Into the Darkness (A Demon Slayer Fanfiction)

Chapter 38: Shame

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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Giyuu

This murky, gloomy day was coming to an end.

The mind-numbingly chilly air remained as unwelcoming as ever in this winter season.

The dull clouds and light flakes of snow evoked a melancholic and despondent outlook; as if the clouds were silently weeping, the teardrops freezing into snow as it carefully alighted onto the cold ground.

The innumerable rituals, obsequies, and other traditional practices had been duly observed with the utmost care.

The funeral procession has concluded.

And now, everyone was gathered in a large room, waiting for the cremation services to begin in earnest.

Everyone, from family, friends, and even the local townspeople, was present.

For, the death of a young, good-natured woman was an occasion for mourning; such a pity it is, they whisper, that she had to die the night before her wedding—the night before the happiest moment of her life.

As for me, I stood in a hushed requiem.

Too much has happened. I still can't process it all.

My heart has been submerged in a sea of grief and sorrow; yet, my eyes are too dry for me to shed any more tears.

I can't make sense of any of it.

Why? Why did this happen?

Why did I yell at her on that awful night? Why did I forsake the bond that had kept us together for so long?

The unbridled anger and frustration that hitherto corrupted my mind have all but swept away in light of the recent events. Now, I just feel hollow.

Why did the world condemn us to this fate? Why did it leave me with a pain worse than death?

Why us? Why her?

She deserved happiness more than anyone else. She worked restlessly in order to care for me, she bottled up her sorrow just for me, and she always kept a happy smile just for me.

So, why did you take her? Why was she punished?

Why not me?

She did not commit a single sin—I was the one who did. She sacrificed everything for me, but I was too selfish.

In what world would the innocent be condemned but the sinner is left to their own devices?

What am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to make sense of what Kami-sama did to her?