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Sanemi usually never minds fog. In fact, he enjoys the cool dampness of it on most days, the way it clings to his feathers and fur. Especially on colder nights with moonlight, it’s very interesting to look at.
But the fog around a certain lake is practically suffocating to him. It’s around 24/7 and blocks out almost every ounce of light, even from the sun. He can’t see how anyone could like this. Maybe that’s a bit hypocritical of him to say, though.
He can hear the familiar, quiet lap of a fresh-water waterfall from here, and it’s practically like a cheese grater being scrubbed against his ears until they’re shredded and nonexistent. But that’s hypocritical too, isn’t it? He usually loves taking naps next to streams and waterfalls.
Maybe it’s the association. Yeah, probably, considering the combination of the constant fog and this particular waterfall is where Sanemi’s ex lives, the 4th Kizuki, Tomioka Giyuu.
Normally, he’d do everything in his power to avoid the area. But here he is, walking there deliberately, intentionally.
“Anikiiii are we almost there??” Squeaked an eager pup, Genya, from where he’d scampered under one of Sanemi’s paws, nearly being stepped on in the process had Sanemi not noticed him and sidestepped just in time.
“Yes yes, we’re almost there.” He answered with the faintest growl in his tone, but Genya didn’t seem to notice. Good.
“I’m really excited to see ‘Yuu!! I’m gonna tell him about the rabbit I hunted!! And how I helped you out when you were fighting that scary slayer!!” Genya exclaimed, tail wagging as he went from padding along on all fours to walking a tad slower on only two paws.
“I’m sure she’ll be proud” Sanemi hummed. She would, Sanemi knew, but just thinking about that stupid fish made him want to claw his own bones out of his body and gnaw them into a pile of shards and slobber.
Genya’s tail wagged harder before he hopped back down onto all fours, eyes focusing on something Sanemi didn’t quite see, crouching and play-stalking it.. a pinecone, he finds out, when the pup pounced and started biting and kicking it.
Sanemi huffed a half-laugh, a small smile raising the corners of his mouth away from the scowl he almost permanently wore.
Sanemi looked forward and finally saw the lake. It was an utterly massive body of water, and especially with the fog, he couldn’t see the opposite side, he could barely see more than 10 feet in front of himself, he was relying almost purely on memory and the barely-there trail that he assumed was caused by Tomioka sliding his tail through the soil.
“We’re here, bud, go let Tomioka know you’re here” Sanemi stood upright slowly, stretching his wings out for a moment before he shook his feathers out, getting ready to see if he can take off from this spot.
“Wait, nemi! Don’t go yet!” Genya insisted, hopping over towards him after tossing the pinecone aside.
Sanemi blinked, glancing down at the pup, who had a paw muddy on Sanemi’s side. “What is it, pup?” He tilted his head.
“I wanna have a tea party with you and ‘Yuu!” Genya smiled wide with his big round baby eyes that Sanemi found he had a hard time saying no to.
As much as he despised Tomioka, how in Kagaya’s name is he meant to say no to Genya? The kid rarely asks for much, so he feels he’s a little obligated to indulge in what he does want.
“..alright, if Tomioka’s alright with it.” Tomioka better say yes, or he’ll fillet him and cook her over a fire.
Genya hopped around a few times, clearly excited, before scampering off towards the Water’s edge, immediately jumping in with very little concern for getting wet. In the new clothes Sanemi got him.
“Wait—Genya!” Sanemi barked, striding over to the edge—but before he could reach out to try and grab Genya out, a familiar, faint blue light blinked to life, and a blue hand of webbed fingers held the pup up and out of the water, who was now sopping wet.
“Yuu!!” Genya barked, wiggling and whining to try and get back into the water, but Giyuu didn’t let go. Rather, she handed the wet Genya over to Sanemi. Sanemi took Genya while glaring at Giyuu, eyes narrowed.
“Careful pup, the water is cold tonight, you wouldn’t want to get sick would you?” Giyuu’s voice is just as sweet as Sanemi remembers it, so sweet that it makes him want to vomit.
“I won’t get sick, I’m a demon!!” Genya insists, still trying to wriggle free of being held, to no avail. Both Sanemi and Giyuu know he’ll just jump right back into the water if he’s put down.
Giyuu hummed as he pulled herself further out of the water, her double pair of wings extending to shake off any water lingering on them before settling back in place. “I’m sure, but still, no harm in being careful” Giyuu’s eyes trail from Genya to Sanemi.
She gave him a questioning look. Sanemi usually doesn’t stick around when he brings Genya here, at least not close enough for them to interact like this. He tilts her head.
“Gen,” Sanemi’s eyes turn from Giyuu to the pup in his hand. “Why don’t you tell Tomioka about your idea?” Sanemi finally sat, trying to ignore how mud and wet leaf litter stuck to his mostly white fur.
Genya paused for a moment, before he ended up successfully wiggling out of Sanemi’s grip, like the worm he is.
“Oh yah!!! Yuu! I wanna have a tea party!!! With Nemi too!!” Genya yipped and did a little twirl purely out of childish excitement as he stared and waited for Giyuu’s input.
“I don’t see why not” Giyuu barely even though about it before answering, raising just enough to ‘sit up’ rather than prop herself up on her arms. “I can help set up a table” She finished.
Genya nodded enthusiastically. “Nemi!! Can—can you make a good spot for the table??? Pleeeaaasseeee!!” Genya begged, his little tail was wagging in circles now. Maximum happy.
“Sure thing, bud” Sanemi nodded, trotting over not too far from the water’s edge where there was a generally flat area. He used his wide wings to brush any twigs and larger rocks out of the way while Genya went off to do Kagaya knows what.
Giyuu eventually returned, a mostly flat, square-ish rock in her mouth. She was probably biting it hard enough to leave indents. Sanemi glared at her, forcing down a growl and a ‘you look stupid’ comment, as if he doesn’t do the exact same thing pretty frequently.
They both had trouble carrying things and moving on land at the same time for similar reasons. Sanemi doesn’t have arms, only wings with paws on them, while Giyuu only has arms, his long tail replacing legs. Holding things in their mouth was pretty much the only way they can walk and carry at the same time.
Sanemi grabbed a few thick pieces of wood, yanking off one of his flight feathers—which grew back shortly after— and used the feather to slice even pieces for the ‘legs’ of the makeshift table, placing them apart while Giyuu put the stone overtop.
“I’ll go get some plates and cups, I have some in my cave.” Giyuu comments, before turning and shuffling towards the water, sliding in and disappearing under it’s murky depths. Not long after, Genya returned—with a small brown sack Sanemi doesn’t remember him having before.
“Where’d you get that?” Sanemi asks, eyeing the bag. Genya dropped it onto the table. There were a few items in the bag, ranging from pinecones to various twigs and sticks to a few bugs and some colorful rocks.
“Decorations!” Genya yipped, now arranging his items on the table. He assigned the pinecones to be ‘flowers’ and placed them in the middle, the sticks were forks, and the rocks were spoons, since most of them were pretty long.
Sanemi blinked. “What’re the bugs for?” He questioned, and Genya turned slowly to stare at him as if he just asked him what color his own fur is.
“They’re the snacks, DUH!” Genya answered with a flat tone, as if it’s the most obvious thing to know. Sanemi blinks. “..ookkayy.”
Giyuu returned just in time with what looked to be a net full of items. A vase—half chipped and cracked— a few plates, mostly old wooden ones that are probably a little too wet for wood, old misshapen cups, a few stone-carved figures, and of course, a tea pot.
Genya squeaked excitedly, taking the net of items from Giyuu and going to work on arranging them on the table. One plate for each of them, one cup for each of them. The vase went in the center with pinecones awkwardly stacked on top of it like a centerpiece, and the stone carvings surrounding it in a circle.
“Ok I’ll serve everyone!” Genya exclaims, taking the bugs from where they’d started their attempts at escape, and used sticks to skewer them to make sure they don’t scuttle off.
On one stick, there were a few crickets, two worms, and a snail. That was Genya’s own.
On another was a grasshopper, a few big moths, and a garter snake. That was Sanemi’s.
And the 3rd, Giyuu’s, had the biggest rhinoceros beetle Sanemi has ever seen, a locust, and a mouse.
Sanemi stares more specifically at the beetle, then side-eyes Giyuu.
Why does SHE get the cool beetle????
Sanemi huffs, his ears folding back as he looked away. Giyuu, on the other hand, paid no mind to Sanemi, graciously accepting the skewer of critters with a polite nod and smile.
“Ok, now for tea!” Genya took the tea pot and began to ‘pour’ tea into each cup, making a ‘pssshhhhhhh’ sound as he did so, his little tail wagging like it was motorized.
Genya placed down the tea cup and sat down—only to discover he was much too short for the table. He whined a little as he stood back up, but he didn’t seem too discouraged.
Giyuu frowned a little—that is, until she had an idea.
Giyuu slid the end of her tail around the table and close to Genya. “You cam sit on my tail, I don’t mind” she spoke, now with a smile again. Genya’s whine ceased as he took a seat, Giyuu’s tail was always surprisingly soft and smooth. Tea party back in action!
For pretty much the entire duration of the teaparty, Sanemi was side-eyeing Giyuu as frequently as he could without Genya noticing. Giyuu didn’t seem to care, she was more focused on fulfilling her assigned role of princess, bestowed upon him by Knight Genya himself.
Apparently, Sanemi is a random peasant boy they graciously invited to their royal tea party.
Sanemi is not completely thrilled to be a peasant.. but he’ll get over it.
It doesn’t really matter that much to Sanemi, anyways. As long as Genya is happy.
