───

"HIMARI, ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE GOING to be okay? maybe I should just stay with you and have yūji-kun go by himsel—"

     "NO NO NO!! you two go together! you need to keep him on track. he's kind of adhd", himari whispered, causing rumi to be confused.

"ad...hd?"

"uhhh...like short attention span. so you two go together okay? here's the list and take as loooong as you both need", himari winked, shooing the two teenagers away, as there was a village that was just a little west of the lake.

rumi and itadori waved, as now it was just himari and the four men.

     "himari, what did you send them away for? it's not for your...shipping thing again...is it?", getō asked, causing the woman to lightly chuckle.

     "nahhhh!! I actually needed them to get me a few supplies", himari answered.

     "like what?", sukuna curiously questioned.

     "mm...like some gloves...some clothes...some teacups...some extra medicine and food", himari casually replied, standing up and stretching her limbs.

"himari, are you sure you don't need any help? you know we don't mind", getō stated, as he was seated beside gojō, who was munching on some daifuku.

"huh? oh yeah. and just heads up, please don't help me even when I look like I'm about to die. I assure you that I'll be fine", himari stated.

     "what are you—"

     "suguru, you're worrying too much. just let her die", gojō interrupted, to which himari had promptly picked up her holy sword, unsheathing it.

     sighing, the woman started calmly walking towards the lake, causing the eight-headed demon to perk up.

     "sucks to have low pain tolerance I guess", himari muttered to herself, taking off her shoes and socks, as wet socks were a sin.

"oho? it's just going to be you? are you sure you won't die in the first few minutes?", one of the heads that was near the center of the body mocked.

himari yawned.

"y'all ready? or is talking smack your only talent?", the auburn-haired woman bravely insulted, causing the eight heads to glance at each other before readying themselves.

     immediately one had started spouting out fire, causing himari to just duck under water, as she forced herself to keep her eyes open — which stung like a bitch.

hopping back up to get some fresh air, the woman then started laughing, as she ran towards their conjoined body, attempting to stab it, as their tails hastily strove to smack the woman.

getō worryingly observed, as he unconsciously clenched tightly onto his teacup.

a frown had slowly etched its way onto tōji's face once he saw the eight-headed dragon-snake slam himari into the deep ends, to which she had to haul her sword onto land, meanwhile trying to survive by swimming quickly.

     "h-holy shit!! that lowkey hurt", himari coughed out, crawling onto the edge of the muddy ground, as she had a big slash against her back.

leisurely making her way towards the campfire that getō had already started, she was handed a towel, as she sat especially close to the fire.

"was that necessary?", sukuna asked, examining the woman's wound, as it had partially ripped the back part of her nagagi.

"somewhat, yes", himari responded, slightly smiling, as she took out her ponytail so that her hair could at least dry a little.

     getō softly hummed, as he slightly parted his mouth to say something, only to have kept quiet in the end.

     "how long will it take for you to finish it off? if you just beg me, I'll help you kill it in no more than one minute", gojō bargained, grinning, as he nudged the woman's arm.

"a few days, and quit being a tsundere and trying to help me. I don't need it", himari stated.

     "what's a tsundere?", getō asked.

     himari just waved her hand, as she took out the remaining medical herbs from her previous wound.

"hey suguru, can you help me please?", himari asked, already halfway through stripping her top, as the man hastily turned his head around.

"h-himari, what are you doing?!"

"she's obviously trying to seduce us so that we'd kill that ugly demon for her", gojō sarcastically joked.

"huh? it's not like you haven't seen me like this before. I just need you to help me apply the medicine", himari stated, as she couldn't evenly sprinkle it on her back.

"I...I don't know if it's proper for me to—"

"I'll do it", tōji interrupted, grabbing the cylindrical container, as he waited for himari — who of course had her chest covered — to lay on her blanket.

"thanks tōji. and no need to feel embarrassed, suguru. but I guess you're just not used to it since you drink your respect women juice...unlike someone", himari loudly spat, glaring at gojō.

"when you're as attractive as me, it's hard to just pick one! but I guess you can't relate, considering your looks", gojō retorted, causing himari to gasp, as the herbs nearly slipped off the woman's back when she propped her body up with her elbows.

     "careful", tōji warned, pushing on the woman's right shoulder blade, as he forced her to lay back down.

     "himari's actually one of the more attractive women that I've seen throughout the centuries", sukuna honestly chimed in, taking a seat in front of the woman, as he flicked some water droplets off her face.

     "I do agree. himari's quite pretty", getō vouched, to which himari had quietly snickered, blowing raspberries at the white-haired daimyo.

     "you guys like this childish woman with no chest? suguru, my friend, you're truly missing out", gojō sighed.

     "you bastar—"

     "or perhaps you're the one that's actually missing out. perhaps you find her attractive as well, but you're just afraid to admit it", tōji grinned, causing  gojō's fingers to ever so slightly twitch.

     "tch! me?! no way in hell! never will I ever like a weak woman like her", gojō defended, causing himari to hum.

     sukuna snapped his gaze at gojō, who swiftly walked away from the campsite.

     "don't take it to heart, himari. he didn't mea—"

     "it's fine, suguru. I'm not offended", himari assured, flashing a small smile, as she redressed herself.

     gojō heard a whipping sound, to which he could only assume that it was himari practicing again.

     however, he didn't think that she'd still be doing so with a nasty scar like that.

     curious, the white-haired man slipped out of his thin blanket, heading towards where himari was training.

     "did I wake you?", himari asked, not stopping her repetitive motion.

     "your listening's improved".

     "thanks", himari shortly replied.

     a moment of silence was sung, as gojō hesitated, not willing to damage his own pride.

     "something you need?", himari asked, to which gojō had just shook his head.

     he didn't mean what he said, but he didn't know how to take back his words and wash away this guilt.

     "no, nothing".

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     a/n: ngl, I highkey had a semi-bad day today, but seeing y'all's comments and support just makes me feel so much better.

     anyways, I hope you all enjoy and don't forget to comment + vote! thanks babes <33