Dark as Night
A Tsu-Star story
Tsubaki wandered the halls of her former home. The spacious clan compound, with its high enclosed walls, was familiar and comforting to her, despite the time she had spent away. It felt good to be back here, reveling in the familiar sights and memories that warmed her soul. She and Blackstar had decided to take a trip to her ancestral homeland of Japan for training and to hone their skills. Her meister had demonstrated his normal exuberance in coming here, always up for more training, but more importantly he was excited to see her home and the rest of her clan, a fact that did not go unappreciated by the demon weapon. But Tsubaki, never one much for fanfare, did not bother announcing their arrival at large, instead opting to seek out her parents herself whilst her meister waited outside. So she now searched the many halls and rooms of their spacious home for her father and mother.
"Father? Mother? I'm home!" She called out into the empty air.
"Is that you Tsubaki? You should have told us that you were planning to come!" Returned the jovial voice of her father. "We have to scramble to organize when you spring it on us like this." He said with a laugh. "But welcome home."
"It's good to be home." She answered with a smile. But then her expression fell as she realized something. "I guess this is the first time I've been back since… since my fight with Big Brother…" She said sadly, her gaze falling to the floor. Her father looked at her with a comforting expression even as she avoided his gaze.
"You fought well my love." He said to her pulling her into a warm embrace and Tsubaki allowed her head to rest on his chest.
"Brother… at the end he said…" She tried to explain, willed herself to recall her last moments with Masamune, no matter how painful they were.
"Shush now, we can talk about all that later. I know you did what was right." Sanjuro said pulling her back. "Now, we shouldn't go keeping a guest waiting. You did bring your meister correct? The one you're always talking about in your letters? Where is he?" He asked, deftly changing the subject.
"Oh uhm yes, he's right outside…" She said with a sheepish expression.
"Let's have a look then shall we?" He said in the same jovial tone.
"Uh! I'm not sure now's such a great time!" She called out in a panicked voice. But it was too late, Sanjuro had already made it to the front gate where he stood with mouth agape staring at a strange sight. They both watched Blackstar spinning rapidly in place.
"Uh, Tsubaki? What's wrong with this boy? Why is he spinning in circles?" Her father asked utterly dumbfounded. But before Tsubaki could answer, Blackstar himself spoke up.
"It's cuz I'll be staying here for a while. I'm just shiftin' the location of the Earth's axis so it'll have me at the center." He explained just before stopping. Sanjuro looked to his daughter for further explanation. Tsubaki looked back to her father with a face flushed red with embarassment.
"I recently taught him what the Earth's axis is. He's been doing this ever since." She explained deadpan. Sanjuro regarded the two of them with a blank dumbfounded expression before bursting out in laughter.
"Hahaha! So, shifting the Earth's axis huh? I see everything we've heard about you is true! You really are big stuff!" Sanjuro suddenly complimented him and patted the young man on the head.
"You heard right!" Blackstar beamed with pride. Meanwhile Tsubaki simply looked off into the distance with an embarassed expression as her father led the pair of them inside.
Blackstar reacted with awe as he was led inside the Nakatsukasa clan compound. Located on a sprawling woodland estate Tsubaki's family still clung to some of the traditional Japanese customs including clan families living together. Blackstar always knew that Tsubaki's family was very well off as one of the first Weapon Clans to exist and were very in demand as weapon partners. That along with their blacksmithing skills made her family extremely rich, but you wouldn't know it by looking at their home or family members. Sanjuro gave Blackstar a tour of their expansive home, built in traditional japanese style with well maintained gardens and walkways. It baffled Blackstar to think that his weapon partner grew up in a place like this.
He turned to express this to her, only to see Tsubaki interacting with other members of her clan, distant cousins, aunts and uncles if he were to guess. Only he noted that instead of her normal friendly disposition Tsubaki was acting rather demure and overly polite. The individuals she spoke to also seemed to return the gesture, exchanging stilted bows and quick pleasantries. Blackstar shrugged his shoulders, he supposed this is where Tsubaki got her impeccable manners from after all if this was how she acted with her own family. He didn't have further time to dwell on it however as Sanjuro continued to give them the tour.
Afterwards, Tsubaki's father showed the two of them to their lodgings. They would spend their time in the main house as guests of the head of the clan. Unsurprisingly Tsubaki took up residence in her old room. Like Tsubaki herself, the room was unassuming and rather spartan, with only a few decorations of pressed flowers, traditional Ukio-e paintings on the wall, and a bonsai tree taking space on a dresser. Blackstar was offered his own space in a guest bedroom but insisted on staying with Tsubaki, a fact which surprised Sanjuro at first. Tsubaki assured him that their living arrangements in Death City were similar and the older man seemed to let the issue go with no fuss.
After having time to unpack their meager belongings in her room, they washed up in preparation for dinner. Tsubaki told Blackstar to put on his best behavior for dinner, a rather stern warning that she usually only reserved for serious topics. She stressed to him that it would be his formal introduction to the clan as her meister and first impressions were extremely important. Blackstar at first was rather flippant to her worries, insisting that his greatness couldn't be contained. But after seeing how much it meant to her, Blackstar re-evaluated his stance. Normally Tsubaki was never too bothered by his more outrageous antics. But she seemed on edge here, he supposed she really wanted to impress her family. Taking a step back from his ego he could see why, after all he was a member of the infamous Star Clan, so he was already fighting an uphill battle for their approval. He didn't want to give any of them ammunition to question his partnership with their esteemed heir. So, with a reluctant sigh, Blackstar promised to be on his best behavior. This seemed to give her some relief and she wrapped her partner in a warm hug before getting ready for dinner.
Although they called it dinner, it was more of a feast. The event was held in a grand dining hall. As with the rest of their home the traditional Japanese culture was most prominent with a low table and cushions for seating. Blackstar and Tsubaki were seated next to the head of the table beside Sanjuro and his wife, Tsubaki's mother. They both wore Japanese formal robes, which Blackstar rather enjoyed. His was a black ensemble with dark blue flowers accenting the robes. Tsubaki wore one which was a combination of pink, white, and yellow flowers which he thought made her look absolutely stunning. But his attention was soon driven to the food which was brought out. Entrancing aromas emanated from the many dishes. A variety of traditional cuisine was on fare, dishes of fish and vegetables, rice, curry, and fermented dishes. Chicken and Beef were served as the main dishes and dessert consisted of a variety of different sweet pastries. Blackstar did his best to maintain a sense of decorum, even as he greedily wolfed down the delicious food. But even as he gorged himself on the feast, he could sense something was off with the atmosphere.
Blackstar noticed that, with the exception of her mother and father, most of Tsubaki's family looked at her cruelly. It was an expression of disdain and disappointment, one that he was intimately familiar with. What was even more baffling was that Tsubaki seemed to put up with and tolerate it, even though he could clearly tell that it was bothering her. It seemed he would have to step up to the plate and protect her from this treatment, even if he didn't fully understand why her own family was regarding her like that. Blackstar never had what he would consider a real family so he wasn't sure he fully understood it. He was raised by Sid and Nygus, for which he was grateful, but they didn't exactly have a family dynamic. So it came as a surprise to him to learn that there were people in Tsubaki's family that looked at her with the same disgust showed to him when people learned he was of the Star Clan. The only difference was that Blackstar either ignored those looks or proved those people wrong. From what he could tell, Tsubaki was allowing that disrespect to happen. He guessed that it was because some of her family resented her for what happened with Masamune, but it wasn't her fault. Masamune made his own choices and it ticked Blackstar off that they blamed her.
That was something that Blackstar was fuming about all throughout dinner. But even he had the sense not to completely embarrass himself in front of the prominent members of the Nakatsukasa clan. It was more out of respect for Tsubaki then anything else. Everyone who knew Blackstar knew he didn't give a rat's ass about what people thought about how weird he was. So despite the tension in the air at dinner, it remained mostly civil. But that all changed when Tsubaki's cousin made a snide remark.
Koga, a kid with half of Masamune's looks and the other half of his attitude. From what Tsubaki had told him beforehand the kid apparently worshipped the ground Masamune walked on. But when his hurtful comment split the air and was left unpunished Blackstar knew he needed to stand up for his Weapon partner.
"What did you say?" He asked menacingly. The air became tense and silent. Tsubaki's eyes widened as she watched Blackstar glare daggers at her younger cousin. Her father looked on with curious interest. But everyone else at the table had their mouths zipped tight, silent, tense, waiting, looking both equally at Koga and Blackstar. Koga, either emboldened by the attention or just lacking enough sense, reiterated his comment with more vitriol than before.
"She's a traitor and we should never have welcomed her back. She killed Masamune!" He said angrily.
"Masamune chose his own path. If anything Tsubaki restored your clan's precious honor by stopping him from becoming a kishin." Blackstar said now standing from the table, plaintively ingoring Tsubaki's desperate pleas to get him to calm down.
"He never would have been on that path to begin with if Masamune had inherited his birthright instead of her." The young man gestured disdainfully at his older cousin. "She's an incompetent failure of an heir and everyone here knows it, they're all just too polite to say it."
That set Blackstar off. He stood fully from his seat and stomped across the table. Food and drink scattering in a huge mess with each of his foot falls. He grabbed Koga by the shirt holding him up with both fists balled in his clothing. An angry intense scowl gracing his features, his eyes glowing with star shaped pupils. Koga tried his best to stare defiantly back but his attitude was quickly battered down by the hateful gaze and intense aura that Blackstar was putting off. The world around them erupted into sound and violence. Tsubaki's voice rang in his ears, begging him to stop but Blackstar couldn't hear her, too blinded by rage. The other clan members clambered backwards, transforming themselves, preparing to strike him. Yet Blackstar's grip remained firm even as Koga tried desperately to escape his grasp.
"YAMERO!" Sanjuro's voice called out powerfully. The words finally reached Blackstar and he loosened his grip causing Koga to fall unceremoniously to the ground. The tension in the air began to dissipate but the clan continued to eye Blackstar warily. The ninja assassin continued to glare at Koga however. "This matter has already been discussed and the clan's decision made. Koga, you will apologize to Tsubaki, then you will be on latrine duty for a month. As for you Blackstar, you are a guest here, but one more outburst like that and I will rescind my hospitality. Are the both of you clear on that?" Sanjuro asked.
"Tch, whatever." Blackstar huffed and stormed out of the dining hall, leaving Tsubaki to look after him with a worried expression. She turned back to her father intent on profusely apologizing for her meister's rudness. But to her surprise her Father nodded to the doorway, urging her to go after him. Tsubaki stood from the floor, giving a deep bow before rushing out to find her meister.
It did not take long to find him. Blackstar's footsteps resounded like thunder through the mostly empty hallways.
"Blackstar!" She called out to him. He turned around to look at her, his face still twisted in a scowl but thankfully much more calm. Tsubaki on the other hand, could now feel her own ire rising. "Blackstar you embarassed us in front of my entire clan!" She accused him. Blackstar looked surprised for a second before furrowing his eyebrows right back at her.
"You can't seriously be upset at me." He said, the dim light of the lamps casting blocks of light and shadow on his face. He looked back at Tsubaki, watching her face contort in the twilight into an expression of hurt and anger.
"Of course I'm mad at you! You promised you'd be on your best behavior then you go and pull that stunt!" She said waving her arm back at the dining room.
"Tsubaki he was insulting you! And what's worse you weren't even standing up for yourself! What's the matter with you?" Blackstar asked incredulously. Tsubaki balled her fists and shook her head.
"Not everything can be solved with violence Blackstar. Things in my family are complicated." She explained.
"Well it seems real simple to me. They don't appreciate you Tsubaki. In fact it sounds like some of them outright hate you. I was only trying to teach them a lesson." He said with equal ferocity. Tsubaki gasped.
"Blackstar he's still my family! I can't believe you would do something like this. I thought you had matured but I guess I was wrong." She said angrily.
"Yeah? Well who needs you and your dumb clan anyway." He said dismissively and walked away angry. Tsubaki bristled at the words and tone he used, she was uncharacteristically angry and stomped off in the opposite direction, the weapon and meister pair separating in the dead of night.
Blackstar left the confines of the clan compound. His ninja skill and stealth making the task easy for him. He wandered through the woods, still silently fuming. The sky was dark above, the moon having not made an appearance this night. Thus, the meister relied on his other senses to navigate the dark and twisting forest. All the while, his thoughts raced and his anger cooled into more rational thought, well relatively rational.
How could they not see how amazing Tsubaki was? How could Tsubaki herself not realize her own greatness? She was kind, brave, nurturing. She embodied everything that he himself was not. Where Blackstar was brash, aggressive, and goal oriented, Tsubaki was timid, compassionate, and laid back. She was like his opposite in that regard. Some days he wondered how the two of them worked together so well. He was not an expert on soul resonance by any means, but he had his theories. The one which made the most sense to him was that Tsubaki gave him everything he didn't really have in him. She balanced him out, reined in his more destructive and outrageous tendencies. But that thought gave him pause. If that's what she did for him, then what did he do for her? Certainly it seemed like their partnership was a lot more one sided when thought of like that. Tsubaki seemed to perpetually put up with him to her own detriment. For the first time Blackstar stopped and questioned why someone as talented and great like Tsubaki would stick around with him. He had always assumed that it was natural due to how big a star he was, of course he would acquire an amazing weapon partner. And she was amazing, from the moment he learned she could turn into not one but several weapon forms he knew she should be his partner.
But now that he was at her ancestral home, years into their partnership, only now did he stop to consider why she actually stayed. And he found that he couldn't think of one. His mind only kept telling him that it was natural because of how great and talented he was. But even he wasn't so self-centered to think that was the only reason. After all, no matter how great he was, he knew he would only be half as great without Tsubaki. She was the one that allowed him to reach such heights, and she was always supportive of him. A weird ache formed in Blackstar's chest. Was that guilt? He couldn't think of another name for it. All these years, all this time, had he ever thanked Tsubaki? Had he ever told her just how much she meant to him? Blackstar paused in his trek to consider these questions, tilting his head to the sky to gaze into the dark abyss above, as though it would contain the answers.
Back at the Nakatsukasa Clan compound, Tsubaki was helping her mother clean up the remains of the disastrous dinner that was left behind. Broken plates and glasses were collected and disposed of. Much of the rest of the clan was giving them a wide berth, still unsettled from the events at dinner. Tsubaki was still silently fuming, outwardly placid but inside she was full of turmoil. So she dove straight into her old habit of helping others or doing chores whenever she herself was upset. Her mother however, could sense her daughter's inner conflict and had cornered her into talking.
"How did you know?" Tsubaki asked her. Sumiko, ever the patient and perceptible woman, simply smiled back at Tsubaki.
"You are my daughter Tsubaki, what kind of parent would I be if I could not tell you were upset?" She answered. "Now come, tell me what bothers you."
Tsubaki sighed deeply, unsure of where to even begin. "Blackstar… can be so much sometimes." She finally admitted. "He can be cocky and rude and downright insensitive at times. Ordinarily I'm used to his quirks but sometimes they go too far… like at dinner." She said crossing her arms. "It just makes being his weapon partner difficult at times." She sighed. Sumiko nodded thoughtfully at her daughter's words.
"Why do you not simply get another meister then?" She asked. Tsubaki gasped involuntarily at her mother's suggestion. She stared at her with surprise. But her mother seemed serious. "You told us when you left that you were only going to DWMA to find a meister who could help you track down your brother. Now that you have accomplished that goal why do you continue to stay with him?" She asked. Her words were calm, level, and non-accusing. But to Tsubaki the suggestion felt like a twisting knife in her guts. And the worst part was she wasn't sure why.
"I… I couldn't do that to him. Blackstar is… for all his faults he is still a good person. I can't just quit being his weapon partner like that." Tsubaki replied. Although it was true that Blackstar could be a lot to handle, she couldn't picture herself working with anyone else. "Besides I don't think he'd be able to find anyone else who could put up with him." She said with a chuckle.
"That I believe. But the display from earlier seems like more than just being a handful. The boy seems to have rage issues. Your father is worried he might be walking the path of the demon." Sumiko said off handed. Still in the same calm tone of voice. Tsubaki frowned at the comment for she knew there was a grain of truth there. She was worried for him too. But he was getting better! She had faith that he would make the right choice and surpass god. She said as much to her mother who hummed thoughtfully.
"You know he reminds me a lot of Masamune. Are you sure you're not just staying with him to save him from the path of the demon?" Like she couldn't do with Masamune. The words weren't spoken but the implication was clear. Tsubaki knew her mother didn't blame her, but Sumiko also knew Tsubaki blamed herself. She supposed it made sense in a weird way, and she did worry for her meister in that regard. But in her heart she knew that wasn't the reason.
"Blackstar… is special. He really is amazing once you get to know him." Tsubaki said with a warm smile as she clutched her hand to her heart. Sumiko smiled at that and replied with a playful tone.
"I'm curious then, what drew you to him in the first place?" Sumiko asked. "He seems quite troublesome, and surely you had other better prospects given your talents." She said. Tsubaki paused as she thought on that question. She looked down at her feet, her face tinged ever so slightly red in embarassment.
"It's going to sound ridiculous." She finally admitted. "When I first met Blackstar, he was atop DWMA, yelling his head off about how great he was. Of course, nobody was paying attention to him. He looked like a raving lunatic. But, I don't know. Seeing him up there, telling the whole world that he was going to succeed and surpass god. It was oddly inspiring. I envied his confidence and belief in himself. It made me feel like I could do what I set out to." She admitted shyly. Tsubaki looked up to see her mother smiling at her with a knowing smirk.
"Do you want to know what I think?" Sumiko said.
"What?" She asked.
"I think that you're in love with him." Tsubaki sputtered at the accusation. Her face flushed red and she stuttered and stumbled over her words, trying to deny the allegation. Her mother simply laughed at the bewildered look on her face. "Don't try to deny it dear. I can see it written all over your face. When you talked about him then. And from the way he reacted at dinner I would say that he cares a great deal for you as well."
Tsubaki felt like her head was spinning. This was all going too fast. She gripped the kitchen counter beside her in an effort to steady herself. She wasn't in love with Blackstar. How ridiculous. They were friends! Partners sure, and sharing a living space. But lovers? The very thought sent Tsubaki's ears boiling red. Sure Blackstar had an extremely well toned body and was very attractive by most standards. And yes, maybe his loyalty and self-confidence were admirable qualities that made her feel like she could accomplish anything. And okay yes maybe his childish jokes did make her laugh on occasion. But, by the stars could she really have feelings for him? There was no way! Right?
Tsubaki's conflict was written all over her face. Not to mention she was now staring off into the distance in deep thought. Sumiko sighed as she realized that her daughter had to figure the rest of this out on her own, and that meant she needed to go to Blackstar. She dried her hands and placed one comfortably on Tsubaki's shoulder. The young teen met her eyes, still with a confused and lost expression. Ah young love, so many confusing emotions.
"You should go talk to him. Sort out this mess between the two of you. We'll be here to welcome you both back when you're done." She said sagely and pushed Tsubaki to the door. The young weapon nodded and left with a brief hug before heading off into the woods.
Tsubaki could sense Blackstar's powerful soul, even from this distance. But even without that ability, Blackstar's trail would not have been easily missed. The boy left broken branches and upturned dirt in his wake like a veritable force of nature. Tsubaki laughed to herself as she followed the trail. It was just another thing that made him so easy to follow. The boy forged his own path no matter what anyone else might tell him. Thinking harder on it Tsubaki really admired that about him. She recalled her words to her mother about their first meeting. Reflecting on it, back then Tsubaki felt lost and adrift in a world that was new and scary. She had a goal to reach her brother but had no idea how or where to even start. But seeing that boy with the spiky blue hair proclaiming that nothing was impossible, it lifted her spirits, made her believe in herself for the first time in a long time.
The farther into the forest Tsubaki walked, the more time she had to think about her and Blackstar's relationship. And the more she thought of him, the more she felt her heart flutter and glow. She could picture his cocky smile, the pointy sky blue hair which swayed in the wind. A blush came on her cheeks as she imagined his muscular and atheletic body. She never had thought of herself as being particularly interested in the opposite sex, but even she could not deny that Blackstar cut a shape that was pleasing to look at, though she would never say that to his face. Only Shinigami knows what that would do to his ego. She thought back to all the times he would call out for her attention, proclaiming himself to be the greatest in the world. She realized, looking back on it that his most genuine smiles were when she herself gave him the attention he most desperately craved. As all of these thoughts crossed her mind she still felt confusion which ached in her chest. The suggestion that was planted by her mother did not seem to leave her mind. She didn't know if what she felt was love or not, all she knew was that being apart from Blackstar, and worse being at odds with him, filled her with a hurt and discomfort she couldn't begin to describe. So she was determined to find him and set things straight.
Tsubaki finally reached Blackstar's hiding spot. She found him reclined on a large boulder, hands behind his head and staring up into the night sky. Blackstar was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice her approach. His thoughts lingered on Tsubaki and their partnership specifically. Blackstar ordinarily wasn't one to dwell too deeply in his own thoughts. He was a man of action and firmly believed they spoke louder than words. But the events since they had arrived here milled around in his brain, tumbling around like a stone. He was thinking longer and harder then he had in quite a while. Specifically he thought about Tsubaki. He couldn't seem to get her out of his head, no matter how hard he tried. Everytime he closed his eyes he could picture her: long flowing hair, slender figure, gorgeous smile. He had made it no secret that he thought she was beautiful. But lately he was starting to realize that her physical beauty was only one part of what made her so great to him.
He admired her for her loyalty, for her compassion, her kindness. She was always willing to go out of her way to help not only him but others around them. She was also just too damn forgiving sometimes. Even when he screwed up or made a fool of himself she was always waiting there to console him and cheer him on. It was like she was one of the few people who could see just how great he was. And yet for all her great qualities, she stuck around with him. Blackstar knew that with Tsubaki's unique abilities she could have her pick of any meister, yet she chose him, believed in him. Even though he could be an ass, even though he messed up sometimes, even though he never did anything back for her. God he was an idiot. He needed to apologize to Tsubaki, and let her know just how much she meant to him. But figuring that out was eluding him. He wasn't any good at expressing himself with words, and especially not when he didn't even know what he was feeling. He knew what he wanted to do, he wanted to kiss Tsubaki, and hold her, and lay underneath the stars together. He wanted to shout about how great Tsubaki was to the whole world so that everyone knew. But he didn't know how to put a name to those feelings. He had never known love, never experienced it, so how could he possibly recognize it? One thing was for certain though, Blackstar thought, he needed to show Tsubaki how much he appreciated her, how great of a person and a weapon she was.
"What are you doing Blackstar?" His thoughts were interrupted by the very person who occupied them. The ninja turned to sit up and face Tsubaki. "Aren't you worried you'll catch a cold? It's kind of chilly out isn't it?" There she goes thinking about everyone else but herself as usual. Blackstar smiled back at her.
"Nah I'm fine. I was just lookin' up at the stars." He said with a nod of his head. Indeed out in the pitch dark forest the stars shone brightly like a tapestry of lights. Tsubaki gazed up at them alongside him.
"I guess I never realized. In Death City the sky is kind of bright even at night. But out here it's dark enough you can see lots of stars huh?" She said awkwardly. She could sense something was off with Blackstar, he wasn't normally this contemplative. She wanted to apologize for her outburst earlier but didn't know where to begin with him acting like this.
"Yeah, it's pitch black out…" He finally whispered. He still stared straight up into the dark sky, his eyes not moving an inch. Awkwardly Tsubaki sat down on the boulder next to him, eyeing his lean form, waiting for a chance to speak up. But the words would not leave her lips. Instead, Blackstar spoke up again.
"You know your dad told me that my name in Japanese would mean 'world of darkness' just like that sky up there." He mentioned gesturing above them. Tsubaki was confused by the statement, wondering where her meister could possibly be going with this.
"But if I'm that black sky up there, then I guess that makes you the shining stars Tsubaki."
Tsubaki felt her face flush red. Her jaw dropped slightly as she took in his words and she felt her heart race in her chest. Of all the things she was expecting Blackstar to say, that certainly wasn't it. In fact it was downright sweet and romantic. She never in a million years would have imagined he'd say something like that to her. Her breath felt caught in her lungs and she felt like she would burn up from the embarassment. She had never heard him say anything like that before. It was in fact the kindest thing he had ever said about her. But she regained her composure quickly, not wanting her embarassment to show.
"What's gotten into you? This isn't like you." She said in a playful tone, though her voice wavered. Blackstar giggled alongside her and turned his gaze to her. She saw a gentle smile play on his lips and she felt an urge to press her own to his as he looked at her with an emotion she couldn't decipher. She hoped it was the same as what she was feeling, because it would make everything easier. Turning back to the sky above she spoke again.
"Well if you ask me, I think the black sky and all the millions of stars, and everything else up there, I think it's all you Blackstar." She said. Blackstar felt his chest swell with emotion at her words, in a way that both felt energizing and confusing. He turned away sheepishly.
"Well, ya know, I just wanted to say somethin' nice, as thanks for everything." He said with an embarassed blush on his face. The sight was rare and precious and although he would hate it, Tsubaki found him downright cute.
"Of course." She replied with a smile of her own.
They sat in silence for another few moments, the tension significantly eased between them as they listened to the chirping of the crickets under the glow of the stars.
"I'm sorry about what happened at dinner." Blackstar finally admitted in a rare apology.
"It's okay, I'm sorry about how I reacted." Tsubaki said back.
The silence bared down on them again, each of them heavily aware of its presence. Blackstar thought there was more to say but he didn't know how to say it. Tsubaki waited for something else to happen, but she didn't know what she was waiting for. Finally, she turned to her meister under the star light. She inched closer to him, and she could sense him stiffen in response, unused to the proximity given their conversation. He watched her with waiting eyes, eyes that glowed and seemed to convey a million unspoken emotions behind them.
"Blackstar…" She finally said, grabbing his attention fully as she turned to face him.
"Tsubaki…?" He questioned back. They stared at each other for another half a second, before Tsubaki leaned in closer. She kissed him, a quick peck on the lips but it sent his heart fluttering in a way he hadn't felt before. She watched him quietly, shyly, waiting and wondering about his reaction. But she didn't have to wait long.
He leaned in for a kiss of his own, finally being given a direct action he could put his effort into. Their lips met again, this time in a slower kiss. It was gentle yet firm, slow and somewhat clumsy, but it was genuine and caring and filled them both with a sense of relief.
They broke apart, barely able to see each other's faces by the meager starlight. But they both smiled with genuine expressions, feeling their souls resonate as they moved closer together. They didn't speak with words, didn't give a name to what they felt or did, but then again they didn't need to. For their love covered and enveloped them like a dark blanket, as silent and whole as the night sky above them.
A/N: I've always felt there was a noted lack of Blackstar x Tsubaki fics. I decided to address that directly. I had originally planned to write this fic years ago as a multiple chapter story but distilled it down to this for the 20th anniversary. The premise and much of the dialogue is paraphrased directly from the manga when the two of them visit Tsubaki's home in Japan. I wanted to portray Tsubaki's family a little more given we don't know much about them in canon. I've kind of likened them to clans in Naruto where they live in a compound and have strict heirarchies. I always thought Blackstar's line about Tsubaki being the stars to his sky was very romantic so I did this story based on that. If anyone knows of any other Tsu-Star fics out there they would recommend let me know.