☆•Yashimi POV•☆

Harsh sunlight hits my eyes. "What the hell?" Annoyance rises from my voice. I open my eyes and sit up. I immediately noticed someone beside me.

"EK!" I covered my face when I realized that I had not worn my mask. "T-Tomioka-sama..!" My heart had probably stopped working properly as I couldn't feel it beating.

"Don't worry, Fujimura. I didn't look at your face." His nonchalant voice comes in my ears radar. I slowly lower my white blanket and look at him.

He's looking the other way. He pulls out his hand, holding my mask. "Uh.. thank you." I take my mask and put it on.

His eyes linger on me a moment longer before turning his attention to the tray on the nightstand.

He grabs the medicine and water and hands to me. "Arigatō.." I mutter. I lift my mask just above my nose, throw the medicine pill in my mouth, and immediately water flushes it down deep in my throat.

I place the cup on the nightstand. "Do you know what the medicine is for?" He asks me with a serious face. "What..?" My voice sounded shock. I looked at him after hearing the word medicine.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Oh, uh.. Kochou-san says it's to help me heal faster." I lie. My pillow feels so cold and soft, and I love it.

"Are you lying, Fujimura? It's disrespectful to lie. Especially to a Hashira." He stares down at me. His aura is pressing hard on my surroundings. "I.." I breathe in and out, "I am not lying, Tomioka-sama.." I face the other way.

I can practically feel his glare at me. Silence follows him as he walks away. "Aoi said to eat ALL of the food." He closes the door.

"Tomioka-sama is so scary when he's mad.." I look at the tray next to me. "Food!" My voice cheers as I take off my mask and start eating.

It is now the third day, and Tomioka-sama always brings me my medicine every morning. Yet he is so closed off.

And his eyes.. are like blue hydrangeas but darker. My favorite flowers..

~(•///• ) <- Yashimi's face while thinking about Giyū's eyes.~

~~~

"Fujimura, wake up." I feel someone lightly touch my forehead. I open my eyes and see the same mismatch haori. "AH!" I cover myself again.

"Tomioka-sama..!! Y-you scared me.." I lower my blanket and then eyed my mask. He grabs it, still looking the other way, and hands it to me.

"I didn't look at your face, so don't worry." He mutters and turns to me after I slip into my mask. "I know. I'm just not used to you being here." My shoulders sticks up, and my heart beats fastens.

"Your medicine." He hands me my medicine with the cup filled with water. I grab it, and our fingers lightly take a touch to each other.

I adjusted my mask to cover my face. "Aoi said to make sure to eat ALL of your food." He says, closing the door. Dang, he's fast.

I look at the food tray, setting it on my lap. I take my mask off and gently put it beside me as my right free hand grabs a dango, holding it by the stick and stuffing it in my mouth.

"Mmm~" I let out a happy hum. "Kuwaa~" I smile at myself. "Tomioka-sama gives me my favorite food every day. He's the best!!"

While behind the door, Giyuu hears this, and, for some reason, red stains his cheeks, making him confused.

"What's.. this?" Giyuu cups his left cheek. He walks away, feeling disguisted by the new feeling.

( 〃~〃) <- Giyū's confused face thinking about these feelings. He's angry and confused. Heehehe

~~•~~

"Ehm.. Fujimura? Wake up." Tomioka-sama's voice gets in my dream. "Mmm.." I mumble. I open my eyes and immediately regret it after being hit my sunlight. I cover myself from the heating, harsh light.

"AH!" I try reaching out for my mask. My shoulders tense up, and my breathing heaves. "Tomioka-sama!!" My heart pounds in my chest. "Shit, you are so–"

"Don't curse." He hands me my mask.

My shoulders go down, and I turn to him, looking at the mask. I take the half-white and half-black kitsune mask and slip into it.

He turns to me, already holding my medicine. "Medicine." I take the medicine and chug it down along with the cup filled with water. "Arigatō." I say to him.

"..."

"..."

"Yo- "

"Oyakata-sama said that you will be my tsuguko." He suddenly says. My body quirks up, and I look up at him. "E-eh? Why? I can't even use a breathing technique..?" I slowly mutter in embarrassment.

We all know it's true.

"That's why you will be my tsuguko. You will be training under me." Tomioka-sama firmly says. "Oh.. okay." My shoulders go up again from the awkward silence.

"Aren't you planning to go?"

"I'll eat here. They said that we'll have a better connection if I spend time in here."

"Oh." Who is they? Are they your friends?

"Don't worry, Fujimura," He sits at the end of the bed, looking in the opposite direction to not see me, "I'll face here so you can eat comfortably."

"A-ah, okay." My voice sounded surprised but happy nonetheless. I was gonna eat with Tomioka-sama.

We did eat together. Although he looked the other way around, I still adjusted my mask just above my nose. I didn't want anyone to see my face as the mask served to protect my identity.

A few days passed, and he had eaten with me two times, so that was nice. He's still so closed off, though.

I asked him a few questions, but he mostly answered with "Yes," "no," "I don't know," and "maybe."

Even though those were very closed off answers, I still tried to talk to him. And slowly, just a little bit, he seemed calmer around me. He says he doesn't have friends, I tried to be his, but he refused.

He says it is a waste of time and that our relationship is only master and tsuguko. Therefore, we should not act as if close friends.

So, is it progress? Yes!