Forever

Chapter 6 - Shadow

"Kocho, how do you make poison?" Y/N inquired. They were sitting in Shinobu's place going through poisons that were specifically made to render demons unable to move. Training had been long and grueling, but Y/N managed to take a shower and relax for the time being. Shinobu stared out the window at the stars. Y/N wasn't able to sleep; maybe it was because of her agitation? She had decided to pay a visit to the butterfly hashira, and it turned out she too was also staying up extremely late making poison. She chuckled at Y/N's question. It seemed Shinobu took a great liking to her ever since the training - Y/N had passed Shinobu's test. "Well, how am I supposed to answer that? I use different poison based on the skill levels on different demons." she answered, clasping her hands behind her back. Y/N, who was directly behind her studying a bottle of poison, nodded in interest. "You're amazing, Kocho! I surely look up to you!" Shinobu let out a small smile. "Is it ok if I take a bottle?" Y/N asked. "Sorry, I just - I might need it sometime, I'm still training haha!" Shinobu smiled at the window. "Take what you'd like." she said simply. As Y/N happily took a bottle of poison, Shinobu thought. She did not know why, but Y/N reminded her of Kanae. While not as skilled as her, Y/N was persistent and strong just like Kanae. Her eyes darkened; the moon quivered under her cold gaze. "I'm going to make a poison strong enough to ensure that Douma doesn't see the light of day again." "Ah, I should really get going now, it's almost dusk. I'll see you around, Kocho!" Y/N headed out the door. Shinobu nodded in acknowlegment. "Get back quickly, it's cold out there."

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" a woman screamed. She had fine features; her dark hair was tied into a messy bun, and her siren eyes had pupils the color of a sunset. Dressed in a purple kimono, she gripped it out of fear as she was forcefully pushed up against the wall of her home. Her facial features were twisted into ones of horror as she made eye contact with a grotesque demon...one could easily tell why people would fear apart from it being well, a demon. The skin was an ashen-gray and its indigo veins were pulsing in agitation - it had not eaten in a while. As the women stared into the dark, souless eyes of the demon, she yelled as loud as she could: "BOTAN-SAN!" her vocal chords were fried after yelling, yet she recieved no response. In a quivering voice, she asked, "W-what...WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY HUSBAND?!" "Pitiful, indeed." the demon growled. It had a slightly high-pitched raspy voice. It licked its fangs while it answered: "What do you suppose I did with him?"

 It was at this point the woman shrieked. She instantly gained strength in her legs to stand up - grabbing the nearest glass bottle she had, she flung it at the demon...yet the demon didn't even react. The glass bottle simply cracked into pieces as it came in contact with the demon's thick skin. "I admire your bravery," said the demon. "But I'm hungry...won't you pity me?" "SOMEBODY HE-!" the woman screamed with all her might, but she would never finish that sentence; the demon clawed her head off with just one swipe of a shadow. She dropped to the floor like a broken marionette. Settling down, the demon crouched and began inspecting the woman. She was extremely beautiful, that was for sure. Whoever that "Botan-san" was, he sure was lucky to marry a woman like her. The demon grinned. How he loved killing women like her. He ripped off the woman's leg with just a slight tug. Blood was everywhere, but the demon payed no mind. He continued dismembering the woman until only the bloody organs of her lay still on the wooden floor. The demon thought of it as beautiful.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Y/N thought something was wrong. She laid on her perfectly comfortable bed, yet she could not fall asleep. Something had managed to wake her up, and it was a hazy nightmare that she couldn't shake off. Her dream had meant something significant, she was sure of it. Y/N sat up in bed and lifted the covers to stand up; visiting Shinobu should've brought her comfort, but it in fact did the opposite. She rubbed her temples, trying to remember as much from the dream as she could. There was a demon and a woman...she was really pretty, Y/N thought. She gave a start. Y/N had never moved faster in her entire life; she didn't bother to turn on the light in her room - she quickly changed, slipped on her hashira outfit, grabbed her sword, and sped out the door, not bothering to even close it. It was the dead of night and all the other hashiras were probably out doing who knows what - Y/N didn't know if she should bring reinforcements, but she erased that thought from her mind and ran until her breaths became labored to her destination.