One Day Without You | Sabigiyuu

Chapter 1.

❝ Mom.. ❞

The feeling of the water overwhelming his body was powerful.. His limbs numb as he felt the current pull his body away from the gate that led to the outside world.

❝ I'm scared.. ❞

Where was he..? Where was Giyuu? Had he saved him after all? Was he.. Dead..? No! It couldn't be! He was alive, still with Urokodaki.. Giyuu.. He was alive! He could swear it! He felt the dark hands from the depths of death reach towards his body, grabbing his shoulders, waist, and covering his mouth. He had nowhere to run now, his fate was sealed. He could see the light from the world of the living fade away from him as he was pulled down towards the depth of death. Closing his eyes, he accepted what had come to him, death..

Opening his eyes again, the depths of the "sea" he had been drowning in was gone. Instead, he saw the sun shining through the treetops. He sat up, looking around the landscape where he had woken up. Ah.. He was in that forest again.. He sat on the boulder that had been cut in half by that boy.. Tanjirou, wasn't it? He felt hazy, the trees stretching up towards the blue sky looked like they were swaying. He reached towards the side of the boulder, feeling something brush against his fingers, he flinched back as he heard the certain something slide down the side of the rock and hit the ground. He peeked out over the side and saw the mask that he always wore. He let out a sigh and got ready to slide down the side, but he was stopped by the tiny girl he knew as Makomo kneel down in front of the mask and pick it up, brushing it off with her hands.

❝ Sabito.. Was it that dream again? ❞

The black haired girl asked as she stood up and held out the white fox mask to him.

Sabito let out a soft sigh and nodded, sliding down the side of the rock and grabbing the mask that the tinier girl held out to him.

❝ Say, Makomo.. ❞

He started, holding the fox mask in both of his hands. He stared at it, the memories flooding back to him of the tragic day that he lost his life. He looked up at the girl in front of him who.. Also had lost her life to the same demon as he had. She looked up at him with a look of curiosity in her eyes, not speaking until Sabito had finished his sentence.

❝ Why do you think we can't pass on? ❞

He asked, turning the mask around in his hands and putting it over his face, tying it behind his head and brushed off his green yukata as he waited for the response of the smaller girl.

It took her some time, looking down at her hands as she thought of a good enough response to his question.

❝ Well.. I assume people can't let our spirits go.. That's why we are stuck here in this forest. I've tried to get the word to Urokodaki, but he has never seen me.. I stood outside the door knocking for an hour, he did open the door, but he didn't see me. ❞

She sighed sadly, glancing to the side, looking for something to distract herself through the boring, endless days of sitting around the boulder, sometimes going down to the cabin that Urokodaki lived in to watch him do his daily chores throughout the house. At this point, it was the only thing that kept them both entertained, even though it was getting boring to watch. It was the same things over and over, the two ghosts would sometimes have fun with Urokodaki even if he couldn't see them. Makomo found joy in placing small flowers inside various pots throughout the house, smiling when she saw her old adoptive father pick them out of the various pots and wonder where they had come from.

Sabito, on the other hand, enjoyed rearranging rocks outside the door to try and get a message across. He sometimes managed to sneak into the house, as swift as a fox, and left a little pinecone figure inside one of the cabinets. Pinecone figures he made himself out of random pinecones found on the ground and smaller sticks and fir needles. He enjoyed seeing Urokodaki's surprised face when he saw the pinecones with sticks sticking out of them in his cabinets. Sometimes, he could catch a sad smile from the old Hashibira as he was reminded of the mischief that Sabito and Makomo sometimes put up with.. Sure, they were scolded for it, but deep down, he probably enjoyed seeing what creative things they came up with.