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It ain't like Watarase's blind. Quite the opposite, in fact. He sees things a lot of other folk don't tend to notice—the cracks in tree branches holding too much snow, the way freshwater fish move in the water compared saltwater fish, the way sun rises on cloudy days is different than how it rises on sunny days.
But this traveler—Kaguya, she says her name is—turns his gaze away from all that and toward her. Unusual eye colors are common in Azuma, but he ain't ever seen a shade of pink quite like that. He's never paid much attention to the way people moved their hands, but hers? They move like water on a clear day. Her fingers play with the breeze the way bards' fingers move along their instrument strings.
Her laugh changes with the seasons, too.
In spring, it's soft, shy; like she's a flower ready to blossom. In summer, it crackles like a firework waiting to go off. In autumn, it's self-assured and gentle on the wind. In winter, it ripples the water and scares the fish just a bit. Loud, joyful. Something about the cold warms her—and her laughter lights a fire in his heart.
It ain't like Waterase's blind. Quite the opposite, in fact.
He sees the way she nudges Murasame's shoulder with her own when they walk together. He takes note of the way her gaze lingers on Kurama just a bit too long, and how her cheeks turn hot when someone notices. He wonders if there are some things he just doesn't see; not everyone helpin' her save Azuma comes this far.
Then she surprises him.
It's her second winter in Azuma, and she's sat in the boat in front of the fishery, talkin' about how Suzu and Kotaro went to the fireworks festival together, and she cuts herself off.
"You alright?" He asks. He's never known her to hold back her words.
Kaguya flushes, pressing the tips of her pointer fingers together. "I've just been thinking about something."
"Yeah?"
"Yes."
He laughs, eyes crinkling as his legs kick, dangling from the dge of the dock he's sitting on. "Well go on, then! Don't leave me hangin' in suspense."
She takes his hands, takes a breath. "I love you."
Watarase takes one hand back, curling it to a fist before thumping his chest. His eyes are wide and disbelieving. "You're surrounded by—by gods, and warriors, and you love me?"
"I really do." Kaguya's voice is soft. "I had feelings for the others, true, but you've been the boat steadying me through all of this. You've been the place where I can just… Be myself. No titles, no pact, no dragon. Just Kaguya, a foreign traveler from a far-off village, with no expectations. You see me."
The mask comes off and he presses a gentle kiss to her mouth. It doesn't last long; the emotion behind it is clear all the same. When he pulls back a bit, tears shine in his eyes.
"I love you, darlin'. Thank you for choosin' me."
Watarase ain't blind, but there are things other people have to show him before he can see.