One shots

As Petals Fall, So Comes a New Day (kny): request

Featuring...

Sakura Kai Nohana: A soft-spoken demon slayer with a gentle, sweet demeanor, and passion burning in her eyes. She uses cherry blossom breathing—a style taught by her father, which derives from flower breathing and emphasizes her agility. (avaaviesflowergirl)

Shizuku Yuzuki: A mysterious young swordswoman who often wears a serene smile, yet trusts few people. She uses dream breathing, a style that relies on blindsiding opponents with quick, graceful strikes.

Summary: former final selection partners, currently close friends, Sakura and Shizuku had become an inseparable pairing. However, when Sakura has to leave for a long mission, they have to adapt to time apart

Requested by: avaaviesflowergirl
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Prologue: The Night Before
Shizuku was quieter than usual.

As the stars sparkled in the sky, she let her mind drift. Her and Sakura were practically shoulder to shoulder in the chilly night air, accented by a sharp breeze.

"The stars sure are pretty tonight, aren't they?" Sakura asked, letting out a soft, contented sigh. Being lost in a moment like this made it easy to forget what was to happen the following night.

Shizuku simply nodded, far-away gaze on the sky as she twisted her flower pin in her hands.

Sakura grew quiet as well. There were some people out there who were able to fill a silence with ease, dissipating awkward tension in the air without a second thought.

On the other side of the spectrum, there were people like Sakura and Shizuku, who let the breeze and faint swishing of the leaves take the place of words.

Shizuku clearly didn't intend on talking, so it had to be up to her.

"My mission's coming up tomorrow night," Sakura said softly. Since the both of them had sharp hearing, there was no need to raise their voices. "I've never done one this long before."

Those words snapped Shizuku back into the reality she was trying not to face. Her expression grew pensive, with her plastered serene smile giving way to a blank stare. A small nod—so quick and small that it was near-imperceptible—was all she gave in response.

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. Somehow she got the sense that her friend was upset, even from the subtle clues. "I'll come back safely. I've been training whenever I could, you know that," she reassured her, placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder. The fabric of Shizuku's lavender cloak was soft and smooth under her fingertips.

Another nod. A quick, soft hum. That was all.

From the way Shizuku's dark eyes had glazed over, it was clear that there would be no getting through to her.

***

Part One: The Fateful Day
In a swift motion, Sakura tied her hair into a high side ponytail with her signature cherry-red ribbon.

Having spent some time in the demon slayer corps by now, getting ready for missions became somewhat of a routine for her. Sure, there was the tension that came with anticipation—the occasional pang of worry in her chest, or tremble of her hands—but through diligent training she found that her confidence grew, even by only a little.