An Ever-Burning Flame

Yukiko stood outside the cabin she had made her new home only a few weeks earlier, spending the majority of her time getting it fixed up. The once questionable looking place now looked like a home, no more broken windows or rotten steps. The place looked quite nice, a wrap around deck covered by an awning would make for a great place to spend summer evenings. The three bedroom, two bathroom home with an almost finished basement had cost a pretty penny even after being able to talk down the price and with all of the things that needed to be done to it but Yukiko honestly believed it was worth it, missing the homey feeling that living in a cabin brought. The feelings of isolation and loneliness that came from her childhood home would not be present here, able to share it with her friends and with the woman who had stolen her heart.

Thoughts of her and Kalina spending cold winter nights cuddling in front of the fireplace, spending warm summer evenings outside on the deck or outback beside the firepit. These thoughts filled her head and her heart with unparalleled warmth and comfort. To be able to share these things with Kalina was more than she could have ever hoped for. Over the almost two years that they had been together the two had grown closer, the love they shared for each other growing. Any fear that the fiery passion the had for one another ever burning out had all but completely disappeared as the inferno continued to rage between the queens of ice and lightning. The sound of footsteps behind her caused her to turn her head from the cabin to face the brunette beauty who seemed to only grow more beautiful with each year they spent together. She wanted her be the first to see the fruits of her hard work paying off, having invited her to see the home once Yukiko had gotten it to a presentable state. She quickly pulled her girlfriend into a hug, enjoying the warmth that she could feel from no other as she placed a chaste kiss onto Kalina's lips. "Welcome to Casa de Yukiko, doesn't it look great?!" She said in excitement, having her girlfriend see what she hoped to be their new home was only part of the reason she had invited Kalina up to the cabin. A month earlier, she had asked for Aldrich's blessing to marry his daughter during one of their training sessions. Said session then turning into an attempt to prove herself worthy of taking the Inari name, only getting her answer once the hellish session was done. She'd used the money she'd saved talking down the price of the cabin to buy a decent ring. "What do you say we get the tour started? We can probably start with the basement and work our way up." She said, struggling to find the will to remove her hands from her Kalina's sides.