Dark Nation: Sasuno'o's Palace ~ Lucidity

Tsukaia felt warm and fuzzy, like she was floating on a cloud. A faint sensation of a kiss drew her from slumber. Opening her russet-colored eyes, she pushed her head back from the pillow and yawned. Stretching, she reached for her discarded robe and put it on.

"Good morning, My Lord," she said, grinning softly. "Is there anything else I can do for you? Perhaps I can start my mission."

Sasuno'o looked at her as he got ready to leave "Yes, that would be nice, send a letter home, tell them you're safe...get an update from each of the nations and their statuses.....and let me know when you're done, there's somewhere I want to show you." he said, he left the room and walked towards a balcony.

"Yes, Susano'o," Tsukaia said compliantly. She bit her lip at the thought of having to face her family again, but she'd already thought up the perfect excuse. Tekara, her death still shocked and surprised her, and she couldn't help but miss the woman, but she still loved Susano'o more than anything.

"I'll get started," she told him, rummaging for a pencil and paper. Finding some, she sat at a desk and spent a few more minutes just staring at the arrangement. What am I supposed to write...? she wondered. She let her mind wander a moment, before decided to get the letter over with.

"Dear Uncle Kouzai," it said. "I am grieving to write this, but I want you to know that I am fine and that I will return. To see Tekara die... it was too much for me to handle. I felt that I couldn't live with myself anymore, knowing my cousin was responsible for such a thing." She blinked at this, before shaking her head. Susano'o was an ambitious man. Tekara only stood in his way.

Resolved, she continued:

"I had managed to escape Susano'o, but I couldn't find the strength to return until now. Please, wait for me."

Sasuno'o put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you finished?" he asked calmly "I want to show you my....sorry...our kingdom, it is ours for ruling...together." Sasuno'o knelt down next to Tsukaia and kissed her. "You are my queen, my wife...and my only love" he said "What is mine is yours."

Tsukaia smiled and returned the kiss, comforted by his words. He was beautiful, both in appearence and mind. "I am glad I married you," she told him sweetly, then she gazed at him warmly. "I'd like that," she said.

"Same here" he said looking at her. He took her hand and guided her to his dragon. "Come, my love" he said "I will show you our land"

Tsukaia took Susano'o's hand, feeling a lovely heat pulse through and into her own. His skin was rough from long hours of training, scarred in some places. To Tsukaia, these were special, special hands.

She hesitated at the dragon for just a moment, then, shaking away the trepidation, she climbed aboard, seated just at the base of the creature's neck. She'd never rode on Susano'o's dragon before; it'd always seemed quite cranky, but it obeyed Susano'o without question. Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi had let her ride once, but she'd started to cry.

Moreover, she couldn't wait to see the kingdom. She'd only caught a glimpse of the world from her window. For a place called the 'Dark Nation', it certainly had an ethereal air to it.

Sasuno'o sat behind Tsukaia putting his hands around her waist to help keep her on the dragon. He looked at her "This seems natural to you...have you done this before?" he asked as they took off. He kissed her cheek as they flew through the sky.

Tsukaia felt a shiver down her spine, both from the height and Susano'o's gentle kisses. "N-not quite..." she admitted, gripping the saddle so tightly her knuckles turned white. Being with Susano'o calmed her down, but there must've been a thousand feet between them and the ground.

After a while she adjusted, eyes slighting stinging in the cool air above. The world below was green and fertile, but it seemed enraptured with a certain dark quality. Towns and villages passed below them, some fairing better than others. She looked behind her and saw the capital rising like a beacon in the morning light, throwing shadows over the land.

And Susano'o's hair blowing in the wind. The rising son created a golden glow around his bulking muscular form, almost making him seem holy. Beautiful, even so.

"I don't think our kingdom would ever be as beautiful as you," she told him, relaxing more. "But you are right. This place... this world is gorgous. Someday it will be all ours," she purred.

"It all ready is, my queen..." he said kissing her again "Allow me to show you, all my work..." Sasuno'o landed the dragon in a large platue. He walked over to a nearby cliff and looked down into the crater. "Look there" he said pointing at the crater "That....is our army, ours to command." He took her in his arms, smiling at her and kissed her again.