"Y/n! What are you doing here in Shinobu-san's room?" the girl asks me. "Ah, Aoi?! I wanted to get some poison because I need it again. Since Shinobu is on a mission, I thought I'd get it myself. She allowed me to do it last time," I explain to the blue-eyed girl in front of me. "Oh, Y/n..." She sighs and goes to the small cupboard where Shinobu's fish is. "Here it is, and please don't just search through the cabinets like that anymore!" she says firmly, and I just nod before making my way again.
TIMESKIP
"BOO!" I startle Aoi. "AHH!" She turns around. "Y/N! WHAT IS THIS?" she asks me excitedly as I laugh. "I wanted to ask you if you'd like to go to the city with me the day after tomorrow," I explain my reason for appearing. "Sure, I'd love to," she replies with a sparkle in her eyes. "I'm glad. I'll come pick you up then," I smile at her again before disappearing.
TIMESKIP
"Aoi!! There you are!" I call out to the direction where the girl with the two braids is standing. "Y/n? What's wrong?" she asks me, confused.
"I wanted to let you know that I have to go on a mission and that's why unfortunately, we can't go to the city together. But we'll make up for it when I get back!" I explain, and for a moment, I could swear I saw some disappointment. "It's okay. Take care of yourself!" she smiles at me. "I will." With that, I set off for my mission.
Arriving in the village of Kohaku, I first look for an inn, as it is still daytime, to store my clothes there.
Later that day, I ask the villagers, who tell me that about thirteen days ago, a house appeared at the village entrance randomly, and anyone who wants to enter or leave the village at night disappears, leaving only their torn clothes behind.
After three villagers tell me the same thing and it gets dark, I head towards it. Halfway there, I am stopped. "My child, you should avoid going towards that house at night," warns me an elderly woman. "Don't worry, I'll be careful!" I reassure her and smile gently before she nods and I can continue.
Arriving at the house, I'm about to knock when a tentacle pulls me in and wraps around me tightly. "Oh, what do we have here? A tasty demon slayer," comes from a woman dressed in a pink dress.
"Shi no kata: Beni Hanagoromo," I free myself and prepare for the next attack. "Go no kata: Ada no Shakuyaku," I run towards the demon and attack her. I manage to hit her two or three times, but she manages to deflect the rest. Now she attacks me by hardening her tentacles and directing them towards me. "Ni no kata: Mikage Ume," with this form, I manage to deflect three of her seven attacks and cut two out of four tentacles.
"You're pretty strong," she says and attacks again. I fend off as best as I can and then counterattack. Our fight continues like this for the next 20 minutes.
Now I'm pretty exhausted and covered in wounds, but she isn't, thanks to her regeneration.
"Roku no kata: Uzumomo," I approach her more and more, while dodging her attacks as best I can. When I'm close enough, I decapitate her, but I don't notice that she attacks me from behind and pierces the right side of my abdomen.
After she completely dissolves and I fall to the ground from exhaustion, I hear quiet steps before everything goes black.
Aoi POV
I'm awakened by the noise outside before I only hear my name called by Shinobu-san. I quickly get up and run outside without tidying myself up and with my hair down.
What I see there takes my breath away. Two Kakushis with Y/n on their backs are there, and Shinobu is trying to stop her wound from bleeding. "Aoi! We need to treat her immediately, get everything ready!" Kocho calls out to me. I nod eagerly before running inside to prepare everything.
Y/n Pov
I slowly hear more and more noises, which turn out to be arguments, and I slowly try to open my eyes. Halfway there, I only hear Aoi shouting, "SHUT UP!! YOU'RE NOT ALONE HERE".
Finally, I manage to do it and turn my head towards the noise. When Aoi spots me, her eyes widen. "Y/n!! You're finally awake!! Wait a moment, I'll get Shinobu-san!" And she disappears.
After not even three minutes, she's back with the Insect Hashira. "Y/n, you're awake again, that's good. You've been asleep for two months. Let me give you a quick check-up." After she's done and says that most of my wounds are healed, she leaves the room with the three boys who now have to train.
"I'm so glad you're okay, I was so worried!" Aoi says with slight tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I'll be more careful in the future," I smile at her and place my right hand on her cheek, into which she nestles.
"Do you know what I realized, at the threshold of death?" I ask her. She shakes her head. "I realized that I love you, Aoi," I confess to her. Her eyes widen before she gets even more tears in her eyes. "I love you too, Y/n!"
End
