𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝑰 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 [𝕘𝕚𝕪𝕦𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕠] (KNY)

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝟥: 𝒯𝑒𝒶𝓂𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀 𝒾𝓈 𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂 𝒲𝑜𝓇𝓀

Shinobu POV:

I silently assessed the dummy. Weak point: shins and elbows. Before it could even get a chance to dart at me, I fired a needle at it's right elbow, the arm it was using to wield it's strikingly sharp dagger.

The poison in the needle would weaken the demon wherever the liquid could spread. Hopefully it would imobilize it long enough for Tomioka to get an opening. 

The demon dashed at me suddenly and I was almost knocked off my feet, but I managed to jump aside and dodge. It crashed sidelong into the fence and Tomioka took this opportunity to make a slash along it's side. The demon silently healed it's wounds and went on, leaping into a fierce duel with Tomioka. I raised an eyebrow at this. The dummies Oyakata-sama usually gave us didn't have such quick healing abilities. 

But it was safe to say the poison in my needle had worked. I could see the strength in the dummy's right arm flailing. My poison was specially crafted by Kanae, completely immune to any healing abilities any demon had. With speed I'd trained for in the past years, I leapt down, swept a leg out and tripped the dummy. It fell to the floor, and in that instant with the time I'd bought, I jabbed a needle into it's neck while Tomioka slashed down on it from above. 

It went limp. 

I peeked a glance at Sanemi and Obanai. They were dealing with two demons, one of them dead and the other half-dead. Gyomei was quickly finishing it off. I could see from the corner of my eye Giyu trying to smile at me, but I was stone-cold ignoring him. Jesus, boy, it was just a dummy. Not even two. Maybe if you'd defeated a Twelve Kizuki I'd spare you a grin. Maybe not.

"Thanks, Shino-"

"Kocho." I snapped. "And stop trying to talk to me."

Tomioka blinked at me, confused. "I was just trying to thank you for tripping the dummy. I wasn't gonna try anything."

"Says you." I scoffed, turning away. "Come on, they're done with their dummy." I walked off to Sanemi, Obanai and Gyomei. 

Giyu POV:

I sighed, tugging at my ponytail. How long would it take for her to realise some part of me just really wanted to be friends? I could handle not being what I wanted us to be. Just being friends would be enough for me in the end. 

But she always pushed me away. What was it that bothered her about me? Girls really just aren't understandable, I thought moodily as I followed her to the others. I often wished I could talk to Tsutako about it, but I doubted she would understand. Would she? I'd never seen her with a boy before. Hmm...

I kicked at the dirt, purposelly delaying the moment in which I would have to go over to the others and discuss our strategy. I was committed to training, but Sanemi and Obanai- I really wasn't in the mood for them at the moment. They were obsessed with getting on my back, prickly about every single thing I said. It was like my existence offended them or something- Well, it probably does.

"GIYU!" Sanemi barked. "Get over here!"

"Coming." I grumbled. I'd long gave up any hopes of befriending Sanemi and Obanai. They were just like Shinobu; completely, utterly, hated me, for no reason I could comprehend. 

"Alright, that wasn't bad, but too slow." Sanemi frowned as soon as I shuffled to the group. "It took us at least half a minute to kill off three dummies that weren't even that good. They should have been demolished in under twenty seconds. We need to up our game."

"They weren't that bad." Shinobu raised an eyebrow. "In my opinion, the demon I faced was faster than 40% of the demons I encounter on normal missions."

"We faced," I corrected, "Not just you. I exist, remember?" I winced. That had come out meaner than I thought it would. 

Shinobu shot me a fierce glare. "Lay off, Tomioka. If it hadn't been for me tripping that dummy, you might've taken a minute."

"That's why I was trying to thank you before," I mumbled, but Obanai started talking over me. 

"ANYWAY, this time I'm going to bring in six dummies. Three each. Higher level. We'll see how we do with those." Obanai said, marching off to the shed. 

I sighed. It would be a long time before the sky turned orange and I'd be able to go home.

Time skip

It was pouring by the time Oyakata-sama finally let us go home. There'd been such good weather in the morning, but of course it starts raining when I have to walk home. 

I pulled off my haori despite the cold and threw it over the top of my head, holding it like a fort. Soon as Oyakata-sama dismissed us, I went straight to the fence door. Most of the other Hashiras hanged around to have a cup of tea and chat, but I just wasn't in the mood today. Not when I'd been so snappy with Shinobu. Now she was extra-angry at me, if that was even possible. 

I was just about to push open the wet wooden door before I spotted Shinobu behind me, looking impatient and soaking wet. 

Her bun was beginning to come undone, and she'd taken off her haori and wrapped it around herself like a blanket. She was shivering. Without thinking about the consequences, I took my haori and tried to put it on her shoulders. 

Before I could blink and try to snatch it back, my face started burning. I cupped a hand to my throbbing cheek. Shinobu raised her hand again, furious. "Don't touch me!"

"I wasn't..." I stepped back, trying to hide my shock that she'd slapped me, even though I'd half-expected it. "It was only you looked cold. So.."

"I don't need your haori, I'm fine," Shinobu seethed, "I told you already, don't try anything on me! I don't like you and I never will. Just back off." She pushed past me through the gate and I watched her stomp off into the rain. 

I tilted my head back, the cool raindrops soothing my burning face. Maybe the rain could wash away my hurt too. 

Why was she so insistent on hating me?

A/N: soo... i really love the plan i wrote for this book. i wrote a previous book trying to do like an au everyone-alive-personality-swap-giyu-likes-shinobu book thing before but I feel like I didn't potray them very well, so I'm trying again. <33