NOVPUB"Stay still, my dear. This will be over in just a second."
Izanami tried to resist the tickle on her skin as a paintbrush glided across her throat.
Making herself stay still until Sif was done with her was one of the most difficult things she'd done all week.
Perhaps it was nice that the grand total of the struggles she'd gone through recently was this and having her sides in pain from laughing too hard.
This was a happiness she had never known. A bliss she never wanted to let go of.
Which was precisely why she wanted to go through with this.
Eden was as beautiful as always. During the daytime, the entire sky was a permanent shade of rosy sunset pink.
The air was crisp and clean. It seemed almost sweet to inhale, like breathing in cotton candy.
The weather was perfect. Not too warm to be uncomfortable, and not too cold to need the clothing that they had left behind at home.
Various stretches of mystifying plains spread out for a virtual eternity. Any greenery here glowed a soft milky-white color that was soothing to look at. When underfoot, it felt no different from walking on clouds.
A great lake that resembled liquid gold sat undisturbed beside the realm's one and only structure- a marvelous long cabin with a large porch and a sweet 'homey' feel.
Animals here were few and far between. Mostly small plain wanderers who were no bigger than the average house cat. No fearsome predators of any kind could be found here.
There weren't even insects.
"All done, my love. Open your eyes."
Izanami's eyelids fluttered open after a lengthy period of keeping them shut.
The first thing she saw was Sif's beautiful blue face smiling back at her.
She had the same painted-on markings on her neck and forehead that Izanami now had.
And when she looked past her big blue darling, she saw that Abaddon and Ayaana had the exact same marks. Their hands and feet had also been painted on.
Where one of you steps, let the presence of the others always be felt by those in your surroundings.
Whatever one of you touches, let the others' guiding hands help to strengthen your own.
Let your words carry the strength and purpose of the others multiplied a hundredfold. So much so that those outside of your union cannot even bear the weight of your conversation.
May your minds be so connected that you know each other's fears and worries without hearing them out loud. May you also possess the knowledge of how best to assuage them.
Izanami had seen Tehom wedding tradition unfold on television several times. She just didn't think that she would ever get to take part in it for herself.
As Abaddon, Ayaana, Sif, and Izanami stood in a circle beneath the sky, they were as bare as the day that they came into the world.
They stood in silence, marveling at the sight of each other. And with no officiant and no guest list, they were free to do so for an unhealthily long amount of time.
But eventually, they remembered that the show must go on.
Will you have us? The three asked at once.
Izanami's eyes filled with crystal-like tears. She wiped her face as she shook her head fervently.
At her acceptance, a dull glow encased their bodies in unison.
The paint applied to their skin soaked into their bodies permanently, creating disappearing tattoos that only they could see.
May this ceremony link your past, present, and future bodies and souls. Assuring that at no point in time will you be without each other's valuable comfort.
Izanami's crying didn't persist for long.
She wasn't sure who hugged her first, but a warm body took her to the ground before her eyes had fully dried up.
After one body, there came another. Then another, and then two more, and...
Izanami was buried in a dogpile of heavenly bodies. In the short span of time she had been married, Izanami had come to know her partners by touch and smell alone.
She thought that was the pinnacle of their marital connection. But it didn't even feel like a scratch on the surface now.
She could sense the blood rushing through their bodies. Their pulses quickened as they held themselves back from devouring her unmercifully.
It was euphoric.
Her own breathing soon became out of rhythm.
As she hyperventilated, her eyes formed distinctive heart-like pupils that glowed red.
Her heart was so full that it felt like it could burst.
- 2 Months Later...
Abaddon yawned as he opened the refrigerator.
With his eyes still half closed, he plucked out a carton of orange juice and handed it to an equally groggy Seras.
She looked at it and held out her other hand for a second carton. Abaddon was too sleep-deprived to laugh.
"Someone's thirsty.." He joked.
Seras flicked the cap off the lid with ease and started drinking straight from the carton.
Similar to how some people stress eat, Seras boredom drinks.
Whenever there is an extended period when she can't use her body or train, she begins drinking a lot. Her hope is that the excess liquids will fill her stomach and make her want to move around less than normal.
This was the first time Abaddon had seen her do it since she carried Gabbrielle.
Seras finished off a gallon of orange juice in one hand and then cracked open the other like it was a simple chaser.
Abaddon was going to tell her that he actually wanted some too, but he was halfway certain Seras might bite him if he asked.
"Good morning!"
Seras choked, and orange juice came dribbling out of her nose.
Trying to restrain herself from a coughing fit, she turned around to find Izanami standing there, wide-eyed and wearing a big smile.
"What are you two doing up so early?" She asked innocently.
Seras held out her chin as Abaddon wiped her face. "Just having a bit of trouble sleeping, love. I hope we didn't wake you."
Actually, Seras was the one having trouble sleeping. She woke Abaddon up because she didn't want to be awake by herself.
Izanami shrugged nonchalantly. "No, I was fine. This is right around the time I wake up and draw pictures of you while you're sleeping anyway..."
Abaddon and Seras had noticed that Izanami had become a lot more... obsessive ever since they had their wedding ceremony.
...They never thought a person could make them this attracted without even putting in any effort.
Izanami noticed that Seras had two cartons of orange juice in her hands, and her confusion became written across her face.
Seras hid the cartons behind her back and smiled nervously. "I... just realized that I forgot to drink anything yesterday, so I guess I'm just doubling up."
"We did a wine tasting yesterday...?"
"Y-Yeah, but I didn't actually drink it." Seras corrected.
Abaddon's eyes were barely open, but he was still listening to Seras crash and burn. She never really was much of a good liar.
Izanami smiled at her knowingly as she took away the carton that still had some orange juice left.
"This sudden thirst of yours... does it have something to do with the reason why you've been so jittery over the past couple of days?"
"W-Who's jittery, you're jittery..." Seras turned away.
Izanami opened up the cabinet and pulled down a glass.
After pouring out a bit of orange juice, she brought the glass to Abaddon's lips and the dragon immediately showed some signs of life.
"...She's just anxious because she hasn't stabbed anything recently."
"Babe!" Seras threw out her fist, but Abaddon avoided it by just a hair.
Izanami continued to stare at Seras with big, innocent eyes.
It was clear that she still wanted to know the truth, but she wasn't rushing Seras to tell her. Rather, it was just the opposite.
Seras caved almost instantly.
"A-Alright, fine! I'm sorry, babe, but I'm going crazy from honeymooning! I want to enjoy you and everyone else, but I also need to train! I need to hit something so badly my skin is crawling!"
Izanami's innocent gaze turned into one of confusion.
"So... Why don't you?"
"O-Oh. Erm.." Evidently, Seras wasn't expecting to be asking such a direct question. "I just thought you wouldn't like it. Thoughts of death and murder and mayhem don't exactly gel with a lovey-dovey atmosphere."
Izanami scratched her head. "Well, it's not like you're running off or anything... I don't mind. Why did you think I would?"
"She has self-esteem issues..." Abaddon said into his glass of orange juice.
Seras punched again, this time striking her husband in the Adam's apple.
While Abaddon went down, Seras went back to blushing like nothing had happened.
"I just... kind of wanted our honeymoon to be all about us and being happy." She admitted.
"Well, just because we're on our honeymoon doesn't mean you can't still care for yourself... You can go out and get all the 'exercise' you like."
Seras' eyes sparkled. "You mean it..?"
"Of course I do."
The red dragoness let out an excited squeal.
She turned towards her husband and prepared to haul him outside immediately. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"Come on, babe! She says we can..."
"Zzz..."
In the brief time in which she had come clean, Abaddon had curled up on the kitchen floor and gone back to sleep. Even using his wings to shield him from the light.
Unlike before, he showed no signs of waking up anytime soon.
"...Maybe we should just go back to bed first."
