When Oyakata-sama called them both again for a meeting, Shinobu thought it was some kind of joke. It was true they worked really good as a team, but really, she hadn’t even worked with any of the other Pillars to know if she could be better. Anyone could be better than the always quiet and arrogant Tomioka Giyuu.
Anyway, she had to accept her master’s orders, knowing very well they both knew how the other Pillar moved and could drive each other to their limits until they grow the demon mark, needed to have a chance to defeat the Demon King. She already knew what the man was going to ask them and had already made up her mind.
However, even though they were a good team and knew each other’s moves, Shinobu was really concerned. Tomioka was one of the strongest Pillars, even when she hated to admit it. Everyone asked her how good he was slaying demons, as nobody ever saw him. He had all the abilities: velocity, strength, quick thinking and silent moves. And if she didn’t consider herself as strong as her sister, the fact that she had to face him was getting to her nerves and self-confidence.
Tomioka Giyuu had never complimented her for anything, and neither had Shinobu. After they were about to kill each other at Mount Natagumo over Nezuko, and reunited after that at Oyakata sama’s place, they hadn’t seen each other.
Usually, after their meetings, they ran straight to their assigned mission, but now was different. They stood outside their master’s house in silence, not actually knowing what to do, since they hadn’t spoken more than three words to each other in their whole lives.
It was intriguing how Kanae could talk so highly about him. How could she know something about this man?
“Kocho, I think we should start right away.” He said, not looking at her, in his always monotone voice.
“Sure, Tomioka-san.” She faked a smile. “However, we can’t go to the Butterfly state now. There’s a lot to do there and I have a hard time ignoring my girl’s questions.”
“Let’s go to my place, then.” Tomioka replied, as if it was nothing.
An 18-year-old woman, going alone to a single man’s house? What was he thinking about? Where were his manners? Shinobu had a hard time believing him, staying quiet while eyeing him, incredulous.
But then again, it was only logical. There was no other place to train quietly and push each other’s limits without obligations or demons watching them than his place.
“Fine by me. You’re leading.” Shinobu prepared herself for running and followed him once he turned, after giving her a really strange look, and ran towards his place.
Turns out, he didn’t live too far. It was barely thirty minutes running at average speed.
His place was a small cabin near the top a mountain with a field of Wisteria trees surrounding the entrance. A big part of the place was destined for training: there were swords neatly placed on a makeshift wall, a training mannequin and a bench made probably to rest, next to a small fountain full of brook water. Shinobu walked in to observe the multiple swords, some seeming to be actually made to kill demons, even though she had never seen him using them.
Giyuu, as always, was silent, leaving his sword on the shelf and taking off his haori. When he finished, he looked at her from head to toe, expecting for something, until she caught up with him and took off her shoe’s blades, left her sword on the shelf and took off her heavy haori full of poisons and some medicine.
“What? I’m totally unarmed now.” She explained, as Giyuu was still staring at her.
“Your pin.” He mumbled.
Oh, right. Her pin. She used it when there was no poison left to put into her sword to throw it at the demons. She kept there her strongest poisons.
Shinobu unclasped it and placed it on top of her haori, feeling uncomfortable with her hair loose like that, in front of a man he barely even knew.
“Is it going to interrupt with your moves? Because you can use it if you want to.” The man pointed at her hair and Shinobu’s brain stopped working for a bit.
Was this some kind of joke? Did he think that even wearing it she could do no harm? Or was he just being cautious since she’d tried to kill him before?
“I can braid it. Just wait a minute.” Shinobu answered, trying to sound calm to not let him see her all weirded out about it. She turned around, trying to gather up her hair when she felt him approach her, making her turn back again to her original position, looking as angry as she could.
“I’ve got a hair band.” He explained, pulling out an elastic from his wrist and giving it to her.
Shinobu took it carefully, quizzical. Tomioka had spoken more in these two minutes than in all the time she’d knew him. Which was three years ago, when he’d just became the Water Pillar after Urokodaki’s retirement, and her sister had been the Insect Pillar for a month. By that time, he was her actual age.
Combing her hair and tiding it, Shinobu thought about the first time they spoke. He was injured and she was trying to figure out how, where and what could she do for him. Of course, he didn’t say anything to her for some reason and she started to hate him as soon as he gave her a blank stare when he was leaving the Butterfly state.
The same stare he had now, looking at the ground while stretching and then stood before her, waiting her to attack him.
Finding it offensive that he had given her the advantage to start, the Insect Pillar quickly flew through the air to land a heavy kick on his forearm, aimed to his stupid face. Shinobu was so light she gracefully reached the floor again and jumped at the right time to avoid his fist against her stomach.
It was kind of fun. For half an hour, neither of them had reached each other and she relished in the thought that maybe she wasn’t so pathetic after all, besides being sure that if he were to lay a hand on her, it would be her end.
A lucky move had her kicking his face with her right knee and throwing him to the ground. Shinobu giggled as his stared changed from blank to astonished for a second before going back to normal, when he stood up again.
“Are you being easy on me? Because if you are I’ll end you.”
“I’m not.” He replied, running towards her to attack her sides and she could barely avoid it, still loosing her balance but staying on her feet for dignity.
She felt her typical vein showing itself, not being able to control it by now. To think that maybe before this he was restraining himself made her blood boil with anger. She was worthy. She had to convince herself about it.
Shinobu approached him with a risky move, placing her arms on his shoulders to lead herself to his back and throw a kick against his calves to destabilize him, but the man quickly grabbed her leg and dragged her back to his front and into the ground, as if she was some kind of toy. Face to the floor, she heard him going back to her but she moved away and he ended up punching the ground and tripping on the leg she had placed just in case between his.
“Weren’t we worthy of you, Tomioka-san?” she asked, trying to catch her breath, as she was getting tired.
If he were to attack her now, he would probably win the match.
But instead he just looked at her, brows knitted together, as if her words had affected him, finally. She had only succeeded to do that when she told him he had no friends. Then, he panted, fidgeting with the buttons of his uniform to loosen it up a little.
It was getting cold, also, and she knew that if they kept this going they were going to get sick. She had heard about the conditions needed to get the demon mark, and if it was going to be like this with him, they needed to change strategies while taking care of their own bodies.
Shinobu walked towards the small fountain to drink some water, humming at how refreshing it was. Still, she could feel his gaze fixated onto her and confirmed that fact when looking back. What was about him and those mysterious things he did sometimes? She couldn’t read him outside of battle.
“What?”
“That’s sacred.”
Shinobu gulped down the water, cursing every possible god. She was a scientist, after all. And it was always fun to tease him.
“We should train inside. It’s getting cold.” Giyuu continued, standing up to gather their stuff before going to the entrance of his house, not bothering to look back and see if she was following him.
She did, in the end. It took only a while for her mood to change again. Well, more than just a while, but considering how annoying the Water Pillar was, it was only understandable.
Inside his house was like a relic. Most of the space was occupied by things that looked untouched for several years. Most of them were women dresses, pendants and pins. Some of them were haoris she recognized as the ones Urokodaki disciples wore, and a torn piece of haori with the exact same pattern as his. Only the kitchen, a spare room and other (were he probably slept) seemed to be in use.
Giyuu filled two cups of water and gave one to her before motioning towards the spare room. It was big and luminous, but really old, considering how the floor creaked when he walked in. The tables hanging at the roof were something she should probably worry about if they were to fight in here.
The man placed their stuff on a small table near the entrance of the room and started to take off his shoes and unbutton his uniform, in front of her weirded-out face. Why did he insisted in being strange today? Why isn’t he embarrassed, doing this in front of her?
Shinobu caught a glimpse of his abs before turning around. Her face was heating up uncontrollably, and she tried to force her mind not to think so much about him, half naked in front of her, expecting her to act natural.
Gathering up all her courage, she decided to follow his stupid steps to prove him how weird this was going to be, taking off her shoes and unbuttoning her uniform to stay dressed in the strip that protected her chest. A mischievous grin spread through her face as she turned around but died uncontrollably when she saw him.
She was screwed.
Tomioka Giyuu was ridiculously well built, as if he was a damn sculpture. How could he? How dare he? Why was it so annoying to her? Shinobu stayed there, unmoving, trying to convey with the realization that maybe she was kind of attracted to him, not quite expecting him to approach her to attack her.
But as he was going to lay a hard fist on her guts, he stopped midways, only succeeding to destabilize her.
“See? You’re not trying to hurt me.” She incorporated in the moment again, actually finding a good excuse for her behavior.
“You smell like…”
Shinobu gulped down, punching his throat and pushing him to his knees. Fear crept through her at him knowing something he shouldn’t.
She didn’t need to think about it now. She can’t.
Fortunately, the punch made Tomioka-san to finally caught up with their training, as it had turned more into a fight now, by how serious she had gotten all of a sudden.
They fought through the day, non stop, and kept doing it for the rest of the night, as long as their bodies could keep going. It was hard giving everything of you when you were not allowed to actually kill each other. Within some time, however, they grew used to hard punches and nonlethal scars, caring less for themselves.
When the day came, frustration at how nothing they did had a substantial result was the emotion driving them to keep fighting, until it became too much and Shinobu just decided to lay flat on the floor, clothes ridden up and lips dry.
She must have fallen asleep in some moment, because the next thing she knew when she opened her eyes was that Tomioka had placed a cup of water next to her and a hot plate of salmon daikon. She was also covered in a warm blanket, and the Water Pillar was quietly eating his food on the small table near the entrance of the room.
“How long was I asleep?” Shinobu asked, looking at the food in front of her, wondering how long did it take to prepare it.
“Three hours” he replied.
Maybe he’d forgotten about their last conversation, because he didn’t insist on it. Or maybe he just didn’t care at all.
Which was confusing, since cooking for someone you despise is not something people do. But again, this was Tomioka Giyuu.
After eating her food, which was nothing more than delicious, although she didn’t want to admit it, Shinobu called her crow to send a message to the butterfly state telling her disciples where she was, what she was doing and when would she come back. She had assumed they were staying here until the marks popped out, and considering Tomioka’s silence about it, there was no problem about it.
“There’s hot water at the bath. You should clean yourself up” the Water Pillar commented, unfazed. Looking at him, he already had taken care of himself and it was only decent of her to go to wash out.
She wondered why she underestimated the power of a warm bath to fix every frustration or weird feelings she could have for some time. Her whole body was swollen and she numbed her brain when the smell of Tomioka Giyuu washed over her, making her whole body squirm in strange emotions.
They decided to continue with wooden swords.
When it wasn’t enough, they used their real swords.
They spent so much time inside that room Shinobu started to dream about it and actually feel like she’d lived all her life inside this place, only fighting, no speaking, until she was worn out and too tired to even think about the usual: her family, her sister, and the fact that she had so much weight on her shoulders. She didn’t even had time to wonder how Kanao or Aoi were doing right now.
She’d seen Tanjiro fight and he was so emotional all the time: how was it enough to make him grow that demon mark? Why couldn’t she do it too? She was so angry all the time.
Maybe it was because, with him there, she wasn’t angry anymore. Tomioka didn’t seem eager to know her as she wasn’t eager to let him, and that was a relief. Without words, he seemed to understand her enough not to push her. And maybe that was exactly what she needed.
A week passed when she received a personal letter from Tanjiro. Tomioka had also received one, which he read when they stopped to eat. Instead, Shinobu read hers inside the bathroom, while taking a warm bath.
The letter was about no other than Tomioka Giyuu. Apparently, the boy had heard they were training together and wanted to help. It said that despite what everyone may think, the Water Pillar wasn’t arrogant but actually despised himself, not acknowledging he was even a demon slayer. After his sister Makomo died, Urokodaki adopted him and he became friends with other of their pupils: Sabito. Tomioka personally told him Sabito was killed at the exam to become a demon slayer, after saving every kid in there, while he did nothing, and still was one of the few who could pass. He asked Tanjiro to become the Water Pillar once he was strong enough and replace him as soon as possible.
Well, that explained the un-touched stuff everywhere, including the clothes that maybe belonged to his sister and to his mother before her. He clearly wasn’t over their passing, as she wasn’t with the death of her whole family. They were alike. Kanae was not only her sister but her friend too, but she had Kanao, Aoi and all the girls to be with her, mourning her death. Tomioka had no one, besides Urokodaki Sakonji.
She wondered if they were close. She wondered if anyone was close to Tomioka Giyuu.
Wanting to put an end to their endless trainings, Shinobu decided to do something wicked to make the always stoic Tomioka Giyuu loose his composure for a while. After stepping out of the bathroom, she walked to what she called “The relic room”, took a kimono from a small closet and wore it as it was hers. Tiding up her hair with her pin, she walked back into the training room to find him bandaging the wounds she had inflicted on his skin.
When he looked at her, he stopped in his tracks. He watched her as if he was seeing a ghost, and after seeing him so wrecked about it, not even able to move or close his eyes, Shinobu felt really bad and really stupid all of a sudden.
“I… my clothes are wet now” (which was actually true). “I thought I could use these while they dry out.”
“Kocho.” He mumbled, a pained voice she’d never heard coming from him and went straight to her head.
“Come on. Attack me now” she stood there before him, unmoving and so nervous about this whole thing. He didn’t even seem able to exist right now.
Getting anxious of waiting for too long for him, she was the one approaching him, flying to lay an expectable blow from her, which he barely stopped. After some punches, she decided he was just defending himself from her in that kimono, which was anything but good.
“Why are you so afraid of me all of a sudden?” Yeah, teasing him was the safer option. “Do I remind you of someone?”
His eyes widened and his whole stance changed. It was rage and desperation written over his face and it was amusing and scaring how she could play with him like this.
He got more aggressive than he ever was and soon Shinobu was sweating her life out trying to avoid him while at the same time trying to tackle him down. Then he picked up his sword and she had to run to pick up hers, resisting his blow with one arm, and it hurt so bad she had to change her strategies to attack him with her lightness and speed.
Disorienting him, Shinobu jumped until she reached the roof and threw herself at him from there, finally tackling him with her knees at either side of his chest and her sword inches away from his throat. They were both breathing heavily, leaving more emotion than ever with every pant, and just stayed there for a while, while she focused on the beauty of the passionate man before her, who stared at her with mixed emotions written on his face.
A sudden move from the Water Pillar startled her, as she was soon on his arms at one corner of the room and just couldn’t figure out what was happening until she saw part of the roof falling onto the floor whit a loud creak. She gasped, thinking the whole house could fall apart soon and they would be trapped here, digging her nails on his shoulders and pulling his body closer against hers, thinking in her shocked state of mind that that action would protect her.
When the feeling faded, Shinobu wondered how long they had been holding each other like that, for dear life. They were so close she could smell him and feel his sweat on her palms, along the rising and falling of his chest against hers. His arms were around her waist, keeping her at his height all the time, and her feet started to go numb.
It was not her intention to lay her head on his shoulder, and breathe his scent of sweat and pines in, but she did it, nevertheless. This, she thought, worked to calm his anger down. And to calm him down meant no more danger for a while: no fighting and no roofs falling over them.
Her legs wrapping around his waist were only a way to support herself up there. The things she felt when she heard him draw a breath at that were only side effects of her shock.
Then she looked back at his face to see the hurtful expression gone, and she felt truly good. It wasn’t blank either. He looked confused and seemed to be debating about something inside his head, and Shinobu felt a strange need to put an end to his worries.
Placing her forehead against his, and feeling suddenly so close to someone she thought she would never know entirely, she asked him: “Are you feeling okay?”
Tomioka’s eyes placed themselves upon hers, widening and letting himself indulge into the depth of her eyes trusting him. Or so she thought he was thinking.
She didn’t know. But his breath was so close to her face and he felt so hot and so right pressed against her to make her not caring about anything at all when she pressed her lips to his, slowly and carefully parting from him when she was finished.
“Shinobu…” He whispered questioningly, but keeping her there, close and still.
Her name coming from his lips was enough to make her shiver. And she could have given up on him if it wasn’t for the look he was giving her: so full of something she wanted -needed- to know.
A light caress at the nape of his neck was enough to send him back to her lips, but his kiss, unlike hers, was ravenous and full of something else entirely as he pressed her back against the wall, placing his arms on her thighs to keep her from falling while he pushed his tongue inside of her mouth. Startled at first at the feverish reaction, she didn’t realize she was going to need more of it before he parted from her, and stayed there, as if he was expecting something.
Again, she kissed him, this time trying to copy what he did to her before, and her heart leaped out of her chest when he pressed back, tangling his tongue with hers and lifting up an arm between them to tilt her chin upwards as he lowered his mouth to her neck, taking a long and breath-taking lick down to the collar of her neck, peeling down her borrowed kimono in his way.
Shinobu had a hard time believing this was actually happening and a harder one trying to hide her whimpers and moans every time she felt Giyuu’s teeth grazing her skin. She had moaned his name several times and it was followed by a hungry kiss at her lips or an almost painful bite on her skin when he was back at her neck.
She didn’t know when had he moved them from their spot to put her on the small table, where he proceeded to lavish her neck, as if he was addicted to it, and added his hands to the game, faintly running his fingers from her chin to her collarbone and going lower until he was at the rope of the kimono, and stopped abruptly just to look back at her face, as if he was embarrassed to be doing this and wanting more.
Shinobu ran her slim fingers down from his strong shoulders to feel his arms caging her. One of them was firmly wrapped around her waist. She took pleasure in the pained look Giyuu was giving her when she slowly explored every inch of his body, while wrapping her legs around him to pull him even closer. Then, she ventured her lips to his neck and kissed him slowly, using her tongue later and sucking a bruise there, while she felt his arm wrapped around her squeezing her frame. Kissing his lips again, the Insect Pillar guided his hand to her chest, and then to her breast, to show him, almost mischievously, that she was naked underneath.
A low growl followed her actions, and soon he was peeling the dress from her shoulders to bare her to his hungry eyes. Shinobu was mesmerized at how that simple look could make her feel anxious and powerful at the same time, and she felt her nipples hardening as fast as he laid a hand on one of her mounds.
“Giyuu…” she moaned, desperate for him to keep doing whatever he wanted to her. Shinobu could feel him hard against her hip and she just needed to see him, so she rolled her hips against him and elicited a filthy moan from the man before her.
Tomioka put both of his hands on her thighs to hold her while he took them out of the crumbling room, tripping as he made his way to a room she hadn’t seen before. But when she felt him place her on a futon, she realized it had to be his room, which he hadn’t use for a while since she came here. It was dark and neat, and it smelled so much like him. The floor creaked when he leaned onto her to keep kissing her lips with unknown fondness, and deciding that she liked everything he could give, she followed him and looked at his eyes as slowly undressed her, taking pleasure in his expression as he found out she was totally naked, and totally wanting too.
“Beautiful.” Shinobu heard him say against her neck and she shivered in awe. She couldn’t believe he could say things like that, when he barely spoke a few words in any other context.
His mouth was soon at her breasts and he took his time admiring her before diving into her, kissing and sucking tenderly at first but more aggressively as she whined in protest. Parting her legs with both hands, Giyuu placed himself between her thighs and slowly lowered himself until he was at her belly button, which she only noticed because he stopped what he was doing.
Looking down at him, she knew he was waiting for something. His eyes were so dark she barely recognized him, and started to grow anxious at not knowing what he wanted from her. She just wanted him to keep going, even though she didn’t exactly know what that meant.
Of course she knew what sex was and how babies were made, but nothing behind the lines of reproduction. Pleasure… she was discovering it with him right now.
How could he know more than her? Expecting her to follow his thoughts about something that was probably new to both of them.
“What is it? I don’t know…” she explained, leaning onto her elbows.
“I was planning to kiss all of you” Giyuu simply said. Not even looking ashamed.
So, that meant he wanted to kiss her even lower than this. That he wanted to…
Shinobu chocked on her own tongue only thinking about it. Her skin felt on fire and she knew that if she looked at herself in the mirror she would probably laugh at the ridiculous expression. Giyuu was still serious, however, and that made her consider his proposal more maturely.
She threaded her fingers into his spiky hair and nodded as she controlled at what speed she wanted him to get there.
He kissed her hip bones, tenderly, before she sent him even lower until he was watching her dripping wet entrance. Knowing it was natural, and trusting him enough, she stayed there waiting for him, patiently, until his tongue was running across her slit and she was laying flat on the futon again, biting her hand to hide a loud moan.
Her own fingers were the only ones that knew this place until now, and it felt so different when it was another person doing it, taking their time to discover the spots she liked the most and finding new ones. Shinobu pulled at his hair when a particular move had her on the verge of org*sm and he took the hint, repeatedly teasing her the same way until he felt her muscles clench.
And then he was helping her to ride it out, keeping her hips still and teasing her entrance with his fingers, providing her something to clench onto, while building up a whole new org*sm.
When she was finished, she pulled him up by his hair and kissed him hungrily, not minding to taste herself in his tongue. In this position, she could clearly feel his erection against her stomach, and decided to take over for a while.
Lifting herself up, and pushing him into the futon, siting, Shinobu sat next to him as she slowly undressed him from his pants.
It was mesmerizing how his whole body shivered when she placed her hands on him, watching her with that deep gaze he had been displaying since he saw her in that kimono. When she finally released him and saw him, he hid his face into her neck to kiss her sloppily and then started to get eager as she touched him, carefully exploring him.
Her hands were so small around him, and he was so large she was having a hard time imagining how he could be fitting within her. But the more he distracted her, using his hands to lift her up and onto his lap, the less she cared.
Shinobu found out he was a selfless man, deciding it was more important to kiss her senseless again and seek for her pleasure than paying attention to his swollen member. But she was there to fix it. She was there to give him what he deserved but could never ask for.
Straddling him, she used her hand to guide him to her entrance, and slowly lowered herself onto him, causing him to stop his ministrations and focus on her face as she took him bare. It was hot and she could feel all his shape spreading her open the more she got closer to the end. He reached places she barely knew he could and it really hurt, but she wouldn’t dare to stop. The moment was so intimate, so unlike everything she had ever experienced, she needed to indulge into it as harder as possible.
Dazed eyes looked down at their connected bodies, unmoving. It was the first time he saw her shed a tear, she knew. But she was more than okay now. This was nothing compared to what she’d lived, but yet it was everything.
She rolled her hips and found pleasure in that, which erased all the pain she could still be feeling. She tried to lift her hips up again until she was out and lowered herself again, moaning when his pelvis hit her cl*t in just the right way.
Shinobu set a pace as quickly as she got the handle of it, consisting in sliding him in and out of her and finishing her ride with circular motions. When she was getting tired, he helped her, holding her waist and lifting her up himself while kissing her lips or her neck, or just staying there, watching her with lusty eyes as she f*cked him.
When she was climaxing, Giyuu also caught up with her, and pressed his thumb against her cl*t while f*cking up to her.
Shinobu came when their eyes connected and she could see a silent plea in his. It was almost desperate, by the way he was pouring himself out in this moment, and he spilled inside of her with a low groan followed by a tight embrace after realizing she understood what he tried to say.
Don’t die, he pleaded. And her heart fluttered before she could start crying.
Still with her mind in a fuzz, thinking and wondering how could her life be if her whole family wasn’t killed by demons and she could just live a normal life, with no need for revenge and no self loathing, Shinobu watched as a dark shadow formed at Tomioka Giyuu’s right arm, just by the time she felt his hot seed filling her up.
And by the way he was looking at her too, she realized she may have grown something like that too.
By the way it smelled and its shape in his strong arm, it was clearly the demon mark they had been trying to get for a bit more than a week.
***
Shinobu dreamt of a different life, laying on top of Tomioka Giyuu’s frame, getting used to the closeness and intimacy he provided her.
So when she woke up and found him already awake, quietly watching her, it didn’t creep her out. Neither did the noticeable erection against her bare hip as she got closer. When she sat up to fix her hair, he was soon following her and offering his help, kissing her neck when he finished and sitting her on his lap with her back to him.
This time, when he entered her, after playing with her cl*t slowly, he slid into her without restriction or pain, and made her come in no more than five thrusts, showing her that he already knew her so much to send her to ecstasy when she desired it.
When a simple “I love you” came out of her mouth, and he used it to spur his thrusts and come inside her, bringing her to a new org*sm, she dreamt of a world were they could actually be together like this, for a lifetime.
