Chapter Text
The night was silent, the rustling of leaves under the Hashiras' feet filling the air around them.
Sanemi was restless, as if something other than the demon was bothering him. On the other hand, Tomioka wore his usual lifeless expression, as if nothing ever crossed his mind, as if he cared for nothing around him. Sanemi didn’t quite understand why he was feeling such a strong knot in his stomach, but he knew for sure that whatever it was, he couldn’t let it show in front of the other Hashira.
The two walked for about an hour until they finally arrived at a village, the place where the demon tormenting the residents of a nearby settlement had been located by the Master. The scent of fresh blood lingered in the air, distant screams of frightened people dominating the surroundings.
Finally, they reached the demon’s hideout—piles of dismembered, mutilated, and destroyed human bodies surrounded the creature’s scaly form. Its appearance was one of the most grotesque and repulsive things they had ever seen, and the stench it emitted was nearly unbearable.
Being two of the best and most experienced Hashiras, defeating this demon was a straightforward task. Sanemi distracted the demon, severing limbs coming his way, while Tomioka used the opening to decapitate it from behind. After being beheaded, its body exploded, spraying a foul liquid all around. Sanemi had already moved away, so the goo didn’t reach him. But Tomioka…
“Damn, Tomioka, you’re definitely going to need a bath after this. And don’t even think about coming near me with that smell, stinky.”
“How creative of you, Shinazugawa,” Tomioka rolled his eyes. “But I do agree, a bath wouldn’t be too bad right now.” He paused for a moment and surveyed the village. The chance of any remaining residents was nearly zero, and after such an attack, it would take some time for people to return and resettle. “Shinazugawa, let’s take shelter in one of these houses for the night. It’ll be better to leave in the morning.”
Sanemi stared at him for a moment before responding, “Stay? We can’t stay here, Tomioka. We need to report back to the Master! Or are you stupid and have forgotten your duties again?” He raised his voice at Tomioka, irritation palpable in his tone.
“Here we go again… Listen, Shinazugawa, from what I can see, there’s a big storm coming. If we leave now, the rain will catch up to us halfway, and we’ll have to stop anyway,” he retorted.
The other Hashira just clenched his teeth, knowing Tomioka wasn’t wrong. “Ugh, whatever. Just don’t come near me, or I’ll kick your useless ass out of my sight, got it?” Tomioka simply nodded in agreement, entering one of the abandoned houses alongside Sanemi.
The interior of the house was small but warm and cozy. As the two explored it, the Water Hashira made an observation. “There’s a bathroom here, Shinazugawa. I’ll take a bath first, if you don’t mind.” Tomioka was trying his best to keep the atmosphere pleasant, and Sanemi seemed indifferent.
“Huh? No way! I did most of the work, so I’ll be the first to take a bath. That’s only fair, don’t you think?”
“Look, I’m trying to be nice here, Shinazugawa, and if you keep throwing a tantrum like this, I’ll start acting rude too. Is that what you want?” Sanemi stayed quiet for a few seconds before speaking again, now in a lower tone. “Gee… Fine… Take your bath first. I don’t care anyway…”
“Thanks.”
Time passed, and Tomioka finished his bath, the steam fogging up the small mirror in the bathroom. He stood there, staring at himself, vaguely reflecting on something. After a few minutes, he realized he hadn’t checked if there were towels or spare clothes in the house. Standing there naked, he rummaged through the bathroom for something to cover himself with. Finding nothing, he decided to ask Sanemi for help.
“Shinazugawa! Can you check if there’s a towel I can use? And maybe some spare clothes too?”
Sanemi was standing in front of the bathroom when Tomioka called. He looked back at him smugly, a mocking expression on his face. “You’re pathetic, you know that?” “Yes, yes, now get me something to dry off and cover myself with.”
Sanemi briefly searched a few cabinets and found a clean towel—or at least one that was almost clean. “Here you go, princess,” Sanemi muttered through gritted teeth.
“And the clothes?” Tomioka asked calmly.
“You can look for that yourself when you go to the bedroom, you lazy ass.”
“Thanks, I guess…”
Tomioka opened the door slightly, just enough to grab the towel. His arms reached out toward Sanemi’s, taking the towel and wrapping it around himself quickly. As he headed to the bedroom, Sanemi couldn’t help but notice the other’s appearance: pale, smooth skin, long black hair damp and cascading over his shoulders, visible muscles and scars, his porcelain face, his model-like waist… God… Sanemi was feeling strangely unsettled now…