Disclaimer:
I do not own nor claim all the rights to 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba | Demon Slayer; all rights are reserved to its respective creator, Koyoharu Gotōge. This is purely a work of fiction; names, characters, businesses, events, localities, and occurrences are all extrapolated from the author's writings and imagination or utilized in a fictitious manner. As such, any direct or indirect references to actual entities, dead or alive, or events do not, in any shape or form, resemble the opinions of the author.
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"..." = Dialogue
'...' = Internal monologues
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Shinobu was still pinned down to the ground, incapable of moving a fiber of muscle.
However, almost paradoxically, Kanashimi was concurrently unable to lay a finger on the Insect Hashira—at least according to her.
Thus, the two were at a sort of impasse, making it quite clear that the battle wouldn't be decided within this empty, dark void.
This wasn't exactly a satisfactory situation for Shinobu given that she was trying to escape the demon's godforsaken mind spell.
An array of concerns also troubled her. For one, she still isn't aware of Giyuu's contemporary condition and situation.
With the understanding that she's been trapped here by Kanashimi's spell, Shinobu can only assume the worst and conclude that Giyuu has similarly been confined to a hallucinatory Blood Demon Art.
If so, he could be in mortal danger—something she cannot absolutely risk under any circumstances.
She was starting to panic, worried sick about Giyuu and his tribulations.
It wasn't like her to become easily perturbed, given how she's refined her battle senses and constructed an alternate personality over the years in order to prevent this very defect from precipitating.
But with everything that has occurred thus far, the very foundations of her beliefs, convictions, and goals have drastically altered since the beginning of this mission.
And almost all of it has to do with the man in question.
'Pull yourself together! Now's not the time,' she chastised herself.
Shinobu had to comport herself; regardless of how she may fare internally, she cannot get carried away in the midst of battle.
She simply cannot waste a moment in devising a plan to defeat the enemy.
In addition, she realized that she has to place faith in the man she loves dearly—she has to have faith in those feelings she considers indispensable.
'Giyuu is a seasoned warrior, I shouldn't underestimate his ability to endure adversity...' she reminded herself, placing tepid trust in her partner's capabilities—yet still being troubled by her fears.
Once again, Shinobu had to regain her composure under these tenuous circumstances.
Instead of fretting over something she cannot influence, she ought to fixate her mind on the things she can control: defeating Kanashimi.
First, she has to review what she already knows.
She's locked in a battle of attrition against the enemy, with Kanashimi having regenerative faculties allowing her to prolong the confrontation indefinitely—until Shinobu is pushed to exhaustion.
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