丨Soar丨 Kimetsu no Yaiba x OC｜

Chapter 14

Chizuko went numb, the kunai in her hands fell to the floor.

It can't be.

She knew she had to move, she had to go to the butterfly mansion, she had to go to Shinobu, Kanao, Aoi, Ichika, Naho, Sumi and Kiyo. But she couldn't feel her legs, she could only feel the growing pain in her chest. It was suffocating, she couldn't breathe properly.

"Oi, Suzuki," Uzui was alarmed, he could literally hear her grief, "Suzuki! Pull yourself together!" He didn't know who that was, but he was sure it had to be someone important. Her name sounded familiar, was it one of Kocho's girls?

Chizuko took off running.

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No no no no.

Chizuko flung open the door of the butterfly mansion. "I...I..." Instead of finishing the sentence, she was bawling loudly and desperately, she couldn't possibly weep silently at the moment. Hina-chan promised to come back! We promised to have dinner together! We promised to go on missions together when we are older! We promised to... to be sisters forever!

And she just started to know her.

"Chizuko-san!" Naho, Sumi and Kiyo, who were also sobbing, rushed to Chizuko's side. "A-Aoi-san sent y-you a crow as s-soon as sh-she knew!" Kiyo explained through sobs and hiccups. Chizuko couldn't stop the faucet of tears running down her cheeks, she could barely process any information at this point.

The three little girls soon led Chizuko towards the cemetery. A pair of trembling arms engulfed her by the gates.

"Why," Aoi seemed to crumple under Chizuko's touch, "They took away Kanae-san already, why do they have to take Hina-chan too?"

Memories washed over Aoi like a tsunami.

She had lived in the butterfly mansion every since she could remember. It used to be only her and Kanao, until one morning.

"Arigatou, Himejima-sama." She heard Kanae thanking Gyomei, who agreed to help watch over her and Kanao. "Kanae-san and Shinobu-san are back!" she woke Kanao. Rubbing her eyes, Kanao followed Aoi through the corridors.

"Kanae-san! Shinobu-san!" Aoi called and waved enthusiastically. Her eyes widened at the sight of the two girls beside Shinobu. "Hi! I am Kikuchi Hina!" the short haired girl waved with a grin. "I-I am Sano Ichika," the other girl said without making eye contact. "They are living with us for now!" Kanae excitedly announced.

The four had been inseparable ever since. Kanao wasn't allowed to learn the sword, she would sit and watch while the rest practiced day and night.

"We will become great hashiras like Master Kanae someday!" Hina said while the four girls were watching the sunset. Aoi frowned, "But Hina-chan, I don't think I can." "Don't say things like that! We will all work hard for our dream!" Hina encouraged Aoi. Ichika held out her pinky, "Then we all have to promise now!"

"Promise!" The four grinned ear to ear.

"You're the best chef! Aoi!" Hina gave her a big thumbs up. It was the first time Aoi cooked. Some of the food were burnt, everything looked messy, unlike the food usually prepared by Kanae. Aoi couldn't believe her ears when Hina praised her, in her eyes, the food was terrible. Hina munched on the food, "I will be your most loyal fan!"

Chizuko didn't know what to say, she could only grip Aoi tightly and weep with her.

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"They say they found Hina-san with another girl, she wore a floral kimono and kitsune mask," a kakushi reported to Shinobu. "Thank you, you can go now," Shinobu kept her gaze glued to the floor, her bangs covering her face.

"H-Hai, Kocho-sama, are you sure you don't need anything?" the kakushi worried. "I don't, thank you," Shinobu nodded to the kakushi and turned abruptly.

Her heart was like a broken vase that was glued together and pushed onto the floor, fracturing at the exact same cracks. Stay strong, but tears were pouring down her eyes like waterfalls. A sob left her mouth, then another, and another. Stop, but she couldn't, wrath and sorrow consumed her insides. Nee-san, when would this pain end?

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Kanao was sweating, she kept her hand on Ichika's trembling shoulder. She felt nauseous, cold, suffocating. She breathed unevenly, it is the same, nothing has changed.

She can't cry.

It was two years ago. A crow came in the middle of a peaceful night, "CAW! CAW! Kocho Kanae is battling upper moon two! Heavily injured! Help is needed! CAW! Heavily injured! Help is needed!" Shinobu sprung into action, sprinting after another crow as quickly as she could. Kanao felt as if hands closed around her neck, she couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't scream. She prayed they'd be back safely.

But it seemed that god didn't answer to her wishes, Kanae and Shinobu never came back, both had died in their own ways. She could only see Kanae at her grave, only see Shinobu in her memories.

She looked to Ichika, no words could possibly describe her state, it was long since she last saw, or felt such despair. Kanao could only guess what had happened through her disoriented speech, they seemed to have separated by accident, and that was the last time they saw each other.

Foot steps interrupted her thoughts, Kanao turned and saw Aoi, Chizuko, Naho, Kiyo and Sumi. She lowered her head, ashamed, guilted, she couldn't express her sorrows. Aoi patted Kanao's shoulder and whispered, "It's alright."

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Chizuko laid wide awake on her futon.

And she knew none of them could sleep.

Shinobu hadn't left her room since dinner, Kanao stared blankly at the ceiling, Aoi faced the wall, and Ichika's blanket was quivering. Chizuko shut her eyes, she couldn't bear to look to the emptiness beside Ichika.

After all, there used to be a futon, and a sister who chattered about anything and everything.

Little Chizuko's eyes fluttered open, she was in Ikeda-ojiisan's house, and he was sitting beside a fire.

"Grandpa Ikeda?" Chizuko mumbled, what was she doing there? She remembered... she remembered she was in her house. Did her grandma went to the market? "Suzuki-chan, you're awake!" Ikeda placed his pipe on the table, relieved, "You've been out for three days!"

Three days!? Was she sick? Why didn't she remember? "Grandpa Ikeda? What are you talking about? Where's grandma? She must be worried!" Chizuko panicked, her grandma was too old to worry over her.

Ikeda went pale, Chizuko really forgot.

"Ah... Suzuki-chan, I have bad news," he knelt beside Chizuko, "you see, your grandma went missing in the mountains. She might have been eaten by a bear."

And with Hina gone, she felt the same impact right now.

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"Chizuko," Muichiro grasped her wrist.

"A-Ah, sorry, Muichiro-kun," Chizuko lowered her head and wiped her tears, "I-I'm sorry you have to see th-this. It's just... It's just that H-Hina-chan is gone."

Muichiro's gaze sharpened, his mouth falling open slightly. In the back of his mind, he remembered that someone used to hold him when water spilled from his eyes.

Without a word, he enveloped her in his arms.

Rain continued to fall from the murky sky.