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i.
The man before you is the most beautiful you've ever seen.
He's leaning his cheek on his fist, a scroll rolled out over his lap. Cherry blossoms fly around the courtyard in a colorful tornado, some crossing the threshold and dotting the bright wood.
The wind rises to ruffle his brown hair.
"Hello," He croons. "Might you be my new wife?"
Your mouth feels dry. Everything - your fist, your jaw - is clenched tightly. "I- uh, yes."
His smile is polite, close - lipped, and his one eye is closed as well.
You can't read his face and it disquiets you.
"Lovely to meet you," He says. "I am Suo Hayato."
ii.
The first tranquil image of this man was highly misleading.
Suo Hayato's calm facade hides a cheeky devil that loves to tease, and unfortunately - you are the perfect (blushing) target.
You try to avoid them as much as you can, but it's not always enough.
Suo stares at you across the breakfast table. He's always watching, observing.
It freaks you out, warms your cheeks. "What."
He leans his chin on his palm. "You're cute."
"Huh!" You almost choke. How can he say such a thing so nonchalantly!?
The smile never leaves his face. "I just think your cute. I'm happy to have such a cute little wife,"
You are not little, or cute, but what comes out instead is, "I'm not your wife."
"Yet," He hums. "But you will be. And I, for one, am looking forward to it."
You cough. "Sure."
At least the maid, Yurie, does not share her young master's penchant for teasing. You were worried at first, not that you'd tell anybody, that she would dislike you as the maids at your house had.
To be wrong was a startling relief.
iii.
You have a few dreamless nights before the nightmares return.
In your dreams there are no monsters - only your mother and her mother, pelting you with subtle insults and ignoring your pleas.
You awaken in the middle of the night, eyes wet.
Unable to sleep, you start to make your way to the kitchen.
Across the courtyard, in an open door, sits Suo beside a kettle of tea.
His eye is closed and he seems tranquil, enjoying the cool night breeze on his face.
You retreat.
You will not allow him to see such weakness.
iv.
"I was asked to attend a banquet by my superior," Suo says. “I'd like you to come."
"Alright," You say, despite the very idea making your sick. Your mind flickers with candlelit dinners and thinly veiled insults.
“We should go shopping," Suo continues. "Your kimonos are from last season, aren't they?"
"I ... suppose," You shift awkwardly and hope he doesn't notice. Shopping, too, is an incredibly sore spot for you.
"Wonderful! It's a date!"
"D-date!" You jerk to attention. "It's not a date!"
"Why not?" Suo says, pout in his voice. "The two of us are going to do something fun together, aren't we?"
"It's just shopping! That's more like - a mission! Yes, a mission."
Suo seems to think for a second. "No, I like date better."
You scoff in disbelief.
v.
The town is bustling, full of throngs of people moving to and fro like a rushing lake, some harking their wears, some enjoying the nice weather.
You stay close to Suo, careful not to get lost.
So close, you walk into his back when he stops.
"Hayato!" The person at the counter cheers. "And who is this?"
"My wife," Suo says easily.
"H-his fiancée!" You stutter.
"Same thing," He says. "This is Tsubaki. Their family has made kimonos for the Suos for generations, though I do prefer Tsubaki's unique patterns and eye for design."
Something about being preemptively called a Suo makes you cheeks warm despite yourself.
"What a flatter, am I right?" Tsubaki grins at you. "At your service!"
You give a polite nod. "Nice to meet you."
Fabric brushes against your shoulder and you turn to a kimono - a very expensive kimono, more expensive than anything you've owned - being held up beside you. "Hmm. No."
"Do you have any sort of patterns or colors you like?" Tsubaki asks. You realize too late that the question is directed to you.
You take your eyes from Suo to stare at them blankly. "Um?" Normally, your used to being told exactly what to wear, dressed up like a little doll at the mercy of others. "Surprise me?"
"Sure!" Tsubaki disappears further into the store.
Suo stands beside you, far too close. "Your in good hands. Tsubaki has excellent taste," You can feel the heat of his breath and lean away slightly on instinct. “I'm sure they'll find something amazing.”
"Okay," You say, trying to keep any hint of nervousness out of your voice.
“Though," He says, near the tips of your warming ears. "I'm sure you'll look wonderful either way."
You arch away from him. "Sure!"
Your thankful when Tsubaki comes around the corner. "What about this one? Would you like to try it on?"
You glance to Suo. "You can do whatever you wish," He says. "We'll probably end up buying a few, anyway."
You follow Tsubaki to the fitting room.
"Would you mind ... waiting outside, please?"
Tsubaki looks slightly confused. "Are you sure? It might be hard to get into some of them alone."
"I ... please."
"Of course."
In the mirror, you seem distorted. You're vaguely aware that you've seemingly gained some wight, a consequence of them feeding you well at the Suo household - but a potential target nonetheless. Your stretch marks ripple across your skin, shining lightly in the sunlight that sneaks though the top windows of the shop.
"It looks nice on you." Suo looks up when you walk out. "Do you like it?"
You pause. Do you? You don't know. "I -"
"You hesitated."
You slump, but go back into the fitting room.
Again you emerge, bashfully asking, "How about this one?"
"How about it?" Suo asks, seemingly fishing for an answer.
"No!" calls Tsubaki from the front of the store. "Not it!"
You return with the final kimono of the stack, padding your way out of the fitting room.
Suo's eye widens a fraction and he swallows.
You instinctively sink into yourself at the intensity of his gaze.
"Now we're getting somewhere!" Tsubaki says, bouncing over and turning you around. Looking between the two of you, they say, "Hey, this kimono is the same color as your eyes, Hayato!"
You look down, meeting the slightly hooded eye of your fiancée.
Tsubaki's right.
"What do you think ... Suo?"
Suo's eyes flicker up, then down once more. For not the first time, you wish he was easier to read. "We're taking that one home Tsubaki.”
vi.
You try on a few more Kimonos before waving goodbye to Tsubaki.
The sun has risen higher and the streets seem even more crowded, if that where even possible.
Suo takes your hand.
His hand engulfs your own - unnaturally cold, fingers long.
You stop in your tracks with a sound like a record scratching.
"I don't want to lose you, dear," He says, as if it's the simplest thing in the world.
"You don't need to hold my hand, though!"
"Of course I do." He says.
The two of you continue, stopping at one of the small stalls for a snack.
It drips down your hand and your eyebrows furrow as you debate licking it up. You feel Suo's eye on you. It would be unladylike.
Suo chuckles at your hesitation. "I'll go get napkins from the stall."
You nod, taking another bite of your food.
For a moment, you feel something... calm.
"Hello there, pretty lady."
The man looms over you, casting a long shadow.
"You seem to be enjoying that treat. How’s about we go into that alleyway and I give you another?"
"I-I'm waiting for my fiancée - " You force out tightly.
He looks down. “I don’t see a ring on that finger. Maybe if I got a closer look?"
He moves to grab your hand and you yank it away, but he's faster.
"Excuse me?" It's Suo's voice - but it's different.The teasing is still there, but his voice is lower. Colder. A dark growl. "Would you kindly unhand my wife?”
"S-suo- " Falls out of your mouth, and you hate how pitiful you sound.
The man turns his head, but you can’t see beyond his large stature. “That’s your man? Why not hang with a real man instead of pretty boy over there?”
Your throat constricts.
And then the man crumples, holding his arm and screaming. Spikes of ice, swirling with snowflakes, split his arm.
"Were my instructions unclear? I told you to get your hands off of my wife."
The man turns to Suo, panting. He starts to run at him, but Suo simply sidesteps the man, flipping him onto his back.
“Are you hurt?" He walks over to you and you shrink away on instinct. His lips quirk in a thin line.
"N-no."
He holds out a hand. "Can I see?"
Reluctantly, you extend your arm. He takes it gingerly, eye darkening at the blooming bruise.
"I'm alright," You find yourself saying, more for him than for you.
He sighs. "If I had been even a moment later, you might not have been."
"But you came."
Suo doesn't respond, eye swirling with unidentifiable emotions. He releases his gentle hold on your arm. "Let's go home."
When he takes your hand again, you don't argue.
vii.
You let out a sharp exhale of pain and bring your finger to your mouth, the salty taste blooming on your tongue.
You feel stupid standing in the Suo estate kitchen in an inappropriately fancy kimono over a boiling pot of water.
You'd never cooked alone before, so you didn't exactly know why you'd thought you should try it now. You could hear the low hiss of voices in your head, and you squeezed your eyes shut before opening them determined.
You would pay him back for his kindness.
You went to retrieve another bandage, returning to continue your clunky cuts.
The result was ... very ugly.
You were not going to serve this to Suo. Knowing him, he'd probably tease you for it. The voices were getting louder.
You weren't fit to be a wife -
"Hmm? And what might you be doing?"
You jerk. "Suo! I - " Your eyes dart around. You'd lost track of time, and now he was already home before you could disregard the evidence. The familiar heat warmed your cheeks.
"Could it be?" He moves smoothly into the kitchen, eye closed and smile curling. "My darling wife has made something for me?"
"No!" You squeak, heat crawling up to your ears. "Y-your mistaken! I was just tasting something - "
"Oh? Well, I'd like a taste, too. As you can imagine, I'm properly famished after a hard day's work."
You open your mouth to refute it but can't.
"...Go sit." You grumble.
"Hmm?" He leans forward slightly, and your chest pounds.
"Go sit!" You snap.
You concentrate on plating his food and setting it in front of him, before moving back. Your blush-darkened fingers hold on to the tray for dear life.
He raises the spoon to his mouth in a delicate, measured moment, chewing slowly. You want to scream.
"Delicious!" He says, grinning, taking another bite. "You did this by yourself?"
You don't meet his eyes. "Yeah. Yurie is busy enough," I don't want to be a burden, you don’t say.
"It's kind of funny looking - " He says, smile unchanging.
" - Why you - "
"But it's really good!"
"It's no big deal," You say, avoiding his eyes.
"Oh, yeah?" He says, eyes falling to your hands. You immediately try to hide them in the sleeves of your kimono. "I'm grateful to have such a loving wife."
"Just eat." You grumble.
viii.
The night of the bequest arrives faster than you'd anticipated.
You arrive stiff, but begin to loosen up when the plum wine begins to flow and your fiancée's fellow soldiers - Haruka and Akihiko - begin to regale you with tales of your husbands great skill and fortitude.
You commiserate with Haruka about how teasing he is, and Akihiko how mysterious.
"He is rather mysterious," You agree, laughing along.
During the night you feel a hand sneak it's way around your waist, you look up at Suo with a quirked eyebrow.
He doesn't smell drunk and he doesn't move his hand.
You blush all the way down to your fingertips.
"Alright," Suo says eventually. "It's time for me to take my darling wife home."
He leaves relatively quickly, tugging you by the wrist.
"Suo?" Your brows furrow. "Is something wrong? Suo?"
He doesn't answer. This increases your worry. What had you done wrong?
"... Suo?" He turns around then, stepping forward and caging you against the wall.
"You seem to be enjoying discussing how "teasing" and "mysterious" I am with my colleagues."
There's a different quality in his voice that you can’t read again, different still from that day in the market.
He is smiling, though.
"B-but you are!" You squawk in your defense, eyes darting around and quickly realizing you have nowhere to run.
"I'd tell you if you only asked,"
"Would you really?" You look up at him with something akin to hope.
His eyes dart down, and he looks as he's contemplating something. The tip of his tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip. "Yes."
"So - so - " You stutter when he gets closer. "Are you ... mad with me?"
His eyes dart to meet yours once more. "Mad with you?"
"It's just that we left so suddenly, and I didn't mean to embarrass you, if I did - "
Suo's lips claim yours and you freeze. They move hotly against yours and you struggle to keep up with the slow dance he's leading. All you can think to do is hold your shaking grasp on his kimono under his army uniform as he grasps you tightly by the waist and seems to try to eat you alive.
He runs his tongue along the seam of your lips, but you don't respond.
"Open," He murmurs, without breaking the kiss.
"Huh? Why - " But he's upon you again, tongue exploring your mouth as you quake against him. He finally pulls away connected by a translucent string, scanning your face - the tears gathering in your lashes, your scrunched nose, your kiss bruised lips.
He kisses down to your jaw, then nips.
"D-did you just bite me?" You stammer.
"Oh, love," He coos. "That was hardly a bite."
He presses more kisses to your neck and then bites, hard, and it draws a sound out of the back of your throat that mortifies you.
You want to melt into the wall. Your hand flies up to try to cover your mouth, but he catches you by the wrist - pinning it against the bricks.
"Uh uh. I want to hear," He says, biting down again.
You do, indeed, reward him with another sound that chokes into a gasp when his cooling tongue soothes over the bite.
He moves away, eyes falling to your lips once more.
"Oops!" Suo pulls away, a smug quality to his smile. "Got a bit carried away there, didn't I!"
You stare at him, wide eyed, heaving and disheveled. Your cheeks are on fire.
"Sorry, love," He says innocently, rubbing circles on your hip with his thumb, as if he hadn’t just kissed you senseless.
You can't meet his eyes. You don’t know what to say first, but what comes out: "D-did you have to bite me?"
"Oh?" He asks, eye glinting. "Absolutely."
ix.
You can't wipe this kiss ... er, well, kisses - from your mind.
It's all you can think about.
You feel like a silly school girl, unable to stop your mind from wondering to his darkened eye swimming with ... desire, you suppose.
You didn't know what you'd done to deserve such a look!
You weren't even a very good wife or anything!
Hell, until he'd kissed you like that - you'd never really known he'd ... you'd just thought you where to be married on paper and nothing more.
Ug, you could still feel his lips moving on yours.
You really hated this!
When you almost chopped your hand off again helping Yurie prepare a meal, you decided that you where going to confront him about this.
You stood in front of the door to his office.
You where going to confront him!
But ... how exactly?
What would you say?
You hear a familiar chuckle on the other side of the screen. "Are you going to just keep standing there, or are you going to come in?"
You, very ungracefully, slam the door open.
Suo smiles at you.
You stomp across the mat, sitting before him.
Your hands fidget in your lap, already starting to darken with a blush. "About - about the other day."
"You mean when I kissed you outside of the banquet?"
Despite your embarrassment, your happy he doesn't beat around the bush. "Yes. Um, why."
"Why?" He echoes, brow quirked.
"Yes, why."
He tilts his head. "Because I wanted to?" He says. "Can't I kiss my future bride?"
You slam your hand down. "Not like that you can't!"
"Did you like it?"
"I - " You stammer, eyes darting around.
"It's alright if you did," He coaxes.
"It ..." You shift. "Surprised me."
"Really? But I've been flirting with you this whole time!"
You squint at him. "You've been messing with me! You say weird things all the time! I never know when you’re joking or not!”
"I've been honest with you," He says. "Very honest. In fact, so honest I deserve another kiss."
"You can't just decide -! "
"Please?" He says. "If not now, then when? If I have to wait too long again, it's going to build up like last time - and I don't think you want that."
"Look!" You hold a hand out to stop him from approaching you. "You can do it again! Just ... less. It was a bit ... too much ..."
"Hmm," He puts a finger to his chin as if thinking. "You where shaking,"
"Shut up!" You snap.
You move forward on your knees to him with the intent of shutting him up but you falter half way when you catch him looking at you in that way again. It's intense, weighty.
"I - " You swallow. You gulp, looking down at his lips - you can feel his breath.
You will yourself to move.
"Young master, breakfast!" Yurie's voice chimes.
You fall forward into his lap and start to skitter backwards, but he catches your wrist.
"Oh! Is the mistress in there with you? Breakfast!"
"Coming!" Suo sings back, pressing his lips to the inside of your wrist as he looks up at you.
You quiver, looking down at him with wide eyes.
"Let's go eat," He says lowly. "Shall we?”
x.
One minute your shopping with Yurie, and the next minute you are gone.
When you awaken, a familiar stands over you face stands over you. "Mother?"
The woman looks down at you. "Mother, what are you - "
"There was no there way."
"What-what do you mean?"
"That man - he wouldn't let us see you, even when we called the marriage off."
"What?" You ask, mind racing. "Why would you do that?"
She frowns. "I do not need to explain myself to you."
"But I - "
"What? Love him?" She laughs. "Do you think he loves you?"
You pause. Could he? You remember the kimonos, and how he held your hand so gingerly, and the the kisses he'd spared after the first one that always turned searing. Yurie had laughed at the two of you, murmuring something about young love to herself.
"He does." You say, steadfast.
Something in your eyes glints and your Mother turns away.
"Well. It matters very little."
Suddenly you remember that look in his eye that day in the marketplace - the icy chill in his voice.
"Mother," You say, and she looks at you. "For your safety, I would request you return me to Suo. I ... I don’t want him to hurt you.”
She laughs again. "Bluffing won't save you dear." Her laughing cuts off, eyes dull and exhausted. "Not even I can do that."
xii.
The room they keep you in is dark, undisturbed - until the man in a suit and fedora comes.
He hurts you, plain and simple.
Your parents had done many things, but they had never laid a hand on you. The pain is unfamiliar and hard to bear.
And after what could have been days or hours, something strange happens.
The man moves to hurt you again and it bounces off. He tries again and his attack slides off of the iridescent bubble once more.
He seems satisfied with this, sporting a toothy smile that could make milk curdle.
He goes for another blow, then seizes. Icicles sprout from his chest.
The temperature of the very room drops, freezing the tears on your cheeks.
Your savior comes into view, eye hard and merciless. Cold air streams from his lips.
"Suo ... " You rasp, lips quirking. You are too weak to smile.
He gathers you into his arms immediately, holding you against him. "I'm sorry I took so long to find you, my love. But I'm here now."
"Everything ... " Pain flickers across your face. "...Hurts..."
He's clutching you so tightly. “I know, my heart, I know."
"Hayato - " You say, and you feel him freeze against you. "Hayato, I - "
"Shut up." He grits out.
"But, I - "
"Won't die here. Keep your eyes open for me."
"But I'm so tired," You say. "And..."
"You won't leave me," He snaps. "I won't let you."
"I won't," You agree, eyes lowering. "Hayato, I - "
"Shut up!"
"I ... love you..."
xiii.
Hayato is strange after that.
Both close and extremely far.
He stays silently glued to your side, even after he's sure your family is no longer powerful enough to take you from him, again, he still insists on coming with you to every shopping trip and excursion he can - asking you to postpone if otherwise.
He doesn't say those three words back.
You try not to be hurt about it, and continue on as normal as possible. Well, as normal as your injuries allow.
In time, your Mother's words begin to eat away at you.
Maybe you were mistaken after all.
You approach Hayato in the courtyard, taking a deep breath, saying his name.
He opens his eye to look up at you.
You take another deep breath, wring your hands. "I understand ... if after what my family has done - the grave insult they have caused ... if you do not wish to marry me anymore."
He looks truly taken aback, which would be funny in any other circumstance.
The brunt of his focus is heavy. "And if you left here? What would you do then?"
"I ... don't know," You admit, looking away. "But ... I wouldn't be a burden to you any longer."
"That's what you think I see you as?" He murmurs, more to himself than you.
You shift.
"Do you know," He asks, in a strangely hoarse voice. "Do you know how I felt when I saw you lying there? Beaten? Broken?"
You stay silent.
"It took everything in my being not to kill them all."
You glance to him and he's looking at you.
There is no remorse or regret in his eye.
"You don't deserve the love of any more monsters."
Your fists curl at your side. "You - you take that back."
His eye widens slightly at your tone.
“You - you saved me."
He starts to open his mouth, but you’re faster.
"I was afraid I was going to die there, all alone, in the dark, but you came for me!" You say, unshed tears in your eyes as you yell. "And you! You don't get to talk about the man I love like that!"
Hayato stays silent.
"And you - you love me too!" You accuse. "And you don't have to say it back, right now. Or at all, if you don't feel that way - ”
"I love you." He says, breathlessly.
"Oh," You says dumbly. "Oh."
His hands find your waist, pulling you into his lap. "Why do you sound so surprised? Didn't you say you knew?"
"Well, I wasn't - wasn't completely sure." You grumble. "And - and it's different hearing you - hearing you actually say it."
"I can say it again," He mummers, rubbing circles on your hip. "Until it becomes as natural as breathing."
You cover your face with your hands, wondering if your poor heart can take such a thing.