riptide | kyojuro rengoku

XLV | found

"TASTY!"

"TASTY!"

"TASTY!"

"TASTY!"

You could hear Kyojuro's voice from the hallway, your lips shaping into a smile at his familiar and joyful tone. Shinjuro's annoyed sigh rang out afterward, Senjuro's hand trembling in your grip finally tearing you away from your happy thoughts. "It's alright," You squeezed his hand in reassurance.

You heard him take in a breath, boldly sliding the door open as his breath hitched at the sight of his brother. You had no idea what he was looking at, hearing Kyojuro stop too, setting his dishes down slowly. Senjuro sped out of your grip, rushing toward his older brother for a hug as you took tentative steps forward, Shinjuro's hand reaching out to guide you.

You took his hand carefully, paying attention to the sounds before slowly sitting down next to him. He let go of you then, beginning to list of Kyojuro's injuries. "Four fractured ribs, a twisted ankle, broken right arm, heavily bruised cheekbone, and scar above his left eyebrow." You could sense the judgmental look he sent Kyojuro.

You were sure it wasn't out of anger, but more so out of disappointment for Kyojuro's genuine disregard over his figure. "If he had pushed himself any harder, he could've broken his femur," Shinobu said, entering the room shortly after you had. She came in with things of her own and you figured she was here to feed Kyojuro more medicine.

"The villagers are alright and so are you all, so that's what matters," Kyojuro retorted. Once again, he had no regard for his wounds, more concerned overall with everyone else. It was admirable, but also incredibly frustrating. "Hm," Shinjuro's hand suddenly grasped at your forearm, not harshly but it was enough to startle you.

You could hear Kyojuro attempt to get up, clearly apprehensive of what his father's intentions were. "If I may speak with you," It was more of a formality than anything as you couldn't even respond before he dragged you out of the room, closing the sliding door behind you two. You didn't object, falling silent out of fear.

You weren't sure as to what to say and it's not like Kyojuro was in any state to fight for your protection verbally or physically at the moment. "I'm not going to harm or exile you first of all," Shinjuro crossed his arms, leaning on the wall opposite of you. "You were simply doing your duty and I admire that; you have earned mine and the village's respect."

For once, you were glad he spoke so bluntly. It levelled off your anxiety slightly. "And I'm also glad to know you've been healing well. I haven't visited you, but Shinobu has kept me properly updated on your physical state. I understand you're healing as well and was concerned for my son's wellbeing, but I insist that you let him spend time with Senjuro for now."

You swallowed hard, understanding the gravity of the situation. He appreciated your assistance and held you up to a certain standard of respect, but his sons always came first, even if his intentions of doing so weren't always so apparent. Maybe that talk that Kyojuro had given him had knocked some sense into him.

You nodded politely, caving into his request. "Of course," You wiggled your toes against the hardwood floor, knowing your nervousness would be too obvious if you fidgeted with your hands instead. "Feel free to visit him at night though. Just for today, avoid him," He recommended, firmly squeezing your shoulder before turning back to go into the room.

You took in a breath, sighing to yourself as you pressed your hand against the wall, deciding to meander back to your own room. There wasn't much for you to do there other than to reread the book that Kagaya had given you, nap, and take more of the painkilling medicine Shinobu had left for you in a teapot; all you had to do was heat it up and drink the hot tea.

You had just finished rereading the book for the second time when the door opened, Senjuro's footsteps loud and clear as he dawdled into your room. "I wanted to visit you, sorry for spending so much time with Kyojuro," You smiled, reaching your hand up as he affectionately grabbed it, setting it on his head.

You patted his head lightly, ruffling his hair afterward. "It's fine, Senjuro. He's your brother, so it's only right that you spend some time with him when he finally wakes up." You were sure that Kyojuro had woken up much earlier than that, but you weren't going to voice your thoughts in front of the boy.

Senjuro leaned into your touch, only talking for a few minutes more before he stood up to go take his nightly bath. "He kept asking for you, I think father will let you go see him now," He mumbled, opening the sliding door and helping you up. He left shortly after and you slowly made your way down the hallway again, reaching Kyojuro's room at the end of it.

You knocked once out of politeness, receiving a welcoming greeting from Kyojuro when you slid it open. Much to your surprise, he was already standing up, hand reaching for your forearm to lead you. "You shouldn't standing," You chastised. You reached for his arm in turn, squeezing it in a scolding manner.

You made sure you didn't do it too hard and was glad to know it wasn't the arm he had wrapped in bandages. "It's alright, I'm meant to heal a little quicker." Kyojuro reassured, beaming in your direction as he planted a kiss on your forehead. He led you to his bedding, dropping down to sit on it as you sat near it, still holding onto one another by the arm.

"You're healing well too!" It was more of a statement than an observation, you could practically feel the sticky bandages along your skin and you had to drink more of that painkilling tea than you would like to admit, but you admired his blatant optimism. "At an average speed," You clicked your tongue, referring to his unusual regeneration rate.

He laughed softly, pulling you close. Your face was nestled in the crook of his neck as you leaned forward, allowing yourself to slip onto his lap. You made sure not to put too much weight on him, but he didn't seem bothered in the slightest at your action, only further encouraging it when his grip on you tightened.

"I missed you," He murmured, planting a kiss in your hair, then one on your neck, and eventually your cheek. You hummed, closing your eyes as you embraced him. "I missed you too," You admitted, your words sounding more sheepish than you would've liked. Kyojuro cupped your cheek, tilting your face towards his.

You had no idea what he was doing, his thumb slowly stroking your cheekbone. His multi-colored eyes bore into your milk-hued ones, drinking in every aspect of your figure. "You know," He started, catching your attention. "My mother and father always had contrasting views of love; she said it was something human nature was incapable of hiding and he said it was weakness."

He chuckled softly and so did you, beaming up at him. "And now I understand while looking at you," Your heart skipped a beat at his words and you could feel your face heat up underneath his grip. "I love you." His hand on your cheekbone fell to your other hand, squeezing it lightly before moving to intertwine your fingers together.

"They were both right. You're my weakness but also my strength," He paused and you could feel him press his calloused fingers against yours, basking in your touch as he gazed at you softly. "Why would I want to hide such a wonderful thing?"