☆.｡.:* "What?" Tanjiro said weakly, "Arata's missing?"
Along with Zenitsu and Inosuke, Tanjiro was recovering from their recent mission in the Butterfly Mansion. Already in a miserable mood after Rengoku's death, the news about Arata struck him heavily.
"Yes. Giyu, Mitsuri, and I are searching," Shinobu replied, smiling sadly, "But..."
"I... I see,"
"What?" Inosuke exclaimed, "My newest underling is missing?"
"We also found this under one of the drawers in Arata and Nezuko's shared room," Shinobu said, pulling out a slightly crumbled piece of paper and handing it to Tanjiro.
It was a lovely drawing of a scribbly-drawn Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke standing side by side in a lush, green forest.
"Aww..." Tanjiro sniffed, smiling bleakly.
"She drew a lot more," Shinobu continued to say, "They're very beautiful. I'm hoping we find Arata soon,"
Shinobu exited the room where the trio were resting in. Aoi was standing at the doorway, waiting for Shinobu to come out.
"You didn't tell them Arata ran away?" Aoi whispered.
Shinobu shook her head.
"But... she went missing right after Rengoku's death," Aoi continued to say, "It's too much of a coincidence,"
"I know," Shinobu replied, "But, she must've had her reasons. It was her choice. When we find her, we can try to persuade her to come back. If she refuses... well, I don't want to force her, but I also don't want to leave her all alone..."
Shinobu let out a long sigh.
"We'll see when the time comes, I suppose,"
"Ah!" Aoi exclaimed, suddenly, "Did Arata leave Mew behind? Mew could help us find Arata... since Arata's her owner and she might follow her scent or something..."
"Mew's not a dog," Shinobu said, "And Arata took Mew with her,"
Aoi sighed, with a sad expression on her face, "I hope we find Arata soon. I... miss her,"
Arata was a handful. Always disrupting injured Demon Slayers' recovery by misplacing their medicine, or giving them a scare; always causing havoc in the kitchen and stealing food. Always bothering Shinobu and Kanao, always getting in the way when Aoi did chores, always spreading bad habits, and being a bad influence on Naho, Kiyo, and Sumi.
Yet, despite that, Aoi missed Arata and her silly antics, even if they caused her a major headache.
