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Cold wind rustled blond hair as Kyojuro smiled at nothing, eyes bright in the otherwise dark night.
It’ll rain tonight, he thought. Better end this quickly.
There was a demon, of course. There’s always a demon. This time, one had taken several people from the nearby town. It had done this repeatedly, to the point that the townspeople were overcome with fear at who would disappear next.
Unforgivable, really!
Luckily he'd been able to track them down easily enough; leading a group of five frightened humans through a forest meant the path they took was littered with tracks. However, it was curious that the demon even made an attempt to take them alive, and so many. Was there more than one? Where were they taking them?
As Kyojuro got close enough to hear the muffled frightened sounds of the humans along with barked orders of Silence! from the demon, he decided it didn't matter. Widening his stance, he took a deep breath, feeling it expand his lungs. Warm licked along his limbs, as the blood in his system started pumping faster.
Fire suddenly lit up the forest around him as he rushed forward. The demon barely had time to turn in surprise before its head was already severed and soaring through the air.
Orange eyes rimmed in red caught on something in a tree, and as the humans gasped in surprise, he pivoted on his toes but not before he felt something strike him in the side, the pain small and inconsequential. Kyojuro jumped and just as easily as before, cut off the hidden demon's head.
Landing again, he had a single moment to think, They weren't that impressive before his body tilted. He staggered, blinking heavily as he tried to figure out what had happened. Numbing prickling was shooting through his limbs and he felt gravity pull him down as his legs crumbled beneath him, sending Kyojuro face first into the dirt, katana going limp in his grip and landing a few inches away.
He'd fallen facing away from the survivors but he could hear their panicked voices. Taking stock of himself, Kyojuro tried to move something, anything.
Nothing.
The only thing he seemed able to force his body to do was blink. Breathing was—luckily—automatic but he couldn't so much as twitch his fingers.
“We should just leave him.” Kyojuro heard one of the men say. There were mutters of agreement before a female voice said loudly.
“What?? We can’t just leave him?! He saved us!”
“Yeah and if we take him along, he’ll just slow us down! The town is at least an hour away, there could be more of those monsters out there. We’re better of leaving him behind.”
“He might be dead,” added another female voice softly. More agreements.
Kyojuro couldn’t blame them. Although there weren’t any more demons in the forest, they had no way of knowing that, nor any way of protecting themselves.
Still, he wasn’t looking forward to spending the night in the upcoming rain.
He’d reasoned the second demon art had something to do with paralyzing. The fact that it was still affecting him even after the demon was dead meant it would likely stay that way for at least a few hours, if not the entire night.
Not ideal but he’d been through worst before.
“I’ll take his sword so we can get through the forest,” the same man’s voice said, likely taking over the leadership role now that Kyojuro was out.
If he could, he’d scowl. Now that would be troublesome to find the man after the fact and get it back. Annoying.
From the eye not currently pressed into the ground, he could see feet walk by and a hand reach down to pick up his fallen katana.
“Absolutely not,” the first woman said firmly. A sandaled foot slammed down on the blade, forcing the man to drop the hilt. If Kyojuro could, he’d wince at the rough treatment. Not that her stomping on the blade would damage it but it was more the lack of respect. “If you’re leaving him behind, you’re leaving his katana too.”
There was a silence as they likely stared each other down.
“Tsk,” he said at last. “Fine then. Let’s go.”
Once the group's footsteps had faded away, the woman let out a large sigh. She hadn’t moved, likely watching them leave. Her feet turned and walked towards him, before kimono covered knees came into view.
Unexpectedly he was being flipped. Ah, Kyojuro hadn’t felt her hands on him. The night sky was dark above him, clouds blocking out the moon and stars.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Her hands brushed against his face, wiping away dirt he figured. It was odd watching swipes of her hands without feeling any of it. She leaned over his face. “You’re still breathing and your eyes are open, so that’s good. I didn’t see you get hit, is everything alright?”
Of course he couldn’t reply. Her round face twisted into a frown of concern. Her black hair was tied back, a large red bow peeking over her head. Dark brown eyes looked him over, likely trying to find any sign of injury. Her kimono was a mostly red affair with yellow patches stitched in. It was obviously well-worn and faded, an old kimono that probably needed to be replaced. She was quite pretty and normally he’d like to say he liked her kimono colors but with the situation...
He blinked automatically as a gust of wind hit them and she hutched into herself shivering before immediately perking up. "Oh! You blinked, can you control that?"
Kyojuro just stared back. He'd been told many a time that his neverending stare was unnerving but it was just the way he was. Intense in every aspect!
"Blink twice for yes," she said. Obligating he blinked twice and she clapped excitedly. "Oh good! Now once for no." He blinked once.
"Are you hurt?"
No.
"But you can't move?"
Yes.
"Hmm. I guess something happened in the fight I couldn't see."
Yes.
She sat back on her heels, finger pressed to her lip in thought. "It's going to rain soon and I can't get you back to the town in time." She looked up at the sky. "At most I can get us under some trees but they're all pretty skinny so you'll still get wet."
So will you, he thought. I wish I knew your name.
As if she heard him, she looked down. "Oh! By the way, I'm Mitsubachi." No last name, strange.
"CAW!" The loud cry of his crow made her jump in surprise as it started flying overhead in circles. "A house, a house! Due east, go east! Rain soon, caw!"
"Is that yours?" Mitsubachi asked, but she wasn't looking at him so he didn't bother answering. Getting up, he watched as she brushed her kimono off before grabbing his katana.
"'Destroyer of Demons'" she read aloud. "Is that what they were?" Mitsubachi muttered the last part almost to herself as she turned and pursed her lips.
"Well, fuck," she said quite suddenly, and if he could, his eyebrows would have raised to his forehead. Such language! "How am I gonna get you anywhere." It wasn't really a question. Did she frequently talk to herself? Strange!
Mitsubachi fought with his saya briefly before withdrawing it completely from his side and sheathing his katana. Tapping the hilt on her shoulder, she regarded him critically. "Okay, I'm going to have to drag you, so I'm going to put this kinda awkwardly on you, alright? Otherwise it's gonna get in the way. That okay, Wildfire?"
This time she waited until he blinked twice, feeling a little confused. But Kyojuro was happy she was at least considerate enough to let him know ahead of time. The nickname was surprising he found he didn't hate it. No, actually, it shot a warmth through him that he was a little taken aback by, for being such a little thing.
When she reached out for the front of his belt, he got a flash of clarity of why she bothered to warn him at all. For the first time, he was grateful that he couldn't feel as she loosened it enough to thread his katana through the front of his belt until it rested against his chest. Eyes staring straight up, Kyojuro was unhappy to realize he could still blush even when paralyzed. Hopefully, it would be too dark for her to notice.
Katana secured Mitsubachi walked around to his shoulders and gripped beneath his armpits. Grunting, she started dragging him.
Progress was slow and Kyojuro let his mind drift as his head lolled from side to side from her movements.
As Kyojuro and his crow, Kaname quickly found out, Mitsubachi was terrible with directions. She kept getting off the path and Kaname had to direct her back towards the east. How did she lose her way going straight?! It was a mystery.
She also talked to herself constantly. This he found he didn't mind as much.
Her breathing was heavy above him and frequently she paused for large intakes of breath. Once or twice she laid him back down—slowly so he could tell she was trying to be gentle though he couldn't feel any of it—and just wheezed, her hands on her knees.
It was amusing in its own way. Mitsubachi complained the whole time. After the first several minutes she seemed to remind herself that he was there and stopped. On one of her breaks, she loomed over his face.
"I—" she panted, sweat clearly beading on her forehead. "I'm sorry about the, uh, bitching. I talk a lot. And I'm sorry about the cursing. I hope it doesn't bother you?" Mitsubachi winced. He blinked once and stared at her while she sighed with relief. In the middle of one cheek she had a beauty mark and on the same side, another one sat at the very edge of her eyebrow. He could draw a line between them, like a constellation on her skin. It was cute, he liked it. Kyojuro wished he could say that it was no problem! As it was, he couldn't even smile, it felt strange. Like something was missing from himself.
The endless chatter was actual quite soothing in a way, even if it was funny to hear her attempt to talk through her panting.
Kyojuro learned she was from a small village—which explained some of her crassness in terms of slang and language—that had gotten wiped out from an illness, including her parents. She'd been traveling ever since.
"I've only been in that town for a couple days, can you believe that?" Mitsubachi asked, voice indignant. "And immediately I get kidnapped by a demon. Crap luck."
Where are you travelling to? Kyojuro imagined asking. Oftentimes he'd found she'd eventually answer his questions.
"I'm trying to find someplace to settle down. It's hard, I'm not good at... anything basically?" She paused for breath. The only sounds in the forest were the wind blowing through the trees, noises of various insects, his body being dragged along, and the rough sound of her heaving for breath. "My parents always wanted kids and ended up with only me, so I got a bit spoiled I guess. I've been told I wouldn't even make a good housewife, I'm to annoying and I can barely cook or clean. Which, you know, is the only worth a woman can have." Her voice became high-pitched, clearly copying someone else. "What, you think a husband will cook and clean? How will you ever find anyone!"
He so badly wanted to tell her about Senjuro, his little brother who was the best cook ever, and how Kyojuro always looked forward to his cooking. Senjuro could probably teach her, or at least, they could both praise his cooking.
What do you like to do? He wondered. Mitsubachi never got around to answering that one.
Finally they made it to the cabin. It was more like a decrepit shack but the moment Mitsubachi dragged him inside, the rain which had been teasing with small drops here and there decided to release all at once, pouring down on the roof.
"Thank goodness!" Mitsubachi cried, face planting into his chest and shoving away the katana at the same time. "I thought we'd never make it. Wahhh I'm so tired!" She laid like that for a minute or two and he listened to her breathing start to calm down before she straightened, face flushed. "Sorry! Let me get a fire going, I'll be right back."
The building they had taken shelter in had been abandoned for some time. The inside was barren, with broken bits of furniture along the edges. Almost everything had been cleaned out long ago, but Mitsubachi was able to get the irori lit and dragged Kyojuro closer to it.
"Hey, Wildfire," Mitsubachi began, poking at the fire with a stick she'd found on the ground. "You don't, uh, you don't have to pee or anything right?" It took her a second to look him in the eye but when he blinked once her shoulders sagged with relief. "Okay, that's good at least. Hopefully this will wear off by tomorrow. If it doesn't I can go get some help from the village."
Somehow, Kyojuro was skeptical of that, seeing how Mitsubachi couldn't manage to walk in a straight line. His crow might have to lead her there and back again. "Are you thirsty?" Her question broke him out of his thoughts. She held up a chipped but otherwise in tact cup. "I'm gonna grab some water from outside."
Yes.
She smiled. "Alright. Just remember about what I said before. I'm not helping with you the other stuff, it's a nightmare every time I think about it." Mitsubachi got up and left, leaving Kyojuro to try not to think about the woman... touching his dick. Widening his eyes at the ceiling, he attempted to bore a hole through the wood so that rain could fall through and drown him.
"How should we do this?" Mitsubachi wondered aloud as she came inside. Kneeling by his head she reached out and opened his mouth before tilting her head, looking pensive. "This is going to be such a pain... if I just pour it in, I could go to fast and pour it all over your face or just make you cough..."
Muttering to herself she rubbed her nose aggressively before perking up. "Oh! I've got an idea. Well—" She cut herself off, face going an embarrassing shade of red, made brighter by the light of the crackling fire. "Maybe not!" she continued, her voice suddenly squeaky. "Would you mind if I—well, ugh. I'll just do it and ask after!" The last part was said in a rush. Kyojuro would dearly have liked to ask what was the matter but she took a large gulp from the cup before leaning over his face.
Her mouth closed around his and if his eyes could have widened further they would have. Cold water rushed into his mouth and luckily his body automatically swallowed.
Leaning back, Mitsubachi tucked a bit of hair behind an ear, shuffling nervously. Kyojuro's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't do his breathing techniques like this so he couldn't get his racing pulse under control.
"Was that okay? Did you want more?"
Yes.
He answered without hesitation. Surprised as Kyojuro was, he didn't hate it—quite the opposite—and at this point he was feeling very thirsty.
They went through this a few more times, Mitsubachi leaning over his face and feeding him water. He started to be able to feel her warmth on his face every time she bent down.
When they finished the cup, Mitsubachi's eyelashes fluttered open and stared before she gasped. "You're smiling!" she said with excitement.
Kyojuro raised a brow, felt his face move, then smiled wider. "SO I CAN!" he shouted and she flinched back. "Ah! I apologize for shouting!" He was pretty sure he was still shouting, just slightly less but she didn't comment.
"Can you move anything else?" Mitsubachi asked, hands moving in the air as if she wanted to touch his body but was stopping herself from doing so.
He attempted to wiggle his fingers but couldn't feel them still. "I cannot! But I can now use my breathing technique which should hopefully allow me to recover faster."
"Breathing technique?" she repeated.
"Mmhm!"
When the silence stretched and he didn't explain more she seemed to drop the subject. "Well, I'm just glad you're okay."
If he could, he would have nodded. As it was, he just changed the subject.
"That was my first kiss!"
"Wha—" Mitsubachi's face went from puzzled to surprised to flabbergasted. Her hands went wild gesturing at nothing. "That's not— That doesn't count!!"
"I believe it does!"
"No it doesn't!!" she vehemently disagreed. "It definitely doesn't!"
Kyojuro couldn't help it, he started laughing. Both at the situation and her flustered face. Mitsubachi groaned.
"Seriously, that's so mortifying don't call that your first kiss!" she bemoaned. "How old are you anyway?"
"I'm twenty!"
Mitsubachi's face twisted into something grave. "And you haven't had a first kiss? Are you waiting for someone special??"
"Were," he corrected with a smile. "'Were you waiting for someone special.' And no! Just never got around to it. So don't worry you didn't steal anything from me." Kyojuro winked and Mitsubachi slapped a hand over her eyes.
She took a deep breath before slowly releasing it, lowering her hand at the same time. "I'm going to ignore this conversation since you want to be ridiculous."
Kyojuro blinked innocently back at her, smile still in place. "Have you had a kiss before?" Mitsubachi's brown eyes narrowed into a glare and he fought not to laugh.
"Yes, and you—" She pointed threateningly at his face "—are a terror. Don't let anyone tell you different."
"I won't!" he agreed easily. "Say, what kind of hobbies do you like to do? You didn't mention on the way here."
"On the way here..." Mitsubachi repeated before realization dawned. "You listened to me?!"
Kyojuro frowned slightly. "Yes? Was I not supposed to?"
Mitsubachi clutched at her face, wilting in place. "Noooo, not really. Most people just tune me out after a while..."
"That seems rude!"
She just sighed before looking out the open door at the falling rain. "It happens. Let's get ready for bed huh? It's late." Mitsubachi started tugging his haori out from under him, then frowned at the dirt clinging to the white and started brushing off stray bits of twigs and dried bits stuck to it.
Kyojuro watched her silently for a moment. He wasn't worried about the stains, they always got out eventually, and worse things than some dirt had coated it before.
"You didn't answer me before, by the way," he said at last. When she looked up at him questioningly, he clarified, "Your hobbies?" Mitsubachi pursed her lips.
"Reading," she answered at last. "Walks. Eating." She pressed a finger to her lip to nibble on it lightly, then brightened. "Trying new things! That's my favorite of all."
"I see! I enjoy eating as well."
They chatted as Mitsubachi got some more wood for the fire and finished tugging Kyojuro as close as she dared.
"There!" She wiped her sleeve against her forehead. "I guess we're all set. How do I want to do this..." Mitsubachi muttered the last part to herself as she held his haori and looked around the small space. "Do you want a blanket or a pillow?" she asked.
"Why don't you sleep beside me and we can use it as a blanket!" Kyojuro suggested brightly. Mitsubachi scowled at him and he smiled. "If you have any misgivings, I assure you I'm completely honorable! And I can't move as it is."
"I don't doubt your honor, Mr. Never Been Kissed," Mitsubachi said with a frown but she did start moving closer so he took that as a win.
"I preferred Wildfire!" Kyojuro said. Then he had time to consider the statement and could have slapped himself. Embarrassment made the tips of his ears flame, but he pressed past it. He hadn't meant to mention that. "I never did get to introduce myself! Forgive me. I'm Rengoku Kyojuro."
"Nice to meet you," Mitsubachi said, voice distracted as she sat beside him and struggled to fan out the flame-tipped fabric.
"I never got your last name," he continued.
Mitsubachi shrugged before tucking in the sides around him. "You can just call me Mitsubachi, I don't mind."
"I'd still like to know!"
Weirdly, she hesitated. "...Haibu," Mitsubachi confessed at last.
Kyojuro laughed with delight. "Hive, Honeybee! How cute!"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. My parents thought they were very clever." Mitsubachi wiggled until she was laying next to him. Kyojuro could vaguely feel heat at this point. They had a few inches of space between them but it felt warmer than he had been all night. "Well, goodnight," she said before turning and giving him her back. After a slight pause she tacked on, a little awkwardly, "...Wildfire."
An inferno exploded within him and he smiled so hard, his cheeks hurt. "Goodnight!" Kyojuro shouted at the ceiling.
Awareness came slowly. Mitsubachi was only really aware of being cold. Shivering, she clenched herself into a smaller ball, dragging the thin blanket around herself tighter but it didn't seem to help. Why did she always have to wake up cold?
"Good morning!" a very loud, very male voice yelled and Mitsubachi near about jumped out of her skin. Sitting up, she was greeted by a sunny smile that rivaled the sun streaming in through the open window and door frame. "How did you sleep?"
Blearily, she blinked slowly back at him. The events of the night came back to her and she struggled to wake up her mind through the fog of sleep. What did he say his name was again? "...Fine," she lied. Mitsubachi remembered tossing and turning as Wildfire immediately passed out, his small snores letting her know he was one of those lucky bastards who could turn off like a light.
"Excellent!" He loomed over her, bending down to attempt to be—somewhat—at eye level with her. Mitsubachi had thought so last night, but in the light of day, it was even more apparent: his eyes glowed like a flame, and the intensity seemed to burn into her very soul. "If you're rested, we can carry on! I figured you'd like to get some food."
As if on cue, her stomach growled, making her cheeks redden with embarrassment. Wildfire's smile didn't diminish, if anything the air around him just grew more amused.
"Aren't you hungry?" Mitsubachi grumbled, getting up. They stood there face to face for a moment before she belatedly remembered to hand him the flame-patterned haori. He didn't take it, just stared at her for an overly long minute. She shifted awkwardly under his attention.
Finally, it seemed like he shook himself out of it as he took the haori and adjusted it over his shoulders in a motion that seemed well-engrained. "I am!" he agreed.
He said nothing else. In the sudden quiet, she bent down and picked up her discarded ribbon. Holding it between her teeth as she quickly braided her long black hair into a braid before twisting it up. Holding her hair there with one hand she grabbed her ribbon with the other and tied it back.
The man didn't tear his eyes away from her the entire time; it was unnerving. She dearly hoped it wasn't lopsided or something.
Still, the way a seemingly innocent action could hold his attention so wholeheartedly was making her stomach swoop with something like excitement.
Mitsubachi resolved to push that feeling away and never deal with it again, ever.
"Your hair looks nice!" Kyojuro said, still staring. "I didn't notice you had it down last night."
"I took it out after you fell asleep."
"I see!"
Quiet descended over them. He was still staring.
"Okay, I'm ready," she said at last. That seemed to snap him out of it and he nodded.
"Let's go then!"
Once they stepped out into the bright light of morning—Mitsubachi flinching and raising up her hand until her eyes adjusted—they fell into a comfortable pace.
He explained that he wanted to move onto the next town, rather than backtrack to the old one. It didn't matter to Mitsubachi, she didn't have any possessions there. She'd been carrying everything she owned when the demon took her and ripped her pack away from her, throwing it somewhere in the forest.
"I see! I'll pay for breakfast then," he said easily as if that was the most pressing issue. Mitsubachi chuckled lightly, thankful at the brevity and also that he wasn't pitying her either. She'd figure out things but she didn't need him pressing the issue of what she was going to do: how she was going to pay for things or find a place to sleep tonight, it would only stress her out.
"What's your name again?" Mitsubachi asked. "I'm sorry, I forgot it."
"Kyojuro!" he answered immediately. Birds startled and flew away from a nearby tree. It always seemed like he shouted.
Mitsubachi nodded. "Kyojuro," she repeated slowly, so she wouldn't forget it again.
"Yes?"
She furrowed her brow as she looked up at him. She hadn't said it as a question to something he needed to answer, but seeing the amusement dancing in his eyes she figured he knew that. Mitsubachi huffed. He was something else. A little weird but he was nice, in his own way.
Though she hadn't originally had something to say, she did now and Mitsubachi squared her shoulders. "Thank you," she said seriously. "For saving my life, I am in your debt." She stopped walking to give him a bow.
A burst of laughter—not unkind—caused her to raise her head. "No thanks are necessary! You saved my life as well if you recall."
Kyojuro gestured to the path and they resumed their walk, as Mitsubachi rolled her eyes. "No I didn't, you wouldn't have died if I left you there. Maybe get a cold and that's it."
"You don't know! I fell on my face, the rain could have puddled beneath me and caused me to drown."
Mitsubachi felt a shiver of horror slide down her spine at the thought. "Well, you're welcome. My back does still hurt from dragging you. You're so heavy!" She poked his arm a few times to lighten the mood, pouting in mock offense.
"Ah ha! I have to be strong though! But I am sorry for the inconvenience, it won't happen again!"
"It wasn't an inconvenience," Mitsubachi said with a frown. Kyojuro tilted his head at her, clearly in disagreement. "I mean it, you risked your life to save us." They had discussed demon slayers and the role they played as she'd stoked the fire the night before. It was crazy to think about, this hidden life that happened in the darkness of night. People fighting to keep strangers safe. Mitsubachi couldn't imagine it and yet, here one was. Right in front of her. "It's okay to need help from others, especially for everything you've done."
Kyojuro stopped walking, eyes wide as he stood so they were facing each other. Then his expression softened, his smile going all melty at the corners that Mitsubachi felt a little weak in the knees at the sight.
She took a chance and stepped closer, feeling the heat that radiated out from him. She'd noticed last night, he seemed to run hotter than most. When she'd laid down next to him, for the first night in a long time, Mitsubachi hadn't been cold. It had been nice and maybe that's why she didn't immediately fall asleep, wanting to stretch out that feeling just a little longer...
"Say," Mitsubachi started, feeling nervous but barrelling past it. She licked her lips and noticed his eyes tracking the movement. "Did you want a real kiss?"
His eyebrows flew up. "Sorry?"
Butterflies might explode out of her any second. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "A real kiss, did you want one? You know so you could count it... It's okay if not!" Hands suddenly landed on her shoulders, making her let out a squeak of surprise.
Kyojuro's eyes were trained over her head, staring out at nothing as he yelled at her, "I would like that very much!!"
She almost snorted at him. Clearly, he was a bit nervous too, his cheeks a faint pink. It emboldened her. Reaching out, she caressed his cheeks and finally his eyes flickered down to meet hers.
"You really are a wildfire," she whispered, seeing the way he glowed, hair a halo of liquid gold, with sparks of red at the tips. His eyes once again burned into her. She raised onto her tiptoes and leaned in closer, her eyes fluttering shut.
I wouldn't mind burning, she thought right before their lips brushed, if it was for him.
His lips were soft but unyielding under hers. Frozen and unresponsive. Mitsubachi didn't let it deter her as she tilted her head for a better angle and pressed in closer, wrapping her arms around his waist and clinging to his haori. Kyojuro's hands were still heavy on her shoulders.
Then, all at once, he relaxed and started kissing her back. Rather than resting on her shoulders, he started clutching at her, pulling her tighter against him.
Mitsubachi smiled into the kiss and felt him do the same. They pulled apart just a little to laugh a little awkwardly, sharing breaths of air before they were kissing again, harder this time.
The next time they broke apart, she was really laughing. Delight sizzled in her veins and nothing else in this moment could be more perfect.
That was, until her stomach growled loudly. Kyojuro snickered out a laugh and when she glared, he just pulled her into a hug, his chin rubbing against her hair.
"That was magnificent!" he cried.
"Big word," Mitsubachi said snidely but she wasn't that upset. And when Kyojuro's stomach growled as well, she laughed. She rubbed her face against his shirt, ignoring the cold press of his buttons against her skin, breathing in the scent of him.
He smelled like a campfire, all burning wood and smoke. She wondered if he smelled like that all the time, not just because he spent the night next to one.
She wanted to find out.
Pushing the thought away, she propped her chin on his chest to look up at him. He stared back, smile positively blinding with happiness.
"So how was it?" Mitsubachi asked. "Your first kiss? Was it everything you've ever hoped for?"
"Technically that was my second!" he answered, easy as anything. His smile widened under the force of her glare but he didn't relent. Gently, he reached out and tucked some hair behind her ear. "It was really nice, thank you!"
"You don't have to thank people for giving you a kis—" She was cut off when he swooped down to press another kiss against her lips.
"Noted! Shall we continue?"
Reluctantly, Mitsubachi released him and they stepped away from each other. One hand traveled lightly down his arm, wanting to memorize the feeling of his warmth against her skin. Right before her hand fell away, his hand caught hers.
He smiled and started tugging her down the path, his hand holding hers tight. Mitsubachi stumbled after him for a moment before her feet caught up and they walked side by side, hand in hand. His callouses caught on the softness of her palm.
Mitsubachi looked up at him with a sly glance. "Today's a pretty good day huh?"
Puzzled, Kyojuro looked back before he nodded. "Mmhm!"
"A day for new things," she continued.
He seemed to understand, as his hand squeezed hers. "Your favorite thing!" he enthused and she laughed. "I'm beginning to see why you like it." They smiled at each other, unspoken words dancing in the silence.
Their hands swung between them.