𝑖 𝑤𝑜𝑛𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛

Chapter 38

The soft glow of the moon casted a gentle light across the room. The air was silent with hope. It was as if the world had finally let out an exhale after the war had ended. Shinobu was in her room, sitting upright on her bed. Her right arm was in a cast and there were bandages wrapped around her ribs. She used her left fingers to trail down the blood splotches forming. She rested her head against her pillow and closed her eyes. 

"Knock knock."

"Come in." 

Giyuu stepped quietly into the room, each creak of the wooden floor beneath his feet seeming loud in the stillness. His heart pounded from the sight of her. He was thinking hard on what to say to her without making it awkward. He walked towards her and sat down. Neither one of them wanted to talk first. 

"Shinobu.. Do you want me to replace your bandages?" He asked softly looking at the blood seeping through. She didn't say anything, just a slight nod. 

He stood up and went to her desk to get fresh bandages. 

"Giyuu.. How are the others doing..?" She asked, in her real voice. 

"They're fine.. They're doing well.." He replied, although Shinobu couldn't see she could tell he smiled a little. 

"I hope Gyomei is doing well and that Genya and Sanemi take care of each other." She murmured under her breath.

"Im sure Kanae will take good care of him. Now turn around and take your old bandages off." He then handed her a blanket. "I won't look.

"When I first met you Shinobu, you were aggressive and had a hot temper. Much like Sanemi." Giyuu stated before receiving a weak but powerful slap from her. 

"You changed after Kanaes passing... I did think about it a lot. You don't have to change to be like her. I liked you even when you were pugnacious." He added. 

"There all clean." He said. Shinobus back was facing him so he walked to the other side of the bed. Shinobu turned his back on him once again. 

"You mad? Because I called you pugnacious?" He teased hugging her on the back. 

"I am not!" She retaliated. 

"Sure sure sure." 

Giyuu laid back into his chair, resting his eyes for a bit. The atmosphere once again became calm but this time the air had a hint of love. A small smile tugged over Shinobus lips as her eyes drifted toward the window, where the moon hung like a guardian over them. Oh how much his personality had changed. 

"If you want to die then rot to death for all I care!"  Sanemi definitely had the temper but Giyuu never once lost respect for him. After all he was the 'destroyer of demons.' 

"Giyuu Tomioka, you are very strong at such a young age. I respect you." Gyomei was always like an older brother, a tragedy to have lost such an important figure. 

The room was silent again, but it wasn't the same suffocating silence from before. His eyes flutter open, pushing through the exhaustion. He hadn't gotten a good night sleep in ages. He stayed up overthinking everything. He wasn't as strong in the life. He still couldn't save everyone. 

"Stay with me tonight." Shinobu whispered, almost in an uncertain voice as if afraid he'd refuse. Giyuu, taken aback by this bold request. The look in her eyes made his hesitation melt away. He gave a small nod, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Of course, I'm not going anywhere." 

Carefully, mindful of her injuries, he shifted and laid down beside her. The bed was a bit narrow but it didn't matter. His arm slid gently around her waist and she moved closer to him, resting her head against his chest. His warmth enveloped her, her heart was probably beating a million times per second now. The moon casted a soft glow over the pair as they laid together. The war felt distant, like a bad dream that had finally ended. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his haori, holding onto him. 

"You know," Shinobu whispered, breaking the silence. "I used to wonder if we'd ever get a night like this... where we could just be."

Giyuu smiled, a soft chuckle rumbling in his chest. "And here we are," he replied. "A night without battle. Without fear."

She closed her eyes, sighing contentedly. "It doesn't feel real."

"The moon is beautiful isn't it, Giyuu?" She looked up in the night sky, her eyelids feeling heavier by the second. 

"Its beautiful."

He stayed awake for a little longer, watching the rise and fall of her chest, listening to the soft sound of her breath. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead once more and whispered, "like you."