Dark Winds | Sanemi Shinazugawa x Female Reader

𝐃𝐔𝐄𝐋

"You're acting weird..." Sanemi deadpanned, as my eyes quickly shot up to meet his in distress.

Oh goodness, was I really that easy to read??

"I didn't think saying you were pretty would catch you so off guard..."

Fuck, he knows.

"It's not that." I said, lying again.

"Well then what is it?" Sanemi poked.

What the hell do I say now?

"Oh just girl problems, nothing you'd enjoy hearing about..." I lied. It wasn't even that time of the month. I just needed a dumb excuse, one where he wouldn't further pry.

But he just looked at me. His eyes looked past mine, staring deep into my soul, probably reading into the fact that I was trying to be deceitful.

"Whatever..." He mumbled as he continued to eat. I considered making small talk, but it would just be obvious that I'm trying too hard, so I decided against it.

I only finished half my noodles in the time Sanemi finished his entire meal, so I pushed my plate at him. He didn't hesitate to take the plate to finish my leftovers.

Most nights we ate together went about the same in that sense, yet this was the most quiet we had ever been. I was generally pretty talkative, but something about tonight had me frazzled. I wanted to be normal, but it was getting harder and harder to hide my feelings.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are!" I said, desperate for some fresh air. As we made our way out of the restaurant, I felt Sanemi eyeing me as we began our walk back to HQ.

"So what do you have planned for the rest of this evening?" I asked Sanemi, fully expecting his answer to be 'sleep'.

"Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to spar some?" He asked.

I was kind of surprised.

"You idiot..." I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

"Oh! I'm an idiot?" He said, in a playfully aggressive voice.

"Yeah, Nemi! You need to get some rest!"

He simply rolled his eyes as he continued to walk. My brain dissected every word he said though. It caught me off guard that he wanted to keep spending more time with me...

Maybe I should take him up on his offer...?

"Next time we have dinner together, we can spar after. But, only if you look well rested." I said, trying to come to terms with an agreement.

"Oh come on!" He began, walking backwards so that he could face me. "You said I looked hot like this..." He said, giving me a wink.

My stomach did a cartwheel, but I had to play it off.

"Oh, is that what I said? Can't say I remember..."

He stopped in his tracks, causing me to run into him. I quickly stepped back, but I was closer to his face than I had ever been. I gulped down my fears as his mouth curled up into a smile.

"Trust me. I won't let you forget."

He had a grip on my feelings, and he knew it. He was just toying with me now. As he moved away, the smell of his body filled my nose, intoxicating me all over again. He smelled like he hadn't showered all day, but in a good way. His human scent was at it's strongest, mixed with the gentle, sweet smell of some ohagi. I wanted him to stay close, so close that he and I could touch, and his scent could rub off on me.

All I wanted to do was savor in it, yet I had to snap out of it.

"Sparring with you would just be too easy with you being so sleepy. I want a challenge, you know." I said sarcastically. I knew he could beat me in a duel a million times over, so might as well be cute about it.

"Ha! Sounds like you'll just be too distracted by my hotness."

I rolled my eyes. "God, why did that have to slip out...?" I mumbled in annoyance.

"Oh, I'm glad it did."

I glared at him. His cockiness was starting to piss me off. Even though I wanted him to know how I felt about him, I didn't want to seem like I was desperate. It's not like I knew what I was getting myself into.

Our eyes met, as his lip once more curled up into that smile I had grown to adore so much. Just the sight of it made my hands sweat and my spine tingle.

"Well, I want to spar. So you're coming with me." He said. Before I could even respond, he threw me over his shoulder, his strong hand gripping the back of my exposed thigh just a little too tight.

"Sanemi! Put me down! Put me down NOW!" I yelled as I pounded his back with my fists. He snickered as he began to run, so as to get back to HQ quicker.

After a couple of minutes, I eventually let up and just let my body hang over his. That's when I realized it had been the second time Sanemi had ever carried me. The thought filled my stomach with butterflies.

Yet, I was forced out of my thoughts by my body being slung back onto the ground, and I was met with the familiar backyard training set up Sanemi had crafted for himself.

"Here." He said, tossing me a wooden sword. "It'll be just like old times."

I quickly went in for the first attack, catching him off guard with my speed. I was generally calm and collected when fighting demons, so seeing me go straight in for a fight was probably shocking for him. He and I kept it pretty friendly though, as the sun slowly set over our heads. After a while, the outside world was bathed in the bright golden rays of the last remaining bit of daylight.

The shadows that came from the dark light accentuated his muscles just perfectly, making it harder to focus.

But like a gift from God, my crow came to land on my shoulder.

"Demon spotted southeast..." She said quietly.

"Oh man, duty calls, my friend." I told Sanemi as he wiped some sweat from his brow. "By the way," I began, as I threw my wooden sword back to him. "I don't remember you being this easy on me..."

"What can I say? Maybe I was just as distracted as you were..." He said, giving me another wink. I kept my composure, and I walked out of his garden.

"Same time next week?" I yelled, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Sure, why not?" He yelled back.

And with that, I was off on my mission, alone...