I Feel You - Gyomei Himejima

Chapter 17

In the middle of the quiet dead night. I find myself waking up from a bed. I sat up and there was an open door in the middle of the air right at the foot of my bed. The two figures of my little siblings stand inside the domain of the door.

"Hami...? Mito...?" I call out.

Muzan appears and stands behind them, giving me a sinister grin as he puts his hands on each of their shoulders and pulls them deeper into the room.

"No... NO GIVE THEM BACK!" I jumped into the door.

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I gasp awake in real time, sitting up as I reach my hand out in mid-air, "GIVE THEM BACK!"

"Hamito!" Gyomei woke from his slumber on a table next to me and reached his hands out to me; he pulled me against his body, "Hamito, it's fine... you're fine." He cooed, brushing my hair in a comforting rhythm.

Tanjiro wakes up as well from the commotion, taking my hand in his, "Kuza-san relax... We're here."

I breathe heavily; my eyes slowly soften as the confusion leaves me. I put my hand on my head, "Ah... it was a nightmare."

"I'm glad you're awake..." He heaves a sigh of relief, taking in the scent of my hair, "How are you feeling?"

"...My body aches. What... happened?"

"What was the last thing you remembered?" Gyomei asks.

I blink a few times, trying my best to remember. I remember something, but it's all blurry as if a memory was attempted to be removed from my mind, "The last thing I remember... after I killed the bear, I passed out."

"The bear?"

"Yeah, the demon was a bear... after that, I can't tell what happened. Then... I'm here." I look around, beginning to recognize the place, Shinobu's clinic.

"Hey, have you guys seen Mato?" Concern grew for my crow.

Gyomei hesitated for a second and gave in with a sigh, "He... When your horse made its way back here, it had bought Mato's small body with it... but it was too late."

I felt my heart stop beating for a few seconds as my gaze dropped, "I see..."

"You don't remember anything for the past three days...?" Tanjiro asks.

"Three days...? It's been three days?... No wonder I'm hungry."

"I'll go get some food for Kuza-san." Tanjiro excused himself immediately and walked out of the room. Leaving us Gyomei together alone.

Gyomei reached out and held my face, "You don't remember anything at all?"

"I... can't. It's not that I don't, I can't." A sigh rolled off my lips.

"Well, it's no use recalling things that aren't there. At least you're awake now," He sighs both in relief and disappointment, "After you eat your food, you should get some rest. Okay?"

"I will..."

After a while, Tanjiro returned with a platter, setting the tray on Kuza's lamp. I munched on it hungrily, finishing the food in less than a minute, and drank a few cups of water before finally laying down.

We went back to sleep; Gyomei lit up a wisteria incense in the room before sitting on a chair as he laid his head on the edge of my bed. I reach out and brush my fingers through his hair, I feel his head shift against my touch, continuing to sleep.

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Morning came and Shinobu came to check up on me, keeping track of any progress. She gave me more medications and washed my body with a wet towel while Gyomei went to take a bath and change clothes as well.