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This place is beautiful.
The pink and green haired woman thinks, as she strolls down the sakura tree-lined path. A soft breeze tickles the back of her neck, falling leaves and flower petals alike twirl about in the wind.
The delicate pink petals and bristle green leaves land in her outstretched palm. She smiles at the sight.
She doesn't know how long she's been aimlessly wandering around, but no matter how far she walks, her feet never seem to tire.
She can't remember what she was doing beforehand, but she has a gut feeling that whatever it was, she needn't worry about it.
As of now, all she can focus on is the dreamy, cloudy feeling, as her feet carry her along, pausing every now and then to admire some pretty flowers.
The sweet fragrance of plum blossoms greets her senses as she strolls. As she nears the end of the path, her keen eyes spot a clearing up ahead.
Immediately, she quickens her pace, rushing past the various kinds of wildlife growing on the sides of the path. A dull urge tugs at her heartstrings, as if the clearing is calling out to her.
The moment her feet step off the gravel and touch the green grass, she draws in a large gasp of air. A burst of energy ignites within her — just for a mere few seconds — before the feeling fades, and recedes under her skin.
When she opens her eyes, the scenery seems to have changed. Instead of a fresh, grassy clearing, she's now standing on the edge of a cliff. Around her, trees with pink and white leaves sway in the wind. When she looks down over the edge, all she sees is a wide blanket of fluffy whiteness. She has a feeling that if she jumped down, the clouds would cushion her fall quite comfortably.
"Ah, you're here."
An eloquent voice chimes from behind her. She turns, startled at the presence of another that she had not noticed.
A woman with shoulder length black and purple hair was sitting in a kneeling position on a grey picnic mat. She was small and slender, and a lavender-coloured kimono adorned her slim frame, a subtle vine pattern sewn at the hem. She smiled at her, and the other immediately felt a rush of rosy warmth flood her entire body.
"I'm here." She murmurs, and takes an instinctual step forward. "You..."
Underneath the cosy warmth she feels, she can sense a cloudy barrier wrapped protectively around her memories, locking her out of her own mind. The words that were on the tip of her tongue mere seconds ago had faded away, and the more she tries to grasp at them, the further away they drift.
"I'm here." She repeats, with a sliver of confidence.
The woman shakes her head, with an air of sorrow. "I hadn't expected you so soon.. but, I suppose it couldn't be helped. You did well. Welcome home, Mitsuri."
At those words, the cloudy barrier lifts, and like a dam breaking, her memories come flooding back, nearly overwhelming her mind. All of her life’s pain, sorrow, fear, suffering, anger.. and joy. She remembers.
She remembers her younger brothers and sisters who loved her, and used to play with her every day. She remembers her mother and father, who gave her a wonderful childhood. She remembers her friends and subordinates, who looked upon her with reverence and awe. She remembers the Master and his family, who encouraged her to embrace her strength, and find self acceptance. She remembers the Hashira, who she fought alongside valiantly. She remembers the Kamado siblings, who never gave up on each other. She remembers...
"Shinobu!" She blurts out, the moment the name flashes into her mind.
Shinobu smiles again. "Hello, Kanroji-san."
"Is it really you? I.. I never thought I'd see you again.." Mitsuri begins to properly look around and survey her surroundings. "Where... are we..? Is this... Heaven?"
Shinobu doesn't answer, but pats the space on the mat beside her. "Come, sit."
Mitsuri obliges, curling into a cross-legged sitting position next to her. "Shinobu-san.. Are you well?"
The Insect Hashira's eyebrows raise, and a hint of amusement shines through her eyes. Such pretty.. violet eyes. Have they always been so bright? Mitsuri can't remember having admired them before, but now their beauty seems so glaringly obvious, she wonders how she could have missed it.
"I am well, thank you for asking. Though it would seem it would be more appropriate of me to turn this question around and ask you. Are 𝘺𝘰𝘶 well, 𝘔𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪-𝘴𝘢𝘯?"
Mitsuri flushed, pink tinting her cheeks. "I.. I am."
Shinobu let out a soft chuckle. "Would you like some tea?"
"Tea?" Mitsuri questions, looking around. Then, she spots a teapot and several cups laid around the blanket that she was sure hadn't been there several moments ago.
"Woah.." She whispered. "How..?"
Shinobu lifts the sleeve of her kimono as she pours the tea delicately into one of the cups. "Time passes differently here, I’ve been here for quite a while. It gets easier to manipulate this realm." Mitsuri nods in acknowledgement.
“I see..”
The two of them drink their tea in silence, enjoying the peace and quiet. Mitsuri shuts her eyes, basking in the calm stillness of Heaven.
"I wonder.. if Iguro-san..." Mitsuri trails off. Iguro Obanai had been her dearest friend, and they had even died in each other's arms. She sincerely hoped that he had made it into Heaven too.
"He's out there. Somewhere." Shinobu says, gazing into the distance.
"Really?” Mitsuri straightens up, overjoyed at the news. “Thank goodness! I'm so happy for him! Will we ever see him again?"
Shinobu turns to fix those beautiful violet eyes upon her again, and gives her a soft smile that makes her knees go weak. "If you wish for it to happen, it will." She answers assuredly.
"I see.." Mitsuri glances in the direction Shinobu had been looking at, but only sees a bunch of trees, and the golden sun in the horizon. She does have quite a strong urge to reunite with her beloved friends. Rengoku, Iguro, Himejima, and Muichiro.. would they be waiting for them? Or would they be reuniting with their loved ones too?
But as much as she wants to see them again, it is overridden by her desire to be with Shinobu for just a 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 while longer.
"I think.. I'll stay here for now." 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
Shinobu shuts her eyes and nods gracefully. She looks ethereal under the pale sunlight, the rays shining onto her, making her look like a goddess.
Mitsuri hesitates for a moment, before caving to her own desires, and shifts herself to the side, before gingerly laying her head onto Shinobu's lap. She can’t explain the inexplicable need to be close to her, to be with her, so she remains silent, in hopes the other wouldn’t mind.
Shinobu's eyes remain shut, but a few moments later, Mitsuri feels gentle fingers slowly trailing through her hair, loosely sprawled across her lap. The ministrations feel nice, and Mitsuri hums, satisfied.
Maybe spending forever in the afterlife with Shinobu wouldn't be so bad after all. The sun wouldn't rise, nor would it set. Day was eternal, and night was foreign. No matter how long Mitsuri stayed, it would always be the same day she arrived.
"Hey, Shinobu-san? ..Thank you."
𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺?