ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴀɪᴛᴏʀ ᴀᴍᴏɴɢ ᴜꜱ [Among Muichiro]

(12) In The Same Way

For the first time in a while, all the hashiras have been returning to their daily lives and missions. They all have calmed down, since the 'traitor' was found.

"They're really clueless." Muichiro ponders as he slides to lay down on his bed.

It's been a day later, and he's already bored after what happened with Sanemi's execution.

The words he said, what would've Sanemi said if he had time to say his last words? If only he had just a second more, the wind hashira could've exposed the one behind the madness.

Muichiro turns his head when he hears a door open. A tall girl with black luscious hair in a ponytail walks in.

"Hi Mui." She greets. "What's been going on?"

Muichiro lifts his head from the bedsheets half covering his head. "Not much. It's getting boring here."

Hinatsuru smiles. It's like she knew he was gonna say that. She approaches the silky white bed and sits down on the side. "Yeah, I know there's probably nothing to do."

"How about we go on a walk for a change?" She initiates.

Muichiro's eyes widen, in confusion, much in contrast to the sleepy nature just before. "Huh..?" He moves a bit closer to Hinatsuru. "But I can't walk."

A wider, gentle smile appears on Hinatsuru's face. "I'll piggyback you."

Soon, she instigates Muichiro to get on her back, as it faces him and her arms broadly move outwards, kneeling down. Muichiro uses his arms to drag himself to the side of the bed. He then mildly wraps his arms around Hinatsuru's neck.

All it takes is for Hinatsuru to grab Muichiro's crippled legs and they're off.

The adventure, per say, begins around the old hashira meeting area. It has a quiet aura now that it's been abandoned in fear.

"Kanae told me this was okay to do, so don't worry." Hinatsuru reassures. But Muichiro's eyelids close slowly, not like he was gonna be worried anyways.

Then, around the estates they go. Even the estates of the ones that have passed.

"Do you want me to keep going? ...I'm sorry if this gives you bad memories. I know it must be hard for you because of all these losses." Hinatsuru says, frowning but trying to make sure Muichiro feels okay.

But all she gets is a simple 'I'm alright'.

In fact, the estates do give him a lot of memories. However, not sad ones. All he remembers is what he felt while causing chaos killing people one after the other.

Being outside the butterfly mansion for once and exploring the place makes him reminisce when his legs weren't broken.

Oh, the good old days.

And each estate gives him a new memory.

The Snake Estate, his first kill, the Love Estate, when he pretended to be dead and also the place where his leg got crushed, the Insect Estate, where Giyu and Shinobu's lives came to an end, he even went past his own estate, the Mist Estate, where he hasn't been for a long, long time.

It's the only things he remembers from his brain, that he tries to remember.

Everything else is nothing.

Eventually, the two arrive at the graveyard for the hashiras.

Muichiro knows what Hinatsuru's real intentions are now. With him still on her back, she cautiously walks over to Uzui's grave.

She sits him down on the dirt floor. "Hey sugar pumpkin, I'm back." She says, talking to the gravestone. "And I've bought someone."

"Great. Another cringe couple name." Muichiro thinks.

"Sugar pumpkin?" He questions, trying not to cringe.

Instead of feeling offended, she smiles. "It's what he used to call me. Now I'm returning it." Hinatsuru pauses for a moment, then continues, "It's been a while since he left this world, huh? I've been feeling better about myself these past few days. Of course it went down a bit after the other deaths."

"So does that mean... you've moved on?" Muichiro asks.

"Of course not." Hinatsuru shakes her head. "I still think about him every day."

She then looks down and frowns again, her lips slightly quivering. "I wish it could've been me, not him. He didn't deserve it at all."

Just at that moment, Muichiro gets an idea.

"She wants to be in his place so badly... why not make it happen?" His devious mind thinks.

Right next to Uzui's grave, an empty grave hole, he spots it. The perfect place. He still has his katana with him, he has it on at all times, in case for perfect opportunities like this.

Hinatsuru kneels down very close to the gravestone's edge, again, a perfect timing and place. "We should go back now, huh? What do you think, Mu-"

In a blink of an eye, it happens.

Just like her beloved husband.

Her head.

Gone.

Landing into the empty grave pit.

It's quite a sight, but the culprit puts it aside. He uses his leg to barely kick the rest of her body into the pit.

Inside his heart, inside his soul, he feels a twinge of guilt.

But his determination grows stronger than his guilt.

Muichiro wipes the blood off of his katana with his hands and smears it on his face. When he's about to leave to call the others for an alleged traitor attack, his foot slips.

There he goes, falling into the empty grave pit, with the gruesome body of Hinatsuru.

After the quick fall, his head bangs against the hard dirt ground.

Making him get knocked out.

This is the only time where his actions backfire.

Or will it?

made by gayd0tc0m