The Girl From the Taisho Era//OC INSERT//

ACT 1 CH 12

"If you dance, I'll dance. And if you don't, I'll dance anyway." — Say Yes To Heaven, Lana Del Rey

✧

   ARASHI BLINKED AND FOUND HERSELF IN THE BUTTERFLY MANSION. She looked to her side and saw Tanjiro seated with his head buried in his arms on the bed, sleeping. She looked at herself in confusion and winced when a bolt of pain shot through her head.

   What the hell? Why am I here? Arashi held her head in one hand. She hissed quietly and squeezed her eye shut. It felt like someone was stabbing into her skull, her brain was being melted from the inside, plants rooted and grew from the blood in her head, someone taking her eye out—

   "Aras—Khumito-san?.." Tanjiro's tired, startled voice shoved her out of her thoughts. He flushed when he realized his slip up. "Ah..hello, Kamado-kun.." Arashi greeted behind gritted teeth. "What's wrong? Should I get Kocho-sama?" He asked, worriedly fussing over her. 

   "Yes, would you?" Arashi gave him a strained smile. She watched him run off a split second after the words left her mouth. 

   Are we still talking?

   Arashi jumped at the voice resounding through her head. 

   Sorry. 

   Arashi ignored the voice as Shinobu came rushing in, Tanjiro, Zenitsu (or so she remembered), and Inosuke (she remembered to her surprise). "Khumito-san, it's wonderful to see you awake." Shinobu greeted with her usual light-lipped smile.

   "How long?.." Arashi removed her hand from her head and smiled softly at Tanjiro as he came to stand by her side again. "Only a day." He said quietly, taking her hand gently and nervously playing with her fingers.

   "You.." he started hesitantly. "Your eye. It was blue." Arashi looked at him with surprise. "Ah, I'm sure you were just seeing things," she chuckled, wanting to punch a hole in the wall from the pain.

   The trio of kids looked at each other skeptically. More like Zenitsu and Tanjiro. Inosuke was just kinda watching them. He then looked back at Arashi. "Hey, eye lady! Fight me, why don't you?! We never got to fight earlier—" Tanjiro clamped a hand over Inosuke's mouth and whispered something in his ear. Arashi and Zenitsu, having good hearing, heard it. One snorted but pretended not to have heard anything while the other stared with a dropped jaw and fear burning in their eyes.

   Arashi cleared her throat and they looked at her. Tanjiro walked back to her side with a worried look and tone, the mood switch giving the other three whiplash. "Do you need anything?" Arashi shook her head with a smile. "No, I'm fine. Really! You worry too much.."

   I'd be worried, too.

   Hush. I'm not talking to you. Arashi's smile grew a little strained and Tanjiro's brow furrowed, smelling that she was a bit stressed. "Well, me and miss Kocho-sama are here if you need something okay?" He offered softly. Arashi raised a brow at the fact that he excluded Zenitsu and Inosuke from this. But, then again, they didn't seem like the most..responsible of people.

   "Of course. Now, go be productive. I'm sure you have missions." Arashi hummed and gestured for Tanjiro to come closer. When he did, she gently pinched his cheek and whispered, "Be careful, okay? Try and come back to me in one piece."

   Tanjiro yelped from the touch on his cheek but nodded with a slight flush and ran out of the room. Zenitsu watched him with a dead stare and walked after him, muttering Tanjiro's name and a couple curses. Inosuke, being the soul he is, laughed manically and rushed after them.

   Arashi's smile grew more natural. She felt at ease watching the trio's antics. It reminded her of when she was younger, happier. Life was...so simple then. 

   She sighed. You can't change the past, no matter if you try to clear your name or bury it under mounds of deeds. Someone knows something. And they're ready to spill gasoline that will turn into a forest fire. 

   Yes, you can't change your past. But you can still fuck up your future.

ت

   Kumo shivered again. Fuck, I hate having to stay in the shadows. I wish we could go in the sun. He reluctantly stuffed his face into Rui's shoulder, his nose becoming cold. 

   "Th-this place sucks," he complained, curling up tighter. Rui rolled his eyes, not cold one bit. "Come on, you're overreacting. It's not even cold. You just want to be held." He snickered but squeezed Kumo a bit closer. 

   Kumo didn't have the energy to fight back and just grumbled under his breath. He was clearly shaking, and if Rui couldn't see that, then he was blind. 

   "This village has nothing but old people in it..they don't even have anything to make any fire! No wonder it's cold here." Kumo hissed in displeasure. Rui clicked his tongue and pulled Kumo's head off his shoulder by one of his horns. He relished in the sound of Kumo's shriek before letting go and gently petting his hair as a silent apology.

   Kumo exhaled in frustration. He hated his horns being touched. Anyone sensible would. He gripped Rui's shoulders and side-eyed him. He patted Rui roughly on the head and whined quietly from the cold.

   "It's not even winter.." Rui observed quietly, absently rubbing Kumo's back. "You're right," Kumo realized. "But w--" Rui covered Kumo's mouth, shushing him and scooting farther into the cave they were in. 

   "Listen." He whispered. Two people walked past the cave. "I heard there was a demon in the lake," one said nonchalantly. "What? But I go fishing there every week!" The other responded. "Ehh...well, I think you're fine. If it hasn't touched you, then you should be fine." "If you say so. But the lake is pretty close to the village.." The second one said doubtfully. The first laughed and the voices faded.

   "Demon..in the lake?" Kumo and Rui both said at the same time. Kumo lifted his head from Rui's shoulder and looked at him skeptically. "It can't be what's causing the cold..right?"

   Rui's brows furrowed. "We'll never know unless we go see. But whatever it is, it can't be a match for two Lowermoons." Kumo nodded. "Yeah. You're right." He then held Rui tighter and groaned. "But I'm still cold.." Rui sighed. I guess we could stay a bit longer.. 

~'-'~

   Now the rumor has spread..

   She sighed. Would people just leave her alone? All she did was sit at the bottom of the lake and occasionally pick on people from the village. People that the village wasn't too fond of and wouldn't miss. She supposed she could be nice since the village's people didn't even taste good. And it was cold. All the time.

   She slightly missed the Hashira she had found--but it couldn't be helped that she was now being ignored. All humans die someday. So she shouldn't really care.

   And the two Lowermoons hiding near the village intrigued her. What were they doing here? She wanted to go see them to see if they were worth her time, or if she shouldn't bother..

   ..but it was cold. And she felt like not moving. She lay back and watched the sand billow up around her. Damn, she loved being underwater. It was so beautiful.

   She grabbed a fish swimming by and began eating it while thinking. On second thought, the two Lowermoons shouldn't be there.

   The village didn't need four demons near it, after all.

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Words:1263

Hey guys, been meaning to update this but writer's block yk?

I will try my best to update my books lol <3 Stay safe everyone!!