The Butterfly and the Shadow (Shinobu x OC)

Chapter 31

Inei's POV. The Next Morning. Swordsmith Village.

So far, nothing out of the ordinary is going on.

Inei: All right. Time to fetch Tanjiro.

I went to the inn and Tanjiro is already up.

Tanjiro: Ah, nii-san. Good morning.

Inei: Good morning. You said that you want to find Haganezuka-san, right?

Tanjiro: Yeah. Wait, you got your swords?

Inei: Yeah.

I draw my sword and showed it's crimson blade to Tanjiro.

Tanjiro: Woah.......

Tanjiro: The redness is much deeper than Rengoku-san's.

Tanjiro: Nii-san, may I ask?

Inei: What is it?

Tanjiro: You also use two breathing styles, right?

Inei: Yes.

Tanjiro: The Hinokami Kagura or I guess you call it presently as Breath of the Sun, and the Shadow Breathing.

Inei: Yes. But I want you to focus using the Breath of the Sun.

Inei: That is the Anti-Muzan swordsmanship that were passed down to you and me.

Tanjiro: But I still can't perfect the dance. Unlike you, your moves are totally like Dad's, maybe even more refined than his moves.

Inei: That's why I'm here, right? To help you perfect it.

Tanjiro: And also, about this 13th Form.

Tanjiro: You called it as "Amaterasu," right?

Inei: Yes, since it is the Breath of the Sun, I guess it would be fitting to name it in honor of the Goddess of the Sun, Amaterasu.

Tanjiro: You really are a religious person, nii-san.

Inei: Hm, I guess it was because of my upbringing in the orphanage.

Inei: Ayame-san was a shrine maiden and because of that, I guess I got the habit of praying.

Inei: Anyways, Tanjiro, the 13th Form of the Hinokami Kagura.........

Inei: Is what your father told us to be the correct way to breath.

Inei: The breathing technique that will allow us to dance forever.

Tanjiro: Really?

Inei: Yes, and when I traced it back from the days when we're still practicing the kagura, the forms, the dance from sunset to sunrise........

Inei: And.......the this is how I found the key.

Inei: The First and Twelfth Form of the Hinokami Kagura.......

Inei: They are the beginning and end of a cycle.

Tanjiro: The beginning and end of a cycle.

I grabbed a paper, brush and ink and wrote the characters of the first and twelfth form.