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nityisdreaming · 2 years

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i frgot abt tumblr..... herez all my shinomitsu week tings hehe

promts: personality (& breath) swap, love language (words of affirmation), royalty au, makeup/reincarnation/date night, happy birthday shinobu !

had so much fun i should draw these 2 more often hehe, also follow my twt @/nityisdreaming im p active there :D

#shinomitsuweek2022 #shinomitsu #shinobu kochou #kanjori mitsuri #demon slayer #kny #kimetsu no yaiba #my art

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heyiwrotesomethings · 2 years

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Royalty AU

ShinoMitsu Week 2022 Day Three

A/N: Ayooo! I have no business writing a Royalty AU but I did anyway to avoid the angst prompts. Still, I think it’s pretty fun. Biggest piece I wrote for the event! If you are looking for accurate setting info and whatnot you won’t find it here unfortunately, but hey! Cross dressing Shinobu in here, might be worth overlooking the other stuff, hm? Reference photo for the illustration here. Just like I have no business writing about royalty, I’ve got no business trying to draw any type of fashion. Hope you like it! Word Count:~13,500

Two countries waged war against each other for three hundred years. The original reason for the conflict was lost to time, but the hatred was just as fresh as the day it was conceived.

The Kanroji Family ruled over the vast mountain range and valleys of the east. Their castle clinging to the tallest mountain was an incredible sight. A passionate people, they fought for what they believed and loved just as furiously. Their strength was sought out by many.

The Kochou Family of the west, had domain over lush forests and serene lakes. It was well known that the wild flowers grown there were the most beautiful in the land. The people there, thought stern, yet fair. Clever people who knew how to make do with what they had. Many advances in medicine were discovered there.

Neither family could recall why they hated the other after all this time, but soon a new enemy had amassed an empire to the north, threatening the way of life of both kingdoms in a way that neither had witnessed in many generations. The king and queen of each domain met on neutral ground, the threat of Lord Muzan hanging over their heads driving their desperate need for cooperation.

“Kochou,” King Kanroji gruffly greeted, sitting his wife down at the table before seating himself.

“Kanroji, a pleasure,” Queen Kochou greeted in return, sounding overly sweet. Her husband assisting her into a chair before taking one for himself. “I believe you know why we invited you here?”

“Yes…” King Kanroji clicked his tongue, grounded only by his wife’s hand on his arm. “Muzan has been encroaching on both of our lands as of late.”

“His total disregard for human life and his misuse of power are unforgivable.” Queen Kochou nodded.

“So you want a truce, do you?” King Kanroji asked, he was not a fan of beating around the bush.

“Yes. I understand why it may be a difficult suggestion, but as it stands now, Muzan will overtake our kingdoms within a few short years. We both have resources the other lacks, if we work together we can overcome this threat to our peoples.” Queen Kochou explained, her husband nodding along.

“Perhaps you are worried for your kingdom, Kochou,” King Kanroji sniffed, looking down upon the small woman, “but as you know, I have the mountains. Only the strongest could survive the climb and then to try to fight my men, they would be dead before they could catch their breath.”

“Yes you have your mountains, Kanroji,” Queen Kochou acknowledged, her hand clenched tightly beneath the table, “but you also have the valleys where most of your food is produced. All Muzan would need to do is level those fields and he would starve you out. Are you really so stubborn—“

“Do you not understand why I cannot trust you?” King Kanroji bellowed, face red. “Three hundred years of conflict! How will I know that this is not some elaborate ploy? That you haven’t cut some deal with Muzan already?”

“I cannot prove anything to you beyond what that man has already taken from me,” Queen Kochou said, somehow managing to remain calm despite the large man yelling in her face.

“Then I can’t trust a word you say.”

The room became silent, the tension seemed to only grow in the absence of discussion. Queen Kochou and King Kanroji having a silent battle with eyes that could freeze a turbulent ocean twenty feet deep. Meanwhile, their respective spouses felt suffocated by the stand-off in the room.

“What will it take for you to agree to this truce?” Queen Kochou finally relented.

“A marriage.” King Kanroji says with finality. “If we are to fight together, I refuse to return to hostility. A marriage between our families will ensure that the feud between us is on a path of healing,” King Kanroji leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of his face. His pastel green eyes bore into Queen Kochou’s, such a deep purple they almost appeared black, “My eldest daughter, Mitsuri, is of age. I’ve heard tell of your difficulties conceiving children over the years.” He stated carelessly. “Were you able to produce an heir after your own daughter was born?”

“Yes, I was.” Queen Kochou affirmed without batting an eye. Her husband turned to look at her questioningly before thinking better of it. “A few years after Kanae was born we had success in conceiving again.”

King Kanroji’s gaze roamed over the Queen’s face, searching for some sign of deception. After a few tense moments, his wife squeezed his hand and nodded reassuringly. King Kanroji’s shoulders relaxed and he squeezed his wife’s hand in turn.

“So, Queen Kochou,” he cleared his throat, “Do we have a wedding to prepare for?”

“…I believe we do, King Kanroji.”

***

All things considered, Mitsuri took the news of an arranged marriage rather well. Which is to say, she didn’t take it well at all at first. Really? An arranged marriage with the son from her family’s sworn enemy? Granted, she still didn’t understand why their two families hated each other so much to begin with, but it was still a huge shock. Not to mention she had always dreamed of finding true love, and that rarely came out of arranged marriages. She had plenty of suitors that left her hanging as soon as they found flaw in her. What if this prince couldn’t stand her flaws either? They would be stuck together, wasting away in a loveless marriage. Only staying together long enough to make an heir or attend some royal function. That was not a life Mitsuri wanted. She cried in her room for the first several days upon hearing the news.

However, Mitsuri was nothing if not resilient, optimistic. It took some time, but she was warming up to the idea. This union was bigger than her and Prince Shinobu, this was going to end the three hundred year feud between their families and unite their kingdoms against Lord Muzan. And even if romantic love wasn’t in the cards for them, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends. Mitsuri prayed that it could be so.

“What are you thinking about, my strawberry?” Queen Kanroji asked from the sofa. She had been watching her daughter get fitted for her wedding clothes and caught her smile in the mirror.

“I’m looking forward to meeting Prince Shinobu, mother.” Mitsuri said, moving her arms out at the seamstresses’ direction, “Do you know anything about him?”

“Not at all, darling.” The Queen shook her head. “I have heard of Princess Kanae of the Kochou Family, but not a word of her younger brother, but if he is like his sister, then he should be a fairly benevolent young man.”

“I hope so.” Mitsuri’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, she was still nervous.

“No need to worry darling, you’ll have home field advantage with him moving into the castle. Your father made it very clear that you are our first priority in this agreement. If there is any treachery afoot, he will back out of the agreement immediately.”

“I know mother, and I’m very thankful. It’s just all happening so fast. I wish I could at least talk to him before the wedding day.”

“Perhaps a letter then.” The Queen advised, “Your father has been exchanging correspondences with Queen Kochou the last couple weeks. I believe the messenger will be leaving tomorrow morning, you could leave it with him.”

“That’s a great idea, mother!” Mitsuri beamed. “I’ll write it as soon as Nezuko is finished with me!”

After her fitting, Mitsuri practically ran to her room much to her mother’s dismay, and settled at her writing desk. She got out her prettiest stationary and readied her quill, finally pausing. She racked her brain before realizing she didn’t know what to write.

“Ah! Come on brain, think!” She groaned. This was harder than she thought. What should she say? After much deliberation, she decided to write about herself, an introduction. Hopefully Prince Shinobu would humor her by doing the same. The next morning, she caught the messenger boy before he left and gave him the letter smelling faintly of her favorite perfume.

***

“Is it too tight, Princess?” The seamstress asked, even as she continued to destroy Shinobu’s lung capacity.

“Yes.” Shinobu gritted her teeth together. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she felt foolish. Did her mother really think she could pass as a man for however long it took to stop Muzan’s army?

“Truly?” The seamstress, Aoi, loosened Shinobu’s chest bindings and the Princess gasped for air, rubbing gently at her tender flesh. “Apologies, Princess. I’ll try to make it looser, but that will mean you will probably need larger shirts and jackets to better conceal your chest.”

“If it means I can actually breathe, fine.” Shinobu grumbled.

“It is a noble thing you are doing for the kingdom, Princess Shinobu. Without this union, we would not have the numbers we need to keep Muzan at bay.“

“I know how important this marriage is to the kingdom. This is a small price to pay for a chance at peace after three hundred years of conflict.” Of course that peace could only stay intact for as long as she could keep up this ruse.

“How is it going in here, brother?”

“Do not call me your brother.” Shinobu snapped at Kanae. Glaring at her older sister’s reflection in the mirror as Kanae walked around the room.

“Well, I have to get used to it now, don’t I?” Kanae smiled sympathetically. “We both will. You may go tend to Kanao now, Aoi. I’ll take care of my grumpiest sister.”

“Very well, Princess.” Aoi bowed and then took her leave.

“So really, how are you feeling?” Kanae asked, coming up behind Shinobu to give her shoulders a comforting squeeze.

“About pretending to be a man and being shipped off to marry the daughter of our family’s longest standing enemies? I feel wonderful.” Shinobu answered with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

“Shinobu…”

“I know, I know! I’ll tell you the same thing I told mother. It’s a necessary sacrifice I am willing to make.” Shinobu noticed the sorrowful look her sister wore and frowned in kind. She knew it must be hard for her big sister to watch her go off and not be able to protect her. Shinobu sighed, “But if there was one good thing to come out of this mess, it’s that I get to wear these pants.”

Kanae giggled, “Are they really that comfortable?”

“Extremely. This on the other hand,” Shinobu motioned to the gauze and tape still covering her chest, “this is absolute hell. I swear my tits are where my lungs should be.”

“Shinobu, language!” Kanae laughed in earnest now, making Shinobu smile.

“What? I’m a man now, aren’t I? I can speak how I please.”

“Just don’t speak like that to Princess Mitsuri, the poor girl would probably faint.”

“I’m sure the topic of breasts will be off the table indefinitely.” Shinobu snorted, moving to change into something more comfortable.

“You don’t know that.” Kanae said, sitting down on Shinobu’s bed.

“Um, I’m pretty sure I do.” Shinobu shot her sister a look over her shoulder, “Yes, hello wife. It is I, your husband. I was wondering if you’d like to compare chest sizes. What do you say? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

Kanae doubled over, rolling across the bed and rumpling her dress as she laughed heartily.

“Oh,” Kanae gasped, trying to catch her breath, “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.” Shinobu smiled sadly.

“Who knows what the future may hold, Shinobu.” Kanae smiled, “I’m not sure why, but I have a feeling everything is going to work out.”

Before Shinobu could ask Kanae to elaborate, a knock sounded from the door.

“Can you get that?” Shinobu asked, jogging to the attached bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Kanae got up and smoothed her dress and hair, then she walked to the door. Opening it, she greeted the young boy waiting in the hall, letter in hand.

“Hello, Tanjirou, isn’t it? Do you have correspondence for my mother?”

“Yes, Princess Kanae, I’m honored you remembered,” Tanjirou bowed, “I have already given Queen Kochou King Kanroji’s message, this however,” he presented a pink dyed envelope with a fancy wax crest, “Is for Prince Shinobu from Princess Mitsuri.

“I will accept it on his behalf, thank you.” Kanae said. She took the letter and bid the young messenger goodbye. She closed the door and twirled the letter in her hands, looking at it with interest.

“Who was that?” Shinobu asked, exiting the bathroom dressed in a nightgown.

“King Kanroji’s messenger boy came by with a letter for you from Princess Mitsuri.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Not at all! Look,” Kanae handed the envelope off to her sister.

Shinobu inspected the envelope, turning it every which way it her hands.

“What? Do you think she’s trying to poison you?” Kanae asked, one eyebrow raised high.

“Just looking,” Shinobu said defensively. She turned the letter over and picked at the seal, a sweet scent, perhaps vanilla, met her nose. She removed the stationary from the envelope and sat on her bed to read, rolling her eyes as her sister moved to read over her shoulder.

Shinobu read over the letter. It held all manner of details about Princess Mitsuri and her life in the mountains. It was only introductory information such as how many siblings she had, what her favorite color was and what kind of food she liked, but it did make Shinobu feel a little better about the stranger she had to marry. If this letter was anything to go by, she seemed nice enough.

“She sounds like a sweet girl.” Kanae declared once she finished reading. “Are you going to write her back?”

“Of course.” Shinobu said as if it should have been obvious. “If she’s going to go through all the effort it’s only right to return it in kind.”

“Awww, Shinobu! That’s so nice!” Kanae cooed, “I think you two might actually hit it off!”

Shinobu pushed Kanae away and scoffed, “This ‘relationship’ is being built upon a rather big lie, sister. Best not to get too attached.”

“So pessimistic.”

“Just being realistic.”

“Well I’m rooting for you!” Kanae ruffled Shinobu’s hair and ducked out of her way, skipping to the door. “I’ll leave you to your love letters, goodnight!”

“I am not writing a love letter!” Shinobu yelled after Kanae closed the door to her room. Shinobu groaned in annoyance and moved to her writing desk. She could write the letter now, and have the messenger boy deliver it to Princess Mitsuri when he left to return home the next day. As she wrote, she tried to be as honest and open as Mitsuri had been writing her letter. The only falsehood being her own signature, Prince Shinobu.

***

Mitsuri was working with her dance and etiquette instructor Hinatsuru, when she caught wind of Tanjirou’s return to the castle and bolted. Thus leaving Hinatsuru in the dust. The older woman crossed her arms and shook her head, yet she still smiled, having dealt with Mitsuri’s exuberance for years already.

Mitsuri slid down the banister, startling General Tengen and Lieutenant Makio when she nearly fell to the foyer below.

“Careful, Princess! Your father would have my hide if you up and died in front of me!” Tengen scolded as her pulled Mitsuri back to the stairs. “Shouldn’t you be in class right now anyway? At the very least you should have your guard accompanying you if you’re skipping out.”

“No time, I’m expecting a letter!” Mitsuri grinned, hiking up her skirts and clearing the rest of the stairs.

“Hina really has her work cut out for her.” Makio chortled as they watched Mitsuri run to open the front doors herself much to the butler’s distress. They continued on their way to the war room, smiling at the Princess’ giddy cheers.

“He actually wrote me back?” Mitsuri blushed, holding the letter Tanjirou gave her to her chest. “Did you see him, Tanjirou? What does he look like? What did is face look like when you gave him the letter?” She asked in rapid succession, overwhelming the poor messenger a bit.

“I apologize Princess, I did not get to see the Prince.” Tanjirou bowed deeply, “I was intercepted by Princess Kanae when dropping the letter off and she was the one to give me Prince Shinobu’s reply as well.”

“Oh, that’s fine. Don’t worry!” Mitsuri tried to hide her disappointment, “What is my future sister-in-law like?”

“She is very kind, Princess. Her voice is soft and she personally asked the chef to prepare dinner for me. She even had a lunch packed for my journey home.”

“That does sound nice, I’m glad!” Mitsuri beamed. “When do you suspect my father will send you out again?”

“I have yet to see him, but I suspect no more than a week. Should I expect another letter from you, Princess?”

“Yes, thank you Tanjirou. I simply must read this now. Rest well!”

Mitsuri was half way to her room when she quite literally bumped into her mother and behind her, Mitsuri’s guard, Kyoujirou. Uh oh, mother was giving her that look.

“Mitsuri, my darling daughter, can you tell me why Hinatsuru is currently reading alone in the ballroom?”

“Ah, well, I got a letter from Prince Shinobu, mother! I was just going to read it really quick—“

“No, no, no. You may read it after your lessons. To ensure you are listening to Hina, Kyoujirou will sit in until you are finished.”

“It seems I’ll be your jailer rather than protector this afternoon, Princess!” Kyoujirou yelled, his booming laughter causing the Queen to wince.

“Awww…” Mitsuri deflated. She spent the rest of the afternoon eyeing the letter every time Hinatsuru twirled her around as they danced.

***

“AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I win again!”

Shinobu groaned laying flat on her back, splattered with mud as Inosuke taunted her from above. With an inelegant grunt, she kicked at his shins, making him fall into the mud as well. Slowly, she got back to her feet as the young, wild guard rolled around in the mud.

“You need to be stronger.”

“Don’t you think I’m trying, Tomioka?” Shinobu huffed, pushing her hair and mud from her eyes to better glare at her stoic guard.

“Since you will be isolated in the Kanroji’s castle we cannot protect you. You will need to know how to—“

“—How to defend myself, I know! It’s not as if I have ever been given the opportunity until now! Just let me brew my poisons.”

“If they find poison on you, they will never trust you and the alliance will be good as dead.”

“Ugh! This is pointless!” Shinobu threw her wooden sword to the ground. “As if three weeks of training is going to save me should I require it! And you know I hate to acknowledge this, but I only pass five feet when I’m on the tips of my toes. A Kanroji soldier could crush me with his bare hands should he so desire.”

“…Then we will focus more on your agility and evasion tactics.” Giyuu blinked.

Shinobu rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, “You know, you’re supposed to say something more like, ‘oh no, Princess, you can certainly take down a full grown man twice your height and triple your weight.’”

“I’m sure you could, Princess. I saw how you kicked Duke Maeda when he got too fresh with you and your sisters.” Giyuu said, stoic as ever, “He went down like a pile of bricks.”

Shinobu smiled at that.

“Enough of this boring talk, fight me!” Inosuke roared, shoving the wooden sword back into Shinobu’s hand.

“Um! Shinobu?”

Shinobu put the sword back into Inosuke’s hand and the boy screamed with disappointment, instead shoving the sword in Giyuu’s hand and demanding him to fight instead.

“Kanao, what is it?” Shinobu asked as she walked up to her younger sister, stopping a little farther away since she was absolutely caked in mud and didn’t want to soil Kanao’s clothes.

“The Kanroji’s messenger boy…” Kanao blushed faintly, as she produced another pink envelope for Shinobu to see, “He had another letter for you from Princess Mitsuri.”

“Already?” Shinobu reached for the letter, but quickly withdrew. She didn’t want to get mud all over it. “Could you put it on my desk for me, please? I’m not exactly equipped for this at the moment.”

“Yes, I can do that.” Kanao nodded, yet she stayed in place as if she had more to say, but didn’t quite know how to proceed.

“Something on your mind?” Shinobu asked, accepting a towel from one of the young maids, Kiyo, to wipe at her face.

“Do you think it would be proper for me to show Tanjirou around the botanical gardens while he is here?”

“I don’t see why not. Take Inosuke with you just to be safe.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Inosuke!” Shinobu called out to the boy growling under Giyuu’s foot. “Wash all that mud off, you are to accompany my sister and the Kanroji messenger boy to the gardens.”

“Finally, something to do!” Inosuke cackled, scrambling to his feet once Giyuu freed him. He ran to the stream and belly flopped in. He rolled around and gurgled like he was drowning for a bit before emerging and running into the castle with a whoop.

“Remember to dress properly please! We do not run about the castle shirtless!” Shinobu yelled after him. The boy had promise, but he was still as feral as the day they took him in. She turned back to Kanao, “Have a good time, Kanao. Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe I will need to take no less than three baths to remove all this grime. Tomioka?”

“Yes, Princess.”

Shinobu slapped a handful of mud in her guard’s face. “Don’t think I didn’t see that little smile when I slipped earlier.”

“Apologies, Princess.” Giyuu said monotonously, swiping the mud from his eyes.

Shinobu took another towel from Kiyo and followed after her younger sister. Once Naho and Sumi prepared her second bath, Shinobu fully relaxed into the tub. All the while the possible contents of Princess Mitsuri’s letter were swimming through her mind.

***

The wedding day was quickly approaching, but Mitsuri was no longer worried in the slightest after exchanging several letters with her Prince, her Prince! Ah! She could just about sing from the highest mountain peak! After exchanging those several letters, Mitsuri could feel herself falling harder and harder for the man.

He was so eloquent in his writings. So clever and sweet. If his written word made her swoon so, she couldn’t imagine what hearing the words roll off of his tongue would do to her. Oh how she longed to finally meet him, to put a face to the man of her dreams. She told him as such in her latest letter. Mitsuri had never felt so brazen. They never spoke of their upcoming union in their letters, nor had they ever dared speak of anything improper. Just expressing her desire and excitement at the prospect of meeting him felt too personal and gave her butterflies.

Shinobu, on the other hand, was growing more and more anxious as the day drew closer. She had always wanted to treat Mitsuri with respect. Just because they had to get married, didn’t mean they couldn’t get along, but she had honestly developed feelings for this girl through only reading her letters. She had a softness and warmth that carried through her writing, drawing Shinobu in like a moth to flame.

When Mitsuri wrote of how excited she was to meet face to face, it made Shinobu’s heart feel heavy. Whatever image Mitsuri had of her, of this Prince, she just knew it would end in disappointment. Mitsuri’s writing was so honest and uninhibited… it would surely break Shinobu’s heart two times over if Mitsuri found out she was actually a woman. Still, she played her part, burying her insecurities deep inside her so as not to alarm her family. Though Kanae did expect something was amiss, Shinobu gave her sister no opportunities to confront her about it. Not that she needed an excuse, the wedding was to be had on neutral grounds tomorrow and Shinobu had to perfect living out a lie until Muzan’s forces could be defeated.

***

“Where are those damn Kochous? They’re late!” King Kanroji grumbled, tapping his fingers anxiously against the arm of his chair.

“Have patience dear, they aren’t terribly late…” Queen Kanroji tried to console.

Mitsuri, though she was sitting right next to her parents, could not tell you what they were talking about. She had her head in the clouds, imagining her Prince walking through the double doors and sweeping her off of her feet. Her younger siblings were also largely unbothered, instead chasing each other around the pews and weaving between guards.

“If they think they can just waltz through those doors— oh,” he clears his throat, “there they are.”

Giyuu and Zenitsu, the Kochou messenger boy, opened the doors and stood, stoically and nervously respectively, on either side as Queen and King Consort Kochou stepped inside, General Gyomei filing in behind them. The man nearly filled the whole entry way and blocked out the sun as he ducked inside.

Mitsuri watched in awe as her soon to be in laws were seated across the isle from them. She tried to discreetly get a good look at them, but the Queen noticed her and sent a smile her way. A blush flared quickly over Mitsuri’s skin and she faced front again, watching two guards, Sanemi and Inosuke, guide Kanae and Kanao to seats of their own. Mitsuri saw how Kanae waved and spoke softly to her boisterous siblings and smiled. She really was quite kind. Kanao, seemed to hide behind her older sister a bit which Mitsuri found cute. She was just as shy as Prince Shinobu had told her in his letters. Her heart began pounding in her chest, speaking of Prince Shinobu, he must be coming in next! She quickly looked back at the doors, and forgot how to breathe.

He was… strangely beautiful. Not that it was strange for a man to be beautiful! She just hadn’t expected that to be the first word to come to mind.

“Hah, poor boy must have gotten all his mother’s genes,” King Kanroji snickered only loud enough for his party to hear, “He might even be shorter than her.”

“Be nice, dear.” Queen Kanroji scolded quietly, subtly smacking his arm.

“I’ll be plenty nice. Nothing to worry about from a frail boy like that certainly. I’m sure Mitsuri can handle him easily should he try to cause any problems.”

Mitsuri couldn’t stop staring.

Prince Shinobu was not at all what she imagined. His features were soft and smooth in appearance and he was indeed shorter than she would have thought. No visible muscle or stubble, and his hair looked ever so soft and shiny tied up in the back as a short ponytail while two shorter swatches of hair hung on either side of his delicate face. As he walked, he almost seemed to glide down the isle. Filled with the poise and grace that Hinatsuru nearly had to beat into Mitsuri during their lessons.

Mitsuri practically jumped out of her skin as she realized her Prince was standing before her, offering his hand to her, she latched on quickly, her heart beating faster knowing that his skin really was as soft as it looked. She looked up into his deep, purple eyes unable to comprehend the various feelings they held.

“It’s an honor to finally meet you, Princess Mitsuri.” Shinobu spoke.

Shinobu’s voice fell upon Mitsuri like a misting of rain. A sound sweeter than anything her wildest fantasies could have thought up. Shinobu’s lips twitched ever so slightly and Mitsuri’s skin bloomed with the heat of a forest fire. She had been staring this whole time. She hasn’t said a word! Quick, say something! Anything!

“You’re beautiful!”

Anything other than that!

“I- I mean, um, good to meet you too, uh, an honor to… the honor is mine!”

Mitsuri could feel sweat rolling down her back. Her parents put their heads in their hands and Mitsuri wanted desperately to copy the position. But then Prince Shinobu laughed, his smile stretching a bit wider.

“Thank you, Princess. Though I must say I believe my looks pale in comparison to yours. You are more lovely than I could have ever imagined.” Shinobu said, basically killing Mitsuri on the spot.

Mitsuri gaped like a fish, trying to find words, but all her brain could do was send screams and squeals bouncing around her skull. She further short circuited when Prince Shinobu lightly squeezed her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles before withdrawing. He bowed and then went to take his seat, leaving Mitsuri totally incapacitated.

“Maybe I’ll need to keep an eye on him after all.” King Kanroji grumbled.

From then on, King Kanroji and Queen Kochou took control, signing various documents and discussing how to proceed against Muzan’s army. Finally, it was time to seal all agreements and end hostilities between their lands forever.

Mitsuri stood on shaky legs nearly swooning when Shinobu put a hand to her lower back to help steady her. Together, they stood before their respective parents and with a few flowery words, their marriage set in stone.

“I’m so proud to call you my child.” Queen Kochou said, pulling Shinobu into a hug.

“The castle won’t be the same without you, we’ll miss you.” King Consort Kochou sniffled, hugging Shinobu tightly along with his wife.

Kanae and Kanao rushed in next, nearly tackling Shinobu into the ground.

“We’ll write you often.” Kanae promised, not even trying to hide her tears. “We love you.”

“Stay safe and come home to visit soon.” Kanao murmured into Shinobu’s clothes.

“I will. I’ll write you all whenever I can.” Shinobu promised in return.

“They’re acting as if they’re sending the boy off to war.” King Kanroji scoffed as he entered his carriage behind his wife. “What do they think we’re going to do, eat him?”

“Oh, they’re just saying their goodbyes dear. I imagine you’d be bawling like a baby if it was Mitsuri who was moving into their castle.”

“I would not!” The King huffed, though his eyes softened as he watched the Kochous finish their farewells in silence. Until he noticed that Shinobu and Mitsuri were getting in the final carriage, alone.

“Kyoujirou!”

“Yes, my Lord?” Kyoujirou answered loudly.

“Ride up with Mitsu. Be sure that boy keeps his hands to himself.”

“Yes my Lord!” Kyoujirou said even louder, running over to the newlyweds and joining them with a hearty laugh.

“They are married now, dear.” Queen Kanroji giggled, “If you wanted to play overprotective father, you should have had them courting these last several weeks.”

King Kanroji waved her off, glaring suspiciously at the carriage behind him as best he could.

***

“You two sure are quiet!” Kyoujirou’s booming laughter filled the empty space. The carriage had been winding its way up the Rocky Mountain pass and hardly a few handfuls of words had been shared in that time. “I can’t speak for you Prince Shinobu, but Princess Mitsuri is usually much more lively!”

“Kyou!” Mitsuri blushed. The reason they weren’t talking right now should be obvious even to him, she thought. Kyoujirou standing opposite of the door looking down on them as they sat on opposite side of the carriage felt incredibly awkward!

“I apologize,” Shinobu smiled contritely, “I must say I’m not used to this thin mountain air. It’s a little dizzying.”

“Oh no! I should have warned you about the elevation change! I’m so sorry!” Mitsuri scrambled from her side of the carriage to sit beside Prince Shinobu. Gods, he even smelled amazing… Not now Mitsuri!

“Here, lay down.” Mitsuri said, already guiding Shinobu’s head and shoulders to her lap.

“Ah, going to teach him how to do some proper belly breaths Princess? Good idea!” Kyoujirou praised, still standing firm as the carriage bounced over a patch of particularly rocky terrain.

“Place one hand on your stomach and one on your chest.” Mitsuri instructs, “When you breathe in, instead of taking the air towards your chest, take it towards your stomach. This way, you’ll take in more air. It’ll sound a little like, fwoooooooo and leave pressure in your belly, get it?”

Shinobu was finding it a little more difficult to breathe now than before with those wide, green eyes staring into her very soul. Still, she tried to do as Mitsuri instructed, her heart fluttering at the praise older girl gave her. Come on Shinobu, she internally berated herself, you are not being a very convincing man right now!

“I think I’m feeling better now, thank you.” Shinobu cleared her throat and tried to sit up, only for Mitsuri to place her hand on Shinobu’s chest.

“Please, stay down. It will help with the dizziness.” Mitsuri explained, withdrawing her hand to rest in against Shinobu’s forehead instead.

“Yes! Wouldn’t want you fainting on us, Prince!” Kyoujirou agreed.

“…Alright.” Shinobu succeeded in hiding the tremor in her voice. That was much to close. She was lucky Aoi was so good at her job, Mitsuri hadn’t seemed to notice anything amiss with that touch. However, it was the wake up call Shinobu needed to remember that she had to be more careful.

“Almost home!” Kyoujirou shouted. “I’m sure some rest will do you good, Prince Shinobu! Don’t worry, you’ll get acclimated in no time!”

“Thank you, Kyoujirou.”

Shinobu was warmed by Mitsuri’s desire to dote on her as they exited the carriage together. They had only just met, and although they had sent each other letters, Shinobu wouldn’t have though it would be enough to be treated with such care.

“What’s wrong, lad? Air too thin for you?” King Kanroji laughed, slapping Shinobu a little too hard on the back.

“It will certainly take some time to adjust, your majesty, but your daughter has been ever kind and patient with me.”

“That’s my Mitsuri all right!” He lowered himself to whisper into Shinobu’s ear, “Mistreat her and treaty be damned I will end you!” He rose back to his full height, patting Shinobu on the shoulder, “Let’s see what feast Suma has prepared for us tonight!”

Dinner was a hearty and boisterous affair, much different from the dinners Shinobu was used to back at home. Though she supposed having five young children would do that. It was different, but not unwelcome. She handed her roll to one of Mitsuri’s grabby little brothers and smiled at the look of absolute joy that came over his face before shoving the whole thing in his mouth. The act reminded her of Inosuke.

“Full already, sweetheart? That’s unusual. Are you ill?”

Shinobu turned her attention to Queen Kanroji and Mitsuri. The Queen had her hand on Mitsuri’s forehead for a moment until Mitsuri pushed it away.

“I’m fine, mother. I ate plenty.”

“If your are certain…”

Mitsuri sensed Shinobu’s gaze on her and flashed a nervous smile. It concerned Shinobu, but she didn’t want to draw further attention. Perhaps she could ask Mitsuri how she was feeling later.

When dinner was finished, Mitsuri practically dragged Shinobu away to their shared chambers, much to her father’s dismay. All of Shinobu’s bags were already inside what could only be described as a house within the castle. Three bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a shared living space, an office, and a large balcony overlooking the mountain range.

“What do you think?” Mitsuri asked seemingly still full of nerves since dinner, “Do you think you’ll be comfortable here?”

“Yes, it’s wonderful.” Shinobu assured, grabbing her luggage to move into her new bedroom.

“Oh! Let me help you unpack!” Mitsuri followed, only to be dissuaded by Shinobu.

“That’s quite alright. I can handle it. Take some time to relax, I’ll be done shortly.”

“Oh, okay.” Mitsuri made room for Shinobu to walk past her with arms full of luggage. Shinobu set down the bags on the bed and gave Mitsuri a little wave and a smile before closing the door.

Mitsuri sighed and sat down on the couch. Of course he’d want a little space to settle in, but now she was feeling anxious. She had been so weird today! What if he was already starting to have doubts? Her stomach growled mournfully and she pressed her hand against her belly to stifle it. Maybe she should take this time to freshen up!

Mitsuri fisted her skirts in her hands and jogged to her own room, she quickly undressed and scrubbed her body clean in the fastest bath of her life. She dried herself off and brushed her hair into a single braid. Then she looked over her nightclothes and bit her lip. Would Prince Shinobu find any of these enticing? Mitsuri wasn’t sure she was ready to do anything of a more sensual nature as of yet, but she still wanted Prince Shinobu to find her attractive. She put on one of her favorite silk nightgowns and returned to the couch, trying to find an appealing pose before Shinobu returned.

Meanwhile, Shinobu was glad she had managed stop Mitsuri from helping her unpack. She hid her binders under her pile of trousers and all of her feminine products deep within the cupboard beneath the bathroom sink. Once everything was strategically placed, she locked herself in the bathroom and practically tore her clothes off. The combination of the binder and the thin mountain air was less than pleasant. She washed herself and begrudgingly put her binder back on, along with more comfortable clean clothes. She couldn’t wait to go to bed.

When Shinobu returned to the living space, she was paralyzed by Mitsuri. She watched her testing out various positions on the couch, some more ridiculous than others, but nonetheless she took Shinobu’s breath away.

“Eep! Prince Shinobu! I didn’t notice you came back!” Mitsuri blushed, sitting rigidly against the couch.

“Sorry, I did not mean to startle you and please, just Shinobu is fine.”

“Then please call me Mitsuri! Here, sit with me!” Mitsuri rapidly patted the space next to her, stiff as a board.

“You look very nice Mitsuri, I like your nightgown.” Shinobu took the seat, not fairing much better than Mitsuri. She knew Mitsuri was gorgeous, but this was too much.

“Thank you.” Mitsuri bit her lip, “Hey… Shinobu?”

“Yes, Mitsuri?”

“I, um, I’m—“

Mitsuri’s stomach decided then to interrupt her.

“Hungry?” Shinobu chuckled.

“No, no I ate plenty. You saw dinner…”

“Your mother expressed worry about your lack of appetite. You should eat something. Do you think Suma is still in the kitchens?”

“I’m fine.”

Shinobu sat closes to Mitsuri, staring inches in front of her face. Mitsuri’s heartbeat picked up in tempo. Was Shinobu going to kiss her, already?

“I’ll be right back.” Shinobu declared, standing up and walking briskly to the door.

Mitsuri jumped to her feet when Shinobu finally returned. Shinobu opened the door wide, and Suma came in with a cart full of food.

“Here you are, Princess! I’m glad your appetite returned!” Suma skipped, parking the cart in the middle of the room. “Anything else, Prince Shinobu?”

“That’s all, thank you for your help Suma.”

“You’re very welcome!” Suma blushed, bowed and scurried from the room, closing the door behind her.

“What’s all this for?” Mitsuri asked, her stomach growling again and the delicious aroma met her nose.

“You’re hungry. Please, eat. Why are you denying yourself sustenance?” Shinobu questioned pointedly.

“It’s just… you won’t think it’s unseemly for me to eat so much?”

“Not at all.” Shinobu frowned, “Who has told you to think such a thing?”

“An old suitor…”

“Well he is a fool, an ass.”

“Shinobu!” Mitsuri could hardly believe such a delicate face could speak in such a way. Another thing to add to her mental list of what made Shinobu attractive.

“Should I ever have the chance to meet him, you point him out to me and I will show him what unseemly really means as I throw him off the highest peak of this mountain.” Shinobu fumed.

He really was dreamy. Another point, hot when angry.

Mitsuri took Shinobu’s hand in her own and squeezed it, “Thank you.”

Shinobu blew a gust of air out of her nose and smiled, squeezing Mitsuri’s hand in return.

“You don’t have to change a thing about yourself, understand?”

Mitsuri nodded.

“I’d like to hear you say it.”

“I understand.”

“Thank you,” Shinobu sighed, “Now please eat.”

While Mitsuri ate, Shinobu sipped tea and they chatted. Eventually getting comfortable enough that they were joking and laughing together. Mitsuri never felt more at ease, but soon enough the food and tea were gone and the conversation grew quiet and Mitsuri didn’t know what else she should do so she leaned in close to Shinobu, aimed her lips to meet his… and she bumped her lips against his cheek instead when Prince Shinobu suddenly turned his head.

“Huh?” Mitsuri blinked, pulling back slightly.

“We don’t need to rush into anything just yet.” Shinobu said, her heart pounding from the close quarters. Did Mitsuri really like her enough to try to kiss her so soon? “We may be married now, but don’t feel pressured to go any further until you are ready, okay?”

Mitsuri’s eyebrows pinched in confusion. Sure a kiss was special, that’s what she had always believed since she was a little girl, but having been kissed by a handful of suitors in her past, she didn’t think it was such a problem to want to kiss her husband. Especially when he was so sweet. So why did Prince Shinobu turn away? He did look rather pink, perhaps…

“Have you ever kissed someone before, Shinobu?” Mitsuri asked, batting her eyelashes.

“Besides my family, no…” Shinobu admitted bashfully.

“Have you ever even courted someone before?”

“No.” Well, her mother had tried to set her up with that one guy, Murata? He was nice enough, but it soon became obvious to everyone that Shinobu was not interested in him in the slightest. Or any other man for that matter.

“Wow! You’re newer to this than I would have thought!” Mitsuri marveled openly, “I never would have guessed, you were always so suave in your letters.”

“Is it really so strange?”

“No! Not at all!” Mitsuri fumbled. “I’m just excited that I’ll have all your firsts! I mean— I didn’t— that’s not how I wanted to say that!

To Mitsuri’s relief, Shinobu laughed, and not an awkward polite laugh, a real one. It was one of the most wonderful sounds she ever heard and it only made her want to kiss her Prince more.

“So you’ve kissed suitors before then?” Shinobu asked, still giggling a bit.

“Yes.”

“The unseemly one?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Shinobu gave Mitsuri a shy look that made Mitsuri’s heart flutter. The Pseudo-Prince then leaned in and surprised Mitsuri by kissing her forehead, then she stood up, smiling down at Mitsuri.

“It’s getting late, we should sleep. I’ll see you in the morning, sleep well.”

Mitsuri looked out at the glass doors of the balcony, it was indeed late. She wished the night didn’t have to end, but she was tired as well. She stood and kissed the top of Shinobu’s head before dancing away.

“Good night, Shinobu. Sleep well.”

Shinobu was right, no need to rush. They had the rest of their lives together. Mitsuri was really looking forward to see how they would grow together. She went to bed excited for what the future would bring.

Shinobu watched Mitsuri twirl away into her bedroom before all but running into hers. She unbuttoned her shirt and freed herself from her binder before unceremoniously flopping into her bed. She pulled a pillow down to where she laid and hid her face in it. Mitsuri wanted to kiss Prince Shinobu. Would she ever want to kiss Princess Shinobu? She tossed and turned for awhile but eventually fell asleep.

***

Mitsuri was starting to get anxious again. Shinobu had been in the castle for nearly a month. It had been one of the best months of Mitsuri’s life, but she couldn’t help but think Shinobu was hiding something from her. Not to mention that all her attempts to kiss the Prince thus far were thwarted. He always turned his head or someone would interrupt. It was rather discouraging. When she was being courted, boys usually couldn’t wait to kiss her. Oh how the tables had turned.

“Mitsuri, something on your mind?” Shinobu asked, serving Mitsuri a cup of tea before sitting across from her. They had decided to take tea on the balcony. Windy, but refreshing and the view was incredible.

“I saw this and it reminded me of you!” Mitsuri blurted, pulling a flower from her lap and presenting it to Shinobu.

“Oh!” Shinobu accepted the flower, and took in its delicate scent with a small grin, “Thank you, Mitsuri. I love it. It reminds me of home.”

“I’d love to visit your homeland someday. Hopefully this war ends soon.”

“I hope so too, I think you’d like it there.”

“I already like it because if you came from there, it must be nothing less than magnificent.”

“You flatter me, Mitsuri. I don’t know why you think so highly of me.” Prince Shinobu blushed and looked away like a maiden and Mitsuri supposed, in a way, he kind of was. Having never courted anyone he was so nervous to get close to her. Maybe, Mitsuri thought, she should take more initiative.

“Why wouldn’t I?” Mitsuri scooted closer, batting her eyelashes, “I like you a lot,” she lowers her voice, drawing closer to her Prince’s lips, “you’re a real gentleman…”

Her lips met jaw, thwarted again.

“Thank you.” Shinobu murmured, looking over the mountain range again.

Mitsuri’s brain couldn’t stop her mouth quick enough.

“Shinobu, are you gay?!”

“Huh?” Shinobu snapped her head back to Mitsuri, eyes owlishly wide. How did she know?! Oh, wait, she was a man right now, right.

“Ah! Sorry!” Mitsuri was panicking, “I didn’t mean— I, that was so rude of me, I’m sorry! There is nothing wrong with it if you are, I should have gone about it better. I just have wanted to kiss you for weeks now, and you haven’t let me. I thought you were just nervous so I wanted to take the lead. Now I’ve made it uncomfortable, haven’t I?” Mitsuri sunk into her seat, pressing her face into the table.

Shinobu smiled in a sympathetic manner and patted Mitsuri on the back, “It’s alright, don’t beat yourself up.”

“But… are you?” It would be just Mitsuri’s luck that the man she fell for wasn’t into women. That’s probably why he was always so clean, smelled nice, had good fashion sense… Gods, he had to be!

“I’m not a gay man, Mitsuri.” Shinobu told her, which wasn’t a lie. She was a gay woman. ✨Loopholes✨. However, this was still getting harder. She didn’t want Mitsuri to think she was taking advantage of her when she inevitably found out she was also a woman.

“Then why won’t you let me kiss you?” Mitsuri sniffled, “Do you not like me?”

Oh no, Shinobu would throw herself off the mountain if she made Mitsuri cry.

“Listen, Mitsuri,” Shinobu swallowed, she would have to try to word this carefully… “I do like you, very much in fact. I just don’t want to take advantage of you.”

Mitsuri removed her head from the table to look at Shinobu with watery eyes.

“What do you mean? How is it taking advantage if we both want it?”

“There is one thing about myself that I have not been truthful about since the very beginning. I fully intend on telling you, but it must wait until the war is won. If what I reveal to you does not change what you feel for me, then nothing would make me happier than to feel your lips upon mine.”

“Shinobu, what do you mean? What are you hiding? What could be so awful that you think I won’t love you anymore?” Mitsuri wracked her brain for some clue, something she might have overlooked or missed, but came up empty.

“I can’t tell you, just please believe me when I say—“

“Excuse me Princess Mitsuri, Prince Shinobu,” Kyoujirou’s loud voice carried through all the way from the front door of their chambers, booming knocks shook the paintings on the walls. “A word if I may?”

“Come in Kyou,” Mitsuri called back, gently dabbing underneath her eyes. She looked at Shinobu over her shoulder, “This conversation isn’t over.”

Kyoujirou entered the living space, a man with messy, black hair walked stiffly behind him. Upon seeing the royal couple he suddenly looked more lively, sending Mitsuri and Shinobu a crooked smile as he bowed before them.

“Meet the new recruit! This is Kaigaku, he will be training under me to be a protector of the royal family. He shows promise thus far!”

“Thank you sir,” Kaigaku said, his eyes not straying from where the royal couple stood, “I want to give my all to serve the noble Kanroji family.”

“Thank you for your service,” Mitsuri acknowledged, “My family greatly appreciates such dedication.”

“Oh Princess, I assure you,” Kaigaku grins, “it’s an honor to be within these castle walls.”

Kyoujirou chatted with Mitsuri for a few minutes before they had to go. Mitsuri showed them out with a smile that only held long enough for her to close the door. She turned to Shinobu who was looking over the balcony railing, head hung low.

***

The war waged on for another two months, but Mitsuri knew that they were approaching the turning point in their favor if what her overheard her father say was anything to go by. So she decided that now was the time to finally pull Prince Shinobu’s secret out of him. She could feel the strain in her heart taking over more times than not. It was clear to Mitsuri now, that if they continued to dance around this matter, she wouldn’t be able to take the ache much longer.

She walked into their chamber’s office and couldn’t help but smile faintly, watching from the doorway as Prince Shinobu diligently wrote a letter to his sisters.

Seeming to sense her presence, Shinobu’s quill paused, and turned to give Mitsuri a weary smile of her own.

“Mitsuri, do you need something?” She asked despite knowing that they have only rehashed the same conversation for the last few days.

“I can’t keep going like this, Shinobu.” Mitsuri murmured, taking a seat at her desk. “You can’t either.”

“I told you, I cannot tell you until after the war.” Shinobu frowned.

“What does the war have to do with our marriage? Anything you have to tell me, you can tell me now.”

“Our marriage exists because of the war, Mitsuri.” Shinobu reminded, rubbing at her forehead. “It’s what unites our kingdoms against Muzan. If we fall apart now, all will be lost.”

“Why can’t you trust me!” Mitsuri cried out, startling Shinobu. She never heard Mitsuri raise her voice out of anger or frustration, “I’m not so childish as to walk away from this. Thousands would be killed if our kingdoms split. I’m not stupid, Shinobu!”

“Of course you aren’t stupid!” Shinobu rose her voice in return, “I just… I can’t tell you right now.” Shinobu tried to take Mitsuri’s hand in a comforting manner, but Mitsuri pulled back and stood up, fighting back tears as she ran out of the office and out of their chambers.

“Mitsuri, wait!” Shinobu threw her quill down, ink splattering across her half finished letter. Her legs got caught in her chair as she tried to stand up and she lost balance and fell. With a string of curses, she kicked the chair away and and got back to her feet, running out into the hall.

Shinobu looked both ways, and felt helplessness fall over her like a weighted blanket. Mitsuri was already gone, but she couldn’t be far. She had to find her, console her somehow. Shinobu knew it was hard, she was hurting too, but Mitsuri would just have to understand that she couldn’t tell her who she was just yet. Shinobu chose a direction and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

Mitsuri kept running until she made it into the solarium and collapsed face down into the cushy chaise lounge chair, sobs shaking her entire body. Eventually she tired, and moved to lay on her back. Usually the solarium would make her feel better, but Shinobu had made a little plant nursery in the room that had Mitsuri wanting to cry all over again.

“Why can’t he trust me?” Mitsuri whispered hoarsely, reaching out to stoke a delicate leaf with her finger. “Can’t he see how much I love him?”

“Princess Mitsuri, are you alright?”

Mitsuri sat up and wiped at her tears, forcing a smile to her face.

“Oh, Kaigaku, hello. I’m fine, just a little stressed. You know, war and all…”

“Ah, I can sympathize with that. Would you like some company, Princess? I’m a good listener.” Kaigaku asked, already drawing closer. “Captain Kyoujirou has been putting me threw the wringer, but I have a break right now. Is Prince Shinobu around?”

“He’s writing to his sisters right now. I hope you don’t find me rude, but I came here to be alone.”

Kaigaku laughs, and Mitsuri jumps in her seat and harshness of the sound, her forehead wrinkles as she asks, “What is so funny?”

“You are a really hard person to catch alone, you know that?” Kaigaku sighs, Mitsuri gasps when he pulls a knife from a leather sheath in his jacket. “I thought I’d only have to suffer here a week tops, but two months? Lord Muzan was getting impatient with me so thank you for finally giving me this opportunity.”

“You’re working for Muzan?!” Mitsuri attempts to stand but when Kaigaku points to knife at her she sits back, angled as far away from the knife as she can be.

“You just sit right there and look pretty alright? I have a lot to get off my chest right now, you know? ‘Be nice to have someone to monologue to a bit.” Kaigaku flips the knife between his hands.

“You see Princess, your little marriage uniting the Kanrojis and the Kochous has really put a damper on Lord Muzan’s plans. We never would have thought that after a three hundred year feud, your kingdoms would ever see eye to eye. It’s infuriating, annoying, but,” he points the knife back at Mitsuri, “It’s a fragile bond.”

“If something were to happen to you, the King would be devastated, wouldn’t he? Treaty be damned, he would wreak justice on whomever he believed responsible, wouldn’t he?”

“Why would our union with the Kochous suffer for something you did to me?” Mitsuri asked, her expression now stern even in the face of danger.

“Me?” Kaigaku feigned disbelief, dropping the act in his next breath, “I’m not here, I’m resting in my room after all the drills that airhead Kyoujirou put me through. Kochou on the other hand, he’s almost always with you, isn’t he?”

“No!” Mitsuri could see where this was going, “He is a kind and gentle man! No one would believe such a thing!”

“But they will, because grief does things to people. It won’t help that I snagged this knife off of a Kochou soldier’s corpse when I was on the front lines. Still has the poison and everything.”

“Don’t do this, please!” Mitsuri subtly grabbed the lounge pillow beside her, she needed to time this just right…

“Don’t worry, I’m sure your precious husband will be joining you shortly!” Kaigaku thrusted the knife forward and at the same time, Mitsuri flung the pillow, causing Kaigaku to stab through the chaise lounge instead. Using the momentary surprise to her advantage, she kicked Kaigaku in the stomach as hard as she could and tumbled out of his reach, rushing towards the door.

“Get back here, bitch!” Kaigaku wheezed, why was that girl’s kick so strong? He wrenched the knife from the chaise and ran after her, cursing when he hears her yelling for help in the hallway.

It becomes a bit of a game of cat and mouse, until Mitsuri trips on her dress and tumbles to the floor. To make matters worse, she caught her forehead on a table on the way down, shattering a vase as well. Mitsuri groaned, putting a hand to her forehead and finding it wet.

Kaigaku smirked, closing the distance he assumed that the wide-eyed look Mitsuri wore was one of fear, not surprise at the person who was rushing behind him.

“Get away from her, you bastard!”

A weight crashes against his back, a flower pot, tiny arms pummle and pull at his back and Kaigaku turns with a dark chuckle, shoving Shinobu into the nearest wall, hard.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the little Prince. What a daring display, too bad you were born with all the ferocity of a kitten!” He spat, turning back to Mitsuri, he rose the knife, stumbling back a bit when Shinobu wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to keep him away from Mitsuri. “Get off me, damn it!”

Kaigaku wrenched himself free, all but throwing Shinobu at Mitsuri. The couple struggled to help each other to their feet. He could hear voices now, metal clanking and leather stretching, armed men sprinting down the hall. Damn it! He had failed. They would all know! He snarled, no. He hadn’t failed yet, it wasn’t the way Lord Muzan wanted, but he could still kill the Princess!

“Halt!” Kyoujirou roared behind him, still not close enough. Tengen and Makio close on his heels.

The knife flew out of Kaigaku’s hand at high velocity, aimed squarely at the Princess, it was a flawless throw… If only the Prince hadn’t gotten in the way! Kaigaku had no time to react as he was thrown to the ground by General Tengen. He still didn’t fail, right? Once the Prince died, surely it would destroy the morale of the Kochou troops. Lord Muzan would come for him, right?

“Shinobu!” Mitsuri cried, dropping to kneel beside her Prince, hands shaking as she moved to grab the knife embedded in his chest.

“Don’t touch it.” Shinobu instructed between heavy breaths. “Just leave it to me, okay?”

“Shinobu, it’s poisoned!” Mitsuri cried harder, “You need to take it out now!”

“Don’t worry, I recognized the blade. I’ve encountered this poison more times than I can count in my lab back home. It won’t have much affect on me.”

“Get Doctor Tamayo, Makio!” Tengen yelled, “You, inform the King and Queen! And you, get the rest of the royal family on lock down. Kyoujirou, I need you to summon all staff and guard. If there was one mole, there might be more. Hey—! Stay put Prince Shinobu, you shouldn’t be moving!”

“I can take care of myself!” Shinobu shouted, more as a response to pain and stress than because of Tengen himself.

“Where are you going?” Mitsuri stumbled, chasing after Shinobu with a slight limp.

“I can fix myself, Mitsuri. Just stay here and wait for the doctor, you have a nasty cut on your head.”

“I’m not letting you go alone!”

“Please!” Shinobu shouted.

“No!” Mitsuri shouted in return, “General Tengen, we will be in our chambers, have someone send word to Makio to send her there!”

“Yes, Princess!” Tengen growled. It was not what he thought was wise, but his forces were spread thin as it stood and he had Kaigaku to deal with. “Be vigilant!”

Mitsuri nodded and without warning, lifted Shinobu into her arms and moved as quickly as she could through the hallway. When they made it to their chambers, Mitsuri took Prince Shinobu to his room, setting him carefully onto the bed.

“What do you need?” Mitsuri asked, buzzing with nervous energy.

“I can take care of myself. Wait outside, please.” Shinobu groaned, wiping a thin sheen of sweat from her brow.

“I’m not letting you do this alone. I’m stronger than you, I won’t let you push me out anymore!” Mitsuri said resolutely. She pushed Shinobu to lay fully against the bed with as little force as she could. “What do you need?”

“Mitsuri, please go—“

“No!” Mitsuri towered over Shinobu, “No more hiding! We are married! This is a partnership and we are in this together!” Mitsuri breathed heavily, “You saved my life, you brave, stupid man. Let me help you now, or it will kill me!”

“I… Under the sink, everything I need should be in a box under the sink.” Shinobu hissed, lightly probing the site around the knife.

Mitsuri ducked into the bathroom a big, white box immediately caught her attention and she rushed back to the bedroom, screaming when she saw Prince Shinobu sitting up. He had removed the knife and a few of his top layers leaving just in a white undershirt stained with blood.

“What did you do?!” Mitsuri scrambled to the bed unsure what to do herself, she opened the box and started frantically tossing everything onto the bed.

“It wasn’t as deep as I thought it was. Please stop throwing my supplies everywhere. I’ll be okay, I just need a few stitches.” Shinobu tried to soothe Mitsuri’s nerves with a smile. “Can you do something for me, Mitsuri?”

“Of course, anything! Do you need a blood transfusion? Take mine!”

“Though I admire your heart sweet girl, I don’t know if our blood types are compatible, nor do I need blood at this point. I have a lot of supplies here, but what I really need is a good antiseptic. Make sure the Doctor brings me some?”

“I don’t want to leave you…” Mitsuri was torn, surely Doctor Tamayo would bring such things with her without being told.

“I’ll be alright, I promise. I’m not going anywhere.” Shinobu ran her fingers down Mitsuri’s cheek, knowing the girl responded best to gentle touches.

“Okay,” Mitsuri nodded, “I’ll be so quick, you won’t even know I was gone!”

“Be careful, have her check your head. You might need stitches too.”

Mitsuri was already out of the door and halfway down the hall before Shinobu could finish speaking. Shinobu took in a shaky breath. She’d have to finish this quickly before Mitsuri came back. She unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged it off her shoulders, tossing it into the pile. Then she cut through her binder with scissors from her medical kit. With teeth bared, she peeled it away from her bloodied skin. The wound was below her left collarbone near her heart. Luckily, she had been wearing several layers as the weather grew colder. She shivered, taking out her own antiseptic, dampening a cloth, she pressed it to the wound.

“Shinobu!”

Mitsuri was frazzled running through the halls she needed to find Doctor Tamayo and make sure she brought… what did Shinobu ask for again? Damn it! Mitsuri ran back to her chambers twice as fast, calling Shinobu’s name.

“What did you say you neeee— breasts!” Mitsuri’s mouth nearly dropped to the floor. Shinobu tried fruitlessly to cover up, but it was obviously too late. Mitsuri just kept opening and closing her mouth, intermittently gesturing towards Shinobu’s chest, now hidden away behind a blanket.

“Mitsuri, I can explain,”

“Are… Are you a woman, Shinobu?” Mitsuri crawled into the bed, stopping just in front of Shinobu, her forehead wrinkled as the cogs turned in her brain.

Shinobu pursed her lips and nodded her head. She tried to turn away, unwilling to watch Mitsuri’s reaction. However, Mitsuri reached out and caught her cheek, keeping her in place.

“This is what you’ve been hiding; what you have been so worried about.” Mitsuri deduced. “You aren’t a Prince, you’re a Princess! Princess Shinobu! Wait, is your name Shinobu?”

“Yes. I was honest to you about everything except this.” Shinobu said, gesturing at herself sullenly, her breathing becoming more erratic as the fact that everything was out in the open now hit her.

“Hey, hey! Shinobu, breathe! It’s okay!” Mitsuri cooed, stroking Shinobu’s cheeks with her warm, strong hands. “Is it your wound? Does it hurt terribly?”

Shinobu released a watery chuckle, “You are unbelievable. Aren’t you upset?”

“At you? Heavens no Shinobu, of course not! Kaigaku on the other hand,” Mitsuri’s eyebrows furrowed deeply, “I hope father has a special place in the dungeons for him.”

There was a knock on the door and Shinobu jolted back, nearly hitting the back of her head on the headboard of the bed. Mitsuri was quick to soothe, pressing her forehead against Shinobu’s while whispering assurances.

“It’s okay, Doctor Tamayo can be trusted to be discreet. No one else has to know yet if you aren’t ready. You’re safe here with me. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” Mitsuri dragged her forehead to Shinobu’s temple, kissing her cheek before pulling away all together. “Will you trust me?”

Unable to find her words under the tightness in her throat, Shinobu nodded. Once again amazed by the extent of Mitsuri’s care for her, Prince or not.

Mitsuri slid off the bed and strode across the room, opening the door just as the concerned looking Doctor was poised to try the door knob.

“Princess!” Tamayo notes the young woman’s appearance with great care. “How is the Prince fairing? You look like you could use a stitch or two yourself.”

“I’ll be fine, help the… the Prince first, but um, Doctor Tamayo, you must keep what you see unrelated to the wound to yourself.”

“Whatever do you mean, Princess?” Tamayo asked, already moving around her to attend to Shinobu.

“Uhhh, you’ll know it when you see it…” Mitsuri laughed awkwardly, quickly moving back to sit on the bed beside Shinobu. She put an arm around her, pulling Shinobu’s head into her side, she stroked Shinobu’s hair to comfort her as Tamayo moved in.

“Oh,” Tamayo’s eyes spark with understanding as she drew back the blanket, “I see.” She cleared her throat, “You did well cleaning the wound, as expected from Kochou Royalty, lay back and I will stitch you up. I expect I’ll need no more than eight, maybe even less. You were very lucky the knife did not penetrate very deep Prince… Princess. I suspect you can handle the poison, or do you have an antidote you would allow me to administer?”

“The purple pill bottle, just one should be enough for my side effects. Thank you.” Shinobu said, her voice hoarse as Mitsuri helped her to lay flat on the bed.

“And thank you,” Tamayo said in kind, readying to suture the wound closed, “for protecting Princess Mitsuri.”

“She may not be a Prince, but she makes an incredibly heroic knight!” Mitsuri chimed in, grinning when Shinobu turned away from her, the red shell of her ear still very visible.

“Try not to stimulate her up too much, she needs to relax. Also, you may want to look away, Princess. I’m ready to close her up.” Tamayo warned, knowing very well that such things gave Mitsuri, as she herself put it, the heebie jeebies. “Perhaps, you should begin dabbing the blood from your face if you think you can handle it.”

“Right!” Mitsuri shuddered, “I’ll be in the bathroom, call if you need me Shinobu!” She squeezed Shinobu’s shoulder and darted into the bathroom.

Shinobu’s eyes stayed firmly on the bathroom door as Tamayo worked on her. Whatever local anesthetic the Doctor administered was expertly crafted as she hardly felt a thing at all.

“Only needed six,” Tamayo murmured with a positive lilt in her tone, “when it heals, the scar might not even be noticeable.”

“I appreciate that,” Shinobu said distractedly. “Could you check on Mitsuri, please.”

“Already on my way.” Tamayo smiled softly.

Tamayo helped Mitsuri finish cleaning her wound. She needed two sitches, but luckily didn’t have a concussion. She did, however, twist her ankle a bit and needed to keep it iced and elevated when she made it back to the bed beside Shinobu.

“I suspect your family will be banging down the doors before long, Princess,” Tamayo turned to face Shinobu, “Is there anything in particular I can get you to wear? Something not too tight on the chest?”

“A loose nightshirt I suppose,” Shinobu sighed tiredly, pointing at the one of the lower levels of the dresser, “if I keep the blanket over me as well, that should provide enough of a barrier.”

“Here, I’ll help!” Mitsuri took the shirt Tamayo found and helped Shinobu into it. She smoothed out the fabric and fussed over Shinobu’s hair. When she was pleased, she kissed the top of Shinobu’s head and lowered her back into the pillows, snuggling up beside her.

“We’re ready, thank you again, Doctor Tamayo!” Mitsuri said.

“Of course, Princess. Should either of you need anything, please don’t hesitate to summon me.” Tamayo packed away her supplies and bowed before taking her leave.

Not long after, the girls were woken abruptly from their dozing by a handful of loud voices and tromping feet making their way into their chambers.

“Mitsu!” King Kanroji cried, bursting through the bedroom door without knocking. “My baby girl, your poor head!”

“Don’t crowd them dear, remember what Doctor Tamayo said.” Queen Kanroji warned, though she also rushed in to pet her daughter’s hair.

“And you!” King Kanroji focused in on Shinobu, “You, my boy, I can’t thank you enough! You saved my daughter, I owe you my life.”

“I would do it all again, your majesty.” Shinobu quietly proclaimed. She was too tired to say much more. Mitsuri looked at her as if she would start crying again.

“I have sent word of what happened here today to your mother. Once it is safe to do so, your family will come to the castle to see you. With all the information we squeezed out of Kaigaku, that should happen sooner rather than later.” King Kanroji explained.

“Thank you.” Shinobu winced as one of Mitsuri’s siblings crawled over her legs.

“Father, although I am very happy to see you all, Shinobu and I are quite tired.” Mitsuri said, her tone gentle. She removed her sister from Shinobu’s knees and shot her an apologetic smile.

“Ah, yes,” King Kanroji cleared his throat, “I’ll have Suma send in dinner later. If you need anything, I have Kyoujirou posted outside your chambers until Tengen finishes getting information from Kaigaku.”

“Rest well darlings.” Queen Kanroji began corralling the rest of her children towards the door.

When the door finally closed, Shinobu relaxed, nearly falling asleep, she flinched when Mitsuri touched her shoulder.

“Sorry!” Mitsuri panicked, “Did that hurt?”

“No, just surprised me,” Shinobu turned towards Mitsuri, “What is it?”

“Ah, nothing really.” Mitsuri blushed. She had always been one to show her affection through touch more than anything else.

“Okay.”

Mitsuri thought that would be the end of that, but a little while later, Shinobu whispered,

“So, what does this mean for us now?”

“Hm? What does what mean?” Mitsuri blinked.

“You know I lied about being a man. What should we do about our marriage?” Shinobu asked. Although she didn’t really want to know, it was better to just rip the bandaid off now than wait.

“Hm? Isn’t it fine the way it is?”

“Is it? I’m a woman. You and your family didn’t exactly know that before agreeing to this. Don’t stay with me because you feel obligated after I—“

“Shinobu,” Mitsuri covered Shinobu’s mouth with her hand, “don’t you dare finish that sentence. Whether you are a man or a woman or not quite either, that is such a small thing, it hardly matters to me. I didn’t fall in love with you because I thought you were a man, I fell in love all the little things, everything that makes you, you!” Mitsuri leaned over Shinobu, faces inches apart, her eyes not hiding even an ounce of the love she held for the woman below her.

“I love how you play with my siblings. When you talk to your plants when you think no one is paying attention. How your nose wrinkles and your eyebrows furrow when you get grumpy. The way you hum to yourself when we go on walks. How you kiss my forehead and cover me with a blanket when you think I’ve fallen asleep on the chaise. The little smile you get when you’re about to say something clever and the glimmer in your eyes when you tease… I love it all, there is so much I haven’t even begun to cover yet.” Mitsuri slowly dragged her hand away from Shinobu’s lips, letting it linger in the space between Shinobu’s jaw and neck. Shinobu stared up at her, mesmerized.

“You said before, that if what you revealed to me does not change what I feel for you, then nothing would make you happier than to feel my lips upon yours,” her thumb brushed against Shinobu’s bottom lip, making her chest hitch, “may I make you happy, Princess Shinobu?”

“Please,” Shinobu whispered, already breathless.

Mitsuri needed no more assurance, finally closing the distance between them. Shinobu gradually weaved her fingers through Mitsuri’s hair, she had never felt so warm.

***

One month after that faithful afternoon, Muzan’s forces were eradicated and the man himself was killed in battle. Finally, the Kochou’s were on their way to see Shinobu again and celebrate the allied kingdoms victory over the tyrant Muzan.

Shinobu and Mitsuri had continued to be discreet about Shinobu’s gender during that time. However as victory became more certain, they discussed how to tell everyone. They decided it would be a surprise for everyone to do the reveal when Shinobu’s family was set to arrive.

“That looks so good on you!” Mitsuri admired, spinning around Shinobu to see every angle. “Do you like it?”

“Yes,” Shinobu smiled, smoothing down her skirts. “Though pants are still more practical, it’s nice to have the choice. I must say, I am rather nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous! Just imagine everyone’s faces when we walk down arm in arm in our beautiful dresses!”

“Gods, you are so cute. I can hardly stand it.” Shinobu said. She kissed Mitsuri’s cheek before crossing the room to retrieve her shoes.

A round of knocks mingled with Mitsuri’s elated squeals.

“Princess Mitsuri, Prince Shinobu, our guests of honor have arrived!” Kyoujirou yelled.

Mitsuri wiggled over to Shinobu and offered her hand.

“Ready for first blood?” Shinobu smirked.

Mitsuri laughed and nodded in reply before announcing to Kyoujirou that they were ready. They exited their chambers with wide grins, watching Kyoujirou gape at them for a solid ten seconds before releasing a good-natured, hearty laugh.

“What a surprise! I had no time idea! Right this way then!” Kyoujirou motioned for the couple to walk in front of him, chuckling jovially as they made their way to the stairs.

“Kochous, welcome!” King Kanroji welcomed with open arms. His wife at his side, tried to corral the youngest children who were running around the horses.

“Kanroji, a pleasure.” Queen Kochou greeted, though it was clear that something else was on her mind, “Where is my son?”

“He and Mitsuri should be coming out any second, attached at the hip those two.” Queen Kanroji answered warmly while picking up a wriggling child.

“That’s nice to hear.” King Consort Kochou smiled shyly, Kanae and Kanao looking restless at his sides.

“Ah, there is Kyoujirou. They can’t be too far behind.” King Kanroji said, directing everyone’s attention to the castle entrance.

“Now presenting, the royal couple! Princess Mitsuri Kanroji-Kochou and Princess Shinobu Kanroji-Kochou!” Kyoujirou’s voice commanded the space, a large smile clearly visible on his face at the surprised looks all around.

“Kyou, you had one job!” King Kanroji yelled looking utterly embarrassed, “Don’t emasculate the man in front of everyone he knoooooOOOOOOOAAAHHHH!?!??”

Mitsuri and Shinobu came into view, practically falling over each other as they laughed. The varied reactions across the lawn were priceless, but King Kanroji’s sputtering was the greatest of all.

Kanae was the quickest to recover, and ran over to Shinobu in a heartbeat, sweeping her little sister off the ground in a tight embrace and twirling her around.

“I told you it would all work out, didn’t I?” Kanae smiled, finally putting her sister down, but not letting her go.

“Then what are you crying for?” Shinobu scoffed, ignoring the tears that escaped her own eyes as she held Kanae just as tight,

“I haven’t gotten to see my baby sister in nearly half a year, of course I’m going to be emotional.”

“Hi Shinobu.” Kanao quietly made her presence known, looking down at her hands as she wrung them together.

Kanae pushed Shinobu at Kanao and started in on Mitsuri, hugging her tightly and officially welcoming her to the family.

“Hi Kanao,” Shinobu huffed, gathering her up in her arms, “I turn my back for a second and you decide to have a growth spurt. So unfair.”

“Sorry.” Kanao said, though she looked anything but, bending her knees to give Shinobu a little height on her.

“You pulled a fast one on me Kochou.” King Kanroji grumbled, though he watched the scene unfolding in front of him with soft eyes.

“Perhaps,” Queen Kochou smiled, watching her husband run into the fray to sweep Shinobu into his arms. Queen Kanroji and Mitsuri’s younger siblings had also joined in to become more acquainted. “But would you rather have had it any other way?”

“No, I suppose not.” He gestured for her to follow him, “Come on, give your son, er, daughter a hug. Or are you scared I’ll see you cry?”

“Hardly.” Queen Kochou chuckled, spreading her arms out wide to catch her middle child when she came soaring at her. “My brave little butterfly, I’ve missed you so.”

“I missed you too,” Shinobu said, “so much.”

“Alright, alright,” King Kanroji called, “let’s take this love fest inside, Suma will get cross if the food cools before we get there.” He watched Mitsuri link back up with Shinobu, greeting his greatest rival, now her mother-in-law, with nervous energy. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten you little miss. Conspirators the lot of you!” He said, only holding out for so long before chuckling along to Mitsuri and Shinobu’s giggles.

After a lively meal and an evening of games, the Kochous were shown to their guest rooms for the evening. When Kanae heard about Shinobu and Mitsuri’s shared chambers, she wiggled her eyebrows at Shinobu which earned her a hard punch to the shoulder. Mitsuri couldn’t help but grin upon seeing her wife’s flushed face and coaxed her into their room before she could bruise her sister any further.

“She is so annoying. I swear I didn’t miss her at all.” Shinobu grumbled, not convincing anyone that her ire was genuine.

“It’s the big sister’s job to tease. I would know.” Mitsuri said, tickling Shinobu’s sides before the shorter girl batted her hands away.

“Hmph, sympathizing with the enemy I see. Well then you can go take a bath by yourself tonight.” Shinobu stuck up her nose at Mitsuri and began walking to her old bedroom that she hadn’t personally slept within in weeks. Mitsuri latched onto her back before she could get too far.

“Nooo! Shinobu, don’t go!” Mitsuri pouted, nuzzling and peppering small kisses on the back of Shinobu’s neck until the grumpy girl caved in.

“Fine, fine,” Shinobu sighed, turning in Mitsuri’s arms. Mitsuri on the other hand, seemed more than happy to lavish the column of Shinobu’s neck with attention than to head to the bathroom to start filling the tub. “Mitsuri, the bath?” Shinobu tried halfheartedly to remind her.

“Maybe bed first?” Mitsuri asked coyly, her fingers fiddling with the back of Shinobu’s dress. Her head dipped further down to kiss the faint scar on her chest.

Shinobu rested her lips on the small scar near Mitsuri’s hairline in return, “I suppose I’m not against the idea.”

That was all Mitsuri needed to sweep Shinobu off of her feet. Her mouth occupied and her vision obscured, Mitsuri used her memory to navigate to their bedroom and revel in the love they shared.

#shinomitsuweek2022 #shinomitsu #demon slayer #kny #shinobu kocho #shinobu kochou #mitsuri kanroji #au

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shinomitsu-week · 2 years

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Official prompt list for Shinomitsu week 2022 is here 🦋🍡

Super excited about being able to make it in time for Shinobu’s birthday this year 💖

I’ll do my best as always to answer any questions 🥰

#shinomitsu #shinomitsuweek2022 #ship week #demon slayer #demon slayer kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba #kny #鬼滅の刃 #mitsuri x shinobu #shinobu x mitsuri #kochou shinobu #shinobu kochou #kanroji mitsuri #mitsuri kanroji

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tanukified · 2 years

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Family prompt but with a twist because I wanna drop some idol AU lore 👀

Going for the family prompt is my way to introduce Kanae! As well as Mitsuri and Shinobu’s first meeting! Kanae is a pretty popular model and Mitsuri being an up and coming idol who just started her solo career after leaving her previous group got invited to do an interview as well as a photoshoot w/ Kanae for a promotion of her debut solo album!

Kanae knows Shinobu is a fan of Mitsuri (thanks to obanai lol) and decided to invite her along to the photoshoot to help out! Also she hoped to see Shinobu make a new friend as she’s quite introverted and only really hangs out with Giyuu and Obanai “against her will”. Or well that’s what she says lol.

Also Shinobu’s personality for this AU is based on her pre Kanae’s death, I’m still figuring out her personality so that’s why she might feel a little OOC

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heyiwrotesomethings · 2 years

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Personality Swap

ShinoMitsu Week 2022 Day One

A/N: Yay, ShinoMitsu time! It’s kinda got crack fic vibes, but that’s what makes it fun I think. Also, bet you weren’t expecting a subpar illustration either! Expect more to follow lol. Hope you like it! Word Count: 2,572

It was rare for Hashira to find themselves working in the same sector. They were the strongest of the Demon Slayers and though they were even stronger working together, they needed to stay spread out to help the lower ranks survive and grow. So, joint mission among the Hashira were uncommon. That was why Mitsuri was so excited to be joining Shinobu to cull the growing number of demons in the outskirts of a big city west of the Master’s Estate. They were low level, bottom feeding demons, but their numbers made them too much for lower ranked slayers to handle alone. Hence why Mitsuri and Shinobu were heading there now on Oyakata-sama’s direct orders.

“Isn’t this exciting, Shinobu-chan?” Mitsuri beamed, “We never get assignments together!”

“It is nice, isn’t it?” Shinobu smiled in return, “I do love getting to spend time with you.”

“Ack! Shinobu! You’re going to make me fall if you say sweet things like that!” Mitsuri blushed, almost slipping off of the branch she had just leapt to.

“It’s only fair,” Shinobu smirked, kicking off of another tree, “I fell for you after all.”

Shinobu helped Mitsuri regain her balance before she could face-plant into the ground, trying to stifle her laughter all the while. Mitsuri grabbed on to Shinobu’s haori and leaned down to hide her red face in the shorter girl’s shoulder to muffle her cute squeals of happiness. Shinobu wrapped her arms around her waist and tenderly kissed the top of her head.

It was still daylight so they could afford to goof around a bit as long as they were making good time. It wasn’t often that they got to spend time on the job together and it wasn’t like they weren’t busy when they weren’t on assignment either. They deserved to have a little fun together. It was supposed to be an easy mission anyway and when night fell, for the most part, it was.

“Love Breathing: Third Form, Cat Love Shower!”

Mitsuri’s flexible blade slashed at multiple demons faster than they could dodge, meanwhile, Shinobu used the confusion to slip through Mitsuri’s strikes and finish the demons off with her poison if Mitsuri happened to miss their heads. They were really cleaning up, everything went smoothly. Not a single demon slayer or civilian casualty happened on their watch that night.

Once all of the demons were dissolving or secreting poison lifelessly on the ground, Mitsuri skipped over to Shinobu and took her hand in her own, swinging their joined hands together between them.

“That felt really good!” Mitsuri exclaimed. “I was all swishwahh! And you were all swooshbambambam!”

“Yes, good work my sweet. You were breathtaking out there,” Shinobu added, squeezing Mitsuri’s hand. “Let’s go enjoy the city and find a place to eat and rest. Is there anything you are craving tonight?”

Mitsuri pouted her lips, this was a very important decision! All of that demon slaying really got her appetite going. What if she picked something that didn’t hit the spot? Shinobu watched Mitsuri silently agonize with a sympathetic smile, she was about to make a suggestion when she noticed a billowing fog rushing towards them.

“Mitsuri!” She warned, trying to push the taller girl away.

Unfortunately, being as strong as she was, Mitsuri didn’t budge an inch. She was so startled by Shinobu’s sudden change in demeanor, that neither of them were able to move fast enough to escape the fog without inhaling some of it first.

They escaped to either side of the mist, coughing. Through stinging eyes, Mitsuri saw the assailant trying to use the fog as a means to escape. Another demon that had stayed hidden during the battle!

“I don’t think so!” Mitsuri yelled, surprising herself with how angrily she spat those words. She whipped her blade outward, easily ensnaring the demon’s neck before roughly yanking it back and ending the poor creature.

“Mitsuri! Are you alright?” Shinobu sprang forward, not even waiting for an answer before reaching up to squish Mitsuri’s cheeks between her hands and pull her down to her height. Mitsuri was surprised to find Shinobu’s cheeks to be rosy and her eyes looked wide and teary. “I was so worried! I should have paid better attention before, I’m sorry!”

Mitsuri firmly grabbed Shinobu’s hands and pulled them from her face, holding them to her chest instead, “Never apologize for something that isn’t your fault.” She said seriously, her voice soft, her own stare never wavered.

“I think that fog did something to me.” Shinobu whimpered, situating herself as close to Mitsuri as she could for comfort.

“I agree,” Mitsuri nodded, she freed one of her hands to rub at her forehead and groaned, “Why do I feel so, so angry?”

“Why do I feel like I should tell Tomioka he’s one of my best friends? Of course it’s true, but I’d never tell him that!” Shinobu said, sharing her own concerns.

“We should go back to your estate,” Mitsuri reasonably suggested, “then we can monitor what effect inhaling that smog had on our bodies.”

“Okay…” Shinobu sniffled, her cheeks more red than Mitsuri had ever seen them.

“Shinobu, what’s wrong?” She asked, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her.

“I just… I wanted to treat you to dinner because I love you so much and now I can’t!” Shinobu explained, her face somehow gaining more heat and her speech coming faster with every word.

“It’s alright,” Mitsuri cooed, drawing Shinobu impossibly closer, gently rocking her, “we can have lovely breakfast at home together once we figure this all out.”

“Really?”

“Of course, come now, no tears beautiful, let’s go. You know how much I love to see you happy.”

Shinobu covered her face in her hands and let out a very uncharacteristic flustered squee. Mitsuri guided her by the waist towards home, her eyes shining with love and adoration as she watched her. Every once in a while however, her stare became steely when she observed her surroundings for any more cowardly demons. She had never felt such rage within her before, it weighed heavily on her heart.

They walked up to the Estate as dawn was breaking. Even at this early morning hour, the grounds were abuzz with activity. Shinobu yawned audibly and rubbed at her eyes, but upon hearing the patter of small feet on the gravel, she perked up and waved excitedly at Kiyo, Sumi and Naho as they approached.

“Shinobu-sama, Mitsuri-sama!” They exclaimed, “Welcome home!”

“Thank you girls!” Shinobu spoke with unbridled enthusiasm, “Look at you all, up so early, I’m so proud! Such hard workers!”

The three girls blushed and smiled at the unusually energetic praise before looking to Mitsuri expectantly. The Love Hashira smiled at the girls, giving them a more reserved, yet warm, greeting; to which she was met with concerned little faces.

“Are you feeling sick, Mitsuri-sama?” Kiyo frowned.

“You always pick us up in a big hug when you come over!” Sumi added while Naho nodded in agreement.

“Oh, I do do that, don’t I?” Mitsuri gathered the girls in her arms and they giggled while swinging their feet in the air.

“Don’t forget to spin!” Naho reminded.

“Ah, of course,” Mitsuri gracefully twirled them around a few times before setting them back down.

“You are all just so cute!” Shinobu squealed suddenly, the volume made the younger girls jump in surprise, “My heart feels like it could burst right out of my chest!”

“Are you okay, Shinobu-sama?” Naho blinked, still trying to shake off the sudden yell.

“You both are acting kinda different…” Sumi hesitantly observed.

“Mitsuri-sama didn’t spin nearly as fast or long enough!” Kiyo accused.

The Hashira looked at each other, silently trying to figure out how to proceed. When Shinobu looked down to nervously play with her hands, Mitsuri kneeled before the younger girls and took charge explaining what had happened on the mission.

“And that is why we are heading to the lab now. Don’t look so worried, we are otherwise fine, we will be back to our usual selves before long. You all know as well as I that if anyone can reverse this, it’s Shinobu-chan.”

“Do you really have so much faith in me?” Shinobu blushed. “I will give it my very best!” She bounced giddily in place for a few moments until Mitsuri spoke up again.

“We should start now, dear.”

“Oh, right!” Shinobu sped off in a flustered state, a bit of a nervous sweat gathering at her brow as light embarrassment kicked in. ‘Get it together, Shinobu!’ She internally scolded.

“I should go help her. Remember girls, no need to worry. We will see you later.” Mitsuri gently patted them all on the head and then jogged away to catch up with Shinobu.

“Good luck!” The three girls called out in unison.

When Mitsuri entered Shinobu’s lab, she could see that Shinobu was already working on something. Her expression was soft, watching Shinobu run back and forth between stations and cabinets. All the while the little pharmacist tried to explain what she was doing aloud for Mitsuri to hear.

“A little slosh of this and a smidge of that, and then it bubble, bubble, pops! And then when it tinkle tankles it’s hot and then it goes pssshhhh as it cools down. Then we give it a little tap! Tap! And pour and twist and then poof! Done!”

“You sound like a mad scientist.” Mitsuri commented affectionately from where she had leaned up against the door.

“I know! I can’t help it!” Shinobu whined, “Hopefully this works the way I think it will.”

“Excellent, I’m ready for my shot, doctor.” Mitsuri winked. She sat on the examination table and pulled half of her shirt down so Shinobu could put the needle in the muscle of her upper arm.

“Okay!” Shinobu squeaked, the extra skin revealed to her left her barley able to function. “Do- how- are you going to look away?” She sputtered, asking only because Mitsuri usually got nervous when needles were involved.

“I actually feel fine right now. Are you alright though? You are shaking quite a bit there…”

“I’m just feeling a little squeamish is all!” Shinobu swallowed a lump in her throat as she tried to line up the shot.

“Maybe you should let me do it.” Mitsuri suggested, quickly finding herself with a syringe in her hand faster than she could blink.

“I can’t watch! Tell me when you’re done!” Shinobu turned around and screwed her eyes shut and covered her ears.

Mitsuri lined up the syringe as best she could with the angle she had and watched the injection disappear into her skin with no reaction at all. She tossed the syringe in the trash and absently rubbed at her arm. Slowly, she could feel the underlying anger within her start to dissipate as she fixed her sleeve back into place. Figuring that Shinobu wouldn’t be able to give herself the shot in the state she was now, Mitsuri took the second syringe and approached her.

“What are you doing? Are you done?” Shinobu peeked over her hands, avoiding looking at the syringe, “Do you feel any different?”

“I think so, I’m starting to feel lighter already. Could you unbutton your shirt and Pull down your sleeve for me so I can give you the shot?”

“Mhm!” Shinobu blushed and took her time to partially undress. She was incredibly tense, which only grew worse as time dragged on. “Are you going to do it now?”

“…I don’t know.” Mitsuri finally stuttered. “I thought I could do it just a minute ago, but now I’m not so sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say I think your science-y thing worked and now I’m feeling more like myself again.”

“But, if you can’t give me the shot and I can’t give me the shot, then what will I do?!”

“I- I don’t know! Should I get someone?”

“Aoi!” Shinobu called as loud as she could.

“Aoi!” Mitsuri joined in.

Seconds later, Aoi, joined by Kanao, frantically burst into the lab, looking around wildly.

“What happened, Shinobu-sama? Are you alright?” Aoi started in.

Kanao stood frozen to her spot, too nervous to move. She had never heard Shinobu sound so scared before, nor had she seen her act quite like she was right now.

“Aoi, I need you to give me that shot.” Shinobu pointed a wobbly finger in Mitsuri’s direction.

“Wh— why are you crying Shinobu-sama?!” Aoi looked between the two woman, Mitsuri also on the verge of tears.

“Because it’s scary! Please do it quick, I don’t want to see it!” Shinobu sniffled.

“My poor girl!” Mitsuri hiccuped, draping her body over Shinobu’s back, “You’ll be okay, I know it’s hard! If I could do it, you can do it too, okay?”

“Oh for the love of…” Aoi quickly grew disillusioned with the strange display. If this injection would make her teacher regain her sanity, she wished she could give her seven more. “There, it’s done.” She nodded with finality and tossed the syringe in the trash.

Gradually, Shinobu calmed and fixed her uniform. Putting a hand over her heart she sighed, looking over her pupils with a small, self-conscious smile. Thank you girls, I’m sorry if I caused you any distress. As you could tell, I wasn’t quite feeling like myself.”

“Yeah, what was that about?” Aoi asked. Though her arms were crossed tightly at her chest, she seemed to relax now that Shinobu was acting normal again.

Kanao also looked much more relieved. The poor girl was so pale a few minutes ago. Now all that was visible of the distraught she had felt was the nervous sweat that she was gently dabbing away from her face.

“It was the byproduct of a low level demon’s blood art. It was a bit jarring, but as you can see we are no worse for wear.” Shinobu explained. Then she clapped her hands together, signaling that she was ready to switch gears. “So, breakfast anyone?”

“Yes!” Mitsuri hollered to the sky, throwing her arms up as high as she could.

The four of them exited the lab to make a breakfast befitting a large family gathering. When Mitsuri saw Kiyo, Sumi and Naho again, she made sure to give them a proper greeting this time around.

Afterwords, Shinobu and Mitsuri retired for the day, landing in a heap on Shinobu’s bed. Once Mitsuri was all cuddled up under Shinobu’s arm, she spoke.

“Do you want to talk about the total personality swap that happened to us?”

“Not particularly.” Shinobu sighed, nuzzling the nape of Mitsuri’s neck.

“Was it really that bad? Being like me?” Mitsuri asked, chewing at the inside of her cheek.

“Not at all dear.” Shinobu assured. “It was a… different way of experiencing the world, but I had never felt lighter.”

“I can believe that,” Mitsuri said somberly. “Does your heart always feel so heavy with rage?”

“Some days are easier to manage than others.” Shinobu confirmed. “But I can say that whenever I’m with you, I can forget it all. Even if it’s just for a little while.”

“Awww!” Mitsuri cooed, hugging Shinobu’s arm to her chest. “I love you too, Shinobu-chan!”

Shinobu hummed in amusement and kissed Mitsuri’s shoulder, waiting for Mitsuri’s breathing to slow before allowing herself to sleep as well.

#shinomitsuweek2022 #shinomitsu #demon slayer #kny #shinobu kocho #shinobu kochou #mitsuri kanroji

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heyiwrotesomethings · 2 years

Text

Childhood Friends

ShinoMitsu Week 2022 Day Five

A/N: So for this I’ve got Shinobu at 4 years old so Mitsuri would be about 5 and Kanae 7. I think the Kochou girls were a a handful of years older than that when they lost their parents, but I wanted Shinobu and Mitsuri younger so they wouldn’t quite remember each other in present time. The reference for this illustration is from this art from the manga that is so cute, it makes me want to cry. Some angst, ends happy. Hope you like it! Word Count: ~3,100

“Hello? Helloooooo?” Mitsuri called, her little fists banging against the doorframe of the large house. When the door slid open, she looked up and grinned at the man who came into view, showing off the newest gap her baby tooth had left behind.

“Oh hello, Mitsuri-chan. Do your parents know you were planning on coming over this time?” Kochou Kazumi asked, teasing the little girl about the incident a week ago when she had come over without informing her parents, leaving the young Kanroji couple in near hysterics.

“I told them this time! I promise! Can Kana-chan and Shii-chan come out to play?”

“They’re helping their mother right now, but they should be done soon. You’re welcome to wait inside.”

“Thank you!” Mitsuri bounded into the house, sliding along the polished wood.

“Shii-chan, Kana-chan, Oba-san, Good morning!”

“Good morning, Mitsuri-chan.” Kochou Hana greeted, sending the little girl a warm smile before focusing her attention back on Shinobu. “Darling, let me help you crush those herbs, please.”

“I do it myself!” Shinobu grumbled, pulling the mortar and pestle closer to her chest.

“Kaa-san, is this good?” Kanae asked, sliding her bowl over to her mother. While Hana looked the paste over, Kanae turned to Mitsuri and waved excitedly.

“Yes dear, well done! Clean up and then you can go play with Mitsuri.”

“Yay!”

“I want to play with Mitsu-chan too!” Shinobu declared, almost affronted that her mother hadn’t let her go yet.

“We have to finish crushing these dried herbs first, darling. Will you let me help you?”

Shinobu looked between the pestle in her hand and her big sister giggling with Mitsuri and pouted, begrudgingly allowing her mother to help. Hana’s hand covered Shinobu’s and they worked together to grind the herbs to dust.

“God job, Shinobu!” Hana clapped. Shinobu grinned at the praise and hardly put up a struggle when her mother helped her down from her stool.

Little legs strained against the confining fabric of their clothes as Shinobu waddled over to Mitsuri and hugged her tightly. Mitsuri was easily her favorite kid besides her own sister. Mitsuri always made an effort to make her feel included. Shinobu’s lack of athleticism and short stature (even for a four year old), often led to older kids around the neighborhood picking on her. Having her big sister and Mitsuri at her side always made Shinobu feel like she could take on the world.

“Don’t go too far. Remember to stay away from the river.” Kazumi said. He watched the girls sit on the engawa, smiling fondly as Kanae helped Shinobu put on her geta.

“We’ll be careful Tou-san!” Kanae assured, she hopped down with Mitsuri, then watched Shinobu slide on her tummy until the tips of her toes finally found the ground. “Come on, let’s go!”

The trio took turns chasing each other finally tumbling into a giggly heap surrounded by a meadow of wildflowers. In near perfect sync, Shinobu and Kanae started plucking the blooms, weaving the flower stems together with nimble little fingers.

“What are you doing?” Mitsuri asked. She was mesmerized by how quickly they worked.

“Making flower crowns.” Kanae explained, handing her short chain to Mitsuri. “Give it a try!”

Mitsuri leaned in closer to Shinobu, watching her weave, once she thought she got the pattern down, she focused on trying to add to the chain Kanae had given her. The task proved easier said than done.

“Oh no,” Mitsuri sniffled, she couldn’t figure out how to add to the chain and the flowers that were already woven began to unravel and fall to the ground.

“Mitsu-chan, here!”

Mitsuri looked up and gasped in elation. In Shinobu’s hand was the beautiful flower crown she had been making while Mitsuri struggled.

“Really? For me, Shii-chan?”

“Yes! Put it on like this.” Shinobu gestured to the one Kanae had put on her head. The elder Kochou sister was a flower crown champion. She was already finishing up another to put on her own head. She made the others giggle when she adjusted the crown to sit lopsided on her head.

“Thank you!” Mitsuri gently took the crown and put it on her head. “How do I look?”

“Like a Princess!” Shinobu exclaimed, “You always look very pretty, Mitsu-chan.”

Kanae agreed and Mitsuri clapped her hands and bounced on her knees. She told the sisters they looked just as wonderful. They continued to play for hours, only going back to the house for lunch before running right back outside and playing until the sky was tinged orange and pink. Mitsuri had promised her parents to be back before nightfall, so she hugged Kanae and Shinobu goodbye.

“Can we play again tomorrow?” Shinobu asked, her tone brimming with hope and anticipation for the next day.

“I hope so! I’ll ask my parents when I get home. If I can’t, I’ll see if I can just say hello.”

“Be safe on your way home!” Kanae waved.

“I will! You too!”

***

The next morning Mitsuri woke up a little later than usual. She stretched and yawned, got dressed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. As she walked to the kitchen, she could hear her parents whispering. The tone of their voices caused Mitsuri’s steps to faulter and her brow creased with worry.

“What are we going to tell her? It’s just too awful. She’s too young to hear about such things.” Her mother said.

“She’s always off with those girls. You think she’s just going to forget them? Better she hears it from us than those gossips in town.” Her father gruffly replied before releasing a tired sigh. “It’s just not right. They were such good people.”

“Kaa-san, Tou-san? What are you talking about?” Mitsuri trembled, making herself known. She didn’t know why yet, but judging from her parents tone, something really bad happened and it scared her.

“Mitsuri,” Kanroji Aika swallowed thickly, “come sit, I made your favorite breakfast. We have… something important to tell you.”

“What’s wrong?” Mitsuri didn’t budge from the hallway. They did the same thing when her grandmother died six months ago. Whatever they had to say, it was serious.

“Mitsuri,” Kanroji Kenji knelt before his daughter, his eyes held a sorrow that made Mitsuri’s heart ache, “something… something terrible happened to the Kochou Family last night.” He paused, giving his words a chance to soak in, “A bad man came and hurt them. Your friends are okay, but they have to live somewhere else now. Do you understand?”

“Where are they going to live? Here?” Mitsuri’s breathing picked up in pace, she was growing more upset the more she thought about it.

“No honey, they’re going somewhere rather far away.”

“I need to go say goodbye!” Mitsuri took a step backwards.

“They’re already gone, dear. I’m sorry.” Kenji reached out for Mitsuri, but she turned tail and ran away.

“Mitsuri, come back!” Aika yelled. The sound caused the toddler in her arms to startle and wail. With the little boy in her arms and being as heavily pregnant as she was, she could only hope her husband could catch her on his own. “Kenji!”

“I know!” He was already getting back up on his feet and running towards the direction Mitsuri took off in. “Mitsu, please, don’t go!”

Mitsuri just kept running, losing her father in the mid-morning crowd. She followed the path she seemed to know better than any other and squirmed through the group on onlookers and tripped, catching herself on the edge of the engawa. She looked up, unable to fully comprehend the chaos before her.

Doors ripped from walls, glass and shredded paper littered the torn tatami floor. She tried to peer deeper inside the house, she saw lumpy sheets, puddles of red… and then a hand covered her eyes and pulled her back.

“You shouldn’t look kid, nasty stuff. Come on, where are your parents?”

Mitsuri felt herself being led away through the crowd. Finally the hand lifted from her eyes and she realized that the man who pulled her away was an older gentleman, a law enforcer or detective of some kind.

“Mitsuri!” Kenji called out, relieved. He pulled her into his arms and picked her up. “Thank you sir, I apologize for the trouble.”

“It’s alright. It’s a hard day for us all. Best damn medicine makers this side of the mountains. Hate to see good people lost like that,” the detective dug in his pocket and presented a handful of yen, “Here, buy the kid something sweet, on me.”

“I couldn’t possibly—“

“Please, I insist.” The detective wouldn’t hear it, curling Kenji’s fist around the cash before heading back to the crime scene. He began shooing the crowd away. “Alright, alright! Show some respect! I don’t care where you all go, but you can’t stay here!”

Kenji did as the man asked and found a small sweets shop on the way home. Mitsuri was too upset to pick anything out herself, so he randomly pointed at some sakura mochi and bought as much as the handful of yen could get him.

“Here Mitsu, try some. Aren’t you hungry?”

As distraught as Mitsuri was, she did feel very hungry. She took the ball from her father and gave a tentative bite. After chewing on it for a bit, she shoved the rest in her mouth and shyly presented her hand, hoping for more.

When they got home, Aika scolded Mitsuri for running off. She had made her so worried! The rest of the day was quiet. After dinner, Mitsuri’s parents tucked her into bed and wished her good dreams, sliding the door shut behind them. Mitsuri laid in the darkness, while clutching her flower crown to her chest, she wept.

***

Fourteen Years Later

“Today’s the day, Kanroji! Aren’t you excited?” Kyoujirou thumped Mitsuri hard on the back a couple of times as he laughed, “I am so proud of you!”

“Thank you, Rengoku-san!” Mitsuri trembled, trying to stay upright with Kyoujirou’s powerful backblows. She was so nervous! Her first Pillar Conference!

She followed Kyoujirou into the Master’s garden and tried to subtlety take in the other Hashira. It was so nerve-wracking to be close to people so strong! She had already made a bit of a fool out of herself in front of the Serpent Hashira by getting lost. Luckily, he was very nice to her and even gave her these pretty socks! Although Mitsuri was fortunate with that encounter, she didn’t want to push her luck. Her plan was to stick to the wall and try not draw too much attention to herself, but Kyoujirou had other ideas.

“Come on, Kanroji! Come stand over here by Kochou!” He yelled, bringing everyone’s eyes on the both of them. He pushed a rigid Mitsuri into position next to the shorter woman. “Kochou, Kanroji Mitsuri. Kanroji, Kochou Shinobu. I hope you two will get along! I am going to go stand over there now! Bye!” He turned on his heel and left the two women alone.

“Um, hello.” Mitsuri stuttered, her hands clasped tightly together. She had heard a bit about Shinobu from Kyoujirou, and had even been treated by her in the infirmary a couple times, but the woman never failed to give her butterflies.

“Hello,” Shinobu greeted Mitsuri like a breeze, “congratulations on making Hashira. Rengoku-san always speaks of you fondly. It may be a little intimidating at first, but you’ll come to find it isn’t so bad.” She smiled reassuringly.

“T- thank you! I will do my best!” Mitsuri felt her heart pick up in tempo at Shinobu’s smile and warm words. Something about Shinobu always felt so familiar, almost nostalgic. There was just something about her… Mitsuri passed over her form briefly to try to figure out what it was, but she was quickly distracted when she saw Shinobu’s uniform.

“Wah?! Kochou-san, why is your uniform normal? I thought all the girls wore this kind!” Mitsuri yelled, pointing at herself. Senjirou-kun was right to have been skeptical, that Kakushi was being creepy!

“Ah, he tried to give me that one too at first. I burned it right in front of his face!” Shinobu said, smiling while she produced a book of matches and a little vial of oil seemingly out of thin air, “Here, you can borrow these matches and oil if you wish.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind, thank you, Shinobu-chan.” Mitsuri froze as soon as she processed her own words, she saw Shinobu’s look of mild surprise and blanched. “I- I mean, Kochou-san! Sorry! I— sorry!” Was she really messing up so soon?! Sure she was older, but Shinobu has been a Hashira longer than she has.

But then Shinobu giggled, the sound brought Mitsuri back to that place somewhere in the back of her mind, but she had no time to chase that feeling.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. You can call me Shinobu if you’d like.”

“Really?”

“Of course, I hope we can be friends.”

“Of course! Please call me Mitsuri!” Mitsuri bit her lip. What was it about Shinobu that made her just want to wrap her up in her arms, twirl her around and never let go? “Hey, Shinobu-chan, have we ever met before?”

“Besides when you have come into the infirmary? I don’t believe so… Ah, the Master will be arriving shortly. Maybe you’ll be the first to greet him on your first day.” Shinobu teased, lowering herself into the pebbles.

“I don’t know about that!” Mitsuri squeaked, joining Shinobu on the ground. Just the idea alone made her head spin. She would have to drop the topic for now. She had to focus on the Master’s arrival.

***

Shinobu was surprised at how quickly she and Mitsuri had hit it off. She thought it was inevitable that they would gravitate towards each other as the only female Hashira, but she didn’t expect to make time in her schedule to meet up outside of work regularly. Being as married to her work as Shinobu was, she was surprised that she put as much time and effort as she did into spending time with Mitsuri. There was just something about her that drew Shinobu in. There was the obvious things, her warmth, her radiance, kindness, strength, and it didn’t hurt that she was very cute to boot. However, there was something vaguely familiar about her glowing smile and eyes the color of spring. Perhaps it was just because of how much of Kanae she saw in Mitsuri, that was what Shinobu believed to be the most logical reasoning.

“Ready to go, Shinobu-chan?” Mitsuri asked, pulling Shinobu from her musings. In her arms, Mitsuri held a rolled up blanket and two wicker baskets.

“I’m ready, here,” Shinobu offered her hand, fully expecting Mitsuri to give her a basket to carry.

Mitsuri looks down at her arms, pondering, then she decided to hold the two baskets in her left hand and slide the blanket in the spot between her left arm and her ribs. With her right hand now completely free, she took Shinobu’s offered hand in her own.

Not what Shinobu expected, but she rolled with it. She didn’t want to embarrass the poor girl by clarifying what she had meant. Besides, the way Mitsuri’s hand almost completely swallowed hers up and warmed her fingers was quite enjoyable.

“I can’t believe you live so close to such a beautiful field. Do you really not come here often?” Mitsuri asked as they ascended the hill.

“Only to pick herbs or other plants to introduce to the garden. It’s a lovely spot, but rather out of the way.” She didn’t mention how the spot was Kanae’s favorite, that being there without her left her feeling somewhat hollow. She didn’t like to come here alone, but with Mitsuri she could bear it.

Once at the top of the hill, Mitsuri set down the baskets and let go of Shinobu’s hand (unfortunately) and spread out the blanket. She maneuvered the baskets where she wanted them and when she was satisfied, she motioned Shinobu to sit with her.

Mitsuri began unloading the various sweets she had made and explained each one to Shinobu as she went until the baskets were empty and food was spilling out of the boundaries of the blanket. While they ate, Shinobu told Mitsuri about the nearby plants that surrounded them. Although Mitsuri practically forgot the scientific names as soon as Shinobu uttered them, she thoroughly enjoyed hearing about their properties. She could listen to her talk about plants and medicine all day.

Somehow, Mitsuri had ended up with her head in Shinobu’s lap as she listened. Her eyes grew heavy and eventually closed. Soon, her rumbling snores met Shinobu’s ears and the Insect Hashira could not help but giggle quietly at the tuckered out girl. Shinobu found herself humming, pushing back Mitsuri’s bangs and running her fingers through them. Then her eyes began to wander upon the wildflowers once more.

When Mitsuri awoke, the sky above her was the color of flames.

“Ah! How late is it?” She bolted upright, nearly knocking Shinobu’s chin with her forehead in the process. “I’m sorry, Shinobu! I’ve wasted so much time!”

“On the contrary, I’ve had a wonderful time. No need to apologize. I had plenty to entertain myself while you rested.

“Hm?” Mitsuri felt something sliding off her head and gently took hold of it and brought it to her face. In her hands was a expertly crafted flower crown.

“Mitsuri, what’s wrong?” Shinobu asked, slowly reaching out to touch Mitsuri’s knee. Her expression one of concern.

Mitsuri wasn’t quite sure what Shinobu meant at first, but then she felt hot tears gathering and smearing down her cheeks. Wiping them away with an awkward laugh she said, “I don’t know… I guess it’s because this is really pretty. I’ve always wanted to make flower crowns, but I was never really able to do it right.”

“Here, let’s fill up these baskets with flowers and take them back to the estate. I’ll teach you how to make one even if it takes all night, or even the rest of our lives if I must, okay?” Shinobu promised.

Shinobu knew it was impractical. She’d never offer such a thing to anyone else, but Mitsuri was often an exception to her rules. To see Mitsuri smile at her like that, to be tackled to the blanket in a hug like warm vanilla, she hadn’t felt so close to home in a long time.

#shinomitsuweek2022 #shinomitsu #demon slayer #kny #shinobu kochou #shinobu kocho #mitsuri kanroji

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heyiwrotesomethings · 2 years

Text

Happy Birthday Shinobu!

ShinoMitsu Week 2022 Day Seven

A/N: I really like Shinobu being friends with Giyuu, but I feel bad about bullying him so much lol. Feeling pretty good about this illustration though. I hate drawing backgrounds because they usually turn out bad, but I actually like how the greenhouse turned out. Also makes me laugh a little to see Shinobu and Mitsuri’s quality in comparison. Anyway last day is here, I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing! Word Count: ~1,850

“You want me to accompany you into town, Tomioka? How very unusual. You do recall that I’m spoken for, don’t you? I’m afraid you missed your chance to court me if that is what this is all about. Well, it’s not like you had a hope in hell in the first place. How tragic for you.”

Giyuu blinked slowly, waiting for dead air before uttering a bland, “Are you done?”

“Not really, but I suppose I can show you some mercy if you tell me what this is all about?”

“Picking out your birthday present.” Giyuu didn’t know why Shinobu had to play the same game every year. She knew perfectly well what to expect from him. In fact, she often did the same thing for his birthday which was only two weeks before hers.

“Oh? You know Tomioka, people usually do that themself so the present can be a surprise.”

“Are you coming or not?”

“It can’t be helped, you are rather hopeless when it come to these things.” Shinobu poked at his shoulder, “Let’s go quickly then, shall we? Mitsuri is supposed to be coming later today and I’d much rather spend my afternoon with her.”

Giyuu’s eye twitched with every poke. Shinobu was clearly in a mood today, but he could endure. Mitsuri had cornered him a few days prior to keep Shinobu busy today while she set up her present.

“To the apothecary and botanist’s?” He asked, already walking away.

“You know me so well. Are you a stalker?” Shinobu nudged Giyuu, walking a bit faster to keep up with his long strides. When met with silence, Shinobu giggled. “Come on, since you are being so accommodating, I’ll treat you to that salmon daikon you love so much. Just remember not to look at me while you eat it, okay? So unsettling.”

Giyuu grunted noncommittally and glanced over his shoulder in time to see a flash of pink and white dart into the Butterfly Estate.

“Paranoid?” Shinobu asked, turning to look behind them as well.

“Just practicing for lunch.” He said, almost making Shinobu snort.

They both faced forward and continued on their way. Unbeknownst to Shinobu, her Estate began undergoing a metamorphosis under the instruction of a certain watermelon colored woman.

***

Once Mitsuri saw that Giyuu had succeeded in his part of the mission, she ran inside and got to work on hers. The younger girls were already on her as soon as she slipped through the door, excited to help bring her vision to reality.

“What should we do first, Mitsuri-sama?” Kiyo asked.

“First we need to plot out the land we are going to be building on and flatten it out a bit. Himejima-san, Iguro-san, Tanjirou and the others should be here soon with the building supplies I ordered!”

“I have been doing some reconnaissance of the land the last couple weeks,” Aoi informed, “the spot over there near Victory would be an excellent position, plenty of sun.”

“Eh? Victory?” Mitsuri swiveled her head around to try to see what Aoi could have been talking about.

“The cherry blossom tree over there, Kanroji-sama.” Aoi clarified.

“Oh! That would be nice! Imagine how pretty it will all look when the blossoms are in bloom!”

“Let’s work hard everyone!” Naho cheered, Sumi and Kiyo joined in and Kanao silently pumped her fist into the air.

The girls spent the chilly February morning clearing the ground of loose twigs, leaves and rocks. When they had finished measuring and marking the area, the enlisted group of boys had walked through the yard to meet them, arms filled with wood, metal, stone and glass among other supplies.

Inosuke cackled wildly, dropping the lumber at Mitsuri’s feet like an excited dog.

“Shinobu was tricked right? Haha! Foolish woman! She has no idea!” Inosuke preened.

“Where should we put these glass frames?” Obanai asked with Tanjirou and Zenitsu trailing behind him.

“Ah, put them inside for now, I’d hate for them to get broken.” Mitsuri said, “Thank you for helping me with this Iguro-san!”

“Anytime.” Obanai nodded, his gaze the softest it had been all morning. He could handle Himejima, he respected Himejima, but Kamado and his friends were one more unnecessary scream away from being strangled.

“Ah,” Himejima exclaimed, causing the earth beneath their feet to rumble as he dropped all the metal and slabs of stone to the ground, “another birthday already, she has grown up so fast.” He reminisced, tears streaming down his face.

“Himejima-san! Shinobu respects you immensely, thank you for taking the time to help us today!” Mitsuri thanked the man looming above her as she sorted through the supplies on the ground.

“I am happy to help for the benefit of young Kochou-san. How may I further assist you, Kanroji-san?”

“We need to flatten the ground over there to fit the stone floor snuggly into the dirt. Aoi and the others can show you where to go, thank you again!”

“You are most welcome, Kanroji-san.”

Himejima easily flattened and dug away at the earth with the power of ten field plowing oxen. Then he and Mitsuri worked together to neatly place the stones into place, creating the base. Inosuke and Aoi (mostly Aoi) washed the dirt from the stones while Kanao, Tanjirou, Zenitsu and Obanai began fitting together the metal and wood pieces into a skeleton that would help the structure keep shape.

Naho, Kiyo and Sumi went inside to make some food to warm everybody up and when the skeleton of the building was put into place, everyone took a break to eat lunch. When they finished, they got to work fitting the glass panes into the walls. Well, everyone except Inosuke and Tanjirou. Inosuke wasn’t allowed to be anywhere near the glass and Tanjirou had to tackle him to the ground to keep him from carelessly throwing around the panes.

Once that was done, everyone took a moment to appreciate how good the building looked before getting to work prettying up the inside. While a majority of them went inside to set up benches and shelves, some stayed outside to shovel mounds of soil around the perimeter of the building to help keep heat inside.

“They’re coming!” Zenitsu yelped from his post on the fence. “Is everything in place?”

“Almost!” Mitsuri called back, straightening another flower pot on one of the shelves. “Okay, scatter!”

Everyone hid inside the nearest room of the mansion while Mitsuri went to go meet Shinobu and Giyuu as they entered the property.

“Hello, Mitsuri,” Shinobu giggled as she was nearly tackled by Mitsuri in a squeezing embrace. “I’m sorry, you didn’t have to wait long, did you?” She turned to shoot a look at Giyuu, “It was starting to look like Tomioka was never going to let me come home.”

“You spent two hours looking at the goldfish in a pet shop.” Giyuu stated, largely unbothered by Shinobu’s claim.

“How else would I know that they were taking good care of them, Tomioka?” Shinobu smiled tightly, daring the man to say one more word.

“Um! Shinobu-chan?” Mitsuri interjected. She didn’t know how long she could go without showing Shinobu her present. The excitement within her was mounting. “I have something to show you!”

“Oh, do you?” Shinobu’s smile relaxed into something more natural. She turned to Giyuu and asked him to bring her bags inside before she was dragged away by Mitsuri. “What has got you so excited, hm?”

“You’ll see! Just a second!” Mitsuri stopped Shinobu short and covered her eyes, prompting the shorter girl to tease Mitsuri while they walked the rest of the way.

“Okay, we’re here! I- I hope you like it!”

“I would like anything if it came from you, Mitsuri.” Shinobu promised. “May I look now?”

“Oh yeah!” Mitsuri dropped her hands from Shinobu’s eyes and moved to stand in front of Shinobu and to the side of the beautiful greenhouse, her hands bunched the hem of her skirt bashfully, “Do you like it?”

Shinobu’s lips parted slightly in surprise, her eyes rounded and shimmered with wonder as she took in every detail. She faltered a few times, but eventually she found her voice, looking at Mitsuri with pure admiration.

“I love it.” She almost whispered. “Mitsu, how did you do all this?”

“Well, I did have a lot of help… I just thought, winter is too harsh to grow many things and I heard about these buildings that make it easier to grow things in all kinds of conditions. I thought it would be useful to you since you work with plants so often. Was it a good idea?”

Shinobu blew a big breath out her nose and shook her head in disbelief. She grinned and held her arms out, motioning Mitsuri into them.

“An excellent idea, I honestly don’t think I can express how much I love this. Thank you.”

Mitsuri buried her face in Shinobu’s shoulder, “I’m so glad! Happy Birthday, Shinobu! I love you!”

“I love you too.” Shinobu guided Mitsuri’s head away from her chest so she could give her a kiss.

As their lips met, a chorus of cheers erupted from inside the mansion, causing them to pull away prematurely.

Naho, Sumi and Kiyo giggled and hid behind Himejima. Aoi and Obanai rolled their eyes whilst Inosuke yelled,

“What the hell? Are they trying to eat each other?”

“They were kissing you idiot!” Zenitsu shouted back.

“What’s that? A dominance thing? How do you know who wins?”

“You kiss people you love, Inosuke.” Tanjirou helpfully provided. “It’s not about winning or losing.”

“I definitely win.” Shinobu smirked, speaking just loud enough for Mitsuri (and Zenitsu) to hear, making Mitsuri’s face bloom red while Zenitsu screamed and flipped around the room for, what appeared to everyone else, to be no reason at all.

“Dinner is done.” Kanao quietly declared, walking into view with a sleepy Nezuko trailing behind her. “We made ginger tsukudani too, Nee-san.”

“That sounds delicious, thank you!”

Everyone ate dinner together, detailing how they set up the greenhouse. Shinobu received a few other presents that she graciously accepted. Including the handful of acorns from Inosuke and the head pats from Nezuko. Finally, it was time for everyone to either go home or turn in for the night and when Shinobu and Mitsuri found themselves alone, Shinobu pulled Mitsuri back out to the greenhouse.

“I haven’t gotten to see it from the inside yet after all.” Shinobu had winked. “It’s all so lovely. I can’t believe you all got this done in such a short amount of time, and enlisting Tomioka to keep me busy, so sneaky.”

Mitsuri giggled and batted away Shinobu’s fingers poking at her sides. Then they just sort of swayed together in the middle of the room for awhile.

“Stay the night so I can thank you properly?” Shinobu suggested. She had a sharp glint in her eyes that Mitsuri could see even as dusk settled.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it…” Mitsuri blushed.

Shinobu grinned and coaxed Mitsuri out of the greenhouse and together they returned in to Shinobu’s room for the night.

#shinomitsuweek2022 #shinomitsu #demon slayer #kny #shinobu kocho #shinobu kochou #mitsuri kanroji

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heyiwrotesomethings · 2 years

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Idol AU

ShinoMitsu Week Day Six

A/N: Like I had no business writing a royalty AU, I’ve got no business writing an Idol AU. I know nothing. Although I have watched Love Live! Love Live Sunshine!, Zombieland Saga, and If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budoukan, I Would Die, and there was that one episode of Kakegurui… you would think I’d have picked up something. Oh well, enjoy! And just a heads up that this AU takes place during our pandemic times. Word Count: ~1,120

“I can’t believe I let you drag me into this.” Shinobu glared at her sister, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

The crowd was the biggest Shinobu had been in since this accursed pandemic began. Kanae assured her that everyone was vaccinated and the stadium wasn’t filled to capacity to allow plenty of room between parties, but that hardly made Shinobu feel any better. She had practically moved into the hospital after everything that happened and what she really wanted to do with this free time she stumbled into was order some food to be dropped off at her door, use her own shower, sleep in her own bed and not talk to another human being until she had to go back to work.

But Kanae had other plans.

“Come on Shinobu! How often do you get to see so many idols in one place!” Kanae said, waving both her and Shinobu’s complimentary light batons in anticipation for the first act. “And from the front row no less!”

“You know I don’t care about all this. It’s just an expensive way to get a migraine.”

“Except these tickets were free~!” Kanae sang, drumming the batons on Shinobu’s head until Shinobu managed to rip one of them from her hands. “Just try to enjoy the show, Shinobu. It’s a thank you show for front-line workers. When was the last time you got to go out and do something?”

Before Shinobu could reply with something bitter about the last time she was in her apartment longer than ten minutes, the music picked up in tempo and volume and curtains rolled back revealing the first idol group. Despite the volume, Shinobu could still hear her sister’s cheers as her favorite idol group commanded the space.

“I didn’t know FOURtune was going to be here! Oh my god, look! Sanemi is so close!” Kanae jumped in place while Shinobu stayed in her seat, body language very closed off.

Shinobu watched Tengen and Kyoujirou flip around. She was vaguely impressed by the physical display, but it quickly got old. She turned her head to watch Giyuu and he was just… standing there? How did a guy like that become an idol?

“Awww, Giyuu is doing his signature foot taps!” Kanae gushed, pointing to the man as he lackadaisically tapped his foot against the stage.

“What a loser.” Shinobu scoffed, she turned on her phone, deciding she’d much rather play solitaire than watch this.

“Ah! Sanemi ripped his shirt open! Shinobu, you’re missing it!”

“You see one sweaty, shirtless man, you’ve seen them all. Damn it, why are all these cards red?” Shinobu grumbled, tapping the deck to flip the next set of cards. “Hey!”

“You can have this back after the concert.” Kanae said, shoving Shinobu’s phone inside her bra.

“You are trying to kill me. I hope you know that.”

“Stop being such a baby, look, the next group is coming up!”

By the time the seventh idol left the stage, Shinobu was about ready to blow her brains out. She gave up glaring at her sister half an hour ago and instead had started staring through the various idols and letting her mind wander.

“Hello front-line workers! Thank you for all of your hard work!”

The voice caught Shinobu’s attention and pulled her from her fantasies of going to bed. Where had she heard that voice before? She refocused her eyes and looked up at the stage. Had she… seen this woman before?

“I’m so honored I could be a part of this show. Know that I’m always cheering you on!”

The music kicked off and Shinobu watched the woman, Mitsuri, she thinks she heard the announcer say? That pink and green hair was certainly familiar. It was a testament to how tired Shinobu was if she couldn’t remember if she had met a woman with bright pink and green hair before. Then Shinobu blinked and Mitsuri was in front of her, looking directly at her and smiling wide as she sang. Mitsuri offered her hand to Shinobu and in an action very uncharacteristic of the young doctor, she took it without a thought in her head.

Shinobu was pulled from her seat as if she was lighter than air, her feet scrambled for purchase on the large stage and before she knew it she was being twirled and dipped around the stage while Mitsuri seemed to be singing only to her. She was singing something about love and taking chances or whatever, Shinobu couldn’t be bothered to process it. All she could focus on where those brilliant pastel green eyes and the warm hands that almost completely engulfed her own.

When the music faded, Mitsuri pulled her in close, making the crowd’s cheers and whistling grow in intensity. Mitsuri covered the mike of her headset and leaned in to speak directly into Shinobu’s ear.

“It must be fate seeing you again, Doctor Kochou.” She kissed Shinobu’s cheek so fast Shinobu wasn’t even sure it had happened. “Thank you for everything that you do.”

“You’re welcome?” Shinobu felt dizzy. Mitsuri giggled and then Shinobu was escorted back to her seat so the next act could go on.

“Shinobu, that was incredible! Where did that come from, hm?” Kanae beamed brightly, wanting to hear every detail despite seeing the whole thing.

“She knew who I was.” Shinobu said slowly, seemingly somewhere else.

“Really? Was she a patient of yours?”

A lightbulb went off in Shinobu’s brain. “She wasn’t, but her brother and mother were. They were in that bad car crash last year. I remember now, she came to visiting hours everyday. I probably didn’t recognize her right away because we were always wearing masks.”

“That’s so neat, Shinobu! You know an idol! A real up and coming one too, she only had her debut a couple months ago. What do you think, she’s pretty good, right?”

Shinobu couldn’t find it in herself to be negative even just to spite her sister. Instead, she nodded once and got comfortable in her seat. That was when she noticed an odd lump in the pocket of her jeans. Checking to make sure Kanae was too enraptured with the next idol group to notice, she dug in her pocket and found a folded scrap of paper.

So much has happened since the last time I saw you. I would love to catch up sometime, let’s get in touch!

Shinobu’s eyes ran over the short note and accompanying phone number a few times and she couldn’t stop the smile from spread across her face. She couldn’t wait for these last acts to wrap up so she could get her phone back from Kanae.

#shinomitsuweek2022 #shinomitsu #demon slayer #kny #shinobu kocho #shinobu kochou #mitsuri kanroji #au

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heyiwrotesomethings · 2 years

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Sparring

ShinoMitsu Week 2022 Day Two

A/N: Today’s fic is also a bit of a crack fic. I had forgotten some of the lines I wrote and I had a sensible chuckle while editing. Hopefully you will too. Enjoy! Word Count: 1,160

This was it. Shinobu was going into this sparring match with a plan. Today, she was going to beat Mitsuri. It may not be fair, it may damage her pride, but she was going to win this time.

It was true that she had defeated Mitsuri long ago, but that was back when the Love Hashira was having doubts about her image and wasn’t taking as good of care of herself as she should have. Shinobu only did it to prove a point and encourage Mitsuri that her true self was loved. After making it a habit to train together every so often, Mitsuri hadn’t lost since.

Now don’t get her wrong, Shinobu was very happy that Mitsuri was healthy and happy again, but she wanted to best Mitsuri just once at the top of her game.

When Mitsuri arrived, Shinobu acted as she normally would, a warm greeting, a peck on the cheek, an offering of mochi… nothing out of the ordinary. She had to keep Mitsuri none the wiser, for if she found out, she would undoubtedly go easier on Shinobu and that was not what she wanted. Finally, when it came time to spar, they made their way to one of the training rooms, hand in hand.

“Why do we take time to spar whenever we’re together?” Mitsuri wondered aloud. “We work hard all the time. Couldn’t we just relax today, maybe?” She tested, trying to worm her way into a nice picnic in the garden or something equally romantic. She pouted when Shinobu answered her with a laugh.

“Even as Hashira, we should not shrink off our training. A half hour is all I ask of you my dear. Then we can do whatever you like, alright?” Shinobu promised, giving one of Mitsuri’s braids a playful tug.

“Okay.” Mitsuri relented. She was already looking forward to being done. Maybe if she could pin Shinobu fast enough, they could finish sooner and do more cute couple-y things! Oh, she could hardly wait!

They separated and moved to opposite sides of the room, each readied themselves to carry out their will upon the other. Mitsuri was feeling confident and Shinobu, determined.

“Ready?” Shinobu purred as she found her stance.

“Ready!” Mitsuri cheered and Shinobu disappeared from sight at top speed as if she was facing a demon.

“Waaahhhh!” Mitsuri pitched forward, catching herself from falling by quickly adjusting her footing to compensate for the new weight that had latched onto her back. “Shinobu! What are you doing?”

“Winning!” Shinobu sing-songed, wrapping her arms and legs tightly around Mitsuri’s neck and hips. All the while Mitsuri struggled to throw Shinobu from her back.

“But, but you have to pin me to win! To the ground!” Mitsuri yelled.

“That’s what this choke hold is for!” Shinobu said, all too sweetly.

“Ack! Shinobu!” Mitsuri wheezed, tapping on Shinobu’s arm rapidly with her hand. Her face becoming red from the lack of oxygen.

“Don’t worry, I’ll let go as soon as you drop, okay?” The sadistic little leech on Mitsuri’s back assured.

However, Mitsuri was not going to give up. On clumsy legs, she stumbled backwards and slammed Shinobu hard against the wall. The hit shocked Shinobu enough that she loosened her grip a bit, allowing Mitsuri to take in a huge gulp of air.

“Shinobu! You’re being mean!” Mitsuri sputtered, slamming into the wall a couple more times until Shinobu was seeing stars. When Shinobu’s hold slackened further, Mitsuri reached up behind her and fisted her hand in Shinobu’s uniform, flipping Shinobu off of her back and onto the floor with an Earth shattering thud. If not for the tatami floor— and Mitsuri holding back— Shinobu was sure her back would have been destroyed.

“You’re mine!” Mitsuri cheered, diving at Shinobu and narrowly missing as Shinobu managed to roll away just in time.

Shinobu got to her feet, head spinning and back aching, but otherwise able to continue. She was faster than Mitsuri, so as long as she could stay on her feet, she still had a chance.

“It’s not over yet, my dear.” Shinobu smirked, vanishing from sight.

“Uh oh.” Mitsuri paled.

Mitsuri rose her arms, doing her best to block the kicks and punches that seemed to pummel her on all sides. The strikes were more jarring than painful, but it still made it difficult to counter. A foot came in contact with the back of Mitsuri’s knee, making her kneel on the floor. A bad position to be in.

Shinobu flung all her weight into Mitsuri’s back, moving back in for the choke hold while Mitsuri tried to keep Shinobu’s arms at bay.

“It’s over Mitsuri, I have the high ground!” Shinobu’s hold on Mitsuri tightened.

“No!” Mitsuri’s collapsed knee began to rise, “You!” She rose up, easily taking Shinobu up with her, “Don’t!” Mitsuri purposely fell backwards and it was in that moment Shinobu knew, she fucked up.

“Ah HA!” Mitsuri yelled triumphantly while Shinobu twitched like a bug slapped with a rolled up newspaper. Mitsuri quickly flipped herself around and made a show of pinning the limp girl to the floor. “I won! I win! Right, Shinobu-chan? Shinobu?!”

“…I’m alright.” Shinobu said, moving her hand behind her back, testing. Wincing she added, “Might need a bit of an adjustment though.”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry! I went too hard again, didn’t I?” Mitsuri gasped leaning in closer to pepper Shinobu’s face with kisses as an apology. “Do you think you could stand up? Should I get the girls? What are you doing?”

Shinobu had braced her leg against Mitsuri’s side, her leg visibly shaking with the force she was using to try to—

“Are you trying to push me over so you can pin me?” Mitsuri asked, scandalized.

“So much muscle,” Shinobu strained, finally giving up and letting her leg fall back to the floor, “like trying to push a brick wall.” She sighed, “I concede.”

“Don’t look so down, Shinobu. You really had me on the ropes this time!” Mitsuri said, settling herself more comfortably on Shinobu’s torso. “I really wasn’t expecting you to resort to asphyxiation to win!”

“I’ll have to come up with a better plan next time,” Shinobu patted Mitsuri’s thighs and smiled at the blush overtook Mitsuri’s face. “Well, what would you like to do now, my champion?”

“Lunch in the garden!” Mitsuri said a touch too loudly as she leaned over Shinobu excitedly.

“Very well, lunch in the garden.” Shinobu repeated. Then they sat there, Shinobu waiting for Mitsuri to realize that in order to start such an activity, the Love Hashira would have to get off of her first.

“Oh yeah!” Mitsuri suddenly yelled, pushing on Shinobu’s shoulders while the Insect Pillar laughed. “Come on, Shinobu-chan, let’s go!” She stood up and pulled Shinobu to her feet, already imagining how good it was going to feel to lay with Shinobu in the sun.

#shinomitsuweek2022 #shinomitsu #demon slayer #kny #shinobu kocho #shinobu kochou #mitsuri kanroji

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heyiwrotesomethings · 2 years

Text

Flirting/ Pick-Up Lines

ShinoMitsu Week 2022 Day Four

A/N: Do you know how hard it is to write about flirting when you yourself are not a flirter? Brain empty! Anyway, please enjoy! Word Count: ~1,760

Mitsuri was positively buzzing with energy.

Today she was going to totally sweep Shinobu off her feet with all she had learned from Uzui! She already had all the lines memorized. All she had to do was recite them, ask Shinobu to go see the festival in that famous hot spring village a few days walk away and kiss under the fireworks then, boom! Mitsuri would propose! She could hardly wait, her heart was pounding!

“Kanao-chan, hello!” She waved, bounding up to the young Tsuguko sitting on the engawa. “Is Shinobu-chan around?”

Kanao smiles and tilts her head in a slight nod before turning her attention back to the butterfly sitting on the toe of her boot.

“She’s in her office.” Aoi informed, stepping out from the open doorway with Sumi, Kiyo and Naho and several baskets of laundry. “Do you know where that is, Kanroji-sama?”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Mitsuri nearly blinded all the Kakushi with her radiance as she skipped through the halls. Finally she spotted the door to Shinobu’s office and knocked out a playful tune against the door.

“Who is it?”

Mitsuri could have melted upon hearing her voice alone.

“It’s Mitsuri!”

“Oh, Mitsuri, come in.”

Mitsuri jumped, clutching her hands to her chest, this was it! She pulled the door open, ready to put all her chips on the table, she took a breath and… proceeded to choke on air.

“Good afternoon, Mitsuri.” Shinobu greeted, moving to sit up straight in her chair, giving Mitsuri all her attention. “Sorry, I must look like a mess right now. It’s rather hot today and the airflow isn’t very good in here.”

Mitsuri’s mouth felt unbearably dry. Shinobu was bathed in glittering sunbeams streaming in through the open window. Her haori was draped on the back of her chair, showing that the sleeves of her uniform rolled up to the elbows. Even the first couple buttons of Shinobu’s uniform were undone, revealing a wrinkled white button up underneath, the first two button also undone. Mitsuri’s eyes followed the movement of the paper in Shinobu’s hand as the Insect Pillar used it to fan herself, her hair swaying with the motion. Mitsuri had never seen her look more ethereal (although she thinks the same thing every time she sees her).

“You, you look great— wonderful! Amazing! Don’t worry!” Mitsuri assured. Wow, it really was hot in here. Shinobu wasn’t kidding.

“Thank you very much.” Shinobu chuckled, crossing one leg over the other. “So, what brings you by?”

“Oh yeah!” How could Mitsuri forget? Well, she could think of a few good reasons. Now, how did that line start again? “Um,” Mitsuri began to sweat, uh oh. She totally forgot. Wait, she could still save this! She just had to start talking and give herself some time to remember and bring it up organically. “I just wanted to come see you. How have you been?” Mitsuri almost tripped as she walked forward, but saved it by making it look like she just wanted to lean over Shinobu’s desk.

“Oh?” Shinobu paused her fanning, tapping the corner of the paper against her bottom lip thoughtfully, “I’m doing fairly well. Tanjirou and Co. are out on assignment, I’ve been trying to get all this paperwork done while there is still peace.”

Ah! She’s so cool and responsible!

“What have you been up to, Mitsuri?”

“I was training with Uzui-san for awhile.” Mitsuri answered. Learning how to flirt counted as training, right? Uh-oh! Did Shinobu’s expression become a little cold just now?

“Ah, Uzui. You know, I’ve been meaning to see him about how he scared my girls while I was away. The way he treats people sometimes… it’s a wonder he has three wives. Those poor women.”

“Aha, yeah…” Mitsuri’s smile twitched. Just what exactly had Uzui done? Should she not have gotten advice from him? Probably not if Shinobu was angry with him. So visibly angry! Gods, Shinobu is so beautiful when she’s angry, but scary too! Mitsuri couldn’t use the lines that Uzui gave her on Shinobu of all people! Quick, come up with something else!

“S-so um, are you hot in here? Wait, sorry, new around— that’s not right either… did you fall from Tennessee because I’d put… letters together…” Mitsuri petered out and decided that it would be a good time to close her mouth. Sweat was rolling off her in buckets.

Shinobu giggled behind her paper, “What is Tennessee?”

“I don’t even know!” Mitsuri moaned pitifully, laying her upper half flat against Shinobu’s desk.

“Careful with my papers.” Shinobu warned, though she didn’t look too worried. She patted Mitsuri’s back affectionately, “What’s got you all flustered, hm?”

“Shinobu-chan?” Mitsuri asked, still face down on the desk.

“Yes?”

“Do you think you are free for a couple of days at the end of next month?”

“My my, that’s quite a ways off. I suppose I could. My schedule hasn’t been built out that far yet.”

Mitsuri perked up, hope swelling in her chest. She opened her mouth to propose her plan, but Shinobu still had more to say.

“However, there was something I was hoping to do during that time.”

“Oh.” Mitsuri tried to hide her disappointment, which was easy given her current position. “What might that be?”

“Mm, well you see, there is this girl I know and I’ve been wondering if I should ask her to go to a certain festival with me.”

“Huh? What girl, Shinobu-chan?” Mitsuri could just about cry right then and there. Of course there would be other girls Shinobu could be interested in, what was she thinking! This was all a huge mistake! …Except it wasn’t really. Although they had been together for a long time, Mitsuri seemed to not understand just how head over heels Shinobu was for her.

“Oh, I believe you know her, quite well in fact.” Shinobu said as she switched from rubbing Mitsuri’s back to playing with one of her braids, “She’s tall and strong, endlessly kind and sweet, very beautiful too. It’s incredible that a woman like that can even exist, let alone live at the same time as me. She really is extraordinary.“

Mitsuri could not for the life of her imagine who this woman could be. It wasn’t often she encountered women in the corps… maybe she was a civilian?

“Still haven’t figured it out?” Shinobu hummed in Mitsuri’s ear, making Mitsuri shiver involuntarily. “She’s my girlfriend, Kanroji Mitsu—!”

“Ah! Shinobu! Oh gods, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Mitsuri panicked, rubbing the back of her head.

Mitsuri, in her excitement, had jerked upright and knocked her head into Shinobu’s jaw with an awful clonk.

“I’m alright,” Shinobu tested her jaw, moving it side to side, “you just caught me off guard is all.”

“I’m really sorry Shinobu,” Mitsuri sighed.

“Apology accepted.” Shinobu chuckled, “That is, if you’ll do something for me.”

“Oh anything, Shinobu!” Mitsuri begged, “Please tell me!”

“How about we go enjoy something cold together, your treat? We can discuss an itinerary for our upcoming trip. That is, if you want to come with me?”

“Yes! Yes, I can do that. I very much want to do that!” Mitsuri bounced in place. She was too excited to be disappointed when Shinobu began fixing up her uniform.

“Great!” Shinobu snapped the last button in place and stood up, dusting herself off in the process. Walking up to Mitsuri, she presented her fist, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. “Will you hold this for me?”

“Sure! What isszzzzEEEEEP! So smooth! How do you do that?” Mitsuri’s skin lit up like a paper lantern as she found herself holding Shinobu’s hand.

“It’s mostly confidence.” Shinobu explained. “You’ll get the hang of it I’m sure. Want to give it another try?”

Confidence… okay! Maybe some courage too! Mitsuri could give it a shot.

“I- If I was a gardener, I’d put our two lips together!” Mitsuri squeaked. Her shoulders relaxed when Shinobu praised her attempt.

“Well done, Mitsuri. I may not call myself a gardener, but I do dabble in botany. Maybe I could put our two lips together, hm?”

“Please do!” Mitsuri had no qualms about such a suggestion. When Shinobu guided Mitsuri’s face down to hers, Mitsuri wished she didn’t need to breathe. She pulled back just enough to catch her breath, looking at Shinobu like she hung the stars in the sky, “I love you so much.”

“I… I love you too.” Shinobu could hardly look Mitsuri in the eye. Her skin prickled with heat at the admission.

Although Shinobu was a rather good flirt, nothing could compare to the way Mitsuri could speak with such unbridled honesty and compassion. Her candor never failed to leave Shinobu weak in the knees.

“Wahhh, Shinobu, are you okay? You look a little pink.” Mitsuri pulled a page out of Shinobu’s book and pressed their foreheads together, humming thoughtfully.

“I’m alright my sweet.” Shinobu giggled when Mitsuri nuzzled her nose. “Don’t worry about flirting. You are plenty successful on your own without having to resort to cheesy lines you picked up from Uzui.”

“You knew about that?” Mitsuri blushed.

“Of course my dear. After what he did to Aoi and Naho, the man can’t even sneeze without me knowing. Now,” Shinobu jokingly pushed Mitsuri towards the door, “let’s get going, I’m positively baking in this room.”

“Okay!” Mitsuri regained her hold on Shinobu’s hand and together they exited the estate and waved to the girls as they passed by.

“Shinobu-sama and Mitsuri-sama are so cute together, don’t you all agree?” Naho asked.

“Mhm mhm, Shinobu-sama always seems to be glowing when they are together!” Sumi added.

“So you think they’ll get married soon?” Kiyo wondered.

“Who knows.” Aoi scoffed, “Shinobu-sama would never outright tell us her plans. Right, Kanao? Or do you know something?”

Kanao thought back to a couple weeks ago when she found her sister asleep at her desk and smiled. She shook her head and Aoi sighed. Kanao felt a little bad, but it wasn’t her place to tell them about the ring box, fancy bottle of saké and an envelope full of yen she saw sitting on Shinobu’s desk that night. Still, she decided she could give the girls a little insight.

“I suspect we will hear something once summer ends. Perhaps early fall.”

“You do know something, don’t you?” Aoi crossed her arms, though a smile tugged at her lips when Kanao simply smiled at her and kicked her legs over the engawa’s edge.

#shinomitsuweek2022 #shinomitsu #kny #demon slayer #shinobu kochou #shinobu kocho #mitsuri kanroji

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