They saved you ♡

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( Set in sengoku era + Demon slayer twins/partners au ♡ )

Scenario | Message one ♡

The morning felt cold, a chill going through your frame as your eyes slowly blinked open. Vision blurred and trying to adjust to the dim light of the room, the now familiar warmth of the futon enveloping your body as you shuddered awake. You’d forgotten how much time had passed since...everything happened. Since all you’d ever known got reduced to mere carcasses and viscera across your home mountain. You being the only survivor that actually managed to get away. Running away through the deep forest with a speed you never thought would come from your legs. Eventually, after an exhausted struggle coming to a halt and collapsing onto the rough forest floor in a limp, bleeding heap. Just barely having gotten away. The memory of being found still fresh and lingering, that being one of the only things your shaken mind didn’t forcefully erase from that night.

A blurred haze of two imposingly tall figures towering over your frame, an unclear recalling of their deep voices calmly speaking to one another, conversing as one of the two samurai picked up your limp, injured body to carry you. They had seemingly been travelling up the same mountain, having just killed the demon who massacred your previous home. Eventually coming across your limp, freezing frame, putting two and two together and figuring you were a surviving victim.

And now here you were. The bitter taste of medication blooming across your tongue as you swallowed the concoction down. Dim, blueish morning light pouring into the room in pale rays, shining across the shoji doors. Illuminating the room in a strangely comforting morning glow. The sun barely up, a faint scent of herbal tea lingering throughout the cool air in the room.

You slowly brought the cup back down from your lips, placing it back into its tray with a faint, wooden click. It had been weeks, but you still couldn’t stomach the thing. Yet unfortunately, your chills and fever weren’t going to disappear on their own. Collapsing outside in the middle of the night in freezing cold weather for hours on end did quite the number on your barely surviving body, and now one of the two whom had found you was taking care of you with the best of his ability.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni as he introduced himself. An intimidating, yet shockingly gentle young man.

Seemingly, it had been his idea to drag you back to his estate with his twin brother, Michikatsu Tsugikuni. The two looked strikingly alike, almost identical, yet there was a subtle difference you couldn’t fully lay a finger on. Something different in presence, in personality, despite how reserved they both carried themselves.

Well, one difference was fairly clear. It seemed that Michikatsu was still a little repulsive of you. Not exactly repulsed, but more irritated. More so just thinking of dragging someone else along as a waste of time. Something that got in the way. Though begrudgingly, still seeming to at the most tolerate you. He left the task of taking care of your sick self up to Yoriichi, claiming that if he was so interested in taking you under their wing, he should be the one handling it. At first claiming he wasn’t here to “babysit”, using whatever precious time he had to spare to train outside within the grounds of the household.

You tried to pay him no mind, and needless to say you two didn’t speak much. Yet as time went on you could have sworn you’d catch him sneaking curious, quiet glances at you. Passing by your room more often, peeking through the gap in the shoji doors. Analyzing you from afar, though he’d never admit it aloud, you were sure. You had already grown used to the general animosity and coldness that radiated off of him, and paired with his quiet and secluded attitude, it created a more intimidating atmosphere whenever you were so much as even within vicinity of him.

Since you had nowhere else to go, you ended up here. Recovering at the Tsugikuni estate. You were fed, given fresh clothing, and Yoriichi would frequently bring you things like water or medicine to help you recover. Replacing the bandages on your wounds and your bedsheets, even helping you walk every now and then if you felt lightheaded. Despite his naturally quiet nature and stoic appearance, his actual self was more caring than at first glance as you slowly got to know him more over the weeks. Yoriichi was a gentle and simple person, so it was easy for the two of you to get along. You knew he was a samurai. That he probably had better things to be doing than nursing.

Yet the man didn’t seem to mind. Taking the time he did have to attend to you. You began seeing him more and more often, and gradually grew comfortable around his presence. To his gentle touch, to his hands that were so much bigger than yours, yet so tender with you. Michikatsu was a different story, as you knew he most likely just wanted you gone so that more “important” priorities could have been focused on. He didn’t voice his irritation out loud most of the time, yet it almost didn’t matter, as you could feel it from his mere presence. It wasn’t anything malicious or strong, morely so just a mild annoyance. But it was for certain he didn’t care much for you. Did he?

Things began getting strange as you gradually started to see him stalking behind his brother more frequently.

If Yoriichi was with you, he was as well.

He began to take turns tending to you with him, bringing you food and such, as if using it as an excuse to see you more often.

Whenever Yoriichi would touch you, even if it was just to check your temperature or help you up, you could have sworn you’d see a vein pop beneath his skin. Feel the atmosphere shift.

Eyeing you from behind his brothers shoulder like a hawk. His gaze holding something you didn’t quite seem to understand yet. Something weirdly close to possessiveness, yet too ambiguous to be assumed so. He would linger outside your door during the night, with a brute excuse of “patrolling for demons” or, “Taking a walk” if Yoriichi questioned him about it. And as much as you wanted to believe him, your gut told you otherwise.

Rarely, if the man knew you were sound asleep, he would even take the time to sit by your futon. Observing you in that same, stiffly kneeled pose. Hands in his lap, silent and still as to not wake you, as if taking the time to just exist in your presence. Brush away strands of your hair, dare you even think play with it. Calloused, battle worn fingers lingering against your skin in ways that were too long to be considered fleeting or casual.

And you didn’t know what to think of it. Whether it scared you, or left you with butterflies. The rational part of you wondering if you should have started sleeping with one eye open. You were undoubtedly close with Yoriichi, dare you say even beginning to feel things you’ve never felt towards him. New things. Warm things. Things that left your cheeks flushed and made your heart beat faster. Yet still, you couldn’t get your mind off of Michikatsu. Like a stubborn memory you couldn’t erase with sheer will.

Regardless of everything, you thought it was pointless to linger on. You’ve tried your hardest to clear your head. You tried to get up as much as you could, help with household tasks, to do anything to show your gratitude towards the Tsugikuni brothers, but unfortunately your desires didn’t coincide with your body. Your skin feeling warm to the touch as Yoriichi pressed a gentle palm to your forehead to check your morning temperature. The sudden sensation of his touch sending an involuntary flush of blood to your face. Not the sick kind. Eyes awkwardly darting away, somehow finding yourself flustered, just by his presence and the sight of his face. You weren’t here to gawk, and swooning over such things was the last thing on your mind, but you had to admit to yourself, the twins were both undeniably handsome. Your fingers absentmindedly twiddling, fumbling with one another, as if internally trying to keep yourself occupied. Trying not to think about it, Knowing you most likely looked pathetic.

Michikatsu stood in the doorway, shoji wide open, seemingly doing another one of his weird, lurking rituals. Standing in place. The dusty darkness from the hall enveloping him in a slightly obscuring fog that made him appear almost menacing.

His distant gaze settled onto you, speaking of countless things you weren’t sure you’d ever know of.