"I'm going to miss you!" Senjuro gave her a long hug, "will you come visit us again?"
"Of course I will, Senjuro. You know I love playing Shogi with you. You've gotten very good at it."
"Thank you. Please stay safe, and alive!" He said, "I'll wait for you."
"I will try my best, baby. You stay safe, okay?" She ruffled his hair.
"Shinjuro san, Kyojuro san, thank you so much for everything. I'm very grateful." She conveyed her respect before heading out.
"Miyuki." She heard Kyojuro behind her as she reached his gates. "Am I in trouble?"
That made him laugh.
"No, you're not. I wish you the best. You're welcome here whenever you want to drop by." He said and she thanked him before she left. He stood there for a minute, absorbing the fact that she'd actually left. Everything felt so empty when she left.
With that, he took a deep breath and walked back inside.
———————
"I can't find Uzui san's house", she pouted as she looked around. "And it's so hot outside." She came across a stream and decided to soak her hands and feet for a little while to cool herself down.
Uzui Tengen was strolling outside his compound. He was grumpy about his morning coffee and wanted to take a walk to cool it off.
He heard a soft hum that pricked his ears, to the Sound Hashira - who was all about being flashy and using music and its components to figure out his opponent's movement patterns - it was a melody that soothed him, making him forget why he was grumpy in the first place. He followed the sound all the way to the stream and his eyes went wide when he found out that someone was singing softly.
He quickly recognised her. It was Shinazugawa's wife who almost died right in front of his eyes. That was gruesome even for him, he couldn't sleep for days after watching her baby die and the light in her eyes fade a little.
Her melody picked up a little, her soft voice drumming in his ears with the perfect rhythm. He stood still for a minute, a little too stunned to speak, before he regained his composure and walked back to his compound.
He hadn't agreed to train her at all, but Ubuyashiki told him he had no other choice. He hadn't gotten out of his house in months, and he certainly hadn't paid any attention to the details of who he was to train.
She finally found his house, "damn, he's rich," she tried to walk inside before being stopped by the guards at his gate, "I'm here from Ubuyashiki san's." She gave them her training letter and they let her inside.
The house was clean but the blinds hadn't been opened at all. It was gloomy and sad. He'd been in a corner since his wives died. The last thing he wanted to do was train someone.
Miyuki met one of the help in his house, "excuse me, where can I find Uzui san?" She asked her.
"Who are you?" The old woman examined her.
"I'm here from Ubuyashiki san's. I'm supposed to train with Uzui san for a month-"
"He's not training anyone, so leave."
"Leave?" She wasn't expecting that, "oh, no. I can't leave without my training. You have to get him." She asserted.
"Nope. He's not seeing anyone, he's mourning his wives."
"It's been almost a year now."
The fact that she brought that up didn't sit well with the old lady, "he lost his wives and this is what you have to say!? Have you lost your mind? Do you know what it's like to lose someone so close to you!? How dare-"
"I do." She deadpanned, "now please bring him here."
The old lady was taken aback, she took a step back in disbelief when Miyuki said that.
"Is someone troubling you, Tsubari san?"
Miyuki couldn't even sense him behind her, but when she did, she swallowed hard. It felt so intense that she didn't want to turn. It felt like she'd stepped in a lion's den with no weapons.
And his voice made shivers go down her spine.
"I..." her mind told her to run but her legs wouldn't even move. "I'm here... for the training."
"Hmm?" His deep voice gurgled her stomach, "say what now?"
"Ubu... yashiki... san-" she didn't even realise that she was whispering.
"Speak up."
"Ubuyashiki san sent me here!" She winced.
Her soft voice pricked his ears, "it's you!" He knew exactly who it was. "I see that you've finally left Shinazugawa. Good for you."
"Okay."
"Get out." He said before walking away, "you're not welcome here. I can't train you and I've already indicated that to Master. I'm sorry, but I'm not interested."
"I spoke to him this morning and he asked me to visit you." She was still intimidated by him.
"I don't care."
"You were there, weren't you?" Her hands clutched her uniform, "you know more than anyone else about how much I need this. They took my baby away from me and I can never see him again, please don't say no," She got on her knees and bowed, pleading him to train her so she could get stronger.
Of course he remembered the day she almost gave up on herself. He didn't want her to damage herself any more than she already was. He didn't understand why she hadn't quit the Demon Slayer Corps. With the look he saw on her face that day, he really thought she'd disappear from the face of the earth.
"You can't get your child back, and I can't train you." He said, "I can't be responsible for your nonsense. And I sure as hell will not send you to your death full of unrealistic confidence."
"I need to train. Please," tears formed in her eyes, but she kept her head down, "I really need this, I beg of you."
"I hate grovelling, it's the so unflashy." He headed back to his room, "I'm sure you can show yourself out."
"No, please!"
"Get out!" He shut the door to his room, "There's a forest outside. You can go train there or whatever."
YOU ARE READING
Kitty - Sanemi x OC x Tengen
Fanfiction"What if you want to go back to Shinazugawa one day?", Tengen was desperate for an answer, he didn't even bother hiding it anymore. "Why would I want to do that?", Miyuki asked as she nursed the wound on his torso. Her busy hands kept his mind occup...
