Kitty - Sanemi x OC x Tengen

Ch. 21: Missing Connections

When they successfully beheaded the demon, Sanemi was ecstatic. Not because they'd won, but because he got to do it with her. He finally came to understand why Tomioka, Rengoku and Tengen recommended her to be a Hashira; she really deserved it.

"Time to head back, I guess," he was a little sad until her stomach growled a little, "were you fighting with an empty stomach?" He looked at her in disbelief, "why would you do that to yourself? You must eat a full meal before fights to get as much energy as you can."

"I know," she pouted, "but I'm hungry now. Do you think we have the time to grab dinner or something?"

"We have all the time in the world," he tried so hard to conceal how happy he was.

He even opened the door and pulled the chair for her. They'd gone to a nice little bar at the end of the town, "mhhh... this is so good." She sipped on her sake and Sanemi swallowed hard, "looks like you're going to be the death of me today." He raised the entire cup and heard her happy laugh, "haha! You haven't stopped doing that!"

"And you're still a lightweight," he poked back at her with a huge smile on his face, "Okay, you need to eat first. You already look like you're getting drunk."

"Yeah, I'll chop your head off if you even try to take advantage of me." She chirped and he just watched her drink more of her sake.

He went to the crowded bar to get more drinks for them when he was approached by a girl, "you're from the demon slayer corps."

"I am," he said, paying attention to her for only a moment before looking for the bartender.

"Are you the one that killed the demon?"

"Yeah." He didn't make eye contact with her until she touched his hand, "you seem very strong, too. Can I buy you a drink?" His eyes finally met hers but only for a few seconds before he cleared his throat, "I'm here with my wife." He pointed at Miyuki.

"I don't think she likes you very much, though," she slipped him a piece of paper with her room number, "I also have drinks upstairs," she pecked his cheek before leaving.

"Awww, you have admirers!" Miyuki giggled when he was back with their drinks.

"I can't deal with it anymore."

"Well, come on. You can't stay alone forever." She took a sip of her sake, "maybe she's nice. Go!"

Sanemi put his drink down to make full eye contact with her, "are you seeing someone?"

"Hmm? Are you asking me this because I told you that you can't be alone forever?" She teased him, "I thought you'd have another wife and family by now."

"The only family I want is with you," he tucked a stray stand of her hair behind her ear.

"Since when do you like me this much?" She was almost fully drunk now.

"Always." He was tipsy too, "I've always loved you very much, I've just been bad at showing you just how much I loved you." He was now sitting close to her, his intense voice still made her cower a little.

"Is that why I had to beg you to spend time with me every time you were back from a mission?" She turned to her side to look at him.

He took a sharp breath when that memory played in his mind. He remembered how she would wait for him to come back from his mission no matter how late it was, and rip his clothes off of him as soon as he was home.

"But I wanted you to beg, I loved every minute of it. You were such a good wife to me," his eyes almost teared with the sweet memory.

His rough hand caressed her face. He missed how her soft face felt in his hands, "please let me take good care of you this time."

When he finally kissed her, he felt his soul fall back into his body. And when she kissed him back, he swore he'd never get over her, "come back home, it feels so empty without you," he said between kisses, "I love you so much."

She missed him so much that she was almost deaf to everything he was saying, "I'm sorry I did that. You know I'll always love you."

She pulled back immediately when she heard that. She was drunk but her memory was still fine. She remembered how a few days before their wedding she was unfortunate enough to overhear the conversation between Sanemi and Kocho's sister-the Former Insect Hashira Kanae, "I'm sorry that I have to marry her and not you. You know I'll always love you. I'm so, so sorry."

She remembered how she knew that, all throughout their marriage, he was only with her to fulfill his duties as her husband and nothing more. He only began being more involved with her after Kanae's death. Every painful memory came back to her when he said that.

"What wrong, baby?" He was trying to read her face.

He'd never called her that before. She was certain that he loved her very much now only because of how guilty he felt and because Kanae was no more around.

She remembered Kanae's distinct perfume and how she'd get a whiff of it from his clothes sometimes.

"I know about you and Kanae," she finally told him, "you weren't very faithful in our marriage until she died, were you?"

The look on his face answered all her questions.

"Miyuki, please-"

"I need to get out of here. I'm going back home."

————

She took deep breaths knowing that Sanemi didn't deserve her tears anymore. She couldn't believe she almost gave in to his nonsense again.

She missed Tengen. Even if he was unsure of his relationship with her, he was always straightforward and blunt about what he wanted. He would've been a ladies' man but at least he was honest. She had been avoiding contact with Tengen after she moved out of his place, and he had to leave for a mission right after.

She went straight back home and took a hot bath to calm her nerves, the alcohol in her system keeping her body warm. She changed into her skimpy nightclothes because of how warm she was feeling and just before she got into her bed, someone impatiently knock on her door.

She missed having some warmth next to her. She was a Hashira and everything but that didn't keep her from wondering why she was so undeserving of love and affection.

"Why is it so difficult to get a decent man these days-"

She opened the door to see Tengen panting. He had come to her place straight from his mission, desperate to find out if she was safely back from her mission. His eyes slowly moved down to her clothes, forgetting what he was about to tell her.

"You're back from your mission?" She asked him.

"I missed you." He moved in with quick steps and closed the door behind him, "I missed you so-" he picked her up to kiss her, only to get a whiff of the alcohol from her breath, "are you drunk?!"

"What if I am?" Her legs were around him as his brawny hands gripped her ass to hold her in place. God, how she missed that man. She knew he wasn't going to like her the way she liked him - well, she more than just liked Tengen. She always looked forward to him. He was so warm and comforting, without any bullshit. He paid attention to her and was fully involved for as long as he was around her. The extra bonus of a god's body and a devil's face was an added perk.

"I thought you were on a mission with Shinazugawa."

"Now, who told you that? Are you spying on me?"

"Did you drink with him?"

"I did," she giggled, "and when he kissed me I realized what a douche he'd been the whole time. Did you know that he cheated on me? Oh, he was in love with Kocho san's sister the whole time."

Tengen just took her to her room knowing how drunk she was, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Sleep it off now." He tucked her in her bed and got up to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."