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“Aether, what are you up to?” Kuki Shinobu asked as she eyed up the blonde traveler she’d grown close to. He was currently wearing a devious smile on his face, it made Shinobu flush a bit under her mask.
“What do you mean? I’m just glad you’re having a good time on your birthday,” The young man said with an earnest expression.
“Hmph, I’m not as gullible as my boss Aether. You’re not gonna misdirect me the way you did Itto and Paimon.” She said as she and Aether continued their walk under the night sky of Inazuma.
“Well, it’s not like it was hard. A plate of food and the promise of beetle wrestling was enough to distract those two,” The blonde admitted as he came to a stop near a sakura tree.
“So why’d you do it then?” Kuki asked, turning to face him, her arms behind her back, giving him a sideways glance.
“I wanted to give you my gift without Itto and Paimon making a big deal out of it, I love those two but they’re…”
“Dopes?”
“Haha, yeah, that.” He chuckled. “Since they’re not here, I’ll go ahead and give that to you. Cover your eyes~” He said in a sing-song tone.
Shinobu rolled her eyes but did as he said. She heard a slight clinking sound just before he spoke again.
“Alright, open your eyes Bu’” He said.
“What was that nickname just…no way, is that?” Surprised wasn't the word.
“That’s right, a Mistsplitter. Forged by the best as a gift for the best,” Aether said as he handed the most finely crafted sword Shinobu had ever seen over to her. Its amethyst blade practically glowed in the moonlight.
“Aether this…this must have cost you an arm and a leg! I could never have hoped to afford something like this for months working with the gang!” She exclaimed. “Are you sure you’d rather not keep it? You’re a warrior of a much higher caliber than I am.” She said as she admired the blade. “Or maybe….” her gaze shifted back to him “You should give it to a more…deserving girl,” She trailed off as she got closer to him.
“More deserving than you?” Aether said with a raised brow.
“Yeah, maybe a certain clan gal’ who's been fond of you for a while now,” the distance between them was getting smaller. Aether could see the slits in her eyes, they expressed a mixture of suspicion and hope.
“Not sure what you’re getting at Bu’ really,” He said, tilting his head lower towards her.
There was that nickname again.
“You sure about that? You can be sneaky when you want to be,” she said in a softer tone as she slowly took off her mask to reveal a warm scarlet face. "I think you know exactly who I'm talking about. Long white hair, killer good looks, money in the bank?" She said as she narrowed her eyes as if searching for the slightest hint of weakness in the young man's facial expression. She knew how to spot a con man or smooth talker a mile away, she needed to be able to in order to prevent her gang from getting scammed. She took no chances, even with people who gave her a good first impression like Aether. He had all the qualities of someone who could sweet-talk a person into something they'd otherwise never do, he was charming, charismatic, had a silver tongue, and was good-looking to boot. Someone like this was the exact kind of person her mother had warned her against way back, it was one of the few times that Shinobu agreed with her mothers' statements.
Some men would sweet-talk a girl right into their bed and be gone the next day, like a con artist getting what they want and then leaving that girl feeling used and abandoned. Yet as she scanned his handsome features for any trace of deceit she found none, she found only honesty and a genuine desire to see her smile.
Wait there was something else, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Could it be...desire?
Oh my.
"Is that blush from the sake or from how close you are?" Aether asked snapping her out of her trance.
"Oh uh..."
"Listen, Bu, I'm not sure where you're getting at but I want you to have this. I don't know how much longer I'll be here in Inazuma, so I wanted you to have this after I left because well...I wanted you to remember me. We've been on a lot of missions together now, and I've seen how important you are to the gang. You deserve a reward for all your hard work," Aether said looking into Shinobu's eyes.
"Aether I...thank you," was all she could reply.
“Also if you ask me, that sword looks good on you. Suits you too, as refined and gorgeous as its wielder” He said as he placed his gloved hand on her cheek. Shinobu pressed her body up against his, eyes lidded, face flushed. That was the last straw.
“Shut up you big dummy,” The space between them disappeared and their lips locked.
"H-hey! hic* deputy where ya at!? Paimon got stuck in this sake bottle and we're all outta butter. Holy shit! hic* Shinobu why are you eating aethers face off? Paimon you seeing this?" the staggered oni called out.
"Paimon can't see anything! It's really dark in this bottle! hic* Also you're all outta sake," came Paimons muffled reply. "Aether is Shinobu gonna be traveling with us now? hic* Paimon doesn't think there's enough food for all three of us hic*" Aether's tiny companion asked.
Their mood was ruined so the couple could only stare at their companions in a mix of embarrassment and exasperation.
"Itto....just get back to the house, I'll be there in a sec with some pliers or something," Shinobu said. "Aether, there's a tree nearby that produces a real slippery sap could you get me some?"
"Sure thing, here's hoping we don't have to break the bottle like last time," Aether said with a sigh.
With that Itto turned back to the lodge they were currently staying in, the Paimon-filled sake bottle still in hand. As they walked away they could hear Paimon scolding the oni and demanding he takes careful steps to stop her from bouncing inside the container.
Just then Aether turned in the direction of the tree that produced the sticky sap he'd been told about but was stopped when an amethyst blade suddenly rested on his shoulder.
"Sorry for the scare Aeth, just wanted to let you know I'm serious about this and about us." She said as her head rested on his other shoulder. "We WILL be picking this up later pretty boy," she punctuated her statement with a playful bite to Aether's neck, sending pleasant chills up his spine.
"Yes Ma'am!"