Note: Me switching up these characters personalities is insane, I swear I'm going off my rockers cuz what you mean these characters don't act like this in canon- My bad G, but I did warned you that everyone might be out of characters.

Also, sorry for the late update, I just broke up with my (now ex) boyfriend and didn't feel like writing anything No, I'm not sad lmao. I feel so relieved, I just didn't want to deal with any romantic stuff until now.

I haven't proof read this chapter yet so sorry for grammatical mistakes.

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"You married a dog?" Shinobu asked in disbelief as her sister gave her a deathly glare, while her sister's husband watching them from the sideline with veins popping out of his head as if they were about to explode.

Giyu stood awkwardly beside his wife, not knowing what to do at that moment, sweat slowly dripping down his forehead. All he could do was hoping that his wife won't messed up the already broken 'friendship' he have with the white haired (fur) Okuri-inu.

How could he fix this now?

-

If someone asked Kanae to describe her little sister with one word, her answer may surprise you, because one might expect your siblings to describe you with positive words. Words that could make you smile knowing that your siblings think nicely of you.

Although, Kanae does have many of beautifully positive words to give to her youngest and only sister, those words however had been overshadowed by one that Kanae thought is best suited for the youngest Kocho– now a Tomioka.

What is that word? You asked.

Blunt.

In other words, to Kanae, Shinobu Tomioka tends to speak her mind without sugarcoating anything.

In all positives, blunt individuals can come off as an honest, confident, and assertive. So, Kanae guessed that, that could be a good kind of personality to have... sometimes.

Secretly, Kanae sighed in relief knowing that her little sister haven't changed much in the past three years but she somehow wanted to scold her when she called her husband— a dog. Not like Shinobu was wrong but could she have not been so straightforward about it?

For what was seconds felt like hours to the two couples as they stared at each other in total silence. No one dared to move, especially Giyu who thought he might be in trouble if he said anything or move at all.

But then again, Giyu found it a little funny that a sad moment could be turned into an opposite with just one sentence.

His wife managed to surprised him with her words sometimes.

Although, not everyone felt the same especially the other couples who both sported angry looks but on a different level.

While the white dog narrowed his eyes and sported a big frown on his lips, he almost look like a bulldog in some ways. Giyu could her his wife's silently snorting.

Kanae rolled her eyes when she noticed. She tapped her sister's on the head. Giyu would described it as 'gentle tap' but considering how Shinobu just winced; he's not sure if that is the case.

"Shinobu." The younger girl went stiffed under Kanae's stern voice. She started to sweat nervously.

"Sorry sister, but am I not wrong? He is a dog, no? Okuri-inu?" Shinobu widened her eyes, try her best to look cute under her sister's gaze.

"Personally, I like to think I'm a wolf." Giyu heard the other man whispered under his breath. Sanemi saw his stare and flipped him off.

Rude.

"How can I be mad at my cute little sister any longer~" The older sister squished the younger's cheeks. Pulling and pinching till her skin turn red, while Shinobu didn't mind but let out an occasional wince every now and then.

'Cuteness aggression.. scary.'

Eventually, Kanae let go of Shinobu and turned towards the two men standing awkwardly in the room.

"Why don't you two go make some tea while I talk to Shinobu in the living room."

"I'm not going with that guy." Sanemi scoffed and pointed at Giyu while the tengu looked away nervously. Kanae narrowed her eyes at her husband.

"Looks like you won't get any massages tonight then." The white-haired man's jaw dropped to the ground while Giyu let out an awkward cough.

"What?"

"You heard me. It's your choice on what you want to do."

"W-why-" Sanemi stuttered, catching the tengu off guard.

Kanae took Shinobu by the arm and led her away to the living room, leaving the other two behind.

Giyu absently walked away to the kitchen, not wanting to make his in-law angry. Sanemi huffed before evently decided to follow Giyu.

He's not taking any chances.

Sanemi Shinasugawa isn't scared of many thing but his wife... his wife scares him the most when she's angry.

Though he finds it very attractive every time she glared at him.

Kanae let out a giggled as she pulled her sister into the living room. Feeling satisfied that she managed to wrap her husband around her finger again. While Shinobu watched her sister with a smirk on her face.

"You really enjoyed that didn't you?" Shinobu asked, a hint of teasing in her voice.

Kanae acted innocent, humming random tunes as she sat down on one of the chairs. "I haven't got a clue what you are talking about, dear sister."

"Playing clueless, huh?" Shinobu rolled her eyes before sitting in a seat the opposite of her sister.

"Enough about that, I bought you some gifts!" Kanae shouted excitedly, practically bouncing in her seat before untying her furoshiki bag that Shinobu failed to noticed before.

She took out little pouches before showing them to her younger sister.

"Ta-da!"

"What are they?" Shinobu asked, curious about what's being contained inside the pouches.

"Seeds!" Kanae yelled out in excitement before placing them on the wrapping on the table and sliding them across.

The younger girl gently grabbed one of the pouch and opening it to see the contents while Kanae kept rambling on.

"I remembered the last time I came here, I noticed that Giyu's garden seemed very.. shall I say; lacking? And very untidy. There's barely any flowers, vegetables or herbs and only a bunch of random trees that don't even produce fruits or flowers and I know how much you love beautiful gardens, so I figured out that you might want to remake this garden. It's a wasted potential to leave this garden looking like a mess when it is such a lovely space."

"These are great, Kanae... I love them all. Thank you." Shinobu sealed everything properly and moved to hold her sister.

"You're welcome, I'm glad that I could give you something. Consider it a wedding gift." Kanae silently squealed at her sister's cute face and hold her tighter than before.

"Speaking of marriage and such, did you like him so far? Have he been treating you well? Have you-"

Shinobu let go of her sister and laughed "I just got here yesterday, how would I suppose to know anything yet? But I guess Mister Tomioka haven't been so bad. I think he's nice, just a little quiet for my taste..."

"Well, it's good that he is treating you well. From what I know, Giyu is a good man. Although, Sanemi and his friend, Obanai always have some unkind words to say about Giyu but I know that they are both wrong. I guess they couldn't handle people who have a different kind of view to them." Kanae explained, shaking her head while thinking of her husband and his friend's actions to the tengu himself.

"Hm, is that so?" Shinobu listened to her sister's words carefully.

"Well, I agree with you that Mister Tomioka is someone who would probably won't treat me badly like other men who our neighbours have married and I think that his quiet personality can be charming in some ways. In the first interaction, I thought we would never get along but I think we have warmed up to each other quite quickly."

"I'm so glad to hear that." Kanae smiled while patting her sister's hair.

"My marriage with Sanemi weren't so easy at first so I'm glad to know that yours went to a completely different direction."

"I think.. I'm quite glad too. Even if we don't love each other, I would still want to be his friend and make this marriage work." Said Shinobu, the corners of her lips turned, wavering slightly. A hint of doubt lingered in her eyes which Kanae noticed.

"If you don't want to be married, you can still leave. The yokai representative group won't stop you, I'm sure they won't mind if you want to break the marriage off." Shinobu shooked her head against her sister's words.

"No, it's not just that, sister. I'm- I think I'm quite scared, I love our parents, we both do and I'm not sure if I want to let them go. I'm not sure if I want to let my old life go but yet, I don't want to risk our parents from getting hurt and being shunned away from the only home they have ever known." Her voice quavering. Kanae took her sister in and sat with her arms around the younger girl.

"I'm frightful for them. Apart of me does feel like I want to leave but I know I can't."

"That's how I felt too, Shinobu." Kanae took her hand. "For a long time, I wondered how you all have been holding up and if you could sleep at night with no troubles and I wanted to do so much as to leave but like you said; I didn't want to put our family in danger."

"I wish I could say something else but we need to let them go now. We can't leave this mountain, we can't risk anyone's lives as much as we are now just by thinking of them. How parents understands that."

Tears strung from the corners of Shinobu's eyes.

"I know I sound very harsh right now but that's all I could say. I'm sorry, Shinobu."

"I understand."