In This Life And The Next.... (kokushibo x y/n)

•5•. A Visit (part 1)

"Sure. Follow me."

You followed him across the streets to reach a house, much bigger than yours. It was well kept, and had long creepers which looked like they were welcoming visitors.

He walked ahead and entered. You innocently followed him and started looking around. The house had a feeling of serenity. The place smelled like roses, lilacs, lavenders and many other sweet smelling flowers. One scent that set it apart was the strong scent of jasmines, which seemed to be growing in plenty.

"Brother!" Yoriichi called out. You follow his line of gaze to see the man from last night. His features standing out, even in the sunlight. His face seemed to be glowing under the sun's rays as he looked so immersed. You shift your position to get a better view of him.

He was watering a jasmine plant. The odd thing is you noticed that he was smiling. A genuine smile at that. His smile could calm the most disturbed, move the most coldest. It had this feeling of peace. He looked so peaceful, with him immersed in nurturing the plant he adored so much.

He heard his brother call out for him and slowly turned around, his smile slowly fading away.

"What is it?"

He noticed you, and gave his brother a look. You immediately bowed as low as you could.

"THANK YOU FOR LAST NIGHT!' You said, flustered and dared not to look him in the eye.

Even though you didn't actually see him, you could hear the disappointment in his voice as he spoke.

"So, it's you, the thief from last night."

You slowly straightened your position, still having your eyes fixed to the ground.

"What do you want?"

"I-I want you to teach me to grow plants." You said.

You slowly gathered up the courage to look him in the eye, only to get your heart crushed when met with his cold, piercing and soulless gaze.

"Why?"

"I want to sell flowers for a living..."

"Have you decided to mend your ways and actually work hard to survive?"

Those words hit hard. You started to tear up, even when it wasn't that bad. His words could pierce one's heart. You wondered how his brother dealt with this.

"Give her a chance, brother." You heard Yoriichi say.

"She's a thief."

"She wants to work hard and earn for herself now."

"How can you be so sure of that, Yoriichi?"

You heard Yoriichi pause.

"How can you be so sure she won't scam her customers, or steal their wallets by luring them into her store?"

"I won't!"

You wiped away your tears, which you barely managed to hold in. He gave you an unsure look before speaking again.

"Let me think about it."

You slowly looked at Yoriichi, who was already looking at you. He had the same look as his brother from when he found out you stole the hairpin. The exact, same, look.

"You stole something?" He slowly asked you.

"I-I stole a hairpin, but only because I wanted to give it to your brother. He helped find my way to this village, and I couldn't think of any thing else to give him at that moment. I swear, I did not mean to sell it or anything of that sort!" You hurriedly added in the end, to clear up any misunderstanding you might have caused in his head.

His gaze shifted to that of a mother lecturing her child.

"You should never steal anything. Even if it is with no malicious intentions. Imagine being the person selling the hairpin. It would be a loss for you if someone stole something you worked hard for." He softly explained to you.

You nodded your head slowly, accepting your mistake.

"Fine. I shall teach you." You heard Michikatsu say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N : kinda boring ig, but i couldnt think of much. but on the plus side, at least he agreed!! :)