Destiny

Chapter Four

It has been two weeks since Shinichiro’s divorce. He stayed on and off with us, usually when his mother was around.

My husband and I… well, we seemed to be a bit better these days. After that last kiss, we had our occasional moments and lately I had noticed that the kiss would move to my neck more often than my lips. Also, my husband seemed to have more scratches from Keigo than ever. I was starting to contemplate whether it was a good idea to keep him or not. I didn’t want a bruised husband.

I lay on the floor, reading some stuff. I glanced at my watch. My husband was back at his work and I was lonely most days. He would come back home late evenings and I didn’t want to tire him, but he was a good sport and still put up with me.

I put my head down and sighed.

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“!"

"Hmmm…"

"!"

I blinked and winced at the hard cool floor against my cheek. I was turned around and saw my husband looking worriedly at me. "Are you alright?" he demanded, making me sit up. One arm holding me up whilst the other supported my back.

I rubbed my eyes and looked at him. "Oh, did I fall asleep?" I asked lazily.

He lifted me up. "We have two beds and one sofa in this apartment. Why are you sleeping on the floor?"

I looked at him sheepishly and rubbed my eyes. "I was reading on the floor, waiting for you. I must've fallen asleep," I said.

"Please try and be more careful," he said sternly, walking towards our bedroom. "I'm going to take a quick shower."

"I'll prepare dinner." I walked to the kitchen and turned the stove on so it would heat the food I had cooked. At the same time, I decided to make a quick salad and set the table.

He joined me in exactly twenty minutes. I hated to admit it, but my dear husband looked exhausted as he sat down on the chair. I walked around the table and put my hands on his shoulders. "You're not alright," I said.

"I'll be fine; today was a long day."

I put my arms around him. "Do you need a massage?" I asked, kissing his cheek unconscientiously. I massaged his shoulders evenly until I felt his head fall back and relax.

He looked at me with a gentle smile. "You look tired as well."

I leaned forward and kissed him. "Why don't we take a break then? I think all this family stress has been getting to us," I said, taking a seat opposite him

"You want to take a break - as in a honeymoon?"

I dropped the serving spoon just as he said that. "Where did that come from?" I asked, blushing.

He looked at me seriously and reached for his cell phone. He went through something and then turned it around and showed me something. "Read."

I took the cell phone.

[I just realized that you and your wife haven’t even been on a HONEYMOON! That's taboo for newlyweds! You. Must. Go. Seiichi]

I couldn’t help but chuckle. "Should I be reading this?"

He took it back from me and shrugged. "You asked and I answered honestly."

His answer made me smile. He was right; marriage is all about trust and honesty. "Well, I'm always up for a trip, but this is really your call. You're the man of the house and the one working, so it's your decision." I began serving him rice.

"Where would you want to go?"

"Oh. You’re serious about this?' I asked in surprise. I didn’t think he was.

"Yes, but we can't go far. I can only take a week off," he answered, starting to eat.

Wow. I was excited now. I’ve never really traveled before or gone anywhere far from home, so this was exciting news for me. I looked at him and realized that he was asking me where I wanted to go. The truth was, I didn’t know, so I decided to have him choose for me.  "I'll tell you what," I said in a mischievous tone. "Surprise me." 

"Surprise you?"

I nodded.

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Two weeks later

"You look umm… Excited? Nervous? What's the right word?'

I looked up from my suitcase and gave Shinichiro a weird look. "I'm not nervous, I'm just feeling weird because I have no idea where we're going," I admitted. "At the end of the day though, I only have myself to blame, since I told him to surprise me."

"Gen? Surprise a woman?" He laughed and sat down. "This one I need to see." He looked around when his eyes caught a box on the floor. "You left that."

I looked at the said box and turned around. "I am not taking that one."

He stood up and walked towards it.

"Don't even think about it, Shin!" I threatened. But he didn’t listen to me and picked it up playfully.

He opened it and dropped it suddenly when he saw its contents. He started laughing as he saw the different skimpy lingerie on the floor with other “interesting” things. “Who sent you these? My parents or your father?"

"Oh, shut up!" I hit his back, pushing him out of my way. "You're so nosey! I said don't touch! I need to burn those before Genichirou sees them! I am not cut out for this type of clothing."

"Aya should teach you a thing or t…" he began, but stopped when he realized that he had said his ex-wife's name. "Damnit," he muttered, looking away. He rubbed the back of his head and excused himself, walking out of the room.

I felt bad. I held the lingerie in my hand and let out a sigh. I was wondering if it was right for us to go when Shin is still trying to get over his divorce.

"?"

I looked up and saw Sanada. I put my stuff away and stood up. "Hey," I said softly. "You're home early."

"I came to pack; we leave this afternoon."

I nodded. "I'm not packing a lot of stuff so shall we just share a suitcase? I'll put my personal stuff in a handbag," I suggested, taking out a small handbag.

"That's fine." He agreed, waking to his closet. "What did you pack?"

"Erm… I just put in some casual stuff," I said, trying not to look embarrassed. "You still haven’t told me where we're going."

"Did you pack a swimming suit?"

"No actually…"

"Get one."

I hesitated. Now he tells me to get a swimming suit. I don’t have a nice one. Oh, but wait… if I recall correctly, there was a rather sexy two-piece swimming suit in the box they sent me, but I wasn’t going to wear any of that.

I was trying to decide how to answer when he called me again. "Yes?"

"Are you alright?" he asked, putting his stuff into the suitcase. "You haven’t moved for a while."

"I’m fine," I said, walking to the box. I hated myself for doing this, but reluctantly took the swimming suit and put it in my handbag. I hope I don’t have to wear this a lot.

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Hours Later

"Oh… OH!" I said shocked, covering my mouth. "I am indeed impressed," I said happily. "You brought me to Sapporo¹!?" I squealed, hugging him. I think he did it on purpose because when you say honeymoon you immediately think “beach”, but to bring me to a snow festival… I was surprised.  

He put an arm around me and smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"Like it! I love it!!" I exclaimed. "Oh, but why did you ask me to bring a swimming suit?" I asked. I put my finger on my lips, thinking.

"Tomorrow we can trek on the mountain and go to one of the hot springs."

Hot springs? Hot springs in the mountains? I wonder how safe they were… “Is it safe?”

"Yes!" he said, taking my hand and leading me to our hotel.

I hesitated, but nodded. "If you say so."

We walked to a hotel not far away and I marveled at its luxury. I looked around as he checked us in and enjoyed my surroundings. It had a beautiful aquarium in the middle and I walked to it, staring at all the pretty fish.

I turned and found him waiting for me. "That was fast," I said, walking with him.

"They're efficient."

I chuckled quietly. I followed him quietly to our room and found that he had booked a suite.

"Hmm… Why the suite?" I asked casually, looking around. There was a bedroom, a kitchen, study, and living room. I strayed to the bathroom and grinned at the oversize Jacuzzi.

"Do you like the place?"

"Yes," I nodded, going to the bedroom and falling onto the bed. It was comfy and big, just the way I liked it.

"You need to do one more thing, ."

I blinked and sat up. "Excuse me?"

"Switch off your cell phone."

I looked at him surprised and noticed that he was walking to my bag, pulling my cell phone and handing it to me. "Switch it off," he repeated.

I took it from him and hesitated. "Do you want to kill me?" I asked, switching it off. He laughed and it made my jaw drop. "I've never heard you laugh before?!" I said, jumping up and grabbing his arm.

He hugged me close and continued laughing. After a second, he stopped and stared at me. "You said you wanted to be alone and relax, so no phones for us, ok?"

His request - or rather, his “order” - surprised me. I held his hand and looked up at him, smiling. "You're right. This is our honeymoon, so let's try and get to know each other properly."

He patted my head and nodded. "So what shall we do for now?"

I looked at the clock and realized it was 7 in the evening. "Well… Umm… Let's have dinner and walk around the festival. When we return let's plan our week and see what else we can do, since it’s a bit late now."

"That's fine," he said. "Get dressed up and I'll reserve a nice place for dinner." He picked up the phone, dialing the operator.

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Later

I studied my husband as he read his menu and thought how good he looked in a suit. I know he must've felt uncomfortable, but I didn’t care. He looked good and that was enough for me.

He caught me staring and raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

I rested my chin against my hand. "I'm remembering the first time we met; you were all dressed up as you are now." I chuckled, imagining it. "Were you forced to wear it?"

"I only did it because it was the right thing to do," he answered truthfully, his eyes returning to the menu.

The right thing to do? I wonder if looking good had anything to do with doing things right. I had taken an hour to dress up and he still hadn’t complimented me. I looked good and I wanted to hear that from him. "So, how do I look?"

"You look nice," he answered automatically without even looking at me.

I tapped his hand with a smile. "You're supposed to look at the person when complimenting them."

"You always look nice, ," he said quietly, looking at me. "I don't have to look at you to know that you're beautiful."

Oh… that was unexpected. I actually felt my cheeks heat up, but tried to hide it with the menu so he wouldn’t see me blushing furiously like that.

"You went quiet."

I looked up from my salad and nodded. "I guess I talked too much," I said. "Your comment also surprised me," I said, blushing. "I never expected to hear that from you."

He put his knife and fork down and looked at me. “Am I difficult, ?”

I blinked, looking at him. “Difficult?”

He rubbed his jaw, which indicated to me that he was thinking. "I am your husband, . I want you to think of my as your husband and if you ever need any help in anyway, please come to me."

I wondered what brought this on. I looked at him and felt a sincerity I hadn’t felt before with him. At the same moment, the lights dimmed and music started playing. It was a cliché moment, but I was going to take it. "Do you want to dance with your wife, Sanada-sama?"

"I will," he answered, standing up.

His immediate response surprised me. I had thought I would have to argue with him. I didn’t think he would say yes so quickly. However, I didn’t hesitate; I stood up and allowed him to take my hand.

On the corner of the dance floor, I stood in front of him and tried to see what stance I should take. Before I could make a move, he placed one arm around my waist and held my hand, pulling me very close to him. "Like this?" he asked inaudibly, not looking at me.

I nodded and put my free hand on his shoulder and rested my head gently on his chest. "I like this," I said, dancing to the music.

I'm not sure how long we danced, but it was special. I loved this feeling. I loved him being so close to me. I looked up at him and leaned forward, kissing his lips gently. I know he didn’t like public displays of affection very much - no, scratch that. He didn’t like them at all, period.

Finally, he stopped and escorted me back. We paid our bill and walked out into the cold night. "Ooh…" I shivered. "COLD!"

He took his jacket off and placed it on my shoulders.

"No! No! You'll be cold," I said, moving away, but he held me in place.

"Be a good wife and put this on properly," he said, buttoning the front up.

"Gen! What about you?"

He gave me a light smile and then put his arm around my shoulder. "I will be fine. Please don't worry about me." He started walking, pulling me with him.

I worried about him, but decided to relax for the moment. We walked quietly in the beautiful snowy town and admired all the lighted objects. Everything was beautiful. The trees, the buildings, the carved stones… I was so into the scenery that I didn’t realize how much time had gone by. "Oh, it's so late," I said, turning to my husband.

"Yes," he agreed with a nod.

I touched his cheek and raised an eyebrow. "And you're cold."

"I'll live."

"Let's go back so I can warm you up."

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He was lying on his back, an arm over his eyes as he waited for me. Well, that’s what I assumed when I walked out of the bathroom. I was wearing cami lace pajamas as came out and watched him. "Genichirou?” He moved his arm and looked at me, sitting up. "Yes?" he asked, rubbing his hair slightly.

"You fell asleep," I answered. "Was I in there for long?"

"You said you were going to take a shower," he said, standing up and stretching.

"No, I said I was going to prepare a hot bath for you because you're cold."

He scratched his head and stared at me as if I had something incredulously stupid. "A bath?"

"Yes! A bath," I said, pushing him into the bathroom. "Now, take off your clothes and get in. I don’t want to feel guilty in the morning if you wake up with a cold."

He stopped.

"What is it?"

He looked at me wryly. "Since you're in such a demanding mood, do you mind leaving so I can at least remove my clothes?"

I blushed and immediately scooted out. "Let me know when you're in so I can wash your back, ok?" I shouted from behind the door.

"I'll be fine."

"Just let me know!" I snapped.

He went quiet for a long time until he actually said you can come in. I walked into the steamed room and realized that he had probably poured in more hot water. "Is it okay for me to come closer?" I asked, seeing him in the bathtub.

"I have a towel around my waist."

I walked closer and sat on the floor by the tub. Watching him closely, I realized that he looked so relaxed. “Enjoying yourself?" I asked, dipping my hand into the water.

"It's my first time, to be honest."

I crossed my arms and placed my chin on them. "How is this different from a hot spring?"

"Well, for one, a hot spring is not so small," he muttered, sitting up.

I smiled. I stood up and sat down on the tub handle. "Thank you for this," I said sincerely, placing my hand on his head. "I think we needed this. Although…" I thought for a second, holding my chin. "I do miss Keigo. I hope Shin is taking care of my baby."

"I hate that kitten."

"He's behaved so far."

"Stupid kitten."

I laughed and stood up. "Do you want me to wash your back?"

He looked at me wryly and shook his head. "I'm fine, I'll be out soon."

I nodded and washed my hands at the sink. "Then I'll order some tea for us.”

'I'd rather have coffee, if you don't mind."

I thought about that with a frown. 'You think it's wise to drink coffee now? You might not be able to fall asleep with all that caffeine," I said worriedly.

"It’s alright."

I rolled my eyes and walked out. I went to the bed and dialed room service, ordering one black coffee for him and tea for myself. I sat on the bed, flipping through a magazine when he finally walked out. He wore a pair of loose black pants with a black unbuttoned pajama top. I put the magazine down and patted the empty space next to me. "What time shall we wake up tomorrow?"

He sat down next to me and rested his back on the huge pillows. "Early."

"What's early for you?"

“5."

I groaned inwardly and stared at him wryly. "Gen, its 1 AM now. Do you seriously think we can wake up at 5 AM today?"

He turned around and took my hand. "We can start trekking at a later time and stay at the hot springs resort there."

"Oh, but we paid for this room and it would be such a waste to not use it."

"Don't worry, . I've got it covered," he said closing his eyes. Just then, the doorbell rang and he immediately sat up. "Our drinks are here," he said, taking his wallet.

He opened the door, paid and brought our hot drinks inside. Placing them on the table, he told me to come over and I poured his coffee for him. He took it from me and sipped it casually as I poured my own drink. I sipped it slowly and… "Hmm… yum! So hot and warm!!!"

"Hot and warm? Is it right to say those two together?"

I giggled and sat next to him on the chair. "I'm sorry; you're cold because of me."

He turned to look at me. "I said I was fine."

I looked at him mischievously. "Did I hurt your manly pride?" I said, moving my hand across his cheek.

He took my hand and leaned forward, holding my other hand as well. "You seriously don't know when to say something appropriate," he murmured, pulling me close for a kiss.

The bitter taste of coffee on his lips and my tea made this kiss exhilarating. I put my arms around him to prolong it and suddenly I realized that he was lifting me up and placing me gently on the bed. "Gen…" I said, holding his upper arms.

"Only if you're comfortable, ," he said, watching me for any reaction.

I clutched the front of my shirt and blushed. He was staring down at me and I was feeling giddy. "Uhm… It's alright," I whispered, making him lean down to kiss me.

A gentle kiss was followed by a longer one as he held me on the bed. I felt drawn to those lips and arms and it was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a really long time. I moved my hands up his chest and marveled at how strong and comforting he always felt.

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DeVeliCious

Edited by Elenniel

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Note:

1. Sapporo is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population and the third-largest by geographic area. It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an ordinance-designated city of Japan.

Sapporo is best known outside Japan for hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics, and the annual Yuki Matsuri in the city, internationally referred to as the Sapporo Snow Festival, which draws more than 2 million tourists from around the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapporo]

Kuro-chan --> Thank you for the honeymoon place suggestion~