Hinatsuru doesn't like surprises.
Unlike his other wives, she dislikes everything unexpected, romantic gestures included. She takes comfort in thorough preparation and well-made plans, so Tengen sent a letter to her, explaining the plan.
I think about you all the time and long to see you, so I'm planning to visit 3 nights from now as a customer. What do you think about that?
In which she answered,
I'll be waiting.
Short and efficient. Just like her other letters. Suma and Makio always pour their feelings into their letters, but Hina writes hers in the same format every time.
Her recent information, some predictions, then future plans. No opening or closing. Not even her or his name.
Hinatsuru was one of the best kunoichi back in the day, especially in battle plans and espionage, but she made it hard for him to associates his Hina, who blushes prettily from the smallest gestures to the author of these letters who seems cold and all-businesslike.
He can't wait to see her, watching how her eyes spark with amusement, followed by a slight curl in her lips that rise until her eyes curve and a blush bloom in the apple of her cheeks.
She's so beautiful, in every way imaginable. The word beautiful even felt too shallow to describe her. The way her amethyst eyes reflect lights, long lashes dropping shadow on her cheeks. Her heart is even more exquisite than her looks, her unending patience, unwavering resolve, and her sharp mind. Everything about her amazed him, he often caught himself wondering if she would still marry him, had she given the choice.
6 hours before the designated time to meet Hina, his flashy crow Nijimaru came with a new mission nearby. It was considered urgent, so sending him would save so much time rather than someone of the lower rank. On his way back to Yoshiwara, he stumbled on a tree stump— he blamed it on excitement and a little bit of arousal. He sprained his ankle and got a little bruise, but at least his beautiful face stays intact. Can't see his beautiful wife with a less flamboyant face than usual.
He arrived at Kyogoku 4 hours late and knocked on her window three times. 'The most west window, the one with a red curtain,' she described. It's just a little higher than his head, so he didn't need to climb.
"Excuse me, I'm here for the fairest of Yoshiwara inhabitants?"
Hinatsuru opened the window eagerly, her usual ponytail and she smelled like vanilla perfume he loves. He didn't think it's possible, but she got more gorgeous every time he saw her.
"Tengen-sama, you're here!" her face as bright and gentle as morning rays, "I thought you won't come." Tengen felt something in his rib cage drop. It saddened him, how she thought he would betray his promise, or put any mission before her.
He raised his hand to tuck some of her stray hair to the back of her ear, "Sorry love, there's an unexpected mission."
She smiled, nodding her head. "That's okay. You want to get inside through this window?"
Ah, she knows him so well. Going through the window is always flashier than taking extra steps and walking through a door like normal, drab people.
He tried, but a sudden pain struck his sprained ankle. "I think I'll walk through the front door. Mind holding my cleavers? It'll be too flashy if the owner sees me bring it in."
She smiled and nodded, handing his red haori. He couldn't remember how she had it, but she's always more organised than he is. "Oh, maybe wear this haori? Someone might notice your uniform" or something. Like demons.
Tengen swapped his trusted weapons with that haori, "Careful, it's heavy."
But Hina carried the cleavers with surprising ease. She already walked away to put them inside when he called, "Hina, wait. I forgot something."
She walked back, Tengen counted her steps in his mind. 3 graceful steps. She put her head out of the window, "What is it?"
Tengen gave a peck to her red-colored lips, grinning cheekily. "There. I forgot the kiss"
A beautiful blush burst through Hinatsuru's cheeks, she giggled to his now red-stained lips. "Okay," she said, holding back a fond smile, "See you inside, Tengen-sama."
The moment he opened her door, he was welcomed with a delightful hug from his beautiful wife. His hands held her waist as tight as possible without crushing her.
His heartbeat slowed down in tandem with hers. Steady and familiar.
She buried her face to the crook of his neck, kissed under his jaw profoundly. Tengen countered by peppering light kisses along her face and neck, especially on her tickle spot— the juncture between her neck and shoulder.
She let out airy, charming giggles, squirmed and tried to get away in vain. Tengen kept her in his arms, holding her head by the side, gently cupping her chin.
The moment was cut short by his unflashy stomach growl. It filled the air, totally dissolving the intimate atmosphere.
Hinatsuru let out a long breath, her lips forming a smile full of fond exasperation. "You forgot to eat again?"
"I was in a hurry to see you," he pouted.
"That's okay," she caressed his cheek, "I took my dinner here because I wasn't hungry. You can eat that."
His grin was cheeky, "I'm hungry for something else."
"I know, I can feel it. But you still need to eat, can't have your stomach ruining the moment. "
Tengen knew there's no way he could win an argument against his persistent wife, so he moved to eat the food in the corner of the room.
"So…the next time we kiss, it'll taste like curry?"
She let out a cute, easy laugh.
He ate just enough food to fill his stomach before moving to fulfil his other hunger.
Tengen was an amalgamation of contradictions.
He boasts and shows an almost narcissistic nature, he hides a lot of hatred for himself. The ghosts of his past sins weigh heavily on him, he talks negatively almost every time of the day. He used to do that verbally at the weirdest times,
"Don't worry, I'll tell Father when I see him in hell" after a successful mission.
"I'm gonna die a gruesome death, all limbs ripped and body bruised." when seeing a family slaughtered by demons.
He forced himself to stop because he knew it hurt his wives, but Hinatsuru knew he still did it in his mind.
Tengen was contradictory in a lot of ways. Even in the bedroom, when his hips are harshly rutting against her, his knuckles tenderly caresses her cheek, his mouth busy peppering her face with gentle kisses and whispering encouraging words. Telling her how perfect she is, how well she's taking him.
"Gorgeous girl," he panted, eyes dark with desire. His intoxicating natural scent mixed with his favourite pricey perfume, a bead of sweat slid down the side of his beautiful face and some other dripped from strands of his hair, "I'll thrust a little harder, okay? Tell me if it hurts."
Earlier in their marriage, Tengen would ask her consent for everything he does on the bed. Making sure she's okay with that. Making sure he touches the right spots. And most importantly, making sure he doesn't accidentally hurt her.
It had annoyed her so much, she snapped in one of their passionate acts. She told him not to worry, she'll tell him if anything makes her uncomfortable. Still, it didn't stop him from flooding her—and Makio and Suma with compliments.
Tengen was always very vocal in his admiration. The environment they grew up in wasn't an easy one, they're used to be reprimanded for their mistakes but not validated by their success. Ever since he realised how much his words meant to his wives, he made sure they knew how much he cherished them.
"I love you," wasn't a frequent one, but he always says it with so much sincerity. He would either whisper it between mingled breaths or shout it from 5 metres away. Once he even yelled it right after Oyakata-sama dismissed the hashira meeting, to 'remind the others of their drab love life.'
"You're the best thing ever happened to me" or a more depressing one, "You're the only good things in my life." are usually for after harsh missions.
"Great job," "Flamboyant, as expected from my girls," or "You've done enough, give the rest to me" are the most familiar and reassuring. He says this every time they help his missions, accompanied with brief touches like head pats or cupping their faces in his big, warm hand.
Some of his fellow Hashira, mainly Iguro-san and Shinazugawa-san, confronted him about his decision to bring his wives on every mission. They're a liability—they're considered weak compared to him, and can be used as leverage to put him in an unfortunate position. It had pissed him so much, if not for Himejima-san who interfered there would be a bloodshed right in front of Oyakata-sama's residence.
Tengen-sama knew his decision had its risks. He talked to them about it. He's a hashira, so the missions he sent into are Hashira-level. Those which cannot be handled by regular demon slayers. Most of the time he can finish them with no trouble, or with his wives' slight support from afar. But there are certain occasions, like that time when they encounter a lower moon demon in a very challenging rocky mountain. Suma hit her head hard and fell into a coma for a week, Makio tore a muscle, and Hinatsuru broke her hand. Tengen himself just got some bruises and shallow cuts. He bitterly blamed himself.
He trained so hard, pushed himself to the absolute limit until his body could barely handle it. No. Not good enough. At this rate you'll kill your wives the next mission.
Hinatsuru found him leaning his head to a tree trunk, headband askew and forehead bruise with tiny splintered pieces of wood bark.
"Hey," she gently pulled him by his hand, "it's almost dark. Suma and Makio are looking for you."
He didn't move a muscle.
"Are you having cramps?" She crouched down in front of him, cupping his chin and blowing his forehead. "Still upset about last week?"
He didn't respond, giving her a blank stare. Nonetheless she gave him a speech, and Hinatsuru's version of speech is actually just about 5 sentences delivered in a way only she can, that feels like a punch in the gut and a splash of ice-cold water at the same time. She reminded him that everything she, Makio, and Suma did was their own choice, and they already considered the consequences. Weighing everything to himself as their husband felt like going back to their older shinobi days, where the women had no voice and the men of their lives decided for them.
She didn't bring up the crooked part of the tree trunk.
"I think I wet the sheets." she said, gentle pleasure flowing through her body, fingertips tingling, and breathing still uneven. She's lying on her back, hair dishevelled and out of her previous ponytail. Her husband next to her in a starfish position to cool down, half of his body out of the futon. A sheen of sweat covering both of their bodies, but the –.
"You did, yeah. Good job." He flipped his body, pressing his face to the floor and touching her cheeks with his knuckles.
"Do you wanna go again, or should I change the sheets?" The house provided spare beddings in the oshi-ire, the storage within the walls. It's not unusual for him to take breaks between rounds, only to resume with even more vigour and intensity until one of them couldn't take it anymore.
Done with the cheek-caressing, he petted her dishveled hair with a gentle smile—not the cocky ones he usually gives people, the one that lifts his cheeks and makes his eyes smaller, gaze softened as if she's the most entrancing sight he's ever seen. "You look tired. Let's just lay down and talk for a bit. Have you been getting less sleep?"
Hinatsuru shook his head, smiling, "It's a little weird being in a room with a stranger. I tried to sleep during the day though, so it's fine. Don't worry about me."
In reality, sleeping without the warmth of her husband or the girls feels wrong and unsafe. She didn't realise how touch-deprived she was— all four of them were, until she got married. Before that, physical touch only meant hurting or getting hurt. Kicks, blocks, punches. Pressures on vital points. Checking pulses from piles of bodies.
But touches could also mean warmth and comfort and a stomach full of butterflies. Tingles that run to the tip of her toes. Drowning, toe-curling pleasure. Life-saving warmth, even. Hurdled together under their thickest blanket when they don't have enough money to buy both food and firewood.
He moved to cuddle her, burying his face to her breasts and entangling his huge limbs with hers. It's amazing how his body is sturdy but also very comfortable and pleasant.
"I miss you so much," he mumbled, voice muffled.
A fond smile stretching her thin lips, "You miss my bosom?"
The man in her arms pouted childishly. "I was talking to your heart."
She laughed, running her fingers through his hair and lightly scratching his scalp. "Of course you are."
"I visited Suma and Makio too."
"They must be very happy. They talk about how much they miss you everytime we meet."
"As expected from my flamboyant wives."
"Do you know that men don't usually make their partner wet themselves? My first night here, I wet the sheets with the water to hide the fact that I didn't sleep with the customer. But the madam said I was lucky to have such a skilled customer on my first night."
Tengen laughed so hard his whole body shakes. This is what he couldn't see from her letters, the innocence and heartiness he loved so much, mostly hidden in her elegance and steadfast composure.
"How is your ankle?"
"Fine now that you kissed it," a flirty grin.
"Nonsense. There's no way it heals that quickly."
"It is. More importantly, are you sure you're safe? Suma and Makio said this house is more suspicious than theirs."
"I have some assumptions I need to investigate further, but yes, I'll be okay."
"You're such a good kunoichi, I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you."
"You know what, I started talking to myself a week ago since my life now is so lonely and boring and miserable. And I miss your food, I'm too tired to cook so I eat outside everyday."
"That's okay, as long as you eat three times."
"Actually I eat only twice a day now"
"You should take care of yourself properly, Tengen-sama. You can't rely on us to — "
Tengen felt consciousness slipping as her voice fades. Listening to her calming heartbeat, feeling her soft skin under his fingertips, her nails lightly massaging his scalp.
He's tired after all. Amazing how she still has the energy after their sessions of vigorous love making. Maybe she's stronger than him. Or maybe it's her soft body and calm, melodic voice, gently lulling him to sleep.
