The Beauty of the West: The Blue Route

Chapter Sixteen: Safe in the Arms of the Dragon

I loved being in the night market,  so long as there weren't any storms coming. It was a perfect, and clear night when we went this time in Oshu though.

It seemed that there was a kind of festival going on here.

"Masa, what's going on here?" I asked. I saw many people dressed up in amazing garments, that made me feel guilty that I didn't spend more time dressing up. There was drumming, and some people with a giant dragon puppet, doing a dance.

"Its a dragon festival. We have one here every 12 years. You just missed the last one when you first came to us." Masamune explained. "For the next week, we will be celebrating the Dragon. It's a big deal here."

Oshu was obsessed with Dragons. I noticed from the time I came to live there,  and even more so that Masamune was nicknamed after one.

"I see." I smiled.

"The drumming and fireworks are for tonight only. So I thought I'd take you."

"Fireworks?" I asked. I knew I had seen them before when I was little; before I found my family.

"Walk with me?" He held his hand out, romantically. I didn't know that such a side existed in Masamune.

He took me around the festival, and we saw dancing, and competed in a drumming competition. He was definitely the kind of guy that refused to lose to anyone else. He was more fun to watch, if anything, but he needed a partner.

"What, you've never hit a drum before?" Masamune laughed.

"Well, no! I never thought to, either!" I smiled.

"I'll show you. You go first." He stood behind me and held my hands, which  held my drumsticks for the enormous drum that lay before us. "Listen to the beat, and mimic it."

After we heard a beat, Masamune showed me how to properly drum. It was easy, and fun. After completing the first round I felt the competitive spirit in me too.

Every round the mimicking was more and more difficult.  Until the last round, where we had to make up our own beat.

"We got this. Right, (Y/N)?"

"Right!" I cheered a little too loudly. "We will take the prize!"

"Focus. And follow my lead." He smirked. We both had our own drum, and he started this amazing beat. Where the heck did he learn that? I followed along, making my own beat to compliment his.

....but the people there were professionals who competed in contests like this all the time. So Masamune and I didn't take first or second place. But we did get third!!!!

"Not bad for your first competition!" Masamune elbowed me as we were handed a small bronze Dragon for placing third.

"But we didn't win." I frowned.

Masamune crossed his arms and smiled. "Next time." He assured. "They won't even know what hit 'em!"

"....yes. Next time." I smiled in return. I grabbed his hand, and we continuedon our way. He bought me a dragon lantern, which I carried on my wrist for the remainder of the night.

After hours that I didn't even notice the passing of, it was finally time for the fireworks.  I hadn't seen any for a long time. I looked forward to seeing them. Masamune sat on a boulder with the perfect view of the sky.  He pulled my hands and led me to sit on his lap. He held me, with his arms tightly  around my waist.

"Having fun?" He asked, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"I am." I laughed. "Thank you for taking me here tonight Masa."

"It's not over yet." He whispered,  just as the first fireworks shot into the air.

I looked at the sparkles in the air as they exploded, then faded to nothing.  The loudness reminded me of thunder.  I felt like I should have been shaken from it, but those fears melted away in Masamune's arms. For a moment, I forgot the rest of the world existed.

The two of us sat and watched the hour long show, drinking hot tea. I almost didn't pay attention to the fireworks. I wanted to close my eyes, and get lost in the moment with Masamune. He was warm, and he smelled good.

Everyone cheered when the show was over. As they all began to clear out and vacate the area, Masamune sat still, holding me tighter, as if silently telling me not to move.

"We're out all night,  night as well stay out till sunrise." Masamune grinned.

"But why?" I laughed.

"It's the first sunrise of the new year. You're supposta make a wish."

The question was, could I stay up that long? I already wasn't at full energy when Masamune took me out to begin with. Now, he was talking about staying out till the sun came up.

"I don't know if I can..." I laughed nervously.  I said I didn't know if I could stay up all night, but in reality, I was positive that I couldn't.  But I wanted to try anyway, since it seemed so important to him.

"I'll carry you if you fall asleep."

I agreed, and began walking around with him, hand in hand. The walking kept me awake, but I began to slow down, immensely.

"Do you want to go back?" Masamune asked me.

"No, I'm okay. Not long until the sun rises huh?" I asked, hoping for an answer in my favor.

"Not too long." He answered. He was right. The sky was just a little brighter than the rest, towards the east.

Just as we saw the light of the sun, he told me to make a wish. But I had no idea what to wish for, I had everything I wanted: a family, a home, people that cared for me. Just as I thought about how lucky I was, my stomach grumbled. So I wished for ((f/f) favorite food). It sounded so yummy.

"What did you wish for?" I asked as he stood across from me and held my hands.

"I wished that you would say yes."

"Yes? Yes to what?"

He scooped me up into his arms.

"Marry Me?" He asked, as he began to carry me back home.

It didn't take much thought.  I had known Masamune since I was young, and I grew up with him. There would be no surprises in the way he behaved. I knew almost everything about him.

"Yes." I said plainly. He stopped walking and looked at me.

"I didn't think you would actually--" he cut himself off

"Well," I tightened my arm's grip around his neck as he carried me. "I love you. I have loved you for a very long time."

"Same." Was all he said. It slightly irritated me that he didn't specifically say he loved me, but thinking about it, it wasn't really his style. "What did you wish for?"

After all that, I didn't want to tell him that I wished for food.