Chapter Text
Accompanying her on her trip to Liyue to pick up a graduate certification for her legal studies, Itto had noticed something was up. He had accompanied her to Liyue to pick up her law graduate certification, and the worst had happened despite Shinobu’s best attempts.
Like a dog that smells strange weather coming, Itto had sat between Shinobu and Yanfei, subconsciously aware that Shinobu was somehow different from her usual sarcastic and confident self - although he had no idea what these clues signified. Five minutes into their dinner he was staring at her with a confused glare, trying to puzzle it out. But you can’t fight a Samurai with a piece of Naku weed, and Arataki Itto was just as unprepared to conduct an investigation.
“Hey,” he had interrupted their conversation bluntly and crossed his arms. “Shinobu, why’re you acting all weird?”
“I’m not acting weird,” she had insisted.
“Uh, I think I’d know if you’re acting weird, my dude. You’re sweatin’ like you do when we’re sparring hard, and your face looks all funny. Do you smell something weird?” He sniffed the air, and Shinobu’s heart blipped in uneven rapid beats.
“Now your face is all red, too,” Itto pressed, leaning in to inspect her cheeks. His eyes then widened in fear. “Oh god, is the food too spicy?”
On the other side of the table Yanfei sat quietly, her hands in her lap and a gentle look of concern tilting her head to the side. But Shinobu could have sworn there was a knowing gleam in those eyes of bright emerald green.
“I’ll go get some water,” the half-adepti offered, standing up and searching for the waitress. As soon as she was out of earshot, Shinobu snatched Itto’s collar, pulling him down close to hiss in his ear.
“Shut up ! You’re seeing things, now leave me alone or senpai will be bothered unnecessarily. If that happens, I swear I’ll make you regret it.”
A flash in Itto’s eyes, probably remembering past instances of her quick punishments, and then that wounded puppy-dog look returned.
“Yo yo yo, why’re you so on-edge, huh?” His voice - mercy of all mercifulness - lowered to a stage whisper. “You can tell your ol’ pal Itto, trust me!”
She gave another yank at his collar for good measure. “It’s none of your business, so leave it be.”
Itto stared at her, a dumb glazed-over look in the eyes of the big-hearted and well-meaning (but often socially-inept and uncouth) oni she had been best friends with for so many years.
When they had first met, Itto had been considerably shorter and not as physically strong - but he was the same guy: too kind to resort to subtleties and talented most at keeping things simple. They had challenged each other in certain ways, and circumstances had drawn them closer as Shinobu’s ties to her family had become increasingly strained until it had snapped. Itto had been the one who kept her company while she tearfully explained everything. She had left her home, her family, and their expectations behind her, and Itto had always supported her choice. She was prickly, and he was clumsy. Like siblings, they had grown up in a lot of ways together.
“Not now,” she half-pleaded under her breath, seeing Yanfei returning to their table with a glass of water and a smile on her face. Although he was confused, Itto quieted down after that and fixated mostly on his food while the two women talked about changing legal policies in Liyue since Yanfei had begun her practice. Shinobu still felt Itto staring at her from time to time, scanning her for clues, but she ignored him.
“I’m so pleased that you’ve been doing well,” Yanfei said with a smile. “To be quite honest, I’ve always thought that you showed so much promise as a potential lawyer. I was a bit shocked to learn that you didn’t intend to use your degree to pursue further.”
“Shinobu’s pretty smart,” Itto then interjected. “But she’s a vital part of the Arataki Gang, so of course she doesn’t have time to run off and be a lawyer.”
“What Itto means ,” she corrected, sending a look of venom at the oni, “Is that I’ve decided to put the gang’s matters first. The degree definitely helps when it comes to our dealings with the Tenryou Commission in particular, so it’s not as if I’m not using that knowledge I worked for. I was never really suited for a career in law, anyways, and the guys and I are practically family now.”
“Oh, that’s sweet,” said Yanfei, looking at her lap. “It’s good to be an active participant in the lives of the ones you love the most.” A quiet moment passed. Shinobu looked over at Itto, arching an eyebrow, and Itto gave a helpless shrug. Yanfei seemed disheartened as she continued, “You’re very pragmatic, Shinobu.”
“Uh–” Shinobu halted, feeling her cheeks warm. “It’s nothing really, senpai. I’m just glad we got the chance to see each other again.”
“Senpai this, senpai that,” Itto humphed, spearing his meat aggressively like an animal. “How come you never call me , senpai, Shinobu?”
Her eyes snapped at Itto, “Because you’re not my senpai.” It was as simple as that, in her eyes. Itto was Itto, and Yanfei was…a different thing entirely.
“Fine, fine, no need to get all worked up about it.” Itto shrugged and went back to his meal with fervor.
The meal was delicious, and soon the plates had been scraped clean of their last remnants. As soon as they stood up to leave Itto relinquished a loud belch, stretching his arms out at a job well done. A few people glanced their way, but Itto didn’t mind them, instead waving over his shoulder, “Whoo-ee, that was amazing , my compliments to the chef , bro-ardees!” Shinobu met eyes with Yanfei but quickly looked away, punching Itto in the arm to quiet him. The walk back to their lodgings was quiet, the night closing in around them as they made the short distance outside of the city, crossed a little bridge, and stopped outside the door.
“Thank you kindly, my savior!” Itto gave a grand bow to Yanfei. “Keep it cool, eh?” He then shot her a wink, accompanied by finger guns. “Even though it’s hard when our lawyer-pyro-something-friend is so hot!”
Yanfei giggled, the sound bubbling up out of her sweet mouth. Shinobu wanted the ground to swallow her up and die, but at the same time she wanted even a little more time around her. Awkward finger-guns were sent back to Itto, and Yanfei wished him good luck on his future adventures. She warned him to stay out of too much trouble, so as not to worry Shinobu, and he chuckled and waved goodbye. Itto stepped into the inn, but Shinobu hesitated just outside the door.
The twilight had faded into a cool blueness, and the sounds of crickets and frogs echoed around them from the little river a ways away. Her heart was aching, and happy, and sad all at the same time.
“Sorry about him,” she mumbled, staring at her feet as she hugged her arms around herself. “He can be…a lot.”
Yanfei just shook her head, long tendrils of hair fluttering around her face as she did so. “You keep apologizing, Shinobu, but there’s nothing to apologize for , you know. He may be… uh, over-zealous at times, but he’s clearly a great guy.” A pause, then, with only the songs of the night filling the air around them, and things felt peaceful for once. Then Yanfei added quietly, “I’m glad you two found each other.”
Shinobu’s mouth tilted into a crooked smile, one that could not be seen within the intentional protection of her face mask. She shrugged. “Yeah, like I said, we’re family…”
“Yeah…” Yanfei’s smile seemed strained, but all Shinobu could think about was the way Yanfei’s eyes seemed to sparkle. “Well, I’d better get going. You take care of yourself, okay? And if you ever happen to come back to Liyue, come to see me if you’d like.”
A smile came to Shinobu’s face, narrowing her eyes into little slits, so Yanfei must have known their expressions were shared. A sudden impulse to reach out and draw Yanfei in for a hug crossed Shinobu’s mind - but it would have been with ulterior motives. A hug taken as though in friendship, when Shinobu just wanted to feel her touch before Yanfei was gone. Instead she refrained herself, feeling that invisible barrier between herself and a beautiful, unattainable thing, an ephemeral flame that lit up the night. She gave a nod of her head in lieu of a bow, and said goodnight. Just inside the door, she leaned back up against it and squeezed her eyes shut, giving a long sigh. She had somehow made it through the day without screaming in frustration or embarrassing herself too much, and Shinobu knew to be grateful for small miracles.
As she walked deeper inside, she turned a corner to head up the stairs and bumped directly into Itto’s chest with her face. With a jolt of surprise and a bit of a yelp she slapped at his bare pectoral.
“Hey, watch it!” she snapped.
When Itto said nothing, she looked up and saw him squinting at her with a frown on his face as he tried to parce something together. The dim light would have given him a menacing air, if Shinobu had not known him so very well.
“What?” Shinobu asked him after he still said nothing.
“You’re acting normal now,” he said with a low grunt. “Why were you acting so weird all day?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied, waving him off and trying to push past him to go down the narrow hallway. But Itto took his stance - legs firmly planted wide, his hands on his hips, thick arms completely blocking her path. She glared at him in warning, trying to push his arm aside, but he resisted.
“What’s going on with you, huh?”
“Nothing!” The protest sounded less firm and more squeaky than she had intended. When she felt him stiffen his muscles again, she gave a low growl and grabbed his arm. She could feel him start to tense, but by then it was already too late. She had rubbed into his skin with both gloved hands, causing a burning rash that made him yelp. Then immediately she kicked her leg up, throwing herself into a backward tumble and using his own weight against him to knock him completely off his feet. He grunted and tried to straighten back up, but she had already thrust her elbow into the middle of his lower back, taking the breath out of him and making him stumble back down before she raced down the hallway. Itto yelled out after her, but she could hear the owner of the inn telling him to be careful of the noise levels, so she was able to rush back into the safety of her room and lock it before Itto came knocking again a few moments later.
“Shinobu, c’mon!” he pleaded, “Just tell me what’s going on with you! Is it something I said?”
“Go away, Itto. I already told you I’m fine, so stop.”
An angry grumble made its way through the wood of the door, and Shinobu’s keen hearing just barely picked up on it. “You talked all day to your special senpai , but you won’t tell me nothin’ . If you like senpai so much, then why don’t you– wait…”
The way he cut himself off sent a flash of heat up Shinobu’s spine.
No. No, no, no, no. She scrabbled for the lock, throwing it open and trying to stop him before he had time to finish the thought.
“Itto, I just–!”
One hand was raised as if he had been planning to knock again, but his jaw was open and he was staring blankly at her. Shit.
“Wait a second…” he started. A grin shot across his face. “Shinobu do you like-like –”
She cut him off, slapping her hands up over his mouth insistently, but her face was probably beet-red by now, and his eyes only gleamed with even more mischief at picking up her non-subtle slip-ups.
“Shut up , you moron. It’s not like that!”
He pushed her hand off, “Well, you could’ve just said so, Shinobs! You know I’m your wingman whether it’s in gang business or looking for love! I can help!”
“I don’t want your help,” she insisted, but she could sense that the situation was already far out of her control by now. “We are not going to look for anything , what we’re going to do is go to sleep, and tomorrow we sail back to Inazuma. Once there, you won’t talk about this to anyone , or I’ll make it so you can’t sleep safely for months , Arataki Itto.”
His smile wobbled a little, yet he just leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb and wiped at an imaginary tear. “To think, my sweet little Shinobu has finally found that special someone! Daw, I think I’m gonna cry!”
Without another word, Shinobu took one step back, braced herself, stomped down on the arch of Itto’s foot as hard as she could, then slammed the door on him as he yowled loud enough to wake every other tennant in the inn that night.
~~~
A few months later, Shinobu came home to the usual ruckus. These days, home for Shinobu was a shack, filled mostly with furniture that the boys had accidentally broken once or twice, and with very little space to walk around. But it was home. No matter what the hardship or how much of a mess they made, Shinobu knew inside these walls that she was with real family.
“Hey, welcome home, Shinobu!”
“Shinobu, look, we found a turtle today, come see it!”
“Welcome back, Shinobu!”
The chorus of voices fell messily over each other, the same way they were sprawled across the floor in the middle of the room. Bare feet and legs kicked and grabbed each other without abandon, and they started fighting for her attention as soon as they saw her. The atmosphere was warm, relaxed, and free. She leaned over the makeshift fence they had made with boxes around a young-looking turtle, and was glad to hear them explain to her how they had taken the proper precautions this time with their new pet. They had found out the proper food for it and how to take care of it, and they begged to keep it as long as they first made sure it didn’t belong to anyone else.
“Boss is already out putting up posters,” Genta stated proudly. “Akira drew the turtle on them, though, because the kids down the street couldn’t recognize Boss’ drawing as a turtle.”
“Not that it wasn’t awesome in its own right, of course,” Akira countered with a huff. “It had a certain…artistry to it.”
“There’s dinner in the kitchen for you,” Mamoru told her, looking up from their new turtle for the first time since she had walked in.
After approving of the rules regarding the turtle, Shinobu went and grabbed herself some food. She sat on one of the chairs near the boys and just listened to them talk amongst themselves, debating on a name. They also made bets as to whether or not the turtle would outlive some one or all of them. Shinobu didn’t bother to correct their turtle facts, despite having dabbled in some biology courses here and there. They were having a good enough time on their own.
“ SHINOBU !” shrieked a deep, booming voice, the door crashing open and startling them all. Itto was suddenly there, an envelope in his hands and a glint to his eye that spelled a lot of enthusiasm - which to her, usually meant trouble.
“Sheesh, boss, you scared Mr. Buddy!” Genta whined, trying to soothe the reptile as it hid in its shell.
“What’s going on?” Shinobu queried, turning back to the oni to narrow her eyes at him. In her surprise, she had very nearly lost her bowl of rice, and she would have been pissed if she had lost a whole bowl of rice. Fortunately for them all, she had managed to clumsily catch it in time and hug it toward her chest.
“Guess wha~at!? You just got a letter!” Itto singsonged, throwing his body over the arm of the chair she was using and dangling the paper in front of her face. “It’s all the way from Liyue~ Now who could it possibly be from, hmm?”
As the name on the envelope came into focus, Shinobu’s heart skipped a beat. And then she flushed, frantically snatching the envelope out of Itto’s hand before he could react. Itto looked crestfallen immediately, following her as she raced out of the room to her sanctuary.
“Wait, hey!” he called out. But before he could reach her, Shinobu had retreated to her bedroom. Shinobu’s room was an inner sanctum, the only bedroom in the house that had all its walls still standing, and that room had always been strictly off-limits to all the boys. There was a clear sign on the door, which she had hung as she threatened them in excruciating detail that if they even entered her room with their eyeballs , she would slice them up like pitted olives to adorn a cheese plate for her lunch. The boys knew not to push it when it came to her room, and even though there was much speculation on what was inside there, none of them would dare to go in against her wishes. The other boys all slept out on futon in the middle of the living room (which was also their dining room, in a sense) so it was the only privacy their deputy had. To save face at being the boss in name while Shinobu got the only bedroom, Itto declared it was of course a man’s duty to respect all women’s privacy, or else they would get a beating from the One-And-Oni Arataki Itto himself.
“C’mon, Shinobu! I was only teasin’ ya!” he called out apologetically into the door, to no avail. Shinobu was leaning up against it, her heart racing as she looked at the loopy, rushed script on the envelope. Yanfei had written to her . Why, she didn’t know. But she knew she felt happy and terrified about it. Her trembling fingers ripped open the envelope, and she began to read. Each line felt so kind, and precious. Despite how rudely Itto had acted, Yanfei took the time to send him her well-wishes, and recalled with apparent happiness how amusing their talks and meals had been.
Also, I wanted to write and tell you about some news I’ve recently gotten. It turns out I’m being given the honor of traveling to Inazuma next month to conduct research on the differences and similarities between Liyuan and Inazuman laws. So I’ll be able to see you again in-person sooner than we expected! I’ll be depending on you to show me the sights, naturally. I don’t know yet if we’ll be able to get a place to stay while I’m there, or how long the research will take since it’s all new terrain for us. But I’ll be in your care while I’m exploring, and it would be great to get to know you a little better my – what was the word again? Kouhai? I think that’s right. Anyways…
Shinobu paced back and forth in her room with the letter clutched in her sweaty palms. With a long, shaky sigh, she read it once again, then twice, laying it out on her bed as she let her hair down out of its updo and started to dress for bed. It was already late, and she was exhausted. Perhaps sleep would calm her nerves. If she could even sleep.
She’s coming to see me. Well, us, rather. No use in putting energy into false hope, even though Yanfei’s wording could be analyzed and re-analyzed over and over again, and it seemed to suggest that Yanfei was almost directing her letter more at Shinobu rather than both her and Itto. What could that possibly mean? What did she mean by ‘it would be great to get to know you a little better’? And god, the adorable way she had called Shinobu her kouhai…
Wearing an oversized shirt that reached her knees, her green hair messily framing her face that was bare and blushed crimson, Shinobu fell to the ground on her knees, clutching the papers against her face in total surrender.
This trip was going to be the end of her. It was absolutely impossible that Itto wouldn’t give her away, even if her own stupidity didn’t do it first. This might turn out to be regular - even daily - interactions with the woman, without having a guise of being busy with business-adjacent matters. She would see how strange Shinobu’s living situation was, and would see just how weird a life Shinobu had carved out for herself. Was she ashamed of it? No. But she was nervous at the idea of being questioned, of being misunderstood.
“Shinobu?” came a quiet voice on the other side of the door. She frowned, looking at the tilted door in its frame.
“What is it?”
“I’m really sorry for teasing you,” Itto mumbled. There was a long beat of silence, and then in a even quieter, childlike tone he added, “Are we.. Are we cool, bro?”
Sighing, she went over to the door and opened it a crack, meeting Itto’s apologetic puppy eyes. “Yes,” she said firmly. “We’re cool. Now go to bed, alright?”
As though he was a dog whose owner had finally come home, Itto brightened up instantly, giving her a beaming smile. “Geez, thanks, Shinobs. And y’know…I’m here if you need me.”
She gave him a little wry smile, then reached up a hand. He bent down a bit and let her pet his wild white hair. He meant it, she knew; but to ask Arataki Itto for love advice was like asking a frog a question on quadratic equations.
To his credit, however, after seeing his smile and hearing him wish her goodnight, Shinobu found her heartbeat had calmed down a little bit, and she was finally able to lie down in bed. Pulling the blanket up in a bundle between her knees and in her arms like a giant lump she was hugging, she rolled over onto her side and let out a long breath. She would just have to do her best to set her personal feelings aside and be a proper guide for Yanfei when she came, there was nothing else to it, and nothing else for her to spend her time worrying about. Tomorrow, she would let the gang know the news, and then she could start building up her nerves and plans to host her old schoolmate. The gang would have to do with less supervision from their deputy for a while, but that would be alright.
~~~
The silence that hung in the air after Shinobu announced the next morning that a friend of hers was coming for a visit was palpable. All the boys stared at her with open mouths, light gasps attending her warnings for them to behave themselves. Then, everything had gone quiet for another long beat. She stood with her hands on her hips, prepared to convince and instruct them severely using any means she could think of, but then something unexpected happened.
“That’s great, Shinobu!” cried Mamoru. “When is she coming?!”
“I’ll give up my futon so she can stay here, I don’t mind,” added Akira with a proud puff of his chest.
“Wait, me too! I’ll give my futon to Yanfei-senpai!” Genta yelled over the fray.
“But what about food? Does Yanfei-senpai have any food allergies like Boss has?”
“Maybe we should go camping while she’s here, so Shinobu doesn’t have to worry about us making a mess inside…”
“We have to pick up some more work, don’t we? Ugh, I didn’t want to work today. But just this once, I’ll do it on my day off!”
Meanwhile, Shinobu looked up and met Itto’s eyes, and the man sent her a smile with a happy twinkle. Then, he stepped into the middle of the room and struck a pose, lifting his voice over all their competing comments.
“Alright then, my dudes, it’s time to get to work! Let’s get this place cleaned up spickety-span until it shines like a beautiful onikabuto’s wings, then go get some work done while Shinobu figures out the details. You got this, Deputy?” he asked her with an arched eyebrow. Still somewhat stunned, Shinobu nodded, then watched as every member of the gang leapt to their feet and started cleaning the way she had taught them to. Had Itto told them? It didn’t seem like it - if he had, then they were all hiding that they knew far better than she would have ever given them credit for. A tug on her heart, and she squeezed her hands together in fists at her sides, taking in a deep breath.
Whether they knew the extent of her feelings for her senpai or not, they knew (somehow) that Yanfei was important to her, and any other details didn’t matter. They were still going to support her without needing to know more than that, and were already happily taking action to help out. Coming from her biological family, with parents that had needed reasons upon reasons to allow her to even
question
the status quo, this unspoken act nearly overwhelmed her with the gratitude she felt. Smiling beneath her mask, she picked up her bag and headed out the door, making her way to the docks to send word to Yanfei: that she would be more than welcome anytime.