Hello and welcome, dear readers.
I wrote this story last January, and it was supposed to be published during "Christmas Showdown" season, but I got busy with life. I only wrote three parts, but I'm willing to write more if you guys liked it and are interested in reading more. In this story, Shiba Taiju is not abusive but a mature, composed man. I wanted to give him a life where he could live with his siblings in peace and love. The story is historical, it is set in the 'Taisho' era, like 'Demon Slayer' world, for example. I don't know very much about that period, but I'm educating myself and writing about what fits my knowledge and imagination.
Enjoy your reading!
Yuri hummed as she stared mindlessly at the lake; its stillness reflected the trees around it. Fireflies danced around the area, gently illuminating it, and crickets chirped, creating a lovely song for whoever was listening. The moon was high in the sky, and its light made the place appear surreal. She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. Coming here was a good idea; she could already feel her fatigue going away.
Earlier that day, the Shiba estate's housekeeper reminded her that if they didn't pay their debt sooner, their house would be taken from them as a form of payment. Yuri and her younger brother, Izana, tried everything they could to make ends meet, with her working at a bakery and Izana teaching martial arts, but alas, it was not enough.
"What should I do...?" she whispered, her mind going through various scenarios of when they would be evicted. Their aunt was their only relative, but she was in another village, and she doubted that she would let them stay with her. "This isn't fair." Her eyes stung with unshed tears. She closed her eyes and tried to stop thinking about what was waiting for them for the time being.
She started humming again, a lullaby their mother had used to sing to Izana when he was still a baby, which had always soothed her. Their mother was the epitome of kindness and grace, and remembering her brought a smile to her lips. Sadly, she died three years after Izana's birth, leaving Yuri to raise him alone. Their debt stemmed from the medications they bought for her mother, but after her death, their father lost his mind from grief and spent his days drinking and borrowing more money from the Shibas to buy alcohol. After twelve years, their father took his own life, leaving the two siblings to fend for themselves. Yuri frowned and lightly shook her head as if to shake away her thoughts.
A rustle in the woods caused her to snap her eyes open and look ahead in the direction of the noise, which was on the other side of the lake. It was late, and no one knew this place except for Izana, who wasn't even home. She hoped it was just a rabbit, but when she saw a large silhouette, she became alarmed. A man stumbled into view, hunched over with his hand pressed on his side. He leaned against a tree to keep his balance, breathing heavily. She could hear him curse in frustration before collapsing to his knees and groaning in pain.
Yuri held her breath and tried not to draw attention to herself, but it was pointless because the moment he looked up, their eyes met, causing her to stifle a gasp. They stared at each other, his eyes wide with confusion, and when he fell on his side, she flinched. She got up and moved slowly towards him. She kept a safe distance between them and gasped as she noticed blood oozing from the hand he had pressed against his side. Without hesitation, she was by his side.
"Are you okay!?" she asked softly, trying not to raise her voice.
Seeing the concern on her face and the way she trembled, he realized she was not a threat, and he turned on his back. "I'm fine," he said with a hint of sarcasm.
She looked at him and then back at the wound, he removed his hand, and her eyes widened in horror; it was a deep stab wound. He needed to be treated right away; otherwise, he might die. She took his hand and pressed hers against his to stop the bleeding.
"Can you stand up? My house is that way," she pointed to the other side of the lake. "I can treat your wound properly."
The man decided to take her offer; he knew that the wound was fatal, and he didn't want to die yet. He needed to teach the men who had attempted to murder him a lesson.
"I'll try," he said, attempting to sit up, and she assisted him by placing her hand on the back of his head. He inhaled sharply as searing, hot pain washed over him, and she pressed harder as fresh, warm blood seeped out.
She bit her lip anxiously. "It's okay; you're going to be okay." That was all she could do to comfort him. By the time he finally sat up, he was breathing heavily and sweating profusely. "There we go," she said, waiting for him to catch his breath.
The young woman noticed that his hair was messy and some of it was stuck to his face, so she gently brushed it back with her fingers. 'So soft...' she thought, a visible smile on her face.
The man observed her actions, and his heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened slightly, and he blamed it on the pain.
After a few moments, she moved to his other side and took his hand in her own, wrapping her arm around his back. "Now, let's get you up."
He nodded and took a deep breath, bracing himself for the impending pain. She helped lift him, using all of her strength to get him to stand. It took a few minutes for him to stand, and she sighed in relief when he reached his full height.
Yuri panicked a bit as he towered over her; even when he was not standing upright, he was huge. She stood next to him, silently offering him to lean on her. When he looked at her, he noticed that his vision was blurring; standing and remaining conscious required all of his energy. He put his arm around her shoulders, and she put her arm around his back.
"Good," she said with a reassuring smile. "You're going to get better, I promise."
He could only nod and try not to lean too heavily on her, or they would both fall. He grunted when they started moving, and he tried to soothe his pain by taking deep breaths.
"I'm Yuri," she said after a brief pause. She reasoned that talking to him might distract him from his discomfort. "What's your name?"
He looked down at her strangely and raised an eyebrow. "Do you not know who I am?"
She looked up at him, trying to recall if she had seen him before. He was a tall, muscular man, implying that he was a martial artist, and the quality of the kimono he was wearing indicated that he came from a wealthy family. He had shoulder-length black hair that was swept back. His face was attractive, with distinct features and a chiseled jawline. His eyes were narrowed, and their dragon shape gave them a dangerous appearance, but it was his eyes' color that caught her attention; they were golden. She had never seen anyone with such a beautiful color before. When she realized that she had been staring for too long, she blushed and quickly averted her gaze. The young lady shook her head, "No, I don't think I've seen you before. Are you from this village?"
The young man was speechless as he stared at her. He chuckled when he realized that she really didn't know who he was. "Unbelievable," he mumbled, and she raised an eyebrow. Shaking his head, he said, "Yes, I'm from here... My name is Taiju." He waited for her reaction upon hearing his name, but he was surprised when she smiled.
"Taiju..." she tried out his name in her mouth. She thought that the name was perfect for him.
Despite taking small steps, they were already halfway to their destination. "We're almost there, Taiju. I live with my younger brother, but he's not home tonight. He's staying with a friend."
Taiju grunted to indicate that he had heard her. He was grateful for her efforts to distract him from the pain, and so far it was working; however, he was still surprised by the fact that she had no idea who he was. His name alone brought terror to the villagers, but she smiled when she heard it. He didn't know how to feel about that. Taiju glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, taking in her features. When he looked at her, he thought she was incredibly beautiful. She was petite in comparison to his well-built frame; her face reached his chest. Her brown hair flowed down to her lower back. Her skin was fair and soft, with full cheeks, a small nose, and rosy, full lips. Her eyes were gentle; they reflected her personality. She felt his gaze on her and looked up; now that their faces were close, he could see her eyes clearly. Her eyes were lilac. Taiju thought that it was the most lovely thing he had ever seen. His heart skipped another beat when she blushed and turned away.
She cleared her throat before asking, "So, uh... who did this to you?"
He looked ahead. "An assassin from the nearby village," he said quietly, once he found his voice.
Her eyes widened in surprise, knowing that attacking a man with such a high profile as Taiju could spark a war. She bit her lower lip as his weight grew heavier on her; he had reached his limit.
Her house came into view, and she smiled, "We're here."
They stepped out of the woods and walked across the small garden to the back door. As she slid the door open, they both stumbled in and kicked their slippers off at the entrance.
"Sorry for intruding..." The man whispered, and she smiled at his politeness.
They stood in silence, save for Taiju's ragged breathing, as she debated whether to take him to her or Izana's room. Knowing that her brother was particular about keeping his room clean, she reasoned that bringing a man soaked in his blood to his room might give Izana a heart attack. So her room was the best option.
"This way," she said as she led him down the corridor and slid open the shoji door.
The room smelled like her, like flowers, and Taiju decided it was his new favorite scent.
She guided him to her futon and carefully assisted him in lying on his back. He let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and closed his tired eyes. He heard her gasp and mutter to herself about how pale he had become due to blood loss. She pressed her hand against his forehead and frowned. "You're burning," she mumbled under her breath.
She stood up and rushed out of the room to bring whatever she needed to treat him.
'What a crazy night...' he sighed heavily as he reflected on the events of that evening. What was supposed to be a peaceful night stroll turned into a bloodbath. He killed the assassin after obtaining information from him and learning who hired him. And since Taiju was vulnerable, he decided to walk back to the estate through the woods. It was a stupid decision that could have ended badly if it hadn't been for her.
He opened his eyes as he heard her footsteps approaching. She was carrying a bowl of water with a cloth soaking in it. She took towels from the laundry she had folded earlier. She set them beside him and went to Izana's room to retrieve gauze and bandages.
As soon as she sat, she took out the washcloth from the bowl, and after squeezing the excess water, she placed it on his forehead. He sighed in relief as the cool sensation against his warm face felt good.
"Excuse me," she said as she began to remove his haori. She untied his hakama straps to reveal his well-defined upper body beneath his kimono.
'Oh Lord...' she thought, her face heating up. His body was perfect.
Yuri frowned, mentally chastising herself for getting distracted.
The stab wound on his lower left side had stopped bleeding, indicating that he hadn't been stabbed in a vital organ.
After soaking a towel in the bowl and then wrenching it, she used it to gently clean the dry blood around the wound. After that came the hard part, which was cleaning the wound itself, and she felt sorry for him whenever he hissed or gasped in pain. She could only reassure him now and then that it would be over soon.
Taiju tried not to pass out from the pain; instead, he started thinking of ways to torture the ones who had done this to him. He was certain that his family had noticed his absence and that a search party was now looking for him, which could cause a commotion in the village. He needed to return to the estate as soon as possible.
"I'm almost done," she said softly, and he looked at her. He felt guilty when he saw that his blood had stained her white and purple yukata. Her hair, which he had just noticed was in a bun secured with a hairpin, began to come loose. Without realizing it, he reached with his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and she stopped to look at him, her eyes slightly wide and a blush dusting her cheeks. When he realized what he had done, he froze and placed his hand next to him. He tried to remain calm by looking up at the ceiling. He was relieved that his face was already flushed because of the fever.
She tried to suppress a smile and returned to her work. She applied gauze to the wound and wrapped a bandage around his torso. Taiju arched his back slightly to allow her to properly wrap the bandage around his waist.
She finished with a bright smile.
"All done," the young woman said, closing his kimono and then turning her attention to the washcloth he still had on his forehead. She soaked it in water once more before wiping his face. "A good night's sleep will help lower the fever." She placed the damp cloth on his forehead and continued, "Thankfully, the wound is not infected so it will heal in a few days."
He nodded and smiled, which was a rare sight for someone like him. "You have my gratitude," he said, looking deeply into her eyes. "I owe you my life."
Taiju noticed the dimple on her left cheek as she smiled warmly. "I'm happy that I was able to help." She pulled the covers out of the closet and wrapped them around him. She picked up the blood-stained towels and his haori to wash. "Rest now; you must be exhausted. If you need anything, just call me; I'll be in that room." She pointed to her brother's room, which was across from hers.
His exhaustion caught up with him as the adrenaline left his system, and the warmth of her futon made him drowsy. He was struggling to keep his eyes open by this point and said quietly, "I will, thank you, Yuri..." his voice drifting off as he finally gave in to sleep.
She smiled when she heard him say her name, and then quietly exited the room. Standing in the corridor, she gave him one last look before whispering, "Good night, Taiju," and then closing the door.
