| Chapter VII: Drinks All Around! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuro Arashi: The Black Storm chapter | ||||
 | ||||
| Focus Character | Motoko Nakakami, Seno Nakakami | |||
| Place | Hinata-Sou, Shinmeiryu Dojo | |||
| Chapter Chronology | ||||
| ||||
- "It felt right, deep inside, when I informed the others that my name had changed. That one little gesture, a bit of ink on paper, and my life had taken on an entirely different meaning."
- —Motoko Nakakami, Heavenly Sword, Revised Edition
The seventh chapter of Kuro Arashi: The Black Storm. This chapter features the newly wed couple of Seno Nakakami and Motoko Nakakami.
Chapter Synopsis[]
The chapter begins shortly after the previous, with Tsuruko Aoyama entertaining Naru Narusegawa and Keitaro Urashima as they all three dine on lunch. Motoko and Seno are absent, both instead at the Shimeiryu's bath, where Motoko is aiding seno in washing the wounds he received during the duel at Kyoto.
The newly engaged couple trades conversation at the hot springs. Seno eventually begins to sing, the tenor of his voice lulling Motoko to sleep. He shortly joins her.
Tsuruko peaks in on them to find the couple dozing and leaves them be. She returns to Naru and Keitaro and chuckles, stating she believes it won't be long until her sister and Seno marry. Keitaro and Naru are initially shocked, but Tsuruko goes on to explain that she just believes she should reward Seno and Motoko with what they came to Kyoto seeking in the first place and states that while this ceremony here would be private and small, the couple was more than welcome to have a larger one for everyone else later.
Some time later, Seno awakens in bed. Motoko is with him, and he is content to watch her sleep, realizing that he wished to protect her due to his love for her. Tsuruko speaks up, sitting in the corner of the room. She explains that the couple is in her guest bedroom. Motoko awakens shortly and Tsuruko drives right to the point, asking if a wedding ceremony that evening would be acceptable.
Initially a little apprehensive about a speedy wedding, the couple swiftly comes to realize Tsuruko only has good sense and reasoning behind it, and the couple realizes they are on board for the idea. Tsuruko leaves after they agree tonight is fine and Tsuruko leaves, stating they ought to find her when they were ready.
The couple converses for a moment, Seno going on to reassure Motoko that her new found openness towards love has only strengthened her, not weakened her. She goes on to state that she will continued to practice the sword, but knows how important her love to Seno is to her.
The scene shifts to a Shinto shrine, where Tsuruko knelt, Naru and Keitaro nearby as witnesses. Traditional wedding practices take place, with trading of drinks between the couple, but as Tsuruko opens her mouth to speak, Motoko cuts her off and Seno explains that they wish to speak vows that they have decided upon already. Tsuruko allows it, and Seno and Motoko speak the Mandalorian wedding vows.
The ceremony dwindles off, with Tsuruko stating that Motoko ought to trust her heart as to whether or not she should change her last name. Motoko affirms she will take Seno's surname. The elder swordswoman then binds the newlywed's hands together for lack of rings, statign they can go ring shopping tomorrow. She then states that it is much too late for the couples to return to Hinata, so she will make arrangements for all four of them to stay the evening.
The chapter shifts on to the morning after the ceremony and the newly wed couple wakes up in each other's arms. They shortly leave to join Keitaro, Tsuruko and Naru for breakfast. During that time, Tsuruko entrusts Shippu to Motoko and mentions that she is doing so because of future harships to come. Realizing that Tsuruko most assuredly means the spirit that was previously posessing Seno, Motoko grimly accepts her new shoulder pet and states that they have plenty of preperations to handle.
As couple then spend the day at a mall, procuring proper wedding rings and various gaming devices as well as spending a few hours in the arcade together, the chapter begins to dwindle down, finally closing with the four friends returning home and the newly weds greeting Kitsune and Shinobu as a married couple.
Characters[]
References to Other Media[]
- Armageddon
- Battlefield
- Dance Dance Revolution
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Final Fantasy VII
- Independence Day
- Motion on a Fourth-Dimensional Plane by tru7h nd 0rd3r
- Star Wars
Trivia[]
- Shippu is incorrectly referred to as male in this chapter.