yokai | t. giyu, douma & k. muzan

十九

Sakura didn't know if she is dreaming or not, but she could vividly see a boy and girl sitting under a cherry blossom tree in the night. She didn't know who they are, but inside her, she yearned for that kind of earnest.

As she opened her eyes, everything was dark and it was her alone. Nothing else was in sight except herself. This is the end, she thought to herself. She'll never be able to reach out to Muzan nor Douma for help and maybe in a few hours, they'll toss her out in the morning to be burnt alive. 

"I guess it was nice being alive for a while." Sakura spoke to herself, raising her legs close to her chest before laying her head down on top of her knees. "I managed to secure Tsumigi and Himari away from the disaster in Yoshiwara. I guess that's enough to compensate for all the sins I've committed." She said, blinking her eyes twice.

"If not, I guess I'll forever burn in hell...and that's okay." Sakura concludes. And then, the door slowly opened and Giyu appeared standing by the doorway. He had a blank expression on his face as he closes the door behind him.

"I didn't know you've become a demon, Seriya." Giyu began to say, sitting down with his knees bent in front of her. Outstretching his hands to caress her cheek with a small smile on his lips. "I'm sorry...I couldn't look after your mother. She would have loved to see you again."

Sakura's eyes began to prick with tears as they meet each other eye to eye. Reverting out of her demon form into her human form, sobs and sniffs came out of her.

"I-I don't even know who you are...but why are you making me feel like this?" She asks, her lower lip trembling. "I...really want to know who you are. What are you doing to me?" She asks again.

The smile in Giyu's face vanished and was replaced with a frown. "I see. In the years, you've lost that amount of memory. You've probably received a lot of his blood." He mumbles. The smile in his face returned and slowly he moved forward to wrap his arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly.

"You know what I am. You're supposed to kill me. But why won't you?" She asks, her hands to her sides.

"We figured that killing you is a fruitless effort, considering how many times you've been stabbed and sliced in the neck with sharp blades or wisteria seed poison, nothing can kill you." Giyu's arms tightened around her. "Although the choice of tying you around a tree trunk while waiting for the sun to come up is around, I won't let that happen." With that, Giyu pulled away from the hug and placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders, holding her tightly in his hands.

"I've only had you now, and there is no way I'll let them kill you! I've suffered years all by myself and having you with me now is like a surreal dream that I don't want to wake up!" Giyu shouted. A single roll of tear slipping out of his eye.

"Are you real, Seriya? I could still be sleeping. Try touching me." Giyu says as another roll of tear slips out of his eye. In his response, Sakura slowly raised her hands and gently cupped his cheeks. Giyu's face contorted before breaking into a fit of sobs, pushing himself to hug her in his arms tightly one more time.

"I'll do everything to keep you safe here. Please don't leave me again." He sobbed on her neck.

Sakura still haven't figured out as to who he really is to her, maybe they shared and bonded over something? Sakura really tried hard to remember but it only gave her a headache. Stopping herself from remembering, she could only slowly wrap her arms around him and hug him back. A genuine non sexual act that brought warmth into her.

. . . . . . . . . . ♡

"No sign of her deep within the woods." Gyokko reported but started to gurgle when a wave of pain coursed through his body inflicted by Muzan.

"Of course there's no sign of her because you didn't looked and searched for her closely." Muzan ridiculed him. "And to get attacked by a Hashira? You should know better than that." Muzan says, turning his look away.

As Gyokko could finally breathe properly again, he bowed his head before Muzan. "Muzan sama, I shall look for her again. In the forest where the swordsmiths are. I believe they have information about her."

Muzan didn't spoke, his eyes squinting. "Do not return if you don't have her."

And as if on cue, Nakime played a string on her biwa and Gyokko is out of his sight.

Walking to his room, Muzan could only be on his knees as he felt his legs weaken on him. How many days has it been since Sakura's disappearance? Two. But in those two days, it felt like two years for him.

It didn't matter to Muzan a lot when the upper six is replaced, but it mattered to him a lot when Sakura left without a trace. If he flipped the whole country, would he be able to find her and the blue spider lily?

Muzan immediately stood up on his feet when he could feel another demon entering the castle.

"Muzan sama! I come bearing good news!" Hantengu spoke, going down on his knees as he bows deeply before Muzan's feet.

Muzan's eyes squinted at Hantengu. "I will be the judge of that if your news is really good. What is it you came bearing for me?" He asks.

"The cherry blossom demon, Sakura! She is held captive by the Hashiras, the location is unknown but they have her!" Hantengu spoke, forehead pressed against the floor of the Infinity Castle.

Muzan's eyes slightly softened as he heard a lead on Sakura's whereabouts. However, the lead may not be clear and there could be multiple locations where Sakura could be, Muzan decided to test this one out.

"Is that so?" He asks, "Bring her to me then. Don't dare showing your face here if you don't have her." He said, returning back to his room. "You coming back here without her is a waste of time."