Chapter Text
It was a dark December night.
The sky was covered in black clouds, but it was barely visible through the snow practically pouring from the sky. Just when the Wind Hashira was about to return home, a blizzard started. Like the biting cold wasn't enough, there also had to be wind almost blowing him off from the road. As much as Sanemi liked winter, this felt like just a straight pain in the ass.
The man kept pushing through the snowdrifts, his arm placed infront of his face to protect his eyes. His uniform was soaked and dirty, and his hair felt like it was frozen at this point. Sanemi had been on missions non stop for the past week - in reward, he got one night off. He was expecting an easy way back home, but no, the weather decided otherwise. But slowly, his narrowed eyes could make out the shape of a mansion complex.
he took the usual route - followed the familiar labirynth of hallways leading to diffrent mansions (most of them were empty), taking the short way by jumping over a few roofs, and finnaly landing infront of the gate to his estate. The whole mansion was surrounded by a tall, wooden fence. He walked in with a bit of struggle, as even here the wind kept blowing snow straight into his face. He ran through the empty, snow-covered garden, climbed up the rock stairs and opened the fusuma door.
...
Kanae was in the living room. Sitting by the irori, stirring soup in the pot with a wooden spoon. Her other hand was place over her protruding stomach, gently caressing it. She was pretty far along - 36th week. Over the dark-pink, floral-patterned kimono she wore a white kappogi to prevent the soup from staining her kimono. Her raven-black hair was neatly clipped by the sides with two butterfly hairclips. She looked like one of the housewives from magazines - and anyone would say it suited her.
She snapped out from her daydreaming as she heard the front door opening. What followed after was a string of curses and sneezes - Kanae's face lit up - it was Sanemi. She put the spoon down and got up, padding towards the hallway, wiping her hands in a cloth, excitement building in her chest at the thought of seeing her husband. Despite not seeing him only for a week, it felt like eternity, or thousand eternities. Whatever. He was finnaly back home.
And there he was.
Sanemi Shinazugawa was standing in the tataki, taking off his shoes with a grunt as one of the strings snapped. The man had the usual scowl on his face, wich was intensified by the redness of his cheeks from cold. The hair many described as a "haystack" was now wet, clinging to his scarred, freckled face. But it all went away as he looked up, seeing his heavily pregnant wife standing in the hallway. He kicked his shoes off, jumping onto the higher floor before storming towards Kanae, his fists clenched by his sides. The woman didn't flinch - not at all.
"Goddamn woman..."
Sanemi muttured, his hand cupping Kanae's soft face. It was a stark contract to his hands, wich were dry, scarred and covered in furrows. He gently caressed her supple cheek with his thumb. A soft smile made it's way onto her lips as she closed her eyes, relishing in her husband's touch.
"Missed me?"
Kanae giggled, her voice teasing. Sanemi's eyes turned into small narrows.
"Why is your face swollen? You're drinking enough water?
He ignored his wife's question, titling his head to the side as his thumb dug onto her cheek, dragging out a small "ugh" from Kanae. Her hands wrapped around his wrists, but didn't pull down his hands yet.
"It looks normal to me..."
Kanae muttured, letting Sanemi squish her cheeks, inspecting them like an doctor. Ever since Kanae found out about the pregnancy, Sanemi's overprotectiveness skyrocketed. He followed her every move, asked about the same things nonstop and constantly scolded her for even the smallest mistakes. Sometimes, it was insufferable and sometimes, it was sweet. Sanemi grumbled.
"Your skin is warm and doughy. And flushed. You're sure you don't have a fever?"
He asked, his voice gruff, but laced with concern underneath. Kanae tugged on his wrists once again, letting out a small sigh.
"Yes, im sure. I can take care of myself, you know? Like an adult?"
His wife grinned, swaying on her feet back and forth, waiting for him to let go. Sanemi watched her for a moment with focus. Slowly, his face softened, his lips going from a tight line back into their original shape. He shook his head and sighed, leaning in as he kissed her on the forhead.
"You're gonna be the death of me, damn woman..."
He mumbled, his lips staying pressed against her skin for a longer moment before leaning back. Kanae's soft smile widened in content, enjoying the affection after their separation.
"Welcome back home, Nemi."
Kanae whispered. Sanemi half-crouched, pressing his ear against her baby bump.
"And how is my little one doin'?"
The man kissed her stomach just above her belly button, his touch incredibly tender. When it came to their child, he was always gentle.
"Hmm...just fine. Won't stop kicking me though..."
Kanae let out a small chuckle as she watched her husband shower their unborn child with affection. Her free hand landed on his head, ruffling his hair. The ice shards and snow in it were slowly melting into his scalp, trickling down his face in singular drops. Sanemi let out a small, humorous chuckle, patting her belly before finnaly letting her go.
"Good. Means they're strong, like their father."
He crossed his arms over his chest which he was pushing out in pride. Seeing Kanae was in instant mood lift for him. The said woman just sighed, shaking her head.
"Yes, yes, of course. You're the strongest. But how about you go change? Your clothes are...well, they need a wash."
Her hand pointed over his muddy, bedraggled uniform. Sanemi let out a groan, but he already started taking off his haori. He couldn't say "no" to his wife, afterall. She was asking too sweetly.
...
Sanemi walked into the living room. The fresh, green yukata felt far more comfortable than a wet uniform on his body. Kanae was sitting by the irori, plating their food - miso soup with sweet potatoes and some tea. Homemade food looked especially appetizing after long missions. Besides, Kanae was a damn good cook. Overall, she was good at all this domestic stuff. As good as him, even. She had a lot of time to master up her skills in the past months.
If someone told 17 year old Sanemi Shinazugawa that in 4 years he will be married to the woman of his dreams and have her pregnant with their child, he would laugh at them straight in the face. At first, his relationship with Kanae was...well, complicated. Nor were they friends, nor lovers. Something inbetween. But just as things were getting in the good direction, everything almost got crushed one night. Kanae encountered the upper moon 2. If not for Sanemi and Gyomei to save her, she would have been long dead by now. After that, the two became a couple. Then got engaged. Then married. They were planning on this staying this way - bringing a child into this mess of a world felt cruel...
But accidents happen.
They found out when Kanae was in her 3rd month. She didn't notice - her period was often long gone. But her body decided to mess with her. And like that, she quit the corps to raise their child. At first, things were difficult, but everything slowly settled.
"Smells good"
Sanemi commented, sitting cross-legged across from Kanae. He grabbed his bowl from the tray and started devouring it's contents. Kanae smiled at his antics before grabbing her own bowl. Unlike him, she was eating like a real proper lady. Posture straight, bowl and spoon held right, etc., etc. One of the many diffrences between them that somehow complemented eachother. Like ying and yang.
"So, how were the missions?"
Kanae started the conversation, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she ate her food. Instead of getting an answer, Sanemi moved closer and grabbed her bowl, basically ripping it out from her hands. He poured her more soup from the pot before setting it back on the tray. She just let him do that - Sanemi always needed to make sure she ate more. At this point, she just let him. Even if she won't finish her food, he will.
"I got paired up with some fu-...goddamn moron-filled departament of mizunoto. I swear, these kids can't do anything! I did half of their damn work. No wonder they always die so quick..."
Sanemi complained, sipping on his soup. He made it very, very clear on how much he despised the lower ranks. Kanae sighed.
"You shouldn't be so harsh on them, you know? No one's perfect. They need time to master up their skills."
She scolded him gently, even though she knew convincing him to a certain mindset was Sisyphean work. He just rolled his eyes.
"Mhm, mhm...i should also wipe their asses, they might get hurt while doing that."
He made a face at her before focusing back on his meal. Kanae giggled at his little pun, wiping her mouth with an napkin. Suddenly, Sanemi gasped, as if he remembered something. He started patting his yukata all around before he finnaly pulled out a small, shiny object. He held it out to her, his dark, purple eyes intensly fixing on hers.
"Dammit, i almost forgot. Here. Some little ass kid gave it to me."
Kanae's eyes widened. She gently took the small object from his hands, cradling it on her palms. It was a small, flower-shaped broche. It had a little pearl in the middle. It was a truly beautiful accessory. Sanemi always brought her little gifts or trinkets from longer missions. He usually found them or got them from people he saved. The woman held it up to the light, watching the metal shimmer under the soft, yellow light.
"...it's pretty...thank you, Nemi."
She said in gratitude. She placed the broche beside her plate on the tray before moving closer to her husband, pecking him on the cheek. Sanemi's ears and neck reddened slightly. Even after all these years, he was still a little shy.
"N-no problem. I thought you'll like it."
He mumbled, averting his gaze but still placing his hand over her baby bump. Kanae nodded, her eyes still sparkling with amazement.
"I love it...i need to show it to Shinobu when she visits."
The woman sat back down, constantly stealing glances at the broche. Sanemi loved spoiling his wife, but what he loved even more was seeing her truly happy. Especially lately, when she became so moody. It was truly a stark contrast to her normal, composed self. Kanae had mastered controling her emotions. It seemed like she never got angry, or even annoyed. Completly opposite from her husband. She just always. Stayed. Composed. Until now - now, the smallest things got her sad. He couldn't count the times he found her crying over nothing. He needed to be 10 times more careful with his words and actions. Sometimes, it got him wondering...
Was it the hormones making her so sad, or was it just her true self finnaly coming out from the shell?
Her voice snapped him out from his thoughts.
"Hey, Nemi...i thought...could we maybe go to the town tomorrow? We need to change the paper in the doors, and i wanted to buy myself this pretty headkerchief Kanroji showed me once..."
Kanae said with hope in her voice, giving him a pleading smile. Due to her condition and the weather outside, walking longer distances alone was almost an impossible task. That was starting to make her lonely. She was basically trapped in their estate, just hoping that someone would visit her. Afterall, Sanemi was constantly absent, no matter how hard he tried to get himself more free time. He felt guilty about it - it felt like he was the one who trapped her here.
"...yea. I can lay off my morning training so we can go."
He muttured, looking up at her with a blank face. Kanae's eyes widened, so did her smile as she heard him agree. But, she quickly composed herself, placing one hand over her chest.
"No, no, we don't have to go if it clashes with your schedule..."
He interrupted her immediately.
"Nae, i can just re-schedule. Nothing's gonna happen. I need to buy myself new shoes anyway."
He sent her a small, crooked smile. Kanae's shoulders slumped. She gave him a nod, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear."
"...then were set. I'll wake up earlier to get everything ready."
And like that, Kanae and Sanemi ate their dinner, talking about what they need to buy, Sanemi's missions, and everything else under the sun.
And later, when they were falling asleep beside eachother, Sanemi couldn't help but wonder how lucky must have he been to be born in the same world as this beautiful woman he was married to an expecting a child with.