The Swimming Butterfly (Giyushino Fanfic)

Chapter 15

𝙺𝚘𝚌𝚑𝚘 𝚂𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚋𝚞

His eyes widened in shock before narrowing into their normal size. "Y-you can't... can't read minds." He managed to whisper through a yawn before promptly falling back asleep. I breathed a sigh of relief, realizing his eyes widened due to the shock from his dream and not my embarrassing words. 

Sighing, I placed a hand on my warm neck. The sun beating down on my neck seemed to make Tomioka's flawless skin glow, only causing my uncovered skin to redden from the heat. 

After taking several minutes to appreciate the beauty and elegance of his sleeping face, I decided to bring him back to the Butterfly Estate. I removed his head from my lap, placing it on the grass as I stood up to shake the dirt off of the back of my pants. 

'He doesn't drool or snore when he sleeps. How can he be so perfect and graceful even while sleeping?' Wrapping his arms around my neck I placed my hands beneath his hamstrings, beginning the long trek home. The heat from the sun combined with my relatively weak stamina only made the journey more difficult. It also didn't help to carry another human-being on my back the whole time. 

Halfway through the walk, I stopped for a quick water break. Taking cover in the forest next to the road, I looked for a stream that I could drink from. After wandering around, lost in the unfamiliar brush, a voice came from behind me, providing me with directions. "There's a stream about 100 meters to your right."

"Thank you very much." I turned 90 degrees, walking briskly with directions in mind. 'Wait, who said that?' I turned around, only to see a very conscious Tomioka. "How long have you been awake?" I asked, masking the anger and annoyance with a smile.

"Ever since you picked me up." He looked confused, noticing my anger. Nonetheless, he continued on. "I've always been a light sleeper. The moment you put my head on your lap, I woke up briefly before falling asleep." Upon hearing this, I immediately let go of Tomioka, trying to make him fall flat on his face. To my dismay and nobody's surprise, he skillfully landed on his feet without making a noise. Shaking my head in disbelief and irritation, I continued making my way to the stream, Tomioka trailing right behind me. 

'Damn that handsome fool. He really forced a woman like me to carry him for several miles. I swear I'll end him one day.' I curled my hand into a fist thinking about all of the ways to get back at him. After several seconds of walking, we finally reached the stream Tomioka was talking about. The water was perfectly clear, reflecting the sunlight into my eyes. I bent down, cupping my hands as I scooped some of the water out to my mouth. I savored the cool liquid as I drank it, trying my hardest not to spill any. Tomioka was sitting on a rock to my left, staring at the water blankly. 

"Let's go," I called out as I turned around. "This time I'm not carrying you, you lazy bum." Tomioka frowned as he continued to walk beside me. 

"I'm not lazy. I make sure to work out every day, sometimes twice." Too busy giggling at his lackluster retort, I failed to notice the thornbush to my right.

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 𝚃𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚘𝚔𝚊 𝙶𝚒𝚢𝚞

"Crap!" Startled at Kocho's outburst, I quickly turned my head to look at her. Her hand was stabbed by a thornbush, several visible thorns sticking out from her skin. She winced in pain, trying to grab ahold of the thorns with her long fingernails, but to no avail. Looking down at my hands, I realized with the current state of my nails, I wouldn't be able to pull out the thorns either. 

I hurriedly got onto my knees and brought my mouth to her right hand. I placed my mouth over the thorn, sucking it out just enough to get a hold of it with my teeth before pulling it out. Repeating this process several times, I was able to get rid of all of the thorns stuck in her hand. Too invested in the task before me, I didn't notice Kocho's blushing face until I looked back up. Her entire face was covered in a pinkish tint, all the way from ear to ear. 

'I didn't do anything wrong right? My sister used to do this for me when I got thorns stuck in my arms after playing in the forest beside our house. Sighing at the inconvenience, I began to make my way out of the forest, towards the road we ever previously traveling on. Shinobu trailed behind me, not making a noise even after we reached the main road. 

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𝙺𝚘𝚌𝚑𝚘 𝚂𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚋𝚞

I was still in shock as we approached the Butterfly Estate from Tomioka's eccentric way of removing my thorns. 'His lips were so soft and warm, more so than they look from a glance.' Glancing into a puddle next to the gates, I could see the difference in color between my cheeks and the rest of my skin. 

With no more time to get rid of my blush, I entered the estate right behind Tomioka. To our left came a small blur of orange and white, flying towards Tomioka. A small dog began to gnaw on his leg viciously, but not piercing through his pants. After several seconds of rapid thrashing, the dog seemed to calm down rub up against his leg. 

"You must have missed me Shinobu." He knelt down on one knee to pat her head, scratching her the top of her head and chin. He smiled a little, reminding me of the night before we spent in the room alone. "You're so cute." After Tomioka rubbed the dog in the wrong spot, it began to bite at his hand, once again thrashing around. Despite all of the abuse, Tomioka sat there blankly, continuing to pet her with his free hand. 

After getting tired from attacking Tomioka, the furry creature eyed me warily. It approached me slowly before taking laps around me. 'If I'm not mistaken, this has the same name as me.' "Hi Kocho, do you want me to pet you?" I reached out my hand, waiting for the dog to get close enough to me. 'I've always hated dogs, but since this is Tomioka's, I'll make an exception...' Kocho slowly progressed towards me, sniffing my hand once she was close enough. 

After realizing that I had no food, she immediately latched onto my hand and began to bite with the power and strength of 10,000 men. Shrieking, I jumped up and tried to shake her off of my hand. After shaking her head twice, she immediately went for my legs, forcing me to take refuge inside. I bolted into the estate, Kocho in close pursuit. Tomioka sprinted after the both of us, trying to catch the small rascal.

Passing Aoi and the three girls, they stared as their master, and a Pillar in an established organization, ran as she was being chased by a small canine, specifically a Shina Inu. Running through the multitude of hallways that took me years to memorize, the beast never faltered, nor did Tomioka. Eventually, I was back up into a room, no more exits available to my disposal. I braced myself for the painful bites which would prick my legs, closing my eyes and steeling my heart. 

After the barrage of bites didn't come when expected, I opened my eyes to see Tomioka stooping down low to catch Kocho between his hands. Unable to stop his momentum as he bent over to pick up the canine, he began to fall face first, he quickly lost balance. Trying to protect our heads if they collided, I formed a barrier with my hands. 

To my dismay, the barrier was completely unnecessary, as his head landed face-first into my chest. 

Ah yes, finally I have met the deadline I have set for myself last week. I don't really like this chapter, but I think the next one will be more exciting and will be better written :) I already have a plan for the next chapter, so stay tuned!

As always, I truly thank each and every one of you guys who read this story and write comments. They always make my day and help me push through school!