- After a grueling training session with Tengen, you’re hurt badly. Granted, you and Tengen don’t always get along, but he seems to feel guilty... Amongst other things. -
warnings: none
words: 3.5k
-
Above you, the winds carry the song of the heavens. Birds join in with their choir, their melody floating with the gentle breeze. It’s almost too peaceful, too perfect, and as you stare up at the cerulean sky above, you realize how utterly tiny you are.
“You’re doing it again,” Mitsuri says, a light giggle following her words. “If I didn’t know you any better, then I’d say that you’re thinking of someone.”
Shifting your attention to her, you scoff. “Please, Mitsuri, don’t make me laugh.”
The smile playing on Mitsuri’s face is all too gentle. She’s always been that way, so delicate and beautiful, and you find yourself awestruck at her genuine being. “I know love when I see it, Nanami,” she tells you. “It’s my job, after all! I’m not called the Love Pillar for nothing.”
You’re not quite sure what she’s getting at. “Mitsuri,” you start, your brows knitting together, “what are you even talking about?”
Tapping her cheek with a slender finger, she flashes you a knowing look. “Oh, you know, a certain hulking man. One that’s tall and devilishly handsome.”
Oh, here it comes again.
You roll your eyes at her suggestive tone. “Don’t you even think about it,” you warn.
Mitsuri’s petal lips purse into a pout. “I just want you to be happy,” she mopes. “Besides, I’m pretty sure he has feelings-“
Turning to look over your shoulder, you see Kyojuro step out of the manor with Tengen right behind him. The golden rays of light catch the fiery strands of his hair as he crosses the engawa to where you and Mitsuri sit.
“You’re looking as lovely as ever!” Kyojuro says. He flashes the two of you a bright smile.
Just like always, your own mouth mimics his. Kyojuro’s always been so sweet to you, helping you out in your time of need and always offering a comforting shoulder. Besides Mitsuri, he’s easily the greatest friend you’ve made in the corps. “And you’re looking as dashing as ever!” you compliment.
Shifting your eyes behind him, you notice Tengen smirking at you. The glint is his stare is teasing; your own smile falls flat at the sight of him. Amongst the entirety of the Pillars, Tengen is the one you get along with the least. He’s too much of a pompous asshole for you’re liking. He only goes on about how flamboyant he is, how great his fighting is, how much he kicks ass, yadda, yadda, yadda. Frankly, it gets on your nerves. He’s too much of a dunderhead.
He doesn’t necessarily like you either – or so it seems. He teases you constantly, openly flirts with you, all of that stuff; he knows it pisses you off, rightly so, and he does it nearly every time he sees you. Your pain is apparently his pleasure. If the other two weren’t around you, you’d love nothing more than to tell him to kindly fuck off.
“What, where’s my hello?” Tengen drawls. His ruby eyes hold a challenge; he’s just waiting for you to go off on him.
“I’ll say hello whenever I’m happy to see you,” you tell him, a mockingly sweet smile joining your honeyed words.
Tengen scoffs, his meaty arms crossing themselves over his chest. “Don’t you think you’re cute.”
“I’m adorable.” You swiftly turn back to Mitsuri. “Anyway, what were we talking about?”
You don’t miss the way Mitsuri’s eyes twinkle. “Actually,” she says, her voice sly, “I was going to help Kyojuro out with something. Why don’t you and Tengen occupy each other until we get back?”
Your eyes nearly pop out of your head at the mere suggestion of spending alone time with Tengen. Hell, you’d even let a demon eat you before you agreed to such nonsense!
“Yeah!” Kyojuro chimes in, seemingly not picking up on your growing anxiety. “The two of you could train! There’s no better way of bonding than helping each other grow stronger!”
“Oh yeah, baby. I like the sound of that,” Tengen says as he draws closer. The way he approaches you is much like how a predator stalks its prey, lithe hips swaying with each step. The foxy grin on his face makes your insides turn into mush. As he finally comes to a stop directly behind you, you can’t help but stare at how his ruby eyes practically glow in the sun. “Don’t you wanna fight me, Nanami?”
Clapping her hands, Mitsuri jumps off the engawa. “Great! You two have fun! We’ll be back later!”
“Wait, Mitsuri-“ you say after her, but she quickly pulls Kyojuro after her and scurries away.
Tengen’s hand clamps down on your shoulder. “What?” he drawls. “You want to spend time with me, don’t you?”
You quickly shrug his shoulder off. “As if.”
He cocks his head. “Not even to kick my ass?”
Damn, he got you there. You’d love to drive his ass into the ground. You know he’s only egging you on, but the idea of finally getting him to shut up for once is way more convincing. “Alright,” you say, stepping off the engawa, “let’s fight.”
As the two of you venture further into the yard, you can’t help but stare after him. Maybe it’s the lighting, but Tengen almost seems… bigger. His muscles flex with the slightest movements, his shoulders seem wider, his thighs stronger. Your eyes linger a second too long on his ass, but you quickly whip your head away. Stop it, you chide yourself.
Okay, yeah, so Tengen’s an utter ass. However, that doesn’t mean he’s drop dead gorgeous and built like a god. And yeah, maybe you want to grab onto his massive biceps and run your hands over his pectorals. You’re curious, nothing more. He’s put a lot of time and effort for a physique like that, and you only appreciate it.
…What a bunch of bullshit.
Coming to a halt, the two of you turn to face each other, readying your blades. From an outsider’s perspective, it looks like Tengen could take you out in ten seconds flat. You, however, are a Pillar, just like him. You’re not weak.
“Don’t cry if you get hurt, Nanami,” Tengen taunts. His normally cocky expression settles into a determined one. Although this is only a training session, he’s ready to give it his all. If you can’t give your whole 110%, then you can’t call yourself a Pillar.
“I’m not the one who’s going to be crying,” you shoot right back. “Gods forbid if your hair falls out of place.”
At that, Tengen snickers. “Just warning you.”
In a single blink, the fight begins.
He’s almost too quick for your eyes to follow; a blur of colors passes by your left, and you quickly sidestep to evade his duo-blades. The air hums with the force of his strike. Tengen is nothing but pure, raw strength; obviously, you don’t match him in that aspect, but you’re not hopeless.
Being the Lightning Pillar, you take pride in the strength of your legs. You swiftly kick at his side, a spark of satisfaction lighting in your chest when your foot makes contact. A growl reaches your ear, then, and a sudden blow to your ribs takes you by surprise.
Stumbling backwards, you gasp for air, but Tengen refuses to give you a second to prepare. He’s moving at you again, his blades arcing about him gracefully; his form is nothing short of perfect, completely on the offense but leaving no opening for an attack of your own. Your own blade swings towards him in flashing movements.
The fight is fast, intense. Tengen is nothing more than a blur of colors and massive size; the only real indication of your strikes landing on him is the clashing of your blades. The pain in your ribs spikes as you continuously work your body. You force yourself to control your breathing, focus on healing the wound, but you’re not given any time whatsoever.
Tengen refuses to back down. He’s fighting to win.
You lose track of time. The fight drags on, seemingly lasting for what? Minutes? Days? The sun’s still hanging high above you; from what you can tell, it hasn’t even moved.
A grunt leaves your throat as Tengen slams into you. All the air is sucked out of your lungs as you hit the ground, Tengen’s hulking body landing on top of you. Your eyes blink rapidly, mind whirling to catch up with the sudden turn of events. Did he just… Did he just beat you?
You quickly take note of the position you’re in; Tengen looms over you, his hands planted on either side of your head. One of your legs is trapped between his. He’s got you pinned down, no doubt about it.
The corners of his mouth curl into his signature smirk. Beads of sweat stick to his forehead, a faint blush lingering on his cheeks. Is it just you, or have his cheekbones always been this sharp? Full eyelashes curtain his eyes as his lids drop, his expression turning sultry.
He smells good – like sweat, musk, and pine.
“You look really good under me,” Tengen mutters. Pearly teeth sink into his plush lower lip.
Everything suddenly feels too hot. Your mouth turns dry and a lump builds in your throat. Swallowing thickly, your gaze flickers over the features of his face, lingers on the sharp line of his jaw and his velvety lips. He’s always been handsome, devastatingly so, but up close… He’s godly.
Without fully realizing it, your hands abandon your blade and link together behind his neck. His proximity is tempting, the look in his eyes hypnotizing. “Tengen,” you whisper. He visibly shudders. Slowly, ever so slowly, the two of you drift even closer. Your lips barely brush against his when a wave of pain slams you in the chest.
With a cry, you flop back against the ground, your hands leaving his neck and clutching at your ribs. Tengen appears to be in a daze; he blinks a few times, the cloud of lust dissipating from his eyes as he takes in your pained expression.
“Oh, shit!” he exclaims, panic striking his features. “Nanami, oh gods-“ His hands are suddenly caressing your face, his eyes large. “Shit! What did I-“
“My ribs,” you gasp. Now that you’re completely still, the pain in your side is excruciating. “I think they’re broken.” Your face contorts with pain.
“Nanami!” Mitsuri suddenly cries out. The two of you look up just in time to see her hurrying over to your side, Kyojuro hot on her heels. “Oh my gods! Are you okay?!”
“No,” Tengen tells her, all traces of playfulness in his voice gone. He sounds different this way, almost like an entirely new person. He scrambles off of you, his mouth set in a thin line. “I’ve got to get her to the Butterfly Estate.”
Mitsuri looks at him with startled eyes. “What happened?”
“I got too carried away,” Tengen says, voice gruff. As he looks to you, guilt shines in the red of his irises. “I should’ve controlled myself.” Gingerly, he picks you up bridal style, careful of how he holds you.
“Do you need us to come along?” Kyojuro questions, his voice laced with concern.
Tengen shakes his head solemnly. “I’ll take care of it.”
Pressed against his chest, you remain speechless as he takes off towards the mansion. You hold on tightly, focusing your breathing and deriving the pain away from your most sensitive spots.
-
As you thought, your ribs are broken.
After the first night in the Butterfly Estate, Shinobu spoke to you privately, telling you how lucky you were that your lungs weren’t punctured.
“I had to force Tengen-san to leave,” Shinobu says to you. It’s currently night two of your stay at the Butterfly Estate.
Lifting your shirt up, you let her change the bandages, her fingers gently prodding your skin. You hiss in pain as she barely brushes her fingers over the nasty bruise located on your side. “I’m surprised he stayed,” you grit.
“He’s very worried,” Shinobu says. She makes quick work of spreading a medicinal salve over the bruise before wrapping it back up. “He kept pacing back and forth outside the front entrance. Aoi even brought him tea to calm him down.”
Your entire face scrunches in confusion. “Why would he do that?”
Setting her equipment to the side, Shinobu shoots you an amused look. “You really don’t know, do you?”
You shake your head.
Shinobu sighs. “Well, Nanami, I genuinely thought you were brighter than this. It’s because he’s harboring feelings for you.”
“Wait, wait, wait. What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You have romantic feelings for him as well, don’t you? You’re not very subtle about it.”
An incoherent noise falls from your lips. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you stutter. “Tengen is the most annoying person I know-“
“You know denial is the first step in many processes, right?” Shinobu flashes you a smug smile as you gawk at her. “I’m just saying. I think you two would make a cute couple.”
“Shinobu! Don’t say that!”
Just then, there’s a knock at the door. Shinobu calls for them to enter; Aoi slides the screen open, a tired expression sitting on her features. “Someone’s here to see you,” she says to you. She sighs. “Again.” Stepping away, Tengen replaces her spot in the doorway.
“Well, I think I’ll be going,” Shinobu says, drawing herself to a stand. “Take your medicine and get some rest, okay?” After you give her a nod, she pats your shoulder and leaves the room, sliding the screen shut behind her.
Tengen quickly steps over to your bed and sinks down onto the mattress. You almost don’t recognize him – he’s out of uniform, opting for a deep blue yukata instead. His face is devoid of any makeup, his hair loose around his shoulders. He looks almost… pretty.
His eyes flicker over your face. “How are you?” The tone he uses takes you aback. Where’s his usual cockiness? Where’s his stupid smirk? Why does he sound worried?
Shinobu’s words ring inside your head. It’s because he’s harboring feelings for you.
Fingers clutching onto the thick fabric of your blanket, you sheepishly look away. “Sore,” you mutter. Your breath hitches as you feel warm hands envelop yours. Snapping your attention to Tengen, you watch in utter shock as he raises your hands to his mouth and presses fleeting kisses to your palms. “Tengen-“
“I’m sorry,” he mutters, burying his face in your hands. “I never meant to hurt you.”
Your heart thumps steadily in your chest. Your side cries out in pain, but you do your best to ignore it. “Hey now,” you say gently, not knowing how to handle this side of him, “I’ve been through worse. I’ll be alright.”
If anything, Tengen appears bummed. “I don’t care. I’m the one who did it, not some lowlife demon. I should’ve been more careful, dammit.”
You worry your bottom lip. “Do you… regret fighting me?” Anxiety gnaws at your heart; the two of you almost kissed, after all.
“I regret hurting you,” Tengen replies, not missing a beat. It’s almost like he was waiting for you to ask that very question. He pauses, then, a perplexed look crossing his face. “…I want to take care of you.”
Your eyebrows shoot up your forehead. “What do you mean?”
“I want to take you to my home.”
“Why…?”
“It’s my fault that you’re injured. It should be my responsibility to take care of you. I’ll ask Shinobu for your medicine,” he quickly adds when he sees your mouth opening in protest. “Please?”
Dear gods. You’ve never heard Tengen say the word ‘please’ a day in your life.
“I don’t know,” you tell him, voice soft. “It just seems…” Weird? Too much? Like a dream come true?
“Let me take care of you,” Tengen urges. He shuffles closer, the familiar scent of musk and pine greeting your nose. “I can treat you so good, Nanami.”
You shudder at his words. They shouldn’t have such an effect on you, but they do. “Yeah, okay,” you breathe, your blood pounding in your ears.
A soft, warm smile grows on Tengen’s handsome face. “Thank you.”
-
The next morning, you wake to a chorus of birds.
The bed you lie on is larger than the one you had at the Butterfly Estate; fluffy down-filled pillows cradle your head, thick, expensive covers your body. The scent of pine sticks to the sheets, overwhelms you in a sickeningly sweet way. A source of heat warms the left side of your body; shifting to the side, your eyes widen at the sight of Tengen.
He blinks sleepily at you. His gorgeous features are entirely lax, the silvery strands of his hair surrounding his head in a halo. “Good morning,” he mutters, his voice thick with sleep. It sends a shiver creeping down your spine.
“Tengen?” you croak. Like him, your voice is raspy.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he tells you, flicking the loose hairs from his face. “After I put you to bed last night, I kind of just… crawled in. You looked like you were cold.”
You can feel the heat steadily rushing to your face. Your breath hitches in your throat as he reaches toward you, his strong fingers pushing your hair behind your ear. They linger on your cheek, and a look of longing flashes in Tengen’s eyes.
Much like before, you’re struck by how beautiful he is up close. The gods must have carved him out of marble, inlaid jewels for eyes, wove his hair from the finest of silks. Your gaze travels down, over the line of his jaw, down the column of his neck, and settle on the exposed skin of his chest. You almost want to tell him to cover up, to pull his yukata closed, but you don’t. If anything, you want to see more of his skin.
The hand on your face forces you to look back up at him. “Nanami,” he murmurs in that wonderful voice of his, “you know how awful I feel, right?”
You’re more than aware. Before this whole thing happened, you would’ve laughed at the idea of Tengen being gentle with you. As far as you were concerned, he didn’t possess a single guilty bone in his body. Reaching up, you place a hand on top of his. A spark of electricity tingles in your fingertips, but you refuse to pull away.
“Tengen,” you start, pausing to swallow the dry feeling in your throat. “Please stop beating yourself up. You’ll take care of me, right? Make it up to me.”
Tengen’s nostrils flare. He moves closer, then, and your eyelids instinctively fall shut. His lips are softer than they look, taste like an expensive tea; you sigh, your hands coming up and linking behind his head. He kisses you slowly, but there’s so much passion in his movements. His palm burns against your cheek. He’s so warm, so delightfully hard and ridged. Your hands grow more adventurous, slipping over his strong shoulders and settling on his chest. He hums under your touch, his lips parting; his tongue sweeps over your bottom lip, silently asking for permission. You let him in without a moment’s hesitation. As his tongue slides against yours, his fingers brush through the strands of your hair, slinking around until he’s clutching the back of your head.
“Nanami,” he says again as he pulls away. His eyes narrow into pretty slits as he looks at you. “Gods, I’ve been wanting to do that forever.”
“Then how come you haven’t done it before?” you whisper.
The corner of his lips twitch into a smirk. “Because you’re so stubborn and it pisses me off.”
A huff of laughter passes through your lips. “And you’re a meathead.” The look on his face softens as you run your fingers through his hair.
“What a flamboyant kisser you are,” Tengen teases. You giggle as he bumps his nose against yours. “Let me treat you like the queen you are.”
You ignore the spike of heat swirling in your abdomen. “All it took was you doing something stupid, huh? Figures.”
Hot air fans over your skin as he buries his face in your neck. “Like you’re against the idea.” You jolt as he plants a kiss against your neck. “I’ll make you happy to see me.” Another kiss. “I promise I’ll love you so good.”
Your heart kicks in your chest. Did he just say what you think he said? “You… love me….?”
Tengen hums into your throat. “Like I said – you’re stubborn.”
You think of the words both Mitsuri and Shinobu told you. He has feelings for you.
And you’re rapidly figuring out that you do, too.
Pulling him away from your neck, you urgently press your lips to his. The slide is too easy, almost like your lips were meant for each other. You hold him close, your heart beating in time with his.
