Cruelty

Daybreak and first light

I am awake again.

I blacked out, but only for a moment. That fall was no joke.

Nezuko's alright it seems, so we advance towards the enemy.

Tokito throws me the sword I found in the Yorichii Type Zero, (much to Hakunezka's dismay) and we continue on...

This is my chance! Hinokami Kagura, Dancing Flash!

In one fluid moment, I cut off its head. The fight is over and I've won. I take a minute to collect myself, my body aches so bad that I can barely move. The adrenaline is almost gone.

That's when I see it.

The burning light in the sky that usually signals a clear win against a demon, a relief. Dawn is breaking.

The first thought that strikes me is Nezuko.

I turn around to warn her. Just like in a nightmare, my voice is gone. There's blood in my throat and I can't get a word out. All of a sudden I become riddled with fear.

A fear so strong I feel dizzy. It's the most terrifying thing I've ever felt. More so than running into upper three. More so than coming face to face with the impurity of the world, the one and only most powerful demon, Muzan Kibutsuji.

I try to warn her, and my voice finally finds itself. "NEZUKO! RUN! GET INTO THE SHADE!"

But she ignores me. She points behind me, making noises that sound like pleading.

I turn around and that's when I realize. The demon's body hasn't started to crumble and turn to ash. Instead, it is chasing some nearby villagers.

No. NO! The fight is not over. I realize that the thing I just cut was resentment, not fear. I've messed up.

And then it happens.

The sun's deadly rays shoot down, and Nezuko lets out this blood curdling scream. Pain, so much of it. I can hear her skin sizzling. What a horrific sound.

I try my best to shelter her, but it's not working. Panic fills my body in every crack and crevice.

I look for help, someone, anyone.

But nobody is there.

The sun will kill the demon too, but not in time to save the villagers.

This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life. Hot tears stream down my face. I don't know what to do.

So I do the one thing I do know, to comfort my sister and think about my choices.

I look down at my beloved sister, almost asking her to help.

Almost instantly, before my brain can even process it, I am flying through the air.

I take one last look at my sister, then the demon. It's already got one of the villagers. The other two run while it's busy.

And then I make a full-on sprint towards Nezuko.

The pain. I can feel a searing spear sensation shoot through the broken and mangled bones in my foot. But I remain just as fast. I can't imagine how she feels.

I can see something rising in the long grass.

Ash.