Domestic Hashira: Part 6 (Himejima x Reader)
Title: Domestic Hashira Chapter 6 (Himejima x Reader)
Word Count: 2301 words
Description: (Y/n) and Gyomei navigating the unfamiliar territory of an arranged marriage.
Part 5
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After spending a whole week on an extended vacation spent in the neighboring town that offered you a romantic getaway with your husband, your shared love did not end once you returned home with Himejima. Instead, the passion has flourished like the lotus flower growing in a pond of stagnant water.
Things were not always the best throughout your life, and it did not work out well for you. Nevertheless, who would've thought that in a moment, you'd spend your life with a man who loved you dearly and captivated your heart entirely.
You spend your mornings finding the luxury of meditating with Himejima, who taught you how to meditate to give you a greater sense of serenity ever since he figured out how you wake up in the middle of the night, being reminded by traumatic incidents, and it helped you handle your nightmares. Ever since you started meditating, stillness has been present in your mornings.
He is supportive and never fails to give you the help you need. It may be comforting you in the middle of the night as you are awoken from your deep slumber, or taking time to understand what triggers you to experience all of the inconveniences your past has caused you. Himejima will always be the person you could trust the most, as he provides you with hope to look forward to in the future, especially with him. Gyomei has been so helpful as a guiding light to you in your journey of dealing with your unresolved traumatic past; it makes you wonder how much darkness he must have gone through to have so much wisdom.
It is embedded in the knowledge that after living with your husband for months, Himejima trains early in the morning by himself, comes back to your house to greet you and have breakfast together, and gets his lunch before he leaves to go to the corps. Most of the time, he is needed there for his duties. As his title permits, he has more duties and spends time with Ubuyashiki in the corps.
However, this morning was quite peculiar; you woke up feeling sick to your stomach after a terrible nightmare. You went straight to the bathroom and expelled the nausea from your body with terrible flashbacks from your nightmare. You managed to compose yourself before returning to your bedroom, to notice that it was around lunch time and there were no signs of your husband anywhere.
The strangeness in the morning was not from you being awoken by your nightmare, but your husband was nowhere to be seen. You asked for help around your house, but they only mentioned how Gyomei left early and never said a word.
This made you feel terrible because not only did you wake up not feeling well, but you also did not feel good about Gyomei's actions. You did not understand how you felt bad about Himejima not bothering to see you before he left, as usual.
Still, it feels like you are making a big deal out of a simple situation when you know that he probably has a lot of essential duties to accomplish. You just hoped that he approached it differently. You thought of making him lunch and dropping it by the corps to see him and ease yourself. You figured you would visit a doctor before bringing Himejima his packed lunch to feel better.
As you arrive at the corps, you are greeted by Mitsuri’s warm embrace about how she misses you. Obanai was also present in the area and was silent at the side. It is not unusual to see you around the corps ever since you married Gyomei, you are well-respected considering your husband's title as the Strongest Hashira, and you have managed to build a good relationship with the other fellow hashiras as your visit became more frequent. One hashira you have gotten quite close to is Mitsuri as her bubbly personality allows you to be more comfortable with her and she has been a fan of the sakura mochi cakes that you make to offer to the people at the corps.
"(Y/n), how come you never visit often," she cries as you try to breathe from her strong embrace.
"I'm sorry, I've been busy at home lately," you replied to her.
"Unacceptable, I miss having you around here and I miss your homemade sakura mochi cake! Did you bring some?" Looking at her, you can see her puppy eyes begging and about to cry if you told her you did not bring with you her favorite snacks. "Of course, here," you said as you offered her the sakura mochi cakes.
"Thank you, (Y/n). You're so kind and that what makes you more beautiful," you chuckled at her compliment as she munched on those sakura mochi cakes, "Anyways, what brings you here at the corps today?" she asks.
"Oh, I came to drop by Gyomei's lunch," Mitsuri gave you a surprised look when you told her about your purpose. "Himejima-san? He has not shown up the whole day today," hearing the words of Mitsuri, made you feel baffled.
It's a strange mix of relief and anxiety that hits you. Relief, because he wasn't ignoring you for work as you'd first thought—he wasn't even at the Corps. Anxiety, because if he wasn't here, where was he, and why hadn't he sent word?
"He hasn't been here at all?" you ask, your voice thin, barely a whisper. You can feel Obanai's silent, assessing gaze from the side.
Mitsuri pauses, a half-eaten piece of mochi in her hand. "Not that I've seen, (Y/n). I've been around since the morning meeting, and he wasn't there. Maybe he's on a very important, secret mission!" she suggests brightly, trying to find a positive spin, but even her cheerful tone sounds forced.
You shake your head, trying to clear the sudden fog of worry. Gyomei is the most dutiful and conscientious person you know. He would always inform the Corps, and especially the Master, of his whereabouts, even on the most sensitive of assignments.
Obanai finally speaks, his voice a low, dry rasp. "He left before dawn. I saw him drop by, and he talked to Oyakata-sama."
The mention of his leaving before dawn without a word to you is a fresh wave of hurt, quickly overwhelmed by the bigger wave of concern. You realize that visiting the doctor was a good idea, but now your worry for your husband eclipses your own discomfort. The thought of the perfectly packed lunch makes your stomach clench.
"Thank you, Mitsuri, Obanai," you manage to say, forcing a slight smile that feels miles away from your heart. "I... I should head home. Maybe he's already returned."Mitsuri rushes forward and gives you a soft, supportive hug. "I'll see you soon, (Y/n)! Please take care!"
Obanai simply nods a farewell as you make your hasty retreat. You thank the few other Corps members you pass, ignoring their respectful greetings, your mind already racing ahead. You leave the Corps grounds, the beautiful weather, and the peaceful atmosphere, starkly contrasted with the turmoil brewing inside you. You walk faster and faster, your anxiety building with every step you take, closer to your own quiet home. You clutch the lunch, and the warmth of the food is a cold comfort now.
At home, you arrive carrying the cold bento box that was warm when you left this morning. Thus, arriving at your house felt so gloomy, greeted with the emptiness of the rooms, the grass dancing as the wind passed in the courtyard of your shared home. A sense of vulnerability spreads across your body. You have not felt better ever since this morning. As the day draws to a close, an uneasy feeling still lingers in your stomach. As the discomfort grew more distressing with each passing moment, you held on to it.
The fatigue you have experienced since this morning has only felt worse from travelling to the corps and the anxious feeling of needing to see your husband. Himejima never leaves anywhere without letting you know. In cases where he cannot reach you himself, he will send a crow to put out a word, so you do not have to worry about his whereabouts. To provide yourself with downtime, you walked yourself to sit by the edge of the wooden floor with your feet on the ground, leaning on the open wooden door, and overlooking the courtyard. A tightness in your chest limits your ability to replenish yourself with oxygen. Your eyes grew tired, and you began to desire to gradually close them shut. With one last breath, you fell into a slumber that you needed.
A moment later, your mind has awoken, but still, your eyes are heavily shut, allowing you to rest your eyes instead of falling into a deep slumber. Even if your eyes were shut, you are still aware of the light that you can see because of the lights around your house. This light turned into darkness, which allowed you to know that there was a considerable presence around you that you could sense.
You opened your eyes and saw your husband standing strong. Your eyes came to realize that her husband was there, which made her teary-eyed without tears falling down. The journey of emotions from confusion to recognition to relief was evident in her voice as she called out," Gyomei." He sat beside her.
It was odd for you to call him by his name, as you were used to calling him by his pet name as an endearment for him.
"Where have you been? I've been looking for you. You left without a word." The longing in her voice was palpable as she hit him on his chest, where he held it to stop her. Gyomei's massive shoulders seemed to slump, though the change was subtle, more a tremor in the very atmosphere around him than a physical collapse.
He took a slow, deep breath, the movement of his lungs a heavy sound in the quiet room. "You are right to question me, my firefly. And you are right to be angry that I left you to wonder." He didn't need his sight to know her expression had shifted from anger to a painful, dawning understanding.
"(Y/n), I went somewhere I needed to be alone," he confessed, his voice dropping, the deep timbre catching with raw emotion. "I went to see the children I used to take care of. To pray for them, the little souls I failed to protect. It was on this day, several years ago."
The giant man bowed his head slightly, his hand reached out to yours and you can feel his grip on your hand tightening momentarily. From the beginning, Himejima told you the story of his past. A past that has haunted him. It came to you as a surprise that he was once a hapless monk who took the responsibility of taking care of an orphanage. An orphanage that was crushed by a demon one evening after one disobedient child. The heavy weight of Himejima’s past has made you realize what a life he has lived to become the man who you love and adore. You could only give him nothing, but sympathy with tears flowing from your eyes.
“My love, I was just worried,” you told him.
"I left without a word because I did not know what to tell you. Because telling you the truth—speaking of their faces, of the silence I found that morning—it still feels like reliving that day. I feared opening that dark place to you, afraid it would... taint the warmth we have built."
He brought her hand fully to his lips, pressing a kiss not just to her knuckles, but to her palm. "My past is not a secret from you, my love," he murmured, the words a difficult, heartfelt promise. "It is a heavy stone I carry with me, and I have selfishly tried to bear its weight for years… alone. Forgive me, my dear."
“Gyomei, I have kept something from you as well,”you said with a slight hesitation to your voice. Your eyes lifted to see your husband’s face with tears flowing onto his sightless eyes “I’m pregnant.” He did not move at first. The hand that had been pressing a kiss to your palm stayed there, his forehead coming to rest against your skin. They weren't just the tears of a man haunted by ghosts; they were the tears of a man overwhelmed by a future he never thought he was allowed to have.
"Forgive my silence," he choked out, his voice vibrating with a depth of emotion that shook his chest. "I have spent my life mourning the children I could not save. I have walked a path of stone and sorrow, believing my hands were meant only for destruction and protection through ends."
His words brought a sense of anxiety onto your heart. He leaned forward, pulling you into the sanctuary of his embrace. Being held by Himejima was like being shielded by the earth itself—massive, unyielding, and safe. He tucked your head under his chin, his large frame heaving with a sob that was finally laced with a sliver of joy. "To think that we would be blessed with a life to nurture," he murmured into your hair. "I was afraid my past would taint our warmth, but you have brought a light into my world that even the deepest shadows cannot swallow." He leaned down, pressing his forehead against yours, his voice dropping to a solemn, heartfelt vow. "No more secrets. No more carrying the weight alone. We will walk this path together, and I will never let you go."
This story will have a Part 7.
this was just sitting in my drafts unpublished (◞ ⸝⸝ ◟ ) and i havent fully proof read! i was hesitating whether to publish this or not <//3 too busy to contnue thid one :’(( but as a reader, i would want the author to publish the fanfics that i read too
