Tengu's bride | Giyushino

[5] ~ When I was your age

Throughout her eighteen years of living, Shinobu had her fair share of wedding invitations, from her cousins and neighbours down to her parent's co-workers's children, all around her own age group, if not younger.

Being at this age, Shinobu had many complaints about the lack of love and children in her life from the majority of elderly people in the village.

"When I was your age, my eldest son was already born."

"When I was your age, I was already in my second marriage."

"When I was your age, I was already pregnant with my second child."

"When I was your age, I was already married and owned my own house."

"When I was your age-"

Unlike a lot of parents and grandparents in the village, her parents weren't fond of the idea of their children being married at a young age and would rather wait until the children were ready for that next step in their lives.

(Like they would have a say in it when the village's head is still alive and kicking.)

After her only sister was taken away to be married to some yokai as part of their uncanny deal, her parents were more strict with her than they used to be and would shrug away from anyone who asked about her own marriage.

The Kanzaki's were also the same, so she was glad that she still had Aoi being marriageless beside her.

...not anymore!

Shinobu wanted to scream, knowing that she was forced into a marriage she never wanted and being taken away from her precious family.

'Curse you, you old man!'

Despite Nezuko's behaviour from before, Shinobu found her to be a fun company to have. Her laughter and smiles reminded me of her younger self before her big sister was taken away from her family. The little girl was starting to grow on her.

'Her and Aoi would be great friends.' Shinobu thought as she continued to follow the younger girl around the estate.

"It must feel nice to be married, Miss Shinobu~ Don't you think big brother Giyu is handsome? A lot of women threw themselves at him, do you know? I bet they all wish that they could be in your place right now. A handsome man with a big house. A lot of people said that it's a great combination. Personally, I don't mind either way. What do you think, Miss Shinobu?" Nezuko rambled on as she washed Shinobu's hair. The woman was lying in the bathtub, soaking up the warm water and the scent of roses.

"Hmmm." Shinobu gave it some thought. "I guess that it is a great combination, but it is also about personality too. If a man has an ugly personality, then what good is it for his looks?"

Nezuko hummed in agreement as her fingers tangled in her hair. "That is true. I don't think I know a man who truly has an ugly personality. Annoying sometimes, maybe, but it's not like I don't mind, and they have plenty of time to grow and learn from their actions."

A flash of yellow suddenly appeared in her mind, and Shinobu had a feeling that the girl behind her also thought the same.

"I hope you and big brother Giyu will be happy with each other." Nezuko whispered before gently swinging her arms around the older girl's shoulders and hugging her. "Gods knows how much you two deserve it."

Meanwhile, a loud cries were heard throughout the Kocho's residence.

Not long after her youngest daughter had started her ascension quest, Kocho's mother rushed home to collapse on her bed, sobbing her life away as her husband sat beside her while rubbing her back, trying his best to comfort his wife as much as he could.

Her kimono wrinkled, and her hair fell from the hair style she had before. The mother couldn't care less if her husband had to stare at her dishevelled appearance all day, weeks, or even months from now on.

Every once in awhile, she would let out a train of curses for the old man while her husband did nothing else but nod his head in agreement every time.

"My children all get taken away from us. How could this be? What have we done to deserve to be treated like this? I hope to God that the old geezer and his family never felt an ounce of happiness ever again."

"Now, now, darling. I agree with you on everything, but there's no need to put a curse on his family. I'm sure they didn't have a say in the old man's business."

"Even if they didn't, they could be laughing and judging us like everyone had been doing. Those mean folks, I'm sure they won't be laughing when their children were the ones who got taken away! My poor children. I failed to protect them."

"We both did." The father stared out of the window, now holding his wife's hand. Once in a while, her strong grip would cause him to flinch, but he would try to endure it. Anything to relieve his precious lover.

The man silently preyed on the gods for his children to be protected and out of harm's way. Preyed that his children were married to men who treat his children with care and kindness. Preyed for their lives to be filled with love and happiness. Preyed that one day he might get to see both of his daughters once again.

Hours passed by in a hurry, and before she knew it, the sun had already disappeared below the horizon. Nezuko helped her get ready for bed before dragging her brother home in a hurry. The yellow-haired boy followed suit, leaving her and Giyu Tomioka alone in the big estate.

As Shinobu sat on her futon, her mind wandered to a conversation she once had with a few of her now-married cousins.

Shinobu once learned that the night you marry, you and your partner must consummate your marriage by having:

Shudders were sent through her body as she recalled her female cousins having a full, deep talk a few months ago, recalling their wedding nights and how much they enjoyed them with their partners.

"Too much information!" She once yelled at her cousins for sharing too much with her.

"Oh, don't be like that, Shinobu! You need to learn this for your future marriage! You can't just hide from it forever!" Said all her cousins while Shinobu just teasingly stuck her tongue out at them, causing them to face-palm at her behaviour.

"Don't try to jinx me; it will never happen!"

"We're not trying to bring you "misfortune", Shinobu." One of her cousins spoke up; her soft-spoken voice startled the girl. Her voice reminded her of the sister she lost three years ago.

"To us, being married is a blessing. Lucky for us, we've managed to get married to lovely men, and we want the same for you, Shinobu. Marriage is not always a bad thing. We want you to get married to a great man who will treat you with kindness. We want you to experience this kind of happiness."

'We want you to experience this kind of happiness.'

Those words have stuck to her ever since. Her and her cousins weren't the kind of family who get along with each other nicely, but that was a rare moment where one of her cousins showed that they cared about Shinobu.

"I wonder if they are thinking of me now." Shinobu chuckled, then jumped at the sound of the bedroom's door sliding open, revealing Giyu in his nightwear.

His eyes slightly widen. "Were you waiting for me?" He asked, his voice still monotonous.

"Yes, I felt like it would be rude of me to sleep first before you." She nodded, then gestured to another futon beside hers.

"I got your futon ready for you; Nezuko told me where they were kept earlier. I thought it would be nice if I helped you with it."

"Thank you." His voice was low, but Shinobu could tell that he was genuine.

As they started getting comfortable in their respective futons, Giyu's lips parted before a few words started escaping his mouth. He himself was surprised at his own behaviour.

"Let's.. get along.. Kocho."

'Is this his proper reply to what I said to him before?' She thought.

Shinobu's lips suddenly curled into a smirk. "Shouldn't I be a 'Tomioka' now since I'm married to you?" She chuckled at his silence.

Then, "You called me Tomioka before.. so I thought." He glanced at her, causing her to let out a giggle.

"I was just teasing you. You can call me whatever you want, even Kocho."

Giyu stared at her for a moment, his eyes drooping like he was about to pass out. "Sure, Missus Tomioka." He said before falling asleep.

Shinobu caught a hint of amusement in his voice, and she stared at him in shock.

"You little-"

Shinobu was fuming as she watched her new husband peacefully sleep in his futon.

"Now that I think about it, weren't we supposed to- no! It's good that we don't have to do that. Let's keep quiet and never remind him."