To The Stars | Tokito Muichiro x OC

Bonus Chapter: Shinazugawa Brothers Special

"Shinazugawa-san, you're surprisingly more capable with your hands than I am. You must be used to taking care of others," Inori commented while chewing. "Do you have any siblings? Zashi-nii and Getsu-nii were also capable with their hands. Since I couldn't do anything but dance back then, they had to help Grandma out. Zashi-nii takes care of the cooking while Getsu-nii is a master when it comes to sewing. I'm actually envious of them."

"Used to. They got killed by a demon though." Sanemi deliberately left out the fact that one of his little brothers was still alive. "How do you even guess shit like this?"

"Gut feelings," Inori answered nonchalantly, her tone oddly somber. "That and well, I kind of expected you to have siblings since the presence around you radiates worry. It's actually quite cute because they feel exasperated and worried at the same time. That won't do, Shinazugawa-san, you shouldn't make the dead worry."

"That's rich coming from the very brat who makes both the dead and the living worried. If you go to the Butterfly Estate looking like this, Kocho will be furious," Sanemi retorted. He put the hairbrush down once her hair was free of tangles. "What does it feel like anyway, to sense the dead like that?"

"Surprisingly normal, probably because I'm used to it," Inori answered. "It's like, um, how do I put it...like when you look at someone and just know that their aura or something radiates a certain emotion, only you can't see them because they're dead. The presence itself is faint and doesn't bother me at all."

Sanemi hummed, leaning back on his arms. He placed a hand on top of her head, lightly ruffling her damp hair. "If you're done eating, go to sleep. You look like the dead yourself. This is why you have to fucking sleep like a normal human, you dumb brat."

"Do I really look that bad?" Inori laughed before sneezing loudly, surprising both herself and Sanemi. She covered her face, feeling the heat radiating off her skin. "Oh stars, I do."

"Go to sleep." Sanemi snatched Inori by the back of her collar, dragging the protesting girl towards the futon. "You look like you just rose from your grave, so fucking sleep already, you dumb brat!"

"I still need to clean my swords!" Inori whined, letting out a string of expletives at her lack of strength. "They have blood on them. Rain too. They'll end up getting rusted if I don't clean them."

"You have a goddamn fever, so stop struggling and sleep already." Sanemi placed his palm on her forehead, pushing her down. "I'll clean your goddamn swords, so shut up and sleep."

With a lot of incoherent grumblings, Inori was finally tucked under the blanket with a wet cloth on her forehead. She deadpanned at the ceiling, occasionally sniffing. "Shinazugawa-san, I can't sleep."

"Close your damn eyes and don't open them for another eight hours." Sanemi unsheathed Inori's blades, mildly surprised by how light they were. He then began wiping the dried blood and water droplets off the blades. "I'm surprised you can be stealthy with these lanterns."

"Don't call my swords lanterns." Inori groaned, draping one arm over her eyes. The fever has now caught up and induced a headache, raising her sensitivity to the notch. "It's no good, Shinazugawa-san. My head hurts but I can't sleep. Please knock me out, but please don't hit my neck too hard. Waking up with a sore neck is unpleasant."

"Do you always do extreme things to sleep?" Sanemi felt his eyes twitching at the bizarre request. "Just sleep."

"I can't."

"Then, force yourself to sleep."

"That's not how sleep works."

"How do you know how sleep works when you never fucking sleep, you dumb brat?"