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Snow was heavy once it accumulated, almost difficult to reconcile with how tiny the snowflakes were when they first descended from the sky, nearly melting on contact with your skin.
Mitsuri could see her own breath hanging in the air as she paused, the cold biting into her bones the same way her stomach dropped to her core when she saw a familiar figure in the snow while patrolling.
“Shinobu?”
Mitsuri would admit this to herself when she looked over the situation. She was not particularly experienced when it came to medicine or the human body. Perhaps she knew a few lingering facts imparted to her from her visits to the estate, training, and handling her own wounds, but looking over Shinobu…
It was clear she was perhaps out of her league here.
Shinobu was pale, her hair stuck to the sides of her cheeks. Her eyelashes cast shadows on her face as her chapped lips were slightly parted. Mitsuri could feel moisture bead behind her ears and neck when she rolled Shinobu onto her side and pressed a finger into the groove of her neck.
…
“...Oh, goodness!” Mitsuri sighed as she wiped her forehead. For a second there, Mitsuri’s intrusive thoughts got to her. But with the worst-case scenario out of her head, she still needed to act fast.
Quickly, she wrapped her white cape around Shinobu and stood up.
“It’s okay, Miss Kocho. I will get you help,” Mitsuri said gently, her words careful like her hands.
Shinobu’s body was cold against Mitsuri’s warm body. Her hands were even colder to touch, and even when slack against Mitsuri’s chest, they made the woman shiver.
Mitsuri was surprised by the ease with which she lifted her into her arms and ran through the forest. It was like carrying a doll, or perhaps a child, though she knew she would never call Shinobu those things to her face.
Mitsuri quietly adjusted her arms to cradle her head, as her speed would surely give her whiplash.
“The Butterfly Estate is too far from all the way up here…” Mitsuri mumbled to herself as she looked at the sky. “A Wisteria House is closer, barely, so we might be able to get there in time before she freezes.” She looked down at Shinobu as she thought about it. “I hope Miss Kocho won’t take it wrong if I take her there.”
That was fine. It had to be fine. Shinobu wouldn't mind, surely.
…Would she? Shinobu was particular about things. She liked things neat. Quiet. Predictable.
Oh no. What if she woke up and was angry? No, Shinobu probably wouldn't be angry. She would just smile that strange little smile of hers and politely explain why Mitsuri had made the wrong decision. Which was somehow worse.
And what about Aoi and the girls? They would be worried sick.
Mitsuri groaned and grabbed her head. She did not have the bandwidth to even process how she was feeling now, not after hours of patrol this far north. It was like fireworks were going off in her chest, and it was only interrupted by the sound of her feet padding against the ground as the trees flew past her.
The lights were distant and blurry; each leap dragged the glare with her. Was it the light off the snow? Or was it her?
Her thoughts were only interrupted by the clicking of a door.
“Kanroji-san?” a kakushi asked as Mitsuri entered the building. Mitsuri panted for a few seconds as her pink hair stood up in strands, snow and dirt sketched onto her cape. “I’m sorry for the intrusion! But my friend here needs help! Prepare a guest room!” Mitsuri ordered breathlessly.
The kakushi did not even need to be asked twice as they scrambled to the other part of the manor. Mitsuri followed them closely, even when her gait was sluggish from running through the snow and woods, the woman in her arms stirring as Mitsuri held her close.
Well, she would figure that out when Shinobu woke up. The door shut behind them with a click, and Mitsuri could not help but notice that Shinobu’s hair smelled like wisteria.
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The air was warm, surprisingly. It did not really snow back home, which was lovely if you wanted to see the flowers and bees all year **round**, but perhaps the constant missions or her own strength made her more resilient to the cold with experience.
“Is she going to be fine?” Mitsuri whined to the kakushi, freshly changed and her hair still a bit wet from the bath she took.
The kakushi looked at each other before turning to her. “Yes, Kanroji-san. You got to her surprisingly quickly, but we will need to hold her here for a while until the cold clears and we can transport her to her manor,” the quieter one reported.
“I see…” Mitsuri’s lips pressed together. “Can I see her?”
The kakushi paused for a bit, as if thinking it over. “Yes, Kanroji-san,” they said, bowing their heads as they parted ways for her. “Just be mindful of her condition.”
She did not need to wait for another word as she walked past them. Her stupid heart was still making noises, but it was now at a steadier thrum as she took a deep breath.
Oh, what if she was a bit later in finding her? What would have happened then? The people in the Wisteria Houses were always so generous and hospitable, it almost made her feel bad in a way.
The orange light from the hallway cut a clean line through the dark room when she creaked open the door.
Shinobu’s purple and black hair poked through the cushions where she was laid down on a nice futon. There was a white towel on her forehead and her uniform neatly folded next to her. She still seemed to be out of commission, but far better than earlier.
“Shinobu-san!” Mitsuri called out, taking a step inside. There was notable concern but relief etched onto her face as she saw the younger woman.
“You are in a bad state, but I’m glad they took good care of you,” she said, the futon shifting under her as she knelt down next to her. “You really had me worried there.”
There was a long silence. She stayed there for a while, watching Shinobu breathe. Shinobu simply lay there, unaware of what Mitsuri had just said.
“Eep—! Sorry, I forgot I was supposed to let you rest!” Mitsuri apologized as she scooted back. Her words made her cheeks turn warm like charcoal as she just realized how she must sound.
“I’ll—I’ll just wait until you wake up. There’s no point in me being here if you are….”
Mitsuri was about to stand up and step away from her. Perhaps she should call in someone else to watch her while she went to situate a room for herself. But something about Shinobu made her pause in place to just stare.
Oh.
The kakushi had changed her. Of course they had. Her clothes had been soaked through with snow, and there was no way they could have left her in them. Still… Mitsuri had never seen Shinobu dressed like this before.
Now that she was looking back, she probably never once saw Shinobu out of uniform. They usually met over meetings and missions, but seeing her in the new clothes provided to her by the Wisteria House made her realize that.
The guest clothes were loose and simple, obviously chosen for comfort rather than appearance. The sleeves were slightly too long, covering part of Shinobu’s hands, and the collar sat differently than the high neckline of her uniform.
'You really are cute…' Mitsuri thought, her face settling to an almost plain expression as she just stared. 'Your head's small, your nose's small, your hands are delicate…' A beat of admiration lingered as her eyes turned downwards.
Her hands in particular were bunched up in the fabric. They were pale but noticeably purple at the tips, perhaps from the cold, but they were smooth and a bit bony. Compared to her hands, she could engulf them and warm them up in her palms.
A shadow was cast over Shinobu, blocking out the light of the room as Mitsuri’s unbraided hair draped over the smaller woman like curtains. She was so small… compared to her.
Ah, was that why she noticed?
Was she having those thoughts again?
If Shinobu were to wake up, she would only see Mitsuri’s eyes down on her, a color so green. The way she looked was so intense, she could almost imagine scaring her like this as she carefully adjusted Shinobu’s collar to hide her prominent collarbone.
Mitsuri was always large compared to Shinobu, in a lot of ways, really. She was larger than the room, larger in energy, larger in form, larger in shape. And perhaps a lot heavier than she was.
From this position alone, it would be easy to crush her under her. Shinobu looked so fragile compared to her, after all. She was not sure sometimes how she felt about that. Concern, envy, admiration, temptation, and something uncomfortable.
'You're tiny compared to me, just like a pretty snow doll. Don't you think so?'
Those were not really good things to think about her friend, though. Last time she said something like that to her, Shinobu seemed to go quiet, and she had to pretend she did not notice.
It was hard not to forget that, especially when she never understood why Shinobu felt that it was a bad thing to be small.
'You clearly are not grateful for how feminine and cute you are.'
'You don't even know how pretty you are. You have everything—everything I used to wish I could be—and you just hurt yourself instead. You—'
“Mitsuri?”
Mitsuri pulled back until she practically slammed her back against the wall behind her, **her** hand on her chest as she realized Shinobu’s eyes were fully open. Her tired, purple eyes met hers as she lay there under her.
“Ah! Miss Kocho!”
“...Kanroji?”
Mitsuri’s cheeks were burning now, perhaps with shame or embarrassment at how it must have looked. She really needed to keep her thoughts on their rails. How could she have thought that about her friend? “Oh, you’re awake!”
Shinobu groaned as she rubbed the back of her head. She made a few gagging sounds before coughing into her hand with a sharp inhale. “...I am aware.” Shinobu sighed as she pulled her wrists out from the blankets, pressing a finger against her wrist as she observed the discoloration.
Mitsuri took the moment to tidy herself as she brushed back her hair and adjusted her kimono.
“Where… am I?” Shinobu eventually asked, turning her head to Mitsuri.
“Oh, oh! You are in a Wisteria House. I brought you here after finding you in the snow,” Mitsuri informed her as she bowed her head up and down.
“I see, then,” Shinobu said calmly, though she lingered a bit in the silence as she tugged the sleeves over her hands. Mitsuri could not catch what she was muttering to herself, but it was something about dosage and wisteria.
“Ara~ that was thoughtful of you, Kanroji-san. I can never repay you.”
Mitsuri shook her head and waved her hands in front of her. “No—I mean—No need for that! I am just happy you are alright, Miss Kocho. No need to repay me,” Mitsuri bashfully stuttered as Shinobu sat up.
“No, really, thank you.” Shinobu hummed before closing her eyes and tilting her head back. “Though, I may request a few herbs from the staff here…” she said, massaging circles in her temples. “I’ll fix myself if everything is in order.”
Mitsuri shut her lips as she set her hands onto her lap. “If you say so…” she muttered. “But are you feeling alright?”
Shinobu nodded as she shook her hand. “I feel as good as I can be,” she responded somewhat truthfully.
“If you say so…” Mitsuri looked to the side. Shinobu could hear her shuffle to her feet as she turned toward the door. “I think I’ll get you some tea, then. I think it’ll probably help if you get something warm to drink. Just stay here—and don’t do anything strenuous!”
“Just make sure it’s rich in antioxidants—” Shinobu clicked her tongue. She caught herself. Mitsuri likely wouldn't know what she meant. “Ask them if they have ginger or green tea,” she said instead.
Mitsuri smiled at her, a warm one compared to the snow she had collapsed in. “Okay! I’ll see what they got!”
Shinobu watched the woman leave, the door shutting behind her, leaving her and the cool light filtered through the windows.
…
A small huff of air escaped her lungs as she planted her head into her hands.
“This could have been avoided,” Shinobu could only admit.
She must have done something wrong for her to have collapsed like that, or was it just her body lacking the same strength it had before? Either way, the dosage had been too high. Not enough to kill her. Enough to make her collapse... And she had to rely on another Hashira saving her life, so she had to nurse herself back to health without alerting everyone.
Though, thinking of it, waking up to Mitsuri looming over her… was she that concerned? Mitsuri was a sweet woman, almost too sweet sometimes, but it was like she was being suffocated.
Whatever it was, this would be a long night for her.