Archive of Our Own ^beta

Reassuring

"Kochou.."

"Hmm?"

A pause.

He repeats her name again. "Kochou..."

The rustling of clothes abrupts to a halt and Shinobu looks at him.

"What is it, Tomioka-san?"

"........"

"Tomioka-san?"

"........"

He just stares at her silently for a minute or two and it makes the veins on her forehead pop a little bit.

"Tomioka-san have you got something to say?."
Her smile sickeningly sweet at the moment.

When she notices that he doesn't plan on replying soon, she decided to do something about it.

She presses a little harder on the injury on his shoulder.

A hiss of pain reaches her and it somewhat makes her glad for a response.

Finally, Giyuu responds albeit in pain.

"...Kochou..why.."

"Why what, Tomioka-san?" Shinobu replies while carefully examining the slash wound on his shoulder.

"Why didn't you run away..when I told you to.."
Giyuu wheezes out.

"..You didn't need to care for m--"

Shinobu presses on his wound again.

"..!?" Giyuu flinches.

"Oh my, Tomioka-san. You sure are talking a lot right now. When just a moment ago you were so inclined to give me silence"

'..is she mad? Why would she be mad?.'
He stares exasperatedly.

Shinobu just clenches her jaw in mild irritation.
'Honestly! The nerve of this man!'

Shinobu contemplates whether to just sedate him right then and there but only sighs and proceeds to do her duties.

Giyuu eyes Shinobu, particularly her sustained injuries, face littered with scrapes and a bleeding wound on her forehead, stab wound on her left shoulder, and few broken ribs judging by her silent pained gasps from time to time. And still, even with all of that, she didn't hesitate to help him first. He doesnt deserve it, Giyuu thinks.

Shinobu notices him eyeing her injuries and she sighed softly before reaching forward and poking him gently on the cheek. Giyuu slightly widened his eyes at the gesture and stares questioningly at her.

"Tomioka-san, first of all, I'm a doctor."

"......"

"I tend to patients first and right now you are my patient which makes you my priority. My injuries can wait, yours cannot."

She begins bandaging his shoulder. Concentrating hard on the task.

"I have to keep you alive until the kakushi comes and you'll be within the confines of my Butterfly Estate. I can treat your wounds better there."

She pauses briefly. Her eyes darkened for a second. 'if only I had gotten a second early...'

Shinobu shakes her head, dispelling such thoughts.

What's important right now is Tomioka-san is still very much alive.

When Shinobu reaches to shift him comfortably from his sitting position, Giyuu reaches and holds her hand. Shinobu startles and looks at him.

"Tomioka-sa---"

"Thank...you", Giyuu pants.

Shinobu blinks. Staring at him with wide eyes.

'..huh..who knew, he does know how to be grateful after all'

Giyuu wheezes another thank you but Shinobu shushes him.

"Enough of that, you need to rest and stay alive. Do that and I'll accept your thanks"

Giyuu groaned in response. She squeezes his hand and he blinks at the sensation 'how warm' he thinks. Shinobu smiles as she sees him being obedient.

She turns around and lays her haori on the dirt ground and moves to assist him to lie down. Carefully looping her arm around his waist and hefting him up a little, 'heavy person..'. It took her long grueling minutes just to lay him down, her own ribs screaming and she grinds her teeth hard. And then she feels him wincing in pain and a loud gasp escapes from him '..shit' something dawns upon her, his broken legs, right, she admonishes herself.

She carefully adjusted his damaged legs. The demon they were fighting earlier managed to grab his ankles and proceeded to flung him directly into a boulder breaking his legs in the process.

"Tsk." Shinobu lets out. It would take weeks for him to walk again, she grimaces.

And then she turns her attention to a corner.

Giyuu watches as she collects his mismatched haori and top uniform from the corner, which she took off when she inspected and treated his injuries, and folds it into a makeshift pillow and place it under his head and his haori as a blanket.

Shinobu leans back on the walls of the small cave they've hidden themselves into and sighs tiredly and peeks at Giyuu.

Giyuu stares back.

He seems to want to say something with his mouth opening and then closing. Shinobu waits patiently.

"...shoulder" He whispers.

"What?"

"...I mean...your face" He corrects himself.

"What about my face, Tomioka-san?"

"...no I.." His face in a grimace thinking how hard it is to speak his mind.

"Well..?" She urges him.

Giyuu settles with the most normal reply he could muster at the moment.

"...your injuries..Kochou.." Giyuu reminds her.

Shinobu blinks and laughs a little, mirth in her eyes.

"That's it? Oh my oh my, Tomioka-san, are you concerned for me now? If you think that this will make me like you, try again next time."

Giyuu grumbles and stares deadpan at her. '..that's not what I mean..'

"I'm kidding Tomioka-san, I'll tend to it right away if that appeases you."

She shifts toward him. And eyes him a while.
"You should really be getting some rest."

Giyuu just mumbles about her wounds and points at it to emphasise his point. She chuckles at that.

Shinobu starts petting Giyuu's head.
Giyuu looks affronted. He is not a child. Although it reminds him of the headpats his Tsutako-nee always gives him. Warm and comforting.

"..w-what are you.."

"You did great out there."

Giyuu pauses. Shinobu continues to pet his head.

"Now leave everything else to me." She added.

He blinks back dizziness that threatens to consume him but lets it anyway.

'..that's..reassuring..'

Giyuu feels his eyes drooping and exhaustion taking over. Dimly aware of the arrival of a kasugaikarasu announcing that help has arrived and Shinobu heaving a sigh of relief and turns to him with a smile.

"You'll live Tomioka-san, I'll make sure of it."