others of your squad." Yae let out a heavy breath as she looked up to Shinobu. "Every cocoon was checked, none had the talismans of your friends." Shinobu could visibly see the girls shift as if a weight was lifted off of them. "Thank you Shinobu." Yae said as she had almost forgotten she hadn't learned of the fates of the others. "As I told Akaruki-chan, if she continues her medicine and therapy, she'll return to normal with no issue." Yae smiled as she stood back up. "Senkō, you already know Giyuu, Shinobu, and Mitsuri. But this is Tengen Uzui, the second loudest Hashira." Yae heard Uzui yell as if he couldn't tell to be upset at being seen as loud, or that he wasn't in first place. "And his wives Hinatsuru, Suma, and Makio." Senkō took a moment to process the idea as her eyes darted back and forth between the man and the three women.

"As much as I love to show myself off as well as show off my lovely wives, today isn't about us. It's about Hasinaw, Giyuu and I were trying to figure out how to make it flashy and memorable." Tengen stayed in contemplation as he scoured his mind thinking of ideas. Yae spoke up as decided to lean against Giyuu as she found him comfortable. "There isn't a need for us to do anything crazy or flashy or something like that. Giyuu and I are together, all of our friends are here and you're all invited to spend the night, we can just enjoy the peace for once. This last week has been nothing but drama and I want us to just be able to relax. Alright?" Everyone agreed which caused Yae to walk to the front door. "Come on everyone, we have a giant lake for a reason. Let's take a swim!"

Most of the group had already found themselves in the water, spare only three. Shinobu seemed almost adamant about the idea of not swimming or changing out of her uniform and haori. Senkō unfortunately wasn't able to swim as she was still physically recovering from her weakened state. Giyuu however, simply just still liked to admire the view. In the daylight he should see Yae's physical definition. She still had a womanly figure under her layers of clothing, but the muscles she developed from all her training and missions only added to the charm that seemed to make Giyuu feel weak. Her hair as dark as his was loose and free running down her back, but her eyes retained the shine and strength that made him feel they were the only light he needed in life. Amidst the cheers of hearing everyone having a fun time, he felt something poke into his back. He flinched softly before seeing Shinobu.

"Giyuu go enjoy the swim, it's honestly surprising you're not spending time with her. After Yae told us what was going on with you, I told the Master we requested emergency time off to settle issues between you two. We have a break, enjoy it while you can." Giyuu nervously laughed as he answered. "My back is sore after last night, I just worry it'll get more agitated as I swim." Shinobu stared at him accusingly as her eyes slowly drifted to Yae. "Mitsuri and I knew something like this would happen." She sighed as she turned back to him. "Alright clothes off, let the doctor look at it." Giyuu knowing he had no choice complied as he sat on a rock for Shinobu and began to strip. Yae seeing Giyuu finally taking off his clothes thought she could finally see her markings on him and smiled. "So how does it look?" She saw Shinobu throw a hand over her mouth as Yae walked over. "Are you sure this was Yae or a demon?!"

Yae was sure that she didn't leave that bad of a mark on Giyuu as now even Senkō looked awestruck. "Yae really skipped being a hunter and moved to beast of prey..." Yae was now becoming slightly nervous as she rubbed the back of her head. "C-Come on you two, it can't be... That... Bad..." Yae forced herself to finish her words as she finally saw just what she did to Giyuu. From his shoulders down to the curve of his back was completely red and white from scratch marks. The patterns were both completely random and almost precise as if claws were trying to dig through this very back. His pale skin almost made the red seem worse given the color contrast. Yae was certain she could almost see spots of blood across his back and some places even turning purple. She immediately blushed again as she hugged him from behind and rested her head against his back. He may have left her entire neck completely bruised, but his back looked like a wild animal almost ripped him apart.

"How is it?" "Bad... your whole back is one big red blob and crisscross patterns. There may or may not have been some slight bleeding..." She heard Giyuu let out a small noise of acknowledgment. He stood up and turned against her leaning close to her ear. "It's a good thing you listened when I told you to not stop. Next time aim for my chest, I want to be able to see it in the mirror for myself." She was silent spare a few shallow breathes as she nodded. "Smart girl." Giyuu gave her a kiss on the forehead as he turned to Shinobu. "Am I alright to swim?" Shinobu felt her neck lose all strength as he head fell. "Yes... You said this lake was fresh water and you don't have any open wounds. Have at it... You little deviants." Giyuu removed the last of his clothes as he picked up Yae into his arms. "Come on, you said you'd teach me how to live right?" She kept her arms tight around him as she looked to his chest. "Lessons began last night, let's continue with the next one."

Giyuu and Yae had joined the others in the lake. The water actually felt relieving on Giyuu's back as he felt its cooling nature. "Here." Yae reached up and let out his hair off his ponytail, grabbing the piece of ribbon he used to keep it tied. She quickly wrapped it around his neck and smiled. "There, can't lose it now. Plus added functionality." Giyuu looked to her confused as she pulled it, bringing him down to her as she stole another kiss from him. "You're enjoying that aren't you?" "Months. I had to wait months to be able to do this, I'm doing it as many times as I can get away with." Giyuu gave her another kiss as they moved deeper in. "Who am I to argue then?" As the two seemed to be enamored in each other, neither noticed Tengen approaching.

"Good to see that flash of yours come back Giyuu!" Tengen slapped Giyuu's back, causing him to lurch forward in a gasp of shock and mild pain. In doing so, Giyuu dropped Yae into the water much to the couple's dismay. "Tengen... Sensitive..." Tengen looked confused before turning the man around and suddenly realized what he meant. "Girls get over here! Hasinaw has claws!" Tengen broke into a laughter as his wives came forward to examine just what he meant. Suma was the first to see Tomioka-sama's back. "Oh dear, Hasinaw-chan really is as intense as Tomioka-sama told us." Hinatsuru thought back to when she did something similar to Lord Tengen. "I don't think intense is the word that gets THIS kind of point across." Makio was the only one grinning as she patted Hasinaw on her head as she finally revealed herself. "That's how you secure a future husband, nice work kid." Mitsuri swam as fast as she could to see what her friend had done. When she saw it, she almost wasn't surprised. "Is it wrong to say I wished for more?"

Yae swam around the lake, enjoying the cool touch of it to contrast the warmth the sun gave. With her new relaxing, she felt as if things could finally go right with the world. Her mind knew it had only been a week, and it wasn't even the longest she had been away from Giyuu as they both had missions, but it just felt so much longer. She looked to the corner of the lake that had the rock wall and was satisfied her little trick worked. She was internally worried the entire time she was talking with Giyuu, but she had to play it off and show that confidence he knew her for. It all worked out in the end as she softly rubbed her bruised neck, still satisfied of having it. The man in question who gave it to her seemed to be even more at peace than she was.

She watched him just floating on the lake's surface as serene as the lake itself. He seemed too at peace with everything and was enjoying himself so Yae didn't want to bother him. She swam over and saw Suma leaning against a boulder by herself and wanted to check on her. "You alright Suma? I saw you over here by yourself and not with Uzui-san or even Hinatsuru or Makio." Suma quickly waved it off and smiled softly. "I promise Hasinaw-chan, I'm alright. I was just enjoying the site of you and Tomioka-sama finally able to enjoy the love you two have. It just brings back nice memories is all." Yae was now curious as she sat next to her. "I'm guessing to days when you four all agreed to get together?"

Suma shook her head slightly. "The other girls and I were actually appointed to marry Lord Tengen, it was arranged. The Uzui clan practiced polygamy as a way to garner a stronger bloodline, so when he was old enough we were named his brides." Yae groaned as she rubbed the sides of her head. "Just how many people must I be ready to threaten in a week?" Suma became slightly more worried and waved her hands again. "No no everything turned out great! Really!" She finally calmed down a bit. "We may have been appointed to him, but we all still fell in love with him regardless. The process may have been... Unorthodox, but we all grew to love him properly and he us. Seeing you and Tomioka-sama just reminded me of our younger years. It makes me happy being able to see others experience love." She smiled brightly as Yae thought the older woman was rather sweet.

All the talk of love seemed to cause her other friend to appear out of nowhere. Mitsuri nervously looked to the two as she seemed to be struggling with something. "So... Just how is it you two? Being with the one you love?" Yae knew Mitsuri might have been feeling defeated at how one more person found their love before she did after years of searching. She felt sorry for her friend and a bit guilty at the public displays she did in front of her. Suma seemed to be the only one actually focusing on answering her.

"It feels like things are finally right, like everything is in place where they're meant to be. Lord Tengen never lets me forget just how much he loves me. Even after all these years and becoming so use to it, I just can't help but crave the attention he gives me. Even with Hinatsuru and Makio, they feel the same. I believe everyone has the ability to find what truly makes the wait to be with their loved one worth it, it just so happens three of us found the same man." Yae listened in to the answer as well, actually relating to it. Out of the corner of her eye, Yae could see Mitsuri shaking. She almost worried she'd have to begin cooking in the middle of the afternoon to help distract her from her sadness.

"I can't wait to find my own love! I'll find them even if it's the last thing I do!" Mitsuri exploded as a bundle of energy as she threw her arms in the air. Yae felt relief wash over her as now she didn't need to worry about her answer upsetting Mitsuri. "What Suma said sounds about right. I knew I wanted Giyuu for months, it ate away at me because of how long I decided to wait. A week ago if I confessed I think it would've been a perfect moment. Amazing food, perfect gifts, my perfect man. Then all of THAT happened, and I was so conflicted because I still had those feelings, then learned his life was gambled on them. I had no idea what to feel. Then when Makio told us how Giyuu saw himself, suddenly all of my emotions focused on my love for him and my refusal to let him see himself as anything less than how I saw him. When he accepted he was mine and we kissed... It felt like lightning. And after we got inside..." Yae blushed as she lowered her head into the water until it was under her eyes.

"Don't be ashamed of how strong you love, he certainly doesn't seem ashamed of it." Suma said as Giyuu was now sunbathing at the lake's edge, his back completely exposed for any and all to see. "He was worried the entire time during that week just what would happen, and I don't think even he expected things to go as good as they did." Suma rubbed Yae's head to try and assure her. Mitsuri nodded in agreement as she pulled her friend up. "She's right, you've waited a long time for this. Even Tomioka-san is being bold enough to not hold back with us around. You've always been confident in everything up Yae, don't let this be any different." Yae smiled as she was happy to have some girls to talk to. She thought of their words and quickly knew they were right. Her eyes drifted to him and she smiled almost at peace. He gave her everything, and so she would give everything back.

As the hours progressed nearing evening, Giyuu knew they would need to begin cooking soon for everyone. He saw Yae was sitting at the edge of the lake with Senkō as they were talking over about something. He decided he would take care of dinner by himself so she could have more time with her friend. He managed to swim to the edge and quickly shook himself dry, grabbing his ribbon from around his neck to put his hair back into a ponytail. As he passed Yae and Senkō, he felt Yae hold onto his hand. "Everything alright?" He nodded and gave a small smile. "All is well, I'm just going inside to take care of something." To assure her he gave her hand a small kiss which caused her to let go. He only took several steps before he felt Yae wrap her arms around his waist. Before he could say anything, he felt little kisses be planted across his back. He twitched ever so slightly at each one. "Yae?"

She ignored his speaking and continued kissing his back. The sunset really helped her to see just how much definition his back had, years of training and combat, countless scratches and scars he had long before meeting her, the muscle and warmth she felt against her only made her want to hold him longer. "I'm glad you're my ocean and never my moon. The sun and moon are almost never allowed to share the same space as they forever chase each other through the sky. The ocean however is seen meeting the sun at the horizon as the day begins and the day ends. Such as light is the source of all life, so is water. Even a star as bright as the sun would willingly fall through the sky to be with its world." She kissed the center of his back between his shoulder blades and let him go to stand beside him. "Let's get started on dinner." She grabbed his hand and looked up to him with his eyes were almost red. "You alright big guy?" "Better than ever..." She smiled as she brought their hands up and quickly kissed his.

The two had cooked nearly everything they had bought, but the cost of it all was nothing compared to what it meant for tonight. Salmon daikon, ginger tsukudani, sakura mochi, fugu sashi, nikujaga stew, everyone's known favorite foods were made as well as many other dishes and desserts. The cheer and positivity in the room was almost intoxicating to everyone in the estate. It had been the most lively the Water Estate had ever seen. Yae could see the cheer and smile on Giyuu's face throughout the night, he was as cheerful as whenever he was drunk, except now he was able to remember being this happy. She relished at seeing him like this and craved to make him happy like this every day. Giyuu could see the life in Yae's eyes, the sheer unrestrained passion they held, the strength they had, the light they radiated, Giyuu felt as if he stared for too long he would go blind. He didn't care, if he lost his sight looking upon her, he would be glad she was the last thing he saw.

The evening turned to night as everyone retired to different rooms. The Uzui's stayed in a guest room, Mitsuri Shinobu and Senkō resided in Yae's room, and Giyuu and Yae rested in Giyuu's room once more. The last thing Senkō said before retiring for the night was sure would inform anyone she could of their friends of Yae's relationship. Yae eagerly agreed to the idea and requested for them to spread it as well should any of the other survivors still be in contact with them. As Yae entered Giyuu's room, she was pulled into him and quickly picked up off the ground, forcing her to wrap her legs around him as he carried her. "Hello to you too." She smiled as he held her closely, placing more kisses across her chest and neck. "How lively someone's being." She finally recieved a kiss on her lips. "Uzui-san has good hearing remember? We can't go as crazy tonight."

"So long as I'm with you, I don't care what happens." Giyuu finally kneeled down on top of his futon as he still held her tightly. "You are the light in my life that allows me to hope, may I never know darkness again as long as you are with me. I have missed this feeling of what it means to be alive, and I only have felt it again because of you. You wish to show me love now that you can? I will show you everything I can back and pray it will be enough." Giyuu leaned forward and laid Yae down on the futon as she placed a hand on his cheek. "You're mine Giyuu Tomioka, that's already enough for me." She pulled his face down softly as they held a kiss before she whispered into his ear. "But once we can be alone again, show me how strong your waves can be, and I'll show you how brightly I can shine." Yae pulled him to her side as she still had her legs around him before clinging to him closely. Giyuu pulled the blanket over them as they drifted off together, as close as the setting sun appears to the earth.