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ch. 13

Muzan grew over agitated over the past few weeks, as the time where he wasn’t in Karasu’s presence increased. He started jumping to conclusions ‘Have I been treating her badly? Is it because I’m going to die soon and Kara didn't want to have a dead fiance?’ A month passed, and Muzan became frustrated with the lack of progress of his illness. He became bedridden soon enough, and was fed many medicines but none worked. By this time, he had gone insane and killed the doctor.

“Muzan? You’re awake! Finally my dear-”

“Get away from me! You’re not my son!”

“My lord, if you’re looking for Lady Karasu, I’m afraid-”

“My lord? What are you- Is that a head?! Oh my god, where are the guards?! Someone-”

“AHHHHHH SPARE ME, PLEASE, MY LORD!”

“PLEASE I HAVE SO MUCH LEFT TO LIVE FOR, HAVE MERCY MY LORD I’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN TO EXPERIENCE HAPPINESS! AGH-”

“Karasu…” He muttered over and over again holding a bloodied head in his hand. The Sanji family and the Kibutsuji family fell on that day. Everyone was murdered in cold blood just like the vision Denka saw. Many lives were lost.

Karasu opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling wall, in a daze. Her mind was hazy as she recalled her past. “Another dream…” She mumbled, sitting up. Karasu grabbed her haori from her sub space before getting out of bed and heading towards the lab to see Tamayo. She entered the room but only saw Shinobu, she smiled at the hashira.

“Tamayo went to get some ingredients, she’ll be back in a while.” Shinobu smiled back. Karasu nodded, and looked around the lab. It was organised despite the amount of activity that had been happening recently. She smelled something that made her eyes sting and she turned around to investigate it, “It’s wisteria tea.” Shinobu poured some into a cup and drank it.

“I se-” A loud sound filled the room as Karasu tried to process what was going on. Her cheek stung and she slowly turned around to see Shinobu glaring at her in resentment, the hashira had slapped her. “How carefree, it must be nice living as a demon. Mocking the dead by taking their things then casually walking around the butterfly mansion like you own the place, you’re despicable.” Shinobu grabbed her shoulders, “It must be nice, huh. Just because you have a little more power than us humans, you kill people without a second thought, without any care! You were once a human! Your sister was killed too, and yet you chose to become the same thing that killed your sister!”

Throughout this, Karasu didn’t say anything and just stared at the ground. “You’re a monster, and better off dead. Just die already, no one will ever love you or care for you.” Shinobu covered her mouth, realising what she had just said. Her look of resentment turned concerned, it changed in an instant “I-I’m sorry, Karasu… I was just angry at something else. I didn’t mean to.”

“No, it’s alright.” Karasu smiled it off because she knew Shinobu’s anger wasn’t directed at her but at the person who killed her sister, but she felt her heart sting. Before leaving the room, Karasu waved goodbye to Shinobu “Don’t go dying after consuming too much poison, I’m not a healer.”

While walking back, Karasu saw Tamayo. She wanted to confide in her but when she called out, the other merely smiled at her before rushing back to the lab. The upper moon stood on the porch, where she had spent most of her time thinking to herself. It was cold. Karasu breathed, taking in the icy air. “Kara? There you are! I caught a few bears just now, their fresh!” Misturi grinned, holding up 5 bears, Giyu holding up 7. Karasu chuckled, “I don’t need 12 bears, calm down guys!”

Mitsuri giggled, “Eh? Is your arm okay? It’s bleeding!” Karasu brushed off the scratch marks as an experiment Shinobu did on her and feasted hungrily on the bears.

“Hey, Iguro. I think, I think…” Misturi began, her face turning pink in embarrassment. Iguro listened in anticipation, as the love hashira blurted out “I think I’m in love!”. Iguro stared at Mitsuri in horror, like he had just heard the worst thing she could possibly blurt out. He calmly asked her, though he wasn’t all that calm inside “Who is it?”

“She- I mean, they’re so pretty and kind. They didn’t judge me when I told them about my habits and instead, said I was an amazing and wonderful person. I was so happy because I was afraid sh- they would be disgusted and call me names! They showed me so many amazing things, like, like a sprout growing into a tree but like in seconds! I felt so happy when I was with them and when they smiled, I felt my whole world went ka pow! My heart beats really really fast whenever I’m with them and I get butterflies! But I’m scared, cause, cause Karasu looks like she would leave at any moment…”

Iguro ran to the butterfly mansion, his heart filled with rage. He was not going to hand Mitsuri to someone like her, Mitsuri was like a sister to him and the first woman that he didn’t feel disgusted towards. He burst into the butterfly mansion and rushed to Karasu who was sitting in the shade and staring at the butterflies, he grabbed her by the collar and threw her into the sun. The girl was surprised but before she could react, Iguro berated her. She froze, ignoring the fact that the sun was penetrating into her skin and eating her alive.

“You bitch. Just because I treated you so nicely and gave you food doesn’t mean you can act as you please, who do you think you are? How dare you seduce Mitsuri with that sad past of yours. Give it up, upper moon zero. We all know you told a lie just to let our guards down, no one believes you. I only did all that to gain your trust and get information for you, I had never once thought of you as a friend. You disgust me.”

Karasu stared at the hashira in shock as Sanemi and Tanjiro rushed over to get her out of the sun, a hole was burnt into her face and her body was filled with burnt marks. She didn’t fall unconscious and only stared at the ceiling in a daze as Shinobu tended to her wounds, she drowned out the voices of Sanemi and Tanjiro who tried to get her to speak. “But I thought…” A tear fell down her cheek “I thought we were friends…”

Even after Karasu had healed, she laid in bed like a lifeless body only speaking of things that no one could understand from time to time. “Hey Tanjiro, Sanemi. Are we friends?” The two perked up and nodded.

Giyu appeared out of nowhere and nodded his head vigorously, slightly surprising Sanemi who looked him up and down before glaring at him to which Giyu ignored blatantly.

Tanjiro grabbed Karasu’s hand, “You helped me on countless occasions that I have yet to repay! Even though you manipulated me into making me give you my earring, you did it because you wanted to protect me but didn’t want to do it outright because you felt that it was something required of you. But, it’s not Karasu. You don’t have to go all the way just to help us, help is something you give on your own accord, it's not an obligation."

"What he said. A-anyways, we hope to see you moving around and being yourself again. Get well soon." Sanemi said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Karasu laughed, "How corny, but thank you. I really am happy that you said that."

The 3 accompanied Karasu in bed and talked about all sorts of things. One day, Karasu decided to get out of bed and they were overjoyed. At night, they brought Karasu around the village and recounted their experiences to her. During the day, she would train Tanjiro and the hashiras would join whenever they weren't on missions. Karasu was truly happy, that was what they saw.

The upper moon zero scribbled on a book and filled up the pages one by one throughout the days and when she finally finished it, she left it on the porch with a flower before heading to the lab. She looked around the lab, searching for something. There she found it, Wisteria tea sitting on the table. No one was around as she poured a cup for herself. Karasu held it up to her lips and drank half the cup before putting it down and leaving the room.