A/N - Just a reminder that unless it states otherwise, all of these one-shots are NOT related and are from different universes.

"You were told not to change anything!" The broom hit the back of Kirinmaru's head, easily avoidable, though he'd done nothing to dodge it. The old priestess never ceased to find reasons to take her ire out on him.

He'd come to them severely injured, barely making it up the stairs of the shrine before losing consciousness. He'd never imagined that he'd wake up again—or in the arms of an angel no less.

The broom made contact again, and Kirinmaru sighed. "I'd thought to add a little colour."

"You are not allowed to think," the old woman hissed. "You are only here because she wills it. If it were up to me, you'd have been left to drown in your own—"

"Sensei."

Kirinmaru stilled, her voice doing much to calm his rising ire.

The old woman huffed, then turned to the head priestess, bowing low. "Midoriko-sama, this filth has desegrated your personal garden."

"I can see that." Green eyes peeked out from under his auburn hair, gazing upon the wonder that was his saviour. She considered him for a moment, then turned back to the one with the broom. "I will take care of it."

The older priestess pursed her lips but didn't say anything else, bowing again before shuffling away, broom in hand. Adverting his eyes, Kirinmaru returned to his work, covering the bulbs with fresh soil at the base of the wall.

"She's right, you know." He winced, not looking at her, even as she stood beside him. "You should have asked first."

The shrine was surrounded by apricot trees, the pale blossoms symbolizing elegance and the pure hearts of those that trained under Midoriko. They grew in abundance, the oldest ones planted by her predecessors—secluded in the back and used as a private oasis for the head priestess.

Kirinmaru had always hated them—Midoriko was so much more than that. A warrior with the face of an angel who had used her own power to bring him back from the edge of death when all others would have left him to perish.

The purple hue of the violets now climbing up the wall behind the apricot trees was much more suited to her unbreakable spirit.

"I apologize," he said, reaching for his tools. "I'll remove them—" His eyes widened when her hand touched his shoulder, stilling his movement.

"And ruin all of your hard work?"

His heart swelled, and he gave her a stiff nod, plucking one of the newly opened blooms and holding it out to her. She accepted it willingly, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"A simple note would suffice next time you wish to thank me."

Kirinmaru jerked, looking up at her with a startled expression. "You are aware of the meaning behind—"

"We are taught many things in order to be prepared for those who would seek to harm us," she said, twirling the flower between her fingers. "It pays to know which plants are poisonous and which are meant to heal."

She kissed the violet he'd given her, then placed it against his mouth, colour blooming between the blue marks on his cheeks. "I appreciate your sincerity, Kirinmaru. As well as anything else you have to offer." The smile from before only widened at the shock on his face, Midoriko tucking the flower into her robes before turning away. "Do not overwork yourself. And try to stay away from Sensei's broom."

He was unable to form words, even as she walked back towards the shrine, though his tools felt lighter when he was eventually able to return to his task, hope lessening the weight on his shoulders.