(COMPLETED)
Giyuu is worried. All her life, Shinobu has been searching for her sister's killer. A certain Upper Moon 2. Douma. However, her madness escalates to the point of pushing everyone she loves away, including him. Everything falls apart once...
Shinobu's eyes went wide. In a split second, all her emotions spilled out, unfiltered by the fake smile she painfully wore every moment of every day.
"What did you say?" She whispered.
The young demon opened his eyes.
"Lord Douma will come for you, Butterfly Hashira!"
That was it. There was no mistaking it now.
Shinobu's expression transitioned from shock to fury, an expression she has never worn since that one fateful day. She grabbed the demon by his hair, facing him eye-to-eye.
"Where is he?!" She yelled.
The demon chuckled, his throat struggling through the pain he felt all over his breath. "No, no, you don't understand... You don't find Douma... Douma finds you..."
"The hell..."
The demon took advantage of Shinobu's confusion, pulling his head away so hard that his scalp was ripped clean off. He ran off to the trees, and Shinobu chased after him.
. . .
Giyuu counted the heads of the slain demons, some of them still talking and spouting curses at him. Some were begging, tears flowing out their eyes. Some stayed silent, as if they finally accepted their fate.
"Seven, eight, nine..." Giyuu muttered.
"Hm. There's a few missing. Probably on Shinobu's plate right now."
He started walking towards Shinobu, when suddenly he heard rustling.
A demon burst out the foliage, but ran straight past him. It seems as if he was running from something. Suddenly, a flash of white passed him too.
Shinobu?
Shinobu finally tackled the demon to the ground, pinning his neck with her forearm. Giyuu was surprised to see that she wasn't smiling. In fact, she looked enraged. The last thing Giyuu would expect from someone like her.
Shinobu lifted the demon's head off the ground and pointed her Nichirin blade at his neck.
"Tell me where he is!"
The demon only laughed. Then his eyes looked at her.
"Lord Douma only accepts the sharpest of people." He choked out. "If you wanna find him, you better earn it, Butterfly Hashira!"
Shinobu grit her teeth. This guy wasn't gonna budge.
"Or maybe-" the demon wasn't done. "Maybe you're almost as stupid as that Flower Hashira..."
Shinobu's eyes flared in rage as she stabbed the demon in the neck, and with all her might, ripped it straight out his torso. The head when flying, then plopped down on a muddle of mud. Shinobu stared at the sky, exhausted and angry.
Giyuu stared in shock as well, albeit without any changing facial expression. Finally, after a long silence, he broke the uncomfortable atmosphere.
"What the hell was that?" He asked.
Shinobu looked back, quite surprised. She then scratched her head, put back her smile, and cocked her head. "Ara, ara, Tomioka-san. You're finally speaking up. Are you actually trying to make me like you?"
Giyuu sheathed his blade with skillful precision. "Don't you already like me?"
Shinobu recoiled her head, flustered and confused. "W-wha- what're you trying to say, T-Tomioka-san?"
Giyuu looked at Shinobu obliviously. Considering all the missions they've been in together, he at least expected a sense of comradery from her.
He noticed that there were red streaks of light in the sky. The sun was coming up.
"C'mon." He said. "Only a few more hours before the sun gets right on top of us."
"Didn't you hear that prick?!" She said. "He knew where Douma was! You know damn well why that's important."
Giyuu sighed.
"Well, what do you plan on doing? The prick is dead now."
"But the things he left behind aren't." Shinobu remarked. She walked over to the demon's clothes and searched for something. After a few seconds of rummaging, she finally found something.
"Look what I found!" She raised the small booklet up in the sunlight. She then stood up and flipped through the pages.
"Ah" she muttered. "looks like Douma has a few friends situated in Mitsue. Supposedly, they're a demon settlement tasked with aiding demons traveling nearby."
Giyuu shook his head. "Mitsue is northeast of here. We're in the outskirts of Kamikitayama."
Shinobu pocketed the booklet. "Well, I certainly have a lot of energy left. If you can't handle it, Tomioka-san, you don't have to come. After all, she isn't your sister."
Before Shinobu could walk away, Giyuu grabbed her wrist.
"Kochou." He said, a stern look on his face. "She may not have been my sister, but she was a damn good comrade. One of the best in the corps. Now, remember what she always said before going on a mission?"
Shinobu looked down. "Yeah."
"What did she always say before going on the offensive?"
"No matter what happens..." Shinobu stuttered a bit. "Never face the enemy head on."
"That's right." Giyuu let go of her arm. "Right now, what you need is rest, so let's go back to the headquarters. Inform Oyakata-sama. He can help us track Douma down."
Shinobu looked back at Giyuu. "What's in it for you? Why do you care?"
Giyuu looked down. "You're the only living reminder of her that's left."
Shinobu looked shocked. Then she smiled. A real smile.
"Oh."
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END OF CHAPTER 1
Aaaand that's a wrap! Honestly this chapter isn't that special, but trust me, this is gonna build up to something great. Leave your thoughts in the comments, and... enjoy the next chapter!
