Hey Everyone. Merry Christmas and here's gift to you all
Chapter 4
The woman before him was truly petite in his eyes. At no point, did he even detect her presence throughout the meeting and had thought to have met or seen everyone he needed to. When Yuki wasn't staring into a pair of beautiful lavender eyes, he noted her black hair with purple tips, her slender yet healthy figure, her silky looking skin, and her beautiful hayori. He also noticed the black uniform that all the hashira's wore had a slight distinction thanks to its violet shade. He wanted to get a better look at her hairpin but the woman in front of him drew his attention.
"Yes, and you're tall. You know, it's not nice to judge people for their appearance. Especially when said factor is out of their control." Shinobu replied with a smile yet included a tone of annoyance.
"I'm sorry. It's just I'm surprised that two people have now escaped my line of sight. I have a pretty good vision. P-please forgive me, miss." Yuki found himself stammering and raised his hand as a way to protect himself. He then heard a small sigh from the lavender-eyed woman.
"How about we start over? Hello, my name is Kocho Shinobu. I am the Insect Hashira, the lead doctor and headmistress of the Butterfly Estate. Who might you be?" Shinobu asked politely. The dull-eyed boy was beginning to become annoyed of sharing his name over and over, but he acknowledged what he did was disrespectful and was more than happy to obliged.
"My name is Yuki Subachi. A-and as your comrade addressed earlier, I am the heir to a wealthy family from the Chiba region. Before now, I-I was tasked by my parents to look after our family inn in the Kanto region." Yuki stuttered for he didn't want to mess up his second chance of a good first impression towards this nice-looking lady.
"Breathe, take a deep breath." Shinobu advised him with a gentle tone. She waited until Yuki breathing stabilized.
"May I ask you a question: how come you didn't say your family name first?" She asked as she tilted her head.
Oh, my bad. It's just, in my family, we hold business meetings with people all over the world, and most of the time they address us with our first names during the introductions. I forget to switch back and forth. So yes, my name would be Subachi Yuki. Sorry for the confusion. The dull-eyed child explained.
"I understand now, thank you for the explanation, Subachi-kun. I must say, you've done a really good job being polite overall considering not everyone welcomed you with open arms." Shinobu said as she clapped her hands together with a smile on her face once more.
"Thank you, miss…" Yuki pondered as he scratched the back of his neck for he was unsure whether to refer to the violet-haired lady 'Shinobu' or 'Kocho'.
"Kocho-sama will do just fine. Since all of our affairs are endemic to Japan, it would be wise to refamiliarize yourself to Japan's customs. I can't recall a demon residing beyond the mainland." Shinobu said aloud as she pointed her finger on her lip and made an 'o' shape. She truly couldn't recall a mission that went beyond the kanto region.
"Thank you, K-Kocho-sama. Since I'll be under your care, it's only fair I call you by your preference." Yuki smiled and bowed his head lightly towards her.
"Thank you, Subachi-kun. That is really thoughtful of you." Shinobu nodded in approval to the lanky child's statement.
"So, did you need to talk to the master or…?" Yuki looked down at the Insect Hashira.
"Oh that's right. Ubuyashiki-sama. I believe we have something that belongs to Subachi-kun." The lavender-eyed woman said politely to her master.
Ah yes, thank you for the reminder, Shinobu-chan" Kagaya's wife replied and left for a moment. When she returned, she came back with a briefcase.
"This was the only thing we were able to retrieve from your estate, young Subachi-kun. We figured it was of some importance since Haruno-san held onto it." She offered the suitcase to Shinobu who then offered it to Yuki.
"Whenever you're ready, we can head back to my home." She offered a smile and offered her hand to Yuki.
The lanky child blushed ever so slightly until he realized this gesture was simply done to help him get back on his feet. He grabbed her hand and pulled himself up and afterwards, he couldn't believe their height difference. He was 6 feet and he guessed Shinobu was no more than 5 feet. He kept his thoughts to himself and nodded. The dark-haired teen was thankful he was on her good side.
"Yeah, I'm ready, Kocho-sama." Yuki nodded and held onto his briefcase.
"Excellent. Now, let's get your kakushi to carry you home." The violet-haired woman declared. In a blink of an eye, Yuki's face went from happy to a deadpan expression.
"Oh" The lanky child said in a disappointed tone.
"Is something wrong, Subachi-kun?" The Insect hashira asked as she looked up at him with a concerned look.
"Nothing's wrong. Let's get this over with" Yuki insisted despite his voice unable to his disappointment.
"If that's the case, let's not wait for your kakushi any longer." She concluded and led Yuki and herself out the building
"So, have you met my girls yet? Surely you've met at least one of them?" Shinobu asked, finding a way to make this time together not so awkward. At the moment she is walking freely, but her companion couldn't say the same. The best way to describe Yuki's predicament is looking like a wheelbarrow: one kakushi holding onto his arms or legs and he himself felt his body swinging around. All with a blindfold covering his eyes.
"Um, yeah. I met the triplets. They are a lively bunch and gave me a nickname."
"Oh, what is it? Surely it was something to do with your height." The insect hashira teased him.
"I'll let them tell you when we see them" Yuki said in a desperate tone to change the topic. Shinobu couldn't figure what nickname he was given but agreed to move on.
"I met Aoi-chan. She is fairly strict but she seems nice deep down. I was opposed to travelling like this, but Aoi-chan said she'd give me a mochi if I didn't give anyone a hard time.
"That's good. I'm glad you were able to arrive at the meeting today without any problems. After all, I can't say I blame you for being against travelling like you are now. Then again, you are taller than the average swordsman here, so this was bound to happen. I suppose this is a struggle for Tengen-kun and Gyomei-kun. Ah, we're here at last." Shinobu replied.
"Yay" Yuki shouted.
He then waited for the kakushi to help him up and removed his blindfold once more. He couldn't believe what he saw before him. A big gate with a grey kaizu roof title, with walls made of brown bamboo sticks surrounding the estate. Beyond the gates lied a garden filled with flowers of all sorts. He couldn't believe how big and spacious Shinobu's home truly was with a koi pond on side accompanied by a cherry blossom tree and a Japanese sand garden on the opposite side. Before the insect hashira called for the lanky child's attention, he marveled at the traditional architecture of the residence. The aesthetic was different yet the size of the building itself somewhat reminded him of his family's home in the Chiba region. After he took in everything at once, Yuki followed the lavender-eyed woman and stayed by her side.
"I hope this estate isn't underwhelming to you, Subachi-kun. It might not be to your liking but I think everyone who's stayed here can agree its comfy." Shinobu looked up at the dull-eyed teen as he shook his head.
"Not at all. I actually quite like it and since you said your home is a hospital of sorts, it makes sense there's a good amount of scenery here. Much prettier than my home." Yuki stammered.
"You know it's okay to disagree with me. No one likes a suck up." The insect Hashira shrugged.
"I'm serious. Sure my house is pretty on the inside, but there's really nothing to look at outside the front yard, except for few bonsai trees" The dark-haired child said while looking down.
"I'm just teasing you, Subachi-kun. It's easy since you give in so quickly" Shinobu giggled as she covered her mouth.
"I guess yeah." Yuki scratched the back of his neck as he chuckled nervously. He followed the purple-haired woman to lead them inside. The lanky child was impressed with the hardwood oak that held the butterfly mansion together. He then removed his sandals and followed Shinobu to a room close to her office.
"I'd love to give you a tour of my home, but I have some duties and paperwork to attend. Here is one of many rooms for our patients. Your head servant, Haruno-san just on the opposite side of the door. I'll keep an eye on him personally, feel free to pay him a visit. I'm sure he'll appreciate your company. Either me or one of my girls will knock on the door when dinner is ready." Shinobu replied.
"Thank you, Kocho-sama." Yuki bowed lightly to her and she went to her personal office. He then went inside the room and found Haruno asleep.
Haruno-san was in an eternal slumber, nothing but the rhythm of his breathing filled the room and the only reaction his body gave was his chest moving up and down. The head servant's expression was relaxed and not a single line or crevice was found. His skin was darkened from his early days of always being out in the fields and doing physical labor before being welcomed to Yuki's family. Haruno always kept his hair short since he couldn't afford to let anything cover his eyes. He was still wearing the same kimono he wore at the incident. The same grey kimono with yellow trimmings to represent the family color. The head servant may not have had his eyes open, but Yuki was confident that Kenji would've been more than happy to have seen the sight before him.
"Hi Haruno-san. It's me, Yuki. I don't know how long you've been asleep for or if you are taking a nap, but I wanted to let you know that I'm okay. Miss Shinobu and her girls, looked after us when we got rescued. I'm sad that none of the other servants made it, but I'm happy you're still here. Miss Shinobu is a wonderful person, she is a swordswoman and a doctor. In fact, this is her home and hospital. All the girls I mentioned just now are also nurses. We're in good hands. Please wake up soon. I look forward to us all sharing meals together and having a good time once more." Yuki spoke softly to his head servant. He wished he had more to say but the dull-eyed boy was content staying by his friend's side. Even if only one of them was awake, Yuki was just happy he wasn't all alone in a unfamiliar way of life.
A small knock rang through the room for all to hear. Yuki shook his head and stood up slowly. He felt a slight pain on the back of his neck. Ow, must've taken a nap.
The dark-haired teen placed his hand carefully onto Haruno's shoulder and gave a small smile.
"I'll see you later, Haruno-san. Right after I change into better clothes" Yuki whispered and went to a corner to switch his pajamas to the first set of clothes he found. A yellow collared shirt and a pair of blue dress suit pants He then stepped out of the room, hoping to chat with the insect pillar once again.
"Good evening, Miss-" Yuki rubbed his eyes before looking down at the petite woman. When he no longer felt as drowsy, he found himself looking at someone else. This person may have been as short as Shinobu, but had several different features. For starters, the girl in front of him had a white cloak around her shoulders, covering most of her arms. Instead of the usual black uniform everyone seemed to have worn, she was wearing an outfit with a collared neck and a skirt. The only reason Yuki realized this was some variation of Shinobu's outfit was because of the purple tint. Even her footwear was different because she was the only one he met up till now to own boots instead of sandals. He made a mental note on asking where to get something similar later. What was the same between this person and Shinobu were her purple eyes and the hairpin.
"Um, who are you, miss? The lanky child asked while tilting his head. To his dismay, the girl said nothing, simply stared at him.
"Okay, were you asked to find me or no?" Yuki asked once more as he then reached his pockets to search for his deck of cards. An answer had yet to be given and it was beginning to annoy the lanky child.
"I can't help you if you don't help me. Help me to help you, you know?" Yuki asked awkwardly. He kicked himself mentally and decided to shred this card when he had the chance later. He covered his face with his stack of cards, unaware the purple-eyed girl pulled out a coin and flipped it. Yuki looked at the coin and it read heads.
"Yes, I would've replied sooner had you let me flip my coin. My name is Kanao and I'm the younger sister of Shinobu Kocho. Please follow me to the dining room. The purple-eyed girl said with a blank expression.
"Of course, miss Kanao" Yuki quipped.
"You may refer to me as Tsuyuri-chan or Tsuyuri-senpai, since we may end up training together if you stay with us longer" Kanao clarified, maintaining her expression as she turned to lead the way.
'She's so weird.' The dark-haired teen thought to himself and followed from behind.
The dining room consisted of a plethora of tables throughout the area. Reminiscent of how the room was arranged in his inn. Meanwhile, Yuki sat and dined alongside Shinobu and Aoi as well as Kiyo, Sumi, Naho, and Kanao at the biggest table in the room.
"Tell us more about your family, Subachi-kun. You said you live in the Chiba region. Is this correct?" Shinobu asked in her usual gentle tone.
"Yes, miss Shinobu. My home is just outside of Tokyo. We live in a wealthy community. My bad, you asked me to call you Kocho-sama." Yuki face turned red over his slip-up. Everyone in the table laughed to his reaction, including the insect hashira.
"It's okay. I don't mind the way you called me just now. At least when there are no patients around" The purple-haired woman gave him a wink. The dull-eyed kid face turns red once more.
"Must you tease me so often, Miss Shinobu?" Yuki asked as he covered his face.
"I'm telling you, it's easy to get a reaction from you." Shinobu said happily followed by all the girls giggling. Yuki put up a persona in order move past the constant teasing.
"If I may continue, my family resides near a beach where it was exclusive to me, my family and their friends. When it was too cold to be outside, we'd hold parties inside our home. I live with my mom, dad, and younger sister" The lanky child concluded. He waited a moment before shuffling through his deck of cards as to search what to discuss next.
"Aww, you have a younger sister? How adorable. I bet you are a good big brother. How old is she?" The insect hashira clapped her hands together.
"She's 15. We celebrated her birthday a few months ago. Just before I came here actually. I'm 18 by the way" Yuki replied.
"Wow, you're way younger than we thought" The triplets said.
"How old did you think I was?" Yuki chuckled and looked at them.
"We thought you were older." Kiyo, Sumi, Naho said in unison.
"Hey now! Do I really give off a grown-up aura?" The lanky child wondered, raising his eyebrow. The triplets shook their heads.
"Not even close" Kiyo said
"It does explain how you can put up with us" Sumi said.
"Does this mean you accept our nickname?" Naho asked. Yuki felt a sense of dread for what was to come. Shinobu, Aoi, and even Kanao were all curious what nickname the triplets gave Yuki.
"I…guess so" The lanky child conceded with a sigh.
"You're the best, Take-kun!" the triplets said simultaneously. Yuki his face in embarrassment.
"What does 'take' even mean?" Aoi raised an eyebrow while looking at Shinobu and Kanao. Neither of them had a clue. Yuki looked at the other three women and figured he should tell them before the triplets did, which would further inflict his dignity as an heir to the Subachi family.
"Take means bamboo. They gave me that name thanks to my height and the green pajamas I wore during the meeting, Miss Shinobu and Miss Aoi" The dull-eyed boy addressed. After a moment of the older women thought it through, both Shinobu and Aoi burst into laughter. Even Kanao let out a giggle.
"Now that you mentioned it, it suits you perfectly, Take-kun" Aoi continued laughing, which Yuki responded by crossing his arms and pouted.
"Now, now, don't be like that, Take-kun. The fact that you made Kanao of all people to giggle shows how much we've all warmed up to you. I promise this nickname will only be between us, no patients are allowed to hear us utter it" Shinobu assured Yuki by placing her hand on his shoulder and sure enough, it helped him to ease up.
"Not that I want to ruin the moment but I have to ask, how come you've hardly touched your food, Subachi-kun?" Aoi spoke bluntly.
"I liked your food, I really do. It's just, I'm not so good using chopsticks. I can pick up the meats, but I find rice really hard to eat without a fork" Yuki chuckles nervously. He then noticed the room went silent and now he was worried.
"You use a fork to eat your food?" The Insect hashira gave him a puzzled look. The rest of the girls also stared him in confusion.
"Y-yes. I um, my family eats both western utensils and chopsticks. I just prefer using forks, spoons, and knives" The dull-eyed kid looked away.
"Are you a foreigner, Subachi-kun?" Aoi asked, which garnered her a glare from Shinobu.
"Now that Aoi mentioned it, Take-kun is wearing unusual clothes in this area" Kiyo said.
"I overheard Take-kun asking Aoi-chan for a chocolate chip cookie in the morning" Sumi recalled.
"It does make sense since Take-kun lives in different region" Naho replied. Yuki began to feel nervous and searched his deck of cards once more.
"If I may speak, Subachi-kun has a tendency to look through those cards of his" Kanao quipped. Yuki felt the pressure increasing in the midst of searching his cards to come up with a proper explanation.
"These are all very good points you ladies have made. I admit, I did not expect to be asked this question, Miss Aoi. You're very straightforward. I respect that. To answer your question, I am half-Japanese. My mother is from here but my dad is American. My grandfather arrived here on an American ship in the 1850's. It was said when he met my grandma, it was love at sight and the rest is history. As for my father, he was a merchant who specialized with western products and he met my mom when he helped set up for one of her family parties. To put it simply, my family likes to look ahead into the future. Of course, we practice traditional customs, but we're encouraged to learn the ways of the West" Yuki explained in the most concise way he could.
"I see. Well that explains your mannerisms and preferences. You're an interesting person to say the least, Subachi-kun" Shinobu nodded.
"Wow, you're from a place beyond Japan?! That's crazy! You gotta get me something from America if you ever sail there" Aoi said with eyes gleaming from the possibilities.
"Me two!" Kiyo whined.
"Me three!" Sumi pleaded.
"Me four!" Naho begged. All the girls except Shinobu and Kanao surrounded the dark-haired child.
"J-Just so we're clear: I never actually visited America myself. I was born and raised here in great land of Japan" Yuki stated as he point towards himself with his thumb with a sense of pride. The girls ended up returning to their seats in disappointment.
"But should I go abroad, I'll try to bring back one gift for all of you" Yuki spoke frantically, relieved when all the girls heads perked up and smiled.
"Subachi-kun. You don't need to try so hard to make everyone happy." The insect hashira looked at the lanky child with a look of concern.
"I want to. You all have been nice to me and are looking after my friend Haruno-san. You didn't even have to invite me to eat with you all, but here we are" The dull-eyed teen gave a big smile to everyone. Most of the girls cheered. Shinobu shook her head slightly while Kanao remained neutral.
"If you insist, I won't stop you. You're a very kind-hearted person, Subachi-kun. Just, be mindful of how open you are with it" Shinobu looked up at Yuki and gave him a small smile.
Yuki took his time eating off his plate. He couldn't help but enjoy every bite of the shrimp tempura and the miso soup. The chicken katsu was his favorite. Crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. Even the salad was deemed tasty in the eyes of the dark-hair teen.
"Thank you for the food, Miss Aoi. It's all delicious. Can I have more?" Yuki held up his plate.
"sure thing, Subachi-kun.
"Miss Shinobu, can I ask you a question? Do you think we can transfer Haruno-san to a hospital in the city?
"Oh is our care not up to your standards, Subachi-kun?" Shinobu words may have come off as teasing, but Yuki felt confused since her tone came off a bit cold, even with her smile
"It's not that. I…I just worry that Haruno-san may need the equipment only a hospital in a city can provide.
"I suppose…but not tonight. We can work out the details at a later time. For now, you may sleep alongside Haruno-san. My girls and I will make you your very own room starting tomorrow. For now, let's finish this wonder full meal Aoi-chan made for us. Cheers to our wonderful nurse and cook" Shinobu relaxed and raised her cup of water, followed by everyone else, including Yuki.
After dinner concluded, Yuki thanked everyone for the meal and wish them all a good night as he retreated to the room Haruno was staying in. He changed into his pajamas, but before he tucked himself to bed, the lanky child pulled up a chair and looked down at his head servant.
"I think today was a good day. I admit I didn't make a first good impression with the Insect Hashira Shinobu, but dinner went smoothly. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I'm gonna figure out what to do next. See you in the morning, Haruno-san" Yuki spoke softly and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.
It was then the dark-haired boy accidentally slid his hand across Kenji's arm and noticed something was wrong. The head servant's body felt cold. Yuki was horrified by this revelation and began to panic. Shinobu told Yuki they'd discuss more about this tomorrow but he needed an answer now. He had no idea where Shinobu was or if she was even awake. However, he looked down at the crevice of the door and saw that the lights were being turned off. It was then he came up with an idea.
"I'm sorry for what's about to happen, Haruno-san. The women here may have treated us well, but right now you're my top priority" Yuki thought to himself as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. Waiting for an opportunity to come.
The lanky child pulled out his pocket watch and it read 11:30 pm, not a single life form could be detected in the butterfly mansion. The time had come to take action. Yuki opened the door out of the room and tiptoed his way across the hall. he needed to be more careful about stepping heavily to not wake up anyone within the estate. Once he arrived at the front door, the dull-eyed boy put on his sandals and treaded carefully towards the front gate. He was surprised how easy it was to get through, even opening the door was no issue. Without thinking too much, Yuki exited the Butterfly mansion and took off. Had he looked around some more, he would've noticed someone observing the moon from the rooftop.
Yuki followed the trail at first until he took a detour and ventured in the forest. Yuki decided to mark a checkpoint by carving a big tree using a sharp rock. He then continued to explore the forest in hopes of eventually finding a city or bigger town nearby. Each time Yuki thought he made progress, he would carve a big tree to help him find his way back should he complete his objective. A half hour later, Yuki had wondered just how big this forest was since he had yet to find any nearby town or city. As he took moment to stand next to a big tree and catch his breath. The lanky child realized it had the exact same carving he made earlier. Using the bright light from the moon, Yuki walked a few yards ahead and saw a second tree with the same carving. It was that moment he knew; he had been going in circles.
"Oh no! All that running and for what?!" Yuki complained loudly, he was too upset to even care about eavesdroppers. He slouched his body in defeat and walked further in. The dull-eyed child searched for a rock or a log to sit and reflect over his actions, but he was pleasantly surprised to see a pond in the middle of the forest. If there was one thing he loved about ponds was there were always fish living inside, so he found a nearby rock to sit on and simply observed the water. Unfortunately, the night sky was partly cloudy, made it all the harder for Yuki to identify what kind of animals lived in this pond. Even so, he took this time to calm down and was set on heading to bed, that is until he heard rusting within the bushes.
"I'm sorry Miss Shinobu, I got scared when I thought Haruno-san-" Yuki got up to explain himself until he heard some snarling and looked up. He immediately stepped back to avoid getting scratched on the face. Yuki's face switched to horrified when he saw two demons snarling and eyeing on him.
"Me so hungry" The first demon said while salivating simultaneously.
"This boy is all bones but he'll have to do" The second demon huffed but was ready to strike again. Unlike the wolf demon, these two were more human looking except for their ghastly white skin and slitted eyes.
"Please. I don't want trouble, I'm just trying to find my way home" Yuki pleaded.
"You should've thought of that before traveling at this hour, boy" The second demon hissed.
"I wanna eat now" The first demon begged his partner.
"First, we get him to beg. Our food won't taste as good without the smell of fear" The second demon glared at the starving demon and cornered Yuki to the tree he marked.
"SOMEONE HELP ME, PLEASE!" The dull-eyed teen pleaded to the demons. He braced himself and closed his eyes so he wouldn't see it coming.
"Now!" both demons launched forwards with their mouths opened wide and hands readied to claw their prey to pieces.
'Am I dead?' Yuki looked up and didn't see the demons anywhere. He wondered how he survived when the demons were set on killing him.
"Moshi Moshi" a feminine voice called for his attention. He looked up and found his rescuer. How could he forget those beautiful purple eyes looking down at him? The luscious hair with lavender tips and her signature hayori. The Insect hashira called to his attention once more and he snapped back to reality. Yuki noticed her skin revealed her perfectly smooth pale skin. Its color far healthier than the demon's skin. This was also the first time he got a look at her hairpin; a butterfly shaped pin with purple edges along with transparent wings. Yuki was suddenly feeling some sort of realization.
"It seemed you're way past the butterfly mansion's curfew. Care to explain yourself, Subachi-kun?" Shinobu asked. She was taken aback when she observed Yuki crawling up to her and reaching for her head.
"It's you. You're the butterfly from my dream. Thank you for saving me." The dull-eyed boy covered his mouth with one hand and felt her hairpin with the other. Tears began falling down onto his face. Shinobu was puzzled because she had no idea what was happening.
"I understand that you're in a state of shock from those demons. You're lucky I was awake and found you in time. Since you won't answer my question. How about we head back and rest? You will have all the time to explain yourself in the morning, Subachi-kun" Shinobu smiled yet there was a hint of anger in her voice. It took a second for Yuki to pick up her tone and followed by stepping back then getting on his feet. It was then he noticed the demon's lifeless bodies laying on the ground.
"Of course. Please lead the way, Miss Shinobu" The lanky child replied happily. Shinobu was happy Yuki hadn't lost his smile.
Yuki woke up to the sound of birds chirping and some sunlight entering his and Haruno's room. He rubbed his eyes and felt drowsy from last night's events. He then decided to wear a red kimono with yellow trimmings. This was his only other outfit he found in the briefcase. The lanky child picked up a toothbrush and began to wash his face, brush his hair, and brush his teeth. He had no idea what the general schedule here in the butterfly mansion was like, so he took this time to prepare himself for what's to come. Once he finished cleaning himself, there was a soft knock on the door.
"I got myself in trouble last night. Don't worry, I'm sure if I can explain my actions, Miss Shinobu will at least understand what I did. I'll accept any punished of course. Rest easy, Haruno-san. Yuki said softly and he gave a small smile to his head servant then opened the door. Sure enough, Shinobu looked up at him with a concerned look on her face.
"Good morning, Subachi-kun. How do you feel?" She asked politely
I'm feeling okay, Miss Shinobu" Yuki replied.
Kocho-sama. Please, follow me" the Insect hashira corrected him and lead them to her office. She led him to his seat and walked towards her chair, then sat down to look at Yuki, waiting to hear his explanation. The dark-haired kid looked down for a moment before looking her in the eyes.
"I…I have no excuse for what I did last night, Kocho-sama. I-I was impulsive, I was impatient because I felt Haruno-san's skin before I fell asleep and it was cold. I got scared and I didn't know where you or any of the other nurses were so I thought I could try and look for another hospital. I know it was wrong and dangerous, I'm sorry" Yuki looked at the ground.
"Anything else you want to share, Subachi-kun?" Shinobu asked with a stern voice and neutral expresssion. Her hands were on top of one another as she partially covered her mouth.
"I'm sorry for touching your hairpin without your permission. It reminded me of a nightmare I had a while ago. I was chased by demons and the only good thing that happened was a butterfly helped me." The dull-eyed teen explained himself.
"Well, I'm happy you don't seem as scared as you did last night. I'll accept your apology for leaving the butterfly estate without permission and for acknowledging how uncomfortable I felt with you touched my hairpin. It's very special to me. Please understand, Subachi-kun" The Insect hashira spoke with a firm yet more gentle tone as a means to help Yuki at ease. This proved effective because the lanky child gave her a small smile.
"Thank you, Kocho-sama. I'll accept any punishment you have in mind" Yuki bowed his head to her.
"Since you're new here, I'll go easy on you this time and say please don't leave here without permission again and, please help out here by lunchtime. That'll be all. Unless you have something else in mind, Subachi-kun?" Shinobu asked Yuki as she moved her hands away from her face.
"I…I was amazed with how easily you killed those demons last night. I don't think you made a scratch on them yet they died instantly. I'd like to ask if…if you could teach me your ways of the sword. Please show me how to become a demon slayer, Kocho-sama" The dull-eyed boy asked as he bowed to her once more. Shinobu mulled over Yuki's request and made her decision.
"No." The lavender-eyed woman replied with a smile on her face.
Hey! Yuki here and today we're going to check out what's inside my suitcase." The lanky child waved and checked out its contents.
"Let's see. Pocket watch, toothbrush, hairbrush, one set of my favorite outfit and a kimono. I wish my typewriter was here but that'd make this thing really heavy. Anyways, that's all I had for today for World Wide Wonders. Next time on chapter 5, why would Shinobu say no to me? i hope i can change her mind. Until then, bye!" Yuki said a second time and smiled.
Wandering Tree here.
This chapter came out way later than I expected. Chapter four and five have been ready for some time other than edits. To be honest, I've been a little scared to upload both chapters. Especially the next one. Another reason I've been hesitant to continue this story is because I worry people will say I'm making someone OOC and I try not to. I guess the end of the year in general makes me emotional. The way I see November and December is its a time to reflect the year as a whole. Sure, its fun to get presents or relax. but I am grateful I still have a job and family to spend time with.
Before I go, I would like to know if anyone would be interested in learning which songs I used to describe some scenes throughout the story. If not, I'll keep it to myself.
That's it for now. Until then, Good morning, afternoon, and night.