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The Hashira meeting felt like it had been dragging on for an eternity. Sanemi let her eyes wander around the room while the Master continued droning on about the future of the Corps. His calm voice blended into background noise.
Her gaze landed on Shinobu, and that was when something interesting finally happened.
The usually composed Insect Hashira was blushing hard. A noticeable pink dusted his cheeks as he stared, completely distracted. Sanemi followed the direction of his gaze across the room to the culprit: Mitsuri Kanroji.
The Love Hashira sat with his chin propped on one hand. His pink with green-tipped hair fell softly over his forehead as he looked equally flushed and flustered. Every few seconds, his eyes would dart toward Shinobu, only to quickly look away again.
Sanemi smirked. Figures.
She had noticed it on multiple occasions now. The two boys kept stealing glances at each other during meetings, blushing furiously and pretending they were not. The eye-fucking was getting ridiculous.
After the meeting ended, Sanemi cornered Tengen in the hallway. “We have to do something about those two idiots.”
Tengen raised an elegant eyebrow, her long silver hair swaying as she tilted her head. “The butterfly and the love boy? I thought you said you did not care about their little staring contest.”
“I do not care,” Sanemi grumbled, folding her arms. “But if I have to watch another meeting where they look like they want to eat each other but are too shy to speak, I am going to lose my mind. We are setting up a mission. Just the two of them. A nice quiet town, good food, pretty views. No demons. They will have to talk.”
Tengen’s grin was bright and dangerous. “I like the way you think.”
The fake mission was perfect on paper. The boys left the next morning looking equal parts nervous and excited. Three days later they returned… exactly the same as before.
Mitsuri hovered near the training grounds, cheeks pink, fiddling with his haori. Shinobu stood a careful distance away, arms crossed, expression calm except for the way his eyes kept drifting to Mitsuri’s mouth. They had clearly done nothing but blush and stammer the entire trip.
Sanemi watched them for ten seconds before she gave up.
She marched straight over to Tengen, who was lounging on the engawa, and flopped dramatically into the taller woman’s lap. “Okay. We tried everything. I give the fuck up.”
Tengen laughed softly, one hand automatically coming up to stroke through Sanemi’s messy white hair. “Not everything.”
Sanemi lifted her head. “What?”
Tengen’s smile turned mischievous. “We could pretend to date. Make it look easy and perfectly normal. Let them see two women together without it being a big deal. Maybe it will give them the courage they need.”
Sanemi stared at her for a long moment. Then she let out a short laugh. “You are insane.”
“Flamboyantly so,” Tengen agreed cheerfully. “Come on. One public hand-hold here, a kiss on the cheek during the next meeting. We will sell it.”
Sanemi narrowed her eyes, but she did not move from Tengen’s lap. “Fine. But if this blows up in our faces, I am punching you.”
“Deal.”
The plan started small and quickly spiraled.
During the next meeting, Tengen casually draped an arm around Sanemi’s shoulders. Sanemi leaned into the touch instead of shrugging it off. Mitsuri’s eyes went wide. Shinobu nearly dropped his teacup.
By the end of the week, the “couple” was everywhere. Training side by side with Tengen’s hands lingering on Sanemi’s waist to correct her stance. Sharing meals in the garden. Walking together through the wisteria paths with linked pinkies.
Sanemi told herself it was all fake. Just an act.
Until it was not.
One evening after training, they ended up alone in Tengen’s quarters. Sanemi was complaining about how the boys were still being useless when Tengen stepped closer than necessary and gently fixed the collar of her uniform. Their eyes met. The air suddenly felt thick.
“Maybe we need to be more convincing,” Tengen murmured.
Sanemi’s heart hammered. “Yeah? And how do you…”
Tengen kissed her.
It was meant to be light. Practiced. Fake. Instead it deepened quickly. Sanemi’s hands fisted in Tengen’s uniform, pulling her closer as warmth flooded her chest. When they finally parted, both were breathing hard.
Tengen rested her forehead against Sanemi’s. “That… was not fake.”
Sanemi’s face burned, but she did not pull away. “No. It was not.” She kissed Tengen again, slower this time, letting herself admit what she had been feeling for weeks. “Idiot. You made me fall for you while we were pretending.”
Tengen laughed against her lips, bright and happy. “Good. Because I fell first.”
Their very public romance finally pushed the boys over the edge.
Two days later, the Hashira found Shinobu and Mitsuri in the wisteria garden. Mitsuri had his face buried in Shinobu’s neck, both of them flushed and smiling like fools while Shinobu pressed soft, shy kisses into his hair.
Sanemi, watching from a distance with Tengen’s arm securely around her waist, snorted. “About damn time.”
Tengen turned and kissed the corner of Sanemi’s mouth, warm and affectionate. “Our work here is done.”
Sanemi rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she pulled Tengen in for a proper kiss. “Shut up and kiss me again.”
Tengen was more than happy to oblige.