Every Beat || Tankana

VIII

CHAPTER 8 : You And The Others

A month has past since Shinobu's birth. She was in her office brewing medicine as usual. Since she retired from the Demon Slayer Corp, she opened the mansion for people in need of medical attention. Since then, the people of the nearby town went to her when they got sick or injured, so she was always busy concocting new medicine and attending to the patients.

Right after she recovered from labor, she went straight back to work, despite Giyuu's protests for her to take at least a month off work. But she was stubborn, and he knew that. He knew it was pointless arguing with his wife, so he just kept a watchful eye just in case she was still in pain.

She flipped through her notebook, re-reading the notes she wrote down and the ingredients she listed. She crushed the herbs she freshly plucked from her garden, with the pestle against the mortar.

Right in the middle of her work, she felt someone slowly wrap their arms around her waist. She stopped, knowing that cool ocean breeze smell all too well.

"What do you think your doing, Tomioka-san?" she smirk, going right back to extracting the leafy herb.

Giyuu frowned. She was still the same even after two years of marriage. Always teasing him. He burried his face in her shoulder, grumbling his complaint.

She hummed in response, understanding those muffled noises. "I'm quite busy right now." she replied. He mumbled again, louder this time. "Well just go find something else to do." she responded, checking the herb and taking down notes.

Giyuu lifted his face to look at her. She wasn't even giving him so much as a glance. His frown hardened. "Shinobu..." he complained, only receiving a soft giggle from her.

Shinobu set down the pestle and turned to face him. She let her hands slide over his torso and wrapped it around his masculine body. Because of their vast height difference, he had to arch his back so much just to embrace her waist.

She stood in her toes, giving him a peck on the lips. "You're becoming more needy, Giyuu." she gave a teasing smile and poked him in the cheek.

He didn't know why, but he missed that light poke. How it annoyed him when she did that before, but he did his best to conceal it so as to not give her the satisfaction, otherwise she'd do it even more. When they started to get closer, those little antics annoyed him less and less.

It was nostalgic. He couldn't help but smile.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked, genuinely confused.

That seemed to amuse him even more. He let out an uncharacteristic burst of laughter. That confused her even more. She remained quiet until he regained his composure.

Shinobu heard him laugh before, but it always surprised her how cheerful he looked when he did. He looked like a little boy let-loose in a candy store, she thought. She remembered all the stories he told her about his late friend, Sabito, and how his best friend always made him laugh.

His laughter gradually died down, and he gave her a big smile. 'He looks like a puppy.' she thought, and soon bubbles of laughter escaped her mouth. He stared at her for a moment before joining in her fit of giggles.

After, silence filled the room. He stared at her round purple orbs, and the time halted. People often wonder how they came to be, especially since they used to be after each other's throats all the time. The funny thing was, he wasn't sure himself.