After The Rain

Into the Night

WARNING! Manga spoilers ahead!

The Estate was beautiful at night.

Under the moonlight, the Taishō-style building sat atop a low mountain, surrounded by bunches of forest grass and azalea bushes that rustled in the evening breeze. The whole locale seemed to have been dragged out of a fairytale: perhaps a story like The Boy Who Drew Cats or Issun-Bōshi, what with the way that the building soared over the treetops, and the lanterns that lined its veranda shone a pale yellow. While Kanae had passed, her vision had lived on through the Estate, in everything from the carpet cypress that crawled through the gardens to the soul and purpose of the building itself: to heal and to serve the Demon Slayers and to nurse them back to health. But most importantly, it was to be a second family. She and Shinobu had taken in the weak and the powerless, ranging from their Tsuguko, Kanao, to the four other girls that Giyuu faintly remembered from his brief visits to the Estate, a Slayer who had chosen not to hunt demons anymore, and three children that were practically inseparable and joined at the hip. Somehow, Giyuu wondered if Shinobu was lucky to live in a place like the Butterfly Mansion, where laughter and joy from the little girls that ran through its halls could be heard at all times.

He frowned. Or maybe it meant that she had so much more to lose.

A stone pathway that weaved through the clumps of scattered forest slowly trailed up the mountainside. Giyuu's footsteps on the beaten rock were heavy and off-set as he hefted himself forward, each step laden with purpose. Because he wasn't exactly here to be healed: no, he was here for a completely different purpose, one that was close to his heart. He was here to talk to Shinobu, though not just about the weather or of common happenings. He was here to make things right.

"Giyuu?"

His stride slowed to a halt. He had entered the main garden now, where butterflies danced around him in droves, their wings splattered with all the colours of the dusk. One settled on his shoulder, its touch so light it felt like all but a gentle kiss. There were two people before him, one clutching a folded white sheet in her arms, as wooden laundry stands rose into the air, fabric swaying in the wind as they dangled from the high poles. Blue butterfly pins adorned her black hair, her figure small and petite.

What was her name? Aki, Au—

Giyuu shook his head.

"Aoi." He said, praying that he was correct. She didn't look affronted, thank the heavens, and so he assumed he was right.

"And... Shinobu."

The woman in question was dressed in her Demon Slayer uniform, her butterfly-patterned haori draped across her shoulders. The silver buttons glinted under the lamps' glow, her skin white against the backdrop of the night. Her expression was unreadable.

He looked down. What was he supposed to say? Aoi seemed to be looking between the two of them, her gaze confused. Giyuu didn't blame her — he rarely visited, or at least only went to see Shinobu. He didn't approach the other girls much, other than passing greetings. But most of all, the air between the two pillars was different: almost electric with tension. The subtle change in the atmosphere was not lost on the young girl.

Shinobu was silent, before her lips twisted into a strained smile. "Yes?" Her hands were deft as they dragged a piece of clothing back, folding it in a few quick motions. She forcefully dumped it into a basket, hoisting it upwards with an unnecessary amount of strength. Giyuu subconsciously reached forward and supported the woven basket with one hand, only for it to be swatted away. He lay resigned to standing awkwardly, one hand outstretched and frozen in time.

"I'm here to talk to you."

"Really, now?"

"Yes. Really."