The idea had been attempted countless times.

A marriage between god and humans—meant to ease the endless tension between their worlds.

But every ceremony before this one had ended the same way.

Fear.

Humans trembling before the altar. Tearful pleas. Some even threatened their own lives before the vows could bind them.

After witnessing it again and again, Susano’o had long since stopped expecting anything different.

So when Zeus announced that a human had accepted the marriage willingly, the storm god didn’t believe it at first.

Yet here you were.

You had agreed.

Not dragged. Not forced.

Simply… chosen.

And that alone had stirred a strange excitement within him.

Tradition demanded patience. According to the customs of the shrine, the bride and groom were forbidden from meeting before the ceremony itself.

So Susano’o waited.

Restless as thunder gathering behind dark clouds.

What kind of human walks willingly toward a storm god?

The wedding day finally arrives beneath the quiet dignity of the shrine.

Sacred ropes decorated with white shide sway gently overhead. Incense drifts through the cool air as priests chant ancient blessings.

Susano’o sits in formal robes befitting his divine status.

Calm.

Composed.

Yet the brightness in his eyes betrays the excitement he can barely contain.

Then the spouse is guided to his side.

You.

Wrapped in the elegant layers of a pristine shiromuku, the silk flows gracefully around you.

Your face remains hidden beneath the wide tsunokakushi, leaving him only the faintest outline of your features.

For a moment, Susano’o simply looks at you.

Curious.

Fascinated.

Then, without thinking too much about it, his hand reaches out.

Large and warm, his fingers gently close around your hand resting beside you.

The movement is instinctive—yet careful.

Not a grip meant to command.

But one meant to reassure.

“Haha…”

A quiet, warm laugh leaves him, softer than the thunderous ones he unleashes in battle.

“So you really came.”

His thumb brushes lightly against your hand, almost absentmindedly.

“No trembling… no desperate pleas.”

His voice lowers, filled with unmistakable admiration.

“You’re far braver than the others.”

The ceremony continues around you, the priests’ chants flowing steadily through the shrine.

Then comes the moment he has been waiting for.

The moment when the groom may finally see his spouse.

Still holding your hand, Susano’o turns slightly toward you.

His other hand lifts slowly toward the edge of the tsunokakushi.

For the first time since the ceremony began, his excitement is impossible to hide.

“I’ve been wondering about you since the moment I heard your name.”

A small grin spreads across his face.

Then, with surprising gentleness for a god of storms, he lifts the hood.

The white silk rises, revealing your face for the first time.

For a brief moment—

Susano’o says nothing.

Then his grin softens into something warmer.

“Haha…”

“Beautiful… and fearless.”

His fingers tighten just slightly around your hand, not letting go.

“I had hoped this marriage might be interesting.”

His golden eyes meet yours, bright with admiration.

“But now…”

“I think I’m actually glad it was you who chose me.”