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“Well look what the cat dragged in,” O-Tsuru quipped from the doorway, elbows held delicately in her hands.
Kin'emon shot her a sheepish grin. “Wanted to come see my favorite girl!”
“Favorite? More like your only.”
They had finally gotten together shortly after Oden had saved her and the entire town. It was better than her wildest daydreams, whenever she cared to imagine it. The Kin’emon of her childhood had been so immature, even if she loved him deeply she couldn’t get over the general… lack of purpose in his life.
Here and now she moved aside so Kin’emon could slip past her into the teahouse. She took a moment to admire the span of his shoulders as he did. “Surprised the rest of the retainers aren’t here.”
Ever since he’d joined Oden, their band had been growing larger and larger. Whenever possible, Kin’emon stopped by her teahouse to see her and entertain her with stories of their travels and training, the others following close behind as if where one went, the rest needed to follow. It made her heart happy to see him so animated and enthusiastic. He loved his nakama deeply, she could tell.
No more robbing, no more feeling like his life didn’t have meaning. Tsuru was grateful for that. He was transforming before her very eyes into the man she always knew he could be. All thanks to Oden and Kin’emon’s fellow retainers.
“Ah—” Kin’emon seemed anxious as he shifted from foot to foot. “I told them not to.”
“Oh?” she asked, intrigued.
Luckily, the teahouse was empty as he took a seat and watched as she puttered around.
“Felt like it’s been ages since we’ve seen each other! Just us you know, wanted to catch up!” His tone was full of forced cheer and her eyes narrowed. Still, Tsuru said nothing as she set up a pot and two cups before coming closer to lay it out before him.
“Did something happen?” she asked as she poured him a cup and Kin’emon’s smile widened with fear.
“No, no, no! Nothing like that!”
“But something has happened, or else you wouldn’t be here alone.”
“That’s not—”
Her heart started to thump with anxiety; he was trying to lie as if she didn’t know him better than that. She interrupted, “You can just tell me—"
“Tsu.” He laid a hand on one of her own, shutting her up. Kin'emon squeezed and she could feel the calluses on his palm. “Really, it’s not bad. Or, I hope it’s not. I’m just nervous, give me a second?” This time, his smile was more natural and she relaxed a fraction.
“All right,” Tsuru agreed slowly. “But you better tell me what it is before the end of this pot!” With the hand not currently pinned underneath his, she pointed threateningly at him and his other hand was held up in surrender. They grasped each other's hand tightly on the tabletop and neither brought it up that the other hadn't moved.
They chatted over tea, just normal things, catching each other up. Mostly she listened to him as he went over their training and about Oden. When she poured out the last cups from the pot, she raised an expectant eyebrow at him and he cleared his throat.
The silence stretched as he sat there, back straight, eyes closed looking deep in thought.
She glared in annoyance and was about to say something when his eyes opened and he stared at her, gaze serious and heavy; it drew her up short.
“Tsu, you’re happy with me, right?” Kin’emon asked, eyes burning with some kind of emotion she couldn’t name.
Feeling an unexpected lump form in her throat, she nodded, unsure of where he was going with this as butterflies fluttered nervously in her stomach at the tense atmosphere. He fidgeted briefly before he suddenly clapped his hands together and bowed low.
"Please, O-Tsuru, would you do me the honor and marry me!?"
Her jaw dropped. Of all the things she had expected, a marriage proposal wasn't even remotely on the list! Emotions swirled but before Tsuru could say anything, his head shot up.
"Wait! Don't answer that, hold on!" Kin’emon rushed to his feet and ran into the back room, leaving Tsuru sitting there staring after him, speechless.
Sounds of rustling, a startled curse as she heard something fall to the ground before he was suddenly back, a large thin box in his arms. Recognizing his intent, she quickly cleared off the table of the teapot and their cups before he laid it in front of her.
“What is this?” Tsuru managed to ask. Her voice sounded raspy to her ears and already her eyes were beginning to fill with tears.
Kin’emon shifted awkwardly, the gesture boyish and young. It was something she hadn’t seen in a long time—not since he’d joined with Oden—that guilty shuffling, eyes not looking at her, hand rubbing the back of his head. “A wedding present!” he answered at last. “Er, that is. If you accept, of course.”
The white box shone and her hands shook as she reached out to carefully lift the lid. It was unadorned but that didn’t surprise her. Kin’emon had always been a charmer with words, with actions. Gifts weren’t high on his list of how to win someone over so she was filled with trepidation as she finally worked off the top and put it to the side. Inside white paper covered whatever it was from view.
There was a nagging feeling in her chest that she knew what she’d find as she reached out. There were only so many things a skinny box like this held. When Tsuru moved the paper out of the way her suspicions were confirmed and she gasped, covering her mouth with a hand.
“Do you like it?” Kin’emon asked eagerly, leaning forward as her heart pounded in her ears. It was a kimono, of course it was. It was obviously high quality—even without touching it she could tell, the craft of the stitching was impeccable and she reached out to rub a timid finger across a crystal white crane, she was almost afraid of leaving a smear but she couldn’t not feel it. Beautiful cranes flew across a vibrant deep blue, her favorite color. Her favorite animal.
It was by far the most expensive thing she’d ever owned.
“Did you steal this??” she demanded, fixing Kin’emon with a fierce glare. His face fell and he started waving his hands in front of himself.
“What?! No, I didn’t!” When her glare didn’t let up, his voice got louder. “I didn’t!”
“Then how did you afford something like this?! There’s no way!”
Kin'emon sighed and rubbed his face with a hand. “The truth is,” he said at last while she sat there with her arms folded angrily, “the other retainers help me raise the money for it.” Tsuru blinked with confusion, some of the tension releasing from her shoulders from the surprise. “We took turns working odd jobs here and there. Oden pitched in as well. I uh, I told them what I wanted to do but—”
He tapped the tabletop aggressively with a few fingers. “I wanted to give you something nice! Something that was worthy of you but I knew it’d take me ages to afford it myself. They all wanted to help, originally I didn’t want to let them but they started talking about someone else comin’ and takin’ you away and I didn’t want that so…” Kin’emon smiled, expression shaky with barely concealed nerves. “I accepted their help. I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t work for it all on my own, it might be shameful but—”
“No,” Tsuru interrupted firmly and his eyebrows rose. “No, it’s not shameful.” She smiled, feeling her heart fill with ease and love. Her gaze dropped back down to the kimono and she ran her palms down the fabric, feeling the slippery smoothness of it as she cleared her throat. Knowing she wanted to look at him in this moment she forced herself to meet his gaze. “I accept.”
There was a long stretch of silence as he stared at her, mouth agape. Then, like a dam had burst, he suddenly surged up and grabbed her by the arms, tugging Tsuru to her feet. “Really!?” he practically shouted into her face. “You really mean it?!”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, of course I mean it!” His large arms wrapped around her tugging her against his chest, which was shaking with relieved laughter. Tsuru was still laughing herself, feeling hot tears soak into Kin'emon's front.
“Congratulations !!!” Oden’s voice boomed in the small space of her tea shop, startling them both and they took a step away from each other. Tsuru hurriedly wiped her cheeks before looking up at the man towering in her shop, whose smile very nearly sparkled in the light and his face looked ready to split into two with joy. “I was saying that—ow! Hey!” Several retainers had appeared at his sides and started dragging him away.
“What are you doing?!” Denjiro hissed.
“We promised to give them time alone!” Raizo added, pushing and pulling a whining Oden out of the shop, their voices going a little distant as they got further away but several more voices could clearly be heard joining in. They must all be out there, waiting.
Tsuru shot Kin’emon a look, raising an eyebrow and he sighed loudly. “I did tell them to let me go alone,” he complained with a frown. She giggled before rising up to give him a kiss on his cheek.
“It’s sweet. They’re good for you.”
“You think?” he asked, slightly skeptical.
She hummed. “Well, you went back to your natural hair.” She swept a hand through his black locks. “I was beginning to think I’d never see it again, not after you stubbornly kept it blond for so long.”
Kin’emon caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, expression heated and her heart skipped a beat. “I’m not quite so sure they’re the reason my hair is back to black.”
“No?” She forced her tone to be teasing, past the nerves still bouncing around in her belly. “So it isn’t an attempt to look more like Oden? Could have fooled me.”
“Now look here, Tsu—” He was interrupted by a loud roar from outside and the sound of several swords being drawn and he sighed again. “Just one day,” he muttered under his breath, “I just wanted one day alone to do this.”
Tsuru patted his arm reassuringly. “You love them. Besides, we ought to get used to it if we’re going to be married.” Kin’emon’s face did a complicated jump through several expressions before he landed on happily pleased, as if to hear her say it aloud amazed him, as if he couldn't believe it. Wrapping an arm around her waist he pressed a quick kiss to her temple and she laughed before she flapped a hand at him while she danced away.
Bending, she picked up the box. “Go get them, I’ll make some more tea.”
“You don’t want to make wedding plans?” Kin’emon asked, sounding perplexed. Likely he was thinking of them growing up together and her forcing him to listen to her long list of wedding dreams, maybe he expected something of the same now.
She smiled at him, her soon-to-be husband.
“I’m sure they’ll all want to help out with that.” Tsuru nodded her chin at the door, where they could still hear voices arguing. Kin’emon smiled back, looking more lovestruck than she’d ever seen before and she bit her lip to not let her smile grow larger as she escaped into the back room.
Letting her hand once more trail down the fabric before she reclosed the lid, she made a promise to herself. Once they got married, if ever he was away she’d wear this kimono—as a reminder. Then whenever he saw her next, he’d see her in the kimono he gave to her.
There might be others, Tsuru knew, in the future but this one was the first and it was special.
Putting the box away, the promise solidified in her mind, she grabbed another teapot and went out to be greeted by a loud round of cheers and she smiled as Kin'emon came up to her side, his answering smile warming her heart and bringing a fresh round of tears to her eyes.