[D8EN] Words, Deeds, Thoughts, Feelings

[Doji Hikaru]

(Closed; please do not approach)

Hikaru was pensive. This was not new; Hikaru was often pensive. But this time was a little different.

He stood in the garden, illuminated by the light of the just past full moon, his white lock seeming to gleam in the pale light. He was partially sheltered by a tree, which he also seemed to be directing his pensive look towards.

But on closer look, no, he was not studying the tree itself. There were a number of letters hanging from the tree, gently swaying in the night breeze. His pale eyes studied one in particular, folded into the shape of a flower. Carefully, he reached out, taking it into his hand, running his fingers over it as though he might learn something about it through touch that he couldn't learn through sight or scent.

[Togashi Satsuki]

Finally she had time to go and check if there was an answer for her. And she walked with almost a bounce to her step as she allowed herself to feel that little bit of excitement (because a crappy day like this needed it).

Then seeing someone else there, she slowed, and when she could make out Hikaru's familiar silhouette, particularly that white lock of hair, she stopped in her tracks and wondered what do do. Play it off cool, maybe?

"... Hello there."

Ugh. Blessed by fire and the daughter of a Kami, and that's the best line I could come up with?

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru's chin tilted up when he heard that voice. But he wasn't surprised.

Letting the paper fall from his hand, he turned, smiling gently at her. "Hello, Satsuki-sama. I somehow had a feeling that, if I saw someone here tonight, it would be you."

The smile faded just the littlest bit. "I'm sorry, I don't have a reply for you yet." He waved a hand towards the tree. "I fancy myself a talented poet, but... " He shook his head gently, "nothing seemed quite right."

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Uh, I... hmmm..." should she admit it? Her letters had been anonymous, and he had figured it out! We've been discovered!

She blushed awkwardly. "Well, I was just curious if there were any new letters, but... I understand why there haven't been any new ones today." Demonbirds did kind of knock the wind out of the sails on poetry.

Finally she took a deep breath to steady herself. "How are you holding up after today?"

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru's pale eyes watched that blush; he took a slow breath in response.

But then she asked the question. Hikaru was silent a few moments as he considered. "I honestly don't know." He said in his soft voice. "It's been a very strange day. Revelation after revelation..." He sighed. "And while the Empire faces a new threat, Lady Doji may yet find some relief. And if she does, so may I." A daunting thought.

He smiled gently at her. "And you, Satsuki-sama?"

[Togashi Satsuki]

A small nod was given. They'd save Doji somehow, now that they knew what they were up against, and Satsuki was certain that Hisomu would stop at nothing to save his family from the darkness.

"...Me?" Satsuki blinked, feeling a little taken aback. "Mm... it's been an overwhelming day? Yet not even half of what it must be like for my Doji cousins." Marrying a demonbird. I hope they didn't... do... that. "I'll be trying to return home as soon as possible, to bring word to my parents about what's happened."

Finding a nearby tree to lean against, her tall form, seeming brighter underneath the light of the moon, found a comfortable position for support against the trunk. "And I was hoping that after this winter I could travel and visit the lands of my kin. Guess we have to prepare for darker times ahead instead," Satsuki sighed a little even if she understood how serious it all was.

[Doji Hikaru]

"It's..." Hikaru considered, "-a lot." That seemed like the best way to describe it. "The Crane have a lot of work to do. But I no longer quite feel as though I have the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Companionably, he moved to join her beneath the tree. "Travel may yet occur. Clans will need to coordinate. You're an important person. A good ambassador."

He looked at her. "If you came to Crane lands..." He spread the fingers of one hand, "-I would like that."

[Togashi Satsuki]

Satsuki's smile was shy, and she looked down at the ground as she spoke. "... If you're going to be there? I think I'd like that." Maybe she'd get to travel with her father to help lady Doji? It was a little thing she dared to hope for.

"I guess I'm a good ambassador? I've talked to lots of people, and no one's declared war on my clan - so a win, right?"

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru groaned, his lips shifting between smile and grimace, back and forth for a few moments. "Fortunately, it seems that the demons in our midst was sufficient distraction to Doji-sama that she's been stopped from declaring any wars. I did not know that there would be so much fallout from a play..." He trailed off, looking at Satsuki, his expression thoughtful. There had been one last bit of fallout from the play.

"I would like to discuss poetry again." Hikaru said, his voice gentle, but confident. "I fear that I did not express myself properly the last time we discussed it, and I should very much like to try again." A gust of wind brushed his white lock from his shoulder; companionably close as they stood, it brushed against Satsuki before settling back.

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Art is another battlefield it seems," she chuckled a little, wondering how much her mother would shudder at such a thought.

Feeling that he was standing a bit closer than normal, Satsuki felt her cheeks turn hot. Which was an unusual sensation for her since she almost always felt warm. Her pale apperance seemed to drink in the moonlight, making her almost ethereal if one had just caught a glimpse of her in passing. "Y-yeah, it was a bit poor choice of words from my side, I suppose. I don't think poetry is stupid, so... yeah, I wasn't being quite truthful then."

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru was silent for a few moments, his handsome features as thoughtful as ever. Now that he had the chance to speak what he felt, he suddenly couldn't find the words, just as he couldn't with the poetry. How, then, to express himself?

As soon as the answer came to him, Hikaru knew it was the right one.

Leaning towards Satsuki, Hikaru's hand came up to gently cup her cheek, his hand cold for an instant and then warm. And then with the same mixture of gentle and confident, he guided their lips together for a tender kiss.

[Togashi Satsuki]

Her otherworldly eyes widened in surprise as their lips met, taken aback by Hikaru's boldness, then they slowly closed halfway as she was less surprised and more welcoming of it. Warmth was one way to describe it. It felt warmer than she had imagined it would, the few times she had wondered about it.

As their lips parted, Satsuki was shyly looking down at the lock of white hair twirled around two fingers. His lock of white hair. There was something to her smile that had not been seen before. "... So you're listening to your hair now?" she teased.

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru looked down at her hand with a smile. After a moment, his own hand came up to hold hers, even as she held his hair. His fingers, like his lips, were warm and soft, except for the telltale callous of a swordsman.

"As I should have done from the start." He said, flashing her a quick grin, wonder of wonders. He paused a moment with a pleasant sigh, his eyes on her, on her smile. "I think perhaps... if I had not felt so constrained by duty, by my concerns, I might have done this... well, certainly yesterday morning. Or perhaps after the play..." Gently he shook his head. "What I mean to say, that kiss was a carefully considered one. And I very much meant it."

[Togashi Satsuki]

Satsuki smiled in return, even giggling a little bit. Between their hands there was warmth, both with callouses from their training, yet still tender and soft to eachother's touch.

"I... yeah," she giggled once more, "I thought about it that night. After the play. But, there was a lot of people and I felt embarrassed - thinking maybe you didn't think about me that way, or I was... imagining things?" her lips pressed together as she regarded him a bit differently now.

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru found himself smiling at that giggle. How pleasant it felt, to have their fingers entwine, to move them against hers, tracing them. "Did you?" He murmured. "By my count, we're still behind three kisses then."

Even as he started to lean in to correct this cosmic injustice, though, Hikaru paused. "Satsuki-sama... I hesitated to be open about my feelings because I worry for what the future may hold. That was a mistake, I now realize. But part of me still worries..." He paused again, eyes on hers, gently rubbing her hand with his thumb.

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Three?" she said with some surprise. Was that how it was supposed to be? Tracking a kiss for each time they had wanted to kiss the other?

This time she was kind of preparing herself for this next kiss, so it was somewhat of a disappointment that he had stopped to talk instead. And... yeah, that was some real-talk alright. "Yeah, the future is unknown and full of uncertainities - and possible dangers. But is that what you're worried about?"

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru shrugged. "Or I might be told to marry suddenly, or sent off to, I don't know, Crab lands. Any number of things that might spoil my intentions to... well, to court you."

Smiling gently, Hikaru lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. "But I think perhaps I should like to dare it regardless. We make our own destiny, don't we?" His eyes dropped to her lips... he really should have kissed her again before all this.

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Ah, uh, courtship?" she murmured, face flushed and nervous now. "... I... we just... only kissed once now. That sound a bit too... much?"

Still she didn't let go of his hand. "Not that I don't like you! I wouldn't have kissed you otherwise. But..." ah what the hell, she wasn't going to make any sense now, so she pulled him in close for another kiss, accepting no resistance.

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru smiled. "But that's..." He blinked in mild surprise as Satsuki pulled him in. Well, he certainly wasn't going to resist.

One kiss turned into two, and then three before Hikaru pulled back, taking a deep breath, his chest rising and falling. "I like you too, Satsuki-sama."

He paused another moment. "May I ask, is this your first time kissing someone?" His tone was gentle, his eyes warm. The kisses were quite enjoyable indeed, but there was something about the experience...

[Togashi Satsuki]

Well if she wasn't blushing before, she certainly was now. The redness of her face seemed even more prominent contrasted by the white hair, and in comparison to the usual fair complexion of her skin. "Y... yeah. It's the first time. Didn't see a lof of people outside of family and my parents' closest friends growing up, and... well, not many people are gonna try to kiss you when your father's the Kami Togashi." Her teeth showed a little as she smiled awkwardly. She knew many found him to be intimidating in a way, even if she had never seen it.

"I... don't know if courtship is something either of us will have time for? I need to return home, inform father of what has happened and the current situation. Hopefully travel with him to the lands of Doji, but after that..." Satsuki gestured vaguely to the night around them, "everyone says it's a war now. A war with Jigoku."