#hatomi x shinjuro | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

iron-embers · 6 months

Text

Whatever brief moments of interaction they had in the past were short and mostly of him being belligerent towards her, trying to get her to mess up and leave whenever she did something he didn’t like. Whether it was trying to get a rise out of her, or him trying to pry into her past. Shinjuro was short sighted when it came to understanding other’s personal lives, on more than one occasion crossing the boundary of getting into her business just so he could find something wrong to point out. Perhaps in some sad attempt at making himself feel better about himself. In his state he couldn’t fathom why a relatively young woman would spend all of her time in someone else’s home, having no where else to go and not imparting any info about other family she could turn to. It was puzzling, shouldnt she be taking care of her own family instead of spending every waking moment with his. Hatomi wasn’t the type to get offended easily by hurtful words, and so whenever he tried to insult her, she brushed it off with ease and focused on her duties. Never did she take any of his inebriated words to heart, for why grace his erratic behavior with a thought out response….until one day he had asked her. “Why even keep coming here? Are you that lonely that you would rather spend your time babying someone else’s bastards instead of caring for your own? What would your husband think?”

Usually she would have changed the subject or even give a half-lie to throw him off……but that week had been trying, and Kaito’s anniversary was a couple days away and so the feelings she had kept dormant had slipped out as she merely stated with calm yet curt tone. “I would not know sir, seeing as how he is long dead and asking his corpse would prove ineffective.”

It was meant to be sarcastic, and while he did scoff in annoyance, she took notice that he became less confrontational with her after that. It remained a mystery to her as to why he never went as far as to hit his children, and never once raised a hand to her when he was out of his senses. It was one relief of a few throughout her service that left her equally perplexed. And after all these years it was a sign that she realized that despite his inexcusable absence for his children and attitude, deep inside there was still a heart in there. Albeit a broken and pain filled one, but it was enough that she saw through the few cracks that showed in those moments. The fleeting moments had now evolved from what once was seen as loathing, to behavior acting out of hate for himself and how low he had fallen. The revelation not clouded by judgement that despite their differences, even in his bouts of being under the Sake’s influence the cruel words he would use to dissuade Kyojuro and Senjuro was a facade, a mask he used to hide his misery.

Just a little peak of their story, wanted to encapsulate Hatomi during her beginning years as the Rengoku’s governess, adjusting to a new environment after leaving her old home, now in a home where two children look for support from a father who has emotionally checked out after his wife died. Needless to say even in her younger years she saw the despair he was in, and chose not to be as reactive/confrontational whenever he said something out of line. These are a few moments she would let her frustration seep out, respectful but reminding him not to push a grieving widow either. Had to add a sketch as well of a late twenties Hatomi and early thirties Shinjuro, hope ya like and stay tuned!

26 notes · View notes

iron-embers · 6 months

Text

Lil sneak peeks of my WIPS, for the Rengokus and Isane’s Story. Feel free to ask me anything about it, I’ve got a long way to go for these and I love rambling

30 notes · View notes

iron-embers · 3 months

Note

Heya!!!

So I’ve seen your art of Hatomi and Shinjuro and it’s so sweet and it got me curious…

How did Shinjuro react when he realized that he had feelings for Hatomi?

Did he deny it? Did he stress out? Did he feel guilty? Knowing how much he loved Ruka, was it hard for him to move past his first love?

Vice versa for Hatomi too please?

I’m so glad ya think so, and I appreciate the positive feedback+interest on these two complicated adults figuring out feelings😆. I have had a long time (Too long) to really think about this and formulate how this strange relationship of theirs grew and strengthened throughout the years, so forgive the long explanation. Hopefully this helps organize my thoughts to the question😂

Everyone knows Shinjuro was extremely affected by Ruka’s passing, watching the love of his life wither away before his eyes and die in such a short time left him empty in more ways than one. While she wasn’t the main cause of his spiral, it was definitely the catalyst to finally give up. He didn’t want to be demon slayer, and most of all he gave up on being the proper role model to his sons; and he was ashamed for it, but it took a long time to finally admit it and take steps to get himself out of the drunken cycle. In the beginning he tried to busy himself with slaying demons, taking up mission after mission to get rid of as many demons as possible while asking himself that very question. Why do demons live on and yet the only woman he loved died? Asking himself that for so long, Shinjuro would wonder what is the point anymore, of killing demons only for them to comeback hundred fold, which leads to what is the point of teaching his sons flame breathing if it won’t help get rid of the demon problem, and why would it justify sending them to possibly die. For awhile he wonders why he was still alive after all the dangerous missions if flame breathing was a cheap knockoff, was he lucky, or did the gods have some sick sense of humor to not reunite him with Ruka……which leads to the unfortunate spiral of not wanting to care anymore. Because after everything he had been through, the main thing he took from it was loving someone will only bring you pain and suffering. Trying leads to disappointment, so why bother if he believed he was a failure to begin with…..and who would ever love a failure. Something he projected onto his sons to a degree, but to put it bluntly, he may act like he scorns and belittles them….but these are attempts at trying to disconnect them from him because he doesn’t want them ending up a failure like he believes himself to be. As Kyojuro said, he was once a passionate and loving father, but he changed. This was not overnight, to fight his own usual warm and passionate nature, Shinjuro resorted to numbing himself from dealing with the consequence of feeling….hence the alcohol. He refused to hope that he would ever find love again, not after loving his wife so much. Nothing could be like the warmth of her care, and how much he treasured her…and yet still died.

He is broken, he doesn’t want to be fixed, and he doesn’t want to love only to be hurt all over again.

Meeting Hatomi for the first time was supposed to be no different for him. He was so used to scaring people off with his attitude, or at least being scorned for his brash behavior, that most people would get the hint and back off. At the very least they would judge him for his alcohol abuse and treatment towards his sons. Hatomi on the other hand was a strange case. She came to the estate at the right time, he fired the last servant and he wasn’t exactly looking for a new maid. But even he realized that handling both a 10 year old plus a 4 year old that needs proper attentive care was something he mentally felt unprepared to shoulder seeing as how Ruka had been deceased for a few months now, he was stressed. Tired and fed up with the stress of two young boys needing attention and that’s when he kind of hired Hatomi? (That’s another Long story.). She did none of the above when it came to interacting with him. Hatomi was respectful, she never bothered him with questions, never judged or bothered him about his habits…she gave him space. Which he found was exactly what he needed instead of the overbearing nosey servants that he felt tried to rush him in his time of mourning, and would try to dictate to him of his need to focus on the children. Their intention was not bad, but for Shinjuro in his state of mind, Hatomi respecting his boundaries and picking up the slack that was his mental presence was a breath of fresh air he didn’t know he needed. In the beginning he was a little bitter to her, especially when she seemed to baby Senjuro and yet she would just simply smile, acknowledge his grievances with a professionalism that left him stunned. She didn’t give him any reason to dislike her despite her personal disagreements with his addiction (She showed she was uncomfortable with it, especially when the kids were around but didn’t tell him what to do because she felt it wasn’t her place. Less stress on Shinjuro she learned means giving him less reason to drink if she helped to make a calm environment) because she was patient with her understanding of his grief by giving him less to worry about, it gave him the opportunity to observe her. Overtime he noticed how adaptive she was to the situation between father and sons, prioritizing their needs and giving a stable environment, especially to a baby Senjuro who didn’t fully understand what happened to his mother and why his father was so sad. She gave them hope, encouraged their dreams at a time where he felt unable to, even he would admit he wasn’t the most hospitable employer. Shinjuro was slightly impressed with how experienced she was with both childcare, and maintenance of the household. She had a warm presence about her, calm with a wisened patience that did wonders for his bitterness. It almost made him curious about her background, but since technically he is not supposed to care, he never really pressed for it (He tried once while drunk, but the short response she gave sobered him up real quick). In turn, he gave that same respect to her. The main point was that she didn’t try to fix him, she just made sure that he would have space and an environment to where he can find his own way, no matter how long it took.

When he realized his feelings for her, it was two years into her time as a governess. Senjuro was 7 while Kyojuro was just turning 11, Hatomi made it a habit to tuck the boys into bed, finding ways to burn their energy so they don’t stay up and disturb Shinjuro. She would tell stories, talk with them and even play games until they went to bed. Shinjuro happened to be walking by, surprisingly sober enough that he heard a strange sound. Humming coming from their room. He peeked through the door and saw her humming to the kids, lulling them to sleep with a soft smile. That smile, calming yet with a sadness he knew nothing about left him to wonder, which came with curiosity….and an unfamiliar feeling in his chest. Unfamiliar because it’s been so long since he had that little first sign of affection and he thought he had smothered that with Ruka.

It was supposed to be impossible, and denial hit him like a train. (Too soon😂).

His way of dealing with it was denying that it was the romantic kind of affection, cuz that would lead to a myriad of conflictions and guilt he refused to think about. (Why add on to the reasons for his Sake addiction?). It was years of convincing himself it was a weird familial connection, that he had to see her as a family friend to protect what was left of his sanity because he had no energy left to stress about it. The guilt was there, but it was subdued telling himself that he just cared about her well-being. For the boys sake of course, cause they liked her and she took good care of them. That and while she had a similar aura to Ruka with her patience, it was a blessing in disguise that the two women had some defining differences….it eased the guilt but not enough to where the attraction faded, in fact it only got stronger with time. Considering how devastated he was about Ruka, the guilt he felt thinking he might be betraying her by feeling this way was immense and while he can deal with stress, that hopelessness thinking he must be a horrible man for feeling attracted to another woman. It took him 8 years after to even come to full grasp with how he felt about her, as he was coherent enough to know that acting impulsively with expressing it would ruin any line of trust they had. Shinjuro respected her as she was a widow as well, and wanted to keep his quiet affection for her honest, and with that, refused to take advantage of it. He knew what grief does to people better than anyone, and would never want to place himself in a situation where she would become just another object to ease the ache. Hence why he never said anything for a decade, you gotta respect his patience though.😂. The breaking point was after Kyojuro’s Death, when he did something that caused a bit of a mess that tested that tense trust, but after everything settled the once broken trust got stronger, strong enough to give him the courage to admit his affections….and finally open up to her about it. And she in turn opened up to him with her story, her past, and her motivation behind helping them. He realized that Hatomi had more in common with him than he thought, which was yet one more thing they bonded and comforted each other through such a difficult time. He found that she understood him, something he deeply admired and treasured.

A lil snippet into the story I had been writing for them…😉

He realized that she too was one who suffered much in her own life, and instead of letting it take her down the path he went, made the decision he was to weak to make. Instead of closing herself off like he had upon Ruka’s death, she found the strength to move on and heal. She instead dedicated herself to helping others in need, the consistency and nurturing gave others the strength to heal despite how broken and battered she was herself, she inspired those she cared for to keep going with such patient support. She too had lost someone she loved, and while the hesitation to love once more was present as for all these years was quite stubborn in putting her duties above personal feelings, it was not nearly as crippling. She did not let the loss discourage her from opening herself up to the possibility. Hatomi was strong, both her mind and heart….much like Ruka before her passing. Perhaps that was why he was drawn to her, while the traits were reminiscent of his late wife, they had their respective difference. Differences that he had come to respect and admire over the years, even if he never dared show it. He was afraid. He had always been ever since he had lost the only pillar of strength and stability, which caused him to spiral out of control. Too afraid to be around his sons that though despite looking so much like him, were a constant reminder of what Ruka left behind. Afraid and not knowing how to properly move on, did the only thing that drinking his sorrows away would allow. He pushed them away.

It might have been too late for Shinjuro, as his own shortcomings had an inevitable hand in his eldest sons death, at this moment …..he would not let himself be afraid anymore. He wanted to try again. He wanted to love and be loved again, because their passed loved ones would want both him and Hatomi to live and create new bonds that will strengthen their passion for life.

Sorry for the ramble, but as you can tell I had WAY TOO MUCH time to develop this relationship and any opportunity to share it is so much fun! Because I wrote too much I have no room for Hatomi in this ask so feel free to shoot a separate ask for her with how she felt on her end. Any specifics or questions I would be happy to answer! Thank you for the ask!

8 notes · View notes

iron-embers · 17 days

Text

Hatomi+Rengoku Family Taisho secrets

I have so much written content on these fixations, here are some of Hatomi and the Rengoku family

Her favorite flowers are white plume blossoms and white lily. Senjuro brought over a branch as a toddler from the tree outside, offering it to her a a bouquet with the shyest smile on his face. Hatomi was touched by the gesture and could have cried from how sweet he was.

Because Hatomi had trouble going to sleep as a baby, her father Dmitri sang or hummed to her while carrying her to get her to sleep. Her mother Fumiye would hum or sing short and sweet lullabies in Japanese, but her father’s she remembered the most. Dmitri was an exceptional singer, a deep voice that carried well and for a long time as he sang old Russian lullabies he heard from other orphan children in his youth. Without fail it lulled Hatomi to a deep sleep.

She ends up making a habit that when Senjuro had a hard time sleeping, she began to hum to him as her father did for her. Later even singing some of those old Russian and Japanese lullabies she remembered. There are very few Russian ones that she remembers how they go or what they mean, but for the others she can’t fully recall, she hums the tune as the melody is engraved in her mind.

. She is not an exceptional singer, but has a distinctive soft tone to her singing, that anyone that hears it would know her calming voice. Shinjuro heard it a couple times on nights when he couldn’t sleep, and he heard her singing to Senjuro. Her voice brought out a quiet in him even when extremely inebriated, and he can’t help but stay silent and listen. It is soothing to a point where he doesn’t even drink from the sake bottle when he hears. Some of the Melodies are sad, and while Senjuro did not pick up on them, from afar Shinjuro could hear the mournful tone even while drunk. A sad man knows when another is in a silent misery.

While she does not sleep easily, once she is, good luck trying to wake her back up. She is a very heavy sleeper, and sleeps until she comes to which is usually a solid 7 hour sleep. Naps are hard for her because if she sleeps it is not half assed, and there is no possible way she can nap for just an hour or two. The few scares she has given Senjuro and Shinjuro were memorable ones, and for some reason the only one who was able to wake her up on the first try is Kyojuro due to his naturally boisterous nature.

Hatomi may not look the type, but despite her serious demeanor, she is a goofball around kids. She loves and will do anything to make kids laugh, no matter how silly or humiliating it is. Silly antics ensue, one moment she is doing dishes, the next she’s chasing kids around and threatening to bless them with the holy sink water.

Indulges kid Kyojuro in his strange habit of bringing home random things, sometimes bugs, rocks, knickknacks and his easy fascination. Senjuro didn’t like it when he brought bugs inside.

Senjuro usually was not picky but the one thing he hated was eating Kale as a child, refused to eat it raw or stewed because he would feel queasy after eating it. Shinjuro would get upset thinking he was wasting food, but Hatomi found a compromise. She one day took the kale outside and baked it. After sprinkling some salt she served the kale next day to Senjuro. Needless to say after asking him to try it, he loved it and proceeded to munch on all of it. It showed Hatomi’s willingness to compromise, to not fully coddle Senjuro but at least help him find a way to eat the kale in a way that was better for him.

When Senjuro was seven he showed interest in a slingshot, and so for his birthday Hatomi gifted him one as she had experience with them (As an archer, she was delighted to hear he wanted to). Showing him how to use a slingshot, first time trying it he hits the tree limb and it ends up ricocheting, hitting him square on the forehead. Cue him silently crying, trying not to complain but failing as Hatomi tends to him. (She is trying so hard not to laugh at his predicament, finding it ironic as she as a child did the same exact thing and her Grandfather laughed at her.)

The slingshot she gave him was one her deceased husband Kaito made for their son Genji once he got older. Unfortunately that would never come. Hatomi recalled the memory of watching him carve it, the focus he had while etching the design, and the conversation she had with him. He mentioned that he wanted to encourage Genji to practice, joking that at the very least he wanted him to be a better shot than his old man and take after something she was good at. It was a bitter sweet memory, she had some difficulty deciding on what to do with it, but reminisces that Kaito would have wanted to give it to someone who would make use of it, and appreciate it.

When Kyojuro begins his career as a demon slayer, many nights of his father ignoring him while Hatomi waits for him to come home after, usually cooking something and talking with him. She wanted to show him that he had support, and while his father never showed it, it was a gesture that helped ease tension.

Senjuro would get sick on occasion due to pollen, and Hatomi would be the main one to care for him when Kyojuro was out on missions. It helped him to focus to know she would watch over Senjuro

Kyojuro would sometimes get sick, but brush it off as if he weren’t. After years of chasing a little Kyojuro around to settle so she could treat him, she has developed a strategy to get him in a position where he cannot possibly argue, escape, or deny care. No it’s not rendering him unconscious as tempted as she is, but the tactic never fails even if Kyojuro is a young adult now. And yes it’s bribing him and then slight guilting him by saying if he stays sick he might get Senjuro sick

Both children had their little quirks when sick, but for Hatomi the worse Rengoku to deal with when sick was their Father. He both didn’t like to show he was sick, but when being tended to was so stubborn about it. He fell into a few fevers due to the alcohol and poor eating schedule. The first one he was very bitchy about it, more irritable and reactive to everything. Both as a way to show he wasn’t weak and on the more depressing side wondered why anyone should care about an old wash up like him. Hatomi knew but didn’t try to argue verbally, she just went about her duty and tended to him

Example

Shinjuro: Hell…..I feel so hot….this is shit.

Hatomi: *Dousing a new washcloth with cold water as she readies some miso*That’s a good sign, your body is trying to heal itself. Best to regulate your temperature…..It will help the fever, as well as some fluids in your system.

Shinjuro: *Glares at her weakly* I know ……how fevers work…..m’not stupid

Hatomi: *Internally* I swear you’re children are dealing with this far better….and far less attitude.

Lemme know what you guys think and if you want more, and feel free to ask questions!

11 notes · View notes