Chapter 9
Awake

"Brother-!" Y/n shot up, Tomo flinched while he was cleaning the room.

"No such thing as a brother here, just me", He stood up and faced her, "Feeling quite numb don't cha'? It'll last for a week or two"

"You...! What you did was really uncalled for!" She stood up but felt her legs wobble, Tomo catched her before she can fall.

"You've been laying down for a couple days, archon knows it was so hard to feed you. I was only following orders, if i didn't the both of us would've been good as dead" He explained, slowly reaching a hand to her forehead to check up on her temperature.

"Huh, your fever is gone, go change your clothes or might as well take a bath even, i'll go prepare the bath" He placed the futon's blanket on her whilst sitting down considering it is snowing outside therefore it is freezing.

Well, atleast it isnt the usual Inazuman blizzard or thunderstorm.

Y/n shook her head and forced herself to stand up. Her legs were still wobbling, she held onto the wall for support.

She catched up to where Tomo was, who was boiling water up for the bath, she proceeds to grab onto his haori.

"Your father...he wants you to give me a living hell doesn't he?" She asked.

Tomo looked behind him. "Yes, he does. Call me a lunatic but i want to fight in a duel in front of her almighty shogun's throne, not because i am so sick of my father's manipulative bulshit and just make an excuse that i want to die but rather i want to show him that i am still his son and make him realize how his son died in battle to not honor his name"

Y/n furrowed her brows, "So you're telling me you can't bring yourself to perform seppuku so you want to intentionally lose to a duel so you can witness the musou no hitotachi? Tomo, give me a break"

"Oh? Well then, fleeing the nation with you is my last option, but with me dead don't you think you should be rejoicing that you're finally free? Y/n, this is my life, this is a do or die situation, if i don't try to escape from my father's chains then i'm better off being a nobushi" He grips his hand into a fist.

Y/n paused for a moment and despite her state she threw herself into his arms.

"You're an idiot in case you didnt know. You just don't want to admit you're a nice person, despite the amount of innocent lives you must've taken away in order to honor your master you knew deep down you never wanted to do any of this"

Tomo gently stroked her hair before lifting her face to face his.

He saw deep down Y/n's eyes looked desperate, he wanted to fool around her feelings after acknowledging she actually cares for him, but to her she only saw him as nothing but her captor and a human being— but she had another gut feeling he could just be more than that, a friend maybe or more than that perhaps. Whatever it may be, it is unclear how they see each other but it is most definetly not enemies.

Tomo just shrugged it all off, he was never supposed to grow soft, never supposed to even be happy.

All his previous emotions, not once had he felt guilt until she came along.

Joining a duel infront of a throne and intentionally losing sounds like his gateway to paradise. A death with no pain.

But who is he kidding, he's nothing but a dog to his master, his father, and a ruthless samurai who took lives without a single thought. His hands are already bloodied enough, the afterlife doesn't even want him.

He can't even control his own life, his father is already planning an arranged marriage for him, the same fate Y/n was supposed to be in.

"Fine. I'll make you go with me to Sumeru, but in one condition" Y/n sat on the zaisu.

"Anything" Tomo nods while joining her across the table.

"I want you to return me to Narukami Island, not out of pity or guilt but as a whole"

Tomo froze. His father is watching. He could die right after or forced to perform seppuku for he didn't follow the plan accordingly.

He scoffed and crossed his arms, "I wouldn't want my own sword stabbing my stomach for just letting you go-", "Then so be it"

Tomo frowned and stood back up, "The bath is ready, go prepare"

-

Tomo agreed in the end.

The next day he reported the situation to his father with blatant lies.

"...the shogunate members barged into my house and found Y/n and took her by force, they must've been ordered by General Kujou herself, therefore there was nothing for me to do, my position was outpowered" Tomo explains.

Touri taps on the table, "This just proves you're useless. I'll send in my own men to get her back and i will be the one looking after her. All charges for your stupid mistake is dropped, the Tenryou commission is to be blamed"