Heart Burn (Kazuya/Abalia)

Valentines? Kazuya knew of the holiday, but he only related it to a similar celebration within his tribe before its extinction. Either way, he rarely cared for it, and with Valentines being a water downed version of it, he grew ignorant of it as well. However, back then, he had no one to call his own. Now that he does, he was unsure if he was expected to join in the festivities. His work had soon pulled him free from those thoughts though, and it was by the nuance of Ojo that he had prepared anything a week before the dutiful day. He remembers his sister's rambling about the importance of showing your love for another and that gifts are most appropriate for the day. Then, she spouted out nonsense about writing a letter of one's feelings, and Kazuya, bless his heart, found it weird to write a letter when he could simply relate his autistic heart to Abalia with his own mouth. It wasn't until he had arrived home to Abalia's letter the night before Valentine's that he finally sat down and fought his way through creating something that could even compete with something of this level. Kazuya could not look upon the best of Abalia's and return her gesture with any half-baked confessions of the heart. He had locked himself within his chambers, ignoring even his sister's pleas to help with his furnace roaring to match the beast-like growling of his heart as he compiled what made this specific woman such a fierce component of his life.

"Ad Cordis flamma,

Little have I written besides blueprints and work orders, but here I sit, pondering all night long on the perfect words that match the ramblings deep within my soul. How I could fill this page with the essence of my very being, with the energy that I create machinations with, but that would be but a mimicry of perfection, and for you, only perfection is allowed. Isn't it funny that I am far from such, yet your brilliant mind found the blemished clay I am worthwhile to mold. No. If I were to write a letter, it must contain that same care, love, and determination that I create everyday within my shop for my customers. No. It must hold even more of what I am capable of.

Already, my mind has left excessive print on this paper, and I am left to ponder what exactly is perfection when it comes to the heart. Every piece of metal I bend, every nail I create, every building I erect; they all remain within the confines of mathematical equations, but how is one to map out the beating of a heart. Maybe I should listen to the way it thumps when I am near you. Maybe I should pay close attention to every skip you force it to make. Maybe then I will come to understand this complicated equation and find a solution that would satisfy us both.

But, Oh! With but a letter, you've done exactly that. I cannot become a Kyorakku, my savant flame. But, do not fret. For now, I must answer your heart with my own. You will become a Kōga. Yes, that is what is missing from this masterpiece. It is but tradition for the man and woman to battle until one remains victorious, and if we must my Flame, we shall battle. That is the only way, our heart beats thundering and roaring until one is forced to follow the beat of the other. If I must, I will take your whole family and show them what it means to be a true tribe.

Prepare yourself, Cor flamma. This is not only a declaration of love, but it is one of war."


The letter arrived an hour before he did, a moment to allow Abalia to prepare himself before Kazuya arrived on the estate, his body burning with the same passion he only felt within his workshop. He did not come alone, for in his hand, he held the masterpiece he had constructed days before: a heart made of one solid diamond that he had forged with his own bare hands. Its size alone is enough to dwarf most men his size, yet he carried it in his arms. But, that is only one machination of his wondrous mind, and for her, he has the world as his canvas to bring her.

"Kyoraku Ichijou Abalia Sesshouin! Cor flamma! The day has come! Let us celebrate our coming battle!"

It was smart of Kazuya to give Abalia forewarning, so that she could give the children to Roman for a day out. After all, she had to imagine that this clash of theirs would hardly be a quiet or subtle matter, and she had no intention of startling the young ones with it. As he arrived, it became quite clear how correct that she had been, and Abalia met his intense gaze with one of her own, eyes sharp despite the gentle, faint smile she wore.

"Celebrating before the battle has even begun? Is that a matter of confidence, dear, or simply a means of tiring me?"

Not that she necessarily expected either one, but it was in Abalia's nature to ask those sorts of questions, to meet his unyielding presence with a cool and reserved retort. She had never exactly been a loud woman, and she wouldn't start now in retirement.

"War is a tradition. Battle is a celebration. Love is a revelation," Kyo started as his opponent approached.

He could not help but relive the message of his home, the olden ways that his tribe carried themselves. Everything was a competition. One could not simply ask a woman for their love. One must earn it through combat. Failure meant ridicule, but victory meant a long life of happiness. Though, longevity was never his people's forte. However, he knew the woman before him as no warrior, not in the sense that his people would fine worthwhile. He knew better of her though, of the brain underneath the lithe woman that could stop a raging bull dead in its tracks.

"I apologize for my rude intrusion, Miss Kyoraku. It was normal for such situations to be met with jovial excitement. Humbly, I've come to understand the depths of your heart, to see which of us are truly worthy to foster one's name."

With a small smile of his own, he left behind tradition to become better suited for how these things are handled in civilization. He has moved past what he once was, even if some traditions are best kept close.

"How romantic of you. Please, think nothing of rudeness or intrusion. I believe I have made my feelings on this matter quite clear by now, hm? You are more thsn welcome in this home."

Extending her hand, one far smaller and less rough than Kazuya's, Abalia simply continued to meet her lover's gaze head on. She was certainly happy with things as they were, but she had sent him that letter with conviction. She was not a woman who ever stood down.

"I have heard it said that the heart is infinitely deep, and that none can ever truly know the heart of another. But I, personally, think that nothing is truly incomprehensible. It is simply a matter of will."

And she, of all people, certainly had that in spades.

Outdated as his principals may be, Kazuya found them his only option. It made his experience with Abalia something extraordinary. His will is nothing before her, and if he were to approach her in any manner, only what his clan taught him seemed suitable. Approaching her in any normal matter is unacceptable. Dueling her in a battle of wits is completely out of the question. Not even his sporadic mind, capable of finding answers in any situation, could save him. Yes. All he could rely on is what his clan prided themselves over: brawns.

"I cannot win a war of wits, Miss Kyoraku."

Her hand, lithe like a child in his, found the mountain before her unmovable. He pulled her, lifting her from the ground into his one massive arm. Their bodies closed in, chest to chest as his fiery gaze bore down on her, his flames gentle. Holding her, securely, his expression lost its bite in favor of the tactical warrior he always was within his clan. A battle is not something he is suited for, but he understands his strength and his weaknesses enough to know when muscle is required.

"But you cannot win a test of strength. Mind and soul may be endless, but a body's limits never change."

Why? If he may, he turned from her home, easily carrying her away from the estate that she would feel the safest and strongest in. There is only one place he knows of where bodies could be molded, where his hands may shape anything into what he desires. It is not a far walk to his home.

"I will make it my task to find the limits of your heart, Abalia, and fill every corner of it with fire."

A less composed woman than she would certainly have been profoundly flustered at Kazuya's sudden confident act, but Abalia was unshakeable even in matters such as this. Instead, she simply offered a faint smile, even leaning into him as he chose to carry her.

"Oh? Yes, you are certainly correct. For all my achievements, bodily strength has never been something I have been capable of."

Not that she felt she needed it, of course. She had done much without it, and now she lived a life where she had no use for it. Abalia was all too content to leave this matter in Kazuya's hands.

"I have no doubt that your flame will warm my heart to its very furthest reaches, my dear."