37 Misunderstood Mochi

(Author's note: Ups, I accidentally posted the draft of this chapter, with all the grammatical mistakes and everything. My bad for the ones that saw it before I deleted it.... Here's the full chapter, though it's a bit rushed since I had to attend a wedding.)

"...I don't know anymore. I always followed my sister's guidance, but now..." Shinobu murmured, her voice barely audible. "I can't seem to agree with her decision."

"Just the thought of leaving her to go on missions alone... it doesn't sit right with me. I feel like I won't be able to sleep at night," she continued, her hands clenching slightly as if to suppress her anxiety.

"Is that the reason you came here?" Giyu asked, his eyes focused on the old well nearby, located slightly outside the village. After taking Shinobu to a quieter spot, he realized he didn't really know the area well, and they had ended up near this well.

"um" she nodded, a little more at ease. "I wanted to request a new blade, one that would fit my breathing style more." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. "I made it in hopes of allowing me to easily transfer the poison coated on the blade to the demon" she explained, unfolding the paper to reveal a neatly drawn design.

Giyu glanced briefly at the sketch. It was a great drawing, the design eerily similar to the blade Shinobu had wielded in the past. Yet, he stayed silent, unsure of how to respond. The atmosphere between them grew awkward as the moments passed.

Shinobu, too deep in her thoughts about her sister, didn't seem to notice the silence at first. But as the seconds ticked by, she sighed and put the note back in her pocket as her attention shifting back to Giyu. His face remained blank, eyes distant, as if his mind was far away from their conversation.

'So when he said to talk, did he mean a one-sided conversation?' she thought, feeling a pang of frustration. 

Noticing her eyes on him, Giyu side-eyed her briefly before averting his gaze again as if nothing happened. He was painfully unaware of how bad he was at conversations like this. Shinobu sighed again...

"...I have a sister too," Giyu suddenly said, his voice breaking the stillness. Shinobu blinked, startled by his unexpected news, and turned to face him.. "An older sister." He continued. A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he spoke, catching Shinobu off guard. 

"A few years ago, I had to make a difficult decision. One I knew my sister wouldn't agree with," he continued, his voice quieter now. As he spoke Giyu was thinking about the promise he had made to his sister all those years ago, the one that had weighed on him ever since.

It was a promise to never leave without saying a word again, a promise he failed to keep. He broke it once more after his sister's wedding. Giyu knew it must have hurt her, leaving her sad and disappointed. He feared that once everything was over and he would go back to his family, his sister might even come to hate him.

"But I knew it was the right thing to do." He continued his expression turning serious "Despite our wishes, I made the choice I taught to be the right one." His voice full of meaning.

"And I don't regret it" The confidence in his tone was unmistakable. He missed his family, that much was clear. The letters he occasionally sent to them hadn't made the pain of separation any easier.

"Sometimes, we have to make choices like that," he went on. "Ones that the ones close to us might not agree with. But, in the end, it's only you who can make that choice."

Giyu stood up, his words lingering in the air. Shinobu stared at him, her mouth slightly open, not entirely sure how to respond. The weight of his words had settled in her chest, stirring something she hadn't expected. 

Without saying another word, Giyu reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small wooden box. He extended it toward her, and Shinobu, still caught off guard, instinctively opened her palm to take it.

"Take this." Giyu said in his usual flat tone as he placed the box in her hand.

"What is it?" she asked, looking down at the box, her brows knitting together in confusion. The last thing she expected after such a deep conversation was to receive something from Tomioka.

"mochi," he replied, not giving her much time to process before turning his back. "I'll take my leave first," he added, walking away without waiting for her response.

Shinobu stood there, watching as Giyu's figure gradually walking into the distance with mixed emotions. Once he was out of sight, She glanced down at the small wooden box in her hands, then carefully opened it.

The sweet aroma of the freshly made mochi wafted up, and she couldn't help but smile—a small, genuine smile that she hadn't expected. The sweetness of the moment, coupled with his parting words, lingered with her.

"Only I can make that choice..." she murmured, repeating Giyu's words to herself. Her lips stayed curved into the small, gentle smile as she looked down at the mochi. Giyu's strange but sincere gesture had unexpectedly lifted some of the weight from her heart.

***

"Uh..." Giyu, who had already left the swordsmith village, suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened in realization. 

'I gave the mochi meant for Sanemi to Shinobu...'

For a brief moment, he considered going back, but the thought of explaining himself made him cringe. He shook his head, deciding it was better to let it be.