His Tsuguko

{Transition Arc // Chapter 2}

By the time the two of you had gotten back to the kitchen, Senjurou had all the ingredients and dishes out. You shook your head and he smiled softly. "Knew it," the young boy muttered softly. Your heart hurt for him and Kyoujurou. Shaking your head, you move to grab the flour, to begin the dough-making process.

Kyoujurou moved behind you to prep the chicken. Senjurou made his way to help you. "(Y/N)-san, have you ever made this before?" You smiled at him, "No, I cant say that I have but when I was told of it, it sounded vaguely familiar." The boy nodded and looked down in thought. You tilted your head, questioningly, but shrugged.

Once Kyoujurou had finished prepping the chicken, he moved to help the two of you form the strange dumplings.

Behind your back, the man smirked at his little brother, and his hand scooped a handful of flour up. Your attention remained focused on the dough in your hand, unaware of the menace behind you. Kyoujurou winks at his brother and purs the flour slowly on your head. Senjurou backs up slightly to avoid the white powder. His face holds an anxious grin.

Your eyes widen as you feel cold powder fall down the back of your shirt. Turning your head slowly, you give the eldest Rengoku a murderous look, he gives you a sheepish smile. Quickly scooping flour into your hand, you launch it straight into his face. It hits dead center on his face and his breath causes clouds of flour to puff into the air. Your ears prick as you hear muffled laughter behind you. Getting a large handful of flour, you turn to Senjurou and flash him a smile. His face contorts to fear and he backs away quickly.

Following suit, you grab his hand and dump the flour on his head, before bursting in laughter. Unfortunately for you, the distraction allowed Kyoujurou to regain the upper hand and attack you with flour. You cough and laughed at him. The three of you turned the kitchen into a flour warzone as you threw the powder at each other. Your laughter and giggles carried throughout the halls as you made a mess of the kitchen. 

You watched the two boys for a while before chuckling, "Alright you two, we need to get on with dinner." The two pouted but did as you said. Kyoujurou went back to the chicken and set it into a pot to be boiled, as well as various spices. You and Senjurou went back to making the dumplings. After the two of you had finished and set the dough aside while the chicken cooked,

you, Kyoujurou, and Senjurou cleaned the kitchen to the best of your ability.

By the time you all had finished cleaning, the chicken was cooked and ready to be shredded. Kyoujurou and Senjurou went to work with chicken while you put the noodles to boil in the chicken broth. After an amount of time, the noodles were ready and you put various amounts of ingredients and exotic spices in it. When you were done, you grabbed fresh bread and began

cutting it into pieces, humming along to some old song.

The two Rengokus watched you while you worked. The youngest looked at you with an admiration one would see with their own mother. The oldest watched with an adoring look. His heart felt as if it would explode from his chest. You looked like a parent, nurturing and kind. He felt heat spread over his body at the thought of you and him having a family.

Feeling eyes on you, you spin around to glare at the duo. Kyoujurou flashes you a sheepish smile. Rolling your eyes, you shake your head, "The food is ready, come get some. I'm going to take a tray to your father. " The boys nod and scramble over to the food to get a portion and you chuckle. Grabbing to bowls, you place them on the tray and head to the eldest Rengoku's room.

Knocking on the wall, you slide open the shoji after you hear a small grunt. "Good Evening, Rengoku-Sama. Here is your dinner, I brought two bowls just in case you'd like more, I didn't want you to have to wait, " You smiled noticing he was sitting up looking out the shoji. He grunted, "Sit." Your face contorted to shock and dumbfoundedly sit beside the older man. You gulped and handed him the two bowls. He looks at them before shoving one at you, "I need to

talk to you about something important." You cocked your head to the side.

"Yes, Rengoku-Sama?" His face remains facing the outside and you become anxious. He growls slightly under his breath before sighing, "How do I..... return?" You remain silent in shock before stuttering, "I-Im really not s-sure what you mean, Rengoku-Sama." He groans and looks at you. His eyes are tired and he holds dark circles under them. His state cause you feel bad for him and you give him a comforting smile. "(Y/N), How do I become who i used to be? How do I be their father again?"

Your eyes widen and excitement fills your body, yet you remain calm. "Well, Rengoku-Sama i think the best thing to do is to drop the alcohol. That MUST be the first thing you do." He flinches and you give him another smile. Looking away from him, you stare out the engawa. "It's, in no way, going to be easy. But you have so many people who are willing to help, and I'm also here." You turn to face him and smile, "That is the first thing you have to do."

He nods and looks down, "Thank you, (L/N)-chan." You nod and stand up. "The boys are waiting for me, I must be gone now. Please keep this bowl, Im sure you'll love it." The man sighs and takes the bowl. You walk to the shoji, turning you look at him, "You should join us tomorrow night. Get yourself cleaned up tomorrow, Ill help you. Itll be a surprise for the boys. Theyll love it." Giving him a smile, you walk back to the kitchen.

The boys are waiting diligently at the chabudai, Kyoujurou holds a concerned facial expression. You smile at him.

Grabbing a bowl, you make a serving and join them at the table. You three bow your heads, "Itadakimasu." The three of you begin to eat your meals. "Wow, this is so good. Very yummy, " you smile. Senjurou agrees fervently. "we all did such an amazing job on this, Great Job us!!!" Kyoujurou shouted enthusiastically. "UMAI." One bite. "UMAI." Two bites. "UMAI." You stifled your giggles.

After dinner, the three of you cleaned the rest of the kitchen. Senjurou bowed to the two of you, thanking both of you before heading to his room. You watched him with a soft smile.

Kyoujurou turned to you, "(Y/N), will you allow me to walk you to your quarters?" You felt your heart beat quicken as you nod. He gives your a reassuring smile, "It's okay, you're not in trouble. I promise." You blush and nod again. He smiles and gestures for you to go ahead. The two of you look at each other before walking towards the engawa. You flash him aside as you ponder all the reasons he may be doing this.

You'll just have to wait and see.