A Butterfly Under the Sunken Moon

6|Like Shooting Stars

As the two sat there in that nocturnal paradise, they could just sit and forget about the rest of the world. It couldn't reach them there, they felt... safe somehow, just two people under the night sky.

Shinobu giggled at his response and he had earned himself another round of teasing, "Oh, I didn't know you weren't aware yet. I'm sorry, Tomioka." The man she was speaking to just turned his head away, regretting his actions just a bit. The petite woman laughed a bit again, the loss of her sister was still fresh in her mind, but her plans to cry herself to sleep tonight were interrupted by the clumsy Ocean Moon.

Giyū had similar plans for the night, but those were also interrupted by this annoying mosquito poking him for a response every few seconds. Usually he'd be more irritated by her prodding but right now, he didn't mind it so much. He didn't deserve her attention but he couldn't help but enjoy it, Tomioka wasn't quite sure what to feel. The man felt bad for enjoying something, but he couldn't help it; she was just so bright and unwilling to let him despair alone.

Though in reality, she probably just liked teasing him. But he was only human and that teasing made him feel like he wasn't so alone. So, if she kept teasing him, then so be it. Even if it was only temporary. The Full Moon didn't care about that though;

Muzan took away the one thing he had left.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the man who took him in after he lost everything. His sister, his best friends were all gone but that man didn't care, he didn't care that Tomioka was battered and closed off. Kagaya still took him in and treated him like one of his own. Giyū knew that all the other Mangetsu felt the exact same way and that's why they'd kill Kibutsuji, no matter what.

"Both the Butterfly and the Moon had lost everything."

"Her Flower had wilted."

"His Light had been extinguished."

"Poisoned."

"Burnt out."

"Naught but resolve."

"Naught but despair."

"Remained"

"And so, their dance continued."

"Will they be able to stop each other from crashing to the Earth?"

"Or will they burn out in blazing glory, like two stars, falling through the sky?"

They sat there for who knows how long, both of them lost in this comfortable silence and the thoughts echoing through their minds. They sat there, staring up at the moon they knew so well.

After a while Shinobu yawned and stood up. "Thank you, Tomioka. For letting me sit here, but you know... you really should speak more. That's why nobody likes you, you know?" she said, teasing him one more time before she got up and went back to her own place.

Not before looking at his reaction though: his expression shifted a little closer to annoyance. The Butterfly walked back, quietly laughing to herself. She probably wouldn't get much sleep but at least it would be good, relaxing sleep for once.

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When Kochō woke up she somehow felt a lot more well-rested than normal, even though she must've not had more than five hours of sleep. She'd almost forgotten that she was a gang member now... almost. For just as she had thought to go back home, a Crescent Moon knocked on the front door. "Lady Kochō, you are to go on a mission with Lord Tomioka. You will rendezvous at the main gate," he said, voice trembling a little like he was afraid of her for some reason.

Shinobu sighed and slipped into her yukata since that was the style of the Chinbotsu Shita Tsuki; they all dressed like it was the Taishō era while on the estate. Thereafter she left for the main gate while eating a rice ball for breakfast.

She knew it'd probably be hard to actually work with the quiet Ocean Moon, she expected him to be efficient but communication would probably be difficult. These people also kept neglecting to brief her on the mission before she actually met up with her partner.

It was probably to make them come up with a plan together for better teamwork or something like that, but why couldn't they do that before they were standing in front of the target's house? But then again, this was Giyū, the master of communication; she couldn't expect much better.

It turns out the target this time wasn't one very important to their cause: it was just a rival gang who had been stealing some of their business. For some reason the Sunken Moons had decided that two Full Moons would be enough to make an entire other gang regret their actions.

The Butterfly Moon had decided on the plan for them: they would sneak in and capture the enemy leader as a bargaining chip. They had dressed up as members of the other gang by wearing formal evening wear instead of the more traditional clothing of their mob.

Shinobu was of the opinion that these guys' security was awful; they managed to get in so easily. Could anyone wearing a gown or a suit just 'walk in' like it was nothing? The petite woman shook her head in disapproval. The tall man next to her laughed internally at her actions, since even with her permanent smile she was still mostly an open book. She always acted kind and friendly to everyone.

But then again, it had probably helped that Shinobu was pretending to be a woman for sale and they had brought a rather large bag of high-quality cannabis. Even so, nobody knew who Giyū was and they just let him come in with a woman on a leash, no questions asked.

They were led to the boss, the man looked like one of the typical godfathers you've seen in movies. He was a burly man with a suit that looked a little too small for him, he had a few scars here and there and a menacing expression on his face.

Tomioka wasn't phased by the man but his underlings seemed to be at least a little afraid of him. Shinobu mentally slapped her partner for his poor acting skills as she was doing her best to act afraid and demure in front of the yakuzan while Tomioka, in turn just had his usual emotionless expression.

Shinobu examined the room they were trapped in: there were no windows but only one person could walk through the door at a time so that was one advantage they had. There were also a few swords in the room itself; the boss had one and his guards had one each.

Her companion had a 'decorative' katana hanging from his belt, and she was confident that he could handle the bodyguards on his own. Kochō's job here was to tie up the boss and use him to get out of here safely, she had to do that using the rope tying her up.

And so, their plan was set in motion.

Taishō secret: The type of yukata you wear shows your status in the Sunken Moons. Full Moons wear ornately patterned yukatas with a full moon embroidered in gold on the back. Half Moons wear yukatas with a simple pattern with a half-moon embroidered in silver on the back. The Crescent Moons wear simple ones with a crescent moon embroidered in bronze on the back.