Kimetsu no Yaiba: Song of Time

Chapter 9 - Change

"So you are Aimi Kizuki?" the man with blind eyes and pale skin. He had the smile of a Buddha. 

I nodded. I was still confused. "Well, Aimi, seems like you've become a Hashira now!" he smiled warmly.

"W-what?" I spluttered. I fidgeted nervously. "How?"

"You defeated a lower moon as a Kinoe," Kagaya replied, "Now, we're waiting for the other hashira to arrive. I'm guessing you know Giyū Tomioka?" He gestured to the young man walking in front of us. 

It was Giyū. I grinned and waved at him, and he smiled back, but it was tentative and weak. I saw several more people coming in, about 8 more people. "Oh?" said a young girl with long black hair and two butterfly pins. Kanae Kocho from Final Selection. "I remember you!" she said and shook my hand.

A scarred snow-haired young man bowed to Kagaya but glared at me. He had been from my Final Selection as well. "Why's he glaring at me?" I whispered to Kanae. She giggled. "Don't mind him, he's just a bit... well, hot-headed," she told me, then sat down next to him, and bowed. 

I realized everyone was bowing to Kagaya now, and I kneeled next to Giyū and did the same. When Kagaya spoke, everyone sat back down. "First of all, I would like to welcome Aimi Kizuki to her first Hashira Meeting." As everyone clapped, I looked down and thought of Sabito. he should've been here too.

Looking around, I saw that there was a young boy sitting not far from me, with a blank expression on his face. Someone that young could become a hashira? I thought, amazed. There was also a young woman with braided pink and green hair. Sitting in a tree was a short man around my age in a striped haori. A snake was curled around his neck, and he had odd blue and yellow eyes.

There was also a person with yellow hair streaked with red. Next to him was a tall man with white hair wrapped into with a tight, short ponytail with a bejewelled headband. To the left of me stood a tall blind man who was crying. And of course, Giyū was to the right of me.

*       *       *

"Hello? Aimi? You awake?" 

My eyelids fluttered open and saw Giyū's face in front of mine. "What?" I yelled, jumping back. Then I felt my face going red. Everyone had left.

"You must've had a hard day," Giyū said. His voice was virtually toneless, and he didn't look at me. I frowned, then stood in front of him, blocking his way. He stared at me, eyes wide and confused. "Alright, what's going on? You barely even acknowledged I was at the meeting," I said to him, disgusted.

He tried to push me out of the way. "I've changed. Don't look at me like that," he added, as he saw me glaring at him.

"Yeah, you've changed, but why does that count to how you treat me! We're not strangers, we're best friends! Remember our first mission together?" I retorted, getting angrier by the second. I saw a petite young girl with black hair tied to the right with a butterfly clip not unlike Kanae's. She slipped away from sight with a worried face as soon as I directed my glare to her.

I turned to Giyū and raised my voice. "Don't you think I missed you? Do you not care? That must be the reason! You didn't think about my feelings! You didn't care that I lost Sabito as well! Thanks a lot for nothing, Giyū!" 

I saw Kanae rushing to us, shock printed on her face. "W-what's going on, Aimi?" she asked me. I looked away from Giyū sharply. "Nothing," I said bitterly. He started walking away, looking back at me once.

Kanae led me to the mansion, and I felt guilty for yelling at Giyū. "I shouldn't've yelled at him," I whispered softly, and Kanae patted my back reassuringly. "It's fine, just a small fight," Kanae said. I smiled weakly.

But I was sure I heard a sniffle behind me.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi, it's me again! I just wanted to say that I might be going on hiatus next month. Dw, I'll try and speedrun 3 chapters lmao. Remember to check out Beneath the Starry Night and Histories Past, too!