Beta Enkauston Challenge! [ open to all ]

Saint Valentine's Day. Or, if you were in Japan, the day when women gave chocolates to men. Unlike in the west, gifts such as greeting cards, candies, flowers, or dinner dates were uncommon, most of the activity centered around giving the right amount of chocolate to each person. However, this wasn't Japan, this was the United States of America, but that hadn't stopped Melanie from giving Kazuya chocolates today. Although he wasn't obligated to give Melanie something back equaling to the amount of chocolates she gave him until March, he decided to forgo the tradition and make a gift for her. He'd still give her something back on White Day though. Standing in the kitchen of his house, Kazuya was in front of the fridge, grabbing the various ingredients he needed to make a nice dinner for just the two of them. The island counter already set up for a candlelit dinner, while a steak dinner was nice, it was also unoriginal. So instead, Kazuya was going to cook gyudon for her. With all his ingredients gathered, he would begin cooking, and skipping over to the completed dish, once he was done, it was time to get ready.

Ready for what you ask? For him to pick Melanie up of course. She had been working at the flower shop today, while he had been given a day off, and he was going to surprise her. He had planned for this carefully, making sure to drop absolutely no hints of what he was up to and acting nonchalant towards her when she asked if he would be her Valentine. The answer was obviously yes, but he had made sure to act indifferent up until the very last minute. After showering and washing up, he would get dressed, putting on a black suit, before pulling on his jacket on and heading out. Climbing onto his motorcycle, he'd then head to the flower shop, pulling up in front of it. Stepping up to the front door, he'd knock on it once, and wait. The door opening after a couple minutes, as Melanie came into view, he would glance down at her, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth at the look of surprise on her face. Moving his hands out from behind his back, he would produce a bouquet of roses mixed with carnations for her, as he would hold one hand out butler-style to her, his other hand tucked behind his back after she took the bouquet from him and ran back into the shop to change, returning in a nice, black dress.

"Shall we, Your Majesty?"

As she took his hand, he would lead the way to their ride, and after climbing on, would head back to his home. Telling her to close her eyes once they reached home, leading her by the hand, he would guide her to the island, where their dinner awaited. As she opened her eyes, he couldn't help but smile slightly seeing the look of surprise mixed with delight on her face as she took in the sight of the candlelight dinner, before his vision was filled with red hair as she leaped into his arms and embraced him. Pulling her chair out for her, he would open a bottle of sake and pour some for her into a small glass after pushing her chair in, before moving over to his own chair and taking a seat in it. After pouring a small glass for himself, he would raise his glass up in a toast, before pulling off the metal lid of the steamer that had been keeping their dinner hot, a small hot plate that had been running at a very low temperature underneath it. Dinner wasn't the only thing he had planned for tonight though. He had already made preparations for Melanie to stay the night, because he knew as well as anyone, she wasn't going to be going back to her place, on this night of all nights. It would've been perfect if they were in Paris, or even Venice, which would've been no trouble with his private jet, but alas, the wall that rose above the district like an imposing titan, kept them all trapped inside, liked caged animals at a zoo.

As it were, he had to make do and improvise. Once dinner was finished and the dishes washed and put away, leading Melanie to the living room, a pile of cushions Kazuya had prepared beforehand greeted her. As he gently pulled her down with him, gently leaning her back against the cushions, he would then move behind her and begin to massage her neck and shoulders, his strong, rough hands exposed to the trials and tribulations of fighting and training. And surprisingly (or not), he was a very good masseuse. His hands skillfully working out the knots in her shoulders, the heat from his higher than normal body temperature helping with any aches she might have, he would lift his hands up for a moment as Melanie turned onto her stomach, the straps of her dress slipping down and off her shoulders, almost as if to tease and playfully torture Kazuya at a view he would not get to see. As he resumed massaging her, he would unzip her dress and pull it down a bit, exposing the top of her back, as he would slowly move down from her shoulders to her back. Moving to lean over behind her, unzipping the back of her dress completely, his hands would slowly caressing down her back, like a snake silently slithering along the ground. Once he was finished, climbing to his feet, he would hold his hand out to her, much like a butler, and would lift her up to her feet, before leading her to the bathroom, where a hot bath awaited her.

Running the water for her hot bath, while normally, he would've left her to her own devices, but as he knew she wanted him with her, would join her in the bath once the tub was filled. After finishing their bath, clad in just a towel wrapped around his waist, he would lead her upstairs to his bedroom, pulling her into his embrace once in his room, as the sound of drops of water would be heard hitting the roof of his home, dancing along and off the stage that was the roof, followed by a sudden downpour of rain falling, the shoji doors he had slid open slightly, revealing the sitting area overlooking the back of his home, letting in the clean, fresh scent of the rain flow into his room. His arms wrapped around her, holding her in his strong embrace, their time together had only just begun. And the night was young, as they say.

Vive L'Amour.