[Third Person]
Following the path of torii gates, they reached the top of the hill, where the main shrine complex stood. From there, the view of Kyoto city, stretching out in the valley, was breathtaking. The afternoon sun began its slow descent, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple.
They watched locals and other visitors approach the main temple hall. They saw the ritual: the purification of hands at the water fountain, the tinkling of coins tossed into the offering box, the two bows, the two claps, and the silent prayer with bowed heads.
"It's a way to show respect and make a wish to the gods or spirits of the temple," Kaelen whispered, the knowledge flowing from the translator pill. "Do you want to try?"
Padmé, who had prayed in the great temples of Naboo and spoken on the podium of the Galactic Senate, was moved by the simple, humble devotion of this place. She nodded.
They followed the steps of the ritual. The water from the bamboo fountain was cold and clear. They stood before the grand hall, the air smelling of incense and ancient wood. Kaelen tossed a small coin he had gotten earlier, and the sound resonated in the silence. Padmé did the same.
They bowed their heads.
In the quiet of her mind, Padmé did not ask for herself. She asked for peace for her galaxy. She asked for the safety of her people on Naboo. And finally, she asked that the man she loved, the one beside her, would never lose the kindness and light that made him him, no matter how much darkness they had to face.
Beside her, Kaelen closed his eyes. For the first time, he analyzed nothing. He calculated no probabilities. He simply felt. And in the silence of his heart, a single, overwhelming wish took shape. He did not ask for power, nor survival, nor the defeat of his enemies. He asked to be a good father. He asked for the strength to be the man his family would deserve. He asked that the love he felt for Padmé would always be the anchor that kept him human.
They finished their prayer and withdrew to the side, finding a solitary stone bench overlooking the city as it slowly lit up with the night's glow.
"What were you thinking about?" Padmé asked softly.
Kaelen smiled. "A bunch of complex variables. Paper crane aerodynamics, the chemical composition of incense, that sort of thing."
She playfully nudged him. "Seriously."
He laughed and turned to her, his smile fading, replaced by an expression of such profound sincerity that it stole her breath. He took her hands in his, the metal of his left arm strangely warm against her skin.
"I can't tell you my wish, Padmé. They say if you do, it won't come true," he said softly. "But I can tell you the truth. The truth of everything."
His gaze became distant for a moment, as if he saw across universes. "I have died once. I have lived in a galaxy on the brink of war. I have seen the face of interdimensional tyranny. I have rebuilt myself with metal and fear. I have seen things that would break the strongest mind into a thousand pieces."
His eyes refocused on her, and in them, Padmé saw his entire journey, all his pain, and all his love.
"And out of all of it," he continued, his voice cracking slightly. "Out of all the chaos, all the crazy science, all the possible universes I've seen or imagined... Padmé, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me."
Tears welled in Padmé's eyes, but she didn't hide them.
"Not just in this life," he insisted, squeezing her hands. "In any life. Out of all the infinite places and times, all the variables and constants, you are the one thing that makes sense. You are the best of all universes."
She couldn't reply. She simply leaned forward and kissed him, a kiss filled with all the words she couldn't say. A kiss that was a prayer and an answer, all in one.
They stayed there, embraced, as the last light of day faded and the lights of Kyoto glimmered like a galaxy at their feet. Their stolen honeymoon was drawing to a close. But in that temple, in that tranquil world, they had found something more than peace. They had found their center, their faith, not in gods or spirits, but in each other.
And with that certainty, they were ready to return home and face whatever storm awaited them.
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I have created another fanfic in case you like the SCP theme, you will like this one, I'll see you there ;)