(((((I WANT MY REVIEW AND MY POWER STONE,GIVE ME REVIEW)))))))))
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Chapter 15: Defining Bonds
The fire in Balmoral Castle's cozy wing crackled softly, casting a warm glow over Tsunade and Edward as they sat on a tartan rug, the Highland night pressing against the windows.
Tsunade's bandaged arm rested in her lap, her amber eyes distant, still wrestling with the shock of her low bone density and her chakra's failure on the ridge.
Edward, beside her, felt the weight of her vulnerability, his heart urging him to bridge the unspoken gap between them.
Their hands, entwined from their earlier talk, anchored him, and he knew it was time to name what had grown between them—a bond beyond protector and shinobi, beyond prince and advisor.
Tsunade was speaking, her voice low, pragmatic, musing about her chakra's loss.
"If this world's air binds it, prince, I need to—"
Her words cut off as Edward leaned in, his blue-gray eyes intense, and gently pressed his lips to hers.
The kiss was soft, deliberate, a declaration that stilled the room.
Tsunade froze, her reserved nature flaring with embarrassment, her cheeks flushing beneath her diamond forehead mark.
No man had ever dared such intimacy in Konoha, her strength a shield against suitors.
But Edward's warmth, his steady presence, melted her hesitation.
She leaned into him, returning the kiss, her lips tentative but earnest, a shinobi's courage meeting her heart's quiet longing.
The firelight danced on their faces, their breaths mingling, the moment a fragile bridge between their worlds.
When they parted, Tsunade's eyes avoided his, her embarrassment lingering, but a faint smirk curved her lips, her dry humor surfacing.
"Warn me next time, prince," she murmured, her voice soft, a spark of trust beneath her reserve.
Edward's heart raced, his resolve firm.
He took her uninjured hand, his voice low, raw with emotion.
"Tsu, I don't want to just protect you. I want us—together, for real. In the near future… will you be my wife?"
The words hung, bold and vulnerable, his ducal poise stripped away.
Tsunade's eyes widened, her pragmatic mind reeling, but her heart answered before her doubts.
"Wife?" she whispered, her voice catching, the concept foreign yet stirring.
In Konoha, love had been a luxury she'd forsaken for duty.
Here, with Edward, it felt possible.
She nodded, her amber eyes locking with his, a rare vulnerability shining.
"Yes, prince. I… agree."
She reached for the necklace around her neck—the Tsunade necklace, its green crystal glinting, a relic of her grandfather, the First Hokage, and a symbol of her heart's guarded trust.
Her fingers trembled as she unclasped it, the weight of the act heavy.
"This necklace," she said, her voice low, steady, "is important to me. It's my past, my strength. And you, prince—you're important too. I want you to keep it."
She pressed it into his hand, her touch lingering, a shinobi's vow deeper than words.
Edward's breath caught, the crystal warm in his palm, her trust a gift he hadn't earned.
"Tsu," he said, his voice thick, "I'll guard it with my life."
He met her gaze, his heart swelling.
"And you—will you let me be your husband in the future?"
Her smirk softened, her reserved intensity yielding to a quiet joy.
"Yes, prince," she said, her voice firm, her amber eyes bright.
"My husband."
The word, foreign yet fitting, sealed their pact, their futures entwined.
Edward leaned in, kissing her again, deeper this time, her response eager, their lips a dance of promise.
His kisses trailed downward, brushing her collarbone, the warmth of her skin igniting him.
He moved lower, his lips grazing her neck, her shoulder, every touch a vow to mark her as his, not with possession but with love.
Tsunade's breath hitched, her hands tangling in his chestnut hair, her reserved nature giving way to passion.
She pulled him closer, her kisses fierce, a shinobi's strength in her embrace, their bodies pressing together in the firelight.
They sank to the rug, the world fading—Malin's shadow, her chakra's loss, the bear's attack—replaced by their shared heat.
Edward's hands roamed, reverent, leaving trails of warmth, his desire to claim her tempered by care for her bandaged arm.
Tsunade, emboldened, mirrored him, her touch bold yet tender, their intimacy a tapestry of trust and longing.
They spent the night intertwined, their bodies and hearts woven together, the Highland night their sanctuary.
By dawn, they lay beneath a blanket, Tsunade's head on Edward's chest, the necklace's crystal glinting in his hand.
A distant howl echoed outside, perhaps a wolf, a reminder of the world's dangers.
Edward tightened his hold, his mind flickering to the V.M. letter and Angus's report of human tracks.
Their love, newly named, was a beacon, but shadows loomed—Malin, the rift, Tsunade's fragility.
Yet in her warmth, her steady breath, he found resolve, their future a fight worth waging.
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