[Fluff, Furry]

"There's the last Yen..."

"...My dear, there's something we can do to get through these tough times. But..."

"But, my dear..?"

"You have to promise me something."

"Anything for you. You know that ever since we first laid our eyes on one another... I've been smitten with you. There's nothing in the world that's going to keep you from me."

"I'm glad. But you have to stay away. Just for the night."

That was the conversation that had happened the previous day. The conversation that started everything. And here the young man, who had total faith in his wife, sat as he watched the stars above.

He did not know why his wife wanted him to stay away from their bedroom while the night sky passed on by. But he trusted her. So he wouldn't a thing. He would be betraying her trust if he went inside. And if he did... He wasn't sure that he could live with himself, after having seen the disappointed look on her face.

The circumstances behind how they got together were frankly fantastical enough that he would never dare disappoint her. All that happened was that the two saw one another as they passed by each other on the road. And from that moment onward, from the moment he laid his eyes on that beautiful woman... He knew that their love was destined to be. She certainly agreed, with how she practically let him carry her home.

And now, weeks after their marriage... They had run out of funds. They barely had enough scraped by to make it all the way to the wedding. So it didn't surprise him that they had run out. All that bothered him at this point was the fact that he couldn't do anything to help. He did not know how to read, and his understanding of the tools of the trade were next to none. He genuinely relied on whatever his beloved wife had cooked up.

So for the time being, until the stars would align and he would pass out and slumber through the dreams that were filled with images of his wife... Until then, he would watch them pass on by.

All for the sake of keeping her trust in him...

---

When he laid his eyes upon his wife the following morning, there were two things that stood out to him.

The first was her sheer beauty. Despite the fact that she had been working throughout the night for their sake, she looked as beautiful as ever. Her long white locks, with those gentle red roots, were untouched. Her white kimono fitted her as it always did, and the look in her eyes, the look that had made him fall in love with her... It was all there. None of it was touched in any adverse manner.

The second? It was the gently folded up in her arms. It was more than enough to make his jaw drop in surprise. She had managed to weave something as intricate as a delicate outfit like this, all in the span of a night? He was surprised, to say the least. Not just because of how much work she had put in, but the fact that she didn't seem winded or anything.

"This is... We can make a fortune if we sell this, my dear..." The young husband said as he gently shuffled closer, though his eyes were not focused on the clothes. It was focused on her. "But... Are you sure you're alright? You spent the entire night in there. I... I just want to know if you really are alright."

The gentle-hearted young wife nodded and let her lips curve into a pursed smile. "It is because you trust in me that I can weave for such long hours, my dear." She said, gently reaching up to cup his cheek. "Do not worry. This won't happen again. We'll live together in peace from now on. Just you and I, living off what we sell this for."

He believed her from the bottom of his heart. But at the same time, he knew it wouldn't last. Not with the government's methods of taxing peasants like the two of them. So one way or another, this situation would crop up again.

He just hoped that it would take years...

---

It only took about a week. As it turned out, working within the confines of the law, when you barely had the skills to get through the day without messing up... And then messing up trying to cook for your wife to try and make her smile in exchange for everything she had done to help you... It cost a pretty penny.

"...Do you really have to do this once again, my dear?" The young husband said as he looked at his beloved, a worried look in his eye. He didn't want this to happen again. Mostly because he didn't want her to strain herself. Even if she had shown no signs of injury or stress after the last incident.

His wife slowly nodded, as she brushed her hand through her hair. "For you, my dear... I'd do anything. Don't worry. All that you need to do is wait for me. Then, in the morning, we'll have two kimono that can be sold on the market. We'll be able to live without issue for two weeks... Then I'll do it again after we run out, until we can live without the threat of running out of money hovering over our heads."

Despite the reassuring words that left her lips, the young husband couldn't help but tremble. Not because he wanted to break her trust. But because he felt frustrated that he couldn't help out their family as much as she could. "I wish that it didn't have to come to this. But... As long as you remain safe, my dear. I'll do what it takes to wait for you to finish. Just make sure that you remain safe. Alright?" He asked, reaching for her hand and cupping it with both of his.

"I will. All so we can live happily ever after, my dear..."

---

It was another night of sitting under the stars. Another night of putting his absolute trust in his wife. Another night of sitting there, just waiting for his body to let go of its consciousness, and pass out as the moon shone down on him.

He trusted her completely. But at the same time, he had to reflect on the way that they met. It was an absolute coincedence. They just passed by one another, and he was struck by her beauty. And yet... Why did she choose him? It was something that he had always thought about. Something that worried him at his core. Because if he wasn't worth it, because if he thought that this had all been one big fluke... He wasn't sure what he was going to do. That was why the thought always dwelled on his mind.

If only he could pay her back for everything she had done to help him. Whether it was marrying him when he was little more than an ordinary man, or helping them live by weaving together these beautiful outfits. It wasn't right for her to do all the heavy lifting... Not because he wasn't proud of it. But because it made him feel utterly and completely useless. Because he wanted nothing more than to see her smile as he made sure that they could keep living together without any worries.

And yet, the burns on his hands from the scalding water... The many cuts that he had suffered because he wasn't cutting the food in the right way. The many ways that he had tried to make himself useful, and just utterly failed at it because he hadn't been taught properly, only for his beloved wife to help him up despite it all. It was... It wasn't humiliating. It was comforting to have her help him. But he just wished that he could help her, just as much as she had helped him.

So for now, this is the way that he would help her. By trusting in her. By knowing that as long as he remained under this night sky, she would be able to finish her weaving... And they would be better off, living on whatever coin they could get...

---

He noticed something different this morning. And it wasn't just that the kimono that his wife had weaved were utterly and completely beautiful, just like the last one she had made that put them on the proverbial map.

It was that her hair seemed ever so slightly off. And that she hadn't properly adjusted her kimono. And that there seemed to be the slightest hint of bags under her eyes. He would only be able to notice these things if he paid attention to her as much as he did. Which was why his heart very nearly burst from his chest out of a mild sense of shock.

"Are you... Are you absolutely sure that you're going to be alright, my dear?" He asked her, without reaching out. He didn't want to seem like she shouldn't do this. He knew that she did this entirely out of her own free will. And to try and dissuade her with any sort of physical act would make him feel despicable. To try and shake her out of this would be abuse. He couldn't touch her. Not while he was this worried.

And yet, despite the worry in his heart, despite the worry on his face... She was the one that touched him. She was the one that took his hand, slowly weaving her fingers in between his. "You can feel it, can't you?" She asked, beckoning him as she slowly but surely guided his hand towards her chest. All while gently, slowly, letting him feel the beat of her heart. It was as calm as ever. There was no stress. There was no worry. There was no fear. No matter what had happened inside their home during that night, she was as perfect as a woman like her could be.

...The beat of her heart was enough to make him smile, as his worries washed away little by little. He even started leaning against her, letting the heartbeat serve as the calming track that would serenade him towards sleep. Because this was exactly what he needed. Something to make him sure that she wouldn't hurt herself.

Just looking up at her, while he had his head against her chest like this... It was a sight that brought out more of her beauty. Having her look down on him like this, with all of the love pouring forth from her gaze. It was... It was something that made him shiver. It was something that made him quietly start sobbing. Because his wife really was that beautiful. It was genuinely enough to make a grown man cry....

"Just... Just promise me this, my dear." The young husband said, as he reached up towards her cheek. Slowly brushing his hand through those beautiful locks. Slowly but surely showing his affection for a woman that had done so much for him already. "Please. Promise that you will take care of yourself. There's not a day that goes by where I don't worry, all thanks to how little I've been able to do for you..."

She listened, and she slowly pulled his head off her chest, before locking her lips up against his. The shortest, yet most intimate kiss that she could offer on such short notice. "My dear. Just being here for me, staying with me and supporting me in the way that you best can... That makes me the happiest woman in the world. Don't worry about satisfying me... Because in many ways, you already have."

His wife smiled. And he couldn't help but smile too, as a few tears ran down his cheeks. She was the perfect wife. And though she told him such encouraging things, he couldn't help but feel a bit saddened. Because he still couldn't live up to his own need to help her.

Still... This time, the money should last...

---

...He found himself underneath the stars once again. Because they weren't able to sell the kimono. Not without a proper permit. And the only way that they'd get one was if she managed to produce a quantity beyond human compare. They wanted her to produce a dozen in a single night. Where he knew that she didn't have the supplies that would allow her to do so.

And yet, she faced him with that same smile. That same kind smile that told him that everything would be alright. That's what she tried to tell him. And yet he couldn't believe her. How could he believe her, when he knew that things weren't going to be alright. There was no way that she'd get through all of this unscathed. Even with the skills she had at her disposal. Even if she put everything into her craft. He genuinely could not believe that she would be able to do it.

He trusted her though, didn't he? That was why he sat out here, watching the stars above. Praying to the gods that might be listening to support his wife in her endeavors. That was why he did his very best to believe in her. But at the same time... It was that very same trust that made him so worried. Because even if he knew that she'd be alright... He also knew that she wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.

She wasn't in the best condition the day before. And that was after having rested for a week. Now she was being forced to do six times as many kimono in the same timespan, without getting more than a day's rest? There was no way that she'd be alright. And yet his heart, the love he had for her beating within his chest... It refused to let him move. Because he didn't want to disappoint her. Because he wanted her to trust in him as much as he trusted in her...

Then it happened.

"Ah! Oh, oh no, oh no oh no oh no..."

It was a brief, yet potent shriek. And the panic that he heard was genuine. His heart began to race. Because on one side of his heart was his loyalty to his wife's trust in him. If he moved from this spot, if he went to help her... Then he would lose her trust. And he desperately didn't want that.

And yet he got up. And with one firm step, he turned towards the insides of his house... And sprinted straight towards their bedroom, where she did her best to weave these outfits together.

Because even if he wanted to preserve her trust, his heart would not allow her to come to harm. He had done all this for her. He would not let her possibly harm herself to try and let him live a happy life without her, or a life where he was happy at the cost of her suffering!

"My dear!" He shouted, as he tossed open the doors leading to their bedroom.

And his eyes widened, as he laid his eyes upon the secret she had done everything to try and conceal. And immediately, everything fell into place.

"My dear..."

Those were the only words that left his wife's lips. Or rather, her beak. Because as it turned out, she had not been human. Or at least, she had only been allowed to assume the form of a human for a limited time. Illuminated by the moonlight, her true form came to light.

His dearest wife was nothing more than a humanoid crane. A beautiful bird, who had just as much grace as she did whenever she looked human. She was... She was beautiful, despite the fact that she had done her best to hide herself away from him.

But it wasn't just because of her true identity as a bird-like woman that made her try to hide away. No, there were feathers that had been plucked from her wings, the same feathers that looked as smooth as her kimono and her long locks of hair. And judging by the colors woven into the fabrics at her feet, there was only one explaination for it all.

She had used her own body, her own beauty, to finish these garments for her beloved. She could sacrifice a few feathers to finish a kimono, but to finish so many at once would require so much self sacrifice. And the uneven patch of feathers on her left wing made it clear that she had managed to tug off too many. Even if he hadn't burst inside now, she wouldn't be able to keep her secret.

"W-Why... Why did you come?" She muttered, as tears slowly started to run down her cheeks. "I... I just wanted to pay you back for the day you saved me, my dear... And the gods promised me that as long as I kept this secret close to me... they..."

The young husband didn't let her finish. Instead of worrying about their livelihood, instead of worrying about the circumstances behind everything... He just gave her a hug, and pulled her feathered body close to her as he let her rest up against his chest. This time, returning the favor of letting his heartbeat calm her down bit by bit...

"...All along, you were that crane that I saved..?" He asked, and his wife carefully nodded. "Then we've just known each other for longer than I thought. But it doesn't change anything, my dear." He said, as he slowly looked down upon her with the same kind of smile that she had given him when he was so worried about her. "Because... I love you, more than anything else in the world. I don't want to see you hurt yourself for my sake. We'll figure something out, I promise."

The kimono that had not yet been finished slowly started to vanish as the blessing upon the wife's feathers went away, due to having gone back on her word. But it didn't matter. As her husband said, they'd find a way forward. Especially now that they didn't have any secrets to hide from one another.

For the first time, they affirmed their love. It didn't matter that he was a human, or that she was a crane. What mattered was that they loved one another. Everything else, they'd figure out when it stared them right in the face. Because as long as they had one another, they were unstoppable...

And the love that bloomed that night... It would last until the very end.