A Specific Butterfly | ShinoGiyuu 🦋🌊

Aftermath: Giyuu

Tomioka POV

It's over. All of it. All of the violence, the blood shed, it's gone.

So many people were killed off, so many hashiras, so many demons, nearly everyone wiped out.

And this one person was taken away from me as well. Kocho Shinobu. The one dearest to me. She was gone before I could discuss my feelings towards her-before I could properly get to know her.

She had every right to stay, every right to live a wonderful life, but no. She had to be born in a hell-hole like this; where demons has constantly lurked the earth. Even worse-she died by the hands of a demon.

I know this. I know it's going to be hard living without her, I don't know how I'm going to do it, but if she was here, she would've wanted me to be healthy and happy. Because that's just her nature-kind and caring.

But this was the present. I shouldn't dwell on that right now.

I grunted as I slowly pulled my body up off of the stone ground, wounds were spread all over my body and probably infected by now.

Someone ran to my side to support me. My vision was a blur but I recognised that half black half orange hair. Nezuko came to help me.

If I could see properly, I didn't see that muzzle I gave her on her mouth anymore. Was she human again? That curse on her was gone? We really did it?!

She struggled as she pulled me up, grunting as she held my upper half in her arms.

"Giyuu-san! We will get help soon! I promise!" She cried out, reassuring me-or herself. But her soft voice cradled my ears, I felt sleepy. I wanted to sleep and dream forever.

-

I woke up in a soft bed, I'm sure this wasn't my mansion at all. This was the Butterfly Mansion. I know it too well because I've been here too often.

Someone rushed into the room, it was Aoi. My old mentee. She's here infront of me, demanding me for answers.

"Are you OK? How was the battle? Is shinobu alright?!" She cried out, shaking my arms as an attempt to process her questions faster.

The last question woke me.

Is Shinobu alright?

She's far from alright.

She had to suffer. But she has to be happy now.

She's finally free from this cruel world-she can finally reincarnate to that pure and sweet soul again, but in an even better world. And love will find her.
I sighed, pushing those hopeless thoughts away.

"She's free. She's free from the world." That was my only response. I didn't know how else to word it without crying, bursting out into tears infront of my Mentee would be unprofessional. But does it matter? I'm not a demon slayer anymore, am I?

Her eyes widened at the realisation; she's definetly heard this before but just didn't want to accept it and labelled it as fake news. But her hearing it from me, the most sincere person, she describes, I suppose it really hit her.

Her eyes began to water, squinting slightly as her hands shook in mine, I held her hands in my palm as a form of comfort.

I got up, wincing at the pain but I can only imagine how much pain Aoi is feeling, so it doesn't matter. I hugged her tightly as she cried in my arms. I guess I shouldn't be ashamed of what I'm feeling, because it seems Aoi has also been holding this back.

I hope you're doing alright, Shinobu.