Work Text:
It was… odd, almost, suddenly working with a person. Working with Mitsuri. Shinobu preferred working on her own, or more recently, with Kanao. While she respected her fellow Hashira, she found that she didn’t fancy working with them so closely on missions. Oh, if one called on her for aid mid-mission, or they happened to run into one another, that was more than fine. But this…
She wasn’t sure of what to do with herself.
Hey, Kocho, would you mind helping me out with this mission? Mitsuri had asked. Normally I would have asked Kyojuro, but…
And shit, how could Shinobu deny the other woman when she phrased it like that? They were all still reeling from Rengoku’s death, but Mitsuri had been the closest with him among the Hashira, and Shinobu knew Mitsuri didn’t like working alone if she could help it.
So she’d accepted the request, but now that they were traversing the outskirts of this little town as dusk set in, she found she didn’t know what to do.
“Ah… Would you like to get something to eat together after we kill the demon?” Mitsuri asked with a bright smile as she glanced over her shoulder. “Or after the sun comes up? Whichever comes first.”
“Eat,” Shinobu repeated, her voice flat.
“Yeah!” Mitsuri fell back so she could walk next to Shinobu, a bit closer than necessary, leaving their fingers to brush on occasion.
Why did Shinobu like that? Her chest felt strange…
“I mean, of course, I brought some food.” Mitsuri gestured to the bag slung over her shoulder, decorated with little hearts. “But I always like eating nicer food with fellow Hashira after a mission. It’s a good time to get to know each other, and I feel like we could be closer. Wouldn’t that be fun, Kocho?”
Why were her wide, green eyes so sincere? Why did Mitsuri want to spend casual time with Shinobu? Not many people did (not that she could blame them), given her prickly demeanor when she gave up trying (which was what many of the Hashira got to see), and sullen personality. “Um…” She raised her fist to her mouth and cleared her throat. “I suppose we could do something like that.” Did she sound too eager? Would Mitsuri realize that Shinobu would kill for an opportunity like that, but would never sentence Mitsuri to that of her own accord?
But since Mitsuri had asked… That made it okay, right?
Mitsuri clapped her hands together. “Oh, wonderful! I know this amazing little cafe just a couple towns over. Would you like that?”
A couple towns over? Shinobu had expected whatever little food stand they could find in this small town, not somewhere cute or fancy or fun. You took people you liked places like that, not fellow slayers you were hardly more than acquaintances with, right? Did that mean that Mitsuri liked her?
No, Mitsuri was a kind woman. She probably would have made the exact same offer of anyone who had taken this mission with her.
But Shinobu couldn’t tell her no, and admittedly, found herself a little excited to do something like that with Mitsuri. “Sure, whatever you want to do. You probably know more about that kinda stuff than me.”
Mitsuri’s smile somehow managed to become even brighter. “Everyone always says you’re all business and grouchy, Kocho. But I knew that wasn’t true. You’re never like that with me!”
Shinobu’s eyes widened, and she jerked her head to the side to keep Mitsuri from seeing the flush spread across her face. Did the other Hashira really say things like that about her? Not that she cared, it was mostly true, after all. But the fact that Mitsuri thought it wasn’t true because Shinobu was always slightly nicer to her than everyone else was mildly humiliating. “They’re ones to talk, especially Shinazugawa and Iguro, the bastards. It’s not like they’re nice either.” She crossed her arms, hoping Mitsuri interpreted the red on her face as anger rather than embarrassment.
“Oh. Oh!” Mitsuri waved her hands and shook her head. “I didn’t mean it like that! I’m sorry, I—”
Shinobu took her wrist. “It’s fine, Mitsuri—er, sorry, Kanroji. Uh… I am mean and grumpy sometimes. And I do think work is more important.”
“You can call me Mitsuri!” she chirped. “But I get to call you Shinobu.”
Dammit, this woman wants to kill me. Why is she so pretty and nice? Why couldn’t she only be one? Or none? It’s not fair to be both. No one should get to be pretty and nice.
“But yeah…” Mitsuri clasped her hands behind her back. “I really admire that about you, Shinobu. How driven and focused you are. And you don’t care what anyone else thinks!”
Shinobu blew out a deep breath from between clenched teeth. “Thank you. That’s, um… very kind of you. But come on. You should keep your guard up. This is a demon’s hunting ground, after all.”
“Ah! Right!” Mitsuri’s hand shifted to the hilt of her sword. “You’re right. I’m being silly, talking about this kind of stuff right now. I should wait until we’re done and get to go eat together!”
Shinobu shook her head, wondering how the hell everyone wasn’t pining after this ridiculous woman.
She had no idea what possessed her to do it. Shinobu was never one to use her own body as a shield. Never, never, never. It was pointless. All it did was cause pain and suffering to herself, and left the other person to face a monster on their own. The most likely outcome was the death of both her, and whoever she tried to protect in such a way.
But her mind had gone white, and next thing she knew she was shoving Mitsuri out of the way, and a demon’s claws ripped into her chest.
The skirmish that followed was pathetic. Shinobu stumbled back, trying to hold the gaping tears closed, her own blood pouring between her fingers and the shreds of her uniform. It was so stupid. Mitsuri had been in the process of dodging the claws all on her own, at the most, they would have nicked her arm, and why had Shinobu done that? It was almost as if something had possessed her for a split second.
It was less than half a minute before Mitsuri sliced the demon’s head off, and rushed to Shinobu’s side. “Shinobu!” She kneeled down, her sword slipping from her grasp and clattering to the ground so she could press her hand against the bleeding wounds. “Why would you do something like that? I would have been fine!”
Shinobu groaned, both in pain and embarrassment, and hung her head. She didn’t need to be told that. She knew that. Why did she do that?
Her head felt fuzzy. Probably from the blood loss.
“Dammit, okay.” All too effortlessly, Mitsuri scooped her up, and nestled her against her chest. “Let’s get you back into town. I don’t think these are too deep, so I should be able to stitch them up myself, but it’d be better if you saw a doctor.”
Shinobu winced, the tearing pain leaving her unable to enjoy being so close to Mitsuri, or unable to feel embarrassed over being picked up and carried as if she were helpless. She knew she was a petite woman, but that didn’t mean she appreciated being manhandled!
But maybe it was okay if it was Mitsuri….
“I can stitch them myself,” she insisted, removing her hand and glancing down to try and gauge the severity of the wounds. Blood loss was the largest concern, but if they could staunch the bleeding—
“You will do no such thing!” Mitsuri barked. “Honestly! Why were you so reckless? It’s not like you at all!”
Shinobu bit her lip, something akin to disappointment and shame welling within her. Did Mitsuri think Shinobu wouldn’t take another hit for someone because of things the other Hashira had said? Or had she gathered that all on her own from their interactions? And well… It was true. Shinobu did not put herself in harm’s way for others (normally), but for some reason…
She didn’t like that Mitsuri knew that.
Not because she was ashamed of such a thing. She stood by her reasons. Was it because Mitsuri might put more thought into why Shinobu had done that for her specifically?
Possibly.
“You don’t need to try stitching wounds like this yourself,” she continued to insist. “You’re losing blood, your hands will be shaky, and there’s no reason that someone else can’t do it. I suppose I could, if it were necessary, but I really do insist a professional do it. Or at least someone with a little more experience than me.”
Shinobu heaved a sigh, but gave up arguing with the other woman. She’d never known Mitsuri to be stubborn, but to be a Hashira, Shinobu supposed it was necessary.
Shinobu frowned as the man stitched the wounds up. He kept insisting she was unconscious for this, but she’d been through far worse, and wanted to be sure he was doing it correctly. He was, but she needed to be certain.
Mitsuri held her hand in a vice grip, squeezing and wincing every time the needle dug into Shinobu’s skin. Her strength hurt worse than the actual stitches, but like hell she would ever tell Mitsuri such a thing.
“There.” The doctor tugged on the string, sewing up the last of the tears. “That should do it. I’ve got some more disinfectant to put on the wounds, but I’ll let you or your partner handle that, since you seem well enough.”
Shinobu grunted, and pulled her haori closed to cover her chest. Being exposed didn’t necessarily bother her in an environment like this, but she’d never met this man before, and she appreciated him leaving that part to herself. “Thank you. Sorry to bother you.”
He shook his head. “It’s no trouble. After all, you ladies slayed the demon plaguing the town.” He fetched a small container of disinfectant, and Shinobu held her hand out, but he gave it to Mitsuri instead. “Stay for as long as you need.” And he left the small room.
“Does it hurt?” Mitsuri asked as soon as he was gone, finally letting go of Shinobu’s hand to pry open the little container.
Shinobu scoffed. “Of course it does.” There were claw marks rent across her chest. “But I’ve been through worse, and I’ll survive.” Perhaps no intensive missions for a couple weeks, which was annoying, but given her own stupidity had caused this, she had no right to complain.
A frown tugged at Mitsuri’s lips, and she lightly brushed aside Shinobu’s haori to gain access to her chest. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t like being exposed—”
Shinobu glanced up at the ceiling. “It’s fine. It’s for medical reasons.”
“Right.” With delicate fingers, Mitsuri spread a glob of the cream across the wounds.
Shinobu hissed between clenched teeth.
“I’m sorry!”
“S’fine. Just stings a little. I’ll get over it.”
Mitsuri nodded, and continued coating the wounds in the antibiotic cream. “I still don’t understand why you did that. I would’ve been fine.”
“Does it matter?” Don’t pry. I don’t think you’ll appreciate my answers.
“If you were one of the men, I would assume it was because you thought I couldn’t protect myself,” Mitsuri said. “But because it’s you, I know that’s not the case. I’m just curious. Like I said before, it just doesn’t seem like you.”
Shinobu hummed, and wondered if the male slayers were even more annoyingly protective of Mitsuri than they were of Shinobu because of how femininely she presented herself. Of course, most of the Hashira weren’t like that, but some of the stupid, lower ranked slayers butted in when it was none of their business.
“Shinobu?”
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I, uh… I don’t know. Instinct.”
Mitsuri raised an eyebrow. “You instinctively pushed me out of the way? Human instinct is to flee from a demon.”
Shinobu sighed. “What do you want me to say?” No answer she provided was going to satisfy Mitsuri. No answer she gave would make sense for Shinobu. Even the truth would sound like bullshit, given her track record.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I just… I don’t know, Shinobu. I don’t get it.” She pulled back, and let Shinobu cover herself again.
“I… didn’t want to see you hurt.” That was truthful, wasn’t it? It might not be the whole truth, but it was still the truth, nonetheless.
A soft smile grace Mitsuri’s face. “Well, I appreciate it, Shinobu. Even if I must request that you never do such a thing again.”
Shinobu offered her a curt nod. “I will do my best.”
Mirsuri leaned over to brush a lock of hair behind Shinobu’s ear. “Thank you. Now come on. Let’s get your shirt back on, and go get breakfast.”
Shinobu had to bite back a laugh. She’d forgotten about their initial deal, and couldn’t believe Mitsuri was still thinking about it. “Yeah, sure.” But she was glad she wouldn’t have to give it up over her dumb mistake.
“Wonderful!” Mitsuri beamed as she got to her feet. “Let’s have a good day together, Shinobu!”