• ☾ Cold Blue ☽ •

• ☾ Chapter 16 | No more sacrifices ☽ •

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~ Giyuu's POV ~

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I will not allow it.

I will not allow another one of my loved ones to perish at the hands of a demon, I've lost too much and I don't know how many more people I can bear to lose. My sister, Tsutako Nee-san, and Sabito had been taken from me, and the other children being trained by Urokodaki-sensei had perished as well, even if I wasn't as close to them as I was with Sabito, it was a shame knowing that such young hardworking people had ended up ripped to shreds, all their hard work put to nothing. Kochō is a petite woman, fragile like a doll, I don't doubt she would be murdered within seconds of stepping into the Final Selection. I've saved her so many times, I'm... honestly frightened at the thought of her becoming a slayer and the thing that frightens me the most is that I am unable to stop her, in the end, my decision doesn't matter, her father might agree, no... Himejima wouldn't agree to let his daughter—one of the most important people left in his life— there's no way he'd let her sacrifice her life like that. The stress of this situation is giving me a headache, my head is throbbing and I can't help but release a small grunt of pain. I could brew myself some tea and read to relieve the pain, or I could tough it out. Why do I have to be so weak? Why couldn't I protect my loved ones? Will I be unable to protect Kochō as well, will she be ripped away from me and fade into a distant memory of the past like everyone else? 

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3rd Person POV

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The balmy autumn air was flowing pleasantly, and the breeze carried the maple leaves around till' they fell to the ground and withered. Despite being autumn, it had been quite warm out, as if spring had come early to greet the people who had been waiting for it to come, like a letter that had not been sent yet. Ladybugs crawled over the leaves, butterflies drank from the flowers that were soon going to die and bud up again.

The air was warm, however Shinobus's temper was warmer. Her hot temper blazed over her as veins pumped in her forehead, her hands clamped together tightly as they formed into fists. Her steps pounding into the wood of the veranda, her teeth clenched like a lock, and strands of her hair swept in the way of her face. "Who on earth does he think he is?" she thought angrily, an aura of frustration glowing around her like light to a lantern. She stomped down the veranda, till' she made her way to the room she and her sisters were staying in till' the cottage was finally built. Nobody was inside, it was lonely, as if it was abandoned long ago, just a candle to light up the room. She slid the shoji doors closed gently and sat on her futon, she snaked her arms together, crossing them. She rested her face against her arms as the feeling of lonliness swelling inside of her heart. She didn't understand her own emotions and why she would want to go off and join a hidden organization and kill demons, the monsters of the night with supernatural abilities, stronger than her and stronger than many. As much as she wanted to protect the innocent from any touch of danger, there was a secret part of her that wanted to join so she could fight alongside Giyuu, so they could be together and he would be proud of her accomplishments instead of treating her as just... the daughter of his co-worker. Maybe she just wanted to be respected, not left alone at home all day with the worrying feeling overwhelming her when Giyuu was away. She lifted her head up a bit, her eyebrows sunk sadly as her violet eyes stared at nothing, what was she staring at? And why? Oh, she was trying to find comfort in her dreams that would never happen. The pure childish fantasy that everyone had deep down, but only a handful would ever accomplish.

As much as how serious and mature she tried to be, how everyone tried to be, she was a child deep down that needed someone to hug her again, one last hug full of love.

꩜𖦹

The summery comfort of the weather had changed and the clouds hugged, grouping together to cover the sweltering shower of the sun. Raindrops showered from the sky, drip-drops pitter-pattering on the floor, creating a lullaby as the frogs croaked along with their song. Blood squirted from the neck of the demon, who's throat had just been sliced open as ash swam in the breeze of the wind, carrying them away. The plop of a decapitated demon head fell to the stone ground, blood pooling out into puddles, rain mixing into the blood. The blood seeped between the cracks between the cobblestone, it looked as if the cobblestone ground had veins. The murderer of the demon, Giyuu stood a few feet away as his head hung down, his raven colored hair twinkled with water droplets caught in it. His sapphire colored eyes staring down at the cobblestone, the blood pooling towards him. The memory of him and Shinobu's dispute was still lingering in the back of his mind, haunting him as the memory of what he had said to her was now pinching him, piercing his heart with a needle. Was he to hard on her? He had to be stern, he couldn't let her walk over him and rebel against him if he had been to soft. The last thing he'd want would be to hurt her feelings—no, the last thing he'd want would be her to die. He couldn't imagine her dead body, cold and frail resting against the earth as the last few pumps of her heart faded to an empty sound, the sound of nothing that would be so loud and so quiet at the same time. His eyes narrowed, his fist tightening more around the handle of his sword. He released a sigh, as if by doing that he was also releasing anger. He took his sword, sliding it gently into his sheath, like he had been doing for years, ever since he was a child. He still remembered the smell of the pine on Mountain Sagiri, the cushion of the futon he had comfortably cocooned himself in after Sabito's death, the leathery calloused skin of Urokodaki when he pat his head or hugged him, in the winter when the first fresh snowflakes gracefully fell to the ground, the feeling of Sabito hitting him in the face with snowballs when they got into playful fights. Desolation swelled through the bittersweet memories of his life with Urokodaki and Sabito back on Mt. Sagiri. He remembered the pure joy he felt with Sabito, the memories they created that were constantly pulsing through his mind, the friendship he began that ended with heartbreak and death. He knew it, he shouldn't have gotten close with her, he shouldn't have let her create a bond. Death was at the end of the storybook.

His eyebrows furrowed angrily, mixed emotions pulsing through him causing his head to throb in pain, along with his whole body after running out in the chilly rainy weather. Usually, he would've had Shinobu heal his wounds and bundle him to keep him warm, but their argument had made things... awkward. He released a sigh, what would he do now? "I'm sure she's already erased me from her mind. She's angry with me, I can feel it." His thoughts raced through his head like fish caught in rapid river. He bit into his lip, worry was beginning to sprout in him. His lids dropped as the cool night hair swirled his hair around, leaves blowing around him handsomely. There was nothing more to do, he had finished his mission. But there was something in him that made his heart ache with guilt.

His footsteps panged the ground as he began to walk back to the house he was sharing with his co-workers daughters.  The breeze blowing in waves and sending raindrops into his face, he grunted as the strangely strong wind hit him like a bullet. His teeth clenched as he inched closer and closer to his home, however... something was off. It felt empty as he neared closer, as he stepped onto the veranda and slid his shoes off, he noticed that there were no lights on, none of the girls were playing or reading, cooking or anything. It was eery almost. That's when he realized that something was missing, no...

Someone was missing.

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