Snake in the Garden

Chapter 2: Socks

It had been quite a while since they last convened, so it was a welcome surprise for Mitsuri when her crow alerted her of a new meeting. She excitedly braided her hair whilst admiring her reflection.

"Today I will greet the Master for sure!" she reassured herself with a determined smile. Mitsuri did a little spin, pleased with her outfit. Her legs felt a little cold, though. Perhaps socks would help? She would pick some up when she got the chance for sure.

She quickly bid her family goodbye and began running to the mansion.

Obanai was already there. He was dramatically laying on his side on a thick bough of a tree, silently judging those around him, particularly Giyuu. "What a pathetic fake hashira," Obanai muttered to himself, squinting at the man with disdain. His sharp eyes picked up on movement.
"Hm?"

He spotted Kanroji running, her haori flying behind her. Her braids bounced around wildly as she ran over to the group. She wore her usual smile, her eyes sparking brightly as she greeted everyone. She even looked around to search for Obanai.

"Iguro! Good morning!" Mitsuri said happily, looking up at him from the ground. She seemed rather happy today.

"Good morning, Kanroji," Obanai responded in his monotone voice. His haori was draped across the tree bough, casting a rather funny shadow.

Mitsuri smiled, a light pink dusting her face. She was just happy to be talking to someone as respectful as Iguro was. Well, respectful to her, at least.

Obanai pulled his attention away from the cute hashira and focused on the door that was beginning to slide open. Without thinking, he quickly snapped off a branch and threw it. Every other hashira turned at the movement and sound, except for Kanroji. She saw her chance to greet the Master.

"Good morning, Master!" Mitsuri greeted, bowing. The other hashiras quickly focused again, disappointed they hadn't managed to greet the Master first.

'Thank you, Iguro!' Mitsuri thought, thanking him silently. She stole a quick glance at him, noting how he refused to meet her gaze. She hoped she hadn't bothered him.

As for Obanai, he had turned away from Mitsuri to compose himself. He was mortified he had willingly distracted the others just to help Kanroji out. What was he doing? He needed to get a grip.

He could feel Kanroji's eyes on him, and the feeling made him nervous. Perhaps she didn't know why he did that? He could only hope. His irrational, impulsive decision had been totally uncalled for, and now he felt the firm grip of embarrassment crush him. He adjusted his mask slightly in an attempt to relieve himself of the shame. Still, he secretly enjoyed helping her out and seeing her smile like that.

When the meeting was over, Obanai found himself taking the same path he had previously. He stopped by the little clothing stand, his eyes lingering on a few pairs of thigh-high socks. He himself had no need for such a thing, but he suspected Kanroji would appreciate having them. He had noticed her legs shivering slightly earlier and knew she was cold thanks to her rather revealing uniform. The maker of the uniform was another man Obanai hated with passion besides Tomioka. "Can I help you, sir?" asked a voice. Obanai snapped out of his loathing and looked up at the owner of the stand.

"I am just perusing," he stated before going back to staring at the socks. He liked a pair that had white and black stripes, but it wouldn't match her outfit. There was another pair that was completely white, but it seemed too basic and plain. The other patterns and colors reminded him too much of the other hashiras. He wanted to get Kanroji a pair that would remind her of him.

Obanai spotted something buried beneath the other socks. He pushed them aside and held up a pair of light, lovely green with subtle stripes from opening to toe. He thought about it for a bit. The green would pair nicely with Miss Kanroji's hair fade, and the stripes would show that Obanai was the one whom the socks could be traced back to. He would be a fool to pass them up.