Giyuu's little girl

Hometown Pains

Giyuu grinned widely as the camera flashed. Hazuki rested on his hips as the Uzui family and Sanemi rubbed their eyes, the flash of the camera being a bit to bright. He let Hazuki slip off of his hip and run up to the camera man to see the picture. He shook his head fondly and joined her, hoping it turned out good.

The picture was amazing; Everyone was smiling and facing the camera. He face softened as he thanked and paid the camera man. He took the picture and put it in a frame, passing matching photos to the others.

It was meant to be a family picture but Hazuki had insisted that her aunts and Uncles needed to be there. Giyuu found it adorable and sent letters to the others who had been quick to join. They had an amazing day, thankfully not getting into any trouble. 

The girls took Hazuki home with them as everyone else had missions. Giyuu really didn't like his. It would take at least a few days of just solid travelling. With Kocho. It would be easy to see the changes in him as he felt like crap when he was forced to hide how he really felt.

He sighed and decided to get a train ticket instead of running to meet her. He boarded easily and his his sword, also ignoring the several women hitting on him openly. He left as soon as the train stopped, heading for the destination. He met up with Kocho three days after he left, her being mildly annoyed that he hadn't gotten a ticket for her as well. Like that was his responsibility. He grumbled and just pushed past her, nearly knocking her down. 

She shot him a glare. He was clearly in a bad mood but he was being even more rude than normal. She let it go and they started the short trek to the village. The name rang a few bells in his head but he couldn't place where he had heard it.

Not until he saw the old, abandoned house on the outskirts of the village. His breath hitched. Shinobu glanced at him and followed his gaze. Nogata village had a few of these houses but his eyes were only on this one. She grabbed his arm and dragged him away, not even bothering to check on how the man was doing. 

She didn't care. If he didn't want to try and be her friend, she would just stop trying. Giyuu ended up getting them both rooms at one of the inns of the little town. He had been covering most of his face with an old fox mask since they entered the village. 

As the sun set, everyone in the village had started to settle down while him and Shinobu were just leaving their rooms, ready for a fight. They each took half of the town for themselves to search for the demon.

Giyuu found it first. But he froze. The demon was wearing something that he knew wasn't meant to be there. His sister's old wedding ring. This was the demon who had killed his sister. Rage flooded through his mind as he charged, taking out the demon's left arm and ignoring the scream of pain. He hacked and slashed at the disgusting creature before finally taking it's head off.

It hadn't even managed to use it's blood demon art. Shinobu, who had been watching from the shadows, saw the expression of rage on Tomioka's face and understood that this demon had made a grave mistake. When she saw him pick up one of the pieces of jewelry the demon had been wearing, things began to slide into place. He had known someone that the demon had killed.

She looked away and returned to her half of the village to get the job done. a was only one more demon on her side so she went to check out the house that had made Tomioka react so badly.

She pushed the door open and was greeted by old, heavy bloodstains. The living room was trashed and the closet off to the side was sealed shut. There was old police tape around the scene that she slipped under. The outline of a body lay on the ground in white chalk. It was missing an arm and a leg, the head halfway gone. 

Was this the home of the one who had died? The one who had made Tomioka react so negatively? Her brows furrowed as she caught sight of a picture frame laying face down on the floor, it's glass broken and scattered around it. She gingerly picked it up and looked at it. A Young woman and a little boy smiled up at her. The woman had black hair and deep blue eyes. Her hair was tied back into a thick fishtail braid.

The little boy she recognized. It was Tomioka. He looked so happy. His eyes were shining and his hand was held firmly in the grip of the woman. Her eyes watered. Had Tomioka lost his mother? No. She was too young. A sister? Images of Kanae flashed through her mind as she removed the picture from the damaged frame. She would get his smile back. She had to.

"Have fun snooping?" Tomioka asked from behind her. She jumped and spun around, seeing the mildly amused face of Tomioka. How had she not heard him?

"I- uh..." She tried to think of an excuse. Nothing. 

"It's fine. I was acting odd around this house. You were bound to get curious." Tomioka said, taking the picture from her with a soft gaze. He tucked it into his pocket before looking around. His eyes rested on the closet in which he had once hidden away in. 

He moved on to the mantle where a few more pictures lay. He moved and quickly took them out of the frames, moving towards the stairs. "Feel free to look around ore. I don't mind." He sighed.

He pushed the door to his old room open. The bed that would no longer hold him had long since given out. He headed straight for the tiny desk, pulling a drawer open. A small hairpin lay inside. It was a crescent moon with little dangling stars. He tucked it away and they left the house in silence.

"I want you to meet someone." Tomioka suddenly spoke. "I think you'll like them."