影と風 | Kage to Kaze | Shinazugawa Sanemi

19 - Hairpin

I woke up with a groan, my muscles stiff and sore from the battle. The lingering aches in my body reminded me of just how close things had come. Blinking, I took in the room around me. It was the same one I had been resting in earlier, familiar and quiet. The futon beneath me was soft, offering little comfort to the bruises scattered across my skin, but what caught my eye was the small box lying beside me. I blinked again, slowly reaching out for it. It was the pinwheel hairpin I had seen at the festival.

Sanemi really did get me a present after all, I thought, a quiet warmth spreading through me. I couldn't help but smile, even if the rest of my body protested. "Good, you're awake. We're leaving soon," came a sharp voice from the doorway.

Sanemi stood there, arms crossed over his chest, looking as if the battle hadn't affected him at all. His silver hair, slightly ruffled, caught the light, but his gaze was as sharp and irritated as ever. Not a single hint of exhaustion showed on him. Meanwhile, I felt like I'd been run over by a horse carriage.

I glanced back at the hairpin in my hand, cradling it like something fragile. "Thank you," I said softly, my eyes meeting his for a brief moment. Thank you for saving me, I thought, but I didn't dare say it aloud.

Sanemi's expression barely changed, but I noticed a faint tint of red rise on his cheeks. He scoffed, brushing it off like it was nothing. "Tch, nothing to thank me for," he muttered, though his gruff tone betrayed the hint of embarrassment. Then, before I could react, he stepped closer, taking the hairpin from my hand. With surprising gentleness, he slid it into my hair, securing it in place. "Looks like the training's finally paying off," he added, eyes narrowed in that usual stern way of his, but I could see the pride buried beneath the scowl.

A small smile tugged at my lips. He is proud of me after all. I felt a rush of dopamine at the thought. I never craved the approval of any man, but with Sanemi it was different. 

"Before we leave, I need to bathe," I said, wincing as I shifted in the futon. "I'm covered in blood, and I feel disgusting."

He gave a small grunt, turning to leave. "Sure, just be quick about it."

As he disappeared from the room, I couldn't help but smirk to myself. He had no idea I wasn't planning on bathing alone.

~*~

"The fuck do you think you're doing?!" Sanemi's voice echoed off the stone walls of the onsen, his fury palpable as I stepped into the hot spring where he was already soaking.

I smiled, unbothered by his outburst. "I can't bathe on my own. What if my injuries are so bad that I drown?" I said with mock seriousness, dipping into the water with a sigh. The heat soothed the ache in my muscles almost immediately.

Sanemi shot me a deadpan look, irritation clear in his eyes as he leaned back against the stones. "You can't drown in an onsen, you idiot," he muttered, closing his eyes as if to shut me out.

I started scrubbing the dried blood off my arms, ignoring his attitude. "You don't know that, Nemi. Besides, what kind of man doesn't want to share an onsen with a fair lady?"

His eyes snapped open, blazing with a mix of frustration and something else I couldn't quite place. "What did you just call me?" His voice was low, dangerous.

I blinked innocently, but my grin was anything but. "A young man sho—"

"That's not what I meant, and you damn well know it."

"Nemi?"

"Don't ever call me that," he growled, his eyes locking onto mine, dark and seething. It was clear I had touched a nerve, but instead of backing off, I pushed forward. If there was one way to defuse Sanemi's temper, it was by being as irritating as possible.