KNY Fanfic: Priceless Smile

Chapter 100: Empty

Aaaaaaaaaah!!!! Finally, I reached 100!!!! *sulks* looking back re-reading the past chapters I've made, sorry for a lot of mistakes😢

They all stood there speechless as their scene changed back to the same place before they watched Kazumi's memories. The place with a red sky and light red colored clouds and a solid black floor. They stood there thinking whether they should talk or not at all or what to say.

'So cruel.... such a cruel thing.'
Gyomei thought looking down with tears.

'Kazumi-chan.... she lost her mother in such a cruel way.'
Senjuro thought as tears slowly rolled down his cheeks.

'Such a sound.... Miyuki-san.... how could they to do that?'
Zenitsu thought falling to his knees staring at what seemed like an endless space.

They all fell down their knees feeling as if someone just punched the air out of them.

"We're just starting yet everyone's down. Seems like this wouldn't turn out very well." Fuji said crossing her arms looking at them.

"Young one...." Kai said as he look at Senjuro.
".... don't cry. For now I guess you and the others must go back." He continued.

As they hear him say this, they looked at him confused.

"But.... why? You two said we'll see her memories." Senjuro asked wiping his tears.

"I know, but for the next thing, it will be something not that simple to watch. You're still young. So I would like you to go back, same goes with your father to accompany you." Kai answered patting his head.

"For the next one, I'll be calling it as the first stage of hell. For those who wanna go back, go now." Fuji said looking at each of them with a serious expression.

"No." Yuichiro replied standing up.
"I'll stay! I want to know.... even it'll surely hurt us, I want to know what really happened." He continued.

Kanae soon stood up and stood beside him. Shinobu and Kanao did the same thing as the others followed despite their shaky breathes.

"Me too! I wanted the same thing! I wanna stay here!" Senjuro exclaimed as he stood with them.

"Shinjuro. Senjuro. Tanjiro. Inosuke. Zenitsu. Nezuko. Kanao. You may change your mind. Do you really wanna do it? Do you really wanna see the things that a person you don't know fully well kept hidden for years?" Kai asked them as reassurance.

Nezuko just 'hmphed' holding Tanjiro's hand while Kanao nodded holding both her sisters' hands. Zenitsu who is shivering but still agreed.

"Of course! I'm the great Inosuke-sama! I'll stay here!" Inosuke exclaimed.

"We'll be alright. This is.... our decision." Shinjuro said as he face Kai.

Kai just sighed.

'Don't expect us to give such a thing called mercy then.'
Kai thought as he show them a serious expression and stood beside Fuji in front of them.

"Well then, I'll make sure to break you guys. Goodluck not losing your sanity." Fuji said with a devilish grin as her and Kai snapped their fingers.

In a blink, they're in a different place. They saw metal bars and chains but what surprised them is the person inside the cell with them. They saw both her wrists chained up as she knelt down the ground staring down. They soon heard footsteps coming and showed Hibiki opening the cell and entering holding a whip.

"Look who's awake."

"....."

"Hmm, not gonna talk I see. Well of course you can't! After all that screaming and begging earlier. Ahh! Such a fun show!"

His words made them all glare at him in anger.

"You know, it's your fault. You're stupid. Even your own friend betrayed you and your own father abandoning you." Hibiki said crouching down to her level.

'Yes. It's my fault for being weak and stupid. It's my fault mother died.'

"Talk now brat! Dammit! To see through someone's body like a glass?! What a joke! Even those couple back there praised you! A kid who managed to take down a mentor! Don't you know how it irritates me to the bone?!" Hibiki exclaimed as he pulled her hair back making her look at him.

Her eyes not as bright as it was anymore. It's dark, dead, empty, and almost like that of a corpse. Not even a single trace of light nor life can be seen in it. It's just.... blank and lifeless.

"You damn brat! I'll teach you a lesson for not replying." Hibiki stood up.

He then walked behind Kazumi as he lift his arm up and started whipping her back. Her voice shouting in pain in every hit Hibiki makes.

One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six... Seven.........

It went on and on until the clothes behind her were torn up and the whip directly hitting her bare back. Her back's already bleeding yet he didn't stop. It ended up Kazumi receiving a hundred whips. Her throat completely dry and her lips turning purple after what happened as blood also made its way out of her nose.

Mitsuri have no choice but to cover her face and to just plainly hear the screams, the same for Kanao. While Nezuko and Tanjiro hugged each other as he covers his sister's face while she covered her ears. Senjuro gripped tight on his father's pants as he bury his face on his clothes to hide his tears falling down.

"Sorry kid but you, Nezuko, and Kanao must be outta here." Kai said as he pat both Senjuro and Nezuko's head. Both their bodies glowed as they disappeared. Kanao's about to retort but Kanae stopped her and just hugged her.

"Go Kanao-chan, this place.... is not for you." Kanae said caressing her cheek.

Kanao just held her hand tighter. She looked at Shinobu and then to Kai.

"You know what's best for your siblings." Kai said as he look at Kyojuro, Tanjiro, and Kanae.

Tanjiro just nodded sadly while Kanao has no choice but to look at him with her lower mouth shivering. Kai then patted her head too as her body glowed and disappeared.

"Father.... please go back too and accompany them." Kyojuro said as he look at his father.

Although Shinjuro likes to stay, he can't let those three by theirselves so he just nodded as Kai pat his head, his body glowed and he disappeared too.

On the other hand in the real world, Senjuro, Nezuko, Kanao, and Shinjuro slowly opened their eyes as they got up. They saw everyone still asleep and Kai and Fuji sitting still facing each other at the center as Shinjuro looked at his son, Kanao, and Nezuko. Senjuro walked to him and hugged him as he hugged his son back. Nezuko looked at his sleeping brother beside her as she gently put a hand on his forehead looking at him sadly. Kanao held Kanae's right hand and Shinobu's left hand as she sat down between them. Shinjuro then spoke.

"They'll be alright. I hope."