Day & Night

The Hashira Meeting

Tsukie's POV

We went to the back of his car to retrieve our swords.

"Do you think that was a good reaction or bad?" I asked, smiling through gritted teeth.

"Who knows," Kyojuro said, laughing as he closed the trunk of his car. "I'll see you at the meeting, sweetheart," he finished placing a kiss on my forehead.

He went with the guys as I went over to the Kocho sisters. Kanae and I shared a hug as I smiled at Shinobu.

"So, the rumors are true?" Shinobu asked, smiling at me.

"Oh yes, are they?" Kanae asked, and I couldn't help but smile at them.

"When I was in the hospital, we agreed to a dating agreement. See if by the end of the month we want to be together or stay as friends," I said, smiling at them.

Obanai's Mercedes pulled up, and Mitsuri popped herself out the passenger side and bounced towards us.

"Tsukie, where's your car?" Mitsuri asked, poking at my side.

"Not here. She and Rengoku came together," Kanae said, poking at me as well.

"What?!" Mitsuri yelled, and I had to wave my hands to quiet her down.

"You idiot, you know this already," I said, laughing at her as we made our way to the mansion's kitchen to help with the food.

It was a tradition that has been around for centuries, which we didn't mind because the guys were hopeless when cooking. The only person I could see cooking a great meal was Gyomei, and that was with his wife Emi helping him. The last time Kyojuro cooked anything was rice, which he burnt. Walking into the kitchen, we were greeted by the females of the Ubuyashiki family.

"Good evening Lady Amane; how are you doing?" I asked, smiling at her.

"Very well, Lady Kajiura. I hope you are recovering well from your injuries," she said so gently.

"Yes, ma'am," I said as we got to work. The younger girls were so sweet helping us, and we had to make sure that our conversations didn't trail off to something inappropriate.

"So, how long have you and Rengoku been doing this dating agreement," Kanae asked.

I couldn't help but blush at her question. I always thought Kyojuro would go after Kanae because she was so sweet, gentle, and kind, which I wasn't.

"About two weeks now," I said, trying to estimate the dates.

"Have you two kissed yet?" Shinobu asked, and I gave her a look.

"We have young minds here Kocho, we don't want to ruin them with our gossip," I said, hopefully trying to avoid the question but still being respectful.

"The girls are fine. I'm sure they've been through worse conversations. Well, Lady Kajiura? Have you?" The master's wife asked, and I could feel my whole face becoming red.

I was quiet for a long time, and when I looked up, I saw eyes glaring at me to answer. Letting out a sigh, I nodded. "We actually had our first kiss today before we came. It was in the heat of the moment."

"Yes! Pay up, you two!" Mitsuri yelled, holding her hand out to Shinobu and Lady Amane, and they gave her 6,000 yen each.

"Are you serious? Taking bets on our love life?" I asked, so shocked.

"I'll be back," Mitsuri said as she ran off to, I guess, where the guys were.

I groaned, wanting to disappear behind the counter. The ladies and girls all laughed, enjoying this weird torture with me. Mitsuri walked back in with more yen.

"Who in the hell was also on the bet," I said and looked down at the girls smiling next to me. "I am so sorry."

"We've heard that word before," Nichika started.

"Yes, father uses it a lot," Kanata finished.

I loved the girls, but they creeped me out when they did that.

"Tengen, of course, Giyu, and Obanai," she said smiling, and I glared over at Shinobu just humming away.

We finished dinner casually, talking and making fun of me. Finally, we set the meals down and all sat together.

"How bad was it?" Kyojuro asked once I settled into my spot beside him and Sanemi.

"Good to know that everyone is gambling on our relationship," I muttered under my breath.

"There's a new bet now," Sanemi said, laughing.

"What? When we have sex?" I said jokingly, looking at my food. Then, I felt Kyojuro shifting beside me, becoming uneasy, which caused me to snap my head at Sanemi.

He looked at me, grinning "oh yeah." Which caused me to look at Kyojuro.

"You don't want to know," Kyojuro said, rubbing his eyes.

"I gave him some pointers, Tsukie! You're welcome!" Tengen yelled over, and I could feel my whole body grow hot and red as I hung my head.

Joking around with everyone was all good fun, but there were some things I liked staying with my closest friends. I didn't want everyone to know about my love life or make bets on it. I know being a 20-year-old virgin isn't something to brag about these days, but it was personal. I just stayed silent through the meal, and I could tell that Kyojuro wanted to comfort me but opted out to prevent any other teasing. Did I want to have sex with him? I mean I guess, I fantasized about it a few times when we were together, and at night I was alone and needed to destress. But imagining about it and doing it were two different things.

Once the meal was over, I felt a hand on mine, squeezing it. I looked up, meeting those golden-red eyes with such concern. I smiled the best I could before focusing on the master and the meeting.

"Alright, last on our agenda, demon slayer markings. These markings are not common and are still, to this day, a supernatural mystery. These markings are unique to everyone, depending on their breathing style. There has been documentation of these markings throughout the centuries, but there aren't many. These markings are not common and appear through life-threatening conditions. With these markings, Demon slayers have enhanced physical capabilities and view of the transparent world and more abilities we don't know. However, while these markings are great in battle, there are some drawbacks. It is said that due to the strain the marks have on the body, there is a high chance of death at the age of twenty-five," the master said, and my body grew rigid.

The blood rushing to my ear caused everything to sound mumbled. I felt like throwing up or passing out. Twenty-five? So, I only have five years to live? What about love? Marriage? Growing a family? Watching my brother and parents grow up? Watching my friends live their life? My head was spinning until I kept hearing my name.
Gasping in, I came back to reality to feel tears running down my face and everyone looking at me.

"Tsukie?" Master Ubuyashiki said, smiling at me. "Can you show everyone?"

My hands were shaking as I pulled up my top and lowered my skirt a bit to show everyone the mark on my side. I couldn't even meet Kyojuro's eye as I kept mine glued to the floor. Then, feeling like my world was coming down around me, I put my shirt down and stood up.

"I'm sorry, I need a minute," I whispered, rushing out of the meeting. I walked down the hall until I found myself running to the garden.