Stories Unknown

Complete and Utter Bliss

Kai awoke to the sound of birds chirping; they were singing the song of morning, and joy, and all things good— because in that moment, nothing in the world seemed bad. He was in a room that was filled with light: the kind that was soft and warm. He was away from responsibility for the first time since the Rampion Crew had kidnapped him, and the relief was nearly overwhelming. And best of all, he had Cinder there with him, wrapped within his arms.

Her breaths came softly, almost like a sigh at every exhale. He knew that she too was experiencing some of relaxation that they both had become unaccustomed to. For her to sleep in past him was a near miracle, and Kai was glad that she was finally getting some rest.

It had been a long few weeks, what with the wedding and everything. The world had not stopped staring at them for months since they had announced their engagement, and now it was all over.

Cinder let out a slight groan, then breathed in deeply in that kind of way people tend to do when they're waking up from a restful sleep. Kai pulled her closer to him, closing his eyes and savoring this moment of simply holding the girl he loved.

"Good morning," Cinder yawned, turning her face so that she could look at Kai. He grinned at her, then placed a kiss against her cheek. She leaned back into him, releasing a sigh as she did so. Kai nuzzled his face in against her neck, breathing in everything that was her.

The day before had been one of the greatest of Kai's entire life. Of course it had been long, and there had been a few bumps in the road, but in the end, he had married Cinder and that had meant that the world was good. 

She had walked down the aisle in her oriental red and gold gown, stitched with the emblems of his country and her moon— with no veil in sight. Thorne had given her away, with tears in his eyes and a wink at Kai. They had stood at the altar, and Kai had not tried to stab her with scissors.

It had been everything that a person could wish for.

And then of course, they had made their vows— and Kai had meant every word of love that he had professed. They were pronounced as husband and wife, and then they had kissed in front of the entire world, a kiss that would have made poets weep and artists tremble.

They had kissed as if the world was ending— because it almost had, and they knew what it felt like. They kissed as if it were the first kiss of their entire life, because it was the first kiss of their life together. And after they had kissed, they had stared out at the world and smiled, silently daring anyone who opposed their union to tell them that they weren't perfect for each other in every way imaginable.

But all that could be heard were cheers: the hoorays of their greatest friends, the clapping of their regal guest, and the catcalls made by Thorne, as he wiped the residual tears from his face.

The memory of the day was something that Kai could never forget; it was one of those moments that people live for, and remember when everything else is going wrong.

And now, Kai was beside the woman that he loved more than anything else in the world, and he could have died in that moment, perfectly content.

Cinder brought her hand up and gently ran it through Kai's hair, playing with the inky locks. Kai kept his eyes shut, enjoying the peace of the moment.

"This is one of those moments," Cinder whispered, her fingers curling around a lock of Kai's hair. "That's just absolutely perfect."

"I would have to agree, my Empress," Kai said, smiling as he placed his lips against her neck.

"Don't start on that again," Cinder scolded, and Kai could imagine her giving him the stink eye.

Kai laughed, pulling back from her and propping himself up on his elbow so he could see her face— it was exactly as he had pictured it. "Well, it's either that or Mrs. Emperor Kaito, and that just sounds weird."

"Gah," Cinder groaned, turning so that she lay on her back, staring up at Kai. "Why can't you have a normal person name?"

"Cinder, we are some of the least normal people in the galaxy, and you're criticizing my name?" Kai asked, mock offended.

"Okay, fine, valid point, Mr. Linh Cinder."

"Um," Kai raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean Mr. Selene Channary Jannali Blackburn? Because I'm pretty sure that's the woman I married yesterday."

"It's just a pseudonym, detective," Cinder hissed, glaring at him.

Kai laughed, then leaned down and kissed his wife. She reached up and cupped his face, her metal fingers splaying across his cheek so gently, that Kai nearly forgot their coldness.

He remembered the first time that he met her at the marketplace, and how he had been so pleasantly surprised to meet the cute mechanic. He recalled the days that he had practically begged her to come to the ball with him, and the weeks after the ball in which he had agonized over her and the feelings that he felt towards her. He thought of the time she had kidnapped him, and how they had shared their real first kiss during those stolen weeks in space. 

His thoughts danced with the memories of a revolution in which she had been so brave, and the days thereafter that she had nearly died. The memory of finding her bleeding and dying on the throne room floor still caused him pain— the kind that twists a person's insides.

But after all the pain, there was only goodness. There had been the ball, and Scarlet and Wolf's wedding, and their engagement. There had been the months since Kai had placed that ring upon Cinder's finger that had allowed for them to be on the same planet for the first time in two years.

And after all that they had been through, both the good and the bad, they were now here together, in a beautiful little cottage in the French countryside. There was nothing in the whole world except them, and it was complete and utter bliss.

"I love you," Kai said, breaking the kiss. He stared into the eyes of his one and only love, and was filled with the purest sense of finally being at peace.

"I love you too," Cinder replied, smiling up at him for only a moment, before pulling his lips back to hers, and kissing him senseless.