𝙠𝙣𝙮, 𝙙𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣

03. End

[name] laughed silently with a smile on her face with Kyojuro resting his head on her lap as they waited for help to arrive. [name] then looked at the worried-looking Tanjiro who couldn't help but constantly apologize for not being much of a help. [name] then watched as Kyojuro reached out, and placed a hand against his cheek.

"You're a step closer to becoming a Hashira," he complimented, and [name] could only hum in agreement. She then turned as she watched a few kakushis who were helping out at the Butterfly Estate arrived, panting slightly.

"Rengoku-sama!" one of them cried out and quickly attended to him. [name] moved away from her original position, and watched with a smile on her face as Kyojuro got treated. She then looked down the track, and could only continued to smile.

"I'll be heading off now, take care," [name] said with a smile, and Tanjiro's eyes widened as he realized [name] will be leaving them, without any protection from the demons. Or so he thought. He then blinked in confusion when [name] lightly tapped him on his forehead with her finger.

"Don't worry too much, Tanjiro. I'll see you at home," she said with a smile and proceeded to walk away.

"Akane-san! You're injured too!" and [name] waved it off, following the tracks heading for her hometown, which she had missed dearly.

"Stubborn, as always," Kyojuro chuckled out as he was laid on the ground, with his head tilt to the side as he watched [name] walking further away from them.

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[name] smiled as she walked down the busy streets of her hometown. Watching them walk around with a smile on their face, not afraid of being attacked by demons. For they trusted her fully. She then stopped in front of a small fruit stall and soon walked into it. Taking a look at how things had changed.

"[name]? You've returned!" and [name] placed back the apple she was holding after checking the freshness of it. She then turned and could only laugh at the messy state the stall owner was.

"Akashi-san, your hair," she spoke out, and he quickly patted his hair properly into a neat style.

"Are you back to help us replant the wisteria flowers?" he asked as he started to pick out the freshest fruits he could offer to her. [name] hummed in response and soon laughed a little when Akashi presented her a bag of fresh-picked fruits that his stall was selling.

"You must have been on such a long journey, returning home. Every year you would do this, our town people can't thank you enough," he explained with a smile, and [name] could only smile in response. His red eyes then widened when he saw her bleeding slightly on the shoulder.

"[name], you're injured!" and [name] waved it off with a smile.

"It's alright, I'll get myself treated once I get some medicines from Yuu-san," [name] commented and Akashi then watched as she walked out of the stall, a sad smile plastered on his face as he watched the town's savior go.

"You seem to have changed so much, where's the old you?" he whispered out.

[name] then walked into the pharmacy store that was small, but cozy enough for her to remain in. She smiled as she watched Yuu busy working behind the counter, grounding the herbs to make some of the medicines that she needed to stock up.

"Yuu-san," she gently called out, and Yuu looked up. Her pink eyes lit up upon realizing that [name] had returned. She squealed slightly and ran out from behind the counter, engulfing [name] tightly.

"[name]! You're home! You're home!" she giggled out, and [name] could only laugh as Yuu reminded her so much of Mitsuri. Yuu then took a good look at [name] and soon noticed the injury she had received.