Aria's P.O.V.
Hanzo sat at the only table in the small house, cleaning his bow and arrows. I sat on the floor near him as I meditated, my eyes closed and my legs crossed. My breathing was slow and matched the almost silent rhythm of his humming, and my wings were spread out nearly at their full length.
"I have never once seen you meditate so calmly." Hanzo's voice startled me out of my trance.
"I normally don't find my inner peace as easily as I just did." I whispered as I stood up and stretched, my wings disappearing from sight as they folded up.
"What is the point of your wings disappearing like that?"
"It makes it easier to move around. My body structure is small, and my wings make it harder to fit through doorways and small halls. It also makes me at least seem to be human. Although, the bluish grey skin doesn't really help me blend in."
"Your skin was once red, correct?"
"Near the beginning of my punishment, yes. It turned this strange color a few years later. I believe it was after I stopped listening to my previous master."
I walked into the small kitchen area and started preparing yet another Japanese styled dinner. Hanzo preferred eating with chopsticks, and not many meals outside of the Asian variety were made for them.
"What is it that you are making tonight?" Hanzo asked from the table.
"We don't have very many choices of meat. I need to go to the store one day this week to restock. I can make Katsudon with pork if you'd like?" I answered.
"We had that the other night."
"Fine. I'll just make sushi. I don't feel like frying any meat tonight."
"I thought you don't like raw meats."
"I'm not wasting time making cooked sushi."
"Just make the Katsudon."
"You just said we had that the other night."
"I'm fine with eating the same dish if it is what you prefer."
I stared at the Japanese man before grabbing a handful of ingredients out of the fridge. I could feel Hanzo's eyes on me while I cooked.
~
"Traditionally, the entire group cooks when Sukiyaki is being made."
"You can shove that tradition crap down my throat as much as you like, Hanzo. You were busy, and I was hungry. I wasn't going to interrupt your much needed bow cleaning just to watch meat cook."
Hanzo chuckled, a low sound. I smiled as I set the sizzling pan of food on the table, making sure to set it down on a potholder so the table wasn't ruined. I set a plate and a bowl down in front of him, and I held a raw egg out to him. He smiled as he took the egg, and I watched him crack it against the bowl.
"You do not have to eat it with raw egg." He said as I held up my own egg.
"I'm going to. It's the correct way to eat Sukiyaki, and I don't want to upset my Japanese boyfriend just because I refused to eat it with raw egg."
Hanzo shook his head as he broke his pair of chopsticks apart. He easily grabbed a bunch of meat and vegetables from the pan and dipped it into the raw egg, but he put it on the plate instead of eating it right away. I watched in curiousity when he continued to do it, and I gasped when he held the plate of food out to me.
"The pan is hot, and the grease is popping. I do not want you to be harmed." He explained.
I took the plate and gave him one that wasn't covered in food, but he shook his head. I smiled as I sat down in my seat next to him, and we ate together in silence, his occasional slurping being the only noise in the entire house.
~
"Hanzo, can I brush your hair?"
"Why?"
"We haven't been home like this in a long time, and you've only ever worn your hair up. It's probably knotted and tangled."
"If you insist on doing it, go ahead."
I giggled like a child as I went to the bathroom and grabbed the hairbrush we shared. I returned to where he was, and I smiled as he removed the ribbon from his hair. The black strands fell past his shoulders.
"You'd never think your hair was this long." I whispered.
"I need to get it cut." He replied.
I hummed and gently ran the brush through his hair. His muscles relaxed after a minute, and I smiled when I heard his soft snores. I set the brush down and shook his shoulder lightly. He jumped awake, but he settled down when he looked at me.
"Let's go lay down. You must be tired if you're falling asleep while I brush your hair." I said.
I held my hand out to him, and he didn't hesitate to take it. I pulled him to his feet and led him to the bedroom. We both moved the blanket out of the way as we laid down, and he fixed it while I tried to get comfortable. It only took him a second to pull my body against his, and I instantly melted into the comfort of his radiating body heat and the feel of his skin on mine.
"Hanzo?" I whispered.
"Yes?" His breath fanned over the back of my neck.
I turned to face him, and I smiled when I saw the peaceful expression he held on his face. I reached up with one hand and played with his hair, and he let out a low moan.
"Aria?" He whispered, opening his eyes.
I moved closer, and his eyebrows pulled together as he watched me. I continued to play with his hair, and his breath caught in his throat when I brushed my lips against his.
