|| RIVALS AND ROMANCES || sanegiyuu

Chapter Five - Shadows of Sorrow

Sanemi Shinazugawa stood frozen in front of the Butterfly Mansion, his hand poised to knock on the door. The weight of his confession hung heavy in the air, anticipation mingling with uncertainty in his heart.

But before he could summon the courage to announce his presence, a sound pierced the silence—a sound that sent a chill down his spine and shattered the fragile bubble of hope that had enveloped him.

Sobs.

They echoed from behind the mansion, carried on the gentle breeze like a mournful melody. Without hesitation, Sanemi drew his katana, the steel gleaming in the fading light, and sprinted toward the source of the cries.

As he rounded the corner, his worst fears were realized. Shinobu Kochou knelt on the ground, her slender form shaking with grief. In her arms, she cradled Kanae—a lifeless, motionless figure that sent a stab of pain through Sanemi's heart.

"Shinobu," he called out, his voice barely above a whisper.

Shinobu's head snapped up, her eyes red and swollen with tears. She looked at Sanemi with a mixture of anguish and disbelief, as if struggling to comprehend the nightmare that had unfolded before her.

"Sanemi," she choked out, her voice raw with emotion. "Kanae... she's..."

Sanemi's heart clenched at the sight of his friend's anguish. Without a word, he knelt beside her, his eyes fixed on Kanae's still form. The world seemed to blur around him, the vibrant colors of the garden fading into a haze of gray.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice hoarse with sorrow.

Shinobu took a shuddering breath, trying to steady herself. "Kanae... she told me... that the demon... he had a calm voice... rainbow eyes... and a majestic manner to his attacks..."

Her words were broken by sobs, her voice trailing off into the night air. Sanemi felt a surge of anger and despair rise within him, a primal urge to lash out at the cruel twist of fate that had robbed them of their friend and sister.

"She was fighting all night long," Shinobu continued, her voice rising in a crescendo of grief and fury. "She fought with everything she had, but... it wasn't enough."

Sanemi's hands clenched around the hilt of his katana, his knuckles turning white with the force of his grip. Kanae had been a beacon of light in their dark world, a source of strength and solace in the face of adversity. And now, she was gone—taken from them in the blink of an eye by a merciless demon.

"I'll find him," Sanemi vowed, his voice a low growl in the stillness of the night. "I'll find the demon who did this, and I'll make him pay."

Shinobu looked at him, her eyes ablaze with determination. "We'll find him together," she said, her voice steady despite the tears that still streamed down her cheeks. "For Kanae."

As they knelt together in the shadow of the Butterfly Mansion, grief and rage intertwining in their hearts, Sanemi knew that their journey was far from over. But in that moment, surrounded by the echoes of sorrow and loss, he found a flicker of something else—a glimmer of hope that burned bright amidst the darkness.

For as long as they drew breath, they would fight. Fight for justice. Fight for redemption. Fight for the memory of the one they had lost.

And though the road ahead would be fraught with peril and pain, they would face it together, united in their quest for vengeance and their unwavering bond of friendship.