Tengu's bride | Giyushino [First draft]

[8] ~ Till death do us part

I realised that I've never mentioned this but Sanemi's family is alive 😭 Except his dad 🤣 That asshole! Anyways his mother is very much alive becuz I love her and no could ever made me kill her.

In chapter 7 I forgot to write about Sanemi's younger sibling other than Genya, but they were playing in the garden while their mother is inside the house. Yes, Sanemi and Kanae is living with the whole family but their room is in the separate part of the house. Sanekana also adopted Kanao. Her backstory will be explained in a side story after the main story is finished.

Also I had writer's block 💀 that's why the update is so late.

🥀

"I hope this Sanemi person wasn't an issue for my sister, but knowing how his crow behaves, I wouldn't bet on it." Shinobu mumbled to herself as she slowly brushed out her hair.

"Or was it my own sister who taught the crow how to behave? She could be scary at times, I should know. Now that I think about it, I should be worried about Sanemi, not my sister." She shrugged her head, trying to contain her amusement.

For a moment, she closed her eyes, basking in the sounds of nature and the softness of her hair against her fingers.

"Ah," She gasped in realisation. "I forgot to ask him about his garden. I wonder if he would let me plant herbs out there. It would be useful to have them around, just in case one of us needs them."

She gently plopped down her brush on the floor to gather her hair into a flat yakai-maki bun. She mentally reminded herself to ask Giyu for a proper vanity.

Shinobu smiled into the mirror as she clipped on her signature butterfly hairpin, one of the few signature hair pins that had been passed down in her family for generations.

Kocho means butterfly, after all. Her ancestors did love to make their family aesthetically pleasing.

"When is Kanae coming? I completely forgot to ask Giyu about it. Silly me." She quickly stood up from the floor. Dizziness abruptly took over, causing her to wince.

"I might've spent too much energy yesterday. Hopefully, I'll get my stability back." With that, Shinobu walked out of their bedroom, and the floor creaked beneath her feet. She admired the sun from the big glass windows.

'Pretty' Her eyes sparkled with the sunlight. She let out a deep breath; her heartbeat started to quicken, and her excitement to see her sister again quickly grew. The corners of her lips slowly lifted.

'Will I recognise her after all this time?' She asked herself, and her feet came to a stop in front of one of the window panels. 'Will she recognise me?'

Her fingertips gripped onto the glass, slowly tracing the wavy patterns that the glass had. Her mind was occupied with the thoughts of her family, the thoughts of the past, and the life she had with her sister by her side. Shinobu remembered the time when she spent days crying for her sister, not knowing if they'd ever meet again.

And now, she finally got her answer: that they will indeed meet again, but she wishes that her parents could get to see their oldest daughter as well.

Lost deep in her thoughts, she couldn't hear the sounds of a man's footsteps getting closer to her. Giyu stood near her, not too close but not too far away, enough to give her space.

He watched her from the corner of his eyes, watching as her hand slid down the window. He could see her eyes moving to watch him from the reflection of the window.

"Is she here yet?" She asked. He shrugged his shoulders in response.

"No, not yet. May I ask if you're alright or is that a silly question?" Shinobu turned around to face him. She let go of the breath she had been holding and sighed.

"It's not silly; don't worry. It's just... I'm excited that I get to see my sister again, but the thought of my parents never getting to see her too made me feel nauseous. Even though it's only been three years, I felt as if I barely remembered what she looked like. People always say that since we're siblings, I could just look into the mirror and see her, but I do not think that is the case. Mine and her eye colours are different, even our hair."

"I met her before, a few times. Now that I think about it, you two have similar personalities, though she is more gentle."

"Excuse me-"

"What I meant was that despite you two looking different from each other, it doesn't mean that you couldn't see her in yourself. Each sibling shares at least one feature, whether physical or not. I'm sure once you lay your eyes on her, you'll recognise her right away, and the same could be said for her." Giyu took out his handkerchief and gently wiped her cheeks. Shinobu then realised that she was tearing up the whole conversation. He tried his best to gather all her tears.

Shinobu thanked him as he put the handkerchief back in his haori.

"Thank you, Mister Tomioka. That made me feel so much better. I guess I really needed those words."

"You're welcome, and I also think you look beautiful in that kimono. I'm not the best at picking women's clothing, but I tried my best to find one that you may like." Shinobu held her arm up, admiring the butterfly embroidery on her kimono sleeves.

"Thank you; it is really beautiful. Once I saw it in the wardrobe, I could just not wear it." The two newlyweds spent the next few seconds silently looking out the window before being interrupted by loud knocks on the door.

"Oi, Tomioka!" A familiar voice called out, and Giyu quickly grabbed Shinobu's hand and pulled her away.

"Let's go let them in before the dog gets angrier." He said it with a hint of amusement in his voice, while Shinobu started at him, confused.

'Dog?' She thought, her head tilted. 'What dog?'

Unbeknownst to her and lucky for him, she didn't realise how flustered he was to have her hand in his or how long he had waited to have her beside him. God was on his side when they brought her to him. Perhaps it's their way of apologising; at least that is what he would like to think.

Shinobu stood behind the black-haired man as he opened the door. The scene before her felt as if it slowed down, creating a tense atmosphere that seemed to make her feel ill.

Her hands felt too warm, in contrast to Giyu's cold hand before he let go of hers. Suddenly, she felt a deep sense of longing for his hands. She thought that if his hands were holding hers again, it would help relieve her anxiety.

She couldn't see her sister at first, but when she saw a white-haired man, she noticed a pair of furry ears hidden in his messy hair. The glint of anger in his eyes confuses her even more.

'What's with this man?' She thought.

For the next moment, her sight went dark, and her body was wrapped tight as if someone were suffocating her with all their strength. Her nose went tingly, as if she were about to sneeze from something that kept tickling her nose. Her brain went numb, and her soul felt as if it was trying to escape from her body.

But the scent of flowers brought her back to earth. It was a familiar scent. The scent she hadn't smelled in a long time, and in that moment she knew.

It belonged to Kanae, the same Kanae who stood here, wrapping her arms tightly around Shinobu's tiny body.

The same Kanae who held her like this throughout her childhood.

The same Kanae who took care of her when their parents were too busy.

The same Kanae that she bid farewell to a few years ago.

The same Kanae would sacrifice herself for her family to have a better life.

This is that same Kanae.

God knows how much Shinobu missed her sister and how much she yearned for the sisterly love that only Kanae could provide.

My sister, I'm here.

Shinobu let out a sob, startling everyone in the room but Kanae herself, who also couldn't control her tears. The younger girl buried her face in her big sister's hair, taking in the scent that she had been missing.

Their holds on each other grew stronger, neither wanting to let go, as if if they let go, they might lose each other again. Even though, deep down inside, they knew that it'd never happen again.

Till death do us part.