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contains manga spoilers!
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"HAYAMI-SAN!", someone was calling for her. Was she dead? Did she lose that much blood?
Hayami couldn't tell which reality she was in as she slowly opened her eyes, the sharp pain inflicted on her torso was less painful than earlier, and the numbness from her wounded limb started kicking in.
The first person coming into her vision was Kanao, "Kanao. . .what happened?" She muttered under her breath, knowing that if she used all her energy on her vocal cords, she might not have enough energy left to fight.
"Her plan worked. . . The demon is dead, her poison worked. . ." Kanao said despite the tear stains on her cheeks.
Hayami's eyes fluttered at the sight she was seeing, sitting up and pulling the young girl into an embrace with the only arm she had left. Knowing that she had lost the two people that she calls family, struck a core in Hayami.
"How did you free me from the ice?" Hayami questioned.
"Both Inosuke and I struck an attack at the same time, eventually the ice started breaking.." Kanao explained.
As her eyes trailed along Kanao's face, her long hair which was always tied up into a ponytail on the side of her head came loose. The butterfly hairpin that she wore, one that they both shared that once belonged to Kanae, is held in between her fingertips. It was badly shattered, but in her timid grasp, she also held the purple and blue butterfly hairpin, that belonged to Shinobu.
Hayami then noted that one of her eyes no longer had the color white. She was half-blind.
"Kanao. . . Your eye. . ." Hayami trailed off as the pad of her thumb landed next to her eyelid.
"It's because of- I. . . Had to. . . Do that form of flower breathing, the one that could possibly blind the user. . . Kanae would've executed it better than me" The young demon slayer explained.
"You and Kanae are two very different people. . . Things Kanae may do, you may not excel in. . . And that is okay. You fought well, Kanao.'' Hayami spoke softly as she brushed her bloody and calloused right hand through Kanao's straight locks.
Hayami gestured for Kanao to tie her hair up once more, she would have done so herself if she didn't damage her arm badly. The young girl held her hair up as the peace hashira took the unshattered hairpin of the former insect hashira, and pinned Kanao's hair in place.
"Kanae and Shinobu would be proud of you Kanao." Hayami breathed out as she forced out a smile through her wounds.
The tsuguko widened her eyes as she stared at the mark on the side of Hayami's face. "Hayami-san. . . Your mark. . . Does it hurt?" She questioned.
Hayami lifted her right hand towards her left cheek, feeling just her skin. "No. . . It seems it doesn't" she answered.
"Perhaps the mark doesn't fade away fast," She thought to herself.
