The demon flipped in midair, landing on his feet and effectively dodging Giyuu's blow. They'd arrived at the mansion the following evening. As soon as they went inside, they were taken by surprise as an immediate attack was launched at them.
Giyuu leapt aside as the demon unleashed a flurry of attacks to his right. His heart was racing, and adrenaline pumped through his body. Keeping his breathing even, Giyuu quickly recuperated the attack, making a vertical slash which the demon swerved around smoothly.
His eyes widened as the demon suddenly reappeared behind him and slashed at the air. It would've beheaded him if he hadn't ducked in time. Why did the demon look so familiar? Long, spiky hair tipped in burgundy. Six red eyes with yellow irises. Pale skin. His blood froze as he recognized the resemblance to the Upper Rank One this demon had. Kokushibo?
No, that couldn't be. This demon didn't have the Twelve Kizuki mark engraved into its eye. No matter, he would still have to finish it off. It was using Moon Breathing, and nimbly maneuvering around his strikes with incredible agility. Shinobu was barely dodging his swipes, so Giyuu tried to keep the demon occupied, but it somehow managed to keep both of them engaged. They couldn't go on like this, using all their energy. They were wearing out. They needed reinforcements.
* * *
Just get closer, Shinobu. Inject it with the poison. You don't have much longer until daylight, and you can't fight forever. Shinobu wove through the flurry of attacks the demon released, getting close enough to make a few cuts, at least. At the last moment, the demon turned and dodged her attack. "I was created from half of the Upper Rank One, Kokushibo's soul. Do you truly believe you can match my abilities?" Half of his soul? Defeating this demon would make it easier to defeat Kokushibo.
Shinobu launched herself toward him, but was met with a swift attack that caught her off guard, knocking her backwards. Her sword flew out of her hand and landed a few feet from her. As she scrambled to get it, the demon came down on her, sword raised as it prepared to behead her. Shinobu's eyes widened. She couldn't dodge, block, or recuperate this attack. Was this how she would die?
Just then, Giyuu threw himself in front of her, posture open and vulnerable. Shinobu's eyes widened. What was he doing? The demon's sword pierced his shoulder, a gaping hole made through it, and he cried out in pain as he fell to his knees, the sword sharply wrenched back, dripping in his blood. She froze for a moment, shocked, before she caught up to the present. Her gut twisted, but the feeling was quickly overcome by anger. Rage. Her very bones were on fire. Just like that, all the anger, the fury, that she had kept trapped inside came bursting out, driving her into action.
How dare it hurt Giyuu? He may be irritating, unresponsive and about as interesting to converse with as a rock, but he was a fellow Hashira. More importantly, her friend. With renewed determination, gripping her sword tightly, she released a flurry of attacks on the demon before it could respond. Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon, she thought as her sword flashed before her.
Satisfied, she watched as the poison coursed through the veins of the demon. She hadn't experimented with this mixture yet, but while Giyuu had kept the demon at bay, she'd briskly mixed the poisons in the scabbard of her sword. The demon crumpled to the ground. It was dead. Suddenly, it rose again. Loud, ringing laughter echoed through the mansion. An electric current of shock coursed through her body. The poison hadn't killed it?
"I suspected as much. With your small structure and that thin blade, you can't behead demons." These words made her blood boil. A great, tidal wave of rage rose inside her. Of course she knew that. Small. Weak. Tiny. Fragile. Why couldn't she have grown taller like Kanae? Even Kanao could decapitate a demon. When was the last time she had ever felt useful? It wasn't Giyuu who didn't deserve his position as a Hashira. It was Shinobu. That's why she'd gotten so serious about telling him he couldn't control his luck. Because she felt the same way. But hearing the words from the vile mouth of this demon made her furious.
She had to act. She was almost gasping for breath, and it hurt to breathe; she had probably broken a rib or two. Her lungs felt like they would collapse any minute. Shinobu's vision was blurred. It was all she could do to dodge the attacks. She looked over her shoulder at Giyuu. He was forcing himself to get up. He was in no condition to walk; if he tried to fight, he could further injure his shoulder, and he could damage it so much he wouldn't be able to fight again. "Tomioka-san!" she yelled, in pure panic.
He didn't respond, but Shinobu could feel his eyes on her back as she jumped over the demon's blade. "Don't get up! You'll further injure your shoulder!" "No!" Giyuu yelled back. "I have to help." Shinobu swerved around the demon's blade and clenched her teeth.
"NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO BE A RASH HEROIC IDIOT! LISTEN TO WHAT I SAY, DAMN IT!" Giyuu didn't respond, and Shinobu threw herself onto the floor to avoid another swipe of the demon's sword. "I haven't seen any this challenging in a while. You two are quite a handful, aren't you?" the demon spoke in a perfectly neutral voice, as if speaking about the weather.
A plan formed in Shinobu's head. She leapt backward, slowly inching out of the mansion. Giyuu caught on, and jumped backwards each time the sword came his way. Shinobu shook her head. He wouldn't listen, so she'd have to make sure he didn't use his arm at all.
The sun would rise any minute now. The demon slashed at her, and this time the blade reached her, making a deep cut onto her arm. Shinobu bit down on her lip, hard. Almost out of the mansion. She kept jumping backwards to avoid the attacks.
They were outside now. She willed her body to keep moving, repeatedly telling herself, Only a few minutes. Just a few more.
Shinobu had several cuts across her face now, and her breathing was growing increasingly painful, with a sharp sting every time she inhaled deeply. Giyuu was trying to hold off the demon to give her time to rejuvenate. Shinobu quickly pushed him aside and clashed her blade against the demons. With a loud snap, the sword broke. Shinobu stared in horror as the top part of her blade crashed to the ground. How would she fight now? Giyuu leapt in front of her again and tried to attack with his left arm, but the attack was easily pushed away by the demon and Giyuu had slammed against a wall, knocked out.
The demon had appeared behind her and pushed her to the ground. She was crawling backwards as the blade grew increasingly close to her neck. Any moment now, her life would end. And she wouldn't've fulfilled her purpose. She wouldn't've killed the demon that took her sister's life. She shut her eyes tightly.
I'm sorry, Nee-san. I wasn't able to avenge you. Please forgive me. A loud clanking noise caused her eyelids to fly open. The demon's sword had been knocked out of its hand. Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira. "What-?" "Are you alright?" "Yes," Shinobu said, rising to her feet.
The Sound Hashira's Point of View:
The woman before him was hardly recognizable. Her hair had come out of her bun and was hanging loose by her shoulders in a tangled mess. Her usually pristine white haori was streaked with dirt and splattered with blood. From the way she leaned over slightly, she must've broken at least a few ribs. Cuts and bruises lined her face. She was breathing heavily. But most of all was her expression. Her eyes were wide with fury, contorted into something feral. Wild. She was the last person who he'd expect this expression on. This was pure, unyielding rage.
He and Muichiro had been flamboyantly sent to help Kochou and Tomioka. "Where's Tomioka-san?" Muichiro asked her. "He's out cold," she gasped. "He's been wounded." Tengen exchanged glances with Muichiro. Tomioka wounded? That was very uncommon and un-flamboyant. "Is he alright?" Muichiro asked. His tone was sharp and serious, unlike himself. He must actually be worried for the Water Hashira.
"I don't know," Kochou said, shaking her head, her angry expression replaced with one of concern. Just then, the demon launched itself at Uzui, and he blocked the blow. Before any of them knew it, the first golden rays of sunshine lit up the land, and the demon burned to ashes, screaming in agony as it went. All that was left of it were a pile of clothes, a sword, and ashes disintegrating into the air.
Hope you liked this chapter. Please vote and comment if you want to see what happens next. Author-San out.
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The Butterfly That Saved Him-A GiyuShino Story
Fanfiction"You're the one....I love." Tomioka Giyuu doesn't expect to fall in love with the Insect Hashira. And Kochou Shinobu doesn't expect to fall for the Water Hashira. In a world where all they know is demons, death, and despair....shockingly, the cold...
