Work Text:
Shinobu's POV
It was normal day. No, a plesant day. I didn't have a mission tonight so I had the whole day to myself. I decided to visit Tomioka-san, 'cause why not? I arrive at his estate not long later and knock on his door.
No answer, as usual.
I knock again, this time a bit louder and say "Tomioka-san~" He was probably on the other side of the door testing my patience, like always. "Tomioka-san! I know you're there. It's me, Kocho!"
"Moshi moshi! Hey hey, Tomioka-san~ Open the door, don't make a lady wait! To-mi-o-ka-san~ Come out!"
No answer, once more.
I was getting irritated now. "Tomioka-san!" I yell. What is that bastard doing? ugh. Something came up in my mind, what if something bad happened? What if he overtrained himself? What if he got injured on a mission but didn't come to the Butterfly estate? He is quite stubborn when it comes to his health. What if...
NO! Tomioka-san is strong, no Lower moon or regular demon could kill him, and no crow reported seeing any Upper moon. So he couldn't have died, thank goodness, BUT MAYBE HE IS SEVERELY INJURED AND ON THE VERGE OF DYING!!!
I can't knock the door down that would be extremely rude, i could climb through a window. I walk over to the closest window but quickly realise i'm too short to reach it. I look around and spot a tree close to the window beside the front door.
I quickly jump on the tree and from the tree, i jump through the window and enter his house. Idiot left his window open... but god was i down bad for this same idiot. He's cold but hot at the same time. Why did i even fall inlove with him? I have no idea how.
Back to my super swift ninja moves, i stand up and look at the front door from inside. He isn't here... I look around the empty living room and stop upon seeing two pictures: one had a woman that looked exactly like Tomioka-san and a smaller boy next to her who i assume is Tomioka-san as a small boy.
The second picture had three people in it, Tomioka-san again but slightly older than in the last picture, a boy with peach colored hair and a scar reminding me of Sanemi-san, and a girl with black hair and blue eyes, she strangely resembles Aoi. now that think of it, Aoi did mention she had an elder sister, but if it was this girl then how did she know Tomioka-san...? Maybe they aren't related and it's just a coincidence.
The strangest thing is that in both these pictures Tomioka-san was smiling.
I smile at both pictures. Seeing his smile made me feel warm inside. He always makes me feel warm inside. It's nice seeing him smile for once, even if it's just pictures. But who was that woman in the first picture? Maybe his mother? No she looks only slightly older than him there... mabe around 18-14 years old; if so then she is probably his elder sister or other relative. But if she is, where is she now? Does she live far away? Maybe she died? Suddenly, bad memories of when Kanae died rush into my mind. Gosh.
I turn around and see his haori that was hanging on a hanger and notice, for the first time, why it's a mismatched haori, half of it is the same as his relative's kimono and the other half was that peach haired boy's. He must've been friends with him. And I pick on him everyday for having none... How did he not snap at me or something?
Geez, the fact that he is this much patience is making me fall for him more. But guilt pools at the bottom of my heart as I bite my lip.
I approach his haori and inspect it and even try it on. Its soft, pretty waterproof and comfortable. And it smells like him too. I then notice a red stain near the end of the sleeve, I look at it care fully and realise it's blood. I quickly take it off and hang it back up, I'll deal with it later. The blood is making me worried...
As I start slowly walking to his bedroom I hear coughing sounds, and it wouldn't stop... I start to walk at a faster pace, the closer I get the louder I can hear the coughing. At this point i'm almost running to his room. The door was looked, damnit! I quickly look around to try and find something to pick-lock his door but find nothing. Sorry Tomioka-san, you're going to have to get a new door.
I kick the door open and to my horror, there was blood on the futon, the floor, the desk, everywhere. I hate the smell of blood. 'Focus, Shinobu!' I mentaly scolded myself. I notice a door in the room, must be the room's bathroom which luckily isn't locked because the coughing sound is coming from there. I open the door slowly and my eyes widden, my body petrified at the gory sight.
1 week and two days ago...
Giyuu's POV
I just arrive back to my estate after a mission. Frick, that demon and it's blood demon art were so annoying. I need to sleep, I'll go to Kocho's estate tomorrow for the check up for my inhuries I got from other missions I had earlier this week. I hang up my haori and drink some tea. As I walk towards my room, I spot the picture with Tsutako Nee-san and the picture with Sabito and Makomo... I sigh and walk to my room to shower and go to bed. I shower and put on my night-wear.
I lay down on my futon, i turn my head to the window and watch the stars. Kocho always says "Isn't the moon lovely tonight?". Why does she keep saying it? Does it have a meaning? I don't know, I'll ask her tomorrow. Thinking of her makes me relax, her purple eyes and black hair with purple tips. Her smile... Her smile is always fake around everyone but the one time i saw her actualy genuine smile, it was beautiful. I like listening to her voice and don't mind when she teases me. I feel comfortable around her but also always have this feeling in my stomach, it feels wierd but nice at the same time.
What is this feeling?
This feeling in my stomach... I can't ask Kocho, that would be embarassing. Maybe I'll go to Kanroji's estate and ask her, only if Iguro isn't there though. I'll send her a letter via crow before-hand and ask her about this feeling in my sto— "Ack!"
I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my chest, ,making me quickly sit up as I start coughing. When I finally stop, I look down in confusion as I notice I coughed up... a sakura petal? What the hell? I didn't swallow any flowers. Is it perhap that demon's blood demon art? Maybe I'll ask Kanroji about this too since I'm gonna visit her.
I walk over to my window before opening it and throwing out the petals. I sigh to myself as lay back down on my futon, closing my eyes and hoping to fall asleep quickly, which luckily happened.
In the morning...
I wake up in a cold sweat, i had a nightmare again. I get up and walk to the bathroom to clean myself up. I then remember yesterday's events. Maybe i should ask Kocho about the coughing, i have a better chance of getting a satisfying answer.
As soon as i think about Kocho i start coughing uncontrolably again. I cough and cough into the sink, when i stop coughing, i look down at the sink and see more than one sakura petal and now they had a tiny bit of blood on them. I frown at it in disgust as i start to clean the sink. Once i do i clean myself up, dress up and go to the kichen to make myself breakfast. I decided to make salmon daikon cuz why not? Before i start cooking i send a message to Kanroji via crow.
After i finish cooking i start to eat, i'm pretty impressed at how good i made it this morning, though it won't ever be as good as Tsutako Nii-san's... I finish eating, put on my haori, take my katana and leave for Kanroji's estate. Hopefully Iguro is on a mission today, 'cus if not, i'll have to take a 180 degree turn back...
I arrive at her estate about half an hour later and as i am about to knock on her front door, it flies open and i'm greeted by Kanroji and a huge smile. How did she even know i was here? Oh well, looks like Iguro isn't here so that's good news.
"HIYA TOMIOKA-KUN!!" my ears... I let her call me that since we're friends but must she yell...? "Goodmorning, Kanroji." I say with a neutral face. "I was so happy when you told me you were coming! Come in, I made some tea!" I sigh and enter her house, following her to her kitchen. "So, Tomioka-kun, what did you wanna talk about?" she asks, clearly excited which makes me nervous.
"Well it's something to do with my stomach..." her smile disapearing from her face as soon as i say that... "If it's something to do with your stomach then why ask me? I don't think Shinobu-chan is on a mission." she says, very clearly disapointed as she sips her tea. "Well it's because... i only get this wierd feeling when i'm around Kocho or thinking about her..." her smile suddenly reapears after a few seconds, and it's even bigger...
"KYAAA!" she screames and I cover my ears in fear that my eardrums are gonna give up on me... "K-Kanroji..." "UWAHHH SORRY TOMIOKA-KUN! Do you realise what this means? this feeling, do you realise why you're feeling it?!!" she is screaming... "No, that's why I came to you to ask you about it." I mumbled.
"Tomioka-kun!! You're IN-LOVE!!" She grinned as my eyes widened. In love? With... Kocho? I get wierd feeling in my stomach again, it feels warm, and my face is getting hot too as I frown. "Tomioka-kun, you're blushing!! KYAAAAAA"
I suddenly feel the sharp pain in my chest again and my hand flies up to clench my uniform as I grunt in pain. "Tomioka-kun? Are you ok?" I suddenly start coughing uncontrolably again and Kanroji rushes my to side to aid me and pats my back. I cough up around the same amout of bloody sakura petals as this morning. When I'm finally done, I appologise for the mess and look at her face only to meet her with a shocked and scared expression... "Sorry about that, I was about to head to the Butterfly mansion to get that checked."
"T-Tomioka-kun... do you k-know why you're coughing up t-those things...?" I look at her confused, did she know something I don't? "Tomioka-kun... t-that's Hanahaki desease..." I frown in confusion. "And what is that...?" I ask hesitantly. She said that we should clean up the mess first and than talk about it, seems like it's something serious.
Once the cleaning is done, we sit down on her couch. She starts explaining how it's a rare desease that people who are inlove, like me catch it... How does this even happen? She explained that they are five stages:
1. The victim realises they have the desease and they first start coughing up only sakura petals; this stage usualy lasts one day.
2. The coughed up flower petals are now bloody. This sage lasts about 2 days.
3. This is the stage when the victim is recomended to have surgery, so that they don't end up dying. This stage lasts 2-3 days.
4. The victim now starts to feel lightheaded and their heartbeat slows down. This stage lasts 3 days.
5. The victim will suffocate from the blood and flower petals in their lungs and die on day 10.
"You must confess Tomioka-kun! You can't die yet! WAHHH!" I just sat their shocked, my lips quivering a bit. I stand up "Thank you for the information and the tea, Kanroji. I shall take my leave now." She gets up too and accopanies me to the front door. "Promise me you'll confess, Tomioka-kun! And stay safe!" she says as I walk away and wave her goodbye.
I was thinkng about what to do the whole day. I didn't have enough courage to go to the Butterfly mansion that day, and defenetly not enough to talk to Kocho... she probably hates me afterall.
Day 9 (the day Shinobu came to his estate)...
Everyday I was getting worse. I avoided Kocho, and asked not to get paired up with her for missions. Before I knew it, it was the 9th day and I didn't confess and probably won't... tomorrow I will die, I didn't even say goodbye to Tanjiro and Nezuko...
That night, I was crouching over a bucket in my bathroom, coughing up a huge amount of blood and sakura petals. I didn't even try cleaning my room since I would die tomorrow anyways...
Suddenly, I heard Kocho screaming my name outside my house. It just made the coughing worse, I was tearing up a bit from the pain and knowing the fact I won't ever get to see her genuinely smile ever again. I didn't want her to see me like this, it's so embarassing. It's going to be shameful when they write on my grave stone the cause of my death.
She stopped yelling, did she go away? I hope. After a small while I hear footsteps in my house, did she seriously break in? Without knocking the door down? 'Cus I definitly would've heard it if she whould have broken the door dow— Nevermind she broke my bedroom door. It's the 7th time she broke one of my doors...
I heard her coming closer, opening the bathroom door, and gasping. Gosh this is embarassing. And the fact that I never stoped coughing...
Shinobu's POV
"W-What is this...? T-Tomioka-san!"
I see him crouching over a bucket, coughing up blood and something pink non-stop. I rush to him and pat his back. The bucket was full of blood and what it seemed like pink flower petals... Hanahaki desease...? It broke my heart to see him like this. Thinking about him being inlove with some else made me extremely sad.
After what seemed like forever, his coughing calmed down a bit. I look at him worriedly "Tomioka-san? Who is it?..." I'm asking him who is he inlove with, his coughing was pretty bad so he must be past the surgery stage...
He lowered him head a bit more, his bangs covering his eyes. I could see his lips quiver. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to die by tomorrow anyways..." My eyes widden, I can't imagine living without him. "I-Its not too late to get surgery! Come to my estate, I-I'll do it! You don't have t-to die!" I plead desperately as I grab his shoulders tightly. "I don't want the surgery." he said firmly. I hung my head low, I couldn't force him to but I just-... I love him so much...
"Do love her that much...?" I ask him quietly. "Yeah... her voice, her eyes, her hair, and when she genuinely smiles..." He muttered weakly, jealousy brewing in me. "May... may I know her name...?" he hesitated at first before saying: "You know her very well..." could it be Mitsuri-chan? "She has black hair fading into purple tips... purple eyes... and her genuine smile is beautiful... she is simply gorgeous... inside and out... I wouldn't forget her for anything in the world..." As I process these words, my frown deepens sense I didn't know anyone with that description... except—
"And that woman... it's you..."
"..."
I took a moment to process what he said. Me? Did he just say he is inlove with me? The way he discribed the girl matches me, the hair, the eyes, but did he mean what he said about my genuine smile? And about when he called me... georgous...? He then breakes the silence "Sorry, this is a bit embarassing..." I snap back to reality, I have to reasure him that I like him back. But what if I'm too nervous to say it? No, his life deepends on my choice. I take a deep breath and start to quietly say, almost whispering, my next words.
"Tomioka-san, you don't have to be embarrased. And you won't need surgery... Because I love you too."
He lifts up his head slightly to look at me. His dark blue orbs sparkle as I genuinely smile at him. He suddenly hugs me tightly and thanks me over and over again, sobbing a bit on my shoulder. I hug him back saying: "No need to thank me, Tomioka-san~ I do love you but it seems like you're down bad for me!" I joke a bit to lighten up the mood. While he was calming down.
4 hours later...
About 4 hours later, I finally finished cleaning everything. I insisted that Tomioka-san takes a nap. When I'm done I walk over to the couch where he is sleeping, place a kiss on his forehead and turn around to leave, but Tomioka-san, who had woken up, grabs my arm and asks me to lay down beside him. Just thinking about that makes my cheeks heat up. I try to find an excuse to leave. But he evetually gets it his way and pulls me onto the couch, he hugs me and I hesitate at first but eventually hug him back and fall asleep in his arms.