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“KAW! Kocho Shinobu is dead! She was defeated by upper moon two!” The crow’s shrill cry split through the gloomy night.
“Huh…?”
Only silence.
“Keep your legs moving Giyuu. Don’t stop.”
For an instant, everything stopped. The pounding of his heart, the sound of his feet drumming against the ground and even the roar of the battle in the distance vanished into thin air.
And in that silence, her face surfaced. Shinobu, framed by fluttering butterflies, standing beside the butterfly sisters. The one moment when her guard slipped and her lips curved into something real. A smile so bright and delicate, so uncharacteristic of the mask she puts on daily, that it carved itself into his memory without him even realizing it.
He could still see it, bright and warm against the darkness that consumed him now.
“Keep your legs moving Giyuu. Don’t stop.”
His breath hitched and his chest tightened until it hurt to inhale. The voice of the crow kept echoing in his ears. His body moved without thought, legs carried him forward in a frantic sprint, though he had no destination, no plan. He was just running, as if speed alone could ever outrun the truth.
But yet the words refused to take a shape inside of him. They didn't fit, didn't make sense. She was unyielding, sharp as poison, and light as air, a flame too stubborn to ever be extinguished. And yet…
He took a deep breath as his mind began clawing for anything, any anchor to keep her alive inside him.
“You are really gloomy, Tomioka-san.” Her voice, gently mocking
“Do you ever smile?” Her narrowed eyes challenged him.
Her back, delicate but unshaken, as she walked ahead with unwavering resolve.
Her hands were so steady even when her body trembled.
That smile, the one he should’ve cherished more.
“Keep your legs moving Giyuu. Don't stop”
His throat burned. He wanted to scream, but all that escaped was the sound of his ragged breathing as his body pushed forward, towards the battlefield, towards the enemy, whoever it was.
Every step felt hollow, but he forced them anyway, because if he stopped, if he let himself collapse, he would never stand again. He ran because Shinobu had fallen, and the only thing he had left to offer her was to fight until his body gave out.
Her smile lingered in his mind, so vivid it almost felt real. The curve of her lips, the gentle sparke in her eyes as if she was just standing a step away.
If I fall here… that smile disappears forever.
His grip tightened on his katana, his chest heaving. His blood sang with power, and his body moved before he could even think.
His dream was shattered with the sound of cracking stone.
A shadow loomed in front of him. His eyes were blazing with predatory hunger while his grin widened, savoring the challenge that was about to unfold.
It was the upper moon three, Akaza.
The demon’s voice thundered across the clearing. Akaza grinned, his fists gleaming with hunger for the battle. Giyuu said nothing. He tightened his grip on his katana until his knuckles began to whiten, his body trembling not with fear, but with something that drove him.
Her hair, dark as midnight, caught the light in purple hues when the sun touched it, always gathered neatly yet never losing its softness. Her eyes, wide and gleaming like polished amethyst. Her name pounded in his skull.
The fight ignited in an instant. Akaza lunged, the ground splintering beneath his step. Giyuu raised his blade to meet him, steel clashing against Akaza’s flesh as sparks flew. Tanjiro’s scream cut through the chaos, but Giyuu barely registered it. Every motion was instinct. Every strike, every parry, every slash.
For Shinobu.
The memory of her ironically soothing tone when she mocked him.
For shinobu.
Her determination when she swore to protect others so that they will not meet the same fate as her.
For shinobu
Her fleeting, genuine smile that had burrowed into his chest like a hidden flame.
The anger burned hotter with every exchange.
“Water breathing: Fourth form: Striking tide.” He muttered under his breath. Each time his blade tore through Akaza’s flesh, he pictured her small frame dissolving into the enemy’s grasp, and his fury deepened. His arms screamed from the force of his swings, his breath ragged but he did not falter.
The clash was relentless. Akaza’s fists tore through the air, each strike shattering stone, rattling Giyuu’s bones, even with his newfound speed, he couldn't avoid them all.
One blow grazed his side, tearing flesh open. He staggered, breath hitching. Blood seeped through his uniform, hot and sticky.
For a moment, the battlefield blurred…
And he saw her.
“Honestly, Tomioka-san… you should take better care of yourself. Do you enjoy worrying people?” Shinobu’s lips curled in that infuriating half smile as she kneeled beside him, hands steady as she wrapped his arm in fresh bandages.
Her tone was light, teasing as always, but her hands were gentle. She tightened the bandage with extra precision, her fingers brushing his skin so deliberate, careful, and soft.
“GAGH!” Giyuu’s jaw clenched. The memory had vanished with the sting of another blow. Akaza’s fists barely missed his head, the shockwave splintering the ground where he had stood just a heartbeat before. Giyuu forced his blade up, parrying with trembling hands.
Another flash.
Shinobu again.
Her brows furrowed in concentration as she dabbed medicine on his wound.
“Hold still. You act so tough, but I can see you wince.”
He knew he was biting back a response. He was embarrassed. But only she ever gave him that look, so sharp and yet… so caring, as if she could see right through his silence.
Pain was burning through his shoulder and back and yet he refused to yield. His vision sharpened, his strikes fueled by something far deeper than rage. Giyuu’s vision tunneled. His pulse thundered. He struck with a ferocity he hadn't known he possessed. Tanjiro staggered back, eyes wide at the sudden surge in Giyuu’s speed. Akaza paused, just for a heartbeat, as though sensing something awakening.
Heat seared across his face. A mark, bright-red flame-like, bloomed as it crawled down his cheek. His entire body suddenly surged with power, movements sharper and faster, like water unleashed from a dam.
His blade surged with the force of his conviction, water roaring like a storm ride. He roared with it, a sound torn not from rage, but from grief sharpened into unbreakable resolve. For one fleeting instant, as the mark burned brightest, he thought he could almost see her. Butterflies scattering in his periphery, her silhouette at the edge of his vision, watching him with that secret smile.
“Kocho…”
The battle raged, their movements faltered. Akaza’s body has begun to disintegrate, his outline shredding apart into embers that scattered into the wind. A demon who had drenched centuries in blood was finally gone at last.
But victory had no taste.
Giyuu staggered, every breath a knife inside his chest, his knees blocked as his lungs burned. Every bone in his body screamed while blood soaked his uniform. With fingers that were bloodied and raw, he tried to push himself upright as he clutched his katana.
He forced a step and then another.
His vision blurred, the world swaying, until he fell forward on both knees. With every last bit of strength, he drove his blade into the ground. The nichirin carved into the wood. His hand trembled against the hilt, refusing to let go even as his body betrayed him.
His chest heaved, head bowed. Blood dripped from his chin. His sight dimmed, narrowing into tunnels of shadow and light.
“Who will tend to my wounds now, Shinobu?”
The world around him was swaying, colours bleeding together until the battlefield faded away entirely. The broken ground beneath him smoothed into soft earth. The acrid scent of blood faded, replaced with wisteria that was carried by a gentle breeze. The air was warm, touched with sunlight that caressed his calloused skin. In the haze of his fading consciousness, he felt a presence. Light steps, softer than air.
And then… he saw her.
Shinobu.
She stood a few paces away, her form illuminated as if the light itself clung onto her. Her dark hair shimmering with violet, each strand catching the glow of the sunset. Her eyes, amethyst, clear and gentle were fixed on him with the same quiet intensity. Her haori swayed like butterfly wings in the breeze, soft pastel hues flickering against the endless field of flowers that stretched the horizon.
“Honestly, tomioka-san.” she said lightly, tilting her head, “you push yourself way too much.” Her voice carried both reprimand and affection, the same balance that always left him speechless.
He stood frozen, unable to move or breathe.
She stepped closer, her eyes softening, “i saw what you did there, you were amazing.”
The words broke him. His chest seized, and tears spilled freely, unstoppable. He reached for her, desperate as his lips began to tremble.
“Kocho…” His voice cracked and hoarse. “I'm sorry… I wasn't there to protect you.”
Shinobu only shook her head gently, that wry little smile tugging her lips. “You know me, Tomioka. I wouldn't have let you. That was my choice.” Her gaze lingered on him, kind but unyielding.
“Thank you for being my friend. For being my companion.”
She paused, her eyes glimmering like twilight.
“I know you love me. And… I love you too. But maybe… this world wasn't meant for us.”
His body trembled as he closed the distance, pulling her into a desperate embrace. His tears soaked her shoulder as his arms locked around her slender frame.
“I love you, Shinobu…” The confession tore itself from him.
She smiles softly against him, her arms encircling him in return.
“Giyuu…” She whispered, her voice steady and tender, “It isn't your time yet.”
He held her tighter, refusing to let go, memorizing the feel of her in his arms, the comfort of her touch. For one brief, impossible moment, it was everything he wanted.
And then the light began to fade. Her warmth slipped through his fingers, her presence dissolving like wisteria petals in the wind.
Giyuu’s eyes flew open.