Tengen looked at all of them perturbed that they knew about his predicament. He knew it would happen eventually but, he wasn't expecting it to happen so fast. He especially didn't expect Kyojuro to actually remember Y/N's ramblings and use them against him. Guess he really didn't know his best friend the way he thought.

"It seems it was more you and your wife Makio to take most of the blame! Of course, Suma and Hinatsuru are to blame as well. It's a group effort." Tengen felt his teeth grind as he glared at Kyo whose smile never left his face. He was the culprit behind all of this.

"Why the hell do all of you know? This was planned wasn't it." It was a statement and he was highly disturbed especially since Obanai and Sanemi were not the types to be involved in anything like this. They cared less. He glared at Obanai since he was the closest.

"I like her more than I like you." His eye twitched at Obanai's bluntness. Fuck him and his snake. He should have eaten that damn snake.

"She's alright. Not as annoying as you are." Even Sanemi agreed that he liked her to a certain degree. Since when did everyone like her? They all used to pretend she wasn't important and now all of this? They're fucking with him.

"Since when do the two of you care about anyone else's problems? You guys act like you hate everyone. Doesn't seem like the two of you at all." Iguro shrugged not giving him an answer. Sanemi grinned snarkily at him. 

"I'm full of surprises. Keep fucking up and I'll show her all my other ones." He threw a kunai at him which he dodged. "Oh, now you care after you lost her? Why? Why so possessive over someone who is no longer yours? She's up for grabs and I think you married to three women is more than enough for you. Clearly you were in over your head thinking you can handle having four women. " He was taunting him, he knows that but, it didn't change the fact that he wanted him to shut up. 

"I have to agree my friend! We all were made aware of the unfortunate circumstances regarding you guys! I expected you to be better than that Tengen! Of course, though we are here to pick up the pieces of her heart you decided to shatter." Somehow the way he was speaking with his tone and happy face made Tengen feel like shit. 

"He thinks he's hot shit and, it got to his head. Now that he got to work for something on top of having competition he doesn't know how to act." Sanemi was brutal as ever. He didn't give a fuck about no one's feelings. Except for Genya and you. Sometimes. 

"I had to work for everything, the hell are you talking about?" He rose an eyebrow at Sanemi with a frown. He worked for everything he got! He was never given anything. Especially his wives, they all came willingly to him!

"Well, it seems to me you took her for granted and, now she's gone! I don't think someone like her would just up and leave you and your wives for no reason. I got to agree with Shinazugawa though. She is single which means you're not the only one after her." Mitsuri voiced her opinion as his mind flashed back to the diary that he has spent all his free time reading. It was an eye-opener. He was getting tired of being lectured, teased and, judged though.

"No, it wasn't for no reason. I don't need to be bothered and judged by the likes of anyone in this room though." He was getting very irritated. He wasn't expecting anything like this to happen. Clearly, he was way too arrogant for his own good and this whole situation was a reality-check he never knew he needed. He still was reading the diary and, thinking of how he was to approach you and this situation he created. He didn't want to mess up any more than he had. 

"I meant what I said though Tengen." He turned to Mitsuri who had an oddly serious expression on her face. "I know you or others don't take me seriously because of how I am but I want a husband and a wife. I will make her forget about you and the others if you don't get your shit together." He was stunned at her boldness and how even her tone was when she stated that. He was still pissed though. He took a deep breath, inhaled, and then exhaled. He said absolutely nothing. 

"Who's going to be your husband?" She turned to Obanai with a grin grabbing his chin. 

"You of course. We both adore Y/N so what's the issue?" The snake pillar said nothing. Just stared at her with a red face and wide eyes. Silence followed afterward.

"Well my father and brother already love her, so I don't know about you but, I wouldn't mind keeping Y/N to myself. Who knows, she stays with us so you might already be losing her quicker than you think." Kyo gave an uncharacteristic sadistic grin at Uzui. It kind of threw him for a loop "Better figure something out fast Tengen." Tengen was about to explode if he stayed in here any longer than he needed to be. Without a goodbye, he got up and, left the room through the window. It was silent before Sanemi honest to God giggled.

"Good thing I didn't say I would take her out on those dates that he never did." The rest of the occupants shared laughs. They did want Tengen and Y/N to work out but, if worst comes to worst she had them to lean on and, someone in this room will make her happy and do everything that for some reason Tengen and co stopped doing for and with her. 

You were unaware of the conflict and confrontation that occurred as you gazed straight up into the sky your mind going a million miles a minute. Why did they do that? It's not like they're ugly. They are extremely attractive. All of them. Even Sanemi in his rugged appearance. You were scared of him in the beginning but, he was kind to you. As kind as he can get anyway. His brother was adorable. Despite being just as scary and unhinged as Sanemi. Mitsuri was very sweet and gorgeous as well as Obanai. You would blame it fully on hormones but, it wasn't the full truth. They all were hot, strong, fierce, and well-respected. They also were really nice to you. You looked at your empty finger feeling your heart pang but, your brain wanted to drop kick you. A never-ending war. Sometimes your heart won, other times your brain, and, of course, you had moments when both compromised. 

"It's a nice day out." You sat up to see Tengen was not looking at you and, was sitting a few feet away from you. It was clear he was talking to you though. You were not going to answer him but, then again you want him to fix his mistakes. You had to allow him to talk. 

"Yes, it is." Nothing else was said as neither one of you moved or spoke. You glanced at him after a few minutes only to look away quickly. He was already looking at you with that pensive look of his. 

"I heard you've been staying with Shinjuro and Senjuro...Do you like being with them?" You glanced over at Tengen who was not looking at but, instead the flowers in front of him. You might as well be honest. 

"My Estate is only 10 minutes from them so, I spend a lot of my time with them. Shinjuro accompanies me to the market, we cook together, talk, and, just spend time together. Senjuro loves talking to me about anything and everything as well. It's nice." Maybe you said too much but, it was the truth. You did like being with them. You missed the wistful smile that crossed his face. "I really do like being with them. They're my family." You tried not to cringe at the way his face fell just a little.

"...That's great. I'm glad that they give you a sense of peace." You looked at him to see if he was patronizing. You both stared at each other for a minute with you looking away first. He was telling the truth. It was silent again. You had no idea what to say to him, to be honest. It's been a couple of weeks maybe three since you've seen him. 

"Uh...How are you?" It felt awkward. You weren't obligated to give him any kind of attention or conversation. You chose to do this. 

"I'm not good. However, that is something that I have to fix and will do anything to fix." He was staring at you unblinking the whole time he said it. You knew what he was talking about. You looked away thinking about how to respond. 

"Wish you and your wives luck." They were going to need more than luck but, you're pretty sure they were aware of that already. You found your thoughts drifting to Hinatsuru. You growled resisting the urge to slap yourself. Why were you thinking about her so much all of a sudden? 

"I read the diary you left for me. I only read some of my...other wives' diaries. I focused on mine. Brutal honesty is what I needed honestly." If Tengen was being honest with himself he was a bad spouse to you. He did treat you like a servant. He didn't treat you like the Queen he knew you are. Now, he has to worry about his fellow pillars stealing you away. He was pretty sure they were not joking, at least not fully. That made him nervous. He needed to start making a move towards fixing his God-awful mistakes. Only, if you accepted it though.

"Good." You didn't know what else to say without getting choked up and, wanting to scream and yell at him again. So, you chose silence. 

"If you want. We can go to that sushi bar that you like...As friends. Just as friends. Only if you want to." He left it all up to you. He didn't want to take charge like he always did. He remembered you stating disliking how he seemed to always take charge and, not take into consideration what you had to say.

"Sure. We can go tomorrow during the day." You weren't in the mood and, you knew he liked the night. You looked at him to judge his reaction and, he showed no disdain. 

"That's good for me. Where would you like to meet?" Once again he was giving you full control. 

"....At the bridge by the lake with the cherry blossoms." You heard him take a quick inhale before turning around to you with a grin.

"That's perfect, I'll be sure to be there waiting for you." With that said the conversation was done between the two of you. You hoped you weren't making the wrong decision by doing this. You hope this doesn't bite you in the ass in the end. He stood for a few minutes before he left. Probably to tell his wives what was going on. Whatever. 

"You're okay Y/N?" You looked up to see Shinjuro had taken the spot where Tengen was. "Senjuro is inside with Kyo so, I came to see how you doing." It was a comfortable silence. You got up to move to sit directly next to him. He said nothing as you leaned onto him for comfort. He was good at doing that. 

"He asked me to go to the sushi bar with him as friends and, I agreed. Do you think I made a mistake?" He hummed thinking for a minute. 

"No, I don't think you did. You agreed as friends so, everything should remain platonic as long as that is what you want. He and, his wives are the ones who made the mistakes with you. You're the one in control." That put you at ease a lot faster than you thought it would. You both sat together in silence until Shinjuro decided it was time to head home. You decided to stay for a bit so, when Senjuro was with his father the two of them waved at you. You went back inside to sit with Kyo. 

"Ah, Y/N-Chan! I hope we didn't make you too uncomfortable with what we were doing!" You blinked owlishly at him with a head tilt.

"So, it was planned. You guys didn't-" He cut you off with a laugh.

"Yes! It may have been planned but, everything that was said was very much true! You are the perfect wife. You are a sweetheart who has a lot of skills that deserve to be appreciated properly. We needed to show Tengen how wrong he is. He let you go because of pride? An ego? He needs to know that what he didn't do, someone else will gladly do it with no hesitation." That's when he grabbed your arm pulling for you to lay down next to him. You did.

"...I feel so honored." He ruffled your hair a bit. 

"There is no honor! It's what you deserve! You're genuinely not a bad person Y/N so I really don't know what happened between the five of you but, for your heart's sake, I hope everything works out. Selfishly though, I hope it doesn't so then one of us can have you." He winked dramatically making you giggle. 

"I'll be sure to keep all of you in mind if it doesn't work with Tengen!" The two of you talked for a bit more and, you found out in less than a week he can leave back to his home estate which he was happy about. He was not the type to just sit around all the time. The only reason he hasn't used his breathing technique to speed up the recovery process was that Shinobu threatened to put him in another two-week coma. He complied like a good boy.

"Get home safely Y/N! You know you can always stay here I know Shinobu won't mind!" Okay, so maybe he was a little lonely and, wanted company. 

"I will take you up on that offer tomorrow! I don't have anything to sleep in this time around." He nodded waving at you leaving. You hurried off from the Estate, not in the mood to run since you did enough of that. You took your time walking the paths instead of the backways like you always did. You wanted to people watch today and, just enjoy the evening. 

"What's a pretty creature like you doing out all alone?" You inhaled sharply continuing to walk pretending not to hear them. No conflict. No drama. You had enough. "Hey, I'm talking to you." The man grabbed your arm in a bruising grip forcing you to turn around. There were five of them and, you'll get arrested for using your breath. They needed laws to protect women. Shit, they're eyeing you. Fuck the law if they don't let you go.

"May you please let go of my arm." You started tugging but, the bruising grip got tighter. Fuck you sideways.  You started looking for an opening. If you break his arm, then you just break his arm then and, run. 

"No, you're too pretty of a catch to pass up. You're not even wearing make-up. We doll you up a bit and, we can sell you for a hefty amount." SELL YOU? That opening was about to be created. Quickly you yanked your arm that was in his grip out so his arm was straight and, with your free hand you hit his elbow straight up with all the force you can muster. The resounding crack and, his splintering scream was music to your ears. This was your chance.

"GET THAT BITCH!" You ignored them as you ran with all your speed taking the trees and high grasslands. They were regular people so, you lost them pretty quickly. You didn't trust it though. You grabbed your things as quickly as possible re-packing everything you bought with you. You left out there running to the Rengoku household. You didn't feel so safe at your Estate tonight. You paid no mind to the low branches scratching you up and, snagging you. You had a mission in mind that needed to be completed. You finally made it to the Rengoku household seeing Shinjuro sitting down outside drinking water. He took one look at your disheveled form before choking on his water. 

"What happened?!" He got up to grab your things while guiding you inside. 

"I was running from these men who were trying to sell me. I didn't feel safe at my Estate." He nodded his head in understanding putting your things down and heading straight to the kitchen. He pulled out the first aid from somewhere, a bowl with water and, a rag.

"Sit on the stool there." You did as instructed. You talked to him softly as he cleaned up all your cuts before putting ointment and bandaging them. "Okay, that was the last one." He sat up putting everything away. Maybe you should be honest with him.

"You know who I was thinking about the whole time? Tengen. I wanted Tengen so bad when those men were around me. God, I hate that I miss them. They don't deserve me, for three months they neglected me and my needs. Treated me like a house slave and a servant instead of a wife and I still want them. Why does the heart do this, why do emotions want you to crave someone who stopped treating you right." He said nothing except to grab a chair and, sit across from you. Listening. "Maybe I should have communicated sooner instead of just losing it on them the way I did. I do not know I am confused, emotions and feelings are confusing." He hummed a bit thinking. 

"I will agree with you a bit on that part. You should have communicated sooner but, it doesn't change the fact that you are not too fully blamed. You are to blame for the lack of communication but, that is it. Do not let anyone try to convince you anymore is your fault. It is not. You did not deserve the way he treated you, the way his other wives treated you. Fine, you'll take some responsibility for lack of communication but, that's it." You stood quiet, just thinking about how you felt and, what he said. 

"I will let you know how it goes with Tengen then tomorrow." He nodded his head in affirmative looking at your slouched form. 

"Come." He picked you up gently cradling you the way a father would his child. "You're probably exhausted." You allowed the man to take you to Senjuro's room who was already up and, had a futon out. You rose an eyebrow at both of them "Ever since you started coming over and staying, he keeps an extra futon out for you." Oh, he was so precious. Senjuro was looking at you excitedly as his father set you down. "Both of you be sure to get some sleep. You know where to find me if either of you needs anything." With that said he closed the shoji door leaving it ajar for an emergency. 

"Are you okay Nee-Chan?" You let Senjuro fret over you for a bit before you pulled him down to lay next to you. He snuggled into your chest seeking warmth and comfort that you gladly gave to him.  "I'm glad you stay over here with us. Dad has been so much better and, happier. You gave us back our father. I can never be more grateful." This little boy was going to have you cry up a storm and, you'll be damned. You hid your face on top of his head holding him in a tight and protective embrace

"Sleep Senji, I'll be here when you wake up." If you shed a few silent tears no one was there to bare witness.

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It was the next day, and you bathed, cleaned your teeth, ate, and got dressed in the Rengoku household. Neither of the occupants seemed to be bothered by your presence. They welcomed you as if you always belonged. They made you feel welcomed. You looked down at your attire and, you were wearing a pastel purple-ish red kimono tied with a black obi in a bow on the back. You put on some makeup and, fixed up your appearance. You had on heeled sandals for the occasion. Opening the slit on the side you placed three knives in the holster on your thigh. Checking yourself over, you felt ready.

"You look stunning." You turned to Shinjuro with a grin. He smiled walking up to you, to place a flower clip in your hair. "Now you're perfect." You blushed giggling before squeezing him in a hug. He chuckled rubbing soothing circles up and down your back. "You'll be fine. This is a step in the direction you want it to go in." You took a deep shuddering breath before pulling away from him. Senjuro had left earlier to go to school. 

"Thank you, Shinji!" Before you can lose your nerve about going you turned but, stopped at a pull on your sleeve.

"I'll walk you to the bridge." You smiled excited to have company. You waited for him to get dressed so the two of you can head out. You both talked for a bit while simultaneously observing the scenery. It was roughly half an hour when you guys made it to the bridge. As he promised, Tengen was there in a casual pair of pants with a white haori. His hair was loose with his bejeweled headband nowhere in sight. He was gorgeous. He saw the two of you first his eyes squinting a bit at Shinjuro before laying on you. You saw his breath hitch, eyes widening, a light blush crossing his cheeks. "Have a nice time darling." He pressed a quick kiss to the top of your head, turning around to leave you and Tengen alone.

"...You look alluring." You blinked and, he was in your personal space. You looked up at him watching him fight the urge to grab your face. The intensity of his stare was unwavering though. "I love the colors you have on, it brings out the glow of your skin. " He looked at the makeup on your face "Such a beautiful color you chose to put on." He ran a couple of fingers tentatively across your forearm down to your hand before pulling away. 

"...You look pretty too." You gave him a tentative smile, a little smug to see his cheeks go darker. 

"Um, let's walk and talk." That's exactly what the two of you did. There was a space between the two of you and, you had a slight urge to hold his hand but, it disappeared when you felt him looking at you unwavering again.

"Yes, Uzui?" You turned to him ignoring the way he winced when you said his last name. He was going to say something but, shook his head with a smile turning back around. 

"I was just admiring beauty." You coughed to cover up how flustered you felt. You both fell into a comfortable silence while walking to the sushi bar he was talking about. The smell of seafood hit your nostrils before you saw it. You swore you were floating, wiping drool away. "Lead the way." You ignored the amusement in his voice as you followed your nose. You felt him directly behind you when you finally made it to the sushi bar. You were too excited looking at all the food to notice Tengen and, the shop owner talking. 

"What shall I get you two lovely people today?" Even the shop owner was amused at your antics. You loved sushi! You couldn't help it. You were staring at the avocado rolls along with the King Crab roll so Tengen asked for those for you while he ordered whatever it was he wanted. You were taken out your musings by a hand on your shoulder. You looked to see two plates set out with wasabi and soy sauce already. In front of you were a bowl of avocado rolls and king crab rolls. 

"I saw you looking at them, so I told the chef to give them to me for you. I hope you don't mind." This was the first time you've ever seen Tengen so unsure of himself. He was a very proud and flamboyant man. Even calling himself the God of Festivities. This Tengen was new. This Tengen was kind of cute to you. 

"It's perfect, thank you." You smiled happily missing the pleasing look that crossed his face. The two of you said grace before chowing down on the sushi. It was nice. It was familiar in a way. You looked at the wasabi and, you wondered how spicy it was. You never used wasabi before. You grabbed it sniffing it unsure of what to make of it. You, being you decided to get a big scoop and spread it on your avocado roll. "Here goes nothing." You plopped the wasabi-smeared roll in your mouth with instant regret. You chewed three times pausing feeling the spice make your eyes water and, nose run. 

"Do you like- Y/N?!" He was a bit alarmed at how you looked until he saw the wasabi. He facepalmed grabbing a napkin and putting it to your mouth "Spit it out." He didn't have to tell you twice. He threw away the napkin and, pressed a glass of water to your mouth. "Drink it." It wasn't super cold so you finished it all in one go. He put the glass down giving you a piece of aloe to chew. You grabbed it from his chopsticks chewing on it before swallowing. 

"I'm not doing that again." He took the wasabi from you anyway so it wasn't like you can use it again if you wanted to. After that mishap, the rest of the lunch went by smoothly with idle chitchat in between. Of course, he paid for everything. The two of you decided to go for a walk back. You didn't want to go back to your Estate. 

"Do you want me to take you back to your Estate?" You shook your head no. That's right, he doesn't know. Maybe you should tell him. 

"Well, I'm at the Rengoku Estate because some guys yesterday tried to sell me so, I ran from them after breaking one of the guy's elbows... I don't know if they followed me so I'm just staying with Shinjuro." You were looking straight ahead so you missed the very irritated look on his face.

"You broke his elbow right?" He remembered seeing a guy with a broken arm loudly complaining that some bitch did that to him and, that he was going to make her pay when he sees her. He didn't know it was you the scoundrel was talking about.

"Yes, he was ugly. Very scraggly looking and, he and his cronies looked like a bunch of alcoholics." You shuddered at the idea of any of them putting their hands on you. You jumped when you felt a hand on top of your head.

"I wouldn't worry too much about them. They'll be taken care of." You didn't know what any of that mean but, you weren't about to question him. He was Tengen after all. He changed the subject which was gladly accepted. The two of you engaged in conversation all the way until you got back to the Rengoku residence. It was about mid-afternoon right about now. The sun was high in the sky glaring down.

"Thanks for lunch Uzui. I really enjoyed myself." You were shuffling side to side standing in front of him. Do you just walk away? Do you hug him? What do you do? Apparently, he knew what to do as he leaned down to press a quick kiss to the top of your head.

"The pleasure was mine. As long as you were happy, I'm happy. I'll see you around, yeah?" He looked quickly behind you before taking his leave. You turned around to see Shinjuro and, Senjuro standing there. They were waiting for you. That made you happy.

"How did it go?" You walked up to Shinjuro with a smile before hugging him which he gladly returned.

"I enjoyed my time with him." He hummed happily guiding you inside with Senjuro.

"That's great. Tell me about it while we are inside away from this heat." You laughed following the grumpy man and, his son inside. You were very grateful for him though.

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