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Rin was slashing at the trees planted in the outskirts of Arlong.
The branches were cumbersome and they needed pruning anyway. Nobody would miss them.
Green leaves fluttered against the wind, setting the scene rather dramatically, Rin thought. She brushed her hair away from her face, breath coming out more harshly than she liked. She was losing her stamina. She needed to train harder.
After a few more hackings at the branches, she collapsed on the floor, leaning against a tree trunk to take a break. Huge, slow gasps were taken to steady the too fast beating of her heart. As she did so, a glance upward at the sky showed her a fading shade of orange and pink, indicating that the sun was on its way to leave for the day.
She scowled.
Sweat was pooling against her back and she now desperately wished she’d brought water. Rin didn’t realize she would stay out here for this long; and yet the ache in her chest didn’t seem anywhere close to being eased.
Gritting her teeth, she used her sword as support to haul herself up. She had done enough damage to one tree, she thought, scouring her surroundings. What good a practice would she get with a fucking tree? She needed an opponent. A proper one. She was way past training with inanimate objects alone, yet there she was.
The fact that she was alone absolutely did not help her mood.
Rustling sounds behind her; she spun in a heartbeat.
"Oh, get the fuck out!" she snapped.
Maybe yelling like that to a sentry wasn’t fair and wasn’t exactly proper, since he was probably just doing his job. But she learned when she first came here that unless she acted like a Sinegard trained soldier that she was, none of them would respect her. Unless she acted like more than she was. Especially when she was alone.
She barely heard the sentry squeak an apology before darting back toward the way he came from. She glared at the still rustling leaves.
She turned back to her tree.
No, Rin wasn't sad. She wasn't.
She knew it wasn't Nezha’s fault. Their lives were their country’s, and both of them were required to be summoned at Nikan’s needs. No personal life could be put first, not when they were Sinegard graduates.
Not even wedding anniversaries. Not even their first one.
She fell asleep in his arms last night, content and happy, only to be awakened by the rustling sounds. Despite the safety of the place she felt, her soldier instincts never fully slept deeply enough. She tried to snuggle closer, seeking warmth, only to be met with empty air. Frowning, she’d cracked her eyes open. Was she still dreaming?
"What are you up to?"
She saw through her blurry sight Nezha glancing at her. "I didn't mean to wake you up, I'm sorry." He hurried next to her side, kneeling beside the bed, hand gently brushing against her cheek. "Urgent summon from the second division. You sleep."
Rin blinked slowly. "When are you coming back?"
"As soon as I can." He lightly kissed her forehead. "Love you."
“Love you, too,” she muttered, already drifting away.
She fully woke up too soon after that, the other side of the bed too cold and the room too empty for her comfort.
Rin learned during breakfast that there's been a border breach in Khurdalain, and soldiers designated to the spot were called upon. Unfortunately, it included Nezha. Nothing too serious, Nezha mentioned in his quick letter to her left beside their bed. I’ll be back soon. I promise.
Having no plans, she ended up spending most of the morning by herself, wandering the kitchens, libraries, the river banks and the shipyards. She now knew about ships more than she wanted to, which was inevitable considering whom she spent most of the time with. But the somehow grudgingly admittedly interesting constructions of ships didn’t distract her much, but it did contribute to the ache in her chest.
Lunch came. Nezha didn't.
She chose to eat alone, windows wide opened, the warm early summer air permeating the grounds and the inside of the Palace. Weather usually contributed big to her mood, something Nezha consistently noticed about her. She figured the reason was mostly because if the weather was good, it gave her an excuse to be out home more often back in Tikany, away from Auntie Fang’s grimaces and glares, to run for opium instead of doing housework under her gaze.
The warmth did nothing to ease her ache.
If she could've chosen, if they could have chosen, they would've settled down together near their assigned divisions and posts, alone and free. Unfortunately, they were still freshly graduated from Sinegard, and most of Nezha's duty lay with Arlong. So it made sense for them to settle down here, where everything was already made and prepared, till their country needed them elsewhere.
It made sense, but it didn't mean she had to like it.
Nobody in the Yin family acknowledged the day; Rin didn't expect otherwise in the slightest. None of them truly approved of their marriage. It was lucky Nezha was merely the second son, the discarding one, she thought bitterly, stabbing at her food with her chopsticks with more vigor than necessary.
The only bad thing about today was that she had nothing to occupy herself. Usually, she was busy as hell, both with the Cike business and training herself and whatever else this goddamn country needed her for. Usually, she threw herself at every opportunity to prove that she was a good soldier, that she was one of the top Sinegard graduates and deserved to be one.
Fuck her for carefully scheduling everything to make sure she was free for the day. Weeks in advance, swallowing in all the teasing from the members of the Cike, Ramsa and Baji first and foremost, making sure she could and would stay away from any dangerous business that forced her to be parted from Arlong.
Now it completely backfired on her. In the end, she gave up, and chose to do something she was best at: destroy trees without conscience.
So there she was, giving trees more pruning than necessary. She blamed anyone but herself. But she also especially blamed her stupid husband.
The setting sun spread its thinly red light across the top of the trees, giving the impression that the whole woodlands were lightly burning. Beyond the burning trees were the circulating, sparkling waters and in the middle of it, the Palace.
She wiped the sweat off her brows, glaring at the Palace of Arlong. It at least looked beautiful. She always thought so, with glistening rivers reflecting the scenery like a mirror. If she didn't know who occupied the Palace and the area, she would've been more than dazzled by the place.
Exactly one year ago, she was marrying Yin Nezha inside that Palace.
It was such a chaotic day. She’d turned up ripped and bloody and a complete mess, ruining the meticulous make up and shit. She had been extremely late after trying to stop Mugen spies from infiltrating the grounds.
Only Nezha had seemed happy to see her return. She was more than happy that day.
She was more than happy for the past year. The first time she envisioned marriage in her life, it was filled with fear and terror and uncertainty for the next decades. She’d burned herself to escape that fate. Her hands twitched remembering the scars, trying not to touch them.
The marriage she actually got now, however…
"Hey!"
Rin stiffened at his voice, but didn't turn around. She continued hacking at the trees. Footsteps on the ground grew louder and closer.
"Rin—"
A hand on her shoulder, a sudden twist and she was leveling the tip of her sword an inch away from her husband's neck.
Nezha’s steps quickly backed away, his arms raised. "Truce? Whatever I did wrong."
“Oh? What did you do wrong, then?”
“Tried to sneak up on you?”
Rin snorted. “You didn’t sneak up on me. You were as loud as Jiang when he’s high as fuck.”
“I wouldn’t know. I always tried to avoid him when he’s high. He doesn’t like me much, but especially when he’s high.”
After a couple more seconds, she slowly lowered her sword, studying him. His visage was lined with exhaustion, his hair escaping his bun and framing his face. Pretty.
“Everything okay?”
Nezha nodded. “The trip back and forth took the most, more than anything. I don’t even know what they needed me for. They could’ve sent for any other generals in Father’s disposal, really.”
Rin raised her eyebrow. “Really.”
“Hmm. But I got this!”
He unshouldered his bag and slowly, carefully took out… flowers?
“For you,” he said, beaming.
She stared at the bouquet in his hands. It was six, seven flowers delicately wrapped around each other with baby’s breath filling in empty spaces. It was reddish orange, slightly pink and some white.
If she wasn’t mistaken, they were the same ones that decorated the halls on their wedding.
“Uh, Rin? It’d mean a lot to me if you take them?”
Slowly, she did. She studied the wrappings, slightly crumpled from being inside Nezha’s bag, some of the flowers less bloomed than the others. They would look even more beautiful in times to come when they put it in a glass vase in their bedroom.
“I…”
"I also brought bamboo rice wine, even though I don't have it with me yet, I left it in our bedroom, we can have it later."
Rin felt a lump rise up her throat. She blinked.
"What for?"
Nezha looked puzzled. "Our anniversary. Surely you…"
Her head snapped up from her flowers. “Of course I do.”
“Then why―” Something flashed across his face.
"You didn't think I forgot, did you?"
Rin tried to keep a nonchalant face. "No one cares about anniversaries anyway."
Nezha's smile was too knowing. She wished she could slap it off. "Maybe, but I care."
He stepped forward and carefully put his arms around her. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm in a soothing way till she sighed and relaxed in his embrace, which resulted in him pulling her somehow even closer. Rin sneaked her arms around his waist as he pressed kisses on the top of her head, her flowers pressing against his back.
“Happy anniversary.”
Rin hummed in response.
“I’m sorry I was away, I would’ve stayed If I could.”
“I know,” she muttered, words muffled against his clothes.
“I’m sorry I kept you waiting.”
“I know.”
“I’m an idiot.”
“Yes, you are.”
“To be fair, you kept me waiting for hours a year ago which fucking terrified me. So I guess we’re even now?”
She stepped on his foot. Stomped on it. Nezha yelped.
“Now we’re even,” she said.
She felt him shake his head. “You’re a menace.” Then she felt his breath lingering beside her ear.
"I love you," he whispered. "So much. The past year was the happiest I've ever been in my entire life."
Rin blinked, burying her face in his chest. "I love you, too."
She breathed in, listening to his heartbeat echo inside her ears, then pulled back.
"God, you smell disgusting. Haven't you showered?"
"Sorry. I came straight here to find you."
She wrinkled her nose. “Disgusting.”
“Disgustingly sweet, hmm?” He bent down to kiss her. She let him press his lips against hers for a few seconds before pulling back.
“Oh no, you’re not getting away that easily.”
“For what?” He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t care about anniversaries.”
That earned him a kick in the shins.
“Ow, fine, I’ll make it up to you.”
“I’m hard to please.”
There was a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Oh, I know.” Without warning, he swooped down, and before Rin realized what he was doing, he was holstering her up and carrying her bridal style. Rin yelped, arms instinctively clinging around his neck for support.
“The fuck―what are you―let me down!”
“Nope,” he said easily as he carried her, walking down the hill. “I’m making it up to you, remember?”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“So you don’t want bamboo rice wine?”
“I can literally burn you alive right now.”
“Wouldn’t that be fun.” His slightly parted lips ghosted over her cheek, and she knew he didn’t miss the way her breath hitched, judging by the way she felt his mouth curl into a smile.
Asshole.
But for once, Rin didn’t complain a single word as he carried her to their bedroom, now used together for a full year. The ache in her chest that the light breeze, warm sunlight, good food, sparkling water flowing in the rivers and tree bashing failed to conquer melted away like snow under the blazing, orange sun.