The dreadful heatwave had finally begun to pass after a solid week of projecting hellish temperatures on earth, although there were still frequent breaks from the exhausting pillar training. Sanemi was hopeful it wouldn't be for much longer, with the constant pauses, he feared the troops wouldn't be ready in time. It felt like there was a countdown hovering above their heads. The albino man patted his flushed face with a towel around his neck, trotting up the engawa as the sun began to set. Giyuu and her group should be heading back around now, a meal should be ready-
"Shinazugawa!"
Sanemi jerked, not expecting to hear the booming, familiar voice. Spinning around, facing an inner hall of the estate he was met with the intense stare of none other than Rengoku Kyojuro; the currently sidelined Flame Pillar. The last time he's seen him, while he still had bandages peeking out from the edge of his clothing, he was relieved to see that he was standing in a more relaxed manner. Along with that, the color was back in Rengoku's cheeks, he gained a majority of the weight he lost while in his coma from his injuries. While he did look to be in far better health than he had before, he was in no shape to travel to his estate alone. "The fuck are you doing here?" Sanemi kept up the front as he approached the fierce blonde.
"I wanted to see what your training was like, and hopefully Tomioka's as well if I get the chance!" He gave a large grin, arms folded under his chest.
Sanemi narrowed his eyes at the man "Just you?" He raised a brow and Rengoku laughed loudly.
"Nope! Senjouro!" Rengoku turned his head and called for his younger brother. There were light footsteps and suddenly the small frame of his doppelgänger was worrily looking through the doorframe.
"Yes, brother?" He quickly scanned him up and down.
"I'm alright! I just wanted to show Shinazugawa you're here with me as well!" Rengoku smiled at his brother, who in return gave a soft sigh of relief, placing his hand on his chest.
"Oh, that's good…" Senjuro turned towards Sanemi, giving a tiny smile and bowing his head. "Hello, Shinazugawa-san. It's nice to see you again."
"Likewise." Sanemi nodded his head at the young teenager, truthfully, he did enjoy being around the shy boy more than most corps members his age. Normally they were annoying and got in his way, however, Senjuro was always very polite. Sanemi honestly didn't have any concerns with the two brothers being here. That being said… He felt like something was off, there was an itch in the back of skull saying there was something more going on than just these two-
"Is that my favorite Wind Pillar?~" The flamboyant face of Uzui Tengan peeked through the threshold, a wide, mischievous smile on his face as his gaze landed on Sanemi.
"Oh not you too!" Sanemi immediately snapped, feeling a vein throb in his neck.
Uzui feigned shock as he placed his good and only hand on his chest in an offended manner. "Shinazugawa! So rude! I'm here to better myself and you're just being mean for no reason!"
"Better yourself?" His eye twitched as he stared at the former Sound Pillar. Sanemi glanced to the Rengoku brothers, the oldest was smiling proudly while the youngest gave a rather unsure expression, fiddling with the edge of his sleeve.
"Yeah, sure!" Uzui crossed his arms, Sanemi avoided looking at the bandage where his hand once was. "Well, it's more like I decided to try my hand at the other Pillar's training! After all… I don't exactly have anyone else to train right now! So I thought I'd keep myself fit incase I'm needed!" He shrugged his shoulders casually… Yet Sanemi felt like there was a deeper reason… Uzui must have felt useless now that there's no other slayers to train and send to the other Pillars.
Sanemi huffed softly, looking towards the three of them before giving a long sigh. "Whatever. I can't exactly turn you assholes away if you're training." He clicked his tongue.
"That's the spirit!" Uzui cut the distance, placing his arm around Sanemi's shoulder, who quickly shook off the arm. Uzui grimaced playfully. "Ew, you're all sweaty!"
"I'm fucking boiling under the damn sun for ten hours a day! What the fuck do you expect?" Sanemi barked, hands on his hips as he glared at the larger man. The oil to protect his skin from bursting into flames didn't help with how sleek his skin was.
"Kyo, he's so mean to me!" Whined Uzui, pouting towards the blonde, who in return just smiled with a tilt of his head, as if saying there was nothing he could do about it. "Everyone is so mean to me today!" Before Sanemi could respond, one of the corps members loudly exclaimed that, 'The Water Pillar's group has returned!', promptly gaining Uzui's attention as he whipped around to stare at the south side of the estate. He gasped dramatically, hand held up by his mouth as he spotted Giyuu along with the limping and exhausted looking men. "Oh my~ It's Tomioka-san~! Shinazugawa, look!" He pointed outwards towards her, as if he wasn't already looking at her. "It's so nice you two get along soooooo well nowadays! She stays at your estate and everything~ It must be nice spending all that time with her!" He sang, grinning wide like a damn fool.
Sanemi looked over his shoulder towards Rengoku, ignoring the annoyance he felt from the teasing. "I knew you'd squeal." He grunted disappointedly. Rengoku flinched slightly, raising his hands in defense.
"Now hold on! It was an accident! I was tricked!" The blonde defended himself.
"Bullshit." Sanemi tensed as an arm draped around his shoulder again, he could feel his blood boiling again.
"He's not even denying his feelings anymore~ Looks like our angry colleague is finally maturing!"
"My mouth is at the perfect height to bite a chunk out of your good arm..." Sanemi spoke through gritted teeth. His mouth was dangerously close to Uzui's bicep around his shoulder. Uzui quickly released him, making sure he was out of swinging and biting distance.
"Ah, is that Shinazugawa-san? Hello! That nice boy, Yuto, said there's a hall with rooms for us? Would you mind showing us when you get the chance?" Hinatsuru stepped towards the men, behind her both Makio and Suma joined.
Sanemi blinked seeing all three of the bastard's wives. "The fuck you bring everyone to my estate? Are they all doing the training?" He asked, cocking a brow.
"No, no! Just me! Normally it's just me and Rengoku traveling around! But Senjuro's been worried so we asked him to join!" Uzui began, the younger boy looked down sheepishly next to his older brother. Sanemi could understand that… Ever since seeing his brother, he's been unfortunately far more anxious and has been listening out for any reports from Himejima's training. "And when I told my wives this is where I was headed, they begged to come with us! I can't turn down their pretty faces!" The man grinned.
Sanemi knitted his thin brows. "What's so interesting here they'd want to-"
"Waaahh!! Tomioka-san!"
Sanemi flinched as the wife in blue; Suma, suddenly started bawling, running past him and her husband, hopping down the engawa and towards his fiancé. Giyuu looked completely taken aback when Suma called to her, arms outstretched and taking her into a strong embrace. Sanemi stood dumbfounded as he watched the women hug. Well, it was more like Suma was hugging Giyuu and Giyuu awkwardly had her hands out as if she wasn't sure what to do with them. "…Huh?"
"Suma! Let the woman breathe!" Makio hopped down and jogged towards them. Hinatsuru following in hot pursuit, also ready to greet Giyuu. Makio bopped her sobbing wife on the head before pulling her off Giyuu. Hinatsuru wore an apologetic smile as she greeted the Water Pillar while her other two wives fought.
"The fuck..?" Sanemi muttered, watching the unusual display. Giyuu wasn't one for affection from strangers. And if she was accepting them in her personal bubble like that…
"Hm~? Didn't you know?" Uzui gave an impish smile towards Sanemi, a knowing look he despised. "Our girls got rather friendly with each other when Tomioka came for my training! Women bonding! You know how it is~"
Sanemi should be annoyed, and while he was rather irritated at Uzui and his attempt to get under his skin when he looked out towards Giyuu with the three women, she did look rather content that they were here talking to her. Sanemi hadn't known that Giyuu made friends with Uzui's wives. Then again, knowing Giyuu, she is cautious with how others perceive her. She is too apprehensive to claim they're friends until someone else addresses it first. That aside… He was rather glad that she had made some friends and people she could speak to, even if it was just that bastard's wives. All three were rather pleasant when he did his pillar training with the former Sound Pillar. It was a touch annoying when they fought, however it was always over and done with quickly. Sanemi sighed softly, Giyuu had made huge amounts of progress from speaking to no one for months at a time, to now speaking with the residents daily and becoming closer with their fellow Pillars.
There was a deep inhale from behind him as Rengoku tilted his head up and towards the open room where the serving plates were being brought in. "Something smells delicious!" He clapped his hands together loudly.
"Help yourselves." Sanemi gestured. The blonde grinned, walking towards the table, his younger brother close beside him, making sure no one bumps into him, Sanemi took in how he was walking straighter. He was able to sigh. "He's healing well, I see…"
Uzui hummed softly, the annoying tone he had moments ago gone, as if dropping a charade he kept up for some time. "Kyo is amazing… I really didn't…" he sighed tiredly. "I really thought we were going to lose him." Uzui gazed on at the firecre blonde, expression soft. "He's really resilient, even after getting a hole almost punched clean through his gut, he's still walking around giving it his all. Smiling everyday."
Sanemi hummed quietly, watching Rengoku plate himself some tasty food made for them all. That man used to clean out restaurants' week's worth of food. Sanemi was reminded of how he was only able to eat two small bowls of ramen when they were at that local noodle stand together. Looking at him now… he has two large plates in both hands. "The bastard is strong. I knew that before, and I definitely know that now."
"Right. He wants to continue to fight…" Uzui turned towards him. "Kocho said if he does, and that wound opens… He'll die." he trailed off, a sorrowful expression crept on his face. They both knew that they wouldn't be able to stop the blonde if he made up his mind and was truly set on fighting in the end.
His lips pressed in a thin line. Rengoku's sole purpose in life was to extinguish demons. That endeavor wasn't achieved… Rengoku's flame was still blazing, he was prepared to contribute to the final battle. "Then we'll just have to make sure he doesn't have a reason to fight." Sanemi crossed his arms. Uzui gave a small laugh.
"Such a simple solution, Shinazugawa." He shook his head lightly, letting his hair shake along his face. "Well, guess you'll help me in that endeavor tomorrow!"
Huffing, "You're not starting with mine. Giyuu's is first." Sanemi told him, brows knitting as that mischievous expression was back on his damn face.
"Ah~ First name basis~" Uzui teased, his eye then shifted down towards Sanemi's broad shoulders where the towel around his neck didn't cover; brows rising high. "Ohhh~ damn! Looks like you two don't mind telling the entire world who you belong to!" Sanemi's hand quickly smacked Uzui's as he poked at some rather suspicious markings on his skin. Markings that definitely were not from his training.
"Shut the fuck up. This is why I don't go out of my way to talk to your dumbass!" He barked, baring his teeth at the large man.
"So mean! But, come on! You can't expect me not to be excited! After all, I clocked you being into her months ago!" Uzui pointed accusingly at him, yet kept his distance. For fear of a sudden snap of his teeth and or swing of his fists. He only had five fingers left after all.
Sanemi violently rolled his eyes. "Whatever! God, you're annoying." He grunted, walking towards the room that was slowly being emptied by the lower ranked members as they gathered their plates. Sanemi hates to admit it… but this bastard did actually notice immediately when he was developing feelings for Giyuu. Uzui was able to pick up on everything and it pissed him off at the time because Sanemi hadn't even realized he felt that way for her yet. He always kept his feelings in check with those he was with. Kept it short term and made sure nothing would develop between them. He'd stomp it out if a spark began to form. And Giyuu managed to light a fire in the middle of a blizzard. What always aggravated him most was Uzui winking at him and asking if Sanemi wanted to get to know her better. And he fucking did. He wanted to learn everything about her and still does. There will be things he has no doubt she'll never be comfortable with telling him about, and the same goes for him. But he'd still like to selfishly say that he will know the most about her, he's going to be her husband after all. Sanemi wanted to be a partner Giyuu could speak freely to. He wanted to make sure she had no fear in telling him what she likes and dislikes. She would be a strong wife that didn't fear her husband.
Looking over his shoulder towards the women, he took note of quite a few corps members who were staring at the beautiful ladies. He snickered as some of them tripped over their own feet while trying to walk but still gazing at them. The women trotted up the stairs, the wives all having a conversation, involving Giyuu but she seemed to nod and give short answers with hums. Sanemi never realized they were all similar in height, Uzui's wives always seemed so small, however that could be because he only ever saw them beside their towering husband. While Giyuu was still the tallest, it wasn't by much. Uzui gestured them all over towards the table, majority of the lower ranks scattered after seeing so many high profile members in one room. Possibly imagining it may have to do with more intense training.
"Hello Rengoku-san, Uzui." Giyuu bowed her head slight towards the two. Her eyes then flickered towards Senjuro. "Oh. Hello again." She gave a small bow as well to the boy. The teen bowed deeply to her with a small smile. Sanemi wasn't aware they had met before.
"Hello, Tomioka-san!" Rengoku greeted excitedly to her. "I look forward to seeing your training in action!" Giyuu's expression shifted slightly, she was concerned. Sanemi could understand why.
"Uzui is going to do your training tomorrow." Sanemi informed her to ease any anxiety she could create about Rengoku being involved. Giyuu gave a firm nod, the two seamlessly moving to each other's side.
"I look forward to it!" Uzui grinned, eyes shifting to Sanemi before going back to Giyuu. "This is exciting, huh? Us couples should do something fun!" Uzui emphasized on the word couples. "Tomioka! What do you two like to do for fun around here?"
Sanemi felt his eye twitch, praying that the next few days pass quickly so he doesn't have to deal with this jerk. Giyuu shifted to face Uzui, face void of emotion. "Our days are normally very busy, Uzui. We don't have much free time." Giyuu replied dryly, her gaze not meeting Uzui's eyes. The large man frowned, seemingly to remember she wasn't much of a gossip, much to Sanemi's amusement.
He huffed, folding his hand in the opening of his yukata. "Right, I got it." His eye drifting to his wives gathering their meals. "We could still plan something!" He attempted to gather more, however was immediately shut down.
"I don't think that would be appropriate considering the amount of members that desperately need to be trained." Giyuu accepted the full plate Sanemi held out to her, she took a glance at the blonde brothers who seemed to have their meal ready. "It would also be rude not to include all guests…"
Uzui rolled his eye, sighing dramatically. "Of course~ Gotta include them." he draped an arm around Makio that came to his side. Suma held two plates, Giyuu assumed one for herself and one for Uzui. The large man huffed once more and turned to Sanemi. "Be a good host and show us where to eat!"
Grunting, Sanemi clicked his tongue. "Can't wait for you assholes to leave my damn estate." However he begrudgingly led them to a room that had a large enough table to fit eight people comfortably.
The Uzuis all sat together of course at the head of the table while the brothers sat on one side and Sanemi along with Giyuu sat across from them. Settling down was pleasant enough, micro conversations felt very similar to how the Pillars would go out to lunch after a meeting.
"This really smells great!" Makio blew on the meal, a soft swirl of steam coming off it. "Do the Kakushis make meals like this for you at your estate, Tomioka-san?" She asked as she took a bite, seeming very happy with the taste.
"No." Giyuu answered, blowing gently on her meal and bringing it up to her lips.
"Do they suck at cooking?" Uzui laughed, taking another bite, attempting to help his wife with getting Giyuu to open up.
Giyuu shook her head as she chewed and swallowed the small bite. "There's no chief at the Water Estate. If I'm hungry, I make it myself." Unless Sanemi was visiting, she gave him the free range of her kitchen then… Any meal he made, she happily devoured. Her stomach would always feel warm and full, she slept great the nights he would cook for her.
"Oh. That's interesting! None of the maids like to cook?" Hinatsuru asked, interested in knowing more about her quiet friend.
Giyuu once again shook her head. "There's no maids."
Sanemi quickly felt the atmosphere change between the two large men. Both had odd expressions rise on their faces as they stared at Giyuu while she didn't meet their gaze. He mixed around the food on his plate, allowing them to come to their own conclusion… When he first encountered the Water Estate… Sanemi never forgot that first echoing sound and how it caused his anxiety to spike. It cemented that she was completely alone for so long.
Suma laughed. "Then who lives at the Water Estate with you?"
"No one." Giyuu took a sip of tea to wash down her bite. "At the moment, it's completely empty since I've been training the men here." Taking a napkin, she patted her lips.
"I…" Rengoku stared, his smile dropped. "There's… absolutely no one there..? Not even Kakushis?" He seemed taken aback at the information.
"No." Giyuu replied calmly. "I didn't feel it was necessary. But don't worry, I locked the estate up tightly." As if a break in was Rengoku's worry.
"What if you get sick or injured?" Senjuro had asked, picking up on the concerning revelation they all were on.
"I can take care of myself well enough."
Sanemi clicked his tongue. "Yeah, like when you fucked up your leg and didn't eat." He reminded her. Giyuu quickly turned to look at him, scowling softly.
"I was resting, resting is good for the body to heal. I would have eaten when I got up." She defended herself.
"Yeah, bullshit." Sanemi rolled his eyes. "You had nothing in your damn kitchen. Bare shelves and cabinets." That damn empty kitchen was what started him bringing her all those fresh vegetables and meats. He wanted her to be eating well. To take care of her in little ways.
Giyuu's expression turned to annoyance, knowing she couldn't win in this conversation with him. She shifted to face the others. "He broke down my door because I didn't limp quickly enough to answer-"
"I fixed it, didn't I?" Sanemi snapped, thumping his fist on the table.
"You broke down her door!" Uzui repeated with a laugh, his hand on his face. The mood lifted slightly from the unsettling information given about the aloof Water Pillar.
"Shut up! There were no lanterns lit, not a soul around— my damn knocks were echoing! I fucking thought she cracked her damn skull open in there." He defended himself.
"Ah, so you were worried about her wellbeing!" Rengoku put together his conclusion outloud, thumping his fist into his open palm.
"I wasn't!" Sanemi lied. Truthfully he wasn't aware of why he denied it. They all knew the two were a couple now. Surely it was reasonable to worry about your partner. Even if they weren't together at the time.
"Still claims he wasn't worried." Giyuu sighed, however Sanemi couldn't help but sense she was enjoying his torment.
"Stop hiding your true feelings, Shinzaguawa!" Uzui called, pointing at him with his utensil. Sanemi rolled his eyes, groaning at the people he was forced to house. He could feel a headache brewing behind his eyes.
…
"Tomioka, could you show us to the bathing room?" Hinatsuru asked kindly as she began to stack her empty dishes as did her wives.
"Oh! And join us again!" Suma demanded childishly, batting her fists up and down. Not giving Giyuu much room to reject the offer.
Giyuu hummed softly, she made the mistake of glancing at the women all waiting for her answer. "I…suppose I can." All three of the women beamed as they stood up from the low table. Seemed the lovers' nightly shared bath wasn't going to happen. Giyuu wasn't given much time before the three women were practically dragging her out of the room. While Giyuu was glad to see the women once more, there was a heavy weight from the constant training with an endless amount of corps members. She would have been plenty happy just spending the rest of the night with only Sanemi. Their nights together was what melted the stress off her body.
…
"I can take the dishes to the kitchen." Senjuro offered, already standing.
"It's not a bother." Grunted Sanemi, though the boy looked determined.
"I don't mind! I enjoy doing housework." He smiled, gathering the empty plates and a few empty cups from the women who left for their bath. There was no argument if the boy actually enjoyed doing dishes. There were still plenty of residents around so Senjuro would have no problem being pointed in the direction of the estate's kitchen. Senjuro bowed to the men as he balanced the dishes and exited the room. It felt like he'd make a better house husband than a demon slayer.
Not a moment of peace lasted between the three of them. "I'm surprised you're so calm having them bathe together!" Uzui commented the moment Senjuro left the room with the dishes. Sanemi knew that tone… the bastard was trying to get under his skin… And it was working.
"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Sanemi narrowed his eyes at the man.
"I'm just saying~ you're such a private guy! I'm surprised you're alright with your bedroom life being exposed!" Uzui shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing. Rengoku quickly attempted to say something to change the subject but was interrupted by Sanemi.
"Fucking excuse me?" He smacked the surface of the table firmly. "Where the fuck did you get that from?" Sanemi sneered, feeling a vein throb in his neck. Yet Uzui looked far too happy at the reaction.
"My~ don't you know? It's a pretty common topic women talk about in the bath together!"
"Oh shut the fuck up." Sanemi quickly dismissed him. While he wasn't embarrassed of his sex life, he wasn't exactly eager for people to know every detail. It… did raise a question of what Giyuu may think about their intimacy that she isn't telling him. All this damn conversation is going to do is make him over analyze shit.
Uzui laughed. "Come on! Don't be like that! It's a part of life when women are close to each other! You're just embarrassed I might hear about it~ after all, I got three wives in there. Something is bound to come back to me." Uzui said smugly, Rengoku had a rather uncomfortable smile on his face, he almost seemed like he was mentally making up an excuse to get out of the room.
Sanemi took in a breath, ready to shout an insult his way when the door opened. He orginally thought it was Senjuro coming back for something, and he definitely didn't want the kid hearing anything Uzui could say about his sex life. Giyuu, however, had stepped in, still in her clothing from minutes ago. "Excuse me. The girls asked me to retrieve a bottle of shochu they brought. Said you'd have it." Her gaze was far as she faced Uzui. The man perked, gave Sanemi a knowing glance as he flipped open a satchel and retrieved a small bottle and a stack of tied cups.
"Here you go~" Uzui held them out to her, which Giyuu took without hesitation. Uzui turned back to Sanemi. "Now don't you tell her not to drink!" He wagged his finger at him, making him grind his teeth.
"Shut up." He groaned.
Giyuu looked towards Sanemi then Uzui and back. "Am… am I missing something."
Sanemi opened his mouth, but was rudely interrupted. "Oh nothing much~ your man is just embarrassed that you and my girls talk~ But don't worry about it! Speak your hearts delight to them!" Uzui gestured for her to move along, however Giyuu stayed where she stood. Her eyes shifted towards Sanemi.
"I'm not following."
Sanemi rolled his eyes, not at her but the fact that Uzui brought her into this. "He's being an asshole. Just ignore him and go to your bath." Giyuu gave a short nod before Uzui once again spoke out, making Sanemi cringe.
"That's the spirit! It's inevitable, I'm sure I won't hear every detail~" Uzui took a sip of his tea, giving a shrug of his shoulders. "But like I told your man, having three wives, something is bound to come back to me." He repeated.
This time Giyuu furrowed her brows, not enjoying being left out in something so clearly involving her. "Something… I'd say?"
Sanemi rubbed his temple, on the one hand, he absolutely hated this and wanted to just tell her to forget it. On the other hand, he knew how self-conscious she'll begin to get knowing they were talking about something to do with her. Sanemi groaned. "He's being a dick." He gestured aimlessly with his hand. "Just— suggesting shit you and his wives talk about will come back to him to make me fucking mad."
"That's not polite…" Giyuu sighed, then furrowed her brows and turned towards Uzui, who wore a large smile. "Ah… Why would you expose yourself having such a disadvantage?"
Uzui kept his smile, a tilt of his head. "What do you mean?"
"You have three wives." Giyuu replied flatly, to which the three men didn't appear to catch on why that was repeated.
Uzui just nodded his head with a smile. "I'm aware! It's why I said something is bound to get back to me! Let's be honest here Tomioka, I can't imagine you're out here telling Shinazugawa every single detail about your day!" He laughed.
Giyuu hummed, from his position seated on the floor cushion, Sanemi was able to notice the slight annoyance in her jaw. "I see, so you don't notice. Allow me to explain then. You have three wives, that's three different personalities, three different likes and dislikes. And from what I gathered three very different tastes regarding your intimate life." Her gaze was unmoving as the men were suddenly very quiet. "Not to throw your own logic back at you, but like you mentioned, I am not detail oriented. Your wives on the other hand are." Giyuu sighed as she adjusted the bottle and cups in her hands. "I did not enjoy this conversation. However I felt it was best you understood your position in this topic. No need to make a fool of yourself." Giyuu turned her back and stepped towards the sliding door, before stopping and turning back around. "Ah, one more thing… I never planned on relaying any of what I've heard to Sanemi. However, if I need to, I will. Have a nice rest of your night." Giyuu bowed her head slightly before holding the bottle and cups carefully with her arm and hand while she shut the sliding door behind herself.
The second the door shut, Sanemi slapped the low table with a booming laugh. "Ha! Get fucked!" He pointed rudely at Uzui while Rengoku still wore an unsure smile.
"Shut up!" Uzui shouted back. "What the hell? What do you do to get her to just fucking defend you out of nowhere! You two were bickering not thirty minutes ago! I thought she'd at least try to make you mad!" He groaned, pinching his brow near his eyepatch. Uzui was hoping she'd egg him on like she did early with the door topic.
"She fucking pisses me off all the time." Sanemi snorted, feeling a sense of pride in his chest that she so effortlessly put the large man in his place to defend him.
Rengoku gave a small chuckle. "Suppose it's become sort of like 'only I can make fun of this person', huh? You two can get each other fired up, but the second someone else does, you have to stomp it out!"
Sanemi blinked for a moment, reminded that shitty letter he received from Iguro. Just remembering it made his blood pressure rise. Rengoku was right... He and Iguro used to say terrible insults about Giyuu, now however, if anyone even looked at her wrong he was ready to brawl with them. It didn't matter if Giyuu could defend herself, which he knew she could. What mattered was that he was the one defending her. "Hm… guess so." Sanemi admitted.
…
Shortly after Uzui's wives returned from their soak, the three informed Sanemi that Giyuu retreated to bed early. He could only assume she was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the whole day. Sanemi had excused himself for the night not long after, informing the others they could use the room as long as they wanted to. He was thankful Giyuu had apparently shown the women their rooms so they could show the men. Right now, Sanemi just wanted to wash his skin and lay down.
Sanemi didn't spend long in the washroom, scrubbed his skin of the dirt and grime from the day and rinsed before drying off. The tub still had water in it from the women's soak, he left it filled in case the others wanted to use it. However Sanemi was quick to leave and head down the hall to their bedroom.
Sliding open the door, the room was dark, apart from a small sliver of light from the screen window being open to allow air to flow in. Sanemi noticed the lump under the thin covers first, watched it move gently to look towards him, then seemingly relaxed and shifted back to where it was. Where Giyuu was. Quietly shutting the door and walking into the room, he walked past Giyuu towards the short desk at the back counter. Unfortunately he still needed to write his report. Lighting a tiny oil lamp, Sanemi took note that the ink was already set in front of him, Giyuu's report sat drying on the edge of the table. He thought about reading it, however didn't want to strain his eyes any further.
The report didn't take long, they never did, considering his simple writing methods. He wasn't a man of many details, however their Master seemed pleased with it nonetheless; understanding Sanemi's hardship with never properly being taught. His mother attempted to teach Sanemi and Genya some words and characters, however being the oldest Sanemi was often running errands to earn money for them. Money which that oni of a man would gamble away. He'd wonder now and again if Genya ever properly learned how to read and write. It wasn't time to dwell on that. Shutting off the lamp, Sanemi made his way towards the futon; Giyuu's body seemed content. Her breathing was so even that he felt a little bad he was about to disturb her slumber. And much like he feared, as he crawled into bed beside her, she stirred from her sleep. "Go back to sleep…" Sanemi whispered, settling down beside her.
Nevertheless, Giyuu shifted her body around, murmuring softly about who knows what as she began to nuzzle up to his side, placing her head to his chest. Sighing out, Sanemi felt the tension from the day begin to melt away. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to mindlessly draw shapes on Giyuu's back, lulling her and himself to sleep.
…
…
"Good morning! We are ready for your training, Tomioka-san!"
Both Giyuu and Sanemi looked over their shoulders as they filled their bamboo canteens at the fountain. The two large men were standing proudly as Rengoku greeted the lovers. Sanemi grunted as a response while Giyuu took the men in. "Morning… Are the others not joining?"
"Ah, Senjuro was up far later than he normally is. So I just allowed him to continue sleeping." Rengoku gave a gentle smile, they could only assume his brother had been high strung since his incident. The boy deserves to rest, no reason for him to get up at the crack of dawn. Especially when there are multiple medical Kakushis around, his older brother was in safe hands.
"My girls like their beauty sleep!" Uzui chimed in. "So I don't think they'd mind missing out on this!" He laughed. After all, they couldn't exactly chit chat with Giyuu if she was training others.
Humming, Giyuu gestured towards the South Gate where corps members were already gathered. "I won't be long, you both can stand with the others." Rengoku seemed more excited out of the two of them, he had said he wanted to see her training some time ago. Giyuu watched as Uzui stayed close to Rengoku's right side, she took notice it was the side that Uzui had his functioning left hand at. Meaning he could grab him quickly if he stumbles. Giyuu sighed slowly, it was the first Pillar in her training, and truthfully she was less than thrilled. She flinched slightly as a cool canteen touched her cheek, Sanemi had taken the liberty of filling her bottle. "Ah, thank you."
"Don't mention it…" Sanemi gazed off at the lower ranked members greeting the two men. He huffed, feeling the tension coming off of Giyuu. He could only imagine she had begun to hold this training higher than it was. "Good luck with those two jerks." Sanemi grumbled, leaning in slightly, the two met for a brief peck against each other's lips.
"Thank you… I fear I'll need it."
…
The group of men all seemed surprised to say the least that the former Sound Pillar and Flame Pillar were joining their training, however they still greeted them kindly. The men seemed to flock to Rengoku's side, all weary of his condition but happily exclaiming he was looking fantastic and that they were proud of his recovery. This caused them all to walk a bit slower, but none seemed to mind. The Water Pillar and former Sound Pillar were quite a bit ahead of the others. It had certainly been some time since Uzui and Giyuu have had one on one time, of course there were other corps still members around along with the blonde. Yet Uzui still tried his luck at getting her to talk with him without her needing to defend her man. If anything, she seemed even more closed off than normal. Perhaps she truly was only chatty because of his wives and booze being around. Or she was upset from the teasing last night.
"That guy treating you well?" Uzui had asked playfully, he had caught a glimpse of them pulling away from each other at the fountain. Giyuu didn't even shift her gaze from looking straight ahead as she answered a curt 'Yes.' "I find that hard to believe with his attitude!" Uzui tried even further to get a rouse out of her, however Giyuu only hummed in response. He promptly gave up and decided to walk in silence with her.
Once the men all reached the designated training spot, Giyuu finally turned to face them. She split the group up, the majority of the men to the left, Uzui and four others to the right. "This is all of your first time in my training…" Giyuu began dryly, her head tilted slightly towards Uzui, though not making eye contact. "You may decide what you'd like to do first. Foot work or a hike down and up the small land mass across the bridge." She gestured behind him towards the two bridges.
Uzui rubbed his chin glancing at the men that were told to begin sparing with each other and the to the bridge. "You know what? Foot work sounds like a good warm up!" He grinned, yet Giyuu gave no reaction. Walking a short distance away from the men and their practice swords, Giyuu began to demonstrate the foot work and explain the rule not to look at their feet as they maneuver and adjust to the uneven surface. Like the other Pillar Training he had finished, the foot work will no doubt be too easy for him. As he began, he noticed Rengoku speaking with Giyuu about her training. It irked him slightly that she was responding so well to him. It left Uzui with nothing else but to speak casually with the other members near him. It was boring and they were often distracted by the tricky foot work. When a pebble was stuck under his foot, Uzui gazed down for a brief moment to dislodge it.
Thunk!
Uzui jerked his body back just enough to have missed a sharpened dagger that was thrown deliberately at him. It had stuck into the tree to his side. The man stared dumbfoundedly at the weapon lodged in the bark before he heard a voice call out.
"Don't look at your feet."
Uzui snapped his neck towards the voice, he first locked in on the shocked expression Rengoku had, next was the fact the Water Pillar had another throwing knife in her hand, tossing it lightly in the air before catching the handle. "Huh..?"
"Don't. Look. At. Your. Feet." Giyuu repeated slowly for him, her eyes cold as she stared directly at him. The rocks she once used to throw to correct the men were no longer effective. So Giyuu had to upgrade. She held the knife up, using it to point at his feet. "Continue."
Uzui blinked bewildered at her before he started up again. Stealing glances to his best friend, the blonde appeared tense as he more than likely wasn't expecting her to put the man in danger so suddenly. Of course he's faced far more deadly things, that didn't put him at ease considering all the other training he's done with his old colleagues, all had used bokkens or non lethal objects. There was another quick movement, Uzui turned his head in time to follow another knife dig into a tree as it was thrown just centimeters off from a man's face.
"Ah!" The man yelped, quickly falling to his knees and staring up at the knife.
"Don't look at your feet." Giyuu repeated. "And don't scream if the knife didn't even stab you. You're just wasting energy." She wore a disappointed expression as she stared at the men.
"Y—yes, m-ma'am!" The corps member stuttered out as he stood back up, shaking slightly as he started up the movement again. Giyuu nodded, walking over towards the men sparring with each other. It gave Uzui and Rengoku a moment to talk through their eyes about the unpredictable, ruthless tactics the Water Pillar casually used. They both quickly turned their attention as another man cried out, they only caught the tail end of Giyuu's movement as the man was on the ground.
"Do not stand in one spot. The point of this training is for you to be able to fight while on the move. Standing still defeats the purpose." Giyuu firmly told the man, using a bokken to point directly at his face threateningly.
"Y-yes, Tomioka-san! I'm sorry!" The boy shouted.
"I don't want your apology." Giyuu retorted, simply saying her peace and walking towards the others to observe them.
Uzui and Rengoku made eye contact once again, the blonde quickly gestured for Uzui to continue the footwork exercise, as to avoid gaining Giyuu's attention. Seems it's best to be under the radar in her training…
…
"The goal is simple. Down and back." Giyuu gestured to the landmass that was slanted and covered in thick trees. "I feel I shouldn't need to say this, don't use the wooden bridge to start with. You can however use it when you return." The six men, including Rengoku who was paying attention but not joining in on this regiment, took in what she said and stared at the rope extension bridge.
"I take it this will hold our weight?" Uzui asked as he was the first bravest to stand at the handmade bridge.
"Correct. It's the same bridge that all others have already used." She gestured towards the men behind her who were still sparring. Uzui gave a firm nod, taking the first few steps cautiously. Once he realized it could in fact hold his weight, he smiled as he slowly continued across. Others were quick to follow him now. He could hear footsteps walking over to the beginning of the bridge, for a moment he imagined it was another lower member, then realized there were already four behind him. Certainly Rengoku wasn't joining them…
Shing…
Uzui's eye widened as he heard the distinct sound of a blade being unsheathed.
"Far enough." A flat voice called and Uzui's instincts swiftly kicked in as his hand shot out and took a strong hold of the "railing" of the rope bridge. All at once, the support of the bridge fell. The four members screamed as they lacked skill and the experienced intelligence to grab onto the rope to stop them from falling into the water below. Their screams were cut short, overtaken by a loud splash. Uzui gasped as his back hit the rocky wall once the bridge swung limp. He quickly shot his attention up towards the other side where the pegs of the cut bridge were. Uzui stared at Giyuu, who stood at the edge of the cliff, gazing down at him. "Good, I was hoping you'd hold on. I wanted to speak with you." She leisurely placed her sword back in its scabbard.
"What the hell, Tomioka!?" Uzui shouted, he didn't exactly have another hand to hold on with, leaving him dangling while he gripped onto the rope. Thanks to his hearing abilities, he was able to hear her hum rather casually, as if him hanging here wasn't an issue. He couldn't see Rengoku but could only imagine what his expression would be like.
"I spoke with Tanjiro recently… He had informed me about something I found to be very upsetting." Giyuu spoke calmly, adjusting her sword to be held with her belt.
"Ha?!" Uzui made a bewildered noise, not understanding where she could be going with that. Her large blue eyes narrowed.
"I'm not sure if you realize this… But I find it extremely distasteful to bring children to the red light district." Giyuu glared, slipping her hand into one of the large pockets of her uniform pants.
Uzui's eye widened. "Oh don't give me that crap! I did it to find my wives! And good thing too! They were in danger!" However, Giyuu's icy glare didn't light up.
"There are plenty of age members you could have recruited. Being a demon slayer, we already put our lives at risk at the hands of demons. There was no good reason to put their lives in danger at the hands of humans as well. Those three are naive children, it was incredibly stupid to expose them to that kind of lifestyle." She reprimanded the large man as he dangled helplessly.
"Oh, shut up! That yellow kid is a pervert! The feral one probably grew up seeing animals fuck! And Kamado acts far too innocent for his age! It builds character-!" Uzui gasped, jerking slightly as a dagger came soaring at his hand gripping the rope. It was deliberately aimed to miss… it was a warning.
"How disappointing." Giyuu sighed, drifting clouds drew creeping shadows over her face. She held another dagger, flipping it in her hand before catching it. "I've grown quite fond of Tanjiro. So to hear you do not have an ounce of remorse in exposing him to something so dangerously perverted is very disheartening." Giyuu closed one eye, lifting her hand that held the throwing knife. "Please finish this quickly so I may pass you on to Sanemi's training." She reeled her hand back. "Goodbye."
Uzui hardly had time to shout a quick "Wait!" As the sharpened blade made direct contact with the rope he was clinging to. The threads snapped immediately under his weight, plummeting Uzui into the rapid waters below with a thunderous clap. He resurfaced quickly, gasping as the water took him down stream where the others no doubt gathered. Frantically looking back towards the cliff top, he just barely caught Giyuu turning around and walking away.
…
…
The men that participated in Sanemi's constant strikes once again needed a break as sweat poured down their faces. Even with a slight drop in temperature it was still too much for the average man. And to avoid becoming one of the men that fainted, Sanemi had left the field to take a few bites of fruit he knew the Kakushis were cutting up for the men. Heading back, Sanemi was surprised to see Senjuro and two of the lower ranks speaking with each other. At first glance, he assumed all was normal, Senjuro often wore an uncomfortable expression or worry. But this one was far different, it looked shameful.
"-really not joining?" Sanemi heard one of the men ask the blonde. Senjuro wasn't meeting their gaze, his fingers clutched at the edge of his outfit.
"N-no…" The young blonde hardly got out loud enough to be considered anything but a
whisper. Both of the slayers sighed, seeming disappointed in his answer.
"Come on, we're working our asses off out here. And you haven't done a single one? Isn't it like part of your family history or some shit to be involved with this?" The other one heckled him further. Senjuro seemed to grow smaller, attempting to shrink away from the conversation. "The least you could do is pick up a sword and aid in the battle!" Senjuro flinched at those words, something graver was going on in his mind. The boy's lips began to tremble and that was enough for Sanemi to intervene.
"Who the fuck said you two could stop swinging?!" Sanemi shouted, quickly noticing these two were not part of his striking group. All three of the boys jumped at Sanemi's loud, intimidating voice.
"W-we're sorry, sir!" Both bowed deeply, Senjuro unfountently did as well.
"We—we were seeing why he wasn't joining us and-"
"That kid has been taking care of the damn Flame Pillar twenty-four seven for weeks! You think he has fucking time to do this shit? Get over yourselves and get your asses back at the training dummies before I tie you to the poles and beat you as one!" The threat quickly got both boys to scurry down the short stairs and dart back towards the training field. "Tsk…" Sanemi glanced at Senjuro, the boy was looking at his feet once more. Sighing, Sanemi gazed out into the field before reaching out and patting the blonde on the head. Senjuro seemed surprised yet didn't shake off his hand. "You don't have to fight if you don't want to…" Sanemi wasn't able to prevent his own little brother from going into battle when he didn't want to, if he could guide Senjuro out of it, it was a win.
"I…I want…" Senjuro sighed, possibly having this conversation before with someone. "I want to help… I did train. I trained the best I could… but it wasn't enough."
"…" Sanemi looked ahead, eyes scanning the field and those walking around it. "Battling demons isn't the only way to help the corps. Giving attention to the injured is extremely important." Sanemi learned from Giyuu that eye contact isn't easy for everyone, that it could shut a person down if they're feeling too vulnerable, so he kept his vision away from Senjuro's. "We lose a lot of members due to those bastards eating them. However, a lot has also been saved thanks to the Butterfly girls and Kakushis constantly aiding us.
Senjuro was quiet for a moment, a tiny unsure sound in the back of his throat. "M-maybe… bu-but with my brother injured…" he trailed off.
"Doesn't have to be now. Rengoku deserves your attention… There's plenty of resident Kakushis in my estate if you ever want to get information from them." Sanemi offered quietly, a hand on his hip as he glanced around for a particularly friendly one he had in mind. "You don't have to decide on anything right now."
"…Thank… thank you." Senjuro murmured softly. Sanemi stole a glance back at him, he was still gripping at his clothing, brows twitching along with his lip as he went through something emotional.
"Don't mention it… You are helping, even if it doesn't feel like it." Sanemi gave his head one last pat before they parted ways. He wasn't going to just stand there and watch the boy tear up, Sanemi gave him enough decency to walk away from it while Senjuro gathered himself.
…
…
Uzui was disgustingly damp, his clothing clung to him like a second skin. Swore he was chafing underneath the layers. He had finally… finally made it uphill past all the malicious traps that were set. There should be guilt leaving the men that were struggling back further down at the bottom. One was hanging upside down by his ankle thanks to a snare while the others desperately tried to get him down. Though Uzui assumed with all the traps he triggered, they hopefully will have an easier time. His sandals made loud steps as he marched over the wooden bridge. It didn't take long to spot Rengoku sitting on a boulder while Giyuu was sparring with one of the men, who was swiftly put into his place by her hitting him painfully to the ground. "Oi, Tomioka!" Uzui called to get her attention, and it had gathered Rengoku's as well. "What the hell was that?! Are you trying to kill these guys?" His outburst caused the others to look over at him, seemingly grateful it wasn't only them that thought her training was dangerous.
"I can't say that I am." Giyuu replied, turning to face him.
"They could have drowned in the water! Or fallen into one of those damn spike holes you dug! Do you really think it's safe to throw them head first into this?" That got a reaction, Giyuu's brows furrowed, a deeper frown forming. She rested the bokken on her shoulder while her free hand was on her hip.
"If I was able to partake in Master Urokodaki's training when I was just a little girl, then they can handle a watered downed version of it as men." Giyuu narrowed her eyes. "My obstacle course couldn't hold a candle to how I was trained in Mt. Sagiri. To hear these men complain is very pathetic."
Uzui along with the others had flabbergasted expressions at the glimpse of her training. The course she set up for them… was nothing to her. This was just regular training, anything else would be considered an insult.
Giyuu tossed the bokken to Uzui, who caught it easy with his one good hand. "Now, as I mentioned earlier, I'd like to send you to the next Pillar." She walked a couple of feet to take hold of another wooden sword. "So please prepare yourself to spar with me." Giyuu held the end of the bokken up towards Uzui's face.
He sighed, accepting that he wasn't going to get a moment of rest. "Right, right. You're still upset with me."
"I am." Was all Giyuu replied with as she charged towards Uzui with the wooden sword drawn.
…
…
"How do you deal with her?" Uzui exclaimed, laying his head down on the low table. His shoulder length hair was sticking to his neck and face from the torturous training session he had gone through with the Water Pillar. Uzui could recall from the last time he sparred with her that her hits were never ending. However, this time Giyuu had anger behind her unwavering strikes. Sanemi snorted, hiding his smirk by taking a sip of tea across from him and Rengoku. "She was merciless! Throwing daggers at me and the other men there!"
"She threw you all off the cliff-"
"She threw me off a cliff, Shinazugawa! I had to hike up and dodge shit while being soaking wet! How often do you hike in a drenched yukata? It's not fun!" Uzui slapped his hand harshly against the surface of the table. This only caused Sanemi to actually laugh out loud. "You're terrible! And she's terrible! No wonder you two got together!" He pointed accusingly at the Wind Pillar while said man just chuckled at him, feeling rather smug.
"She isn't for the faint of heart." Sanemi mocked him, leaning back on his hands to give the two men his attention. "You should have seen her when she first started! Giyuu's first group decided to disrespect her and she beat them so badly each had broken bones and had to be sent to the Butterfly Mansion!" Sanemi relived the memory fondly, also being reminded of the intimacy they ended up having at the Water Estate after he saw the shape she left those pathetic bastards in. "Took down seven men in under a handful of minutes!"
"And you're proud of that?" Uzui asked dumbfoundedly.
"Of course I am!" Sanemi didn't even think twice as he answered. "What? You don't want your fucking wives to be strong?" He asked with a frown.
The blonde laughed. "I don't think it's that!" He glanced at Uzui with a smile while he pouted. "I think it's more of how she's able to be so relentless while fighting!" Sanemi hummed, agreeing with that. Giyuu doesn't back down no matter how large or strong her opponent is. Never once has she flinched or backed down during their sparring matches, she'll keep going until both are exhausted or something comes to break them up. "And not to mention the force she puts into her hits and kicks!" Sanemi nodded as Rengoku continued, her kicks had definitely done some damage to his ribs. After certain sessions, he can feel how the bone is bruised. "Her lower body strength is definitely something to admire! I normally only focused on my upper body and running speed! However, Tomioka-san has powerful kicks, powerful quadriceps and-"
"How do you know about her thighs!?" Sanemi suddenly shouted, hands on the table. He immediately recognized the muscle term for thighs. Even now if you look at Giyuu, her baggy uniform pants hide the shape of her thighs and legs to her knees, he wouldn't be able to see the defined muscle unless he's seen her without them on.
Rengoku quickly lifted his hands in front of him for defense. "Whoa! Hold on there!" Uzui quickly sat straight up in attention next to him, eye wide and looking between the two. "Please don't insinuate it like that!" Rengoku said with a strained smile, feeling the anger building in the albino man.
"Fucking anwser me, you asshole!" Sanemi gritted his teeth, pointing accusingly at him. "I'm still pissed off at that shit you pulled with her!" He'd never let go of the grudge and heartbreak he felt at the time.
"Whoa! What?!" Uzui turned to Rengoku, his eye wide and mouth open at the sudden drama. "Kyo, what did you do?" He was ecstatic for the gossip he normally doesn't receive from either of the two. Sanemi doesn't spill much information about himself and while Rengoku is fun, his personal life was lacking outside of the corps. The former Sound Pillar gasped, bringing his hand up to his lips as he already created a theory. "Kyo! Did you try to hook up with Tomioka-?"
" Accusations!" Rengoku shouted with his arms crossed over his chest.
"I'll fucking tear that hole in your chest straight down to your asshole!" Sanemi was grinding his teeth so hard they felt as if they'd crack. He was seeing red at the mere suggestion Rengoku tried something with his fiancé.
"False accusations!" He doubled down loudly. "I have never engaged with Tomioka-san in such a way nor do I ever plan to!" Rengoku turned towards Uzui, who was completely focused in the drama, a wicked smile on his face as he listened. "I needed Shinazugawa to accept his feelings for her! So I made a very hurtful lie that I was engaged to Tomioka-san! It was a logical ruse!"
"I already accepted I liked her at that point, jerkoff!" Sanemi shouted, slamming his fist on the table, boiling blood pumping in his veins.
"I was not aware of that! And I apologized multiple times!"
Uzui held his stomach as he laughed. "How couldn't you have told me about this, Kyo? First you don't tell me right away they were together and now this!? I'm dying! Damnit! I wish I was there!" He cackled.
"Fuck you!" Sanemi bellowed out, teeth bared at the two.
"It truly wasn't funny at the time." Rengoku attempted to defuse the situation to the best of his ability. "But thankfully it all worked out!"
"She split my head open." Deadpanned Sanemi. Uzui snapped his neck towards him, his single good eye wide. He had known Giyuu injured him, but not to that extent.
Clearing his throat "Y-yes… but you two seem very happy now!" Rengoku grimaced slightly in his strained smile.
Sanemi clicked his tongue. "Stop changing the subject! I'm still pissed at what you said about her thighs!" They were extremely happy together, that didn't stop Sanemi from being suspicious of the blonde. Afterall, he had imagined they were engaged, even if it was just to fool him. Point was he still imagined it.
"It wasn't sexual! Just an observation!"
Before Sanemi could demand a further explanation, the room's sliding door cautiously opened, it felt eerily similar to the night before. Senjuro nervously poked his head through, his brows knitted greatly from the argument no doubt. "U-um…" He awkwardly held a cup of tea, along with that he held a tinted glass bottle with large pills inside. "It-it's time for your medicine, brother."
"Ah, Senjuro! Perfect timing as always!" Rengoku shifted towards his brother, lifting his hands for the tea and bottle. "Can you please tell Shinazugawa of the time Tomioka-san was over to train with us!"
Senjuro blinked his large eyes, shifting his gaze between his brother and the Wind Pillar. "Um… which part..? The blood art-?"
Rengoku suddenly laughed. "Haha! No! But that was very funny." He pulled the cork off the bottle.
"Blood art? Like demon blood art?" Uzui was the one to ask the young boy, who smiled gently looking a touch more at ease as the tension began to settle down slightly.
"Ah, I had never met Miss Tomioka at that point. When I answered the door, her eyes went really wide and asked 'Rengoku?' of course that is also my surname so I said yes!" The boy giggled softly. "Turned out she had thought my brother was hit with a blood art that made him younger!" Rengoku laughed loudly alongside Uzui. While he was still upset, Sanemi found it amusing as well. He could imagine his fiancé staring down at the teenager with her big blue orbs open wide with a puzzled expression all too well.
"Your genetics are insane! It must really be looking into the past and future with you two!" Uzui pointed his finger between the brothers. Both seemed rather pleased about the comment. However Sanemi was losing his patience the longer he had to wait for an answer.
"Still doesn't fucking explain, Rengoku." Sanemi hissed, watching the man shake out quite a few of those large pills in his hand… He mentally shook away the sorrow that struck his heart at his condition.
"You're right, you're right! Senjuro, about our training! When we were fighting hand to hand!" Rengoku began taking the pills with the tea directly after instructing his brother to continue.
Senjuro looked troubled for a moment. "About hand to hand…" he mumbled to himself, gazing downwards as he traced his memory. His brows shot up "Oh!" Senjuro turned back to his brother. "Do you mean her scissor hold?" Rengoku nodded his head firmly while taking a long gulp of tea to wash the pills down, making some of the tea drip down his chin.
"Scissor hold?" Uzui asked, yet Sanemi immediately understood what he was referring to. Giyuu had been taught a fair amount of judo, she used a lot of holding techniques.
Senjuro gave a short nod. "Yes. Brother was determined to figure a way out of it… However…" his gaze drifted. "She uh… she told him to tap out or she wouldn't let go… He kinda passed out."
"Oh, I forgot about that part." Rengoku pondered for a moment, whipping the tea off his chin. "I just remember that I couldn't get out of it." Uzui barked out a loud laugh.
"Of course you forgot! She suffocated you!" His best friend laughed at him, gently nudging his side. "I understand what you meant now about her thighs." Uzui giggled, turning towards Sanemi, who had definitely looked calmer now. "You were really ready to kill, Shinazugawa!"
"I don't share." Sanemi hissed, resting his chin on his palm. He was still a bit heated at the idea of Giyuu being with someone else… Sanemi may have become more territorial than originally intended. And while he knew he was territorial, he wasn't expecting the sheer amount of jealousy he was overcome with just now.
"Awh~" Uzui cooed, egging Sanemi on further. "You love her~ You wanna marry her~! Have her all to yourself!" The large man sang, rocking side to side. Rengoku was quick to pat his forearm in an attempt to stop the childish teasing.
Sanemi gave a strong huff against his palm… He did… Sanemi could lie to them that he didn't, that she didn't mean that much to him. Just imagining saying that felt wrong. "…I do." He admitted quietly. Sanemi did love her, he did want to marry her. Wanted to see her dressed in proper wedding attire, not just a sheet that blew over her head. He wanted a future worth living with her. To spend lazy mornings with her in bed and on days she lacked her confidence, strip her clothes and paint her gold to prove to her how much she's worth.
Uzui's mouth dropped open as did Senjuro's, Rengoku on the other hand had a gentle smile on his lips. "I'm happy to hear you admit it, Shinazugawa." The blonde said, glancing at Uzui who was still dumbfounded at the confession from the normally emotionally constipated man. Sanemi just dismissively batted his free hand at him.
"That's really lovely, Shinazugawa-san!" Senjuro said, a smile spreading across his lips. "Have you thought about when you'd like to propose to her?" He asked excitedly, not noticing the frantic looks from his older brother and Uzui. Whatever they were trying to tell him with their eyes it had gone over his head.
"…" Sanemi was silent for a moment, juggling his options in his head. No doubt he's going to get a headache from these two loud idiots… However, there was excitement brewing in his chest about just saying that Giyuu is now his fiancé. He couldn't exactly express his excitement to Iguro. "…I already did." Bracing himself in anticipation for the outburst, Sanemi was surprised when it didn't come, as he turned his gaze back towards the two… Both wore somber expressions while Senjuro looked ecstatic at the news. Before he could ask what the looks were for, Uzui spoke.
"It… It's alright, ya know?" His thin brows were knitted softly.
"Ha?" The fuck did that mean? What kind of reaction was that?
Rengoku cleared his throat. "This line of work is unpredictable, and I'm sure that's why. But I believe that with our strengths, we'll create a world that will hold a brighter future! Maybe… maybe you could ask again then." He gave a gentle tilt of his head, it almost seemed like he wanted to reach out but was unsure of how Sanemi would react.
"…" Sanemi slammed both hands on the table, making his empty tea cup fall over the moment clarity struck him. "BASTARDS!" The empty cup rolled, touching his hand. Sanemi promptly smacked it, sending it hurling towards the wall where it shattered. "You fucking bastards!" He pointed aggressively at them, his blood boiling at the realization. "She didn't fucking reject me!"
"Eh?!" Both gasped loudly while Senjuro just looked lost at the sudden anger.
"She said yes! You absolutely jackasses!" Sanemi shouted at the top of his lungs, no doubt others could hear his voice. It didn't matter if they could make out what he was saying or not. What was important was these two assholes, who assumed Giyuu had rejected his proposal, understood that it wasn't the case. "We're engaged!" Sanemi pounded his fist on the table while his other hand gripped a cushion next to him on the ground, hurling it towards the men. Towards Uzui rather than Rengoku since even in his rage he knew he shouldn't throw things at the injured man. "How dare your first thought be that she rejected me!" The cushion hit Uzui square in the face, he was too stunned to focus on catching it; making a muffled 'oof!' sound.
The next sound was of Rengoku shouting, his eye wide and mouth in a great grin. "Congratulations!" His booming voice challenged Sanemi's anger from moments ago. "I'm so happy for you two! This is so exciting!"
"Exciting my ass! You two pricks— the first thing you two assumed was that she rejected me! Go fuck yourselves!" Sanemi bellowed out.
"Now don't be insulted-" Uzui began, but was interrupted promptly.
"I am insulted!" He gritted his teeth, feeling the veins in his neck and face throb. "What?! You think she wouldn't be happy with me or some shit!? I'm not good enough?!" There was a voice in the back of his head saying that was true, that he wasn't good enough. But replaying it in his mind, he needed to focus on how Giyuu reacted that night. Sanemi had never seen her cry before, in the beginning he knew it was because she was distressed remembering all those that she loved dying… However when minutes passed and she was still sniffling and fresh tears were running down her face, Sanemi had asked if she was alright. Giyuu faced him, a wobbly smile on her lips as she told him 'I'm…just so happy. It won't stop.' It had made her so happy that she couldn't stop crying. Sanemi's eyes stung badly that night when he attempted to keep himself together.
"No, no, no!" Rengoku's quick denial brought Sanemi back to reality. "It had nothing to do with you! It—Tomioka and I had a talk about the future once— she said she wouldn't be able to get married with demons around! So I assumed she would have said no since there's so much responsibility in the slayer's corp to defeat them!" Rengoku rambled, lacking his normal confidence that would radiate off him. "But I also knew she wanted to marry you! Your quiet demeanor made me believe it was the latter and she was just waiting!"
"Because I didn't fucking scream it, you thought she rejected me?" Sanemi rubbed his hand up and down his face with aggravation.
"Honestly I'm with Kyo on this." Uzui cut in. "You're not exactly one for calm deliveries!" His expression changed however to a very condescending one as he leaned on his hand. "But~ That doesn't mean I don't want to hear about the love birds! How'd it happen? I can't imagine it was some big display!"
Sanemi huffed, frustration still just under his skin. How he asked… he couldn't even really say he asked properly. The two had reunion sex, he said he loved her, there were tears involved but it was agreed upon they both wanted to marry each other and he told her he'd get her a ring in the morning. If they survive this war… the moment demons are gone, he wants to get her a proper ring. However, with the way he's caught her smiling at her ring finger with that bite mark, it may not even be necessary. They didn't exactly need rings to be married, it was a newer custom. "I just asked her." Sanemi decided to say, no reason to tell these two bastards all that.
Uzui sighed, rolling his eye and folding his arms. "That's no way to make a woman feel special! You have to show her how much you care! And that involves a proper proposal of how you ask her to be your wife!!"
"…" Sanemi narrowed his eyes at the man. "Wasn't your marriage arranged?" It wasn't a question. Uzui's cocky expression fell and his brows furrowed as Rengoku abruptly laughed.
"Shut up! They could have left me if they really wanted to! I gave them all the choice and they stayed with me!" Uzui angrily defended himself.
"Good for you." Sanemi replied dryly, eyes widening as Uzui suddenly pointed across the table at him.
"Oh you— you and your damn woman are exactly the same! She said the same stupid thing to me when I told her my wives didn't want to leave me!" Uzui shouted, making it difficult for Sanemi to keep a straight face. He could imagine it all too clearly how his fiancé probably meant it sincerely, but due to her cold resting face, it was taken as an insult. Sanemi had fallen for that many times before getting to know her.
"Oh! Did Tomioka-san tell you what she said to Tengan while she was having dinner with us?" Rengoku asked, changing the subject. Sanemi shook his head, his interest peaked. Especially when Uzui suddenly realized whatever it was Rengoku was going to say and groaned. The blonde laughed at his best friend's reactions. "To make a long story short! Tengan mentioned speaking with you about treating her how he treats his wives." He gave a smile and patted Uzui's arm. "They love you very much!" Then Rengoku turned back to Sanemi. "Tomioka said if you started acting like Tengan, she'd break your neck and leave you!"
An abrupt sound erupted from Sanemi's throat. One hand went to his stomach while the other reached his face as he bellowed out laughter. "Damn—!" He laughed into his hand, distantly noticing the only one that wasn't laughing was Uzui. Rengoku was laughing loudly while Senjuro gave a small chuckle. "God! I fucking love her." Sanemi rubbed at his face as the laughing fit settled down. "That's so fucking funny!"
"You're so mean! You're mean, your fiancé is mean! You're going to have mean children together! Gonna have a mean dog and a mean cat!" Uzui listed off as he pointed to the giggly man. Noticing Sanemi's large smile only grew, he threw his arms in the air. "And you look so happy about that!"
"It sounds perfect to me." He snorted, rubbing his dry eyes as they attempted to make tears from his laughing fit. "Fuck, man…" Sanemi sighed, the giggles seemingly tiring him out.
"Yeah I bet it would!" Uzui grumbled, crossing his arms.
"The bath water is still warm if you all wanted to soak!" Hinatsuru spoke as she slid open the door as the four women waltz in. Uzui pointed accusingly at Giyuu the moment he spotted her, she didn't seem too bothered by it as she walked towards Sanemi's side.
"Your fiancé is an asshole!" Uzui shouted at her, gaining the attention of his wives.
"I'm aware." Giyuu replied calmly, though her stomach fluttered at the title. Sanemi gave a nonchalant 'Hey!' At her comment. However, he still reached out to grab a cushion from the other head of the table for her to sit next to him. Once it was placed close to him, she took his hand that he extended for her; guiding her down.
"Tomioka! You didn't tell us you two got engaged!" Suma shouted, brows furrowed though she looked rather excited.
"Ah, you didn't ask." Giyuu got comfortable on her knees, shifting side to side.
"We're not supposed to ask! You have to tell us!" Makio huffed, though like her wife she seemed rather eager.
"Oh… I got engaged." Giyuu replied and Sanemi snorted at her antics. While the others couldn't see it, Sanemi glanced at Giyuu's hands under the table. She was lovingly touching the scar forming from the broken skin his teeth caused.
Suma immediately started crying, it may have been because of the booze they drank again in the tub while on an empty stomach, or it could have just been herself becoming emotional. "That's so great! I want to help with your wedding!" She bawled, flopping against Uzui who held her.
Sanemi caught Giyuu shifting in her seat, her expression was flat, yet he could feel small bits of excitement radiating off of her.
"Don't just invite yourself to do that!" Makio gently bopped her buzzed wife's head. "If they want help they'll ask!" She turned towards them. "How long have you two been engaged for?"
The two looked at each other, suddenly remembering most people keep track of when they got engaged. Sanemi rubbed his chin, focused on Giyuu rather than the others. "What…like two weeks?" He asked her.
"I think so..?" Giyuu knitted her brows. "Whenever I came back to the estate…" She relayed out loud.
"Right." Sanemi turned towards the others. "Like roughly two weeks. Give or take."
"Give or take—?" Uzui slapped himself on the head. "You two are ridiculous! You're supposed to be keeping record of this stuff!"
"Does it really matter..? It's not like it's a wedding date we forgot." Giyuu replied with a sigh.
Uzui just tilted his head back, shaking it slightly. "And you don't even care…" he threw up his hand defeatedly. "Whatever— just proving again you two are made for each other." He sighed dramatically, bringing his wives in closer as if they settled his frustrations.
Sanemi snorted at Uzui's antics. Relaxing back against the cushion, his hand gently went over Giyuu's. His thumb massaging small circles on the back of her hand. Out of the corner of his eye… he noticed a small smile raise upon her lips.