Back by popular demand, here's a continuation of what we started a while back. Though I'm kind of in a rut right now with the semester starting and all, believe me when I say I'll be back in full gear soon enough. That said, the premise for this chapter comes from one of a handful of ideas attached to the original request, it seems the requester thought Shiggy would be cute paired with this girl. For the sake of your shipper's heart, I can only hope you agree (maybe read their support?). I won't refer to her by name but you'll get who it is. If nothing else forgive me, I'm fluff trash.
Thanks for reading, and please review, your thoughts go a pretty long way.
Word Count: 1261 words.
.02 - Shigure and Haikus
"Birds of a feather"
"All migrating together"
"Where are they going?"
Most of the army knew her as the the reclusive daughter of Azama, the local sharp-tongued mountain priest. Though others—particularly the other children—knew her as the odd girl who spoke in verse, slept constantly, and rarely ventured outside, even going so far as to making obtuse excuses for staying within the comfort of indoors.
There was but one person who thought otherwise, but he kept such reservations to himself.
"Ahem."
Shigure stood at his post with the attempted disposition of a young man with absolutely nothing to hide. What he failed to account for however, was his inability to act as well as he drew. An artist confined in a playwright's domain, the look on his face gave it away, much as he tried to hide it.
His job was simple. He was to patrol the castle perimeter once or twice, note anything out of the ordinary, and report back if necessary. And while it was true that he was on the lookout, it was clear his mind was doddering elsewhere.
"A morning's embrace"
"Enabling flowers to bloom"
"I prefer my room"
There had been a reason Shigure requested the post, and although he tried to convince himself it wasn't so that he could admire her from afar with infrequent glances here and there, the fact of the matter was—that's exactly what it was and he was terrible at hiding it.
The blush on his face burned brighter and he shut his eyes to escape from it. Temptation jabbed him though, and he tried to peep one open to get another quick peek.
"What're you doing, big brother?"
"Gaaah!"
Shigure jumped with a startled yelp and dropped his lance, a thousand shivers running up his spine. In his haste he had forgotten that he wasn't working alone this time. He did everything in his power to avert his wandering eyes, hoping that his questionable actions weren't being read into.
They kind of were.
"A-Ah! O-Oh, ah, K-Kana! I..Is something wrong?" he asked while recovering his spear.
She found that to be an understatement but decided to leave her thoughts unsung. She cocked her head to the side. "Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing!" she chirped with a grin. "You've been acting silly all morning!"
"Writing this early,"
"Drawing a massive fatigue"
"I'm very sleepy"
Trying his best to refrain from attracting skepticism, Shigure laughed it off with a smile, his gaze shifting left and right. "O-Oh, er.. Is that so?" he asked. "I hadn't noticed."
Though he had regained some composure, Kana still felt that something was off. The regular calm, gentle grace her sibling displayed seemed forced, tense even. She tugged at his sleeve. "Um, big brother? Papa said we had to patrol today, right?"
Thankful for what seemed like a change of subject, he peacefully indulged her. "Quite so. Why do you ask? Did it slip your mind?"
"Well no, it's just.. um.." she mumbled, rubbing her cheek with her free hand. "Why are we standing here then? Shouldn't we be checking the rest of the castle too?"
"Th-That.." Shigure paused to produce an excuse, his facade crumbling. "That won't be necessary," he explained. "Father has assured me that our patrol will be just as effective by staying in one place."
Fibbing was a far cry from any of his specialties, something backed up by years and years of being raised to do the exact opposite. "Hm.. I don't really get it, but if that's what papa said then I guess it's okay!"
He was fortunate that Kana was a little easy to fool.
"A frog at the pond"
"With a captivating need"
"For a little swim"
Captivating was a good word to describe it. His gaze instinctively returned to the writer, and he let a smile slip as he did. It wasn't just her written word that did it, or even her starry eyes. There was something else alluring about her, something he couldn't quite put into words.
"What're you looking at? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
Kana prodded him again not a minute later, still persistent in spite of her blissful obliviousness. Shigure hastily broke eye contact once more, but he wasn't as fast or subtle this time, his gestures were caught in the act, and brought them back to square one.
"N-Nothing," he nervously claimed. "Just something in my eye."
A distinct pause followed, briefly leaving the siblings in a stalemate. Kana wasn't exactly the brightest child around, but even she could tell his words weren't correlating to his motions. Her suspicions returned, and if she wasn't dubious before, she certainly was now.
"Morning, noon, or night"
"Even a dragon can tell"
"When it is lied to"
"Hmm.." Kana huffed and crossed her arms, doubts on the rise. She stared at him, reading deep into his inner psych like an open book. Shigure attempted to remain earnest throughout the analysis, but the evaluating look in her eye was a threatening wave of uneasiness.
"K-Kana..?" he asked with hesitance. "Is something the matt—"
"I'm onto you!"
"E-Excuse me?"
"Don't play dumb! I know your little secret!"
"Y-You do!?"
"Uh-huh!" she declared sharply, snapping a finger straight at him. "You think I'm just a little kid! Your little sister who can't handle big secrets!" she exclaimed, pout and all. "Well you're wrong, big brother! You're wrong! Papa said so himself! He said the other day that I was really, really, really ma.. mat.. ma-something!"
"Mature." Shigure corrected, pronouncing it slowly enough for her to comprehend.
"Yeah, that! He said that, and he meant it too!"
Shigure was slightly comforted that his cover hadn't been entirely blown, though he was well aware he was treading on incredibly thin ice. "Perhaps, but Father.. says a lot of things," he professed with a bit of straining. "He may have been overestimating your abilities, or he was merely doting."
"E-Eh?! And what's that mean?!"
"You're still rather young. It's a fact." he firmly asserted, though she refused to believe it.
"Am not!" Kana gave him a petulant little moue and tried to stay sulky, but her fit was easily subdued with a soft pat on the head.
"Father seems to think otherwise. He wouldn't cherish you like a little princess if you were anything but," Shigure paused for a moment, gaze fixed on her. With a gentle smile, he added. "I wouldn't either."
"Hmmph.." her voice dropped to a murmur as she squirmed under her brother's palm. "Just don't tell Midori, I want her to think I'm cool and grown-up.."
"Hm," he brought his hand from her head to his chin, simulating a pensive stance. "With all due respect, you're already half of those things, so it's not a complete fabrication."
That did it. A small grin was drawn out from Kana, which grew into a smile from ear to ear. She really did have a thing for doting, try as she might to conceal it.
The two reveled in their bonding moment but to Shigure's dismay, it wasn't to last. Kana wasn't one to forget things or let them go, and had returned to prodding him moments later.
She nudged him once or twice, just to get his attention, and then cheekily said.
"Big brother?"
He turned to her, and nearly shuddered at the way she was staring at him. "Er.. Yes?"
"Mitama's really pretty, isn't she?"
"I-I.. I haven't a clue what you're talking about!"
"Flying to the north"
"The poet lagging behind"
"I'm still so sleepy.."
To be resumed.. whenever.
