With that, Sabito grabbed Lumae's hand and started running down the path, her sprinting and stumbling to keep up with him; both laughing with the pure joy of that sweet moment.
Urokodaki stood by the door, smiling sadly under his tengu mask; praying...
Over two years, and Lumae hadn't returned. He didn't even know is she was still alive.
He'd never gone on missions until last year, waiting for her to come back, but she never did.
I should have stopped her, he thought. I was there.
I failed Sabito.
Giyu slipped on his mismatched haori as his crow cawed at him for another mission.
Until-
A girl, in her teenage years, stood by the table with Sabito and Makomo's pictures on it.
Carefully, she lit the candles and bowed her head, clasping both hands together. Her hair was tied up, with a white flowered pin through the middle. A crown of lovingly woven white cloth flowers was set on her head.
Makomo's work.
"Lu- Lu.... Lumae?"
The girl in the black kimono didn't move.
"Lume- lu- LUMAE!!"
The girl turned. Her face was older, and she looked sadder, but her eyes-- unmistakable.
"Giyu?" Tears fell from her eyes. "GIYU!"
Giyu let the tears fall as he embraced her, both of them sobbing in a heap.
"I thought you'd never come back... I'm sorry..."
"There's nothing to be sorry about, Giyu. Nothing."
Urokodaki stood by the doorway. His voice held a slight tremble. "Lumae?"
Just like when Sabito and Makomo failed to return, Urokodaki knelt by his two remaining children as they all cried.
<~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~>
"Tomorrow?"
"In a few hours."
Giyu stared at the floor. "But you just returned... And you're entering into a death trap?"
"I have to. It's the only way I'll become a demon slayer."
"Sabito and Makomo died in there. I only survived because I was knocked unconscious."
"But I promised fox..."
"You promised a fox?"
"I have to go anyway. They're expecting me."
She stood. "And I better leave now if I'm planning to make it on time."
"Wait."
Urokodaki handed her something.
"I carved it. Waiting for you to return."
Lumae stared at the ivory white fox mask, it's eyes painted gold.
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Me and shairae1 just had to put the flower, but the real thing doesn't have one.
<~><~><~><~><~><~><~>
"Sabito? Sabito, it's me-"
The fox shimmered into existence, brushing against her legs.
She knelt and he curled in her lap as she stroked his ears.
"I'm leaving tomorrow." She said quietly. "I learned the breath of thunder. My Sensei was named Kuwajima Jigoro, and he had to younger boys he was training." She laughed lightly. "One always cried. He would give up too easily. Zenitsu was a sweet soul though."
Sabito nuzzled her hand, urging her to continue.
"I'm going to the selection, Sabito."
He stopped nuzzling her, looking up.
"I'll be fine. I'll be fine."
He curled up tightly on her lap.
"I'll make it through, get my katana, and become the hashira of thunder. After I get out, I'll come right back to you. I promise."
She kissed the fox on the cheek, right over the jagged scar.
"I'll be fine."
<~><~><~><~><~><~><~>
"You may enter."
The other kids shrunk back.
Lumae's hand curled around her katana grip, her mask tied to the side of her head as she stared at the ground.
"Kuwajima-Sensei... Zenitsu... Sabito, Makomo..."
Tears filled her eyes and he whipped her head up.
"Give me strength."
In one swift movement, she unsheathed her sword. "I'll kill whoever killed you."
Then she sprinted inbetween the westeria trees.
<~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~>
"HAVE YOU KILLED A BOY OR A GIRL WITH A MASK LIKE MINE?"
The demon trembled with fear of the girl on top of him. "NO- NO, I swear, please, please let me go, I--"
She drove her dagger into the demon's neck and got off his corpse.
Behind you.
She backflipped into the air. "Thunder breathing, third form, Thunder Swarm."
Lightning encased the demon, while Lumae sliced the demon in seven different directions for confusion. Then, she cleanly decapitated the demon.
This was day two of the selection.
She hadn't found who killed them.
Lumae ran at a steady pace, her face expressionless, keeping her breathing in check.
"Thunder breathing, fifth form, Heat Lightning."
Slicing upward with her sword, a volt of white lot lightning shot from the katana and decapitated the demon that was pouncing on her.
It yelled and gurgled angrily as it disintegrated.
She continued to slay the demons weather they gave her an answer or not, scrounging the mountainside for one particular demon...
<~><~><~>Day Five
"Where ARE YOU??!!" Lumae shoved her dagger into the demon's gut, twisting it before leaving the demon to slowly regenerate in agony.
"I might know! I might know, please, please- save me, please--"
She pushed her dagger back into the wound, plugging the hole.
"You have three minutes before I pull this back out again. Make it count."
The demon swallowed. "Big, wide one--" he spat out blood. "-likes to eat the foxes--" he tapped her mask briefly before continuing. " - always dwells on the west side of the mountain, devouring..." He choked on his own blood.
Lumae's eyes widened ever so slightly. "The west side?"
"Y- yes..."
She removed her hand from the hilt of the dagger. "Thank you. I will grant your wish now..."
Shunk.
She sliced off his head, crushing it under her heel. It became ashes immediately.
