Nothing Comes As Easy As You

[Amy]

Kiyo stood just outside of the trolley station, her eyes darting up to the clock every few seconds. As though she was worried that time may have stopped. Brisk air filled her lungs and for once she was dressed appropriately for the Iwa weather. She wore tight white pants that folded over the tops of her short black boots. She wore a tight black top that wasn’t visible over the black jacket that she wore over it, which her hands were currently shoved into. Her hair was down but secured in the back by a simple clip so that it would stay out of her face. She had spent an obscene amount of time getting ready that morning, mostly because she had woken up three hours before she needed to. There was no helping it though and she had been too excited to go back to sleep. After all, she thought to herself as she looked to the clock again, today was the day her new house became hers. She had picked up the key on her way to the trolley station and it was nestled in the palm of her hand, inside of her jacket, warmed by her own body heat.

It hadn’t taken long at all for her to pick one. Firstly, there had been a limited number in the area that she really wanted to be in, which was close to Kota’s own house. Secondly, she wasn’t very picky. There were a few things that were non-negotiable for her but otherwise, she had been pretty open, especially considering how different the houses were in Iwa than they were in Kiri. Kota had been a huge help in the hunt, helping her with those different aspects. Like making sure to pick a house with a fireplace in the bedroom in addition to the one in the living area. She would never have thought of that but once he said it, she knew that it would have been something she sincerely missed having. With him by her side it had been as simple as choosing the one she loved the most, the one she wanted to make her new home away from home.

Her father had seemed prepared when she told him that they needed to talk about the position she had brought up to him weeks before. When she told him that she was considering purchasing property in Iwa he hadn’t even blinked twice at her. Only handed her some paperwork and told her what her new responsibilities would be. It had almost seemed too easy but since she wasn’t ready to talk about Kota or what was going on with that aspect of her life she had merely thanked him for trusting her. And she had meant it sincerely. Despite everything she had gotten herself into in her life, despite how disappointed he had been in her, her father had never given up on her. He had given her chance after chance to prove herself and when she surpassed expectations he had continued to give her more choices. Her father’s love was just one more thing on the list of reasons why she and Kota had crossed paths. One day, she would thank him for that.

In the meantime, she couldn’t deny that she was getting impatient waiting for Kota, a heavy sigh falling from her lips as her eyes idled on the clock again. They had agreed to go to the house together for the first time once it was officially hers and it wasn’t that he was late, she was just tired of waiting. The more they saw each other, the closer they got, the harder it was to be away from him for very long. But she had needed to pack up her hotel room and he had had work to do the night before so they didn’t spend it together. She hopped from foot to foot several times to wake her legs up and do something to dispel the nervous energy she felt. Buying a house here should have felt like a lot. Like a lot, really fast. But maybe it didn’t feel like a lot because she really did like Iwa and she loved it in the Underground. From the first time he brought her here, she had been fascinated with this part of the village. It didn’t matter how many excuses she made for herself though. Because more than she liked Iwa and more than she loved the Underground, she just really wanted to be able to see Kota more often.

The thought pinkened her cheeks and this time she kicked one of her legs out, using the momentum to spin on the toes of her other foot. Surely, she thought, as she spun in the chilled air, he wouldn’t keep her waiting much longer.

[Kao]

"That'll be 7,200 ryo."

Thick silence fell between the red-haired merchant and her customer. His green eyes bore into her, staring unblinkingly, and the woman shifted her weight as she waited for him to move to pay. Or move to leave. Or move to do something. Finally he seemed to remember he was a person and not a scowling statue. He sighed, pushing his bangs from his forehead. "Were you a bandit before opening this shop?"

She cocked her head to the side, briefly stunned by the question. "Um. I don't know what you mean, Lord Akari." Her eyes drifted nervously to the four thick tendrils that extended behind him from his lower back, each of them curled to carry several heavy looking bags and parcels.

"You're trying to rob me blind. These prices are outrageous."

She had the good sense to not appear too offended as she replied with, "They're pretty reasonable, actually."

"For plants? No way."

The woman's expression shifted as her lips moved from a pleasant, almost absent-minded smile to a firm, thin line as Lord Akari began to haggle. It wasn't really that kind of shop and she rarely negotiated her prices, but she knew better than to flat out refuse this man. He managed to knock off a few hundred ryo despite her efforts, and the merchant could swear that when he took his purchase, the new tendril that had appeared to carry it swayed almost happily before he left the shop.

Akari Kotaru suppressed a shiver when he stepped into the chilled air of Iwagakure no Sato. Early spring had settled over the village, but the promise of new blooms and melting snow did little to chase away the lingering cold from the winter months. The sun warmed his cheeks, but he still shoved his hands into the fur-lined pockets of his jacket as he made his way to the trolley station. It was a big day. So big, in fact, that he had completely cleared his schedule. Kotaru had made it more than clear that his subordinates were not to disturb him for the next two days for anything less than an invasion. With the way the intervillage relations were nowadays, an invasion of Iwagakure was no longer unthinkable. But for this day the bannin was determined to push out all thoughts of war and duty.

Kiyo was finally moving into her residence in the village and Kotaru was ecstatic. He had pretended to be busy with work the morning of the move-in, telling himself that what he had planned was worth having his girlfriend fend for herself for a few hours. That word - girlfriend - bounced around in his head as he turned a corner and the station came into sight. His eyes found her immediately. There was no way to hide the more than half dozen parcels he was carrying, but his tendrils still tucked in behind him slightly as he approached. Kiyo was twirling cutely in place as she waited, and when her back was still turned toward him the bannin closed the distance between them in a few quiet steps.

He was smiling when she turned to face him. "Hello Kiyo, darling. Not too bored, are you?"