The Butterfly Mansion buzzed with slayers, all in various states of duress. But Kiko was there for only one slayer, Haru, whom she brought in one week ago with critical injuries. She navigated the halls of the mansion with a vase of flowers in her hand. This was her third time visiting him since his arrival. Her meek steps wandered down the last hallway and stopped at his room. Standing at the edge of his room with flowers weighing in her hand, Kiko's gaze lifted to see his body lying still in his bed. Still connected to various machines. Guilt lingered in the room like a shadow.
Her foot slid to cross the threshold, only for her to slide back. Haru released a strangled exhale, jolting her backward. The flowers she was holding crashed to the ground, water pooling at her feet. The loud noise attracted the attention of a few slayers who were idling around.
"Ms.Kurotsuki, are you alright?" one of them asked, reaching out for her shoulder. Instead of turning around, she dashed down the hall and out of the butterfly mansion. Only stopping once the balmy hot air singed her lungs. Kiko's head whipped back and forth, searching for solace but finding nothing that could take away her feeling of remorse. No one knew what she was still carrying from the last mission, except for Haru and her.
"Ms. Kurotsuki, I see you are passing through again. How are you?" Shinobu asked, perched on a column, looking down at her. Kiko's head shot up in surprise as Shinobu floated down, not waiting for an answer before she spoke again.
"Aoi told me that you have been visiting Haru often. He's looking quite well now, despite still being unconscious. We're expecting him to wake up any day now." Shinobu affirmed.
The accumulated breath in her lungs dissipated into the air, like she could finally breathe again. Shinobu stalked over and pointed to Kiko's ribs, "I hope your injuries are healing well. Are you still using the cream that we sent you home with?"
Kiko absently nodded her head. Turning to walk away back to her estate. Hoops and hollers were her background as she trudged back the few miles. Kage, flying overhead, swooped down and perched on a nearby branch.
"Several corps members will be going to the springs tonight. All the Hashira are going. You should go!" Kage squealed.
Kiko halted her steps, throwing a glare toward her crow. "And where did you hear this from, Kage?" she asked. "You wouldn't have heard this from Ginko, would you?"
The crow flapped its wings before flying off into the air, silently orbiting as Kiko continued to walk back home.
She had never been to the springs with other people, besides Tengen and his wives. Just the thought of being around other people in little to no clothing was enough for her heart to explode. Covered in shame, she shook her head at the idea of going. Especially if Sanemi was there. She knew that he would have a slick comment reserved for her, considering how she left their last conversation.
"Kurotsuki, getting some fresh air, I see!"
She turned to see Tengen and Rengoku cresting the hill in front of her, both eagerly approaching her. She beamed. Since becoming a Hashira, she hardly interacted with her Master except for the occasional sparring match.
They stopped within a few feet of her, sweat soaking their uniforms. "Some of the corps members and the Hashira will be going to the nearby springs this evening. Will you be joining us, Kurotsuki?" Rengoku's voice carried throughout the courtyard. Kage flew back down and perched on a nearby pillar, observing the interaction.
Kiko stood there, motionless, frozen in place by the confrontation. Her fingertips began working the leg of her pants, hoping to ease the feeling of their watchful gaze.
"Of course, she will be joining." Tengen declared, a strong hand coming down to slap Kiko on the back.
She knew then she didn't have a choice. Her Master was counting on her showing up. An uneasy smile sprouted across her mouth.
"Sure, Lord Tengen. I will be there."
"Good, we'll see you there." He said, walking away with Rengoku.
"Now you have to go. Get your swimsuit ready."
"Yeah, I guess I do." She whispered to herself, barely audible to her crow companion.
Mitsuri had a firm hold on Kiko's upper arm as they walked to the female side of the springs. This was after she had managed to talk her into staying for at least an hour. The steam curled around the hut where corps members changed. Beads of condensation clung to the walls. Inside, there were various stalls where they could rinse off before entering the springs after getting dressed.
"This will be good for you, Kurotsuki-sama. We have never seen you at the springs before." Mitsuri added. Shinobu walked out of one of the stalls, clad in a purple swimsuit, and exited the hut.
Mitsuri had an idea why Kiko would always refuse to go to the springs with her and Shinobu. But Kiko wanted to keep the reason as hidden as possible. She was familiar with the stares, the whispers, and the questions from strangers, but not from people who were the closest to her.
"Lord Tengen suggested that I attend since all the Hashira would be going," Kiko said, clutching her swimsuit between her hands, eyes nervously flipping between her friend and the changing stalls.
Mitsuri smiled widely, "I'm glad that you took his advice." She said, disappearing behind a changing stall.
Kiko continued to stand there, clutching her swimsuit in her hands, seemingly deciding if she should stay or go. She waited until all the corps members emptied out of the stalls to change. Glancing at the mirror, her gaze drifted down to her legs that were filled with scars, large and small alike. Each one was a memory from her childhood that she was desperately trying to escape. She cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and headed toward the door that she thought was for the female corps members. With her eyes dropped down to the floor, she opened and closed the door. She was confused, not hearing her friend's voice; her eyes drifted up to see a dozen eyes on her.
"Ms. Kurotsuki, you look beautiful!" Zenitsu bellowed, slicing through the silence. She was frozen in time, completely paralyzed by her mistake. Her hand searched for the doorknob behind her ferociously, but it wouldn't turn.
"Will you shut up! I'm sure she is embarrassed enough already! This is why girls don't want you around!" Lord Tengen yelled. The air was tense with embarrassment for Kiko, so much so that she could feel her breath get more jagged as she continued to stand there. Sensing her embarrassment, Tanjiro and Giyu rushed to block her view.
"It's locked. It's locked." Kiko kept repeating dumbly. Tears pooled behind her eyes and sweat on her brow as she wrestled with the door handle. Tanjiro turned to help her, but that meant that more of her body was visible.
"Young Kurotsuki, don't fret, there is nothing to be embarrassed about here. You would make any man looking for a wife more than happy with your well-endowed features and breedable stature." She knew that Lord Tengen meant well, but all she could focus on was the fact that he called her breedable and her features well-endowed as if she were an animal of good stock looking to be bought for a farm. She should be used to how he talks about women, but each time he said something more ridiculous than the last time.
The door continued to stick as Tanjiro and Giyu tried to open the door but it seemed like something was blocking it. Kiko's body shrank into itself, feeling the weight of the stares on her back.
"I agree, mistakes happen, and your body is that of a mighty warrior, show it off proudly, Kurotsuki!" Rengoku cheered from the springs while he watched all of them struggle with the door.
Nothing was working, the door wasn't opening, and Kiko was preparing to make a dramatic exit. Tanjiro apologized profusely, and the longer she stood there, the quicker the blush rose to her face.
"Scars are something to be proud of, ask Shinazugawa," Rengoku added.
And that's when she realized that all the scars on her legs, thighs were more noticeable than they looked in the condensation-covered mirror. Her hand fell off the doorknob, and her head silently fell.
"Do you wanna get outta here, Kurotsuki?" Giyu asked. His calm and patient voice comforted her. She raised her watery navy eyes to his calm royal blue ones and nodded her head. Kiko wasn't one for overt displays of emotion in front of other people, but here she was trying to hold back the searing tears that were begging to fall.
Giyu swiftly gathered his haori and the towel from the rocks, then seized Kiko's hand, guiding her onto the hut's roof. Without hesitation, he draped his haori around her shoulders and threw the towel over his own. In one fluid motion, he lifted her into his arms, bridal style, and leapt from the rooftop, vanishing with her into the night.
The men's springs fell silent, stunned by the sudden scene until their attention shifted to the rattling doorknob. With a click, the door creaked open, and out stepped Muichiro Tokito, his signature vacant expression as unbothered as ever.
"Tokito, have you been trying to get out this entire time?" Obanai asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Yes, it was like the door was jammed or something." He said as he climbed into a small spring nearby, leaving them staring at each other in confusion.
"Tokito, didn't you hear all the commotion on the other side of the door?" Sanemi asked as he stood up in the spring. The warm water washed over his chiseled form. Tokito didn't respond. And Lord Tengen attempted to redirect the conversation back to himself and his latest battle so the night wasn't lost.
"Getting out already, Shinazugawa?" Obanai asked. The rest of the Hashiras' eyes followed him.
Sanemi shrugged off the question and continued to walk off into the night. He fumed that Giyu had whisked away Kiko before he had time to say anything to her, especially after the last time he saw her. His fists clenched at his sides, thinking about the way Giyu rescued her from embarrassment and the prying stares of all the male Hashira. Sanemi grunted, thinking about why she would be ashamed of her scars to the point that she hid herself behind an oversized uniform, never shedding her clothing even during sparring on the hottest days. As he continued to walk into the night, he saw Giyu and Kiko up ahead in front of her mansion. He stood there as Kiko's head was on his chest. Sanemi stopped a few feet from them, her apparent sniffles drowning out the nagging feeling in him to rip into her.
"You know I'm thinking this whole elusive personality you try to portray is actually a facade and you're just another attention-seeking girl," Sanemi said. He watched her head lift from Giyu's chest to glare at him. Her nose was red, just like her eyes were still filled with tears. Kiko pulled back from the embrace, exchanged the haori for the towel, and thanked Giyu before she went inside the gate.
Giyu shifted his weight to face Sanemi. His expression was devoid of any emotion. "Shinazugawa, you should learn to read a room or two; it might help you."
Sanemi's cheeks heated at the almost insult. Giyu walked past him, most likely on his way back to his mansion for the evening. Sanemi walked after Kiko, who was now sitting on her roof, looking up at the sky.
"Are you done being dramatic? Are you on your monthly or something?" He asked.
"I don't need your shit right now, Shinazugawa. Go bother someone else." Her voice had returned to calm and composed. Instead of heeding her warning, he climbed up and joined her, sitting on the roof. It was quiet between them; the only thing to be heard was the crickets chirping.
"I'm not dramatic, and I don't need to seek attention." Kiko bit out, toying with the edge of the towel.
"Yeah, well, tonight seemed like--" Before he could finish his accusation, she cut him off.
"I grew up hiding beneath my clothes. My body...it's not pretty to look at and I know that." Sanemi sat back on his arm, his gaze latched onto her.
"Everyone has a story, Kiko." He was right, everyone did. But he had no idea what her story was; no one except her Master did. She scoffed at him and threw a pebble that was next to her, never turning to face him.
"Isn't it exhausting?" she asked.
"What are you talking about, woman?" His voice was hostile now. Kiko turned to look at him with a serene expression on her face.
"Being so angry all the time. It must be so exhausting and lonely."
Sanemi was lost for words for the first time in his adult life as he stared into her hazy eyes. He averted his eyes away from her, looking at anything but her and the peeks of skin from under the towel.
"Hmph, you wouldn't understand," he said gruffly.
Kiko stood up, the towel still draped around her shoulders. "Seems like we don't understand each other, doesn't it? Well, I should get to bed, I have a mission coming up in the next few days. Safe travels home, Mr. Shinazugawa."
As she was about to jump down from the rafters, she heard a quiet raspy voice utter, "Your body is not bad to look at. Don't be an idiot and believe that."
His words stunned her a bit; it was almost as if he were being kind. She offered him a sweet smile. The door shut below him, and Sanemi got up to head home.
