BUTTERFLY : SHINOBU KOCHO (PART ONE)

Part 1: Chapter 27; Gross

"Ahhh~, this hits the spot~" Yae exhaled with a look of relief on her face, sinking into the hot water of the underground hot springs in Sakusa's manor.

"You're not wrong at all, Yae~" Shinobu mirrored the hunter girl's expression, floating in the rock pool with her body going limp in the water.

A fantastic benefit of being built upon a mountain was access to the warm core beneath the earth, heating up the pockets of water located down beneath the storage rooms, Kakushi quarters and other things, way down in the bottommost floor of the Rage Manor.

There, the hot springs were said to be so soothing, that even the most uncontrollable and wild Kari would be instantly calmed when their bodies came into contact with the pools below.

Shinobu never tried them out, but Yae went almost every day the second she was awake.

So, naturally, Shinobu was taken the night Sakusa had woken up to celebrate.

Now, the two sat in the warm, revitalizing waters in the evening, enjoying a moment of relaxation between them.

"Y'know," Yae said, looking up at the rock ceiling above the duo, "I quite like this place."

"Oh, you do~?" Shinobu replied, closing her eyes with a smile on her lips.

""Mhm. It's a nice home, nicer than Miss Umiki and Mister Sadao's place. Plus, I get to hunt just as I would before with the Kakushi here, and one of them is an actual hunter who knows his stuff. It was nice going out today, and...I dunno, I guess I just really enjoy being in the company of the Demon Slayer Corps."

"Oh, are you considering becoming a Demon Slayer yourself~?" Shinobu asked innocently. Inside, however, she was praying Yae wasn't thinking of walking down that path.

I swear to god, Yae, if you say you are, I'm gonna knock your head back on straight with a hammer.....

Shinobu would hate to see a young girl with a bright life ahead of her like Yae choose to become a Slayer and involve herself in this life any more than she already had. It definitely was not one for the lighthearted, for the innocent, hell, even for the ones who cannot stomach losing your life or being at fault for the loss of someone else's. It was a cruel life, one that nobody should have to live.

Luckily, though, Yae laughed off that question. "Pft, no way, Miss Kocho!" The hunter girl exclaimed, "I'm not cut out for something like that!"

"Hell, you watched me go up against someone who wasn't even a demon, right?" Yae continued, referring to the night Sakusa was almost taken over by Razel, "I'm no slayer, let alone Hashira."

"I'm a 17 year old girl, I've got a future to look out for- oh, no offense, Miss Kocho."

"No, no, none taken~" Shinobu replied, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you decided against something like this, and I hope you live long and well."

"Thank you, Miss Kocho." The hunter girl slid deeper into the still water, only letting her face float above the surface shutting her eyes and letting a smug grin form on her lips.

"For now, I think I'll stick with you guys, though~"

Shinobu took that as the end of their conversation, and she mimicked the hunter girl's actions and slid in as well, shutting her eyes.

"TO THE AWAKENING OF THE GREAT PHOENIX!!" A Kakushi stood up from his seat among the others in attendance, raising his cup in the air.

The others repeated his actions, standing up and holding their cups in the air.

"TO THE GREAT PHOENIX!" They cried.

Shinobu and Yae both had confused looks on their faces.

Huh?