Wait..what!? (sanegiyuu)

chap 22

A few weeks later, Giyuu had completed his rehabilitation. Sanemi, insistent and somewhat protective, had offered-if not insisted-that Giyuu and Ren stay at his estate for a while to fully recover. Giyuu, a bit taken aback by the offer, had eventually agreed.

As they walked toward the estate, Ren ran ahead, his laughter echoing through the air. He suddenly stopped, noticing a beautiful blue flower. He picked it up and ran back to his Ma, holding it up with a wide smile.

"Ma! Ma! It's a pretty flower!" Ren exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Giyuu smiled warmly, crouching down to Ren's level. "It is very pretty, Ren."

Ren carefully placed the flower in Giyuu's hair, his face glowing with pride. "Now Ma looks even prettier!" He then turned to Sanemi, beaming. "Isn't Ma prettier now, Pa?"

Sanemi smiled, nodding. "He definitely is."

Sanemi leaned closer to Giyuu, his voice dropping to a flirtatious murmur. "But you always look pretty to me, Giyuu."

Giyuu's face flushed a deep red at Sanemi's words. Before he could respond, Sanemi scooped Ren up, laughing at Giyuu's reaction.

Ren looked between his parents, his young mind piecing things together. "Pa is flirting with Ma."

Giyuu quickly shook his head, trying to hide his embarrassment. "No, he's not. Where did you even learn about flirting, Ren?"

Without missing a beat, Ren replied, "Uzui-san told me!"

Giyuu sighed, his mind racing with thoughts of what else that "flashy bastard" might have told his son. He glanced at Sanemi, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Remind me to have a word with Uzui," Giyuu muttered, his tone half exasperated, half amused.

Sanemi chuckled, adjusting Ren in his arms. "Yeah, we'll have to make sure he doesn't give Ren any more 'lessons.'"

Ren, oblivious to the adults' concerns, simply enjoyed the moment, his giggles blending with the rustle of the leaves as they continued their walk to the estate.

As they walked, Ren tugged on his Pa's sleeve. "Pa, can I go down?"

Sanemi nodded, setting Ren on the ground. Ren immediately grabbed Giyuu's hand, his small fingers curling around his Ma's. "Ma, come with me! I know a place where there are butterflies!"

Giyuu smiled softly, allowing himself to be led by his enthusiastic son. Sanemi watched them, his heart warming at the sight. He remembered when he had first shown Ren the butterfly spot while Giyuu was still in a coma. Ren had missed his Ma terribly, and finding the butterflies had brought some comfort to the boy.

Sanemi's thoughts drifted back to the miscarriage. The guilt gnawed at him-Giyuu didn't even know he had lost their baby. It was a burden Sanemi carried alone, unsure of how or when to tell Giyuu about it. The memory was a heavy weight, but seeing Ren so happy brought a measure of peace.

"Pa, come on!" Ren called, his voice snapping Sanemi out of his reverie. "We're almost there!"

Sanemi took a deep breath, pushing the guilt aside for now. He joined Giyuu and Ren, choosing to focus on the present moment. There would be time to talk about the loss later, but for now, they could enjoy the tranquility and happiness together.