Kny Fanfic - Blog Posts

Good Morning! Good Evening! Good Night.

Small story about the Shinazugawas

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Okay this is a fluffy piece. With a little angst. There are vague references to past abuse. Also there will be brotherly antics😊.

Word count: 4617

(Also this is inspired by the art I did a little bit ago of Genya having a full head of hair and Kyogo's hair style: post 1 post 2)

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A light breeze blows through the house as the warm glow of the sun shines through the rice paper. A boy with short snow colored hair and wispy lashes scrunches his face at the light. He shifts under the thin covers until his face is pressed to his brother’s dark black hair. Genya shifts, disgruntled by the sudden weight pressed around him. His little face pinches sourly before he sharply elbows a bony elbow into the big thing behind him. Sanemi lets out a strangled yelp of pain, rolling over while gripping his abdomen, finally fully awake. “Ughhh…Gennyaah.” He groans sleepily as he sits up and rubs his eyes, his fluffy hair skewed and messy. He glances over to the now happy bundle beside him that snuggles deeper into the futon. The older brother narrows his eyes and huffs, Smug little twerp. 

“Good morning Sanemi.”

Sanemi looks up away from the sleeping toddler to see his mother hefting a laundry basket inside filled with freshly dried clothing from the night before. The night before he had helped her hang the clothing, now able to reach the same heights as his mother. Her pregnant belly made her unbalanced at times and her feet would swell making it uncomfortable to walk. 

Ma was almost definitely pregnant with twins, was what the doctor had said. It was believed still by a few that twins could bring either good luck or bad. Sanemi hoped that his new siblings would bring good luck with all the trouble they were causing their mother. She was sick all the time, her back always hurt, and she hardly rested anymore, but to be fair Sanemi didn’t think the ‘no rest' was really the twins’ fault.

More often than not she would still be working on the mending when she would send a sleepy, stubborn Sanemi to bed. She never let him stay up late with her, but he knew she was hardly getting more than a couple hours of sleep. Yet despite that she worked hard, rose early, and still looked flawless in everything she did. 

Sanemi shifted to stand, sliding out from under the covers, and stepping down off the tatami mats to the wooden floor.

“You could have woke me up Mama. I would have brought the baskets in.” He blows his hair from his eyes to see better as he reaches out his hands. Surprise briefly flits across her face before a warm smile takes over. Her hands also extending. 

“That’s very sweet of you dear, but you need your rest. You're still a child after all. Still growing.” The basket handles exchange hands and as they do Sanemi sees the bruising across the top of her knuckles and her wrists. His eyes linger as an angry sadness rises up in Sanemi for just a moment before he dispells it. He shakes his head a little, meeting his mother’s eyes as he smiles and jokes. 

“I don’t need to grow! I’m your height now and you can do a lot without being tall!”

Shizu chuckles, a bruised hand covering her smile. 

“And you’d be very short for a man dear. I can’t imagine you’d find a wife shorter than you.”

“Maybe I won’t find one or she could be tall.” He says as he hefts the basket to the genkan. He sets it right by the other smaller basket of mended garments. They would need to fold the clothing by each family. They had a lot of work ahead of them today.

Shizu chuckles, shaking her head at her son. A wave of dizziness hits her causing her to sway before the nausea kicks in. She shuffles across the wood floor and slides the shoji door open to their small kitchen. She sits on the bench by the wooden prepping table. It was a bench she often used to reach the taller cabinets. This was where she also sat to prepare their food, food that for them, was becoming more scarce. And soon they’d have more mouths to feed. She sighs. 

Shizu didn’t know what she would have to do to keep this up, but she knew she would find a way. She supposed that things would become easier for her physically after having the twins, but even so she knew she would need to do something soon. It wasn’t like Kyogo was generous. He paid the bills, but would only give her what he felt would pay for their food. He knew the cost of food was going up and the measly amount he would give her each week wouldn’t cover it. Her fists tighten in her lap. Her kids deserved better and they would get it. 

Sanemi saw as his mother moved to sit down. She looked queasy. They would need to get moving soon if they wanted to deliver everything before nightfall. Everyone in the town knew that it was dangerous after nightfall. Wild dogs and violent drunks were often out after dark. Sometimes bodies would be found torn apart in the forests. The townspeople had been trying to kill off the wild dogs as they had begun to breed with wolves and were becoming more and more dangerous as time went on. Some more superstitious people thought the killings were the work of man-eating demons. Sanemi scoffs at the thought. Some people would believe anything. Sanemi was pulled from his thoughts by his mother.

“Sanemi? Can you wake Genya please?”

He blinks before responding, an amused grin taking over his face. 

“Of course Ma.” He says. 

Sanemi turns and stalks towards the unsuspecting, slumbering lump on the futon. He grins widely as he makes his way back, kneeling carefully. He hovers before he pounces on his younger brother, who starts shrieking Oniichan! as he tickles him to death. Genya squirms and laughs, struggling to get away. Sanemi’s laughter joins the younger’s. Genya breaks free from Sanemi and the blanket, running to their mother’s side as Sanemi gives chase. 

“Get back here!” He yells out. 

Genya lets out a little shriek as he giggles more, running to the open back door. Sanemi can hear their mother’s amused giggles at their morning routine. Genya slides the door closed in Sanemi’s face. It surprises him enough to make him pause, before he slides it open in pursuit of the little rascal. 

His eyes narrow across the silent backyard, looking for signs of a troublesome toddler. The grass was sparse, leaving dirt patches here and there. They, like their neighbors and the other tenants, had a scraggly wooden fence outlining the yard. Almost a year ago they set up multiple clotheslines and made multiple bamboo baskets since they needed them for their little ‘business’. 

Sanemi's eyes are still trailing over the washing basins and boards when he hears it. Small labored breathing coming from the toppled over basket across the yard. Sanemi grins, but pretends to not notice. 

“Where could he be?” He complains loudly in false confusion. 

Small stifled giggles come from the basket. 

“Gen-ya.” He calls out, sing-songing his name as he quietly meanders his way to the toppled basket.

“Come out Genya.” He whines and calls out again and more giggles follow. 

He slowly steps towards the basket, a hand coming to grip the edge before he leans down popping his head in. 

“Gotcha!” Genya shrieks trying to crawl out away from his nii-chan, but before he can Sanemi rights the basket, and Genya and the clothing inside shift with the change in gravity. Genya giggles and cuddles a blanket amongst the clothing.

“Huh!” Sanemi exclaims in mock confusion, ‘thoroughly’ examining the basket as he peers in. 

“I could have sworn Genya was in here, but I guess I was wrong. I wonder what could be the cause of the weight in this basket? Isn’t clothing supposed to be light?” He says as he sways the basket back and forth dramatically. He picks it up and begins walking.

Giggles sound out from inside it as Sanemi makes his way to the open door.

“Nemi!” Genya calls. Sanemi pretends he can’t hear. 

“Nemi!” Genya calls louder. Sanemi pauses, a look of confusion crosses his face as he looks directly at Genya and the clothing below. 

“Clothing can’t talk. What could…”  His eyes bug out. 

“What!? My little brother? You little rascal. You're the reason my basket is so heavy!” He says in mock offense. Genya laughs, little tears leaking as he laughs at Sanemi’s ‘disgruntled’ face.

“Just you wait, Genya. You won’t get away with this.” He narrows his eyes playfully at the little boy in the basket. Genya sticks his tongue out while hugging the blanket closer. Sanemi laughs as he makes his way inside. Sanemi grins at his mother, holding the basket up in accomplishment.

“He’s up!”

She giggles, mirth coloring her voice. “I can see that.”

Sanemi nods and sets down the basket. He looks back at Genya. “You ready bud?” 

Genya shakes his head petulantly. Sanemi arches a brow, raising his tickling fingers. Genya nods his head eagerly then. Sanemi nods back as he scoops up the little tyke who was quite a bit smaller than him. 

Sanemi had, had a small growth spurt since turning eight, but so had Genya right before he turned three. Luckily for him, his growth spurt was bigger and he could still manage to pick up Genya. Unluckily his clothes were getting smaller and would soon become Genya’s. 

“Up we go!” He says as he settles Genya on his hip. “Now we’ve got to hurry or we’ll be late to the beetle races.”

Genya cocks his head. “Beetle races?” He asks. 

“Yeah! If we get home early enough we can do a beetle race!” He says a little awe peeking through as wonder colors his face. The black haired boy’s face takes on a look of wonder of his own.

“How Nemi?” He says excited, bouncing a little in his arms. Sanemi makes his way to where their clothing is stored in the single wooden dresser. Sanemi no longer had a change of clothes though. So he wouldn’t be getting changed. He had grown out of his only other pair of pants and shirt last fall. But his mother was making him a new set out of the old pair. Hopefully she’ll be done with them soon. Sanemi would have done it himself, but the only thing he knew how to do was mend. She hadn’t taught him how to make clothes yet.

“You know those beetles we collected last week?”

He nods quickly.

“Well I’ve been feeding them and they had babies! So now there’s a ton.” He sets Genya down as he pulls out their clothing. 

“Sanemi.” His mother calls from the kitchen.

“Yeah.” He answers absentmindedly while he helps Genya tie his shirt. 

“Can I talk to you?”

“Yeah, just a sec.” He leaves Genya to find his pants as he walks to his mother.

“What is it Ma?” He asks, a little worried at the troubled look on her face. She pauses before she asks hesitantly. 

“What type of beetles are they?” 

“The ones with the horns…Why?” He draws confused. 

She can’t meet his eyes as she says. “I’ll have to look, but I believe those are edible beetles, Sanemi. I don’t want to ask this, but we might need-”

He grabs her hands and shakes his head, voice wobbling even as he meets her eyes. “Don’t worry Mama. It’s fine.” Though he says this, his heart breaks a little. He really likes those beetles. He sees it in her eyes. She can tell he’s sad. He forces a smile.

“It’s okay Mama. Maybe I can raise beetles for us. And we’ll eat the ones that lose.” He says trying to hype himself up and make his smile bigger. She cups his face.

“Are you sure?” She asks firmly. Her brow pinches in worry and guilt and Sanemi’s heart hurts worse than it did for the soon-to-be dead beetles. Mama shouldn’t have to look that way. Not because of Sanemi. Not because of anything. He nods, decisively as his brows furrow. He pulls back, willing all sadness from his face, and puts on a blinding smile.

“Of course! I wouldn’t want to keep the weak ones anyways.” He says, chest puffed, crossing his arms. Mama smiles back sadly. 

“Thank you sweetheart.” She smiles. 

A cry of Aha! makes them both whip around to look at Genya. He’s finally gotten his sandals on, the reason for his exclamation, but he’s currently pantless, his bottom half only covered by his fundoshi.

“I’m ready Nemi.” He calls as he runs toward them in full confidence, the waist of his pants flapping behind him with the legs tied in the front, having apparently decided that his pants were gonna be a belt today. He looked ridiculous. Sanemi shakes his head at his brother's antics, before yelling, tickling fingers raised.

“Alright, come ‘ere you pantless rascal!”

—

After getting an unwilling Genya into his pants, their morning continued like usual. Sanemi and Shizu folded the clothing, both cleaned and mended, and separated them by family. Genya would sit waiting until they were done, so he could tie twine around each pile of clothing. He was getting better at that, as was evident with the pants fiasco. 

Once they were done, they fit the piles into baskets, putting them in the order in which they would be delivered. They had two big baskets and one small one, all having straps so they could carry them on their backs.

Sanemi put on his shoes, helping his mother with hers, before helping Genya put his basket on. Sanemi slipped his over his shoulders and opened the door stepping out onto and off the porch. He helped Genya step down, followed by his mother after she firmly shut the door. And they were off. 

Sanemi’s mother would lead the way as Sanemi followed beside her. She would point out kanji she knew to Sanemi, though she herself knew very little. Genya would sometimes go ahead of them or walk beside them depending on his mood. He was their door-knocker. He would announce their presence and then let Mama do the talking.

Their morning was peaceful as it dragged on into the afternoon. Genya was still as energetic as at the beginning. He would dart off the path to pick up grass that Sanemi had to stop him from eating multiple times. Sometimes he would bring back a flower for the both of them and sometimes Sanemi would follow him when he would spot some weird bug on the ground he wanted Sanemi to have. All in all they were having a nice day. 

They went to the base of the mountain a little outside the village to pick the wild vegetables his mother knew of after they had finished the deliveries. Shiroke, nettles, zenmai, and urui were what they usually looked for and if they were lucky they would also find wild garlic. Only Mama picked the nettles though because of the stinging prickles. 

After a few hours they stopped, safely storing the wild vegetables, and the few garlic they found, in Genya’s empty basket because Sanemi’s and his mother’s were filled with clothes. They made sure to find extra zenmai so they could dry it and store it for later. 

Mama often had to sit down on a fallen tree while Sanemi and Genya gathered the shiroke and zenmai ferns. Sanemi watched his mother now as they made their way home in the late afternoon sun. Sweat glistened across her brow causing her to wipe it away with the back of her hand. He hoped she would have the babies soon. They were making her very tired.

They made it home just as the sun had set. Sanemi helped Genya take off his basket and let him run to the backyard. He would probably have to go make sure he wasn’t eating grass again in a few minutes.

He brought Genya’s basket to the kitchen, pulling out the vegetables. The mother and son prepare the ferns for tomorrow after setting up the nettles, urui, and garlic to boil in a pot next to the rice on the stone stove. Sanemi was just putting the ferns into a third larger pot when Genya comes running in. He runs straight into their mother’s back as she sits on the bench in front of the prepping table. She makes a small oof as he collides. 

“Look Mama!” He shouts. 

“Genya,” Sanemi scolds. “You need to not run in the house or into people.”

“It’s alright Sanemi.” Shizu says, waving him off. “Now what is it you wanted to show me Genya?” 

She turns to him and Genya holds up a flower with white petals. “I got you a flower.”

She reaches up, to comb through his hair, noting the length. He’s going to need a haircut soon. She smiles at Genya. 

“That’s very nice. Did you have one for Sanemi?”

“NO!” He yells angrily.

Shizu’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “Why not?” She asks, perplexed. “You did earlier.”

“Yeah why not, twerp?” Sanemi’s sour face appears beside them. He crosses his arms with narrowed eyes. 

“Sanemi.” Shizu scolds.

“What? He’s a twerp.”

“I’m not a chirp. I’m not a bird at all!” Genya stomps his little foot against the wood beneath, crossing his own arms and glaring at Sanemi. 

“It’s tw-erp, doofus.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Yuh-huh.”

“Boys.” Shizu tries to scold, but then Genya blows a raspberry at Sanemi and they’re off, Sanemi chasing the little imp across their home. Shizu sighs and decides to wait it out. She feels she’s getting too old for this. 

The boys race out of the kitchen and on to the futons. They go in circles before Genya makes a mad dash for the back door, but Sanemi cuts him off causing him to go back to the kitchen.

“Get back here!”

“No!”

Sanemi tries to corner him in the kitchen, he should have been able to, but then Genya goes for the door they all know not to cross.

“Genya don’t-!”

No one’s there, luckily. Genya had frozen in place at the fear he’d heard in his brother’s voice. 

“Sanemi.” His mother calls. He looks at her peaceful face and his previously rigid body relaxes.

“It’s alright,” She continues. 

“He’s not home right now. Even so, you both know not to go in there. Get over here please.” 

The sternness in their mother’s voice has both slinking over slowly to stand before her. Once settled she starts with Genya. 

“Now Genya. What’s gotten you so upset? Usually you're nicer to your nii-san.”

Genya doesn’t meet her eyes as chubby cheeks puff out and a foot scuffs the floor. He mumbles something neither can hear. 

“What did you say?” Shizu asks, leaning forward. Sanemi cocks his head lower as he looks at his brother. A clear pout is displayed on his face as he repeats himself.

“Nemi forgot.” He says sadly, confusing the other two, before Sanemi’s face lights up in recognition. It’s no wonder he forgot. He wasn’t looking forward to it anymore. 

“The beetle race.” He says.

“Yeah.” Genya huffs out, his eyes not meeting his brother’s.

“I’m sorry I forgot Genya.” Sanemi says. 

Genya looks up at his brother before he shuffles to lean against his leg. He pats it in reassurance. 

“It’s okay Nemi.”

Sanemi ruffles his head affectionately in return glad that his little brother wasn’t mad at him anymore. As silly as it was, it had hurt when he didn’t get a wilted flower too. 

Shizu watches her boys for a moment before she decides to interrupt. “Genya?”

He looks up at her. “We’ll have to do it tomorrow instead. It’s too late now, sweetheart.” 

“Okay.” He pouts, disappointed, though not as sad as before. 

Shizu smiles sadly in empathy before she says sweetly. 

“Now, go ahead and get ready for bed. And make sure to wash off all the dirt mister. I doubt your brother would appreciate rolling in the dirt with you tonight.” She grins amused and Genya giggles. Sanemi nods in agreement.

“Yeah that’s right! I don’t sleep with dirt balls.”

Genya pouts cutely. “I’m not a dirt ball.”

Sanemi grins. “If you wash off you won’t be.”

Genya scowls as he walks away, but stops in the doorway. 

“And I’m not a bird either.” He says with finality, turning away sharply to walk down the hall. 

Sanemi laughs at that and turns back to their stove, so he can stir the pots again. Shizu hums while they watch the pots boiling. They eventually bring over her bench so she can stir while Sanemi gets more wood for the fire. Shizu is putting a lid on the rice and pulling it off the stove to finish cooking when Sanemi returns.

After stoking the fire a little, he turns towards Kyogo’s room a few feet away. The door is still open he realizes. He walks across the room and closes it. It used to be Mama’s and Kyogo’s room, but ever since the man wanted nothing to do with them, ever since he started hating them, it’s just been Kyogo’s. That’s the way the man likes it. And that’s way Sanemi likes it too even if he hated that he got the best futon in the house, and the best clothes, and the best of anything that made its way through the front door. Honestly Sanemi thought the reason the man let them stay wasn’t because of his pride or image, but because he wanted punching bags at his convenience. 

Their night ends uneventfully, set back into their usual routine. They ate together laughing about Genya’s retelling of the day. He added quite a few details that definitely didn’t happen, but they indulge him nonetheless. Sanemi finds that Genya’s world is much brighter than his own at times. He hopes Genya never loses that world. 

The two boys clean up dinner while Shizu gets comfortable on her futon. She sets up her sewing needles and threads on a small wooden tray before she begins pulling out the first garment from her basket. She hums a tune to herself as she begins working, which makes Sanemi smile. He joins her humming as he continues cleaning with Genya. Once finished, Genya runs off to snuggle beneath the thin blanket on their shared futon. He lays his head on the pillow and watches Mama as she works, being lulled to sleep. 

Sanemi continues rubbing the boiled ferns one by one and then laying them out to dry on the table. This batch would last them a while. It takes him over an hour to finish. He dusts off his hands and makes his way outside to wash off like his brother, scrubbing the stickiness from ferns off his hands and the dirt from his face, feet, and arms. 

He walks back inside and sits beside his mother, pulling one of the garments from his own basket to work on. He grabs a matching thread, threading it through the eye of the needle and tying it off before he begins. He and his mother continue humming the tune while they work. His hands and eyes are tired. He fights back his yawns though, knowing that if she sees them, his mother will send him to bed. It isn’t long before he can’t hold them back anymore and one slips through. 

“Alright Sanemi-” Shizu starts.

“Noooo.” He whines quietly.

“-it’s time for bed.” She continues. 

He sighs, knowing there’s no use fighting her on this. 

“Okay.” He gives. He folds up the garment he was working on, making sure the needle, still attached by the thread, is resting on top before he sets it in his basket. He shuffles to her side and leans against her. She sets her needle and garment in front of her and hooks her arms around him, pulling him in close to her side. The silence of night seeps into the room only disturbed their breathing. Shizu hums again and they rock a little as they sit and listen to the soothing tune. Sanemi closes his eyes wishing this could never end, that days like this one would go on and on. He’d put up with chasing down a thousand pantless Genya’s and putting pants on them if he meant he could have this every day. He laughs a little at the thought. 

They hold each other, rocking slightly as his mother hums a little longer. “I love you Mama.” Sanemi mutters out. He snuggles in deeper into her shoulder knowing he has to go to bed now. She rests her head on his and squeezes him before she mutters out an, “I love you too my little blossom.”

He squeezes her tight before reluctantly letting go. He shuffles across the floor and over to his futon. Sliding in close, with his back next to Genya’s, Sanemi tries not to disturb his brother’s sleep. Genya decides to scoot away. Sanemi and Shizu noticing this, huff in amusement. Sanemi meets his mother’s beautiful blue eyes and smiles.

“Goodnight Mama. Love you.”

Shizu smiles back. 

“Goodnight Sanemi. Love you too.”

Shizu continues to hum through the night as she works and Sanemi drifts off to sleep.

—

Shizu wakes, startled by a sudden noise. She listens closely for sounds of danger, before sighing in relief. It sounded like a drunk had fallen while making his way home at the next house over. Shizu sighs, rubbing her belly. She had fallen asleep sitting up again. Her neck aches and her back is sore and stiff from the bent over position she fell asleep in. She groans as she moves to sit up straight. I need to go to bed, she thinks as she slides her mending off her lap.

It strikes her as odd as she looks around in the now dark room. Somehow the lights had been turned off. Maybe it was Kyogo when he came back, which would be very unlike him. If it was Sanemi he would have woken her up to tell her to lay down. It may have been Genya. He had become curious with light switches now that he could reach them, but he should be in bed. Either way Shizu is grateful she doesn’t have to get up to turn them off. 

She slowly crawls under her blanket, easing onto her back. It was a wonder that her husband hadn’t woken them coming back tonight if he truly had come back. Most nights he would wake the whole house, whether it be on purpose or in a drunken stupor. The best and most peaceful nights were when he didn’t come back at all.

Shizu tries to find a comfortable position that wouldn’t have her soon-to-be-born children crushing her lungs or bladder. She shifts around for a few minutes on her side before she finds it, ahh just right, she thinks as the pressure lifts. She rests her head on her pillow, content now, feeling herself fall unconscious. She was so tired. Her achy body was finally unwinding after a tiring day. Her eyes closed as sleep began to seep into her mind. Just as she was on the cusp of deep sleep, fear struck her to her core. She looks up and the shadow of Kyogo looms over her. She screams. 

—

To be continued.

Thank you for reading! I've never written something like this, so feedback is appreciated. I would really like to know if you feel the pacing or relationships feel off or anything else. Thanks!

—

Note: Before Genya came in with the white flower, he did eat grass. He also ate grass when he went to wash up. Sanemi sadly cannot protect Genya’s stomach, but luckily for Genya, we know he can survive eating more than grass 😊

Baby Genya

I feel like his hair would have looked like this before his mohawk. (Like he got the mohawk cause his hair looked like Kyogo's and gave Shizu PTSD sometimes 😥🥲. I really want to write about this). I did a rough sketch and then outlined it, so sorry for the mess😅.

Also! I was inspired by these (Idk who the artists are, just found them, and they are amazing!):

Edit: The first one was @task1111 on Twitter. (Thanks @xuxueee) Also they said not to repost their work, so I’ll just link it.

Edit: I haven’t found creds for this one ⬇️ yet.

Edit: for the one below creds to Calovity on TikTok.

Cover Your Ears

2nd part of previous post

Summary:

“I’ll help Nemi, so spiders don’t eat your head!” He paused, seeming to think about something before he looked worried. “You’ll protect my head too, right Nemi?”

Sanemi smiled, wrinkling his nose at him. “Of course silly, that's what big brothers do!” 

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Word Count: 1147

Warnings for referenced spousal abuse/rape. (Nothing is witnessed. I promise) It's only insinuated and is mainly about the kids. Also I don't think you can read this as a stand alone as there are many references to the first post.

Previous post

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It was a few months later….

THUNK-BANG.

Crashing sounds woke Sanemi, Genya, and their mother up. 

“AGHHH!!”

…..that Kyogo lost his job.

It was their father, Kyogo. He was back from drinking all night. It sounded like he was throwing things outside. 

“FUCK YOU GAKU!” 

His anger was different this time, Sanemi could sense it. His mother could sense it too by the nervous look on her face. Kyogo continued to scream curses outside and Sanemi waited for the tyrant to come inside. To come inside and swing at them and break their things that they couldn’t replace. A hand shook his shoulder. He looked at the face connected to it. 

“Sanemi, I want you to take Genya and hide in the backyard.” 

“But-” 

“No.” She said firmly. Her eyes darkening. Ma was never like this. She never had that look in her eyes. His Mama was scared. 

“He’ll hurt you.” He whispered. 

“I know.” Her head bowed. 

“But worse!” 

Her head stayed bowed. 

“Mama please-” She cut him off by picking him up. 

He stood, now on his feet, watching her. 

She grabbed Genya under his arms and quickly went to the back door with him on her hip. Sanemi followed, flinching as he heard more things break outside their front door. She set Genya down in one of their very large laundry baskets that he had helped Mama make from bamboo. She grabbed a spare blanket that had been drying on the clothes line. She looked at Sanemi now. 

“Get in.”

“No.” 

“Now, Sanemi.” 

“You’ll be alone!” 

She looked at him, an unknown emotion flitting across her face, before she kneeled and rested her hands on his shoulders. “Listen to me.” He wouldn’t look her in the face as tears pooled in his eyes and ran over their lids. 

“Hey none of that.” She chided gently. She titled his chin to look her in the face and she smiled. The smile that made bruises and cuts disappear, the smile Sanemi loved. He sobbed. She shouldn’t be wearing that smile. Not when she was one who was going to get hurt! His arms reached around her neck as hers wrapped around his middle. 

“I don’t want you to go.” He sobbed.

“I know.” She ran her fingers through his hair as her other hand rubbed his back. 

“I hate him.” He said.

“I know.” 

Sanemi hiccuped and squeezed her tighter. Maybe if he squeezed tight enough she would stay. Maybe they could run away and he’d help her raise Genya, he’d show Genya how to be a brother, how to be a father, and how to sew and mend and how to help Ma too.

He squeezes her as she squeezes back. 

“I love you Mama.” He pleaded.

“I love you too, my little blossom.” He could tell she was crying too.

 They heard another crash from the front of the house. 

“I have to go now Sanemi, you have to let me go.” Tears ran down her face.

“But I love you!” He sobbed, clinging harder. She pulled away. And Sanemi stood there staring at her as she stood up. She stooped over into the basket and kissed Genya on his head. He blinked his big eyes at her and smiled. He made grabby hands, so she would pick him up. Tears fell as she smiled back. 

“Bye-Bye, love you Genya.”

Genya giggled and waved. 

“Bye-bye.” He repeated softly. 

She stood back up and looked at Sanemi. She sighed before bending and picking up Sanemi under his legs and back. 

“Hey!” She placed him beside Genya, who immediately clung to his sobbing brother’s arm in worry. 

“Don’t go!” He pleaded again.

She smiled sadly before she dried her tears. She lifted the blanket and covered them both. 

“I love you.” She said above them as Sanemi heard her footsteps retreat. 

“Don’t go.” He whispered as his crying made his body tremble. 

Genya continued to cling to him as he cried. He wanted her to come back. He heard the door close. He wanted Mama to come back.  He heard their muffled voices. He wanted his Mama. Sanemi buried his face in his knees, waiting for Ma to come back for them. After a moment, something began wriggling and digging in between his hand and his leg. Sanemi stopped crying to look. Genya was trying to inch his finger in between where his hand tightly gripped his leg. 

“Genya. What are you doing?” Sanemi was confused. He raised a brow. 

Genya looked at Sanemi and went back to what he was doing. He looked to be on a mission. Genya’s face became more determined and his finger more persistent until one of his little fingers finally breached his tight clasp and Genya whipped his head full of hair around with a determined look and said, “Hey Nemi! Don’t be sad. Genya here!” he cheered. He beamed at Sanemi. And Sanemi froze, before he wetly chuckled and wiped his eyes with the palm of his hand that wasn’t occupied with holding Genya’s finger. He gripped Genya’s finger and met his eyes.

“I won’t be sad, Genya.” 

“Yay! Genya here! Nemi here!” He cheered as he practically hugged Sanemi's hand with his whole body, but the joyous atmosphere dropped as they heard the scream. Mama’s scream. Genya whimpered beside him. Sanemi pulled him close as her screams grated against their ears. Tears dripped from his eyes again. There was nothing they could do. There wouldn’t be any “Genya here! Nemi here!” for Mama. A small hand gripped his shirt, but… 

“H-hey Genya.” He looked up at Sanemi. Fear was quivering in his eyes. 

“Can-can you do something for me?” Genya nodded, a diligence taking over, though he still looked a little shaken.

“I want to cover your ears and I want you to cover mine.” 

Genya tilted his head. “Why?” 

Sanemi smiled. He leaned closer as if to divulge a secret. “I don’t want spiders to make nests in my ears.” 

Genya looked affronted and grossed out. “Ew! That gross Nemi.” 

Sanemi giggled weakly as he heard another scream. “I-I know!” 

Genya got a determined look again. “I’ll help Nemi, so spiders don’t eat your head!” He paused, seeming to think about something before he looked worried. “You’ll protect my head too, right Nemi?” 

Sanemi smiled, wrinkling his nose at him. “Of course silly, that's what big brothers do!” 

Genya beamed and scooted closer. Sanemi crossed his legs and pulled Genya into his lap. 

“Up you go.” Genya giggled. 

“Now what Nemi?” 

He grabbed Genya’s hands and placed them on his ears, while he reached around and put his on Genya’s. 

“Now you hold my ears and I’ll hold yours, like this. Sound good?” He felt Genya’s nod with his hands. Genya began to nod off not long after and with it his hands slipped, allowing Sanemi to hear the screams again. Genya slept peacefully and that’s all that mattered.

Sanemi's vision blurred in and out, trying not to succumb to sleep. Maybe he’d see Mama in the morning, he hoped he would, but Kyogo might kill her like the baby. Sanemi shuddered. No. He would see her. She’d come get them in the morning. She would… was his last thought as he drifted to sleep.

—

The next morning Shizu wouldn’t wake Sanemi and Genya. Sanemi would wake with the sun and find her passed out on the floor, bloodied and bruised. And after two weeks they would find that Shizu was pregnant once more.

Mamas and Fathers

A small Kny story

Summary:

“Mama we’re the same.” He said determined. “We’re both Mamas.” Her face stood still for a second before she laughed.

Word Count: 2326

This is a little dark and light hearted? I've never written fanfiction before and have only read it, but I gave it my best shot. Small warning for abuse and talk of miscarriages.

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He was happy, with his mother and father and then they had another added to their family, Genya. Sanemi was in awe of this little squirming thing wrapped in a blanket and when he cried, Sanemi would hold out a finger for Genya’s small hand to grip. His cries would stop and matching lavender eyes would meet his, just like right now. 

“Hey Genya. Don't be sad! Nemi is here!” He told him. He heard voices behind him.

“They’re growing up so fast.” His father said.

“I know.” 

Sanemi glanced away from the toddler to look back at his parents. His mother was leaning into his father’s side. “Gah! Emi!” He looked back at Genya as he called for him, squeezing his finger. “Up Emi!” Sanemi smiled. “Up we go!” He said as he scooped Genya up and stood. Placing him on his small hip and barely able to stand, Sanemi started marching around the room dramatically. 

“We’re going on an adventure Genya! Whoah!” He stumbled a little. “Looks like we hit a rough patch! But we gotta keep going Genya!” He wobbled on purpose now as Genya gripped his shirt like his life depended on it. 

“They’re growing big.” 

“I know, Kyogo” 

“I don’t think I can find any more work. And Gaku doesn't have anything for me.” 

It was these conversations that let Sanemi know that their life was far from perfect. 

Soon his father became frustrated as the cost for providing for two young mouths and bodies became too much. He and Ma started yelling and arguing. Father started to drink, to gamble, trying to drown the fact that he had a family, but was still trying to provide for them. 

His father and Ma had soft moments too, where they cried and father would quit drinking. He still gambled and was pretty good at it. 

Ma became pregnant again and father loved her, but then he hated her again, hated Sanemi and Genya. 

He came home one night drunk and Sanemi ducked under the covers, sliding the covers over Genya as well, hoping that it would protect them. 

“Shizu, where are you?!?” He slurred slightly and shouted as he entered the house. 

“Yes Kyogo?” His Ma answered sleepily next to Sanemi. He could see her move under the covers.

“I’m done!” There was a pause. 

“What?” Her voice shook. 

“I’m done with this family! I don’t care what happens to you or them! You all just drain the money from me like leeches! I can’t even get a drink without feeling like I’m making my family go hungry!” Silence again. 

Sanemi was still. 

“Kyogo?” His mother’s voice shook again, sounding like a heart breaking. 

“I mean it Shizu!” He spat her name like it was vile. 

“I feel like I’m trapped here. No one will let me leave. I can’t leave! If I leave, no will offer me work cause I’ll be the bastard that left his fucking family!” His mother was yanked from beside him. 

“Ma!” Sanemi tried to grasp on to her as she went out from under the covers. Genya squirmed beside him. 

“Do you hear me, woman! This is all your fault! Fluttering your eyes, wooing me back then, when I could have been in the city working! I could have had any woman I wanted! But now I’m stuck here with you and those brats!” 

SLAP! Thud. 

It rang out in the small house. Sanemi pushed back the covers, waking Genya beside him. His sweet Ma was on the floor, crumpled and sobbing. His father started to bring up his foot to kick her. 

“NO!” Sanemi ran and pushed with all his might and the towering man fell from his unbalanced footing.

“You’ll pay for that brat!” He reached Sanemi and grabbed him by his hair. 

“Agh!” He tried to pry his father’s hand from his hair, but it was no use. His father lifted him into the air by his hair. It hurts, why would he do this! Why would he do this to Ma! Sanemi’s eyes burned as lavender met the lavender they were derived from. 

“I hate you!” His father’s-Kyogo’s eyes narrowed, his grip tightened. Kyogo’s mouth opened. 

“Kyogo!” Kyogo’s eyes snapped to his mother behind him as he squirmed mid air. 

“Let him go.” 

“Shizu…” He growled.

“YOU can hit ME, but don’t touch the children.” She snapped darkly. 

Sanemi had never seen Mama so angry, not even when he had stolen Genya’s toys. The large hand released his hair and Sanemi fell to the ground, with a thump, hurting his elbow and leg. He looked up as Kyogo towered over his small mother. Ma stared into Kyogo’s eyes. Her stare was hard, determined, heartbroken and pitying. 

“Sanemi.” She spoke. 

“Y-yes?” 

“Get Genya back to sleep.” 

“B-but,” She turned. Her eyes were hard and determined, but were also filled with her love. 

“Now.” She spoke softly. 

“And don’t get out of bed,” She said softly. “You’re supposed to be asleep.” 

Sanemi’s bottom lip trembled as he stood there. He could hear Genya sniffling behind him now. 

“O-okay Mama.” He wiped his nose and turned back to Genya. He crawled under the covers and covered Genya’s and his head again with them. It was a fragile hope to think the covers would protect them, but it worked. He just wished it would work for Mama too. 

—

It was a few weeks later that they found out the baby had died in Mama’s belly. A miscarriage they had called it, but Sanemi knew better. His father had kicked it out of Mama. Kyogo had murdered his unborn sibling. He hated Kyogo.

Ma was silent after that for a while. He would find her holding her belly sometimes, frozen and sad, like she wasn’t there. Sometimes when she was frozen she’d turn and see Sanemi and her face would brighten like the sun. Ma was still kind no matter what. Sanemi loved that about her. Sanemi swore her smiles made cuts and bruises disappear.

She relied on Sanemi more and asked him to do more for her, while she mended garments for the neighbors. She taught him how to sow, to help her with the mending, and how to change Genya when he soiled himself. She taught him how to feed Genya when she couldn’t and how to rock him to sleep when she stayed up to wait for Kyogo. She taught him to help, to care, to mend, but would never let him help her against Kyogo. 

One night when it looked like Kyogo would be staying out for the night, as he would sometimes do, Sanemi slid over to his mother and poked her side. She rolled away from the door to face him. 

“Mama we’re the same.” He said determined, little brows furrowed. Her own brows came down and she hummed in confusion. She was beautiful. Her face was smooth beneath the moon light and her pale blue eyes were stunning. He would bet that there was no one as pretty as Ma. He would tell her this, but there was something far more important that she needed to know.

“We’re both Mamas.” Her face stood still for a second before she laughed. A smile brightened her face.

“Sanemi you can’t be a Mama, you're still a boy and you're not even fully grown.” She mussed up his hair with a delicate hand as she lay on her side to face him more. 

Sanemi huffed in indignation, pulling out from under her hand and scooting closer to Genya, feeling betrayed. His eyes slid to hers again.

“How come I can’t be a Mama? I can do all the same things you do!” Sanemi yelled, but both froze as they waited to see if Genya would wake, but all he did was stir a little. Sanemi brought his voice down to a whisper, face pulled into a pout as he scooted back towards his Ma in order to be heard. 

“I can be a Mama.” He reassured her. His eyes stared into Shizu’s petulantly, daring her to tell him otherwise. And she did. Shizu shook her head. 

“Sanemi, you’ll be a father.” Sanemi jerked back, eyes wide, as if slapped. How could she? It hurt. His heart hurt as he heard her words.

“I don’t want to be a father!” He shouted. He looked like Father didn’t he?! With his face and eyes. He hoped he never towered over Ma like him, never grew that tall. He lowered his voice darkly, eyes wide in anger, spitting out his words. “Fathers are mean and they hit Mamas and they kill babies!” 

Silence.

Tears started to stream down his face, so he rolled on to his other side away from Shizu.

Sanemi hiccuped, scrunching his hands into the covers as he sat up and whipped his face angrily. Shizu slowly sat up with him, placing a hand on Sanemi’s back that he scooted away from. He didn’t want to cuddle after she said something like that. He pulled up his knees and covered his face with folded arms. Her hand hung in the air before she shifted to hug her own knees like her son. 

They both listened to his hiccuping and Genya’s small snores until Shizu spoke again. “Sanemi, I want you to listen closely.” She paused and waited, watching his small figure.

Sanemi leaned his face a little bit her way after a minute, but only a little, so she wouldn’t think he was listening. Shizu saw though, as all mothers do, so she continued. 

“I had a father and he wasn’t like yours at all. My father was like me.” Sanemi peeked at her from under his folded arms. Shizu pretended like she didn’t see him, a knowing smile on her face. 

“And he was endlessly kind. Every day he would come home from work with a pink flower for me and for my Mama. Sometimes the flowers would be orange or white or yellow, sometimes all three!” She giggled and Sanemi did too under his folded arms. 

“But he always came home with a smile even though we didn’t have enough food, money, or clothing.” Shizu watched him with a tilted head laid on her arms. 

Sanemi raised his head, knowing what she was implying. She sighed looking down at her arms resting on her knees, before meeting Sanemi’s eyes.

Shizu shifted to kneel and rested her hand on her knees, palms up, waiting for Sanemi to follow. Sanemi shifted to kneel and placed his palms into her waiting ones. Shizu held his hands lightly and rubbed her thumbs over his small knuckles. She brought them up slightly, as her blue eyes stared into his. 

“Sanemi, there are no good Fathers and Mamas, and there are no bad Fathers and Mamas. There are only good and bad people.” Tears pricked Sanemi’s eyes again as he looked into his mother’s kind and troubled face. Something shined in her eyes as she spoke. Maybe it was the sorrow for having married a person she thought was good, maybe it was sorrow for losing her unborn child to him. Her soft hands gripped his smaller ones. “Sanemi, promise me you’ll be a kind person. Promise me you’ll look out for your brother, even if he takes all your toys.” She said drawing the last part out. They both giggled at that as silence followed. Then Genya snorted like a pig in his sleep. Causing more giggles to slip out. As they quieted, Sanemi grew still.

Sanemi looked at her eyes before glancing down, speaking timidly, voice shaking. “Does this mean I have to be a father?” 

Shizu’s eyes softened. “Only if you choose to be.” 

He nodded. She brought a hand up to tilt his face to hers. 

“And if you do choose to be, you’ll be a great one, because Sanemi?” His eyes widened as he saw the look on his mother’s face. It was a look that told him she spoke the truth, that he could believe her.

“You are the kindest, sweetest person in the whole world. And You my precious boy-”

“Are Good.” 

Sanemi froze, like his world was shaken, eyes wide before they squeeze shut. His frame crumples, crying once more. Shizu pulls his shaking form towards herself. 

“I-I’m not like h-him?” He asks.

“No honey.” She hugged him tightly, as her own frame shook. 

“Not even a little bit?” 

“No. Never.” She shushed. 

He sobbed because he wasn’t like father. Like Kyogo. Mama would know if he were. He squeezes her around the middle until his sniffles calm down. Until his heart beat slows and his arms loosen. His mother was so kind and beautiful. She was a good person too.

“Y-you’re beautiful Mama. I l-love you.” 

“I love you too sweetheart.” 

“And you're a good person too.”

Her arms tighten just a little more.

“Thank you Sanemi.”

“I love you Mama, a whole lot.” 

“I love you too, my little blossom.” She says as she nuzzles his hair.

He squeezes her again, determined.

“I-I’ll be the best brother! And when I get older I’ll be the best f-father too! Better than Kyogo! I promise!” 

Tears fall from Shizu's face onto the snow white hair of her son’s head as her jaw trembles. She squeezes him back ducking her head to lay on top of his. 

“And I-I can’t wait to see it! You’ll be the strongest, kindest person ever, my little blossom!” She says as she begins tickling his sides.

Sanemi squirms and giggles as they lay back down. He snuggles up to Shizu’s side while she gets comfortable. 

“Love you Mama.”  He squeezes her.

“Love you Sanemi.” She squeezes back.

She rests her hand on his head, combing softly through his hair.

“Good night.” He whispers, resting his head on her chest.

She lays a kiss atop his head as he begins to drift. 

“Good night Sanemi.”

-------

Sorry if the characters were OOC.

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Edit:

Here is the Second Part.

2024 Christmas Event

Event Masterlist

Day 19: Angry Santa, Sanemi Shinazugawa

Warnings: Sanemi get’s angry

(_____) giggled quietly as they carefully walked through the halls of their and Sanemi’s shared home. They made it into the living room and sat in their favorite spot. A smirk appeared on their lips as they waited for the fun to start.

Sanemi woke up feeling colder than usual. He reached over for his lover to pull them close once more. But was met with emptiness. Opening his eyes he saw that his lover was nowhere to be seen. He groaned and sluggishly got up, wandering to the door of their bedroom. Once the door opened a wave of ice cold water washed over him. A bucket of it had been poured on him. He yelled in surprise and shivered. “DAMNIT (_____)!!!”

Sanemi walked with the occasional shiver as he walked into the study. As soon as he stepped into the room the door closed and locked behind him. He tried to open it but it wouldn’t budge. He looked around the room and found a present with a note on it. Sanemi walked over and read the note. Open me~! :) it read. He rolled his eyes and followed the instructions. Inside of the present was a towel and a change of clothes. He dried off and changed into the outfit without thinking much of it.

Once he was dressed the door opened again and he went back into the hall. There on the ground was a map of the house. Sanemi rolled his eyes and followed the map. It led him to the bath, where he got paper snow dumped on him, the kitchen, where he got blasted with towels, the laundry room, where he was trapped in a swarm of clothes and towels, and he was led to many other rooms throughout the house.

After what felt like an eternity he finally made it to the living room. There sat (_____) with a coy smile on their lips. Sanemi on the other hand looked pissed beyond belief. He marched up to them angrily and glared at them. But (_____) just kept smiling. In fact, they stood up and pushed Sanemi into their seat before sitting on his lap. Sanemi blushed and grumbled before hugging them close to him. (_____) giggled as they kissed his cheek. “My angry Santa.”

2024 Christmas Event

Event Masterlist

Day 18: Ice Skating, Giyu Tomioka

Warnings: Very short

The freezing air made Giyu shiver as he was led by his lover (_____). “Come on, come on, come on, come on!” They said as they continued to drag him through the winter forest. They brought him to a frozen over lake and dropped their bag onto the ground. (_____) pulled out two pairs of ice skates smiling at a nervous looking Giyu.

”Come on Giyu! It’s fun!” (_____) called out to him as they stood on the ice, holding their arms out towards him. Nervously Giyu nodded and grabbed their hands. (_____) laughed and pulled him onto the ice. “Just follow my lead.” Giyu nodded and tried his hardest to do what they instructed.

After a while Giyu started to get some confidence and started to skate on his own. “There you go!” (_____) said as they clapped. Watching as Giyu started to skate on his own. And only a couple seconds later he slipped and fell flat on his back. (_____) rushed over to him and checked to see if he was hurt. Thankfully not.

Giyu was embarrassed that he fell but still wanted to keep skating. So shyly he skated with (_____), holding hands. And even when they got tired and decided to go home, Giyu still held their hand. He knew that if the other Hashira saw, the both of them would be endlessly teased.

2024 Christmas Event

Event Masterlist

Day 17: Fireplace, Kyojuro Rengoku

Warnings: Rengoku being worried for over the reader

(_____) was exhausted, the mission that they had just finished kicked their ass, hard. They couldn’t wait to get back home to their lover, Kyojuro. The snow didn’t help, making them feel even more tired and exhausted. It felt like ages but finally (_____) made it home. Opening and closing the door they fell to the floor. Not feeling like moving anymore.

“My love welcome hom-(_____)! Why are you on the floor?!” Rengoku said as he rushed to his lover's side. “Too tired to move…” (_____) mumbled as he picked them up. Carrying them into their bedroom he sat them down on a chair. He left them and came back a couple minutes later. He undressed them and carried them into the washroom. A comfortable silence took over as he washed his lover with attentiveness and care. Once he was done, he dried them and dressed them again. Carrying them to their living room to sit together.

Kyojuro placed gentle kisses from their temple to the base of their neck, up and down. He held them close to his warm body. (_____) was the most relaxed they had ever been. Their lover loving on them, being warmed by the fireplace, and being home. They felt like the luckiest person in the world. “I love you so much Kyo.” They said in a tired voice as they rested their head against his. “I also love you, (_____).”

The two spent who knows how long in front of that fireplace. A couple of naps here and there, not wanting to get up because of how comfortable they each were. If any of the other Hashira had seen them. The teasing would go on for years and years.

Shizu really did stay out late that night, and Sanemi allowed Genya to go with him to search for their mother, leaving the third oldest in charge. In their absence, (somehow) the younger siblings were all turned into demons. As Sanemi and Genya return with Shizu, they are faced with their killing machine siblings, forced to kill them (Sanemi and Genya get their scars, whether Shizu gets any is up to you). Now Shizu and her two remaining sons embark on the path of demon slayer, and shenanigans with demon-eating-Genya ensue (as well as angst). Maybe Shizu also eats demons? That’d make for some cool interactions :)

Shinazugawa Trauma(🎀)

Gotta have that tragic backstory!

But what version?

Chances are whichever brother isn't the demon is gonna be the one to kill the demon brother. Sorry, boys! Context below the cut.

So, I'm working on Shizu's backstory. And since she's not becoming the demon Shinazugawa, someone else has to. Because this family is just trauma in a box, and cannot catch a break.

But I am stumped on which version to go with. I had considered having Shizu being the one to fight against/kill one of her sons as an option. But then I considered the sweet, sweet angst of her, seeing one of her oldest two sons wounded and fading away with his brother covered in his blood and standing over him, accidentally comparing the living son to Kyogo. And the utter devastation on both sides when that happens.

Characters in my fanfics never get peace until Muzan is dead...

Demon slayer ocs by me ya friend

This is nezu karakuer my oc that I created in picrew.me

He was inspired by nezuko and I was wondering what will it turn out them being friends or like a family

And he have a wife name linidow Kokomo 👇

Let just say she is a mother figure to the trio of tanjiro and his friends and yes she is a demon but she doesn't burn

So here is a shrto request of nezu karakuer and nezuko meeting in the first time he have a box like nezuko but very much like what Tanjiro is wearing on his back and zenitsu was looking at linidow who is a married woman with nezu

So have fun have a great day / Night

◡̈⋆ʜᴇʟʟᴏ(●’◡’●)ﾉ again. I said It wasn't going to take as long to post im sorry.

oc belongs to @bendymonter

✿✼:*ﾟ:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟﾟ･**･ﾟﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　

"Sorry for the bumpy ride, my dear." Linidow said as she took a break from running. Linidow and her husband were headed to the red light district to assist the sound Hashira.

The demon started running again as she didn't want to waste time. Burning buildings came into her view, people were running away with the help of Kakushi and the sound of swords clashing sounded all around. Linidow followed the sounds on the tops of the burning buildings. She stopped once she was able to see the two fights taking place. The hashira and a boy with a checkered haori. Then a boy in a yellow haori and another with a boar head.

"Help me, brother! Do something before I get decapitated!" The demon screamed right before her fabric neck snapped. Her brother couldn't do anything because he head was chopped off at the same time.

Their heads rolled to meet in the center of the chaos.

'somethings not right.' Linidow thought as she took off the box holding her husband and opening it. Nezu slowly rose and took in his surroundings.

"RUN!" Tengen yelled as he tried to get to the young slayer.

"Get the ones on the roof to safety." She instructed her husband as she went to help the two on the ground.

The explosion happened so fast that all the two demons could do was shield the slayers with their bodies.

The world went dark.

Linidow opened her eyes to see her worried husband, who hugged her as soon as she opened her eyes.

She hugged back and whispered, "I'm alright sweetheart." before looking around. Behind her husband were the young slayers in group hug.

Linidow panicked and quickly jumped to see if they were alright. She checked all three and calmed down once she realized they were fine.

--------

Nezu and Linidow helped around the butterfly mansion.

"LADY LINIDOW HELP MEEeee, they're trying to poison me with that awful stuff." Zenitsu whined, clinging to your side like a child. She giggled and hugged the boy.

"Oh c'mon it can't be that bad, It's medicine."

"Sorry to bother you Kokomo, but can you give him his medicine again, I don't have time to deal with him, I still have chores to do." Aoi sighed as she handed you a tray with warm tea and walked off in a hurry.

"Zenitsu can you at least take a sip for me."

He took more than a sip he drank the whole cup in one gulp at her request.

*Smash*

The sound of glass shattering got Linidow's attention. The sound was in the direction of Tanjiro's room and she went to investigate.

Kanao's stood frozen in the doorway.

"Kanao is somethi- TANJIRO."

Tanjiro had woken up. He was the last of the three to recover. Word couldn't describe how relieved Linidow was even though she barely knew him. The time spent with Nezuko spoke volumes about him as a big brother.

In a flash, Nezu was by his wife's side.

"Look Tanjiro is awake." She cooed.

A kakushi walked in with a fluffy cake, stopping to clean the broken vase.

Linidow turned around with a big smile.

"Tanjiro's awake." She ran to the doorway and shouted, "TANJIRO'S AWAKE"

Soon everyone was gathered around the boy, catching him up on everything that had happened while he was in a coma.

Aoi cried and explained how Inosuke died from blood lost.

"Okay... I guess I'm hallucinating right now because I see him on the ceiling."

Slowly everyone looked up and sure enough there was Inosuke, clinging to the ceiling on all fours.

"HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT." The Kakushi shouted. Inosuke laughed.

Nezu got Inosuke down while Linidow scolded him. Although no one could see it Inosuke was pouting under his mask.

Tanjiro watched the whole thing and smiled.

✿✼:*ﾟ:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟﾟ･**･ﾟﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*ﾟ:*:✼✿　

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Relationships: Agatsuma Zenitsu & Kamado Tanjirou, Iguro Obanai & Kamado Tanjirou, Hashibira Inosuke & Kamado Tanjirou, Agatsuma Zenitsu & Chuntaro | Ukogi Characters: Agatsuma Zenitsu, Kamado Tanjirou, Iguro Obanai, Chuntaro | Ukogi (Kimetsu no Yaiba), Hashibira Inosuke, Kamado Nezuko, Rengoku Kyoujurou, Rengoku Senjurou Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Getting to Know Each Other, Agatsuma Zenitsu-centric, Agatsuma Zenitsu Needs a Hug, Demon Agatsuma Zenitsu, Good Friend Kamado Tanjirou, Iguro Obanai is Bad at Feelings, Blood and Gore, Major Character Injury, Eye Gouging, Violence, Manipulation, Decapitation, Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read Summary:

One cold, rainy day, Zenitsu finds himself in an alleyway with a stranger, shaking hands on a precarious deal. Zenitsu's debt would be paid, and he no longer had to live in the streets.

In return, he'd become a demon.

A deal too good to resist, he thought. He had no idea what agony would lie ahead of him.

[[The original, unpolished version of this story was written on Wattpad as a just-for-fun project, but I decided to make an improved, cleaner version to post here.]]

Sure thing! I am glad you like it 😊

I need to catch up on the updates of this fic 🥹💐 Anyway here's some fanart for @demonslayedher (⁠＾⁠∇⁠＾⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♪

A scene that I managed to do, from Chapter 2.

[first pic without text]

I need to catch up on the updates of this fic 🥹💐 Anyway here's some fanart for @demonslayedher (⁠＾⁠∇⁠＾⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♪

A scene that I managed to do, from Chapter 2.

[first pic without text]

“You know,” she said, as she felt a sinking feeling in her chest, “I feel like all I can ever do with these small hands is carry broken little butterflies. If I cup my hands together, they keep piling and piling up. But you, Tomioka-san… you’re already at your limit, aren’t you? Carrying those two wings on your back.”

- Shinobu to Giyuu, in Hashira First, Spouses Second: The GiyuShino Low-Key Married AU by @demonslayedher

Oh God, what a sentence. Shinobu referring to her situation of her students keep dying and how every time it happened the guilt burden her further, cupping those broken butterflies with her tiny hands. "Carrying those two wings on your back ", referring to Sabito and Tsutako AAGHH GAH OH MY GODD

It's late, I am tired from first exam paper and the flu and I WANT TO DRAW THIS SCENE GRRR GRRR

Wait until I have time to draw properly.

(and it's only the second chapter GOD DAMN yeah I am totally drawing scenes from the fic I love it so much)

I just remembered I drew this and then I remembered I also wrote something of this. Not fully done, but enjoy :)

────── ¤ ◎◎ ¤ ──────

ZENITSU bought a car.

Life was considerably peaceful after the final battle two years ago between the slayers and the demons. Most people parted their ways, moving to far away places perhaps in hope to forget the horror they faced, and most stayed around connecting with others while reminiscing of the old times together. The past was filled with blood coated blades, tears stained faces and suffering, but in there were also gaps of sweet memories filling in those dark days. Many lives were gone and they would always be remembered, but many lives were saved as well.

Tanjirou wondered what kind of life would he had if demons didn't existed in the first place; maybe he would still be selling charcoals with his family, maybe he would still be helping his mother getting water from the river and read stories to his little siblings. Reality was agonizing, but because of what had happened also lead him to befriend others whom he found to be his new family now.

He wouldn't exchanged anything for the life he had now, with his sister Nezuko and brothers-in-arms Zenitsu and Inosuke. Not one day passed without any laughter erupted from the small house in the mountains and their family bond grew stronger as years passed. The beginning was bitter and painful, but at least in this now bittersweet present, a much sweeter future seem promising.

Still, in those peaceful days, also came troubles and complexity in it from time to time. With this kind of example in front of him right now, Tanjirou could only mustered a worried smile on his face as he tilted his head at Zenitsu, whom had a rather smug and proud smile on his face. When Zenitsu used his sparrow to send a message to get down from the mountain, one would have thought it would be something more serious and not about showing a rather beaten up, dirty, yellow Volkswagen Beetle car.

" What the hell is this thing? " Inosuke was the first to break the silence, picking his nose with his pinky finger. Others had learnt that this particular unhygienic habit of his wasn't something easy to change.

Zenitsu's smile vanished. " You dumbass, this is a car! "

" Who are you calling dumbass?! "

Tanjirou got in between them before a fight break out. " Zenitsu...why did you bought a car? " 

He had to be honest with himself, he had never seen this type of car before and while modern automobile often amazed him, he had expected something like this to happen after weeks of Zenitsu whining on how it would be nice to have transportation to places especially when they went around visiting friends like Giyuu, Sanemi and Uzui who lived further away. Maybe the breaking point was when Nezuko injured herself when going over to the city with Kanao and Aoi, her ankle twisted. 

" After Nezuko-chan got injured, I thought of getting a vehicle to help getting us to far places." The yellow-haired young man turned back to Tanjirou, his smile returning back. " A brilliant idea, right? I was gathering some money to buy a car but lucky for me! I met one of the people I saved from a demon back there and she gave me this car as a gift! Isn't it tough to be a popular? " He leaned against the car and fanning himself with his hand.

" Wow, she must really be grateful to you if she gave you such gift. " Tanjirou looked into the car window, noticing the thick layer of dust and even a honeycomb with bees buzzing around it. " Er -- are you sure you weren't...maybe scammed or something? " He knew Zenitsu well enough to know that his friend could be quite easy to fall into a scammer's trap.

" Scammed? There's no way a pretty girl would scammed me! " 

Tanjirou and Inosuke gave each other a knowing glance, having enough experiences on seeing the yellow-haired boy getting tricked easily with sweet words. Zenitsu faltered slightly at their glances and shuffled his foot as he swayed his body around a little. "...Well, I did met her when I was looking around in a place that sells cars, and this car was a gift from her uncle living in the west country. She didn't want it and was about to sell it but then offered it to me with a much cheaper price than the selling cars there. So it's a win and win situation, right? "

" I think she's ungrateful. Who sells gifts from others? " Inosuke huffed, smacking the hood of the car and the rear mirror fell on the ground. " Hah! This junk is broken! You've been scammed! " 

While Zenitsu and Inosuke argued back and forth in the background, Tanjirou circled around the car, observing it. The car, to say it simply, was not in a good condition. He may be some village boy with not much knowledge of automobile, but he knew that this car was not in a condition to transport any of them anywhere. He wondered what kind of thing this car had gone through to turn it into this kind of state. Tanjirou carefully opened the door and bend down to look at the inside more closer, his nose twitching from the smell of dust, oil and...firearm? He leaned closer, his eyebrows knitting a little. There was another scent, one he found himself to be unfamiliar with. 

Before he could do anything further, Tanjirou was pulled out by Zenitsu. " -- and the two of you better stay silent about this! I don't want Nezuko-chan to know yet since it's a surprise! "

" Eh? Then when do you want to tell her? " Tanjirou looked over his shoulder.

" I am planning on fixing and cleaning this car first! "

" Ah, so you know a thing or two about automobile gears? "

A beat of silence. Zenitsu cast a nervous glance and nuzzled against Tanjirou -- an act that means that he wanted something from the eldest Kamado.

" Hmm...Tanjirou, I remember you still keeping contact with that boy you met in the swordsmith village? Kotetsu, right? He knows about gears and stuff right? "

Getting on what he was trying to say, Tanjirou snapped his fingers. " Oh! You want him to help with the fixing since he has been studying about automobile engineering? "

" Yes! Please write to him, will you Tanjirou? " Zenitsu sweetened his voice and tried to act cute and cuddly. Inosuke let out a vomiting burp in the background, staring at him in disgust.

Tanjirou glanced at the car. Kotetsu had mentioned his interest of vehicles in letters he wrote to Tanjirou, and probably even wanting to study abroad. With him having experience of fixing the mechanic Zero Yoriichi doll, Tanjirou knew that Kotetsu had the talent and spirit to accomplish his dream -- he just need a bit of pushing now and then. Still, would it be okay to request Kotetsu to fix this car?

"... I'll ask first and gets his response." Tanjirou smiled at Zenitsu, who gave a happy gasp and danced around in delight. " But, um, Zenitsu, where are you going to park the car? "

" Hmm? "

" We live up in the mountain, the hill and path are slippery and small. No cars could go up there in the route we take. We also don't have a garage to put the car in."

Another beat of silence.

||______||

The sun had set down just as the trio was finished with what supposed to be a small garage -- at least it could be referred to as that, even if it only had a roof and small space inside with nothing. It was more like a store room, to be honest. No doors though.

Thankfully they were still strong enough to cut down woods and carried heavy loads to build the small hut shack. The final battle had drained lots of their strength and caused quite permanent injuries like the blindness in one of Tanjirou's eyes, but they've exercised enough in the past two years to finally get back in shape. The hut shack was built in the forest, down the mountain, near enough for them to see if they walked down using the path they often used to get to the town.

Zenitsu waved off Tanjirou and Inosuke, telling them that they can go back home first without him. With the light up oil lamp placed on the ground, he made sure the wooden pillars and roof were strong enough to withstand any strong weather. Hopefully there wouldn't be any earthquake that could ruin the shack and damage the car. Carefully getting rid of the honeycomb and wiping the dust off on the outside, he hummed giddily, already imagining the surprise look on Nezuko when he reveal the surprise.

Clang!

Jumping in surprise at the sudden new sound, Zenitsu casted a confused look and got onto his knees, staring at the space below the car where he was sure the sound came from. A metal compartment had fallen on the ground, and he reached for the lamp to get a better lighting before noticing that the object had disappeared. Body froze, different kind of scenarios was running through his mind. His hearing was something he always trusted with, and he knew something had fallen down. Was someone in here as well with him?

He flinched and yelped, crawling backwards as his ears twitched at hearing some sort of shifting noises waving in the air. He placed a hand over his ear, eyes widening at picking up a new sort of sound he had never heard before. If he could made a resemblance out of this new sound, it probably sounded like -- like...

...like a pulse of sort. A sound that indicates something to be alive.

The Volkswagen Beetle car he bought began to move -- gears shifting and metal screeching against each other until there was no longer a car in front of the bewildered young man.

There was a length of absolute silence, yellow eyes met vibrant blue ones and only when the giant robot flinched as the rooftop grazed against his helm, did Zenitsu let out a high-pitched scream.

Was trying to try drawing things I am not that good at (machine, robots) but somehow end up with a crossover.

Ignoring inaccurate history, what if Bee landed in Japan instead. Set after the final battle so everyone is a bit weak but they still capable of kicking ass if they want to.

I knew what I could bring by letting Aizetsu (accidentally) praising you when writing the new chapter and I had a good laugh.

*Bonks you thirsty shrimps with a 'no horny' bat*

(I forgot he has pointed ears so I fixed it)

A scene from Azure (Aizetsu x reader)

(you got that rizz y'all)

I am currently busy with university projects but don't worry, I'll make sure to draw the next comic part for Haganezuka and you (tw angst for real)

Btw, I have an idea with trope of Mall Security Guard x That Random Mall Musician to use with female reader and another Demon Slayer character (male casts) choices are;

- Kyogai

- Any of the Hantengu clones

- other cast (comments below)

p.s. hey wouldn't it be fun if reader was the security instead lol

No context for this sneak peek of future chapter in my fanfic

Yes, that's Kaburamaru

I couldn't help myself and made an Aizetsu x reader fanfic. Here is the link and some doodles of the fic with bits of parts I haven't written yet.

𝑨𝒁𝑼𝑹𝑬 || 𝙆𝙣𝙮 𝘼𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙩𝙨𝙪

How it started:

How it's currently going:

Based off a book I wrote: 桃色 (𝑷𝑰𝑵𝑲) || 𝗞𝗻𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗰

Today's Menu; 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘴𝘢

⇆ㅤ◁ㅤ ❚❚ㅤ ▷ㅤ↻

Rengoku Kyojuro is a patience young boy. He took pride in that small bit of him because he was aware of how much damages could be done when your emotions were left unchecked. He was patience when it comes to completing his training, patience when it comes to taking care of his little brother and certainly patience when it comes to deal with his father.

But he, just like other normal human beings, had his own limits too.

Kyojuro couldn't helped but to glower down on the waste of food in the trash can -- the food that he and Senjuro had cooked for their dear father. Among the food, scattering around were pieces of papers, one that he recognized its origins based on the writings he could detect from tbe pieces. The food and letters he and Senjuro had made for their dear father. For their father's birthday. Senjuro, bless that small boy, had been nothing but excited and skipping in his steps when he walked around the market with Kyojuro to find the food's ingredients, blabbering on whether their father would like the meal they made for him or not. Senjuro was so excited to show how much progress he had made in writing kanji that he kept redoing the letters all day before.

The least their father could've done would be keeping the letters if he found the food to be inedible for him.

Kyojuro lose the appetite to make himself a dinner, plopping his sheathed sword on the table as he hurried to tie the plastic from the trash can to be put outside before Senjuro could see the fills in it. He wouldn't want his little brother to cry another endless of tears with the lack of love from their father. He kept his hands clenched, keeping down the boiling rage inside him as he walked passed his father's bedroom.

The urge to burst in and scream at the old man was tempting, but Kyojuro knew nothing would be gained through reckless anger.

Yet, even after he finished with putting out the trash and scrubbing his hands clean, he still couldn't sit tight or calm himself. His uniform was dirty from the last mission he just finished. He should take a bath. But he stood there alone in the kitchen, hands still clenching tight. With a huff, Kyojuro placed back his sword into his belt and left the estate to take a walk outside. Danger be damned, if he couldn't tone down his anger, he would be the most dangerous one around lurking in the night. He walked and walked, mind somewhere else, letting his feet to take the lead.

Kyojuro tilted his head up to the sky, pressing his lips. Oh, what would his mother thought of the family situation now? Her absence had a great effect, but his father acted like he was the only one who suffered the most. By God, Kyojuro and Senjuro lost their own mother that day, Senjuro couldn't even remembered how she looked like! They could still lived like it was another normal day, but why couldn't their father did the same? Why couldn't their father be strong enough? Why did it have to be Kyojuro who had to lighten up the household and carried on the responsibility?

He was so tired. He just turned 16 years old last month, give him a break.

Kyojuro stopped walking, his mind snapped back to reality as a new scent stirred in the air. His stomach growled once he recognized the smell to be of a food, alerting him that he had not eaten anything since finishing his mission. Which stall opened at late night near the forest? Maybe it was a demon's trick. With that in mind, he grasped on the hilt of his sword, eyes darting around for any signs of dangers as he continued to walk closer to where the smell would be.

Standing in front of him now was a building, the sign outside introduced him that it was a restaurant. A restaurant in the middle of nowhere? How very suspicious. Kyojuro approached the building and noticed a small whiteboard sign propped near the entrance.

☞ 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘧

☞ 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯

☞ 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘩𝘰𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴!

☞ 𝘈𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥

Huh, he never seen such rules before in any food selling places he went to. Looking at the structure of the building, it seemed to be newly built and recently opened. Still suspicious though, why would anyone want to build a restaurant away from the public eyes? The sounds of footsteps coming from the inside caused him to jump in surprise, and peeking out through the entrance was a woman.

She didn't looked Japanese, perhaps a foreigner. The woman noticed Kyojuro standing outside and blinked at him. She stared at him for a good couple of seconds before standing straight, adjusting her headscarf and smiled.

" It's a bit late for you to be out. Would you like to come in for something to eat? "

Kyojuro would have rejected the invitation if it wasn't for his stomach growling louder than before, drawing in the awkwardness and embarrassment in him. The woman tilted her head, her smile seemed amused now. Defeated, Kyojuro covered his red ears with his hair and looked down on his clothes.

" I apologize for my state of clothing. I didn't even know there was a restaurant around here. "

" Do you have blood on them? "

Kyojuro squinted his eyes a little. " I hope not. "

" Hmm, good enough for me. Wash your hands and feet first before coming in. "

The woman disappeared inside the building, leaving Kyojuro to decide what to do. He wished he had bathed first before taking a walk. Dusting off the dirt from his clothes, he took off his footwear and cleaned his hands and feet.

___________

The inside of the building was much more fascinating that he thought it would be. The lights were bright, clean tables and chairs neatly in their positions and the plants inside made the place looked more lively. He was so busy looking around the facility he didn't realized the woman had placed his order in front of him, as well as his drink. He wasn't sure what to order, so he opted for a noddle meal, in which the woman nodded and told him she had something for him.

The broth looked heavenly thick, white noddles filling in every corner of the bowl, green vegetables and onions in the soup made it looked fresh and the boiled egg and shrimps popping out in between the noodles seemed to glint under the light. It was the same scent he smelled before -- filled with richness and spiciness that smelled so good even before his tongue could taste it first. It was beautiful.

" You're drooling. " The woman offered him chopsticks, seemingly pleased that her cooking looked good. " If you want to use spoon or fork, I'll get them for you. "

Kyojuro smiled back, reaching for the chopsticks. " Thank you for the food. " Careful not to burn himself, he slowly took the first bite of the noddles.

Oh, this. This reminded him of the times his mom would made him noodle soup when he was feeling down. She would also made tempura and sweet potatoes dessert for him, smiling so sweetly as he offered to help her cook. The coconut broth of the meal was delicious, the noodles were easy to chew and swallow. It was both spicy and sweet, bot flavors balancing each other. The food was warm, it was tasty and it was comforting.

" 𝘜𝘮𝘢𝘪! " Kyojuro found himself chanting as he took another bite, again and again until only the broth was left in the still steaming bowl. That was fast. He didn't realized how starving he was.

The woman returned again, napkins in her hands as she lit up at the finished food.

" That good? "

" It was amazing! Delicious! " Kyojuro cried out, noting on how he felt more energetic than before. " What it this meal? Please do tell me! "

She laughed. " It's laksa, usually done with coconut broth or curry flavor. Laksa is a spicy noodle soup from Malaysia, also found in other South East Asian counties including Singapore and Indonesia."

" I feel so much better now! Amazing! " He repeated, eyes twinkling in amazement.

" I am glad you like it, kid. It's on the house. "

" Oh no, I simply cannot -- "

" It's fine, I am about to close anyway. " She insisted, waving the napkins in his face before setting it down on the table. " Besides, I couldn't leave a hungry child out alone, could I? "

" Well then, if you can't receive money as my thank you, then shall I spread the word of your restaurant so you can gain more customers? " He suggested, crossing his arms over his chest. " I do find this place to be too far from the public..."

The woman paused, a flicker of worry could be seen on her face, which then vanished as she gave him a smile.

" I guess that would be nice. Thank you, Rengoku. "

Kyojuro nodded, pleased with the settlement. Belly full, energy recharged and in a good mood, he bid the woman goodnight and hurried back to his house, already thinking of bringing Senjuro to the restaurant and maybe even try on the woman's recipe to try again with gifting his father with another food.

It didn't occured to him of how she knew his name in the first place.

A/N : Recently reading this interesting manga about a girl who was meant to be sacrificed as a ritual food for the beastman king and ends up becoming his wife instead. So here's and AU of the manga with Hakuji/Akaza and Koyuki. ( The manga is called Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts )

|| 𝕾𝖆𝖈𝖗𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖎𝖆𝖑 𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖘𝖘 & 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕮𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖆𝖎𝖓 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕽𝖔𝖞𝖆𝖑 𝕲𝖚𝖆𝖗𝖉 || ft. OC Fumiko.

Once upon a time, there was a great, horrible war, between humans and demons. It went on for centuries, until both side had opened their eyes of the war's consequences and what it had affected each species. Thus, after many meetings and arguments, both sides finally decided to end the war, for the sake of their homeland and the people.

The humans had created a new species of cows to be given to the demons, so they wouldn't eat humans anymore. The demons found this new species satisfying enough and allowed the humans to have a share of their special trees that bear sweet fruits that could also heal wounds. Both sides managed to create another path to avoid wars, even though there were still some resentment for each sides.

That was about 100 years ago, Koyuki recalled. Demons no longer eat humans, so why did her village sent her off to be sacrificed as a meal? Was it because her father had succumbed to poison, leaving her alone? That it was inappropriate for a virgin woman to live alone so they thought it would be better that she went off dead?

So many questions, yet none were answered. Koyuki glanced at the men sitting beside and in front of her in the carriage, and she was grateful for the veil covering her face, allowing her to make none direct eye contacts with anyone. Her hands were cuffed with iron and there were bruises around the wrists, a proof of her struggling to not be taken away. Before she was taken inside the carriage, the villager bathed her, gave her wonderful foods that she had never been able to touch before, and then threw her away. Thankfully they let her wore the kimono her father had worked hard to buy for her.

Koyuki's eyes dropped sadly. She should've seen this coming. She was sick, ill since birth, her father was the only one who took care of her, loved her. He was gone and she was alone. No one wanted to take care of her. It would be a burden for them. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 was a burden for them.

Her eyes noticed the sudden change of the path outside, the small light from the lamp outside help with seeing through the darkness of the night. Anyone could recognized the border that separate the human land and the demon's, but right now, the carriage wasn't going any near the border.

" It's a pity to throw away such beauty to those demons. "

Shiver ran down her spine. Koyuki recognized the voice. The men in the carriage with her worn amigasa ( straw hats ), so she couldn't really saw their faces clearly. The one in front of her took of his and looked at Koyuki with a creepy smile.

He was the heir of the dojo next to her father's. The one who kept pestering her father to have Koyuki's hand in marriage. The reason why her father refused him was because he didn't care much of Koyuki's health. One time, he forcefully dragged Koyuki outside to have a date, and when she got to her knees having trouble with breathing, he panicked and left her there. If it wasn't for some children playing nearby and alerting her father, she would've died right there.

Koyuki flinched when she felt her chin being grabbed by the heir of the next dojo. She had forgotten his name, not caring enough to care about such man. He must have bribe the driver to change the path. He grinned at her.

" We'll be married at sunrise and you will stay at the hut in the mountains. Everything I say is an absolute rules. " His hand traveled to cup her face. " I will make you happy every night. "

𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, Koyuki recoiled. She yanked her head away, not wanting to be touched, when the carriage shook tremendously, as if someone had landed on top of it. Sure enough, the top of the carriage was literally ripped off, exposing the ones inside. The horses panicked and started to lose control, causing the carriage to lose its balance.

Koyuki gasped as she slide over the wall, eyes closing in surprise as yelling and screaming filled the air. The carriage had fallen to its side, and the girl found herself rolling away. Sharp stones cut her skin as she came to a halt, forcing her palms to scratch on the ground so she would stop rolling away.

Everything hurts. Koyuki felt something warm trickling down on her left side of her face. Her chest felt painful and she was having a hard time to breath. She was too focused on her state that she didn't realized the noise had slowed down, the horses had ran off and there was no sight of the men who were in the carriage with her.

" Your Highness, please step away. "

" Here I thought your sight is better than mine. Surely you see this girl is injured and her hands are cuffed? Not to mention you don't hurt women. "

Koyuki lose focus on the rest of the conversation of the strangers. Her vision was getting darker, and the last thing she remembered was falling in someone's arm.

| | | | |

It was pretty rare for a human to be nearby the border. The trespassers would be taken in as prisoners until humans with authority bait them out or either in the mercy of the demon king's hand. As the only sister the king had, Fumiko was sure that the numbers of humans casualties were all thanks to her. Muzan has a soft spot for his sister, so it was fortunate that her request for trespassers to be given trials or such and not be given death sentence immediately was granted. Not to say that she was a good person, but she was reasonable enough.

As the captain of the royal guard, Akaza was given an order to accompany the princess on her patrol around the border. Fumiko had maintained a good relationship with demons like Akaza, so safe to say that it was easier to talk to Fumiko rather than her brother. Seeing a human carriage nearby the border was alarming enough, since they had received no notice from the human palace of any visitors.

Akaza had expected to have his arms soaking in humans blood, not literally having an unconscious, alive, one on him. There were three men, plus the driver of the carriage. He didn't noticed the woman until she rolled out of the carriage.

" A sacrifice. " Fumiko frowned at this. " It's been a long time. Maybe a town or a village decided to offer a human sacrifice out of pure belief. "

" But we no longer do this. " Akaza grumbled, adjusting the girl's position in his arms. His eyes trailed down towards the cuff on her hands. He slowly used his fingers to lift the veil off her face.

The woman looked so...delicate. Her appearance was messy, with dirt and blood all over her body and face, others would scrunched their noses in disgust and refused to hold her. But Akaza felt like he was holding a fragile glass. A beautiful, fragile glass. It was as if he dropped her, she would break.

Fumiko noticed the silence from the captain. She tilted her head at the way his eyes locked on the human girl, one hand softly pushing off the veil from her face. The way he carried her looked gentle, yet firm. It looked like he didn't want to drop her nor letting her go.

Akaza broke out of his trance when Fumiko went to take off the veil entirely. She looked at Akaza, smiling.

" Bring her with us. "

" ...Your highness? " Akaza hesitated.

Fumiko's smile widened. " I'll talk about this to my brother, don't worry. Let us tend to her injuries. "

" And the others? "

" Send in some soldiers to fetch the other trespassers. We gotta hurry if we want that girl to live. "

If there was one common thing that the Kibutsuji siblings share, was that they always planned something in their mind, something unexpected. It unnerved and made other demons anxious in waiting. Muzan's plan usually had something cruel in it while Fumiko's with bits of mischievous. If they both conduct a plan together, chaos happens.

Even so, Akaza kept his lips shut and followed the princess back into the kingdom. His eyes occasionally glancing back on the girl in his arms.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦

Everytime I read a KNY fanfic of certain demon x reader, there will always be Douma that just decided to ruin the relationship.

It's funny how we all look at him and agree that he's such a menace.

Can you do a bookstore au for kokushibou also can you do an istp personality type for the reader.

Sure! And congrats on being the first to request! (つ≧▽≦)つ

𝙺𝚘𝚔𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚋𝚘𝚞 | 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐

ᴘʟᴏᴛ : ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ɪꜱ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴀ ʙᴏᴏᴋꜱᴛᴏʀᴇ ᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴘᴀʀᴛ-ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴊᴏʙ, ʙᴜᴛ Qᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ ɢᴇᴛꜱ ʙᴏʀᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇʀ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋꜱ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛɪɴɢ.

ʙᴏᴏᴋꜱᴛᴏʀᴇ ᴀᴜ

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" I am going to rot in here." 

Kokushibou gave you a tiny glance as he stock in another book into the fantasy-labeled shelf. It was quiet rare for you to express what you were thinking since you were usually so quiet. Perhaps because you've known him for a few months and hung out with him more often than other workers in the bookstore, that you became more opened up to him.

" Why did I even chose this work?" You continued, handing him another book to be put in.

" Then why did you?" He questioned, finished with the section and pushed the cart to the children section.

Trailing behind him while pushing another cart, you said, " Money, Kokushibou. It's also hard to find a part-time job, you know? I am also trying to keep up with college's work."

He didn't replied and that was the end of your conversation as you both continued to stock the books in the section. Boredom grew and grew inside you as time passed by. This work seemed dull to you, but at least you were paid. Once you have enough money and finished college, you quit immediately.

You glanced at Kokushibou. If it wasn't for him, you'd have quit long ago. He was quiet, perhaps even more than you being quiet, but skillful and fast in managing things. Your friendship with him started with him helping you adjusting to the work by the manager's order, only for a friendship to bloom between both of you. Being observant, not only you noticed how good he is in working, but also his attractiveness.

Kokushibou has a long, spiky black hair tied in a ponytail; dark eyes and pale skin. His name ' Kokushibou ' was a name when he was on a work shift. When he finished, he was called Mitchikatsu. You found out about this from his twin brother, Yoriichi, that often visiting the store to give a lunch box to his brother.

If you could rate his attractiveness, you'd give a 9/10. His sombre expression gave off an intimidating and scary vibes that sometimes scared away the customers. Probably the reason he wasn't in charge of the counter.

" Just how bored are you that you keep staring at me?"

You jumped, caught by the man. Looking away and trying to hide the little redness on your cheeks, you said nothing. Kokushibou stared at you for a few seconds before sighing.

" Let's...play a game."

" Huh?" You turned to him, eyes widened.

This man, who looked like he doesn't know the definition of fun, was inviting you to play a game?

Kokushibou put up a finger, " In an hour, both of our shift will be done and we are also in charge of closing the store for today. By one-hour, let's stock these books in the sections quickly. The one who finished first gets to be treated a meal by the one who loses."

How... interesting.

Despite taken back by how a bit weird he was acting, his offer was tempting. Instead of spending one-hour restocking the books in boring atmosphere, why not turned it into something more challenging and exciting?

You hummed, " A meal from a restaurant?"

" Includes a dessert."

" Deal."

And with that, both of you started the challenge just as quick as it started.

|||||

You've almost done, only one more book to be put in the adult section. But it seemed that Kokushibou was also heading to the same section. Unfortunately, he was more quicker than you in speed, as he easily ran passed you to the section.

Not wanting to lose, you reached out one hand and grabbed his apron holding him back.

The man looked over his shoulders, " That's cheating, (Y/N)."

" There's no condition set anyway!" You pulled the stings off so the apron would fall off to distract him.

While it certainly did, as Kokushibou stepped on the apron and slipping to the ground, he managed to grab your ankle to let you meet the same fate as his. Loud thump sound echoed in the store when both workers fell onto the floor. Kokushibou was the first to get up, already sprinting past you, but then noticed that you didn't move.

" (Y/N)?" He stopped. " (Y/N)." He called again but there was no response.

Panic starting to fill inside him as he dropped his book and went back to you, forcing himself to calm down and maintain the situation --

In the form action of sike, you grabbed his apron on the floor nearby and threw it to his face before going on your feet and dashed towards the section.

"(Y/N)!"

Oh, you knew you were so in trouble at the tone of his voice, but that still didn't stopped you from putting in the book in the shelf to claim your victory. Once you done, you turned around and faced your co-worker who had a visible irritation on his face.

" Are you mad that I used dirty tricks?" You gulped, taking a step back at how intimidating he was.

Kokushibou didn't answer. He grabbed your shoulders, forcing you to stay put as he used another hand to lift your chin and moved your head sideways. It then clicked inside you that he was checking for any injuries.

" I am okay," you said, blushing at how close and touchy he was, " I was just pretending. You know me, I like taking risks."

" Don't do that again." He warned.

" Don't tell me what to do."

"...." Sighing, he let you go and looked away. " I was...worried for a second back there."

Realizing that you really did scaring this man into thinking that you were injured, you immediately felt guilty.

" Look -- I am sorry, Kokushibou. I won't do anything that hurt myself."

He looked at you. " You can't promise that."

" But I can try."

There was a moment of silence as you both stared at each other. Kokushibou put a hand over his face and you were taken back once again at the sight of his shoulders moving as he let out a short chuckle.

" Well," a small smile was on his face, " you won, anyway. Congratulations. So, does 8 p.m. tonight good for me to take you to your meal reward?"

You smiled back, " Yeah. That's good."

As you both did final clean up in the store, something occured to you as you took off your apron.

"...Hey, Kokushibou..." You slowly began, "...correct me if I am wrong...but...the game and the meal as a reward...were you trying to ask me out or something?"

And without even turning around as he locked the back door, Kokushibo replied, " Will you reject me if I say yes?"

" No."

" Then, yes."

A/N : I hope I got the reader's ISTP personality right. Please tell me if I did any mistake with it. Also, sorry if Kokushibou is a bit ooc.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕋𝕠𝕡 𝟛 𝕌𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕆𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕥 𝔸𝕌 (𝔼𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕕)

𝔸𝕌 :

𝘏𝘰𝘨𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘈𝘜

𝘊𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘈𝘜

𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘈𝘜

𝘔𝘢𝘧𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘜

𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭/𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘈𝘜

𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘈𝘜

𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘈𝘜

𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘜

𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵 𝘈𝘜

𝘠𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘈𝘜

𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘜

𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘈𝘜

𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘈𝘜

𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦/𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘜

𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘈𝘜

𝘚𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘜

( 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘈𝘜 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 )

ℝ𝕦𝕝𝕖𝕤 :

• 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙪𝙩, 𝙧@𝙥𝙚, 𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙩

• 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙜𝙚

• 𝙍𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝘼𝙐 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙭 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚

• 𝙀𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝘼𝙐 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝟯 𝙐𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙨

• 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙝𝙚/𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜

• 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙆𝙤𝙠𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙤𝙪, 𝘿𝙤𝙪𝙢𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙠𝙖𝙯𝙖 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮

• 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙠𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚/𝙁𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝘼𝙐, 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩

𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙣

( 𝗬𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗶 𝘅 𝗨𝘁𝗮 )

____________

She always made sure to hold his hand tightly.

The first day Yoriichi decided to come and live with Uta, the girl took a hold on his hand and lead the way to her home, her tight was strong.

It was as if she was afraid he would leave.

Since then, whenever they both went out together, Uta had always held his hand in hers. She had asked once if he felt uncomfortable with it and would rather her not to do it.

Yoriichi answered by gripping her hand in his.

He was happy.

Very happy.

His face didn't show his true feelings, but the small action from Uta made his heart fluttered. He noticed that it was something that calmed Uta down, as she sometimes had nightmares when sleeping and he would reached out and hold her hand, and she would immediately calmed down.

10 years later, married, even as adults, she would still hold his hand. She was still worried that he would leave her and she would be left alone again.

Yoriichi would gripped her hand and reassured her that, he would always stay by her side.

He would never leave her.

But she did.

Yoriichi would never forgive himself for coming home late that night. His mistake had caused his wife and unborn child to be murdered. If only he had returned quicker...

And so he cradled Uta's corpse in his arms gently for the next 10 days, tears already dried from the constant crying.

He held her hand in his. Her skin was so cold, no warmness on it like he usually felt. He regretted letting her hand go that day. She must have felt so lonely. She died a lonely death with their unborn child.

His grip around his wife's hand tightened.

What he would give to have her hold onto him again...

𝘈/𝘯 : 𝘩𝘢𝘩𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘳𝘳𝘳

Promises

Sanemi Shinzawaga & Male!/Pronouns Reader--- Spoilers of Final Battle Arc

Words: 2,110

Summary: The relationship between (__) and Sanemi could hardly be called that. After the defeat of Muzan Sanemi will try to form a link with (__).

Written Curse: Use of (__)! Third person! I'm not an english native speaker so I support on translators!-- I felt poetic lol-- Guys maybe i won't be able to post for a time thanks to school, but i'll do my best to keep sharing my stories, thanks for all the support! See ya Darlings!

The whispers that the wind created as it collided with the petals at the gloomy dawn never seemed to take shape in the young man’s ears, more focused on his duty and survival than on the messages given to him. Two years had passed since that moment that changed his life so much but time passes fast for a short being, he could not afford to stop and observe details, listen to the least that was not killing. Sanemi Shinazugawa, pillar of the wind, he had taken a pupil, a tsuguko. Despite having been very against it at first, he taught him in a harsh and cruel way, just as the world would be with him if he decided to continue and he did so.

Now; being officially a member of the demon slayer corps, he took missions one after another without any rest.

Today the boy had returned to the estate of his superior, without waiting for him to be in the place he put his katana in the designated place and walked to the open area of the place. As he approached he could hear the fluid movement of a katana and others, when he arrived completely he could observe Sanemi training with great concentration so he did not pay attention to the pupil who simply bowed and greeted. Nothing, not even a look in his direction so he sat down and waited for the session to end. After a few hours Shinazugawa sheathed the katana and walked to the door next to the boy, the boy raised his head to look into the face of the other “Why don’t you train instead of sitting like a useless one for hours?” his voice rumbled all over the place with cold behavior, his gaze concentrated at the end of the corridor, his face somewhat twisted of discomfort causing his scars to be molded according to the tractions and contractions.

He just stared at him before nodding and starting to get up “Of course Shinazugawa-san” on the way to the previous point where the training had been done, both facing their backs, moving his head a little and making his jaw touch his shoulder he said to the pillar “Welcome”. The silence was the only thing that answered him before hearing steps walking away and finally ending up alone in the surroundings with a jester of disappointment drawn his own katana; he closed his eyes and took a lot of air. Again he could hear the whispers and laughter of the wind, how it got into his ears and tried to scream at him but the words did not make sense or that is what he thought, with one last breath he contracted all his muscles and prepared to move.

This was one of the many moments of interaction that both men had.

One night they ate without any words, the sound of cicadas or the movement of the leaves of the trees were the only thing that talked inside the room, the lamp illuminated what was necessary without hurting or forcing the eyes of those who were feeding, he swallowed the amount of food in his mouth and observed his pupil without expression indicating the emotion or feeling “Your skills are deplorable, this week I will have to train you again … What a waste of time” He gave a bite and watched the boy, he stopped chewing and nodded “Thanks Shinazugawa-san, I regret that my performance is not in your expectations” this annoyed the pillar who aggressively put the dishes on the floor “Do not apologize for being an incompetent” raised his voice enough to be heard outside if anyone was there but not too much to be considered a scream. The boy only nodded and continued eating, not that he accepted what he said or wanted him to continue with that thought, no, of course not, he knew very well that he was capable, that although there was always opportunity to learn and grow, it is not that he was in a place of first knowledge or practice as years ago. But in the end he was a pillar, someone more experienced, someone who had taken his body beyond the limit and had perfected his techniques, so he knew what he was saying, right? he just tried to harden him for the fatalities of his work but in the end he had an appreciation for him, even if it was minimal, didn’t he?

Their breaths had no pattern in their fighting movements, the grinding of swords a compass in the dance of the fight for the subjugation of the other, some screams were thrown by the pillar; about the talents and efforts of his pupil, of how they would kill him in the second that fought with a stronger demon, of how he was lucky to remain alive after all this time. Naturally the winner of the match was Sanemi, as the boy parted gasping trying to stabilize his breathing as well as his rhythm and heart pressure “you can’t even use full concentration breathing!” He rebuked “A pillar is your teacher and you don’t even seem to know the basics!” the boy bowed his head “Don’t lower your head when I’m talking to you, brat!” He clenched his jaw and looked up to meet Shinazugawa’s fury, his frowning and his eyes open to no more, his hands clenching the sheath of his weapon “If you follow this way I will get you out of the organization! Do you understand!?” His tone increasingly harsh and firm against him, he bowed in the form of respect “Of course master, it will not happen again, I promise” he returned to his original position and waited for the answer, for several seconds the tense air was static and everything seemed the same way, until he finally spoke “get out of here” he closed his eyes to not see the boy making it clear that if he tried to talk or engage in another interaction there would be punishment.

He bowed again for the last time before walking and leaving him alone. A knot in his throat pressed his insides, threatening to come out and reveal the emotions he felt. Apparently all his efforts had not borne fruit, maybe he was not good enough, so long with his training and not even a compliment, absolutely nothing but reproaches and reprimands, punishments and discouraging comments. Two years of his life trying to improve for the people, to help his and avoid heis suffering turned to dust and carried by the wind to nowhere.

But no person can endure such dealings for too long, at least not him, so the little relationship is further degraded over time. Now, 1 year later everyone was fighting with their lives to try to eradicate the evil that had therefore pressed them against the ground, enjoying their fear and pain.

His head was spinning as his body pricked every possible nerve, his sight barely made aware of the blurry figures in his immediacy, his ears seemed to bleed him, and his body moved involuntarily. What was he doing there?, What was happening?, For a few minutes he totally fainted until he regained it, when his eyelids opened slowly and saw the sky of dawn he felt some peace before his body forced him to take air choking through the puffs and coughed to calm his body, screams and metallic sounds finally reached his ears but did not move, he did not react, his body did not respond, that is why came to him, right, he was in a fight, a big and important fight. He had been one of the few who survived before the pillars ecountered Muzan... But now he had no idea what happened the instant he lay on the floor. When trying to move a wave of pain reached his brain almost making him lie down again but he had to do it, he had to stop and keep fighting even if it was the last thing he did, even if he did not know how he would but he would not give up, walking through the streets, with his hand hanging and the other one leaning against the wall he could see the commotion. He was quite surprised to see a great baby but quickly understood that that being was the first demon, Muzan Kibutsuji, he quickened his pace ignoring any pain or discomfort and instead anger, resentment and so on encouraged his walk.

He watched as Sanemi cut off his arm, reaching the side of the rock pillar and grabbed one of the Kakushi and began to pull with all the strength his body had, the sun and the light reaching every possible corner and burning the demon’s skin tearing apart pieces and then turning them into ash. The peaceful silence compared to the magnitude of the moment, all eyes focused on how slowly it faded until there was only the vestige of its horrors giving way to a new peace.

Days had passed since that miracle but now, there was a certain void, the space left by those who left a strong presence, a reminder that everything was real and that it always would be. His heart had been disrupted and broken just like his mind, he needed to think what he would do now that he no longer needed to fight for the lives of others and his own, everything seemed to be in a fog that prevented him from looking at the future.

In those same days Sanemi began to talk more with the boy but since he served, he wanted nothing to do with all this, less his teacher. The encounters were uncomfortable and forced, meaningless words but with intent on the part of Sanemi, sharp and one-syllable on the part of the pupil if he could still be called in such a way.

On a quiet morning the birds sang to wake everyone up just like the first rays of sun, the futon felt hard against the back of the boy and the cold of the floor was transferred to the fabrics so giving a jester he got up and accommodated the things in the room to go out and walk. At the end he opened the shoji with delicacy, the sound of his steps was dampened thanks to the socks he brought, he went to the common area with a piece of food, squatted and settled to sit with his legs crossed, he took a bite and closed his eyes. He heard and listened to the wind for the first time, the murmurs intertwined with his own thoughts traveling all over his brain, embracing each relief with delicacy.

Not long after he heard another person approaching, but he didn’t flinch until Sanemi spoke “Um, good morning,” he opened his eyes and simply moved his eyes so that his periphery could see it, he bit his tongue a little before speaking “Good morning” even though the tone of his voice did not reflect any emotion it was obvious that he was not so happy to see him or to talk to him. “You got up early” walked up to the boy and started to sit imitating the position of the boy who only nodded and finished eating “I… wanted to talk to you” started again hoping he was willing to listen but happened completely the opposite, the boy stood up and started making his way elsewhere, stopped for a moment “Why are you so kind to me now?” The words barely came out of his mouth but were sharp, not that he wanted to know the answer to his question but his mind could not help remembering all those times when Sanemi was very hard on him, even rude and arrogant, where he simply nodded and did what was asked of him without any complaints, so long trying to establish a relationship or some kind of contact that was more human.

Shinazugawa said a single syllable before boy interrupted “it’s just because you feel guilty, because you have nothing better to do” he frowned and squeezed his lips, some tears resting on the edges he continued walking until he reached another shoji, he grabbed the wood “I don’t want to see you again Shinazugawa-san, I’m leaving this place” Sanemi hearing all this stood up “It’s not what you think” swallowed saliva “(__) I’m sorry.” The boy squeezed the wood and looked at the floor “Me too” was the last thing he said before leaving the room and closing the shoji and to never returning to that place, to forget all the pain that for so long had contained in the depths of his being, letting the wind take away his sorrows and accompany him to a better place.

Reblogs and comments are appreciated

I BEG YOUR FINEST FUCKING PARDON BUT THIS *GESTURES* IS GOLD. I AM OBSESSED

THE GREAT WAR

PART I ♤ SECRET PREGNANCY AU

A/N: After seven months, it's finally here. Part I of Giyuu's Bundle of Joy. This fic involved a ton of research and tears. I hope you all enjoy. Special shout-out to @squishybabei @kentohours @homo-homini-lupus-est-1701 @ghost-1-y and @xxsabitoxx for letting me bombard your DMs with endless snippets from this fic for feedback. Note that this is a multi-part fic, and it will be a non-linear story.

CW: explicit sexual content ☼ MDNI ☼ loss of virginity ☼ unprotected sex ☼ protective/possessive Giyuu ☼ canon-typical violence

LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST HERE

January, 1915

The moon’s rays filtered through the sparse canopy of the trees from above, bathing that small portion of the forest in its silvery glow. There, about twenty paces ahead, Giyuu locked eyes on his target.

A demon; one he’d been pursuing through the dense forest separating his Manor from the base of a great mountain for the last several miles

The demon had yet to notice him, for it was focused entirely on its own prey — a human woman, who was frantically zigzagging as she ran in a desperate effort to evade its clutches. 

She was succeeding rather well in her endeavor, managing to dart out of the beast’s reach right as it snapped its sharp, deadly claws at her back. But the girl then miscalculated her movements and stumbled over something — whether it was a tree root or her own feet, he could not say — and she went airborne. For one, sickening moment, Giyuu feared he would not be fast enough to save her from falling victim to the demon he was readying to kill.

The girl squealed as she fell, just narrowly managing to avoid the swipe of the beast’s claws as they cut uselessly at the air where her back had been only seconds before. Something long and wooden flew from her hand as she sprawled across the forest floor – a broom.

Odd. 

Steps quick and even, Giyuu’s thumb flicked his sword free from its scabbard. Within seconds of him drawing his weapon, the Slayer’s blade sliced seamlessly through the demon’s neck, its head thudding pathetically to the forest floor before the beast could comprehend the threat.

He landed swiftly on the balls of his feet, the Water Pillar quickly shaking his blade free of the demon’s blackened, rotted blood before sheathing it at his hip. A quick job – that was how he liked it; free of fuss. 

Behind him, he heard the leaves coating the frozen ground of the forest shift and crack as the human girl he’d rescued rose to her feet. He grimaced; while helping rid the world of the blight inflicted upon it by demons was his life’s sole and true purpose, and one he fulfilled without hesitation, he was little more than a fish out of water when it came to talking to those he helped. 

The girl had yet to flee; Giyuu suspected she might be in shock, if not a bit simple, and he sought to prod her along. After all, the sooner she left the forest, the less likely she’d end up a demon’s meal and waste his efforts in preserving her life. 

“You should be fine now. Please return to your ho-,” The dark-haired Slayer’s words were cut off with a sputter as the head of the woman’s broom whacked him sharply up the side of his skull. 

Giyuu stood there for a moment, dazed and slightly confused as he turned towards the woman whose life he’d just preserved. 

The Water Pillar had not paid her much mind upon discovering her seconds away from becoming the slain horned demon’s newest meal, his attention having been entirely focused on eliminating his target. But now, without the distracting threat of a man-eating beast, he could see she was clad in the traditional attire worn by Shinto priestesses, though she looked far too young to have achieved such a status. Instead, she appeared to be much closer to himself in age. The front of her red hakama pants were streaked in mud and dirt from her fall, and several strands of hair had fallen loose from where they’d been gathered in a ribbon just below her shoulders. 

And she was glaring at him. 

“What are you?” She demanded, and the Water Pillar noted the faint tremor in her voice that she worked to conceal behind her defensive stance, her broom braced in front of her like a blade. 

A slow blink. “I am Tomioka.” 

It baffled him that he let his name slide so freely when he’d never been one particularly keen on sharing it. Yet, he’d thought that perhaps the exchange of names would get the wild woman before him to calm, and perhaps lower the sweeping tool —-

“What the hell is a Tomioka?” 

Giyuu wondered whether the — Miko, that was what young priestesses in training were called — had hit her head in the fall. “My name.” 

A faint dusting of red spread across the Miko’s cheeks as she realized the absurdity of her mistake, though she still did not lower her weapon. Rather, she jutted it towards him in what Giyuu thought may have been an attempt to be threatening. 

“And what was that thing just now, Tomioka? And what are you?”  Quickly, her eyes swept behind him, scanning. “Are there more?”

Idly, Giyuu wondered why he was bothering to indulge in such a silly conversation to begin with, chalking it up to the mere fact that they were still in a dark forest, with dawn still several hours away. 

The foolish girl would end up a snack for another demon if she did not turn around and go home. 

“It was a demon. I’d been tracking it for several miles when it stumbled across you. You can count yourself lucky — do not hit me again.” He cut off with a warning, eyes narrowing as the Miko drew the broom back up over her head. 

There was a tense moment as the two regarded one another, Giyuu’s eyes locked on the Miko’s trembling arm as she stared distrustfully back at him. 

The girl’s hands twitched as the broom cleaved through the air once more, but Giyuu knocked it easily away, sending the cleaning tool flying uselessly to the side where it rolled under a bush. 

“Are you finished?” Giyuu asked, irritation creeping into his tone as he stared coolly at the flustered Miko. 

“You’ve stripped me of my only weapon, so I suppose I have no choice,” the young woman sniffed, her tone as frosty as his glare. 

Giyuu grimaced. “You would not have lost the privilege had you simply done as I asked.” 

The Miko folded her arms stubbornly across her chest and glowered at him. “You would truly leave a woman defenseless in the woods? With nothing to protect herself?”

Giyuu scoffed. “You are not a woman; you are a menace.” 

The young woman’s mouth opened and closed several times as her face flushed several shades deeper. “Y-you!” 

A crack! somewhere in the woods made the sputtering Miko fall silent with a small squeak, and Giyuu was bemused to find that the woman’s hands shot to him for safety, when only moments before she’d tried to clobber him away from her. 

“You said that…that thing earlier was a demon, yes?” She whispered and Giyuu nodded, tense as his eyes swept through the shadowy line of the trees, searching. 

“Do you think there are more?”

“So long as we continue sitting here like a pair of lame ducks, more are bound to come sniffing.” The wary Pillar replied. “Which is why I suggest you return home — without bludgeoning me further.”

The young Priestess continued to cling to his arm, her eyes wide and anxious. Giyuu cleared this throat, and when the woman’s attention snapped back to him, he pointedly glanced down at her white-knuckled grip on the sleeve of his haori. 

“Apologies,” the Miko blushed, and her hands quickly relinquished their hold on his sleeve. She wrung her hands nervously before her. “Might you escort me back to my Shrine? It’s not far from here – less than two kilometers.” 

Still within his territory — albeit at the opposite end of the forest where is own Manor stood. He grimaced, but nodded stiffly. His efforts to save the woman’s life would be in vain if she walked away from him and straight into the waiting, eager claws of another beast that lurked in the shadows.

The Miko smiled brightly at him and offered her name. Giyuu elected not to reply, and the girl settled into step at his side, a small frown pulling at her lips.

“I’m sorry for earlier — for hitting you with my broom.” The girl — Y/N — said a short while later, the faintest trace of shyness in her tone. 

Giyuu did not think the apology warranted a response, and so he gave none, but the chatty little devil prodded him once more. 

“Did I injure you?” She gestured to the side of his head where her broom had caught him. 

Giyuu snorted, raising an eyebrow at her. “The day I am hurt by a mere broom is the day I retire from the Demon Slayer Corps.” 

Y/N hummed in contemplation. “And what exactly is the great and mysterious Demon Slayer Corps?” 

The Water Pillar’s eyes remained forward. “I should think the name is self-explanatory. There are demons who eat humans. We slay them.” 

Inwardly, Giyuu cringed at the harshness of his words. It did not happen often, but there were times when he wished he was better with them, when he wished he did not come off quite as aloof and callous — 

“You do not know how to talk to people very well, do you Tomioka-sama?” Y/N’s tone was not judgmental; it rather had a mild curiosity to it, as though she were merely commenting on the weather or the quality of a cup of tea. 

But the Water Pillar did not know how to answer her. Kocho once told him that others disliked him, but Giyuu wasn’t sure that was entirely true; after all, no one had ever said so much to his face. 

Then again, if the young shrine maiden’s words were anything to go by, then perhaps the Insect Pillar’s scathing assessment hadn’t been too far off the mark. 

“What even brought you into the forest so late at night?”  Giyuu did not know why the question needled at him, but he found the pressing silence of the trees more disconcerting than the Miko’s voice, and so he was desperate for the distraction. “And why a broom?”

Y/N herself seemed surprised at his sudden interest. “Night-blooming herbs,” she said plainly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “They are critical for certain rites and medications. And I cannot collect them any other time. The broom was for protection, obviously.” 

“I wasn’t aware shrines still performed rituals,” Giyuu pushed an errant tree branch out of their way, and ahead, faint lights began to swim into view. The Shrine. “Are you not a mere relic of a time long since-passed?” 

“I’ll have you know that we still perform basic cleansing rites for those in the village,” Y/N bristled. “And we provide medical aid, since there is no hospital nearby.”

She shot him a cold look. “Modern medicine would not have developed but for ancient practices such as ours.”

Giyuu frowned. He hadn’t meant to insult the woman. “Be that as it may,” he said flatly. “Demons prowl at night. You wandering into the forest none the wiser  is akin to you waltzing into their territory with a giant sign that says ‘Eat me.’”

Y/N grimaced. “Then what would you have me do? Neglect my duties?” 

He could sympathize with that. “No, I’m not saying you should forsake your obligations,” he furrowed his eyebrows at the thought. “Perhaps it is simply a risk you must take. But you should at least be aware of your surroundings.”

Y/N looked upon him with a miserable expression. “You’re of little help, you know that?” 

Giyuu only frowned, perplexed as to why she couldn’t understand the import of his words.

An awkward silence ensued, punctured only by the faint hoot of an owl. For that, the established swordsman was grateful; noise meant the absence of predators, which meant they were safe – for now. 

“You mentioned tracking the demon earlier – how long had you been doing so?” 

“A while.” 

The girl was relentless. “And you just so happened to track it here? Where it was conveniently chasing me?” 

“I patrol this region. Your rescue was nothing more than coincidence and luck on your part.” 

“My gratitude is endless,” the shrine maiden said drily. “Forgive me for not falling to the ground in prostration.”

At that, Giyuu fell silent and refused to engage in any further conversation. The shrine maiden, for her part, seemed to take his cue that he had no interest in her or exchanging meaningless pleasantries, and so she too, went quiet. 

The forest floor eventually began to slope gradually up, and before long, Giyuu found himself walking along a carved rock path that curved through the trees until it widened at a great set of stone stairs. At the very top of the steep incline, he could spot a great Torii gate.

Y/N turned to him with a beaming smile. “Allow me to introduce you to the Shrine." Tomioka opened his mouth to protest, but she quickly added, “You should at least know who it is you have dedicated your life to protecting.” 

“I’d rather not.”

But she was already leading him up the stairs, his wrist pinched delicately between two of her fingers. Realistically, Giyuu knew it would take him no effort to shake the woman’s hold and disappear into the night. But to his own bemusement, he allowed her to tote him behind her as though he were little more than a useless pet. 

The pair passed under the Torrii and into a sprawling courtyard. Though night sky was a deep, inky black, the perimeter of the courtyard was dotted with several stone lanterns -- toro -- each of which had been lit with a generous flame. Giyuu's quick perusal of the Shrine, however, was cut short as the Miko led him into the Shrine's main structure -- the honden -- and tugged him down a narrow hallway. Based on his rough appraisal of the building, Giyuu surmised she was taking him to the center of the honden, likely where the girl's master was.

His theory was proven correct when Y/N drew up to a great slat of shoji panneling. The Miko knocked softly on one of the wooden beams before she slid the door aside, revealing a great, open room that was littered with scrolls, half-dried pots of ink, and burned incense sticks. There, in the center of the room, knelt the head Priestess of the Shrine. She was an old, shriveled, wrinkled thing. The white hair that she’d gathered into a knot at her neck was as wispy as the thinnest clouds, and a quick glance over her hands revealed swollen joints covered by skin spotted with age.

But the Priestess did not appear to be a gentle elder by any means; her thin mouth was curled down into a sneer that was directed at the Miko at his side, and her eyes were hard and cold.  

"Head Priestess," Y/N bowed to her elder. "This man is called Tomioka, and he helped save me tonight in the forest."

Giyuu resisted the urge to snort. Helped, indeed.

The old woman's eyes shone bright with an emotion he could not name as the Miko continued. "A creature attacked me as I was returning home. Tomioka says he is a swordsman whose occupation --"

“I know what he is, girl,” the Priestess snapped at her student before she turned those beady eyes to him. “A member of the Demon Slayer Corps will always be welcome at this Shrine – particularly one as esteemed as yourself.” 

The Water Pillar straightened at the old woman’s casual mention of the Corps. “I was not aware that of any Shrines so affiliated with the Corps.” 

“There was a time when the Demon Slayer Corps would partner with shrines such as this to carry out its mission,” the Priestess replied evenly. From his periphery, Giyuu spotted Y/N’s head snap toward her mentor, her jaw slack. “Once, priestesses were akin to shamans who offered a variety of rituals for cleansing and protection. You slayers relied on our connection with our communities to operate more effectively, and we in turn, counted on your protection to fight what we could not.”

Despite the distinct scent of sake that clung to the elderly shrine keeper like a cloud, her eyes remained sharp and fixed upon him, and her wrinkled mouth pulled into a rueful smile. “Now, it seems, our wise and benevolent government has forced us both to retreat to the shadows to operate in secret.”

She bowed her head. “You have nothing but my respect, Lord Hashira. You are always welcome here.” 

Giyuu did not respond, but he inclined his head toward the Priestess in polite acknowledgement. 

Y/N gaped at her Master. "Lord --?"

The old woman poured another generous serving of sake and brought the choko to her lips. “Though we are honored by your visit, young Lord, I’m afraid your presence is nothing more than a calculated effort by this one,” she nodded pointedly at the young shrine maiden at his side, whose cheeks pinkened. “To keep herself out of trouble. My apprentice was not permitted to leave the grounds, you see.” 

“Oh hush you old drunk,” Giyuu’s eyes snapped to the irate Miko in surprise. “I told you earlier I was going to the village market –” 

“Telling me while I am in the middle of lessons with the younger girls and sprinting off before I can respond is hardly me giving you permission,” the Priestess’s mouth curled into a sneer. “You’ve defied me for the last time, girl.” 

The old Priestess turned away from her apprentice, dismissive. “You will take the rice bundles and hang them in the drying shed – every last one, for the next three days.” 

“You hag!” Y/N fumed, her face pinched in outrage. “I was on rice duty all last week without an ounce of assistance –” 

“And you apparently have yet to learn your lesson,” the old woman retorted bitterly, shooting the seething Shrine Maiden a withering glare. “Considering you still think it seemly to mouth off at any and every opportunity –” 

The Miko spat a curse at the elder Priestess so filthy and colorful that even Giyuu could not mask his surprise, raising his eyebrow. But if Y/N’s outburst shocked the Shrine’s head, the old woman gave no sign. Instead, she only glowered at the young woman as the latter turned and shoved the shoji door harshly to the side. Giyuu, ever the unwilling observer, was left to be pulled by his wrist back into the hall behind the young Miko before she whipped around to face her senior once more. 

Giyuu had thought himself stunned by the crassness of the Shrine Miaden’s language before, but nothing prepared him for the sight of the obscene gesture she made at the old woman before she slammed the door firmly shut. 

A telling crash on the other side of the wall signaled the Elder Priestess had hurled her empty sake dish at the door with all her might. “And work on your aim!” Y/N snapped before turning sharply on her heel to stomp out of the honden, tugging the Water Pillar helplessly behind her. 

“She seems unstable.” said Giyuu once they were a safe distance away from the main Honden. 

Y/N brushed aside his concern with a flippant waive of her hand. “Granny is harmless. As her charge, I suppose I instigate her nearly as much as she torments me.” 

Granny. It made sense, then, the curious affection the girl held for the rancorous head Priestess, even if he could not bring himself to fully understand it. 

“You are more than welcome to stay the night,” the Miko’s mood lightened considerably the more she put distance between herself and the drunken head Priestess. “We serve breakfast at sunrise, but of course, you’re not obligated to attend.” 

The ravenette’s mouth quirked down in a faint grimace, the only sign of his discomfort. “I should return to my own home.” 

“It’s quite late,” Y/N glanced up at the night sky, now awash with stars that surrounded the fat, glowing moon like thousands of glittering jewels. She turned back to him with a radiant grin. “At least allow me to show you around.”

—

If anyone had asked him, Giyuu Tomioka would not have been able to explain the series of events that had led him here. 

He distinctly remembered telling the vexatious young Shrine Maiden no, that he could not stay the night, yet somehow he’d found himself in the Shrine’s old, musty guest house, already prepared for his stay, a lantern flickering merrily in the corner. 

He glanced warily at the fresh sleeping kimono folded beside his futon. The possibility of him actually sleeping in such an unfamiliar place was nil and while the Water Pillar certainly had no issue in appearing impolite to others, he thought that perhaps the Shrine was affiliated with the connection of Wisteria Houses dotted throughout the land, and he didn’t want to risk offending the head Priestess and cause her to shut her gates to other slayers in need of lodging. 

So, Giyuu paced the floor of the small guest house, restless. Though his eyes remained carefully trained on the window of his room, waiting for the slightest hint of movement that would give him an excuse to leave without offending his hosts, no sign of either his crow or any demonic threat  manifested. Though, he supposed with a frown, it shouldn’t surprise him that he’d not heard from Kanzaburo; the ancient bird was likely flitting about the forest, lost.

He continued to pace until finally, the sky in the East began to lighten signaling that dawn was fast approaching. Stealthily, he slipped out of the small hut that had served as his temporary accommodations and made his way toward the Torii under which he and that Miko — Y/N — had passed upon their arrival.

He’d almost cleared the gate when he saw the elder Priestess standing beside the Torii, apparently waiting for him. Giyuu nodded his head at her, the only expression of courtesy he was willing to give, but he was halted as the old woman flung out a single arm in front of him, her hand flat and palm turned up, waiting.

And that was how Giyuu learned the Shrine was not, in fact, a Wisteria House; not as he was forced to fork over a considerable sum of his earnings into the Priestess’s expectant hand. 

Wisteria Houses meant Corps Members stayed free of charge; the price the Shrine’s keeper demanded in exchange for his brief stay bordered extortion.

At least he’d had the money; if he’d been of any lower rank, the old woman would have cleaned him out.  

He scowled as he departed but his irritation quickly fell away as he finally laid eyes on Kanzaburo, who nearly collided with his Master’s head as he struggled to pant out his orders. 

And so, as the Water Pillar trekked through the forest and toward his new assignment, the view of the Shrine faded behind the dense canopy of the mountain forest, and so too, did any final, sparing thoughts of it, or its inhabitants.

———-

Nearly a month passed since Giyuu stumbled across the strange shrine maiden in the forest separating his Estate from the old Shrine, and the Miko had nearly faded from his memory. Not that such a feat was difficult; the raven-haired Pillar’s mind was far more occupied with tasks like patrol and chasing down leads that could potentially lead the Corps to an Upper Rank demon to focus on much else. 

He’d intended only to find a decent meal and then depart the village before nightfall to investigate rumors of women disappearing in a small town to the south. Night was rapidly approaching, however, and he’d yet to find any vendor that sold anything he liked, much to his chagrin. He was about to cut his losses and continue on, when he spied a familiar blur of white and red idly perusing one of the stalls, apparently oblivious to the impending sunset. 

Without thought, his feet carried him toward her, his annoyance sparking to life. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

The Miko’s – Y/N’s – head turned back and her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the Pillar standing behind her. 

“Tomioka-sama,” she greeted with a polite bow. “I did not expect to see you so soon.” 

He ignored her greeting, choosing instead to take a step closer. “I asked what you were doing.” 

If she was taken aback by his terseness, she didn’t show it. “I am returning to my shrine after an afternoon of errands,” she replied smoothly. “As is usual for me.” 

“It is nearly dark.” 

“An astute observation,” and to his annoyance, he saw an amused twinkle in her eye. “Do you also know that tonight is also a full moon?” 

Said moon had already made an appearance above them, growing brighter and brighter as the sky faded from twilight to night. 

Giyuu had never been one for rolling his eyes, but the young woman’s knowing smirk grated at something inside him, made him feel as he often did whenever Kocho would make a sly comment with that smile of hers, that for some reason made him feel like he was the butt of some joke only she knew. 

He grimaced. Teasing; that’s what the shrine maiden was doing. She was teasing him. 

“It is nearly dark,” he repeated. “And I did not think you’d be naive enough to risk traveling after sunset.” 

“I believe it was you who insisted I did not have to ignore my duties, so long as I paid attention to my surroundings.” She replied coolly. “So that is exactly what I am doing.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Fine. If the stubborn girl wanted to be bait for whatever awaited her in the forest once the sun finally set, then that was her choice. He’d saved her once, and he’d given her sufficient warning; what she did from then on did not concern him. 

He was about to bade her farewell when a slurred, boisterous voice boomed her name from across the market. Several heads turned toward the source, including Giyuu's, until he found a round faced, piggish man stumbling away from a sake stand, his cheeks flushed a bright red.

The man repeated the Miko's name in that grating, sing-song voice of his. "Whe're you goin' all by yourself so late?"

He didn't know what possessed him to ask, but Tomioka turned to the shrine maiden. "A friend?"

“His name is Susumo,” she said airily, though she could not conceal her scowl as the man drew closer. “He’s merely the village drunk who forgets to keep his hands to himself.”

The shrine maiden’s eyes narrowed accusingly at the villager, and the Miko remarked, in a raised voice, “And he is not welcome at the Shrine, though he pretends to forget otherwise.”

Susumo only held his hands up, as though in surrender. “You can’t blame a man for wanting to know what lies under all those layers,” and as if the implication of his lechery wasn’t clear enough, he gave the Miko a leering once-over. “Can’t say I was disappointed.” 

“But your friend is right,” he slurred, a smirk forming on his lips. “The dark is too dangerous for a pretty thing like you to risk walking back alone —“

“I shall escort her,” Tomioka said abruptly and she whipped back to him, her mouth falling open. “After all, I’m welcome at the Shrine.” 

Susumo, too, gaped at the Swordsman. The Miko recovered quickly however, unwilling to allow the opportunity to pass or for the Slayer to suddenly come to his senses and realize he’d rather leave her to fend for herself in the forest. 

“You have my gratitude, Tomioka-sama,” and she gave him a small bow of her head. Relieved, she flipped her braid over her shoulder and smiled warmly up at her raven-haired companion. “Shall we?”

She did not wait for Tomioka to answer, nor did she give any further acknowledgment to Susumo, who only continued to stare at the Hashira, his face bright red. With a feigned indifference, she breezed past him, but a sudden yelp from behind caused her to snap back in alarm. 

The first thing she noticed was the proximity of the back of a dual-patterned haori as it stood between her and the village drunkard. The Water Pillar’s shroud nearly brushed the tip of her nose, forcing her to step back. Cautiously, she peered around Tomioka’s rigid form, and her eyes widened at the sight before her. 

Susumo, it appeared, had tried to grab her, only to be cut off by the Water Pillar himself, who snatched him by his wrist. Though it did not appear that Tomioka was using a great deal of effort to restrain him, it was clear Susumo was struggling — greatly so — against the ferocity of the Slayer’s hold, given how a vein bulged in his forehead, his face,  rapidly turning purple. 

Her gaze flicked to the Swordsman’s hand, and she felt herself blanch at the odd angle of Susumo’s wrist. 

She was no doctor, but she knew wrists weren’t meant to twist as his did in Tomioka’s crushing grip. 

“Leave.” the Water Pillar ordered coldly, and there was a darkness in his eyes that matched the brutality of his hold. “Your presence is unnecessary and unwanted.”

“Y-you! Susumo sputtered.

But Tomioka’s grip only tightened. “Now.”

And then he released him, Susumo half-stumbling back from the Swordsman. His eyes were wide with both fear and loathing, and he muttered incoherently under his breath as he massaged his rapidly-swelling wrist.

The Water Pillar, however, did not pay any more attention to the red-faced villager. He turned only to the shrine maiden, who remained frozen in place, her eyes wide. "Shall we?"

Numbly, Y/N nodded and the two set off down the path that led back to the Shrine. Dimly, the Miko noted that the Slayer kept noticeably close to her as they walked, as though he was unwilling to let her wander too far away. The air between them as they traveled was thick and tense. She was on edge enough thanks to Susumo and his oily words, and she was desperate to do anything to distract herself from the buzzing mounting under her skin. 

She cast a sly, sidelong glance at the Swordsman walking at her side. He’d not been receptive to her small-talk the last time he’d escorted her back to her Shrine, but saying something — anything — would be better than this stifling quiet threatening to choke her.

“How old are you?” Before the Swordsman could decide whether to answer, she continued on. “If I had to guess, I would suspect you’re around my age, and I just passed my nineteenth birthday.”

She hummed aloud. “You seem quite young, yet you’ve achieved some level of status as a swordsman, according to Granny.” Her eyes fell to the blade secured at his hip before she lifted them back to his profile. “Yet you’re as withdrawn and taciturn as an old man.” 

Her words, thankfully, seemed to irritate him into responding. “Are you always so forthright?”  

The Miko grinned. “Perhaps I am like you, Lord – what was it? Hashiba?”

“Hashira.” 

“Yes, that. Perhaps I am like you, Lord Hashira – utterly lacking in social ability.” There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she brushed her shoulder against his bicep. “But at least I make up for it by talking.” 

“Talking is a distraction,” Tomioka monotoned, his eyes fixed resolutely on the hidden path of the forest before them. “It only serves as an interference to one’s duties.” He looked pointedly at the Miko’s profile, but inexplicably found himself unable to look away. “Or an excuse to ignore them.” 

But she was unflappable. “And yet you are the one who decided to escort me all the way back to my Shrine – so who is the one ignoring their duties, Tomioka-sama?” 

“I think you enjoy diverting my attention,” the Water Pillar retorted, though Y/N could see the rising annoyance in his eyes. 

She felt his gaze bear into her as she flipped her loose hair behind her shoulder. “It’s not possible to distract someone unless they find the diversion in question captivating, Tomioka-sama.” 

The Water Pillar almost looked amused. “And you are certainly that, Y/N.” 

The Miko ducked her head to avoid that piercing gaze, so that the ravenette would not see the faint rosy blush creeping across her cheeks. “I did not think you had the constitution for teasing, Lord Hashira.” 

Tomioka looked at her fully then, a frown tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I do not jest.” He hesitated for a moment, eyebrows furrowed as he scrutinized her. “Nor do I lie.” 

Y/N’s lips parted. There was something about the way the Swordsman beheld her that made her stomach flutter. In her last encounter with the enigmatic Slayer, she’d been so rattled by her close encounter with the demon, that she hadn’t truly noticed much about the man who’d saved her life, apart from his bland detachment and rather unfortunate social skills. 

But now, the Miko was struck by how handsome the raven-haired Hashira was; she was mesmerized by the deep azure of his eyes, as vast and deep as the sea. His skin was a delicate alabaster, and, contrasted with the flesh of his hands which were calloused and scarred, his face had not a blemish in sight.

She blinked, clearing away some of the fog that had crept into her mind, put there by the vexatious Slayer. “I must return to my duties,” she said softly.

They spent the remainder of their journey back to the Shrine in silence. She was quick to break away from him the moment they passed under the Torii, though not before she muttered that he was welcome to stay, should he so choose.

She busied herself with her duties, but even the neediest obligations could not fully distract her from feeling the burning heat of his stare as the Water Pillar’s watched her fiercely from across the courtyard. And nothing, nothing at all could have prepared her for how he eventually  joined her in carrying out her duties, 

The Water Pillar stayed the night once more, departing sharply at daybreak. Later, as Y/N swept the courtyard free of loose brush and clutter long after his departure, she noticed a crow sitting high in a tree, its black eyes watching her every movement. Though its gaze was sharp, the presence of the great, sleek bird did not disturb her, though not as much of a feather twitched from its perch upon the branch as the Miko continued through her day. 

As she’d readied for bed later that night, she realized she’d felt oddly comforted by the crow. She imagined it a silent protector, a new guardian of the Shrine, no different than the statues of the gods which dotted its grounds. 

She settled into her futon with a great yawn, the image of a certain dark-haired Swordsman flickering in the back of her conscience until she was swept into sleep’s sweet embrace.

Just outside the Shrine’s sleeping quarters, the bird remained, eyes carefully tracking every shift in the shadows, waiting. 

And then the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, and the threat of night receded once more.

But the crow remained. 

———

Spring, 1915

The crow became a permanent fixture at the Shrine, though it always seemed to keep strictly to a single tree at the edge of the property, one that gave it a full view of the courtyard and structures surrounding the main honden.

Despite the bird's constant presence, more than a month passed before the Water Pillar returned, though he'd seemed even more sullen and withdrawn than he'd been during their previous two encounters. Y/N did not consider herself a friend to Tomioka by any means, but she was the only one brave enough to approach him as he'd lingered by the Torii, apparently unsure whether he should seek out their hospitality or return to the forest.

"You are welcome to come and sit for a hot meal," she called cordially, though she maintained a tentative distance. She frowned when he did not respond. Instead, the Water Pillar continued to stare unseeingly at the cracked stone path leading to the Shrine's courtyard.

"Tomioka-sama?" She pressed gently and the Swordsman's attention finally snapped to her, as though he'd just become aware of her presence.

The haunted look in his eyes sent a chill up her spine. The Miko cast one, cautious glance up at the sky, and her eyes narrowed at the wall of black clouds steadily rolling in from the east. A shift in the wind brought forth the distinct, metallic scent of rain, and if she listened hard enough, she swore she could hear the distant rumbles of thunder. “You know, there will be a storm tonight — please consider waiting it out here, where it’s safe.”

Tomioka only stared at her for a moment before he nodded. His hand twitched into a vague gesture inviting her to lead the way, and Y/N escorted him to the Shrine's elder, in search of her permission.

Granny Priestess agreed to let him stay, but on the condition he paid for his imposition. The Water Pillar had silently agreed, producing one small money bag from his pocket and placing it squarely in the Priestess’s outstretched, waiting hand. 

The heft of the bag had made Y/N frown; it seemed a great sum in comparison to their meager lodging offerings, but the Swordsman did not object, so she held her tongue. To comment would only serve to irritate her Master, and the old hag was scornful enough to assign her to duties that would isolate her from the raven-haired Slayer.

Only after the old Priestess sauntered off, leaving behind nothing but the lingering, bitter stench of sake, did the Miko speak again. 

“I’m glad to see you in good health, Tomioka-sama,” she bowed, though she thought she spied the corner of his mouth twitch down at her formal greeting. “I trust your patrol went smoothly?” 

The Water Pillar’s expression was tight; dark. “It did not. The demon I was tracking managed to get away.” His jaw clenched tight. “But not before it slaughtered an entire family in the mountains.” 

All at once, the world around her seemed to slow. It had been easy to assume the dark-haired Swordsman before her always managed to find his target just in time, before it could slaughter its victim. Now, as she beheld the lethal coldness that had settled over his features, Y/N knew her assumptions had been wrong. 

Perhaps, she noted with a shudder, her rescue had been the exception and not the rule. 

Beneath the icy stoicism limning the Water Pillar’s eyes, the shrine maiden noted a distinct heaviness that weighed down his shoulders; made them curl slightly forward, defeated.

She resisted the urge to reach out to him, in comfort. “I won’t offer you empty platitudes,” she murmured. “But I can invite you to offer your prayers for those who were lost.” 

He looked at her, brows drawn, and she knew his instinct was to decline, so she added, “I will do it regardless of whether you join me.”

All at once, any protest he had was snuffed out within him. Instead, he was left with a curious softness as he regarded the shrine maiden, so assured and earnest in her invitation. 

He didn’t know why he’d sought out the Shrine.

He’s been angry; angry at himself for not being faster, for allowing innocent people to die on his account of his failure.

He still felt angry. Yet, as he followed Y/N into the Shrine’s haiden to light incense, he also felt a solemn gratitude for the Miko, who’d not let him indulge in his self-loathing but instead requested he act, and act with her. 

So he had; and somehow, the weight on his chest, the one that threatened to suffocate him, lightened bit by bit until Giyuu felt like he could breathe once more. 

Later that night, Giyuu spotted the shrine maiden from his window as she darted around the courtyard to light the tōrō to illuminate the Shrine grounds. A deep rumble of thunder, however, signaled the spring storm had finally arrived. Y/N, however, only continued with her task, huddling over herself to strike the matches needed to finish lighting the lanterns as rain began to dampen the landscape around her.

He was about to go outside and demand she return to the warm, dry haven that was the girls’ sleeping quarters lest she catch a cold, but then the last of the lanterns were lit and the shrine maiden straightened.

And then she tilted her face up toward the sky, allowing the rain to wash over her. 

And she grinned. And Giyuu was mesmerized; so much so, that he had not stopped staring at where she’d stood, laughing in the rain, even long after the Miko retired to bed.

-

Y/N awoke well before sunrise the following morning and spent hours laboring over the hot stoves in the kitchen. By the time the sky finally lightened, she'd only just finished her task and was in the process of boxing up her creation when she spotted one of her fellow shrine maidens passing by the entryway.

The Miko called out her name. "Has Lord Tomioka awoken yet?"

Her sister trainee lingered in the doorway. "Oh yes, he's been up for a while," and the girl looked back over her shoulder. “But he is already on his way out —“

The Miko swore viciously under her breath as she slammed a lid atop the small bento and hastily wrapped it in the small cloth she’d swiped from the laundry. 

“Move,” she barked at a small group of trainees that had gathered in the hallway outside the kitchen. The girls flattened themselves against the wall as Y/N sped by. She hurtled up the stairs, nearly tripping in her haste. Just as she burst into the courtyard from the honden, panting and winded, she spotted him.

“Tomioka-sama!” Y/N called, hurrying after the retreating form of the Water Pillar before he could pass through the shrine gates. “I have something for you!” 

The raven-haired slayer turned back to her, his face neutral, though Y/N could tell, by the slightest raise of his brow, that she’d piqued his interest. 

“Thank goodness you hadn’t left yet,” the Miko said brightly, holding out a small bundle wrapped in furoshiki cloth. “I was worried this wouldn’t be ready before you did.”

Tomioka’s eyes dropped to the parcel in her hands. “What is it?” 

Y/N motioned for him to take it, and to her slight surprise he did, holding it slightly in front of him as though it were liable to burst open. “A meal for the road. Granny and I prepared it this morning — as thanks, for everything you’ve done.” 

But the Water Pillar was already shaking his head, trying to press the package back into the shrine maiden’s hands. “I need no thanks; I do my job, and your shrine happens to be part of it.” 

If his words disappointed her, Y/N did not show it. “And yet we are grateful all the same,” she said firmly, arms crossing in front of her chest to avoid taking the small bento back. “Besides, it’s salmon; it will only go bad if you don’t eat it.” 

Had she not been watching him, Y/N would have missed the slight widening of his eyes, or the way his hand twitched back towards himself, bringing the packed lunch closer to him. 

Cerulean eyes watched her for a long moment, before dropping as Tomioka tucked the bento into his pocket. 

“Thank you,” was all he said before he turned away and continued through the gates of the shrine, setting off on the path which would lead him through the forest. 

If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve sworn the Water Pillar looked happy as he departed. 

———

The Slayer returned exactly one week after she’d given him the home-cooked salmon – but he did not return empty-handed. For there, wrapped in the same furoshiki cloth, was a strange, oblong object, sitting in the palm of his hand though if he thought it heavy, Tomioka gave no indication. 

“What’s this?” Y/N leaned curiously over the Pillar’s outstretched hand and squinted, trying to discern what the cloth could have been concealing. 

Tomioka pushed his hand toward her, beseeching her to take the parcel from him. “A knife.” 

The Shrine Maiden looked up at him in alarm, pulling away from the Water Pillar. “Why on earth would I need a knife?” 

He rolled his eyes. “Protection.” 

“From what?” The Miko wrinkled her nose down at his offering, though there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “As I recall, I walloped you just fine with my broom.”

Tomioka shot her a dull look. “Be that as it may, cleaning tools are useless against demons. Without the sun, the only thing that works against them is decapitation with this — its metal is unique.” 

He parted the folds of the cloth to reveal a simple blade, though Y/N found it daunting all the same. The hilt was basic, an unembellished metal handle wrapped in plain black leather. The blade itself was an unassuming silver, slightly longer than her hand. 

The Slayer motioned for her to take it, though she only shrunk away. “You know how to use one, yes?” 

The Miko’s eyes met his, wide and anxious. “For domestic uses, of course, but not –” 

Tomioka’s fingers closed around her wrist and lifted, guiding her hand toward the dagger. His hand moved to cover hers, wrapping them both around the hilt of the blade before squeezing. “Grip it like this,” he held their joined hands up for her to inspect. “Keep your hand in a fist; do not lift your fingers away from the grip – that’s the best way to injure yourself instead of your target.” 

But the shrine maiden could hardly focus on the Pillar’s instructions. Her attention was directed entirely at the way her hand was swallowed by his, his skin warm and his grasp firm. She studied how his calluses – thick and forged from years of brutal sword training – pressed against hers; how, despite the roughness of his fingers and palms, and his solid hold still remained gentle. 

“-- and thrust like this,” he remained oblivious to her distraction as moved her arm in a sharp jab, a second and then a third time, before dropping her hand.  “Now do it yourself.” 

His command startled her out of her trance, a heat creeping up her neck from beneath the collar of her kosode. She held out the blade awkwardly before her as scrambled to recall the Water Pillar’s words. To her dismay, all she was able to conjure was the memory of his touch, and how cold she suddenly felt without it. 

Lamely, she mimed jutting the knife at an invisible enemy, the blade gracelessly wobbling through the air. Though she was by no means a swordsman, even she knew something was off, her movements disjointed and clumsy.

She glanced shyly back to the raven-haired Demon Slayer and deflated as she was met only with bemused resignation.

Tomioka shook his head in disdain. “Perhaps you would fare better with a broom.” 

The Miko bristled. “I am not a swordsman —“

“You’ve made that abundantly apparent.” 

“— and I do not have the basics you seem to take for granted.” She finished, glaring indignantly at her raven-haired companion. “So teach me.”

The Water Pillar considered her for a moment before he gave her the slightest, almost imperceptible nod of his head. 

“Watch me.” He turned his body toward the Miko and mimed getting into a defensive stance — feet ajar, his weight evenly distributed on each leg, and bent. 

He looked back to the Shrine Maiden expectantly, and she parroted his movements, crouching into what she imagined was the perfect mirror of his position.

It wasn’t.

“No — you need to—“ Tomioka straightened and huffed, impatient. He moved quickly behind her, and without thinking, his hands shot to grip her hips to guide them into the proper stance, until her weight was evenly distributed on both feet. 

“Like that — now bend your knees.” The ravenette pushed down on her hips until her legs bent, apparently oblivious to the way the Miko flushed crimson.

He was close; far, far too close. She’d never been touched the way the Water Pillar touched her. Tomioka’s hands were twin brands, burning her skin even through the layers of her shrine attire, and it sent every nerve beneath her skin buzzing.

She was aware of every inch of him pressed against her; of his arms, caging her in, his hands twin brands against her hips as he turned and pulled her into the proper stance. She was aware of how warm he was, of how formidable his presence felt, even though to her, he posed no threat. Every movement of his was precise and fluid, like the water he’d claimed to style his techniques after.

And if his touch wasn’t distracting enough, his scent threatened to overwhelm every last bit of sense she’d clung onto. Y/N didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed how good he smelled — like mahogany and citrus — so rich and so warm; a stark contrast to his otherwise cold and aloof nature mask.

The swordsman, however, appeared to remain oblivious. “There,” he finally said, having satisfied that she’d achieved proper form. For moment, the two of them lingered there, with Tomioka’s chest against the shrine maiden’s back, his hands remaining steady in place on her hips. It was as though they’d frozen: Y/N, out of a mixture of shock and red-cheeked embarrassment, and Tomioka out of utter cluelessness.

Another beat passed before the Water Pillar finally realized the compromising nature of their position. His hands dropped quickly from her hips, and there was a rush of air at Y/N’s back as he swiftly stepped away, putting distance between them once more. 

The raven-haired Slayer gruffly cleared his throat. “You should also keep wisteria on you.” And Y/N gulped down her embarrassment to turn back toward him. 

Tomioka kept his face neutral and cool, but the tips of his ears had turned pink. “Check your perfumes for it or ask one of the other shrine girls if you can borrow theirs – oil would be better. More concentrated”

Any residual awkwardness that may have lingered fell quickly away. The Miko only stared blankly at him, her head tilted slightly to the side as her eyebrows pinched together. “Perfume?”

Tomioka blinked. “Yes. As all women have.” 

It was an effort to fight off the smile twitching at the corners of her lips. “Exactly how many women do you know, Tomioka-sama? Such that you would know their perfumery habits, that is.” 

His mouth thinned into a firm line. “Enough.” 

And though Y/N supposed he’d meant to sound self-assured and confident, the Slayer was betrayed by the slight doubt in his voice, as though he’d been questioning his own answer. 

The shrine maiden only continued to look at him, her eyebrow slightly raised, amused. The longer the silence stretched between them,the more awkward the ravenette grew, his discomfort plain from the way he shifted under her stare. 

“You seem like someone who would use it.” He finally offered, after another moment of quiet.

It was her turn to blink, taken aback. Her smirk quickly slid from her face and with a grimace, she felt her right eye twitch, ever so slightly. “Apologies, then, for disappointing you.” 

Tomioka frowned and he made like he was going to respond, but the Miko squared her shoulders and stalked briskly past him. 

“I must return to my duties, and I’m sure you need to do the same,” she paused in the doorway of the garden hut and cast one, sidelong glance back to where he stood, clueless. “Until next time, Tomioka-sama. Thank you for the blade.”

With that, the Miko paced briskly away from the garden hut, her spine stiff. The Water Pillar remained in place for a moment, stupefied, before he collected himself once more, before setting off back toward the forest; to his Manor.

And as Giyuu retreated through the rusting Torii gate, he could not quite shake the distinct impression he’d done something wrong, though he knew not what. 

–

The Water Pillar returned the following week, though to a decidedly cooler greeting than that which he’d steadily grown accustomed to receiving. 

That wasn’t entirely true — the majority of the Shrine’s residents had welcomed him warmly, their kindness always far more than he thought he deserved. Only one hadn’t greeted him as enthusiastically as the others, and to his annoyance, that one was the only person whose opinion of him mattered, even if he couldn’t quite articulate why.

She hardly stopped to acknowledge his arrival, only gracing him with a brisk nod, though she’d refused to meet his eyes. Bemused, Giyuu followed her across the courtyard as she made her way to the Shrine’s small storeroom. He leaned against the doorway and watched as the Miko began pulling jars of dried herbs from the rickety shelves lining the walls and stacked them on a sizeable work counter that cut halfway across the room. All the while, she continued pointedly ignoring him, humming lightly under her breath as though she could not see or hear him as he shifted against the doorframe, waiting.

Her obstinate silence grated at him. “May I assist you?”

“No, no, I am perfectly fine, thank you.” She turned away to browse the shelves once more, before finding what she needed: a stone mortar and pestle.

The grinder settled against the wooden counter with a heavy thud and the shrine maiden snatched up one of the jars she’d stacked and dumped its contents into the bowl, followed by another bottle of herbs. Pestle in hand, she set to work grinding the leaves together, mixing in a vial of fragrant oil she’d kept in her pocket to create a thick paste.

Giyuu watched her quietly as she worked. “You’re…” he frowned. “You’re behaving strangely.”

Y/N glanced up at him. “In what way?” 

“You’re trying to avoid me.” 

“Am I?” She straightened, rolling her shoulders. “Only because I’ve not yet bathed today. I didn’t want to risk offending you with my stench.” 

Giyuu paused. “Why would that matter?” 

“You made sure to point out you thought I needed perfume during your last visit.” 

He pushed off the doorframe, eyebrows knit together. “For protection.” 

The shrine maiden rolled her eyes. “Yes, and apparently, because you believe I am the type to need it.” When Giyuu only continued to stare at her with that same, mildly lost expression, Y/N groaned, exasperated. “You implied I stink.” 

The Water Pillar’s jaw slackened as he gaped at her. “That is not –” 

“It is what you implied,” she repeated, turning away from him to focus on her task of grinding herbs, though the force with which she ground the pestle was perhaps greater than necessary.

Giyuu rounded the small countertop of the Shrine’s storeroom to face her head-on. “I like how you smell.” He insisted. “It’s nice.” 

The Miko’s irritated churning of the stone paused and her eyes finally lifted to his. For a long moment, she watched him, head slightly cocked. 

“You are very odd, Tomioka-sama.” 

But she said it with a small smile that he almost wanted to return. 

Before long, things between them returned to normal once more, with the Miko directing him to collect her gathering basket from where she’d left it in the Shrine’s infirmary and bring it to her. Once he returned, he helped her grind charcoal to make incense sticks as she chatted happily away. 

Surprisingly, Giyuu found himself not only engaged in her musings about daily life at the Shrine, but offering her small personal anecdotes of his own, though he was not nearly as proficient as she when it came to story-telling.  

Once the sun began setting once more, and he received no new orders from Headquarters, he simply sought out the Shrine’s head Priestess and silently passed her a small money bag. 

And then Giyuu retired to the guest’s quarters for the night. 

—--

As spring warmed into summer, the Water Pillar began making bi-weekly visits to the Shrine that quickly melted into habit; expectation. Once a fortnight, a thrill would settle over the young maidens in anticipation of the arrival of the stoic yet handsome Slayer, with girls of all ages eagerly looking toward the Shrine gates in hopes of spying him the moment he crossed beneath the Torii. The elder employees of the Shrine had learned to time Tomioka’s arrival by listening for their excited gasps, exhaled as a collective as brooms and rices sacks were dropped where their handlers stood, the girls far too interested in rushing to greet the exalted Slayer than they were in completing their tasks. 

“I do not see the reason for such excitement,” she sniffed, though even she wasn’t stupid enough to think her fellow trainees bought her bluff. “He is only a swordsman.” 

“A handsome one,” a wispy trainee named Miyoko sighed dreamily. “And no doubt strong and capable.”

The group of maidens dissolved into another fit of giggles, concealing their blushes behind their hands.

“His face is attractive, but his hair is odd,” another commented. “It looks like he’s hacked at it with his own blade.” 

“Oh, who cares about his hair? I’m far more interested in what’s beneath that uniform —“

“Enough,” Y/N snapped. While her friendship with the Water Pillar was tenuous  at best, the suggestive way her sisters-in-training spoke of him left her feeling decidedly discomforted.

Though, if she were honest with herself, she’d admit that she, too, wondered whether Tomioka’s strength was the product of a finely-hewn tuned physique. But she wasn’t, so she bottled that thought up and tucked it tightly away, where it belonged. 

Slowly, her cohorts all turned to look at her.

“You seem to spend a great deal of time with him, Sister,” Miyoko directed at Y/N, who felt her cheeks heat. “Is there anything you’d like to share?”

“Tomioka-sama always asks where Sister Y/N is, the moment he arrives!” A tiny voice chimed, and Y/N’s eyes slid shut in an effort to fight off a wince.  “Sometimes they even do chores by themselves!”

Komatsu. At only ten, she was the Shrine’s youngest trainee, and followed Y/N around like a shadow. Not that the shrine maiden minded all that much; she tended to spoil the girl a bit, when she could. But as pure as the girl’s intentions surely were, she’d yet to lose that childlike earnestness that made her prone to revealing information that Y/N rather remained a secret. 

“Alone with a man?” Miyoko repeated, her eyes shining with malicious glee. “How scandalous — even for someone without a family to embarass, dear Y/N.”

“Careful, Miyoko,” she warned softly. “Don’t go speaking on matters of which you know nothing.” 

“Or what? What would you do?” 

As fond as Y/N was of her sisters-in-training, one did not make it through the Shrine’s rigorous education and training without learning how to trade in the kind of currency young women valued most.

Information; specifically, gossip. 

So the shrine maiden only leveled Miyoko’s own smug smirk with one of her own. “Or I shall tell Granny how you spend your afternoons kissing the boys from the village, rather than tending to your lessons.” 

The other girls gasped, their stares turning back to the gossiping shrine maiden. She savored how quickly the girl’s prideful grin slipped from her face as the weight of the threat settled. 

While Y/N, parentless and thus without anyone to truly care about her propriety, was being primed to take over Granny Priestess’s position overseeing the shrine, her position was unique. She was parentless and thus, without anyone to truly care about her propriety or whatever other ridiculous expectations of modesty that were often attached to other young women her age. In being no one, Y/N was relatively free to do as she pleased, and that freedom almost made up for her lack of belonging.

But the other girls residing at the Shrine were different. Families across the region sent their daughters to the Shrine for training, not only in their cultural practices and arts, but also for education; to become well-rounded women who would then serve to be valuable marriage prospects once they returned home. 

Scandal would not affect her; but it would affect someone like Miyoko.

“How do you think your parents would feel, to know their heir was behaving so brazenly in public? Risking her reputation on the marriage market before she’s even entered it?”

Truthfully, she liked Miyoko; had gotten along well with her, in fact. But she would not risk those sacred few moments she spent with the Water Pillar in an effort to keep the peace with another trainee. Not when those few instances she spent in his company were the only times she’d felt connection — true, human connection and belonging. 

Her sister-in-training ruefully fell silent, and Y/N savored her victory. Later, when she was left with nothing but the company of her own thoughts, however, the exchange played back in her mind.

In all her posturing, she’d managed to avoid having to answer for Miyoko’s lofty observation. 

You seem to spend a great deal of time with him, Sister. 

She did; and, to her slight horror, she realized that she had no interest in stopping. 

She only wanted more.

–

It was past dawn when Giyuu trudged under the great Torii gate of the Shrine, exhausted and aching. 

It had been a long while since a demon was last capable of wounding him, but he’d been blown backward by a delayed attack that hit after he’d beheaded the damn thing. As a result, he’d been sent flying back, slamming through a dilapidated wall of the abandoned hut he’d tracked the creature to, resulting in a sizeable gash to his shoulder. 

He grit his teeth in mild annoyance. He would need some treatment of his wounds — not that they were deep by any means, but they were substantial enough that he knew infection could spell trouble for him, should it spread. 

Some small, irate voice in his head snidely reminded him he could have just as easily gone to the Butterfly Mansion for treatment — that, in fact, the Insect Pillar’s estate had been much closer to the location of his mission than the Shrine had been. He’d rationed that, as much as he admired and respected Kocho, he was still a bit raw from her mocking about how unliked he truly was among his comrades. 

Besides, he groused. Kocho was not the one he really wanted to see, anyway. 

He found Y/N in the Shrine’s storeroom, seated upon the floor with a detailed ledger spread out before her as she took inventory of various scrolls and texts.

Giyuu did not bother to announce himself. “You have medical training, do you not?”  

The Miko startled, the charcoal stick she’d been using to tally the ledger clattering to the floor. She blinked up at him in surprise. “Tomioka-sama — welcome, it’s been a few weeks — forgive me, I did not see you come in.” She quickly rose to her feet, shutting the store ledger and tucking it under her arm. 

Her eyes found the blood-stained shoulder of his hair and widened. “I have some; I can stitch and dress wounds —“

He nodded. “Then I require your assistance.” 

—-

Y/N led him to a small office inside the honden that served as the Shrine’s unofficial infirmary.  “Take a seat,” she nodded at a small stool that sat under the room’s solitary window, right by a modest working table. “Let me see what we have.” 

Tomioka sat upon the stool with his back to her as she busied herself sifting through cupboards in search of supplies. “What sort of wound is it?”

She turned back and nearly dropped a tin of medicinal salve she’d located as she beheld the Water Pillar strip himself of his clothing from the waist up. 

There, across his right shoulder blade, she saw it — saw his blood. Quickly, she located thread and a needle and she grabbed a roll of cloth that could double as wrappings and she crossed back across the room.  

She spread her bounty out across the table, right beside the neatly folded pile of his clothing. Silently, she set to work cleaning the gash, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she saw that it was little more than a shallow flesh wound.

“Lucky you, this won’t need stitching,” she said lightly as she wiped away the last of the dried blood from the Water Pillar’s skin. “But I shall need to wrap it so it won’t become infected.”

Tomioka only gave her a curt nod. She stepped back to work open her tin of medical salve, and as she warmed the substance in her hands, she let herself fully examine the Swordsman sitting before her. Her eyes trailed over the sculpted planes of his back. It surprised her how muscular he was, given his leanness. Yet, without the layers of his uniform shirt and haori, she could see he was well-built, each muscle defined. 

She didn’t know why it surprised her that there was a man beneath the mask of the Slayer, but what a man he was. Her mouth went dry at the thought. It was an effort not to allow her eyes to wander lower; to ponder what he might look like under his uniform pants, stripped and fully bare before her — 

“What is that scent?” Tomioka’s sudden question startled her away from her increasingly treacherous thoughts. 

She’d never been more grateful to be facing away from him. That way, he could not see the blush coloring her cheeks as she hastily slathered the salve across his wound. “Anti-septic; I know it’s rather stringent, but — ”

The Water Pillar shook his head. “I know what antiseptic smells like. I mean you. The scent you wear.” 

She pursed her lips for a moment before she recalled the distinctly floral scent of her cleansing oils. “Sakaki blooms, I suppose.”

“What properties does it have — what are its effects on others?” He pressed. She was surprised at how insistent he seemed, and there was almost an urgency in his tone that unsettled her. 

“None, to my knowledge — why do you ask?”

The tips of Tomioka’s ears turned pink and he turned away from her, lips pressed into a firm line. “Forget I said anything.” he muttered after a moment, his shoulders and spine stiff.

Neither one of them spoke again as Y/N finished treating the Water Pillar’s  injury and wrapped it. 

“You're done,” she said after a moment, tapping him lightly on his other shoulder. 

“You have my thanks,” Tomioka quickly refastened the buttons of his uniform shirt as the Miko stepped aside, pointedly wiping her hands clean with a small cloth. She only looked at him once he lifted his haori from where he’d carefully laid it atop the small examination table, but her eyes narrowed as he rose from the stool, shrugging the material back over his shoulders. “I am happy to pay you for the resources you used —“ 

Y/N did not appear to be listening, not as she leaned forward and pinched the sleeve of his haori between her thumb and index finger. 

“You have a tear,” she frowned, rubbing the fabric between her fingers. “Right here, see?” 

There, on the side bearing his sister’s half of his haori, right where his sleeve met his shoulder, was indeed a small hole, the threads around it broken and shifting slightly in the wind. 

The Miko’s hand fell away, and she squared her shoulders, mouth set in a firm but determined line. “If you’ll give me a moment, I assure you I can have it repaired in no time –” 

“Not necessary,” the Swordsman said abruptly, twisting back from her. “I can figure it out on my own.” He would not part with it, would not so much as let another put their hands on it and risk ruining his most cherished possession. 

Y/N only stepped toward him, ignoring his attempt at distance. “There’s no need to be prideful,” she huffed impatiently. “Truly, it would take no effort at all –”

“No.”

“Why are you being so difficult?” She snapped, but her hands continued reaching for him, for his sleeve – 

Tomioka snatched her wrist mid-air and held it there, halting her. “No one touches this. Understand?” 

Y/N’s lips parted in faint surprise at the Water Pillar’s severity. Her eyes darted to where his fingers were locked tight – uncomfortably tight – around her wrist. When she glanced back at the stone-faced Slayer, she felt a chill lick down her spine. She’d known he could be intimidating against threats, even without saying a word. It was his eyes – his eyes would harden, with the lapiz hue of his irises darkening to something more akin to indigo, as he stared down an opponent. She’d witnessed it the very first night she’d met him. 

She just hadn’t thought she would ever be on the receiving end of such a cold glare. 

“I understand,” she said softly, and she began flexing her wrist against his grip in an effort to work herself free from his hold. “Please forgive my indiscretion, Tomioka-sama. I overstepped.” 

The raven-haired Slayer blinked and quickly let her go, her wrist falling limply back to her side. Just outside the infirmary’s small window, he heard the familiar, urgent cry of a crow.

He’d never been more grateful for a distraction.  “I must be on my way.” His tone was stiff; clipped. 

“But — you’ve only just arrived —“ 

“Farewell, Y/N.” Giyuu gave her a curt nod.

Helplessly, the Miko watched as the Water Pillar stalked out of the small office, his hands curled into fists at his sides. He did not so much as spare a glance back, leaving Y/N to wonder whether she would see that odd patterned haori again.

The thought she might not made something cold and heavy sink into her gut.

—-

(One week later)

It wasn’t often that Giyuu Tomioka found himself annoyed, much less angry. He much preferred channeling his existing emotions into slaying demons, allowing them to taste a fraction of the rage and hatred he felt deep within, a vicious fire he so rarely let bubble up to his service.

Until that evening. After the fiasco that was Mount Natagumo and the subsequent chaos at the Master’s mansion as a result of the Kamado boy and his demon sister, Giyuu had finally noticed that the previous day’s trials had resulted in the tear along the shoulder of his haori that he knew could no longer be ignored. 

He grit his teeth; the battle against the Lower Moon spider demon had hardly required him to exert any energy — yet the demon’s last ditch attempt to preserve its life had managed to enlarge the small hole in his most prized possession, and the Water Pillar was utterly without the skill to repair it. 

So, he’d been forced to sit through the meeting with the Master, the hole in his haori feeling more like a gaping wound that only festered with every passing moment, until finally, finally they’d been dismissed. 

Giyuu hadn’t wasted any time departing swiftly from his Master’s estate, though that hadn’t stopped him from catching the tail end of Shinazugawa’s biting remark of how fuckin’ typical it was for him to leave without so much as a farewell to his comrades. He tried not to let the Wind Pillar’s words get to him; but he was unworthy of their company regardless, so he supposed it really didn’t matter what they thought of him. It shouldn’t. 

And so, that was how Giyuu found himself padding silently along the cracked, stone pathway which led to the Shrine at the edge of his designated territory, ready to eat crow and ask for assistance from a particular Miko whom he felt certain would not hesitate to remind him of how he’d coolly rejected her help only days earlier. 

Hence, his irritation. 

So, his movements stiff and his mouth twisted into a firm grimace, Giyuu stalked under the Torii and into the main courtyard of the old Shrine. It was coming upon midday, though there was a thick cover of clouds overhead that threatened that open up at any moment and shower rain across the region. He ignored the respectful bows of the Shrine’s various inhabitants and staff, eyes sweeping over faces in search of her. 

He located her near the storehouse, chatting with one of her fellow trainees as the pair worked to clean vegetables. Giyuu trudged over to her, eyes locked unwaveringly on her serene, easy smile, as he tried to ignore the way it made something in his gut clench and churn. 

He drew to a stop right before her and her Shrine-sister, the latter looking up at him with wide eyes, her hands stilling over her work as she looked up to the Slayer in awe. 

Giyuu cleared his throat but Y/N only continued wiping the dirt from carrots with her cloth. 

The ravenette tried again. “I am in need of your assistance.” 

Y/N’s comrade nudged her with her elbow, but the Miko only continued to clean, pointedly ignoring them both. 

Giyuu pursed his lips. “With my haori. The tear has grown larger —“

“I am busy.” Y/N’s tone was clipped. “Perhaps there are others who might assist you.”

“Please.” 

The Shrine Maiden’s hands finally stilled and she lifted her chin to face him. The moment she beheld the pleading sincerity in his eyes, coupled with the hard set of his jaw that betrayed just how desperate he was, her gaze softened.

She sighed. “Very well then,” she rose, brushing her hands free of any residual dirt. She held her chin high and squared her shoulders, determined not to show him how he’d bruised her ego; how he’d frightened her. “Follow me.”

—

The Shrine sat at the base of a great mountain. But, nearly half a kilometer up the winding, twisting path leading up the mountain and carved into its side, was a grassy hilltop that then plateaued into a small overlook that boasted a phenomenal aerial view of the Shrine below. 

The summer grass had turned a vibrant shade of emerald, broken up only by dots of tiny white and blue wildflowers that had gathered in small clusters sprinkled throughout the overlook. At the back of the clearing stood an ancient willow tree, its trunk gnarled and knotted with age, its wisps swaying lazily in the wind.   

It was her favorite spot; a little ways away from the hustle and bustle of the Shrine, which meant they would have some privacy as she worked. Y/N settled down against the grass and pulled a needle and a spool of thread from her pocket. She turned her face up toward the Water Pillar where he stood over her. “I’ll take that haori, now, if you’ll please.” 

Wordlessly, Tomioka carefully slid the garment from his shoulders and handed it to her, though he hesitated in letting go as she took it gingerly into her hands. 

It was clearly very important to the Slayer, and perhaps that was why she felt the need to reassure him. “I promise to take care of it.”

He nodded stiffly and let go of the fabric and the Miko quickly set to work repairing its torn shoulder. The Water Pillar lingered awkwardly beside her for a moment longer before he too, sat in the grass next to her, though his back remained straight, his posture rigid.

She glanced at him as her needle wove the haori’s fabric back together. “I suppose this happened because of your occupation?” 

It was faint, but the shrine maiden swore she saw his mouth twitch into something reminiscent of a grimace. “Yes.”

“You should be lucky it wasn’t your flesh.”

At that, Tomioka scoffed. “I would not allow such a weakling to get close enough to try.”

“My, I’d not pegged you as the boastful sort, Tomioka-sama.”

“It’s not boasting; I speak only the truth.” He retorted evenly. 

The shrine maiden only hummed as she worked. “And what of your family? Do they support your path as a Slayer?”

The Water Pillar turned his head away, his form stiff. For a moment, the Miko feared she would be left to repair his haori in silence, with nothing but the faint whistling of birds to keep her company. 

“I have none,” Tomioka’s voice was soft, nearly swallowed by the wind. “There is no one left to object, even if they wanted to.”

Y/N’s hands paused their work as she thought. “You are alone?”

It would be nice, she supposed, to find another who, like her, belonged to no one; a kindred spirit of sorts.

“I suppose,” Tomioka spoke up after a moment, his eyes squinted in thought. “I have a mentor. But it was he who trained me to join the Corps.” 

“I should hope he’s more sober than mine,” Y/N drawled. “And less irritating.” 

The Miko’s attention was so fixed on her careful stitching along the hole in his haori, that she didn’t see his faint smile at her words. 

——

The Slayer and the shrine maiden continued talking long after she’d finished repairing the tear in his haori. It was only when Tomioka had realized nightfall was a mere hour away that the two reluctantly descended the hillside to return to the Shrine.

“I almost forgot.” The Water Pillar said, halting in front of the honden as Y/N escorted him back to the Shrine’s entrance. He dug into his pockets and pulled something free. “Here. For you.” 

The Miko gaped down at the fat red fruit that sat heavily in his palm. “This is -“ she said breathlessly, “A pomegranate!” 

He nodded, arm still outstretched towards her as he waited to drop the ruby fruit into her hand. 

She shook her head. “No, Tomioka-san, I cannot accept something so expensive-“

“I insist.” The Water Pillar withdrew a small knife and split the fruit in half, staining his hands crimson with the juice that spilled over its soft flesh.

Hesitantly, the young Miko accepted the half he offered her, and thumbed some of the fat, glistening jewels loose. The moment she brought them to her lips, Y/N sighed, contentedly, and for some reason, Giyuu found his cheeks heating as he watched her savor the sweet fruit. 

She lazily opened her eyes after swallowing her first mouthful, but she was startled to see the Hashira staring at her, unwaveringly, and she realized he’d moved closer towards her than he had been only seconds earlier. 

Tomioka’s azure eyes were fixed hard on her lips, as he leaned in close to her, Y/N flushing as he drew nearer. 

Is he going to kiss me? Her traitorous heart thundered at the idea, and it caused her no short amount of grief to know she was uncertain whether she wanted him to do so. As her emotions warred with her logic, the Water Pillar’s gentle fingers cupped under her chin, and his thumb brushed delicately across her lower lip. 

“Pomegranate juice,” he said, but Y/N could still feel the warmth of his breath still as his hand lingered under her chin. His eyes were wide as though he, too, could not believe what he’d just done. 

“Yes,” she breathed, before she felt her cheeks heat. “I – I mean, thank you.”

The Water Pillar’s gaze dropped to her lips and her stomach twisted violently. All at once, awareness seemed to come crashing down upon him, and he then stepped back, his hand falling from its hold on her face and back to his side.

The shrine maiden remained frozen in place for a heartbeat longer. “Are you certain you’re unable to be our guest tonight?” Her voice was little more than a pitiful squeak.

Her eyes lifted to his and she knew the answer before he spoke it. “I cannot,” and to her surprise, he almost looked as disappointed as she felt, but he added hastily, “But I will be back. Soon.”

“Soon,” she echoed, feeling rather dazed. “Yes. Of course. I — we — look forward to it.”

She was thankful that Tomioka had already turned away from her as he made his way down the long, winding steps that led to the main route out of the forest; that way, he could not see the way her cheeks burned crimson, or how she buried her face in her hands as she cursed her own embarrassment.

—

Giyuu was grateful his back was to the young Miko as he retreated through the Shrine’s gates and back to the path which would lead him home. It meant she could not see as he stared at his thumb – the thumb he’d used to clear away the small bead of pomegranate juice from her lips – or how his eyebrows pinched together. It meant she could not hear his heart as it beat wildly in his chest at the memory of how soft and full her lip had been beneath the pad of his thumb, soft enough that some treacherous part of his brain had urged him to lean in, to see if her lips would feel as good against his – 

He shook his head, trying desperately to dispel his wild intrusive thoughts. It was ludicrous; he did not think of the young shrine maiden in that way. Not when she frequently sought to needle him, not when she frustrated him to no end. 

His collar suddenly felt tight; his skin, far too hot. His gaze dropped back down to the hand that had touched her, and it clenched. 

A pomegranate. It was only a pomegranate; nothing more. 

“It was a thank you gift,” Giyuu declared, as though speaking the words out loud gave them more force. “It is nothing more than an expression of gratitude.”

And even his crow, ancient and dull as he was, scoffed at the obviousness of the lie.

——

Late Summer, 1915

Summer blazed hot and humid. But neither the sweltering heat of the sun nor the most arduous missions he took exhausted Giyuu more than the complicated, tangled mess of feelings that had taken root within him. Because with every day that passed, the Miko of the Shrine at the edge of the forest occupied more and more of his mind. And Giyuu did not know what it meant or what he should do about it. 

She’d not just repaired his haori or made him salmon; she’d somehow wormed her way into his every waking thought, and to his great confusion, he found himself almost unwilling to think of anything but her. 

Admittedly, Giyuu Tomioka did not have the requisite tools in his social arsenal to successfully navigate human interaction. He hadn’t quite known the extent of his ineptitude however, until the Insect Pillar had so cheerfully pointed out that none of his comrades, in fact, liked him. That revelation had made him doubt every interaction he’d had since, made him wonder whether even the lower ranked Slayers viewed him with the same apathy, if not the same outright hostility toward him shared by Shinazugawa and Iguro.

He’d come to doubt them all — except her.

Y/N was different; at the end of each visit to the Shrine, the Water Pillar did not find himself feeling drained or unwanted.  He felt lighter; rejuvenated, even. She was a breath of fresh air that Giyuu found more difficult to go without with each passing day. 

She still picked at him, but she did so without the malice he’d normally come to expect, even from those he considered friends, like the Kocho. The young Miko had a way of teasing him that did not leave him feeling decidedly othered. Rather, her japes only spurred him to respond with his own, though admittedly, they tended to fall flat.

He’d known, from the moment she’d attempted to bludgeon him with her broom, that there was more to the Miko than met the eye; but he hadn’t imagined he’d find himself as drawn to her as he was, unable to tolerate going more than a handful of weeks without paying her a visit.

And, given the way she’d blushed after he’d thanked her for repairing his haori, perhaps she was drawn to him, too. Perhaps he hoped she was.

But he would have to wait to find out, for his obligations to the Corps had taken him to a village a considerable distance away from his designated territory. He’d been tasked with investigating a series of disappearances of young women in the region, but his orders had come abruptly enough that he’d not been able to spare a visit to the Shrine before he departed.

He was anxious — eager — to return, though not before he took care of the demon likely behind the mystery plaguing the village he now patrolled.

Nightfall was still a little ways off, and so Giyuu found himself wandering the streets to pass the time. He made his way to a sizeable outdoor market, still packed with shoppers oohing and ahhing over vibrant displays of silk, crafted jewelry, and sugary confectioneries.

Idly, he too, joined other patrons in browsing the small vending stands that lined the bustling village streets, though his perusal was disinterested, if not bored. But his eyes snagged on one small bauble displayed on the merchant’s small stand upon a swath of silk. It was small; unassuming. But the carefully crafted decoration was painted in a startling shade of crimson that he found hard to ignore. 

The image of a certain Miko flashed through his mind. He couldn’t leave without it. he wouldn’t; not when its paint so perfectly matched the color of Y/N’s hakama trousers.

I spend the year longing for autumn. That was what she’d told him, that day on the hillside after she’d repaired his haori. 

He almost smiled to himself. This would be a way for her to enjoy her favorite season even in the scorching heat of summer or the biting cold of winter. 

He waited for the merchant to notice his presence, his fingers twisting around the small money sack he kept tucked in his pocket. His eyes flickered back to the small trinket. Idly, Giyuu wondered when he’d begun associating the color red with the shrine maiden and not with the blood he’d always imagined stained his hands. 

He continued to stare the merchant down until he finally managed to catch the vendor’s eye, who flinched at the intensity of his unblinking stare.   

Giyuu jutted his chin toward the small token. “How much?” 

—-

He found the Miko a few mornings later, relaxing on the hillside overlooking the Shrine. She laid amongst the late summer wildflowers that had bloomed, her form framed against the grass with petals of soft blue and bright marigold. 

Giyuu wordlessly settled beside her, and he tried to ignore the thunderous beat of his heart against his sternum as she rolled her head toward him to greet him with a sleepy smile. They exchanged pleasantries and settled into a comfortable silence, both content to watch the sun rise higher over the horizon.

Easy; it was so easy for him to sit beside her, like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

“So, you are to take over the Shrine, one day?”

Y/N’s head turned to the Water Pillar in surprise; though he’d grown steadily more talkative over the months since she’d met him, it wasn’t often that he initiated conversation. 

She settled back against the cool grass of the hilltop overlooking the Shrine, enjoying the precious few moments of quiet in the early morning before the chaos of the day called her away. “Yes,” though there was a slight uncertainty in her voice. “I’m sure it’s the expectation, after all. I have to repay Granny for her kindness.”

Giyuu frowned. “But is that what you want?”

“What I want is irrelevant,” the Miko folded her arms behind her head and tilted her face up toward the sky. Her eyes tracked the great, fluffy clouds that drifted lazily by, though the Water Pillar suspected she was attempting to avoid having to meet his eye. 

“It’s not irrelevant,” he countered. “If nothing else, you should be allowed to consider other possibilities.”

She did not answer him, and the silence between them stretched enough that he thought to drop the subject, not wanting to press her any further. 

“I think,” she said in that faraway voice that Giyuu had come to learn meant she was trying to conceal some deeply felt emotion. “I think should like to belong somewhere.” Her eyes shone. “No, that’s not it — I want someone to belong to me, and I to them. 

“A husband.” He said flatly. 

The Miko shook her head. “I have never belonged to anywhere or to anyone. I’ve no family to call my own - only an old woman who took pity on me as an infant and raised me. I wonder — what must it be like?” She laid back on the grass and closed her eyes. “That is the one thing I would change. I belong nowhere because I’m no one — nobody’s.” 

Giyuu frowned. “I don’t think that’s true—“

“It is true,” she insisted, though she said it with such ease and conviction, like it was the most obvious and natural thing in the world. “I am here for a moment and then I will be gone, and no one will ever know or remember that there once was a shrine maiden named Y/N here. I’ve made peace with that.”

I would, Giyuu wanted to tell her. I would remember and I would tell them all. 

“I am nobody as well,” Giyuu admitted quietly after a moment. “And I have no one left to belong to.” 

The image of her face, so kind and sad and full of understanding at his words, had stayed with him for the rest of the morning and even as he settled in for a few hours of sleep in the Shrine’s guest wing.  

And in his dreams, her face remained a constant.

—

The sky had turned a vivid shade of orange by the time the Water Pillar emerged from his guest lodgings, ready to depart and resume his duties.  Y/N had been helping another shrine maiden tote firewood across the courtyard when she heard a quiet call of her name.

She turned and saw the raven-haired Swordsman standing near the great Torii gate. 

She looked back to her fellow trainee, who waved her off with a knowing smile, and Y/N brushed her hands clean against her hakama pants before she approached him. 

“Leaving so soon?” And she tried to mask her disappointment at the shortness of his visit. 

Giyuu nodded. “We’ve been stretched thin, in light of a few…changes to our ranks.”

The Miko nodded grimly. He’d told her that a fellow Hashira had been slain a few months prior, and another had retired following a rather violent battle that had destroyed part of a far off city.

“But I wanted to give you this.”

She glanced down to his outstretched hand, where a small parcel was wrapped in plain furoshiki cloth. Stunned, she took the package from him, her eyes flicking between it and the Water Pillar watching her intently.

Gingerly, she unfolded the bundle and unveiled a long, but fragile metal and wood reed.

A hairpin, she realized with a soft gasp. Y/N could scarcely bring her fingers to run over the exquisitely crafted ridges of the leaves that adorned the top portion of the pin, afraid that even the slightest pressure from her touch would cause the Water Pillar’s precious gift to her to crumble. 

I spend the year longing for autumn, she’d told him. She hadn’t thought he’d been particularly interested in listening to her talk; but as Y/N cradled the delicate ornament between her palms, she felt a blush begin to creep across her cheeks. 

As her fingers traced across the delicate ridges of a cluster of maple leaves, lacquered in a thick coat of scarlet paint — a perfect match to the hue of her traditional Miko hakama pants — Y/N realized that perhaps Tomioka had been paying more attention to her than she’d realized. 

For the Water Pillar had given her a piece of autumn to hold onto year-round. 

“Tomioka-san, you do not-“ 

“Giyuu.” The ravenette interrupted her. “Please, call me by my name; it’s Giyuu.” 

Y/N’s mouth closed, but she smiled softly, considering. “Alright. Giyuu — please, you do not need to feel obligated to bring gifts for us — it was only salmon.” 

But Giyuu only shook his head. “I don’t bring gifts for everyone; just you.” 

Y/N turned scarlet. 

“Please, just-“ Giyuu frowned, and Y/N could have sworn she saw the faintest glow of pink coloring the Hashira’s cheeks. “Just take it.” 

“Okay,” her voice resembled a mouse’s squeak as she cradled the pin delicately between her hands. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.” 

“And it wasn’t just salmon.” 

Y/N looked to him in surprise, her head cocked in curiosity. “Pardon?” 

Giyuu exhaled harshly through his nose before stepping closer to her. “This is not only because you made salmon.” Her eyes tracked his hand as it rose to grip the front fold of his haori in his fist. “This – this is all I have left of my family.” 

“My sister,” he gestured to the red half of his haori. “She died protecting me.” His hand drifted to the green and orange patterned half of the garment. “And this belonged to a dear friend. He also perished protecting me – and others.”

The Miko’s lips parted, understanding and sorrow flooding her eyes. “Tomioka-san — Giyuu — I had no idea —“

“They both died because of demons – because I could not help them. And now this is all I have left to remember them by.” And then he did the unthinkable; he grabbed her hand and pressed it against the checkered portion of his haori, right over his heart. His hand was warm and firm. Gentle, though she could feel his callouses against her knuckles as he held it in place. “So it wasn’t just salmon.” He repeated, and there was a heat in his eyes Y/N had not seen before, one that stoked a fire in her belly. “And you are not just anyone.” 

A soft exhale blew past her lips at the sincerity of his words. For the first time in all her nineteen years, she wondered if this was what it meant to mean something to someone.

“Thank you,” she breathed, eyes wide and sparkling with unshed emotion. “I will treasure it.”

She swore she saw a faint blush creep across the Water Pillar’s cheeks, but she brushed it aside as nothing more than the shadows of the sky as twilight darkened the horizon. 

Tomioka nodded. “I must get going now; I will see you soon.”

She did not want him to go.

But the shrine maiden concealed the pang she felt in her chest with a breezy smile. “Farewell, Tomio-“

“Giyuu.” 

She blushed. “Yes — Giyuu. Until next time.”

—

“I cannot believe he lets the old woman charge him an arm and a leg to stay a single night,” Miyoko said in awe as the pair watched the retreating form of the Water Pillar through the shrine house gates. 

The hairpin clutched tightly in her hands suddenly felt like a stone weight. “I’m sure he stays here only for convenience’s sake,” Y/N replied airily, turning sharply away from the egress to the shrine to hide her warming cheeks.  

Miyoko snorted. “Hardly. The Demon Slayer Corps has tons of safehouses throughout the country. Corps members get medical treatment, hot meals, and lodging free of charge.” Y/N’s sister-in-training grunted as she heaved a hefty bag of rice flour from the storeroom to the girls’ side, no doubt hauling it out to prepare the evening meal. 

“I’ve heard of at least four such houses in this region alone. As a Hashira, Tomioka-sama could go to any one of them and be treated far more kindly than he is here.” 

Y/N frowned. “I wonder why, then, he continues to return here so often? Surely our shrine is some distance from his home, given that he stays the night each time.” 

Miyoko shot the young shrine maiden a knowing glance. “Perhaps he tolerates the Granny’s abuse because he is fond of the company.” 

Y/N only felt her face grow hotter as she ducked down, though she felt Miyoko’s amused stare burn through her back. 

—-

The Water Pillar had returned from his intel assignment and promptly journeyed to the Shrine, its inhabitants abuzz as they prepared for the arrival of autumn and the colder months, now only mere weeks away. 

He found the shrine maiden of his interest inside the main wing of the manor, back in the kitchen as she prepared herbs to be incorporated into various salves and medications. Y/N smiled brightly at him as he’d sidled up beside her, taking a handful of dried greenery from the bunch next to her and deftly pulling the leaves from the stem and handing them to her. 

“Is it your day off?” The Miko gratefully accepted the leaves he’d stripped and dumped them into the rocky mortar to join the others. 

Giyuu felt his stomach clench as his fingers brushed against hers. “I have completed my duties for the time being, yes.”

"You're welcome to help me, as long as you do not mind a bit of busy work."

He didn't; of course he didn't. In fact, as he accepted the heavy stone pestle from the Miko and set to work mashing the leaves she handed them into the mortar, Giyuu rather supposed he would do just about anything to remain in the shrine maiden's company, even if that meant assisting her in a task as banal as grinding medicinal herbs. And though the Slayer and the Miko fell into their well-practiced habit of quietly tending to Y/N's duties side by side, there was a notable absence of the bright chatter he'd grown accustomed to hearing during his visits.

The Water Pillar frowned. “You’re quiet.” It was not a question. “There is something on your mind.” 

“Is there?” Y/N hummed loftily, her hands continuing to strip leaves from their stems. “Perhaps I am simply focused.” 

Giyuu found his eyes wandering to the side to study the Miko’s face more often than usual. Though she maintained a pleasant smile as they worked, he could see that it did not fully reach her eyes. And even her sage expression could not conceal the way the troubled look in her eyes, hands pausing their work as she stared at something behind the walls of the small shrine kitchen. 

“Something is bothering you.” Giyuu took the bundle of herbs clutched in her hands and replaced them with his pestle, allowing her to work her frustrations over the paste forming at the bottom of the stone bowl. 

She blushed and refocused her gaze, grinding the pestle hard. “Nothing is wrong!” She chirped. 

“You are a dreadful liar.”

The Miko replied with an airy laugh that made his throat tighten. “So I’ve been told — often, in fact.” 

“There is…trouble in the village,” Y/N said carefully, though she kept her hands busy as she continued to grind herbs into a thick paste. “It is nothing we can’t handle, but it has put many of us on edge. Particularly Granny.” 

Giyuu frowned as he handed the shrine maiden another bunch of leaves from her basket. “What sort of trouble?” 

She hesitated. “It is petty village drama, nothing more.”

“You won’t give any further details?” 

The Water Pillar could not explain it, but he found himself troubled by the way the Shrine Maiden forced a smile and a far too casual shrug of her shoulders. “There are none worth re-hashing.” 

He frowned, but he did not press her further, resolving instead to poke around later. Perhaps he would see whether the Shrine’s head Priestess’s tongue was as loose with information as it was with vulgarity once she’d properly indulged in her sake; he’d make certain she was well-stocked in advance. 

Giyuu furtively glanced back at the shrine maiden’s profile, in part to see whether he could deduce anything from her expressions, but he found himself instead studying her, puzzling over a change in her appearance he hadn’t noticed before.

Sensing his stare, the Miko turned to him with a light smile that then  faltered. “What –?”

“You changed your hair.” It took everything within him not to reach out, to see if her hair would feel as silky in his fingers as it looked shifting softly in the wind. “I’ve never seen it down.” 

“Oh!” Her smile turned bashful, a pretty pink dusting spreading across her cheeks. “I wanted to wear my hairpin – see?” 

She turned her head, the long curtain of her hair rippling smoothly with the movement. With her back to him, Giyuu could see the pin he’d given her neatly tucked into the long strands of her hair, pinning half of it back. The red of the pin’s maple leaves posed a lovely contrast with the hue of her hair. 

Y/N was already quite beautiful, but with her hair partially down, he thought she looked softer; younger. She peeked over her shoulder at him, fingers nervously combing through her tresses. “It’s not practical for every day, of course, but I thought since you’d likely be arriving soon –” 

His eyes widened and Giyuu became acutely aware that his heart now thumped wildly in his throat as Y/N choked off with a squeak, apparently realizing what she’d revealed. Though she hurriedly turned back around, Giyuu could see how the tips of her ears burned bright red. 

Despite her efforts, her admission hung like a cloud in the air between them. She’d worn it – the hairpin – for him. 

Giyuu swallowed thickly. “I like it.” He cleared his throat and turned, allowing his own unruly hair to obscure his face. “On you, that is.” 

For once, the Miko had neither a quick remark nor barb to lob back at him. Instead, she only turned back to her task of grinding her herbs, a thick curtain of her hair concealing her face from his sight.

Once she'd finished bottling up her new medicinal salves, Giyuu helped her carry the tins to the Shrine's storage house, directly across the courtyard from its main wing. The shrine maiden remained curiously quiet, even in spite of his own lame attempts to converse with her. He'd finally given up after his dry comment about the weather went ignored. But every so often, he let his eyes wander to her as they returned to the honden, and that nagging feeling returned as he watched her gnaw incessantly at her bottom lip, a faraway look in her eyes. 

Giyuu was not a nosy man, but the Miko's clear distraction unsettled him. He was about to pull her aside, to demand she tell him exactly what it was that had chased away the smile he so longed to see when they were approached by Y/N's haughty Master.

“Lord Tomioka,” the head Priestess nodded curtly at him in greeting. “I am glad to have run into you — I am in need of your assistance.”

The old Priestess turned to her young protégée. “Go assist the younger ones; they need to give their offerings before dinner.” 

Y/N’s mouth opened to protest but the head Priestess cut her off. “Now.”

To his surprise, the shrine maiden did not argue with her Master, only turning to him to give him a helpless shrug before she began to make her way toward the Shrine’s honden. 

The Water Pillar grimaced. He tried to convince himself the pit in his stomach was only because her odd behavior gnawed at him; that he was only curious to learn what it was that troubled her.  But as the Miko cast one last, reluctant look over her shoulder at him, Giyuu found that he was as unwilling to watch her go as she was to leave. 

If the Shrine’s head priestess noticed his inner anguish, she paid it no mind. “You will accompany me in the kitchen.”

—-

The first thing he noticed was the conspicuous absence of the scent of sake, which he’d grown accustomed to following the Priestess around like a pungent cloud of perfume. He resisted the urge to scowl; he would have to find another way to get the old woman to talk.

Giyuu followed the woman into the small structure that stood adjacent to the honden that served as the Shrine’s kitchen. He watched silently as she pulled a cleaver, large and deadly sharp, free from where it was stored in a cabinet and laid it atop a butcher’s block. The elder stepped outside of the kitchen and returned a moment later, a recently de-feathered and skinned chicken in hand.

“Things around here seem…tense,” Giyuu observed carefully  as the old woman slapped the chicken on the counter for preparation. 

“Tense is one word for it, I reckon,” she bit, taking up her cleaver. “The world we live in is dark. I should think you would know that better than most.”

The corner of his mouth dipped down. “But even your girls seem unusually subdued; distracted.” 

Her eyes flashed to his, piercing and sharp. “You mean Y/N.”

It wasn’t a question. 

“She is always restless this time of year,” the old woman sighed. “Though she loves autumn, she despises winter — or, rather, she despises how it reminds her of what she does not have. And winter is well on its way.” 

He nodded, recalling what the shrine maiden had revealed to him that day, on the hillside.

“But your observation is correct — that is not all of the reason she is so distracted,” the old Priestess said darkly, and Giyuu was surprised to see how alert and focused the normally soused elder seemed. “A man from the village — Susumo — has been following her. Demanding her.” 

Giyyu straightened. “What do you mean by ‘demand?’” 

The haggard woman cursed below her breath as she broke down the chicken’s body. “I mean in the way that men often feel entitled to women — especially angry drunks like him.” 

Every hair on Giyuu’s body stood straight as the weight of the Priestess’ warning settled. 

“I have forbidden her from venturing out in the dark alone,” the Granny continued, harshly wrenching a joint on the fowl. 

“She is a Priestess in training; surely that status affords her some protection?” Giyuu’s knuckles turned white where his fists clenched at his sides. 

“I’m not sure the shrine is enough to keep him out for much longer. He’s been lingering — and threatening consequences, if I do not agree to hand her over to him for marriage.” The old Priestess grimaced. “Her status does her no good if he burns this place to the ground.” 

The old woman set her cleaver next to her with a heavy thud, her frustration palpable. “The girl is of age, and I am not her blood family; there is no one here who can claim authority over her, not like a parent or an elder sibling.” When her eyes lifted to his, Giyuu could see a hint of fear underlying the hard anger in her gaze. “These days, I half-expect to awaken and find that she’s been stolen in the night.” 

The Water Pillar felt his jaw clench. It was rare that he felt the burning flush of anger and it was not directed at a demon, but the idea that Y/N was being harassed and threatened by some village drunkard who felt entitled to her, lit something hot in his stomach. For as vexatious and confounding as he found the young Miko to be, no one deserved to be stalked like prey. 

Especially her. 

“I’ve had a crow stationed here to alert me of any demon attacks for months,” Giyuu began, and the old woman looked to him in surprise. “But I will assign more to keep watch during the day. If there is anything strange afoot, they will tell you.” He paused a moment before adding, “And they will alert me, too.”

The head Priestess laid down her cleaver to look at him, long and hard. “Then she may have a fighting chance yet, Lord Hashira.”

————-

By the time he found Y/N once more, dinner was over and the moon had risen high in the night sky, casting the shrine grounds in its pale, silvery glow.

He’d told her, rather tersely, that he was unable to stay the night, and he tried to ignore how his chest tightened at the crestfallen look that flashed across her face. Despite her tangible disappointment, she insisted on escorting him out of the Shrine, desperate to cling to every second that might be spared to them.

“You are rather quiet tonight,” the Miko observed, walking him to the grand Torii. “More so than usual.” It was an understatement; the Water Pillar had been downright sullen and withdrawn from the moment he’d returned from whatever takes Granny had insisted she help him with. 

Rather than give her any explanation, Giyuu halted his step and reached for her wrist, stilling her. “You did not tell me you were being harassed.” 

She looked up to the Water Pillar in surprise. “How did you —?” 

He released her from his grip in favor of drawing closer to her. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Y/N opened and closed her mouth, struggling to find her words. “I suppose,” she began, but her mouth quirked down in a frown. “I did not think you needed to be burdened by something so insignificant.” 

Giyuu stared at her as he mouthed the word insignificant, the look he shot her giving the distinct impression he thought her an idiot. “I do not think your safety is insignificant,” Giyuu’s hand drifted to the hilt of his sword, clenching it tight. “Nor do I think you are insignificant.” 

“Compared to your other obligations? I should think I’m very unimportant.” Y/N turned away from him, fiddling with a gathering basket she carried on her hip to avoid having to look him in the eyes.

But the raven-haired Pillar caught her wrist and turned her back to face him, not willing to be ignored. “If you call for me, I will come to you.” 

Y/N’s heart lurched at the Water Pillar’s words, spoken with such conviction and sincerity that it made her falter in her step. “Tomioka-san,” she said breathlessly, her eyes wide as she turned to him. “You have far more important duties to see to than to concern yourself with than mere village drama —“

But the raven-haired Hashira only shook his head as he took another step towards her, his expression severe; calculating. “You have the knife I gave you, yes?” His eyes dropped to her pocket, and Y/N felt compelled to show him that the small blade was indeed tucked safely within the folds of her hakama pants. 

“Giyuu,” she pled, and she noted the way that he twitched towards her at the sound of his name falling from her lips. “Please, don’t worry —“

“I do not make promises I cannot keep,” the Water Pillar cut her off, closing the distance between them until the tips of his zori nearly grazed hers, his head bent down towards her as the heat of his stare threatened to consume her. “So I repeat: if you call for me, I will come to you.” 

Any thought of arguing faded from her mind as Y/N became keenly aware of the lack of space between their bodies, of the way her hands, clasped in front of her chest brushed against the folds of his haori as it shifted softly with the wind. 

“I understand,” she breathed. Y/N held his gaze for a long moment, though it was in part due to the battle waging within her not to allow her eyes to drop to his lips.

She would not let herself acknowledge how close they were; how soft they looked, or how warm they might feel against hers; her skin. 

Giyuu lingered as well; after a pregnant pause, he finally stepped back, blinking as though coming out of a trance. “Good,” he nodded, and he glanced furtively over her shoulder. His eyes narrowed and he nodded as though satisfied before he turned crisply on his heel to begin his trek towards his duties and away from her. “Do not forget.” He called one last time over his shoulder, before the shadows of the woods swallowed him whole. 

As Y/N dazedly made her way back towards the shrine, a crow following closely behind her, she almost laughed at the suggestion she could. 

——-

Autumn, 1915

The weeks passed by without much fuss, and soon, the palpable tension that had settled over the Shrine as a result of Susumo’s lingering threats subsided. Soon, life at the Shrine returned to normal, and Y/N often found her mind wandering to thoughts of raven hair and endless blue eyes. 

Until that night.

It had been a normal evening at the Shrine; autumn, blissful autumn had arrived, heralding forth crisp winds and golden skies. Though the days were steadily growing shorter, Y/N found herself rejuvenated by the new chill, especially as she watched the leaves of the trees shift from green to gold to ruby. 

The leaves on her hairpin indeed had been a perfect match to those which were steadily drifting from the tall maples dotting the Shrine. Though she couldn’t wear her hair down the way she had the last time the Water Pillar paid the Shrine a visit, Y/N had found new ways to incorporate his gift into her daily life, weaving it through her plait or tucking it behind her ear. 

That night had been one like any other; after dinner, the girls of the Shrine had scattered to tend to their evening duties.  The shrine maiden had been walking alongside her Master, planning for the upcoming festival in the nearby village, during which the Shrine would seek new patrons to keep it operational. The women mulled over which families might be more inclined to assist them, and settled on a prominent merchant known to frequent other shrines on his travels through the country.

That was when they’d spotted the smoke.

“Fire!” A shrill voice cried, and both the old Priestess and Y/N blanched. “The honden is on fire!”

All at once, chaos broke out across the Shrine grounds as girls darted to and fro, frantic. Granny began barking at her charges, ordering the younger ones to gather in the courtyard while instructing the older girls to assist in putting out the flames.

"The granary!" Someone else cried. "The granary has gone up in flames!"

The elder Priestess snatched Y/N's wrist in her weathered hand. “The scrolls!” Granny's expression of horror was a sure match to her own. “They’re in the storeroom near the granary!” 

The scrolls in question had been in the Shrine’s custody for over five hundred years, carrying sacred inscriptions of the gods and prayers essential to its operation and legitimacy.

They were priceless; irreplaceable. 

“I’ll go!” And before her Master could protest, the Miko had already turned away and began sprinting toward the fire that was rapidly engulfing the granary near the back of the property.  

Thankfully, the storeroom had yet to catch fire, but if the one steadily consuming the granary was not dealt with soon, it wouldn’t be long before it spread to consume the small wooden hut. 

And Y/N knew it wouldn’t take much to reduce the storeroom to ash. 

Coughing, she pressed her arm to her nose and mouth, using the large bell sleeve of her kosode to block some of the smoke that burned her eyes and nose. She pulled her other sleeve over her hand to protect it as she pushed the storehouse’s door aside. 

Inside was dark; quiet. Though the nighttime made it difficult for her to see the scrolls and prints carefully rolled and tucked away into tiny cubbies lining the hut’s walls, Y/N wasn’t stupid enough to waste time searching for a candle to light. So, with only the flames eating away at the granary at her back to light her way, she began pulling handfuls of scrolls free from their storage, tucking them under her arm. 

She turned to take her first armload of priceless Shrine artifacts from the storeroom and nearly tripped over a collection of heated coal pans that had been stacked in the corner to keep the scrolls sealed within the room at a stable temperature. She managed to hold onto her scrolls, however, and she quickly moved them away from the hut, placing them safely on a nearby rock that was still far enough away from the storeroom should it catch fire. She returned to the hut to survey what else she needed to salvage, but a familiar, tiny yelp and the flurry of movement in her periphery made the Miko’s stomach twist.

“Komatsu!” Y/N turned and saw the anxious younger girl lingering at the storage hut’s door, her tiny hands trembling. “Get away from here! It’s not safe!” 

“B-but Sister,” the girl cried, hopping anxiously from foot to foot. “This is too much to do on your own —“

“You need to go find Granny,” the shrine maiden ordered. “I will join you in a moment.”

The girl’s lower lip wobbled. “But —,”

“Now!”

With a great sniff, the girl turned away, leaving Y/N alone once more. The Miko sighed and resumed her hasty perusal of the hut’s shelves, searching for anything else that could not be replaced. 

There was a rustling near the doorway and Y/N bit her lip in an effort not to swear in front of her younger peer. “Komatsu, what did I say —“ 

She turned to admonish the girl, but her reprimand dried instantly on her tongue. For there, in the entryway to the storeroom, was Komatsu, her eyes wide and her face bone-white with a terror that matched Y/N’s own.

Because the girl was not alone.

Wrapped around her bicep was a hand, as large as a small boulder, and tipped with long, wicked claws that threatened to pierce Komatsu’s bicep. The hand was attached to a forearm, inhumanly thick and muscled. Slowly, Y/N’s eyes dragged up the length of the monstrous arm to behold the sinister face that grinned at her. 

It was Susumo — only it wasn’t Susumo. Y/N recognized the vague features of the face that had once belonged to the village drunk and her personal tormentor. His hair was the same as was the general shape of his face, and the cruelty of his smirk, but that was where the resemblance to the Susumo she’d once known ended.

Now, he boasted a row of sharp fangs that distended nearly to his lower lip. And his eyes — no longer were they a cold, soulless black; now they were crimson red, and his pupils were cut into catlike slits.

Demon. A voice whispered in her mind. Demon.

“Enjoy my fires, Priestess?” Even Susumo’s voice had changed, forming a growl that matched his monstrous appearance. “I set them for you — I knew you would not be able to resist seeing such a spectacle.”

“Komatsu,” Y/N ignored him in favor of addressing the young girl, though her voice was unusually high though she fought to keep it as steady as possible. “Please go find Granny and help her with the honden.” 

The young trainee trembled but Susumo’s clawed hand only tightened around her arm. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that, sweet Priestess,” the demon crooned. “You have something I want, you see.”

The slick, oily look in his eyes made his desire clear.

Y/N’s eyes darted quickly around the hut, finally falling on a series of coal pans stacked to the side of the room, only a few feet from where she stood, paralyzed. Her quick, cursory glance at the pans revealed iron that was slightly red, and she swore she could see the air around them distorted by the heat.

Hot; they were still hot.

The Miko looked back to where the demon continued to leer at her, ravenous. “Fine,” she said coolly. “I will go with you, Susumo.”

Komatsu looked between her and the demon in horror, but Y/N only kept her eyes locked with the demon’s. She edged closer to where the coal pans were still burning hot, eyes not daring to drop his as she drew closer to the demon and the younger trainee. He grinned, revealing cruelly sharp and bloodstained teeth, and his yellow eyes shone with a triumphant smugness, believing the Miko was surrendering to him at last. 

As she brushed past the pans, Y/N furtively reached out a hand and closed her fingers around one of the handles. “Komatsu,” the Miko kept her eyes carefully trained on the demon. “Run.”

Her hand seized around the coal pan and with every ounce of her strength, she swung it toward the demon. The hot iron of the pan slammed into the side of his head, forcing him to drop his hold on the younger girl. There was a struggle between the older shrine maiden and the demon, who fought to wrench the pan free from her fierce grip, but Y/N would not relent. 

“Run!” She shrieked at the girl again, and Komatsu darted away. Y/N’s fingers stretched to close around the tiny lever on the handle of the coal pan, and with a snarl of fury, she managed to latch around it, squeezing it with all her might. The lid of the pan opened and red-hot coals spilled forth over the demon’s head. Susumo howled in fury, and Y/N dropped the pan, letting it crack against his head as she shot past him, desperate to escape the tiny storeroom.

The faster she got into open air, the better chance she had of living. 

But a claw, sharp and deadly sunk into her bicep, and yanked her back. She could not help the small scream that tore from her throat as she felt his talons rip at her skin and the sleeve of her kosode was shredded into ribbons beneath his nails.

“Sister Y/N!” Komatsu’s tiny, terrified voice cried out from several feet ahead. 

The shrine maiden swallowed her building panic. “Go!”

The little girl hesitated again and Y/N knew she could not follow after her, not without risking her safety once again. With a defiant scream of rage, the shrine maiden tore her arm free of the demon’s razor-like claws, fighting back the bile that rose in her throat as she felt blood run down her arm, hot and thick. 

The demon grasped wildly at her but found only air. Thinking only of the safety of Komatsu and her fellow trainees, Y/N turned on her heel and ran for the trees, away from the chaos unfolding at the Shrine. 

And the demon, still snarling and panting and undoubtedly enraged, followed her into the forest.

Shit, shit, shit!

Y/N hurtled over a snarled root as she ran, her life dependent upon every stride as she fled the newly-demented Susumo.

In the back of her mind, the Miko knew her efforts were in vain; because for every inch she managed to gain, the angry demon at her heels seemed to gain a foot.

“You’ve denied me for far too long!” The monster’s voice growled behind her, far too close for comfort. “I will have you!”

Y/N palmed the small nichirin knife tucked safely within the deep pockets of her hakama pants, and wildly she wondered whether it was possible to decapitate a demon with such a small blade. Perhaps the Water Pillar should have left her a sword. After all, a sword could not really be that different from a broom, and she’d walloped her fair share of handsy drunkards and would-be thieves with the cleaning tool.

If she lived through the night, she would tell him as much the next time she saw him.

Y/N’s musings did nothing to help her avoid the root of an old tree that jutted out from the earth, snarling around her ankle and sending her flailing to the forest floor. Angry tears of frustration clouded her eyes. Although she knew these paths like the back of her hand, that knowledge did her little good in the dark, as she fled for her life.

Scrambling up to her feet, Y/N caught sight of a pair of eyes watching her from the brambles, dark and inky.

A crow. The image of a certain Hashira flashed before her eyes, as Y/N recalled the way that the members of the Demon Slayer Corps used crows to communicate.

Perhaps this crow was so affiliated, and she was desperate enough to try. “Please!” Y/N begged, sobbing as the crow stared down at her with those black eyes. “Giyuu!”

———

The night had been unusually peaceful for the Water Pillar.

His ambling patrol around his territory’s perimeter hadn’t revealed so much as a whisper of demonic activity. But the absence of any conspicuous threat did not mean his guard was down; his eyes remained sharp, his ear finely tuned, listening for any shift in the wind, any sign that something was amiss and required investigation —

A sudden rustle of leaves sounded from his right, and Giyuu’s hand moved reflexively for his blade, bracing against its hilt in preparation. A small shadow burst from the canopy above him, its wings flapping wildly. He recognized it instantly as the crow he’d assigned to watch over the Shrine — to watch over her.

“Demon attack at the Mountain Shrine!” The crow squawked, circling above him frantically. “Demon attack! Go now — quickly!” 

He hadn’t hesitated to turn sharply on his heel, furiously making his way toward the Shrine. He broke through the line of trees at its edge in record time, and even he’d been taken aback by the chaos that had broken out.

“The honden is on fire!” the old woman cried out to the Pillar as he swiftly landed among the chaos unfolding across the shrine grounds. “The girls were still doing their evening duties – but then another fire was started near the granary!” 

“My crows said a demon had made an appearance,” Giyuu’s eyes carefully scanned the terrified, frantic faces of the Shrine’s residents, his hands braced against the hilt of his sword. “Has anyone been hurt?” 

The head Priestess stared at the Water Pillar in muted horror. “I have not seen – but I haven’t taken any headcount of the girls to know –” 

A piercing cry from near the south gate of the Shrine cut the old woman off, and both Priestess and Slayer whipped toward the sound. A girl, no more than nine, was half-running, half-stumbling toward them, frightened tears streaking down her face. 

“Komatsu!” the old Priestess blanched as she caught sight of the small apprentice’s busted, bloodied lip. With a sob, the young girl flung herself into her elder’s arms and clung tightly to her. “What on earth –?” 

“Sister Y/N!” the girl called Komatsu wailed, and Giyuu felt himself go cold. “Granny – th-that man – he’s a monster!”

The head Priestess paled in recognition. “Susumo?” Giyuu’s gut clenched at the name. The old woman knelt before the girl, her hands clutching wildly at her slim shoulders as she shook her lightly to recenter her. “Komatsu, was Susumo the monster?” 

The young girl nodded. “He was so – hiccup – fast! I didn’t even see him!” She only cried harder. “And t-then Sister Y/N – she grabbed the coal pan and dumped it on him until he let go.” Komatsu trembled as she lifted a shaking hand to wipe at her cheeks. “A-and then she t-told me to r-run –” 

THe old Priestess caught the girl’s quivering chin in her hand and forced her to meet her eyes. “Where is Y/N, Komatsu?” 

Komatus’s eyes were wide with fear. “She ran,” she whispered. “Into the woods – b-but Granny – she was bleeding –” 

The Shrine’s Priestess turned to the Slayer, ready to beg him to follow after the demon and her apprentice, but the Water Pillar was gone. For a brief moment, she feared all hope was lost; that they’d been abandoned and non one would be able to save the young Miko – her heir – from whatever horrid fate awaited her at the ends of Susumo’s crazed, brutal claws.

She caught a flurry of movement right against the dark line of trees that snagged her attention; a flap of the edge of a mismatched haori, and the glint of a blade being drawn, its wielder already furiously making his way into the shadowy depths of the forest. 

The Priestess exhaled and clutched her trembling young trainee to her chest. As she soothed the shaken young girl, the old woman prayed the Water Pillar would not be too late.

–

She was fucked; well and truly fucked.

Y/N had no idea how long she’d spent sprinting furiously through the forest, but she knew she was quickly running out of stamina. Worse, it seemed the demon on her heels knew she was slowing, and was now playing with her. But even his patience seemed to be at its wit’s end; for a sudden sharp blow to her back sent the Miko flying several feet forward until she slammed against the uneven, rough terrain of the forest floor.

Y/N gasped for air that would not come as she tried to push herself up. Crawl! Her mind begged her body. Crawl, damn you!

A dark chuckle from behind sent every hair on her body standing straight on end. A hand locked around her ankle and flipped her over until she was nearly nose to nose with the demon crouched over her. “Got you,” he sang, and the moonlight glinted off the sharp edge of his fangs as he grinned. 

Her fingers found the handle of the knife the Water Pillar had gifted her in her pocket. With a determined grunt, she pulled it free and plunged it deep into the meat of his shoulder, praying furiously to any god who would listen that she might have hit an artery so that he would bleed out. 

The demon loosed an enraged scream and fell away from her, hands blindly fumbling for the blade.  

No longer pinned beneath him, Y/N  scrambled back. Her hands scraped against the broken brush and pebbles below her in her desperate attempt to put distance between herself and the demon rising to his feet ahead of her, snarling. As he began advancing toward her, Susumo gripped the knife she’d buried in his shoulder and with a grunt, he wrenched it free and tossed it carelessly to the side, right along with the last shred of any hope she’d had of making it out of the woods alive.

The demon’s mouth curled into a cruel, savage grin, the moonlight glinting off his long, wicked fangs. “I’m going to enjoy this,” he growled, saliva dripping down his chin as his nostrils widened to scent her blood and her fear. 

This was it; there was nowhere for her to run, no weapon she could try and protect herself with. There was nothing she could do; she was going to die, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Just as Susumo drew upon her, close enough that she could smell the rancid, pungent odor of rotted meat on his breath, he stumbled back, startled. 

One moment the demon was standing mere inches from her, ready to devour her whole; the next, he was sent sailing back, his body smashing into the trunk of a nearby tree with a sickening thump! 

A blur of dark matter soared over the Miko’s head toward the monster. Susumo barely had time to stand before the shadow converged on him once more. There was a flash of light — the moon reflecting off metal — followed by a dull thud. The shrine maiden’s heart lodged in her throat as she watched the head of the former village drunkard roll across the forest floor before distingrating, his body following soon after. 

She was nearly hyperventilating as the shadow turned to face her, but the pall of the moon finally illuminated the face of her savior — her Water Pillar.

“G-Giyuu,” she stuttered, her eyes stinging with unshed tears of relief that washed over her all at once.

But Giyuu did not respond, his lapis eyes narrowing in on the dark stain spreading across the white of her kosode. Y/N cowered at the cold, unbridled rage that contorted the ordinarily stoic Hashira’s face as he began to shake at the sight of her blood. In a flash, Giyuu had closed the distance between them and knelt down by her side, gripping her wounded arm in his hand as he tried to pull her tattered sleeve down and  inspect her wound.

“Tomioka — Giyuu,” she pled, trying to wrench her arm from his iron-like grip. “Please, it’s not that bad —“

“Did it get you anywhere else?” Giyuu demanded harshly, and the authority underlying his tone made Y/N fall silent for the first time since she’d known him. “Did it -“ the Water Pillar hesitated. “Did it touch you anywhere else?”

Y/N was trembling, and the Hashira’s hand around her arm tightened. “Ah!” She winced. “No, I promise, Giyuu, it’s just a flesh wound, I’m fine-,”

“You are bleeding. You are not fine.” Giyuu snapped back. “You could’ve been killed, or turned, or -,” the Water Pillar began to hyperventilate, and it shook the young Miko to her core. The Water Hashira was normally so unflappable, so stoic, that his panicked anger frightened her.

“-So do not tell me you’re fine,” Giyuu’s rant continued. “Not when you could’ve — not when I might’ve failed — not again --”

She was at a loss for what to do as she watched the raven-haired man struggle to form words. Vaguely, she recalled the way the Granny-Priestess had once explained to her that when someone panicked, they needed to regulate their breathing, and there were many ways someone could help force another to breathe properly…

Stomach fluttering, Y/N’s free hand came up to grip the fold of the Water Pillar’s haori. Giyuu’s incessant rambling only ended when her lips urgently pressed against his own, his eyes going wide. A heartbeat or two passed and then the Miko pulled away, her eyes serious as she stared at the stunned Water Hashira.

“You need to give me a sword.” She told him, earnestly, her face blazing.

———

Giyuu helped her back to the Shrine, though the Miko found herself needing to bat off the Water Pillar with a stern reminder that she’d only sustained a small arm wound as he’d tried to scoop her up into his arms.

The Swordsman had been rather subdued the entire journey out of the forest, his eyes curiously wide and dazed right until the pair breached the tree line at the edge of the Shrine’s property. The moment they stepped into open ground, they were swarmed by the tearful, relieved faces of the Shrine’s inhabitants. Words of gratitude to him were woven through worries over the Miko’s arm wound as they made their way across toward the small infirmary which, thankfully, had not been touched by Susumo’s fire.

The honden itself was still standing; though the flames had finally been subdued, smoke still curled up toward the sky, blocking any view of the moon or the stars. 

The head Priestess waited for them outside the infirmary. Though her face was grave, Giyuu could spy the relief shining in her eyes. He stood numbly by as the Miko and her master regarded each other warily for a moment, before the elder Priestess reached forward and yanked her charge forward into a fierce embrace.

“Reckless girl,” she chastised gently against the side of Y/N’s head. “Thank every one of the gods that you’re safe.” The old Priestess’s eyes found those of the Water Pillar. “And thank you, Lord Tomioka.”

Y/N was promptly escorted inside to have her wound examined and stitched. Despite the old shrine keeper’s gratitude for his aid in saving the young shrine maiden, that thankfulness apparently did not extend to permitting him inside the infirmary with them, and for good reason. For under the Elder’s withering glare, the Water Pillar realized that Y/N’s treatment would require her to be stripped of her kosode, leaving her exposed and bare. 

As unwilling as he’d been to part from her, the thought of witnessing the Miko undressed and vulnerable had been enough to temper his urge to look after her, if nothing else because the mental image of her in such a state flustered him to no end.

Though, he supposed his bewilderment also had something to do with what had transpired between them in the forest.

Kissed him; the shrine maiden had kissed him. 

His fingers drifted to his lips. They still felt warm where they’d been graced by hers, and he swore he could still feel the softness of her mouth from where it had brushed against his. 

He needed to talk to her; he needed to know what the hell she’d been thinking, kissing him like that. 

But as shocking as the Miko’s kiss had been, there was something else, something far heavier, that weighed on his mind. 

She’d nearly been killed. By a demon. On his watch. 

He should’ve apologized; he should’ve begged for her forgiveness for letting her come that close with death. For letting her get wounded because he hadn’t been fast enough.

I was concerned for you, he wanted to tell her. I thought I would be too late.

No; concern didn’t cover it; did not do near enough justice to his true emotions upon learning the Miko had fled into the dark forest with a hungry, loathsome demon hot on her trail.

He’d been scared; terrified; almost beside himself at the possibility that he’d be too late and find that she’d already been reduced to the beast’s meal, 

He’d been scared he’d never again see her smile or hear her laugh, and that had terrified him more than anything. For it was the memory of both that soothed his anxious nerves each time he startled awake from visions of his dead loved ones, demanding to know why they had died in his stead.   

He’d feared that he would have to add her face to those he saw when he slept — the faces of those he’d failed to protect, who’d died for his sake. He’d been terrified of seeing her image in painstaking clarity, just as he saw the faces of his sister and Sabito every morning. 

He did not know what to do with them, these confusing feelings, so abundant and intense that they’d welled up within him and threatened to spill over. He couldn’t name them, let alone begin to untangle the knot they’d formed within his heart. All he knew was that every one of them were inextricably tied to her. 

His shrine maiden. 

His.

—

Y/N’s arm ached, but it had been properly sewn and bandaged, and there was work to do before she could settle in for the night; and so, she found herself helping her peers with cleaning up the courtyard from the debris of the night’s events. 

Truthfully, she'd been grateful for the distraction. Occupying herself with cleanup meant she did not have to think about what she’d done in the forest. But then Granny Priestess saw her trying to heave away broken wood with her freshly stitched arm and Y/N found herself forced to abandon her fellow trainees as the old bat smacked her upside the head and squawked about how she was going to break her stitching and complicate the healing process.  

The Miko tried not to pout as she retreated, opting instead to grumble over the old woman’s dramatics as her arm stung and her ego throbbed. When she finally returned to her sleeping quarters, exhaustion slammed into her, making her limbs heavy and leaden. Unable to quite rally the energy to crawl into her futon, she slumped against the doorway of the room, her head and her heart a tangled mess of emotions she couldn’t quite name.

What she’d felt the moment the Water Pillar had stepped into the moonlight had been more than mere relief that he’d managed to save her life for the second time. She’d felt safe, so unbelievably safe that the forest itself could have been on fire and she wouldn’t have been afraid; not as long as he was there with her.

Something between them had shifted; that much was clear. In truth, things likely had begun to change the moment she repaired his haori, and she’d admitted to him her deep-seated loneliness and lack of belonging.

She only hoped he felt the change, too.

—

Much to Y/N’s chagrin, autumn was quickly giving way to blasted winter.

Though, the Miko hadn’t been able to fully resent the rapid shift in the seasons; repairs at the Shrine had consumed nearly all of her attention, and as Granny’s heir, she was expected to contribute to its reconstruction more than any other trainee.

That expectation meant Granny left the task of figuring out how to finance the necessary repairs entirely to her young protege. Y/N had spent all of two days agonizing over ways to raise the necessary funds when she awoke to find a mysterious sack of money that had been left on the doorstep of the honden. Inside had been an amount more than generous to cover the cost of repairs from the fire, with a hefty remainder that could be put toward other necessary improvements to spruce the Shrine up, and perhaps restore it to its former glory. 

No note had been left with the money to indicate the identity of the Shrine’s benefactor.  But amid all the excitement of her peers at the thought of being able to afford materials and laborers to assist with the more difficult aspects of the Shrine’s refurbishment, Y/N had spotted a familiar crow perched high in a nearby tree.

That position had afforded the bird with a perfect view of the money sack, allowing it to silently ensure it fell into the proper hands. But repairs had finally slowed, and Y/N now found her days returning to normal. Almost. 

What was not normal was how agitated she'd become in waiting for his return.

Another week passed without any communication from the Water Pillar, and the Miko had grown desperate for any sort of distraction. She found herself one late, autumn morning passing the time in the Shrine’s garden hut. She was pretending to be searching for tools that would help her prune the wilting Shrine garden when something grazed against the small of her back. Startled, she turned and was greeted by familiar, unruly raven hair and a pair of deep azure eyes. 

“Giyuu,” his name slid easily off her tongue, and suddenly she could not remember why she’d called him anything else. 

A ghost of a smile graced his lips. “Hello, Y/N.”

A poignant silence followed, and her cheeks grew hot. "Don't mind me," she said quickly, turning her head away from him as she pretended to organize stray gardening supplies. "I am only just now finishing my tasks for the day."

Though he remained silent, she became acutely aware of the way Giyuu’s eyes followed her as she tried desperately to keep herself busy, to avoid having to meet that piercing, discerning stare. 

“I did not get a chance to properly thank you after the turmoil of that night,” she said casually. Nervously, she hoped that his heightened senses did not alert him to the way her heart fluttered in her chest, or how her stomach flipped in her gut. Her nails dug into her palms as she lifted her head to meet that unnerving, fathomless stare.

But the Water Pillar had already closed most of the distance between them, having moved so silently she’d not heard him, despite even the creaky, uneven slatted floor of the garden hut. “How is your wound?” He asked softly, his hand skirting up the outside of the arm Susumo had wounded. “Has it healed?” 

It took a great amount of effort for Y/N to remember how to keep her breathing steady. But she forced her lips into an easy smile as she rucked up the flared sleeve of her kosode to reveal her bicep. “It will likely scar,” she admitted, her fingers lightly tracing over the three, angry red marks that remained imprinted on her skin, though they’d fully scabbed over. “I consider myself quite lucky, all things considered.” 

“Why did you do it?” 

The Miko ducked her head, willing the sheet of her hair to fall and conceal her mounting blush. She did not need to ask him to clarify; she knew after what he was asking.

But she feigned ignorance all the same. “I don’t know what you mean, Tomioka-sama –” 

“Don’t call me that,” and even though she refused to meet his eyes, she could sense his irritation at her avoidance. “We’re well past such formalities, Y/N.” Giyuu stepped closer to her, his cerulean eyes melting into something more akin to the midnight blue of the evening sky. “You kissed me. That night.” The Water Pillar’s hand glided up the arm that Susumo had injured, caressing softly over the healed skin beneath the sleeve of her kosode.

“I-I did no such thing!” Y/N sputtered, though her reddening cheeks betrayed her. “I was only attempting to help you calm down — you were panicking, and inconsolable.” 

Giyuu’s responding smirk only served to irritate her more. “Should I thank you then, Y/N?” His hand slid from her shoulder to below her chin, his delicate fingers curling to tilt her head up towards his, as he closed the distance between their bodies. “Should I show you how grateful I am that you were able to assuage my worry?” 

Y/N tried to focus on anything but the feeling of Giyuu’s breath — warm and enticing — against her face as he leaned in close. “You had no reason to worry; I was completely fine before you showed up.” 

“Fine,” the ravenette scoffed, his grip on her chin tightening slightly. “So fine that you were bleeding and about to become that beast’s snack — or worse.” 

“But you saved me, did you not?” Y/N whispered, unable to stop her eyes from dropping to the Water Pillar’s sensual, soft-looking mouth before rising once more to meet his punishing gaze. “And then I helped you.” 

Giyuu’s second hand brushed against her waist and the shrine maiden thought she might leap out of her skin. “You did,” he conceded, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a small, half-smile. “Though I apologize that you needed to do so — I suppose I become a little over-zealous when things that are precious to me are threatened.” 

Even if she could have thought of some witty remark to throw back at him, those words surely would have been blocked by her heart as it lodged in her throat. 

Things that were precious to him. She was precious to him.

“So I’ll ask again, Y/N,” Giyuu whispered, and his nose brushed delicately against hers. “Should I thank you for your assistance?” The fingers beneath her chin stroked her jaw. “Should I kiss you?” 

She fought to suppress the excited shudder that licked up her spine. “Yes, Lord Hashira,” she breathed, and her stomach turned cartwheels as Giyuu’s gaze dropped to her mouth. “Perhaps you should.” 

“Who am I to deny the request of a priestess?” Giyuu murmured, and then his lips were moving against hers, warm and soft. Y/N’s fingers flew to clutch the Water Pillar’s rocky biceps beneath the soft cloth of his haori, anchoring him against her. The hand that had gripped below her chin slid to the side of her face, tilting her head so that the Water Pillar could have better access to her as he pressed his lips harder against hers. 

Y/N moaned into his kiss, wanting him closer, impossibly closer to her than he currently was. 

Giyuu broke away from her once, though he kept a hand on the back of her neck to keep her in place. “What are your duties today?” 

Y/N’s fingers curled around the front of the Water Pillar’s haori, her forehead resting against his. “None of import.” She gave him a sly smile. “No one will miss me if I am gone for a few hours.” 

Giyuu returned her smile with a tiny smirk of his own. “In that case,” he tugged her hand and he began to lead her towards the grassy overlook where they’d spent a great deal of time talking and learning one another. “I could use your assistance.”

–

Y/N hadn’t greeted the sunrise with the intent to neglect her shrine duties, but she couldn’t say she regretted how she ended up spending the day.

They spent the day resting on the hillside overlooking the shrine grounds, rolling back and forth upon the browning grass as they kissed each other again and again. 

“You weren’t wrong, that day — right after we met,” Giyuu gasped against her lips as they broke apart, the blush on Y/N’s cheeks a sure match to his own. “I do not find you captivating.”

Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed. Her mouth parted, a protest on her tongue when Giyuu surged forward, his lips brushing against her neck. The Miko’s words choked off with a squeak as the Water Pillar danced his lips to the hollow of her throat, his tongue flicking out once right where her heart pulsed wildly. 

“I think you are utterly transfixing; enchanting,” he breathed against her skin. “You have cast a spell over me that I do not want broken.”

“I find it hard to believe anyone could wield that sort of power over a Hashira,” Y/N’s voice was high pitched as Giyuu’s lips made their way back to hers.

In the back of her mind, Y/N wondered if his words were motivated purely by his physical desire for her. It would not have surprised her if he was only so taken with her because he longed to be touched; held. Like him, she’d gone much of her life without intimacy from anyone. She could not blame him for seeking it from someone so willing to give as she. 

“But you are not just anyone, not to me.” was all he replied, his lips moving softly against hers once more. “You are…everything.”

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat. The Water Pillars words, dripping like honey from his lips, were only sweetened by the fervent sincerity of his eyes as he pulled back to gaze into hers, so deeply, she felt as though he could see every thought in her head.

She wondered if he lowered that piercing, discerning stare, whether he’d be able to see straight to her heart, too; see how it bore his name. 

Even though her breath guttered in her throat at his words, her heart clenched painfully in her chest. The idea that she’d attached more meaning to their relationship than he, that perhaps she’d overestimated her value to him made her tense, made her want to push him away and —

“You’re distracted,” Giyuu murmured against her lips, brushing his nose against hers. “Your thoughts are loud.” 

Her fingers caught the front fold of his haori, fiddling idly with it. “There is nothing for you to repay, you know. You do not owe me your time or your attention. I know the Shrine is simply a part of your designated patrol. I understand if its convenience is the only reason —” 

A single finger pressed itself against her lips, quieting her. “You think and talk too much.” The ravenette chastised. Her mouth parted, a protest forming on her lips, when he cut her off again. “Ah ah,” Giyuu silenced her with his lips, his tongue flicking out to skim along her bottom lip. Above her, he shifted and allowed his weight to fall against her, pinning her beneath him. Reluctantly, his mouth broke away from hers. “It is my turn to speak.” 

“I do not come to the Shrine because it is easy,” Giyuu’s lips brushed hesitantly against her jaw. “Nor do I come here out of any preconceived obligation to repay your kindness.” 

He pulled back to study her, panting and flushed beneath him. As his eyes slowly combed over her, Y/N felt a strange knot pull and twist in the depths of her stomach. “There is only one thing that brings me back here, no matter how exhausted I am after weeks of endless missions; no matter how often certain junior Corps members pester me to train them.” His eyes narrowed at the hollow of the Miko’s throat, exposed by the way her kosode had shifted as the pair of them rolled around the grass. Curious, Giyuu leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against it. 

And then he did the unthinkable;  the Water Pillar moaned, ever so softly, against the fluttering of Y/N’s frantic pulse. The sound, so rich and full of need – of want – washed over her and drowned out all other thoughts, all other higher reasoning from her mind. INstead, the Miko was left with nothing but the sharp urge to press her thighs together, an unknown heat beginning to pool in her most sacred area. 

“Do you know what that thing is, Y/N?” He whispered against the soft dip in her throat, his breath hot as it fanned across her skin. “Can you guess what it is I cannot stay away from – could not, even if I desired otherwise?” 

His fingers dropped to the collar of her kosode, tracing lightly over its crisp, white fold. “When I close my eyes in the mornings, it is your face I see,” he murmured. “It is your laugh I hear in my dreams; your scent I find myself longing for when I awaken.”

The Miko shivered as his index finger traced from her collar up her throat, over her chin until it came to rest on her bottom lip, gently stroking over its curve. “It is you I seek to turn to remind myself that there is still good in this world – good still worth protecting. Why is that, Y/N?” His eyebrows furrowed and he seemed almost earnest in his question. “Why is it that my mind refuses to be occupied by anything but you?” 

“Because I vex you,” she said softly, eyes wide and locked with his. “Because, try as you might, you’ve never been able to fully fit me into a box as you have with others.” 

Giyuu shook his head. “Vex me?” He tsked at her. “Perhaps once that was true. But now? I desire you in ways I can hardly understand, and it drives me mad.”

Her breath hitched in her throat. “What are you saying?” 

“I think I’ve been rather clear,” and instinctively, Giyuu rolled his hips against hers, desperate to relieve some of the friction mounting in his groin. “And it’s that I want –” 

But the Miko did not get to hear what Giyuu wanted; not as he was drowned out by the screeching cry of a bird from high above. Only, this bird was not the dull, graying crow she’d come to associate with her Swordsman.

“I thought your crow was older?”

The Water Pillar frowned as he turned to look up, his eyebrows drawn together. “That’s not Kanzaburo — that’s one of the Master’s —“

“CAW,” the bird circled above their heads in narrow, rapid turns. “Lord Tomioka! Return to headquarters immediately!”

Giyuu’s jaw clenched. “Can it not wait?” 

Y/N, however, only gaped up at the bird flying above them. “It talks —?” 

But the crow only cried again, “Emergency meeting at headquarters!!

With a short, frustrated exhale, Giyuu rolled to the side of the Miko and rose, but not before he extended a hand and helped lift her to her feet.

He gingerly brushed some loose grass from her hair. “I’m sorry.” 

She only shook her head as she reached to adjust his haori, righting it in his shoulders. “It’s your duty, Giyuu. I understand that.”

He scowled back up at the bird still circling above them, bleating a refrain of “Emergency! Go now!”

“I’m not finished with this conversation,” Giyuu said plainly, a frustrated hand working through his hair. Though his annoyance was plain as day, it fell away as he looked back to the Miko at his side, his gaze softening. “Nor am I finished with you.” 

A single finger reached under Y/N’s chin and lifted her head toward him so he could brush another kiss against her lips. “I will come see you – soon.” 

With a shy boldness, the Miko rose on her toes and gave him one final kiss, and Giyuu’s hand tightened where it rested against her waist. “I’ll wait for you, Lord Hashira.”

———

December, 1915

Y/N cursed at the ancient priestess who insisted on using only gas-powered lanterns rather than the newer, much safer, electric powered lights that other shrines had begun using. 

“We are an esteemed shrine dating back hundreds of years,” the old crone had simpered, “Tradition has kept us going this far!” 

Y/N hadn’t helped her cause by asking whether tradition or spite was what kept the hag from dying off and finally leaving her in peace.

And that was how the young Priestess-to-be found herself stomping through the snowy grounds of the Shrine, forced to light each and every lantern by hand using a match and oil, utterly by herself.

She knew better than to levy such an obvious taunt at the old woman, but admittedly, Y/N hadn’t been in the best of moods as of late. 

Giyuu had not returned since that day on the hillside, when he’d kissed her silly and told her he could not stop thinking of her. It was as though he no longer existed; even the crows at the Shrine were no more, having all disappeared one morning before she’d awoken.

As the weeks passed, the weight of his absence had grown heavier, threatening to beat her into the ground below. 

But Y/N had done her best to hold her tongue over the last weeks as her anxiety mounted, and Granny should’ve known that — so really, it was her own fault if she’d taken offense to the Miko’s barb.

She grumbled and cursed under her breath as she trudged toward the small garden hut standing at the furthest edge of the Shrine’s grounds — her last stop of the night. She shoved past the old, rickety door and braced her merrily flickering, hand-held lantern out before her, bathing the small hut in a warm, orange glow.

All was silent and quiet within the small storeroom. The air was cold, though the slatted walls of the hut offered some protection from the howling, snow-dotted winds outside. Determined to complete her task and return to the comfort of her warm futon, the Miko fumbled around one of the store shelves for a small can of oil. 

“It’s you,” a quiet voice startled her from behind, and Y/N nearly dropped the lantern clutched in her hands.

But she did not feel afraid as she recognized the calm, soothing cadence of the voice, that voice that belonged to the one person capable of making her blush. 

The one person who held her heart.

“It’s been a while, Giyuu. I was wondering when I’d see you again.” She turned and saw the raven-haired man standing in the doorway of the garden hut, his face characteristically neutral, though he seemed tense, even more so than usual.

Instantly, she moved toward him. “What’s wrong?”

His eyes tightened, and the darkness which swam within them betrayed his aloof facade. “Things have changed quickly in my world,” he began, and she saw his fists clench at his sides. “We believe the demons are preparing for war — and so we have been as well. 

“War?” She repeated softly, her step faltering. “I hadn’t realized the demons were so…organized.”

Giyuu nodded. “One creature is responsible for all demons. He is the orchestrator; he is the one we must kill, and we believe the opportunity to do so is drawing nearer.”

The monotonous cadence of his voice fell away as he quietly added, “That is why I haven’t been able to return — we’ve been training. This battle — it may start at any moment.”

He made like he wanted to say more, but he stopped himself, pressing his lips into a tight line. 

“And?” She prompted gently, taking a solitary step toward him.

“He hesitated, and she spied how his throat worked to swallow. “And I do not know when I will be able to see you again. After tonight.”

Y/N watched him for a moment, her eyes searching his. “When you say you don’t know ‘when’ we will see each other again,” she began, cautiously. “Do you mean ‘if?’”

Giyuu’s answering silence said more than any words could. 

For a moment, the Miko could not remember how to speak, not as she felt the organ in her chest splinter into a thousand, mismatched pieces.

“I just wanted to see you,” the Water Pillar struggled to swallow around the growing lump in his throat. “One last time.” 

She could scarcely breathe. 

He was leaving and he might never return. 

Leaving to go try and put an end to the scourge of demons that plagued their world. It was a noble thing to do; sacrifice in its purest form. 

But she hated it. 

She was filled with such a deep melancholy that it nearly brought her to her knees. As the Water Pillar turned to leave, Y/N couldn’t stop herself as she reached for him, her arms encircling him as her hands locked over his front, stilling him.

“Giyuu,” she said thickly, her face pressed into the back of his haori as she willed the tears in her eyes not to fall. “Giyuu.” 

He turned in her grasp and looked down at her in awe, a finger rising to brush the errant tear that had escaped down her cheek as he held her gaze. 

The flame within her lantern flickered as Giyuu softly grazed his lips against her own, Y/N’s arms weaving around his neck to hold him close to her. 

His hands were gentle, if not a little uncertain as they found her waist, but once they came to a rest against her, he pulled her close, arms winding around her middle and holding her securely against him as he deepened the kiss. She moaned softly into his mouth, her hands tangling in his hair as she opened up for him, his tongue gliding alongside her own until she was left breathless and wanting. 

Vaguely, the Miko was aware that he was walking them deeper into the garden hut, allowing the old door to thud shut behind him, and the thought of not returning to her plush futon suddenly did not seem like such a loss. 

Giyuu’s hands returned to her face, thumbs stroking softly along her cheeks as he broke their kiss to brush his lips against her eyes, her nose, and forehead. Y/N’s hands parted the Water Hashira’s haori from his shoulders as Giyuu’s fingers dropped to her collar bone, sliding beneath her kosode, and grazing her bare shoulder. 

“You have been my most treasured encounter,” he whispered, and she felt her heart seize in her throat, tears threatening to spill anew from her eyes.

A year’s worth of interactions had all led to this moment, but it was not the satisfying payoff of the tension and longing that had been steadily building between them.

This was a goodbye. 

Because it was likely that the Water Pillar would not survive the impending battle; but neither did he want to leave this end untied. 

She had known, deep in her heart, that this affair had been doomed before it had ever begun, but that hadn’t stopped her from falling for the kind, brave, selfless man now kissing her like she was his entire world anyways. 

She would not get to have him in the morning, so she resolved to give herself to him for the night. 

Giyuu’s hands eased her kosode from her shoulders, exposing her to the cool air within the garden hut. His warm hands, however, worked to chase away any chill that spread across her skin as he ran his palms over the curve of her shoulders before sliding down to rest on her bare waist, his long fingers grazing just below the curve of her breasts.

Her own fingers trembled as she fumbled with the buttons on his uniform shirt but in time, she’d worked them open and Giyuu broke their kiss long enough to let his shirt drop to the floor beneath them. 

The two stood there for a moment, chests rising and falling rapidly, as they looked at one another, half-nude and vulnerable. The shrine maiden and the slayer knew that they had come upon a precipice, and if they stepped off that ledge, there would be nothing to break their fall. 

Y/N made the first move, taking a tentative step towards the Water Pillar as she trailed her fingers lightly up the beautiful, sculpted ridges of his abdomen, relishing how warm he was beneath her touch. 

Giyuu shivered beneath her fingertips as the miko’s hand came to a rest against his sternum, marveling the way his heart thundered beneath her hand. “Are you certain?” He breathed, his face was impassive, but his own uncertainty was betrayed by the slight tremor in his voice. His hand rose to gently cup the side of her face, his thumb ghosting over her bottom lip. 

She reached to grab the Pillar’s free hand and brought it up to rest against her sternum, mirroring her own hold on him so that he could feel the steady drum of her own heart — and how it thrummed for him. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’m yours, Giyuu.” 

Once, she had believed the Hashira incapable of expressing anything other than cold aloofness. she’d not been able to comprehend the subtle ways with which his eyes could signal his mood; how they darkened when angry, or how the outer corners turned up, almost imperceptibly, when he was content. 

But she had long since learned to read him, and so, her stomach fluttered at the way the raven haired man’s gaze heated with both adoration and desire — for her. 

Giyu brushed his nose against hers affectionately before bringing their lips together once more, his kiss growing fervent as her hands slid up to tangle in his ebony hair. Y/N gasped into his mouth as she felt Giyu bend down, his hands gripping firmly under her thighs as he lifted her up, forcing her to lock her legs around his waist. Her lips parted, and Giyuu’s tongue slid seamlessly into her mouth.

Her lover locked one steely arm firmly around her lower back to support her as Y/N felt him lower them to the floor to lay her down, the Water Pillar’s free hand coming to brace against the back of her skull, to protect her head from thudding back against the wooden slats of the hut floor. The Miko steadied herself, prepared for the cold bite of the dirty hut floor to nip at the bare skin of her back, but she was only settled against something warm and soft; something that smelled distinctively of the Slayer panting above her. 

Her fingers dropped to her side and grazed against the familiar fabric of Giyuu’s haori; his most prized and cherished possession, spread out beneath her to protect her from the cold ground,  a makeshift bed against which she would let him take her and make her his.

He withdrew his lips from hers to sit back, his cerulean eyes tracing over every inch of her, from the way her dark hair spread out in a soft halo around her, to the blush staining her cheeks. His eyes darkened as they lowered to her bare chest, at the way it rose and fell jerkily as Y/N struggled to control her breathing. 

Giyuu’s long, slim fingers reached out to trace along the top of her scarlet hakama pants, his finger tips just grazing along her ribs and the underside of her breasts. 

“I’d never known such -,” He covered his struggle for words by pressing a sweet kiss against the hollow of her throat, a soft gasp escaping the Miko at the unfamiliar sensation. “Such beauty,” Giyuu’s lips trailed down to skirt across the ridge of her collar bone. “Not until I met you.” 

His face was against her sternum, pressing kisses as he trailed his lips down her skin. “I am sorry I could not give you more time.” His voice was soft, softer than even she had ever known. Before she could respond, Giyuu’s mouth hesitantly brushed against the stiffened peak of her breast, and Y/N’s mouth fell open with a soft cry. 

Azure eyes flashed up to meet hers. “Is this — is this okay?” 

The Miko's eyes fluttered shut as she nodded, unable to trust that she could hold her voice steady if she spoke. Her fingers weaved their way through the Pillar’s thick, raven locks, and she grazed her nails against his scalp in encouragement. 

Giyuu grunted softly at her touch, and he leaned forward to suck more of her soft mound into his hot mouth, teeth grazing lightly against her nipple as he explored her. 

“Oh,” she moaned, her thighs inadvertently pressing together as Giyuu’s tongue and lips worshipped her bared flesh, licking and sucking and nipping at her in his devotion. 

“Beautiful,” he murmured against the soft, sensitive skin of her breast. “So very beautiful.” 

He repeated the movement again and again before he traced his mouth across her sternum and began lavishing her other breast with the same fervor. Her hands fisted in his hair as she mewled for him, enamored with the feeling of his hot mouth latched around her. He gave her more and yet it was not enough; every pass of his tongue over her stiffened peak only amplified the ache between her legs, only made the emptiness she felt more pronounced.

A breathy, whining and needy moan blew past her lips in time with a reflexive buck of her hips against his.  

The ravenette pulled off her breast with a start, his eyes bright and his cheeks flushed as he gazed down at her in awe. “Do that again.”

“W-what —?” She pushed herself up on her elbows to look down at him, her chest heaving.

“Tell me what to do,” Giyuu’s breath was ragged though his fingers continued trailing down her sides, seeking out the ties securing her bottoms around her waist. “Tell me how I might help you make that sound again.” 

“I –” Y/N squirmed beneath the intensity of his gaze, her thighs rubbing together to stifle some of the electricity she felt between her legs. “I want you to – I need you closer.” 

Her eyes drifted to the bulge that had formed between the Hashira’s thighs, and she felt her heart skip in her chest.

Giyuu pressed his groin against hers and ground. She gasped at the spark of pleasured friction the movement stoked between her thighs, and her eyes flew to meet his, only to see they were as wide as hers. 

And just as hungry. 

Her hand gently cupped his face. “Closer. Please.” 

He pressed his cheek into her palm and with a soft groan, his fingers quickly loosened the fastenings of her bottoms and then he was pushing them down her hips and over her legs, discarding them carelessly to the side. Giyuu sat back on his knees and let his eyes roam her, now fully bare and laid out beneath him. 

When his appraisal of her finally reached the thatch of curls between her thighs, the Water Pillar loosed a shaky breath. She had half a mind to cross her legs, to conceal the most intimate part of her body from the raging fire of his gaze as he studied her, but she forced herself to remain relaxed; open.

One, broad and calloused hand stretched tentatively out to run along the outside of her hip and down her leg, before smoothing back up in the inside of her thigh. His eyes flicked once to hers, and then he leaned forward and brushed delicate kisses down her abdomen, over her hip and along her thigh. He continued his descent as he slowly pushed himself back from her, and once he imparted one last, sweet press of his lips against her ankle, he rose. 

The flickering light of the lantern cast shadows along the alabaster of his skin, further accentuating how the muscles of his torso and abdomen flexed and shifted as he worked to free himself of the remainder of his clothes. His eyes did not leave hers, not even as his hands found the buckle of his belt and tugged it loose, and Y/N found herself free falling into their depths.

The ravenette dropped his belt to the floor, and then his fingers were at the waistband of his trousers, pulling and fiddling with their fastening. At last, Giyuu freed his lower half from the confines of his uniform pants and stepped out from the puddle they made at his feet. 

Y/N’s breath hitched in her throat as her eyes raked over his beautiful form, so lean yet solid and muscular. Her cheeks burned with a renewed blush as her gaze followed the small, dark trail of hair beginning just below his navel, and down between his hips, where the evidence of his desire stood proud. 

Her throat went dry. He was large — the flared head of his tip nearly grazed his navel, and his width was a little more than two of her fingers. Her thighs clamped together nervously, as she pondered how on earth she’d be able to accommodate him.

Giyuu noticed her hesitation, and a faint dusting of pink spread across his cheeks. “I have never -“

The shrine maiden shook her head. “Nor I,” she whispered, though the knowledge that this was as new to him as it was to her helped ease the clench in her stomach. For all her nervousness, the Miko could not ignore the heat and longing which burned within her as she lifted her eyes back to his. She found her muscles softening as she saw the same fire within those cyan pools she’d come to love. Y/N laid back against the floor — against the comforting soft of his haori, and let body relax, her legs falling open to him. 

She held her hand out to him, beckoning, “Come back to me, Giyuu.” 

The ravenette did not hesitate as he returned to her, covering her body with his own as he pulled her in for a heated kiss, the weight of his hardened length resting heavily against her hip as he settled between the cradle of her thighs.

Y/N moaned into his mouth, instinctively rolling her hips against him, desperate to feel closer to the man who had claimed her heart before she’d realized anyone was capable of holding it.  

Giyuu groaned, softly, against her as she repeated the movement, breaking their kiss to look down at the flushed Miko threatening to drive him wild with her silken touch. As much as he was desperate to feel her — every part of her — he knew what they were about to do would not be nearly as pleasurable for her as it would be for him. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” the Water Pillar’s eyes were stormy, a tempest of competing desire and pain at the idea of causing her even the slightest discomfort raging within him. 

Y/N brushed her lips against his once before trailing along his jaw, pausing only to suck softly as the soft spot beneath his ear. “I am only ever undone by you; never hurt.” 

He moaned softly, lowering his head back down to reclaim her mouth firmly with his own, his lips beseeching her to let him consume her. 

She was only too happy to do so, parting her mouth so that his tongue could slide in and dance languidly with hers, as he reached between them, gripping hold of his aching length and positioning himself at her entrance. 

The first brush of his hot, velvety tip against her folds broke their kiss, both gasping at the new yet intoxicating feel of the other’s most intimate area. 

Giyuu braced his free arm by her head, his fingers stretching to run comfortingly through her hair, as he pressed his forehead against hers. “If it becomes too much, just tell me, and we can stop.” His voice shook ever so slightly as he waited for her signal, the ache in his groin becoming nearly painful. 

The Miko grazed her lips against his throat. “Don’t stop.” She murmured. She hitched her legs higher up on his hips, angling herself so the trembling man above her would have better access to her. 

Slowly, so very slowly, the tip of Giyuu’s length began to push into her, and Y/N felt herself temporarily forget how to breathe. Above her, Giyuu’s eyes squeezed shut in a concerted effort not to sheathe himself within her in one stroke. 

“Y/N,” Giyuu panted, unable to stop the shaky moan that fell from his lips as he sunk into her warm heat that wrapped tight, so impossibly tight around him.

The shrine maiden winced at the unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable sensation of being slowly stretched and filled by the Pillar. She felt as though she was a wave, crashing and breaking and parting around a rocky shore with every inch gained by the press of his hips against hers. 

Giyuu hardly had a quarter of himself seated within her when he felt his head brush against a thin barrier. His eyes opened to look down at the Miko, panting beneath him, her eyebrows pinched in slight discomfort. When she noticed he’d stopped, she peered up at him through her thick eyelashes, her cheeks flushed. 

The hand Giyuu had held at his base to help guide himself within her lifted to grip her hip, her legs relaxing as his fingers massaging soothing circles into her flesh. Giyuu removed his forehead from its resting place against hers and he buried his face into the side of her neck as he pressed his body flush against hers. The hand he’d used to brace himself found hers, and he lifted to rest above her head, his fingers twining tightly with her own. 

“I’m okay,” she whispered, pressing a sweet kiss against the shell of his ear. Giyuu nearly shuddered at her words, and he pressed his hips forward, his cock finally breaching that thin, inner barrier to the rest of her welcoming heat. 

Y/N cried out at the bright spark of pain that flared through her as Giyuu claimed her as his own, but the Pillar held her steady, pressing open-mouthed kisses against her neck. 

A hitched gasp blew past Giyuu’s lips as he became fully seated within her heat, her core gripping him like a vice. He panted against the sweat-dampened skin of her neck as they both adjusted to the sensation, her nails digging harshly into the skin of his back as she waited for the discomfort to subside. 

Giyuu pulled his face back to look down at her, the hand he’d had on her hip rising to cup her face as he brushed his lips across her cheeks and eyes. 

“My beloved, are you all right?” His breath came hard and fast as he panted, the growing friction between where they were connected becoming hotter, more demanding the longer he remained still. 

Y/N’s eyes slowly opened to meet his, he felt her relax as he kissed her, slow and gentle. 

Her lips broke from his and she nodded, shakily. “You can move — just hold me. Please.” 

Giyuu let his full weight fall against her as he wound an arm tightly around her waist, his other hand tilting her face up so he could kiss her fiercely, eager to show her what she meant to him when his words otherwise failed to do so. As she opened up to him, tongue flicking out shyly along his lip, Giyuu rolled his hips experimentally against hers. 

Both the shrine maiden and the Pillar cried out in unison as Giyuu’s movement stoked an intense pleasure where they were joined.

It was like a spark of flame had ignited between her legs before shooting up to her belly, making her insides clench and pulse. 

It was addicting, and, judging by the way the raven haired swordsman above her hissed, he’d felt that jolt of electrifying pleasure, too.

“Oh,” Giyuu moaned as he began to move atop her, his cock sliding in and out of her heat as he worked to set a pace. “You feel – this is –” his stutters broke off  into ragged pants that melted into broken moans with every movement as he found his rhythm.

The grip he had on her hand tightened as he pulled back from her neck in favor of watching her body jolt and bounce with each of his thrusts. 

His head dropped down to study how his length, now coated in something shiny, appeared with every long draw of his hips out before disappearing back into her warmth. 

He threw his head back. “Heaven,” the Water Pillar groaned out, a tendon throbbing in his neck as another cracked moan slipped free from his throat. “You are heaven.” 

Shallow thrusts turned deeper, more purposeful, as the Water Pillar settled into his tempo. Each push of his hips opened her up more, bit by bit, until Y/N’s limbs liquified and she was left moaning and whimpering in time with his movements.

One particular thrust made her cry out, caused her legs to reflexively tighten around Giyuu’s hips as something hot flared deep within her stomach. 

“M-more,” she managed, her voice tapering off with a squeak. She needed to feel that spark again, wanted to feel that jolt of electricity that made her stomach clench. “P-please — ah!— Giyuu —“ 

With something between a moan and a growl, Giyuu  angled himself to thrust deeper, his weight pushing her hips back from the floor. Her legs were forced to hike higher up his waist, her ankles locking instead against the dip in his spine rather than his backside. 

The new angle meant that Giyuu was able to hit at a spot that sent a bolt of lightening between her legs, and she could feel herself tighten around him. 

The combination of her walls fluttering and pulsing around him and the strange fullness she felt was both overwhelming and exhilarating. She did not think she could stand to feel empty again; to not feel him consuming every inch of her.

Gradually, the small garden hut was filled by the sounds of their pants and moans, weaving together to form the melody of a song meant only for them.

Giyuu began thrusting harder, and soon, a dull clap of skin began to reverberate off the hut’s slatted wood walls, adding a steady beat to the rhythm of their pleasure. Though the air inside the hut had been nearly as frigid as what lay beyond its door, both the Miko and the Slayer found themselves coated in a thin sheen of sweat that made their skin glisten in the faint, orange glow of her lantern.

Above her, the Water Pillar was as lost in his pleasure as she. Guided purely by instinct, Y/N arched her lower back away from the floor until her breasts were flush against his sternum, desperate to feel that jolting spark between her legs. 

She felt the walls her of her core clench tighter around Giyuu’s length with her movement, and he answered her with a deep growl as his arm cinched tighter around her waist.

Deep; he was so deep within her, that she wondered whether he might reach her soul before they had to part.

Giyuu’s thrusts quickened, the base of his groin grinding against that sensitive spot between her thighs that had her wanting more as she moaned, her thighs squeezing the Hashira’s hips.

His head was thrown back, his eyes tightly shut as the most beautiful sounds of pleasure Y/N had ever heard poured from Giyuu’s mouth.

“I — fuck.” He growled as one arm tightened around her waist to the point of pain, the other grabbing her hand to bring it to his lips in a futile attempt to stifle the sounds lilting from him like song. 

His name fell from her lips like a hallowed oath and Y/N’s legs fell to the side, allowing Giyuu to chase the crescent of his release, as hips pistoned into her with wild abandon. 

“Y-Y/N,” her black-haired beauty of a lover grit through clenched teeth, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. “My treasure, I-I’m gonna-“ 

The Water Pillar buried his face into the side of her neck, cradling his groans into her throat, and Y/N could feel his length twitch within her.

As Giyuu’s hips slammed into her one final time, so to did the realization that she loved this; she wanted always to be this close to him, wanted always to be unable to tell where she ended and he began.

She loved him. 

But the bitter truth was that she’d never again get to hold Giyuu the way she was right then, legs wrapped tightly around his waist as she felt something warm gush through her, a pleasured groan, so beautiful and husky tumbling from the Hashira’s lips as he pressed a sweet kiss against her collarbone. 

She would not get to love him past this most sacred rite. 

If she were honest, she’d likely never again experience this intimacy with anyone, for as long as she lived — for how could anyone else ever possibly compare? 

She supposed she’d been doomed to never hold onto the people who were meant to love her since the day she was born. She should’ve known better.

But as the roll of Giyuu’s hips into her heat slowed, and his labored breaths eased, Y/N could not find it within herself to regret it; to regret him. 

Because, fool though she was, she loved him. 

Giyuu collapsed against her, his face nuzzling into the crook of her neck as he came down from his high, still buried inside her as the two panted. 

Her hands moved of their own accord to card through his raven hair, fingertips massaging his scalp as his breathing slowed, his breath adding further moisture to the already sweat-dampened skin of her neck. 

She wished they could remain like that always; that the dawn creeping over the horizon would not herald forth the sun, and they could stay on the floor of the garden hut forever, wrapped in one another’s embrace. She desperately wanted to memorize the tempo of his heart as it beat steadily against his chest, the vibrations of which she felt against her ribs. Such a beautiful melody, it was, and yet it filled her with such despair to know she might never again hear its sweet song; that it might cease playing forever, the moment Giyuu resumed being the Water Pillar once more, and walked through the shrine gates for the last time. 

But Y/N had never had anyone she could call her own, and as much as she loved the man nuzzling her neck as he whispered sweet nothings against her skin, he’d never been hers to keep. 

“My beautiful, beautiful Y/N,” Giyuu murmured, kissing his way up her throat to her lips. “Are you alright?” 

She held his lips for a moment before breaking away, letting her eyes roam his face, and she nodded. “Are you?” 

To her utter surprise, the Water Pillar chuckled softly, his laugh breathy and his smile heartbreakingly beautiful. “Yes, my treasure. I am more than alright.” 

He brushed a kiss against the tip of her nose. “After all, I am with you.”

———-

He’d brought her against his chest and they’d laid there together, simply staring at one another, trading soft kisses as Giyuu traced a finger over every feature of her face at least twice. 

If he was to die, he knew his last thoughts would be of her, and he wanted to be sure he’d committed every last detail of her face to memory.

Soon, far too soon, the deep indigo of the night sky was broken by the first, watery rays of morning light, and both the Miko and the Slayer knew their time was up.

The lovers dressed quickly, their backs to one another as both steeled themselves for the goodbye they could no longer avoid. 

And now, that time had come. Though it was Giyuu who walked to his likely doom, Y/N felt as if she was embarking on her own death march as the pair drew near the towering Shrine gate. Perhaps she was; after all, he would be taking her heart with him, and she was unlikely to get it back.

Y/N did not know whether to lean in and kiss him, one last time, or whether such a display of affection would only scratch at the gaping, open wounds they now bore on their chests, where their hearts had been. 

Giyuu, apparently, did not know what to do either, so the two only stood there beneath the Torii, eyes swimming with emotions neither could bear to voice. 

There was a beat, and then the two moved toward one another, drawn together like magnets as they locked themselves in a tight embrace. Giyuu’s hand cupped the back of her skull as Y/N pressed her face hard into his shoulder. Her fingers dug into the fabric of his haori, desperate to keep him rooted to her — to life, safe and away from demons. 

But he couldn’t stay; she knew that. And so, with a deep inhale in a desperate attempt to memorize that mahogany and citrus scent of his she so adored, Y/N pulled away. She made to step back from him entirely, to put distance between them, but those warm fingers caught her under her chin, tilting her head up to face him before his hand slid to cup her cheek. 

The emotion swimming in the azure depths of his irises threatened to chisel away at the lock she kept on her own. Tears burned in her eyes, but she would not let them fall; she would not make this harder for herself — for him — than it already was. 

“If you do not hear from me, leave the mountain. Go to the city, and do not go out at night. Keep your dagger and wisteria on you at all times, even when you sleep,” Giyuu’s eyes were serious, the hand on her face holding her in place. “Live, Y/N. Grow to be an old woman. Die only from age.”

The shrine maiden closed her eyes as she willed herself not to cry. “And if you win?” 

Giyuu hesitated for a moment and Y/N knew better than to ask him to make a promise he could not keep. 

“Send a crow, if you can.” She whispered, feigning a small smile. “It would be nice to not be afraid to go and gather night-blooming herbs.”

The Water Pillar nodded, his hand smoothing through her hair one last time as his lips pressed against her forehead. “Thank you, Y/N.” 

She didn’t need to ask what for.

She hoped she’d never forget the way he said her name; the longing and the breathless passion that dripped from every syllable, and the way it sent shivers down her spine. 

Giyuu broke away from her and set off towards the east. Y/N watched until he was nothing more than a speck on the horizon, before he disappeared entirely. 

He did not look back. 

————————

He hadn’t trusted himself to look back at her, though every fiber of his being had screamed at him to turn around and behold her beauty one last time. But the Shrine Maiden had become his largest weakness, and Giyuu knew if he’d looked back, he would never make it back to his estate; to the Corps. 

And if you win? She’d asked him, and he hadn’t been able to form the words of the answer he’d so desperately wanted to give her.

Because while Giyuu Tomioka never made promises he couldn’t keep, that did not mean he didn’t hope. Right then, more than anything, his greatest desire was to win this war; win it, and come back and tell Y/N that she no longer needed to fear the night. 

In any other life — if Giyuu had been any other man — there would be no question as to who he’d choose to spend the rest of his days with. 

And so, Giyuu thought as he forced himself to march forward, his eyes burning, if he made it out of this war alive, he would go back to the Shrine and tell Y/N of their victory himself.

And perhaps she’d then allow him to make her his wife.

Keep an eye out for Part II to see if Giyuu comes back and makes good on his promise!

COMMENTS, REBLOGS, AND LIKES ALWAYS APPRECIATED!

Hey!

This is my first story on here! Please enjoy and thank you @flametigress for answering my story maker quiz and suggesting this!

I wish I could make this more aesthetically pleasing, but I’m not sure how to work Tumblr posts (well blogs) that well, so I’m always open to suggestions/teachings

TYSM ENJOY!

🔥𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒🔥

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧, 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦, 𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 (𝐘/𝐧) 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬, 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬.

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐭, 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬.

"𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭?" 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞.

𝐈 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝, 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬.𝐈 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐭, 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐀𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬.

𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹

𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.. 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩. 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐤, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝.

𝐖𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.

"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭," 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫.

(𝐘/𝐧) 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞. “𝐈’𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥."

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐚 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. "𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥."

𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭, 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫.

𝐀𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝, "𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭... 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬...“

𝐈 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬. “𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬."

𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐬, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐬, 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝.

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.

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𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 @flametigress 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐳:

Romance, demon slayer, two people meeting for the first time, No, fem reader, 500 (word count), a kiss between reader and character, twin flames

Omg this story is such a slay!

I enjoyed writing this (I may or may not have gone over 500 words idk)

If you’d like to see more let me know! The best chance of your ideas getting uploaded is through my quiz (it’s pinned)

TYSM

~𝐁.𝐎.𝐀