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Mitsuri never expected to find herself knocking at the door of the Wind Estate, asking for help with her hair from their very own Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, yet here she is. Hair down to her thighs and her usual Slayer uniform swapped for something a little more casual.
If Mitsuri was being honest, she never saw herself talking to Sanemi outside of work period. Don't get her wrong, it's not that she didn't want to! No, it's just that.. as handsome and even sometimes sweet as he is, he's usually overwhelmingly grumpy. Always yelling at people and pushing away any olive branch of kindness he's offered; he's really not the most approachable guy out there.
But! Mitsuri is the Love Hashira. She can bulldoze through any emotional walls he puts up with the power of friendship!! Or bribery, if that's what it takes...
She really didn't want to be bothering the guy, honest! But, everyone who usually helps her with her hair was busy right now. Shinobu was dealing with some demon sightings up in some mountain out east, Tengen was having a day out with his wives at a hot spring, and her parents were currently out on a vacation up north!! She's asked everyone she knows, but nobody else can make all her hair look super cute like any of them can. Even the butterfly girls are all rushing around trying to help out the patients at the Butterfly Estate, and she wouldn't want to be a bother to them.
So, when she sent a crow to Shinobu begging her to recommend someone who can make her hair as cute as she usually has it, surprisingly enough, she recommended Sanemi.
She said that even though Sanemi looks all rugged and rough, he actually works very well. Apparently, he used to even help do the butterfly girls' hair, back before he became a Hashira and got too busy, but sometimes, when he's stuck there for an extended amount of time due to whatever injury, Shinobu said that she can hear the girls laughing in his ward and coming out with super well-done updos and braids!! She says Kanae taught him how to do some do's, but that he also somehow knew how to do hair pretty well even before they met...
Whatever the cause for Sanemi's secret abilities, Mitsuri didn't care. She was determined to get him to work with her. Maybe while she was here, she could pull some hidden backstory out of him... Maybe she can even properly befriend him and learn all sorts of things about him besides just his favorite food—which she didn't even learn from him. Shinobu suggested bringing some ohagi as bribery if the power of Love and Compassion didn't work on him, which, much to Mitsuri's dismay, was a pretty reasonable precaution to put in place.
The Love Hashira skipped up the step to the Wind Estate's front doors, small box of ohagi in hand, she bravely knocked as loud as she could to get the man's attention.
She knew he was there. She'd gotten a crow to find and follow him, and then alert her when he got back to his estate, so she was absolutely positive he was inside right now, but for some reason, he wouldn't answer the door.
She knocked again, yelling out this time, "Hey Shinazugawa-san!! It's me!! C'mon let me in, I know you're in there! Shinazugawa-san!!!"
She tried tapping on some of the windows, knocking against any window and door she could find until, finally, the man of the hour threw open the door in front of her, still wearing his usual uniform, and wearing a nasty glare that could kill a lesser man. Thankfully, Mitsuri was neither lesser, nor a man, so she greeted his animosity with a cheerful smile and presented the ohagi, "Hello Shinazugawa-san! I brought ohagi!! Can you help me with my hair please?"
She made sure to gesture to her long, slightly messy, but still nice and pretty, hair, and then to the ohagi. It was homemade, with some help from Aoi, bless her heart. Aoi encouraged her and told her that Sanemi loved her ohagi, so this had to work.
"No." Sanemi scowled and shut the door right in her face.
Mitsuri stood there, shell-shocked. No?! But she came all this way!! And even brought a box of freshly made ohagi just for him!! That was his favorite right? Shinobu and Aoi would never lie to her!! Maybe he was just in a bad mood. Yeah!! Which meant MItsuri had to cheer him up somehow! Then, he'd totally be willing to help her out!!
"C'mon Shinazugawa-san~! I promise it won't take long!! Plus, I can get Aoi to make you more ohagi after if you'd like!! Are you upset? If something's bothering you you can absolutely tell me what's wrong! Maybe I can even help you!! I promise I won't tell a single soul if it's personal, pinky promise!!!" she waved through the windows and began knocking again. If there's one thing she knew, it was now not to give up. How to be persistent in the face of a challenge, and this here seemed like quite the challenge.
She was Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira!! She just had to be a little bit more persistent! And maybe a tiny bit annoying... but it was for the greater good!!
"Shinazugawaaa—" she was about to start yelling again when the door flew open again, and Sanemi looked even more frustrated than before.
"If I help you out will you leave?"
Mitsuri beamed up at him and started bouncing in place, "Oh absolutely!! Yes, definitely!! I'll be super duper quiet too, you won't even know I'm here!!!" she flashed all her pearly whites ecstatically while Sanemi let out a deep sigh and stepped aside to let her in, taking the box of ohagi she offered from her hands as she passed, and closing the door once she was inside.
His estate was nice on the inside. It was well-lit and tidy, not a speck of dust out of place. It looked like he didn't even live here which, wasn't entirely out of the question. She was surprised he wasn't out on a mission right now. Even when nothing was assigned to him, Sanemi seemed to always be out killing demons. Maybe he was just having an off day right now. Everyone needs a chance to relax sometimes, even workoholics like him!!
The decor was beautiful too. Paintings strung up here and there, well-crafted furniture in some rooms, the kitchen they packed looked empty food-wise, but well stocked when it came to the materials needed to cook.
Overall, it was a nice place!! Surprisingly so. She didn't want to be rude or anything, but Mitsuri half expected the place to be a mess due to how recklessly Sanemi was always operating. Safe to say she was pleasantly surprised.
He led her to a medium-sized room with a bath, a couple of soaps, and a bunch of towels folded neatly off to the side. He went to a closet off to the side while she stood in the doorway and grabbed a small stool.
"Come sit over here and lay your hair in the bath. I wanna wash that rat's nest before doin' anything," he pulled off his haori, exposing the scarred, muscley arms sticking out of his sleeveless top. Mitsuri wouldn't lie, she stared for half a moment. Who wouldn't?! He was very well-toned. She wasn't ashamed of thinking he was attractive. She snapped out of it moments later though, doing as he told and sitting on the stool with her back facing him and her hair draped into the now-water-filled bath.
"You know you didn't have to call it a rat's nest Shinazugawa-san! It's just not polite to tell a lady her hair is that messy," she huffed as he sat on his own stool and began running his finger through her hair, scrubbing in some soap and conditioner to clean it and get rid of some knots. He grunted and Mitsuri could just sense that he was rolling his eyes at her. Rude!!
"I'm serious here Shinazugawa!! It's plain rude!! You need to learn to be nicer, especially to ladies!! You'll never score yourself a wife with that behavior. Or a husband!" she heard Sanemi behind her choke on air and she giggled. Maybe she shouldn't be teasing the guy who already seems pretty upset by her presence, but what can she say? He's just too fun to tease!!
"Whatever you say Kanroji. Lean your head back more," he grumbled, carefully raking his fingers through her long strands, making sure to clear all the soap out by pouring some more clean water over her hair with a pitcher. Despite the provocations, he didn't seem as bothered as he usually does when he's teased. Maybe Mitsuri was wrong and he was actually having a good day... That would be great! She's glad Sanemi's having a good day, and she's glad she didn't ruin his mood too much. She likes when he's more subdued like this instead of raging about how much Giyuu sucks, or how much Tengen sucks, or how much all the lower ranks suck, or how much demons suck, or how much... everything sucks!!
Seeing this side of Sanemi felt like something special. Sheesh the thought had her heart racing!!
Her thoughts about Sanemi's more peaceful side were very rudely interrupted by the man himself getting up and throwing some towels in her direction, "Dry off your hair and follow me," he ordered again, rather than apologizing for throwing a couple of towels at Mitsuri with no warning!!
Unfortunately, even while all calm, Sanemi was still as rude and blunt as ever. You win some you lose some.
She sighed and followed him anyway, wringing out her hair and patting it dry as they went to a different room with a plain-looking bed, a desk, a large mirror, a cushier-looking stool than the one she was on previously, and a few paintings here and there. It looked far too small and plain to be his room, maybe a guest room? He didn't have many friends, but he seemed to get along pretty well with Obanai the Serpent Hashira, so maybe he stayed here on occasion!
"Sit," he said, as eloquently as ever, and pointed at the stool. Mitsuri sighed again as she sat down. Had this man ever heard the words please before? Or thank you? Maybe a sorry? She might need to come visit more often and teach him his manners. They were important!!
"Hey Shinazugawa-san? Can you give me some super duper cute braids? The butterfly girls said that you can do super pretty ones!! Pretty please?" she turned and beamed at Sanemi who looked like he wasn't sure whether to be mad or confused. It was a little funny, and Mitsuri ended up giggling, to which Sanemi turned red and looked even more confused. She tried to stifle her giggles, she really did. It's rude to laugh at someone like this after all! But she just couldn't help it... Sanemi looked so silly all lost and flustered!!! It was almost cute!! As cute as the guy could be...
He finally made up his mind and opted for being dismissive, "Whatever. Don't fuckin' nag me if ya don't like it though, got it? I'm not redoing it after this," he turned to look away at the wall as if it was something super interesting, and Mitsuri's giggles died down enough for her to respond.
"Of course of course!! But I'm positive I'll love anything you do Shinazugawa-san!" she sent a grateful and cheerful smile his way. She was so excited!! She couldn't wait to see what kind of pretty braids he'd do. No matter what, they'll definitely be the best ever. Well, maybe not ever, but they'll certainly be pretty high up there!!
The two fell into a comfortable silence soon enough as Sanemi brushed her slowly drying hair, surprisingly gently. He was careful not to hurt her when a difficult knot would cause him to tug a bit, and he raked his fingers through the strands right after to properly make sure every lock was in place. It was very soothing, like some kinda of head massage. It was great!! She sighed and closed her eyes, relaxing fully while the man worked on detangling.
They stayed in that state for a few minutes, the only sounds filling the room being the brush in her hair and each other's own breathing.
"Hey Kanroji," and then Sanemi broke the moment.
Mitsuri didn't mind of course, but the moment was pretty nice. She nodded her head back a bit in acknowledgment, "Hm?"
He didn't reply, and for a moment Mitsuri thought she made up the interaction entirely, before he finally spoke up, "Why did you come to me? Like, I know you usually go to Kocho or something for this shit, so how come ya came all the way out here instead." He phrased it like a statement rather than a genuine question, but his awkwardness and hesitation made Mitsuri smile. He's not some scary aggressive demon killer—well. He is, but he's also just a big softie!!
"Well, that's pretty simple! I didn't come for any sort of special reason, it's just that all the people who usually do my hair were all unavailable, and Kocho-san said that you do hair very well!!" she laughed lightly, "Plus, I never get to see you outside of work!! You always run off right after missions. I thought this could be a great opportunity to get closer and learn a bit about you!!"
Mitsuri waited patiently for him to formulate a response, which took a little longer than it should've, but that's alright. She's found that Sanemi isn't very good at expressing emotions that revolve around being happy or grateful. It was cute!! Sanemi was very cute. The thought had her giggling again to herself, to which Sanemi just clicked his tongue and set down the brush, getting to work with braiding her hair.
They fell into silence again as he worked. Mitsuri felt every light touch and tug, each group of strands being tossed to the side or stacked up on one another to make it tight. intricate braids. His hands were deft and experienced, making their way quickly yet carefully through her pink and green locks. He never tugged too hard to pull too tight, and would regularly pause and step back as if making sure the work was acceptable.
Occasionally, he's started over entirely, scrapping whatever he had done moments before and spreading her hair over into different directions. She wanted to comment on it but chose not to break such intense concentration.
She'd seen him concentrate when it came to killing demons and making sure no innocents were endangered at the same time, but it was interesting seeing his face all scrunched up like a kitten's in the mirror, the tip of his tongue sticking out a little bit. She wasn't sure he knew what kind of face he made, and she wanted to just squeal at how adorable it was, but alas. If she ever wanted the chance to see it again, she had to keep her trap shut tight.
She was absolutely telling Shinobu all about this later though. There was no way she could keep such a discovery to herself!!
Gods, Mitsuri wanted to stay in this moment forever. Sanemi running warm, experienced fingers through her hair, a rather calming sensation that she, for some reason, never noticed when anyone else did her hair. The faint sound of a breeze outside. Her heart beating steady and strong. Sanemi's cute little kitten concentration face right behind her.
She wondered if his whole body was warm. If he held her hand or hugged her close, would he still be like some kind of radiator? Or maybe it was just her imagining things.
Whatever the case, Mitsuri liked being around Sanemi. Crazy, right? Sanemi Shinazugawa of all people!!
But there was something so nice about being in his presence. While his manners could use a bit of work, he was overall very sweet. He was gentle, making sure not to hurt her, he worked extremely hard, trying to get her hair to look perfect despite how against the whole idea of helping her he was not even an hour before, and looking past the initial edge his words always seemed to have, he actually wasn't overwhelmingly mean to her.
She really liked it! She really liked Sanemi.
From behind her, Sanemi stepped back and huffed, admiring his handiwork.
He looked like he was walking away for a moment, and Mitsuri went to look at herself in the mirror, but his hands came out of nowhere, and gently tilted her head back to look at him, "Don't look. I wanna do something real quick."
Mitsuri blinked but kept her head where it was even when he left the room momentarily. The second he was gone, her whole face heated up and her eyes went wide.
His palms were warm!! Super warm!! It was like having her cheeks touched by sunbeams or some delicious hot soup... if that was possible. Whatever!! All that mattered was that they were warm! And he looked so handsome up close!! Mitsuri kicked her feet and giggled to herself. She quickly steeled herself though, since Sanemi would be back any moment then.
He was in fact back seconds later, something shiny that Mitsuri couldn't quite make out resting in one of his palms.
"Close your eyes," he instructed, and she did so while he tilted her head back again.
She felt something thinner and tougher than his finger sifting through he hair now, piercing the small gaps of her new do until the piece fit snuggly. When he lifted his hands finally and huffed out a satisfied breath, Mitsuri opened her eyes and almost squealed with joy.
Her hair was braided into five sections instead of the usual three, with two extra, much smaller braids trailing from the sides of her forehead to the biggest braid in the back. Her bangs were positioned to be slightly asymmetrical, but in a way that balanced out very nicely. There wasn't a strand out of place, as any strays were pulled back by a beautiful gold hairpin with some kind of shimmering green and white gems, forming a small flower-like shape.
Mitsuri excitedly turned her head from the mirror to Sanemi, to the mirror, and back to Sanemi over and over again. She was practically bouncing in her seat she looked amazing!! She was about to thank Sanemi with the biggest bow she could possibly muster, honest! She was! But she got a little... distracted.
By Sanemi. Smiling.
It wasn't that freaky angry sadistic smile he had on while killing demons or bickering with Giyuu, no no, it was a smile smile. Like the soft kind of smile you might give to a pretty flower, or a cute animal, or perhaps something you created that ended up better than you could've hoped for. He looked like he was in his own world for just a moment, facing Mitsuri but not quite looking at her.
Still, such a soft, genuine smile coming from Sanemi had Mitsuri coming to a quick halt and staring wide-eyed at the man in front of her. She couldn't help but smile back. What can she say? It's like it was contagious!!
Unfortunately, the pleasant moment came to a sudden end when Sanemi seemed to become self-aware and he wiped the smile off his face, turning to the side as if that would hide the bright pink dusting his cheeks. Mitsuri giggled a little into her hand and stood up, taking Sanemi's hands into her own and looking up at him, "Thank you so much Shinazugawa-san!! I really appreciate you helping me out. Your work is beautiful and I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to do this for me. It really means a lot coming from y'know?" she closed her eyes and gave him the biggest, happiest, most jovial smile she could.
When she peeked open her eyes, Sanemi was looking back at her, a bit confused, but red as a tomato, and it took everything inside of her not to start giggling again.
He turned his head to the side and clicked his tongue, "Tch. Whatever, if you're happy now will ya leave?"
Mitsuri nodded, not letting her smile drop. Yeah, she was a bit sad that their moment had to end so soon, but she had to be patient. Baby steps!! Maybe she was a little bit nervous to approach before, but now she was was determined to become friends with the Wind Hashira, and to do so, she had to carefully dismantle all of the walls he'd built up, brick by brick.
Because just bulldozing through clearly wasn't a very good way to get to him. If she did that he'd just shut her out again. Jeez, forming relationships with emotionally stunted men is hard.
Sanemi began to walk away, and Mitsuri did a little jog to catch up. She tried to shoot him a little smile as they walked, but he continued to look away, so she just shrugged and went along, side-by-side with him. The two stalked down the halls of the Wind Estate in silence, but just like before, it was nice. Calming. It made Mitsuri happy.
While usually, she would be much happier chatting and laughing, even making small talk, with Sanemi, she found herself being comfortable just living in his presence. There was no need for idle chit-chat with him. She could just exist next to him and be satisfied. How odd. This whole ordeal was odd, but this was what stood out the most to her for some reason. The fact that she liked the silence. She liked just being. Being with Sanemi.
Hm.
What an odd, odd thought.
Whatever! Mitsuri shrugged it off and practically skipped next to Sanemi with how fast he was walking all the way to the front entrance. As she slid her outdoor shoes back on, he cleared his throat, and she looked up, pausing to give him her full attention, "You can um.. You can come back if you want. To get your hair done I mean."
He still wouldn't meet her eye and was scratching at the back of his neck, and if Mitsuri might even say he looked nervous, or even, god forbid, flustered. But, she ignored all that, instead letting out a big gasp and jumping up—one foot still without its shoe—and tackling him in a massive bear hug. She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck while jumping up and down and squealing, "Oh Shinazugawa-san you're the bestest ever!! Thank you!!!"
She did it!! She became friends with Sanemi!! He didn't say it outright, but he basically just confirmed that she could come over whenever even if it was just for hair. This was progress! Sanemi only ever invited Obanai and Shinobu over, and that was usually to either spar or fix up injuries!! This was a casual, non-work-related activity that he was not only okay with but offered up to Mitsuri!! She was absolutely elated.
Sanemi was frozen in place for a second, before snapping back to reality and pushing her off a bit, "Yeah yeah, whatever. This is only to do your hair, got it? Don't get the wrong idea or anything, Kanroji," he huffed as she calmed down a bit, wide smile still plastered on her face and she nodded profusely.
"You got it Shinazugawa-san!! Whatever you say~!" she cheered and crouched down to lace up her other shoe. Once both were nice and secure, she hopped up and skipped over to the door, unable to get rid of her smile.
She turned around one last time and waved at Sanemi, who rolled his eyes but gave a little wave of his own back, before slamming the door shut. Mitsuri giggled and skipped down the path, jovial mood incapable of being ruined by any demon that may cross her path. She may have missed out on learning his favorite color or tragic backstory, but she's officially friends with Sanemi, and that's a fantastic start!!
What a great day!