ANIME/MANGA SPOILERS
Am I... dead?
"It's a wonder." an ethereal voice sang. Sabito brushed his peach hair out of his face, his hands brushing by the scar on his cheek.
When did I get that?
There was a girl, sitting on a boulder, humming a quiet tune, a flower crown in her hands. She turned, to find him staring at her.
"Where... am I?" he asked, drawing his sword. She smiled.
"There's no violence here." she snapped her fingers, and Sabito pulled back into a defensive stance, the young girl walking towards him.
But it wasn't offensive. It was more as if... she was giving him bad news.
"You mean... you don't remember your home?" she asked, tilting her head. Sabito stared at her.
Was she dense?
"No... I was adopted."
She shook her head.
"Master Urokodaki. He-" she choked, pressing back a sob. Sabito growled.
"You... you killed him!" Sabito roared, throwing punch after punch at the young girl. As if she was the wind, she avoided each blow, and soon, he was exhausted.
She sat down again.
"We failed..." she whispered, looking up at the large moon. Sabito, althought nearly unwillingly, settled down next to him.
"Failed?"
"I know you, Sabito... you don't know me, but I do." she looked at him, her eyes soft with tears.
"Know you? I haven't seen you in my life. I'm leaving." Sabito huffed, walking through the trees, but there was a red ribbon weaving through a myriad of trees, as the girl just stared at him, his footsteps stopping abruptly.
He was thrown back abruptly, as the young girl caught him, gently putting him down.
"You don't remember, do you?" she whispered.
"Tell me your name! Is this a Blood Demon Art?" he interrogated, as the girl frowned sadly and looked at the ground.
"I am Makomo."
Makomo?
He had heard of such a name, uttered by the master himself, during a one Sunday morning.
"And... you died, Sabito. Fighting the Hand Demon."
Sabito's eyes widened.
He remembered it all.
He had let his emotions get the best of him, and was killed by the mutated demon with a neck as hard as stone.
"I... failed." Sabito sighed. Makomo smiled reassuringly.
"This is how it all ends. So many generations..."
Sabito looked up at the red ribbon, twisted around the oak tree.
We failed.
...
Sabito stared at the red ribbon, his hand clenching against the wooden sword in his hands. The blisters on his hands were starting to form again.
"Sabito..." Makomo whispered, placing a gently hand on her shoulder. In reassurance, Sabito placed his hand on hers, and turned around to smile at her.
"You think he'll be able to do it?"
"I... hope so. We can only pray. That boy... he has a lot of emotion." Sabito murmured.
"His neck is thick. The blade wasn't thick enough." Makomo persisted.
"You were the one to tell me to remain positive, Makomo," Sabito chuckled darkly, "and I believe that Tanjiro can do it."
Suddenly, catching his attention, the red ribbon snapped abruptly. Makomo gasped, looking at Sabito's face.
Sabito cracked a smile.
"He did it, didn't he?"
The ghosts of the boys and girls, all of whom had been slaughtered, were gathering near the snapped ribbon.
"Is... is it done?..." Makomo asked, staring at the broken fabric in wonder. Turning to face her, Sabito smiled at her.
"I think... that he did it." Sabito smiled at her, holding out his hand.
"We failed, but he succeeded. And he'll continue to succeed. So come with me, Makomo. And we'll finally go to Heaven. And live that life you've always dreamed of." Sabito's eyes softened at Makomo's expression.
"But..." she protested.
Pulling her into a tight embrace, he broke down into tears, burying his face in her shoulder. Makomo pulled her tighter into him, the tears already beginning to form in her eyes.
"Master... one succeeded." Makomo blinked once, finally letting the tears fall.
Sabito pulled away, gently ushering Makomo through the white light, squeezing her hand gently in comfort.
Staring at the bright light, their hair eventually disappeared into the portal, only leaving the masks carved by the Master Urokodaki, the sound of Makomo's tune whistling among the trees.
