𝓡𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓜𝓮 [ ObaMitsu fanfic/ R-(M)] Kimetsu No Yaiba

Chapter 27 -Bruised Heart

As the evening breeze slipped through the open window, Kanae and Sanemi stood near the bedroom door, their lips locked in a desperate, passionate kiss. When they pulled away, Sanemi gazed into her soft, sad eyes, and she saw the same sadness mirrored in his. She reached up, her fingers brushing his neck before pulling him into a tight embrace. Sanemi buried his face in the curve of her neck, inhaling her familiar scent. He missed her deeply, and the distance between them gnawed at his insides. His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her even closer, as if holding on could stop them from drifting apart.

"Hey," Sanemi whispered, his voice rough.

"Hi," Kanae replied, her voice barely a breath. "Can we talk, please?"

Sanemi grunted in response, a half-hearted agreement.

They pulled away from each other, and Kanae sat cross-legged in the center of the bed while Sanemi leaned against the headboard, his posture slouched. He folded his left leg over his right and shoved his hands into the pockets of his black bomber jacket, eyes staring at the floor. The silence between them grew thick, both waiting for the other to speak first.

"Sanemi, I'm not going to beat around the bush," Kanae finally said, breaking the tension. "Why do you keep showing up with bruises? Who's doing this to you?"

Sanemi's eyes remained vacant as he looked at her, his face hollow. "Don't worry about it."

"Are you really going to avoid this question for the rest of our lives?" she pressed, frustration creeping into her voice.

"If I have to," he muttered, the indifference in his tone cutting her deeper.

"That's not smart, Sanemi," she said, her voice softening, laced with pain. "Why do you want to keep it from me?"

"Why do you need to know so badly?" he shot back, a hint of irritation flaring in his voice.

"Because if I'm going to be your wife someday, like you always promised, I have a right to know why my future husband keeps getting beaten up."

"No one's beating me up," he said through clenched teeth.

"Then you're fighting, aren't you?" she challenged.

Sanemi looked away, his jaw tightening, frustration boiling beneath his skin.

Kanae's gaze fixed on him, her eyes tracing the bruises that had become all too familiar. The silence returned, suffocating them both. She reached out, her fingers gently brushing the fresh swelling on his face. He flinched, pulling back, his body rigid with tension.

"You don't have to act tough with me, Sanemi," she whispered, her voice trembling with exhaustion and desperation.

"I'm fine," he muttered again, his words hollow and far away.

"No, you're not," she snapped, her patience unraveling. "You show up like this over and over, expecting me to just look the other way. You're hurting, and you won't even let me help you."

The silence between them felt like a widening void, and Kanae couldn't bear it any longer. "Why do you always shut me out?" Her voice cracked, her frustration bleeding into something raw and vulnerable. She moved in front of him, forcing him to look at her. "I want to help, Sanemi, but you won't let me."

His eyes flickered with a mixture of guilt and anger. "You don't understand, Kanae. Some things... they're just better left alone."

"Better left alone?" she echoed, disbelief thick in her voice. "Look at you! You're falling apart! I could feel you shaking when you held me and you expect me to just stand here and do nothing?"

Sanemi pushed himself off the bed, putting more distance between them, his back turned. "It's not your problem."

"I care about you!" Kanae shouted, her hands clenched at her sides. "How is that not my problem?"

Sanemi's shoulders slumped, and for a moment, Kanae thought she saw a crack in his defenses, the weight of his burden threatening to break him. But just as quickly, his face hardened again, walls rising once more.

"You wouldn't understand," he said quietly, his voice laced with finality. "It's something I have to deal with on my own."

Kanae's heart twisted painfully. She reached for him, her fingers brushing his arm, but he recoiled. "Help me understand," she pleaded softly. "You don't have to carry this by yourself."

For a fleeting moment, it seemed like he might finally open up, but then he stepped back, shaking his head. "I'm sorry," he muttered, reaching for the door. "But I can't."

Kanae moved quickly, standing in front of him, blocking his way. "Then at least let me treat your wounds."

Sanemi hesitated, his eyes meeting hers. He saw the fear, the sadness in her gaze, and for once, the wall between them trembled. With a reluctant sigh, he nodded. "Fine."

He walked over and sat in the chair by her desk, waiting silently as she went to the bathroom. She turned on the faucet, filling the tub with warm water and Epsom salt, her hands trembling. She'd bought the salts for this very moment, knowing it was only a matter of time before he needed them again.

When the bath was ready, she helped Sanemi undress, her heart breaking at the sight of his battered body. A part of her longed to pull him into bed, to erase the distance with her touch, but the other part shattered at the sight of his bruises. He lowered himself into the water, sinking into its warmth with a quiet sigh.

Kanae sat beside the tub, her arms wrapped around her knees, her eyes never leaving him. Tears welled in her eyes, but all she could do was sit there, helpless. Sanemi turned his head away, blinking back his own tears, his chest tight with unspoken guilt.

After the bath, Sanemi dressed in the spare clothes he'd left behind in her room and crawled into bed beside her. Kanae curled up next to him, burying her face in his chest, the silence between them heavy and suffocating. Sanemi pulled her close, his arms wrapped around her protectively, though his heart felt more distant than ever.

They said nothing, their unspoken pain filling the darkness, until exhaustion finally claimed them both.