"Mm..."
A muffled sob thick with nasal emotion escaped Satsuki's throat. Her eyes instantly reddened, and glistening tears quickly welled up.
She gave Naruto no time to panic or feel at a loss upon seeing her cry. Before the tears could truly fall, she sharply sniffed, her voice clearly choked with emotion as she tried hard to maintain a little "dignity" and spoke in a reproachful tone.
"Idiot... Why did you only say it now...?"
That sentence held far too many emotions—relief after such a long wait had finally received an answer, grievance brought on by an overwhelming rush of happiness, the clumsy inability to express love when it had reached its deepest point, and a tiny, entirely unreasonable pout at him for "dragging things out" until now.
Right now, she felt as though she were floating on clouds, her feet soft and unsteady, everything unreal. A scene she had dreamed of countless times had truly arrived, in a way far beyond her imagination. Along with wild joy came a dizzying, weightless fear that she might wake up and discover it had all been a dream.
Seeing her hold back tears, both reproachful and delighted, Naruto's heart ached and softened. He could not spare a thought for anything else as he eagerly asked.
"Then... does Satsuki agree?"
Satsuki immediately nodded hard. "Mm! I agree!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she stopped looking at the gift box containing the white wedding kimono and forgot all about the dazzling wedding ring. None of it mattered more than the living, breathing man before her, the one proposing to her.
Carried by a soft breeze and a heart full of joy, she threw herself into Naruto's arms.
Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, her cheek buried deep in the warmth