Disclaimer:

I do not own nor claim all the rights to 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba | Demon Slayer; all rights are reserved to its respective creator, Koyoharu Gotōge. This is purely a work of fiction; names, characters, businesses, events, localities, and occurrences are all extrapolated from the author's writings and imagination or utilized in a fictitious manner. As such, any direct or indirect references to actual entities, dead or alive, or events do not, in any shape or form, resemble the opinions of the author.

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"..." = Dialogue

'...' = Internal monologues

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It was a warm, pleasant day at the Butterfly Estate.

The sound of birds chirping could be heard from every angle, the sweet aroma of blooming flowers was everpresent, and the estate's signature kaleidoscope of butterflies with varying colors and pigmentation was flying about.

Rays of sunshine were brilliantly gleaming into the vicinity, breathing life into the organic materials of the environment and raising the spirits of any sentient being seeking comfort in the world around them.

By all measures, one would expect this sunny morning to induce an ebullient mood by default.

Unfortunately for Shinobu, she didn't feel particularly electrified this early in the day. From the moment she awoke, she knew it was going to be a chore to even get up from bed.

Still accoutered in her informal kimono, she eventually departed from her bedroom and began making her way to the bathroom.

'I need to splash some water on my face...' she groggily noted.

As she navigated through the halls and corridors of this mansion, Shinobu was slow to realize that her sister had already begun the day in earnest.

"Shinobu!" a lively voice called out from behind.

"Huh?" a weary Shinobu replied, turning around to greet her bright and bubbly sister.

"Good morning!" Kanae beamed with gaiety, displaying an animated spirit so strong that Shinobu could've sworn she saw light radiating from her sister's essence.

Shinobu, however, didn't have the energy nor the will to reciprocate the liveliness of her sister's greeting, "Morning..."

Shinobu rubbed her eyes in fatigue, her body overcome with lassitude despite sleeping a sufficient amount the night before.

"Oh dear, tired again? Even on this lovely morning?" Kanae pointed out.

Shinobu yawned before responding, "You know I'm not a morning person, Nee-san."

"Yeah, but we slept around the same time. And yet, you're still tired," the Flower Hashira noted the oddity of her sister's condition.

"I'm busy nowadays, so..." Shinobu sheepishly replied.

It appears her back-breaking routine of training, household chores, and medical research was putting a toll on her stress levels.

Day in, day out, she's been working nonstop.

Although, such a routine is to be expected of a Demon Slayer Corps member, much less the sister of a Hashira. There can be no respite in the war against demonic creatures of the night; one cannot rest whilst the enemy still lingers on.

"Well, don't push yourself too hard. After all, I need someone to do all the paperwork here!" Kanae exclaimed effusively.

"Hey! You're supposed to be doing paperwork as well!" Shinobu reprimanded her.

"See? You're awake now!" Kanae's natural optimism fails to dissipate.

Shinobu slapped her forehand, "That's not... whatever, I'll get ready."

"Alrighty!" the elder sister gleefully acknowledges and takes her leave via the staircase, descending down to the first floor—where the hospital is located.

Shinobu, still giving off a look of lethargy, continued her trek to the bathroom.

..

..

Kanae sat on the engawa (veranda) platform of the courtyard, undertaking some maintenance for her katana.

"I apologize for the interruption, Flower Hashira-sama," a Kakushi bows politely.

"No worries," Kanae hummed as she continued tending to her blade, carefully rubbing a cloth doused with oil onto the surface of the weapon.

"There is... a visitor," the Kakushi reported.

"Oh?" the Flower Hashira ceases her maintenance.

..

..

"Nee-san?"

No response.

"Nee-san!"

Nothing again.

A vein emerged from Shinobu's temples, "Nee-san! Where did all the towels go?"

She didn't hear a reply.

She then let off a heavy sigh, "Gosh, why does it feel like I'm the actual owner of this oversized house?"

She then proceeded down the stairs in order to directly chastise her sister's clumsiness when it comes to restocking supplies.

As she arrived on the ground floor, her sister was nowhere to be found.

"Nee-san!" Shinobu called out again.

'She's probably in the tea ceremony room,' she surmised, promptly making her way to the aforementioned space.

"I'm definitely gonna give her a piece of my mind," the younger sister said aloud with exasperation, ready to unleash hell upon her laid-back sister.

As she arrived at the shoji screen door, Shinobu didn't hesitate to slide it open with full force and make her presence known.

RATTLE

"Nee-san, did you misplace the towels again?!" she exclaimed.

"Ah, Shinobu, how nice of you to come! Here, join us," Kanae took a sip of her green tea.

"What? What do you mean by us—?"

It didn't take long for Shinobu to take notice of a certain Water Hashira sitting directly across from her sister, also holding a cup of tea in the palms of his hands.

The two Hashiras were sitting seiza-style on the tatami mat, separated only by a small Chabudai—a short-legged wooden table used in traditional Japanese homes.

"Tomioka...-san?" Shinobu was stunned to see him.

As always, Giyuu looked blankly inscrutable. His facial features were devoid of any discernible expressions and he looked uninterested in the events developing before him.

"Kocho-san," he answered.

Shinobu was about to reply when she realized a crucial piece of information: she was not dressed for the occasion.

Her hair was a mess, she hadn't washed up, and her informal kimono was a little too loose for comfort. In other words, she was still in her morning phase.

"P-Pardon me!" Shinobu's voice squeaks, her face flushed with the embarrassment of having such an undignified presentation before a literal Hashria of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Like a timid child eluding strangers, Shinobu quickly made a run for the stairs and extricated herself from the premises—leaving Kanae and Giyuu to themselves once again.

"..."

"Oh my, she is quite the clumsy one, isn't she?" Kanae comments.

"..."

"Anyways, how do you like the tea, Tomioka-san?"

Giyuu takes a moment to look down at the beverage, "It's good."

"That's good!"

"..."

"You two are quite close, aren't you?"

Giyuu looks back up at his interlocutor, "I wouldn't say so."

"Oh dear, why's that?"

"We don't interact much," he states blankly.

"And yet, you are the person she speaks the most extensively to—at least outside of the Butterfly Mansion residents. As for you, pardon me, I reckon you don't have much going in the social sphere as well," Kanae corrects, highlighting important facts about both her sister and her colleague, even if it came at Giyuu's expense.

"I see..." Giyuu simply murmured in acknowledgment.

Kanae smiles, "Your weekly appointments with her are fruitful; she really likes talking to you, from what I can tell."

"Is that so," the Water Hashira stoically replied.

"And what about you?"

"I..." Giyuu took his time to find the words, "I'm here for check-ups."

"Pfft—" Kanae gave off a light laugh, "that's certainly an answer."

"..."

"By the way, Tomioka-san. Shinobu's been training very hard recently. It's quite encouraging to see," she placidly remarks.

"That's good to hear," Giyuu says in response.

"Indeed..." The Flower Hashira's inflection became less lighthearted and more solemn, adding a hint of seriousness to the previously relaxed atmosphere.

Her pale violet-colored eyes, hitherto full of life and at an elevated position, now seemed almost dour in appearance as she was looking slightly downward.

Even Giyuu was able to take notice of this shift in tone and bearing. It was very odd coming from someone like the Flower Hashira, whose serious comportment can only be witnessed during battles or formal events such as the semiannual Hashira meetings.

"... Do you believe she can make it?" Kanae queries, the weight of the question seemingly imposing a strong burden on her shoulders.

"Make what?"

"Do you think she can rise the ranks in the Corps... and maybe someday become a Hashira herself?" she clarified.

Giyuu took a moment to contemplate the question posed by Kanae; he considered its implications along with the response he ought to give.

"Under present circumstances, she is lacking in many departments considered vital for ascension up the Corps rankings, much less a Hashira," he begins.

"Mhm," the Flower Hashira nodded.

"However," he adds, "she had incredible potential. She only has to harness her talents and skills to her advantage in order to truly become a force to be reckoned with."

"I see... It was you wasn't it?"

"Pardon?"

"You gave her some advice, didn't you? It's why she's been trying this new training regimen; she's trying to create a new breathing technique," Kanae, despite her outward disposition, has a sharp eye for the minute details—she is, after all, a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.

"I did indeed," Giyuu confesses, although he was surprised to hear that Shinobu was attempting the herculean task of conceiving an entirely original breathing technique—it's not every day that someone undertakes this arduous effort.

What do you see in her?" Kanae once again inquires, "What compels you to put your faith in her? Why do you feel the need to help her?"

A few seconds of absolute silence pass as Giyuu tries to formulate a coherent response.

As he pondered the question, though, he is reminded of a memory: the conversation he had with Shinobu in the forest during that fateful night.

"You know, Tomioka-san."

"Huh?"

"Maybe you aren't so bad after all," she smiles.

That whole exchange was oddly comforting to him: it had unleashed feelings inside of him he had not felt since the days of old.

For once, he didn't cynically dismiss what was ahead of him; curiosity had overtaken him, and he was eager to see the younger Butterfly sister's progress.

The hopeful, youthful aspirations he saw from her facial expressions were almost reassuring—reminding him of the same convictions he once held.

She was a strange character, but he can't say much as there are a lot of strange people in the Corps. Nevertheless, he was fascinated by the strong fortitude and convictions of someone like her—someone who's constrained by her purported physical weakness—trying to achieve great things.

It reminded him of a younger version of himself, the Tomioka Giyuu from years ago.

"I suppose it's because I want to see her succeed," he finally privy his thoughts.

"Any why's that?" Kanae probes further.

"... What about you? Do you want her to succeed?" Giyuu, in a twist of events, returns with an inquiry of his own.

Kanae was visibly stunned by this unforeseen question, and her resting smile was quick to dissolve. She didn't immediately answer, instead dwelling upon the insinuation with much thought.

It wouldn't be long, however, until she composed a reply: "Huh... Maybe not..."

Giyuu remained quiet.

The Flower Hashira continued, "When our parents died, Shinobu and I made a promise to never again let such a tragedy befall on others. That was our oath, an oath taken by those whose happiness was snatched away from the cold hands of this world..."

"..."

"And yet... I wonder if it was worth dragging Shinobu into this sort of life," she evoked a grim countenance. "Whether it was right for me to deprive her of a normal life."

"..."

"I sometimes catch myself hoping that she's never promoted, just so that she can never see combat..." Kanae's cadence now exposed a more somber side to her personality, one that was tremendously impacted by past trauma, and one that had become hardened during her service to the Corps.

"She is committed to doing so," Giyuu points out, disclosing the folly behind the Flower Hashira's thinking.

"I know... and I know there's nothing I can do about it," she concedes.

"... I believe you are mistaken in one aspect," Giyuu suddenly says.

Kanae looks back up, "Sorry?"

"You speak as if your motives are the reason behind your sister's presence in the Demon Slayer Corps. Quite the contrary, she's driven by the same thing that pushes you: the promise you two made. She wants to be here, and she will stay here. Don't underestimate her convictions," Giyuu elucidates, likely the most amount of words he's ever conveyed nonstop to the Flower Hashira—much to her surprise.

Kanae's eyes widened for a bit, then she promptly gives off a mellow smile, "You're right, I suppose I still treat her like the baby sister I remember... Still, I cannot help but worry."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Giyuu takes a jab at the very purpose of this discussion.

"Because, Tomioka-san, I cannot always be there for her. And, even if I am, I won't be much of help to her. You are proof of that: my dithering and duties have prevented me from properly training her, and yet here you are motivating Shinobu with a few pieces of advice," she expounds.

"I didn't do anything of import," Giyuu counters, making it unclear whether he was acting humble or refusing to admit to certain facts.

"You think too lowly of yourself," she makes an astute observation.

"..." Giyuu refused to comment.

"In any case, I suppose I'm telling you because I'm worried. Worried about her... There will come a time when I won't be around to help her at all. She'll be all on her own. And I worry about that prospect; I feel uneasy about leaving her alone..." there was this inexplicable look of sadness emanating from her—the concealed outpour of melancholy from the heart.

As if she was anticipating tragedy to befall upon the Kocho sisters once more.

"..."

"So, Tomioka-san, I must ask a favor from you."

"..."

"Please watch over her."

"You're talking to the wrong person. I am not capable of protecting anyone," Giyuu asserts, recalling the painful memories of the past.

"I trust my judgment," Kanae quips. "Besides, I think she'll enjoy your company."

"... I wouldn't underestimate her," Giyuu merely responds.

Kanae's face lit up and her resting, smiling face returned—almost as if Giyuu's comments further strengthened her confidence in her sister and the Water Hashira himself.

"And you still ask why I entrusted her to you," she jokes.

"..."

"Would you care for more tea, Tomioka-san?"

..

..

Shinobu took a deep breath before initiating her entrance into the tea ceremony room.

She was now properly dressed in her uniform, the butterfly ornament fastening her hair to its appropriate configuration, and she had made sure to take a quick bath as well.

Rattle

"Did you know that Shinobu sleeps very awkwardly? She can never sleep in one spot throughout the night; she always moves around!" Kanae giggles.

"Nee-san!! Why are you telling him that?!" Shinobu yells, completely overwhelmed with another gush of embarrassment.

"Aw, why not? It's pretty funny!"

"You can't just tell him that!!" Shinobu, whose countenance was now exuding both vexation and bashfulness, rebukes.

"Hmmmmmm... sure I can!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!!!"

"You should smile more, Shinobu. You're cuter when you smile! Isn't that right, Tomioka-san?" Kanae casually strays from the topic of discussion and goes on a tangent.

"Wha—! Nee-san!!!" Shinobu's blush became more conspicuous, particularly at the thought of Giyuu agreeing to such outlandish notions.

As the sisters went back and forth, Giyuu sat in utter silence, watching this comical exchange ensue right in front of him.

He did not know what exactly to do under these circumstances.

'Are sisters usually like this...?' he wonders.

..

..

Shinobu, now sitting alongside Kanae, clears her throat, "Ahem, I'm very sorry for the delay, Tomioka-san."

"No need," Giyuu replied curtly.

"As for you Nee-san, you shouldn't act so rude in front of guests," Shinobu chastises her sister.

"You should control your temper Shinobu, being angry makes you less cute~" Kanae jests.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm just saying, with Tomioka-san here..." the elder sister smiles indicatively, clearly trying to convey an implicit message.

"... Huh?" Shinobu, however, couldn't make out the innuendo.

"Oh dear, what an innocent soul you are..."

"What?" Shinobu was utterly confused.

"Anyways, would you mind more tea, Tomioka-san?" Kanae asks, instantly changing the subject.

Giyuu once more took a moment to gaze upon the empty cup, "..."

He already had 3 cups' worth of tea.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"He isn't saying anything," Shinbou whispers.

"Maybe he's taking in the sweet fragrance of the cup?" Kanae whispered back.

"From an empty cup?"

"Hmm... He's appreciating the cup?"

"Why would he—?"

Finally, Giyuu spoke: "I'm here for my weekly appointment."

"Oh, that's right," Shinobu realized, remembering the promise she forced Giyuu to make.

She then upraised herself and gestured for Giyuu to follow her, "If you can come to my office."

"Have fun, you two!" Kanae cheered.

Shinobu, already accustomed to her sister's peculiar comments, simply exhales before vacating the room

Rattle

"Thank you, Lady Kocho," Giyuu bows before trailing the younger sister.

"Likewise, Tomioka-san," Kanae grinned in return.

..

..

..

..

..

..

Shinobu unsheathed her sword from the scabbard, steadying herself for the battle that is due to transpire shortly.

Although already aware of its properties, Kanashimi—not entirely ignorant of sword designs—internally noted the irregular shape of the sword once again.

It is, after all, a novel design.

The Stinger Nichirin Blade of the Insect Hashira is a unique synthesis of esoteric metallurgical knowledge and precise craftsmanship.

Built to compensate for Shinobu's lack of physical strength by means of facilitating the speedy and fatal injections of Wisteria Poison into the enemy, the design of this particular katana is highly idiosyncratic in nature—although, when considering the Hashira arsenal as a whole, such unorthodox weapons are not all too rare.

The blade is defined by its very shape: up to the tsuka (handle) and habaki (blade collar), it is like any other blade, but it then significantly diverges from the conventional design once it crosses a point situated a few centimeters above the collar. After that designated point, the weapon is more like a rod; the width is slightly smaller and there is a clear indent for most of the katana's length.

Only at the tip, slightly below the blade's kissaki (point), does then the blade regain its original width. There, the katana is given a "needle-like" tip for the purpose of emulating in appearance and function an insect's stinger—which, in turn, is designed to release poisonous substances within the enemy's body.

Obviously, someone with great expertise in the art of swordmaking would be required for such an intricate design—hence why Tecchin Tecchikawahara, the chief of the swordsman village, is the one who developed the blade.

With such a weapon at her disposal, Shinobu is able to effectively combine her penchant for pharmaceutical concoctions with her sword skills.

"Oh dear, I suppose the negotiations failed. Well then, shall we get to the fun part?" she quipped, reverting back to her habitual mannerism, as if to show she is feeling giddy about fighting this demon.

In truth, she still feels like a jumbled mess inside. Her emotions have been whirling like a tsunami, the ebb and flow between contradicting sentiments—love, hate, grief, hope, and so on—clashing against each other nonstop, unable to be neutralized permanently.

In addition, she hasn't fully been able to process all the information she had witnessed within the past hour; she still is reeling from having to know both the comfortable and uncomfortable truths about her—and Giyuu's—future.

The concepts of love, marriage, life, and death are all notions that cannot be taken lightly.

And yet, here she is, casting those thoughts aside in order to compose herself for the fight that is about to come.

If there's anything she's learned over the years as a slayer, it's that one must remain alert at all times and not fall prey to any mental distractions that might otherwise hamper one's performance in the midst of battle.

So, for now, she must temporarily disregard certain information—her being betrothed to the Water Hashira in the future, having children and grandchildren, and then having to watch her beloved pass away first.

She must focus on what stands before her: a demon who intends, and has done, harm to innocent lives.

She raises her blade and adjusts her body to Seigan no Kamae, a stance that provides the user a balance between attacking and defensive techniques—an appropriate position for her, given how she cannot determine if she or the demon will make the first move.

"I fail to fathom just how irrational you humans are. I offer you EVERYTHING, and yet you still cling to your moronic values and convictions, like a feral dog unable to change its innate nature," Kanashimi angrily opines, incensed with fury like she had never experienced before.

It's not every day that a mere human is NOT cajoled by her elaborately-contrived illusions. She had always been successful in doing so in the past, but this demon slayer somehow is able to resist her spell—not only once, but twice now.

It was enraging. It was an affront to her very existence.

She was the demon of grief, and her powers entailed the employment of that emotion in order to tranquilize her enemies into submission.

And yet, here stands a woman defying her powers—her purpose for existing. This human was able to rationalize some illogical, emotionally-driven reasoning for her continued resistance and refusal to acquiesce to her grief.

Everything about her angered Kanashimi. She couldn't let this humiliating performance go unchecked.

"You offer only the ideals of immortality without acknowledging the costs of becoming a hideous creature like you," Shinobu calmly rebuts.

The fact that the Insect Hashira was unfazed further provoked the Demon of Grief; she was denying Kanashimi the pleasure of watching her victims grovel for immortality, the pained look on their faces as they do so, and the immense satisfaction of deeming them unworthy of such powers and wiping their essence off the face of the Earth.

Never had Kanashimi felt the innate urge to kill a specific human being.

She scoffed at Shinobu's statement, "Absolutely idiotic. You will experience grief and you will regret the fact that you could've attained immortality if not for your stupidity. You are willing to forsake your loved ones just for the belated prospect that your love will transcend time and space? Never have I heard such a delusion take."

"Then don't bother with human emotions, demon," Shinobu retorts.

"Do you even know what you're doing? Have you forgotten everything? Every death? Every tear shed? Every promise you made to yourself?" The Demon of Grief still failed to fully understand Shinobu's actions. "Are you going to forget your sister's passing, forget the pain? Forget how it nearly destroyed you?"

A disconcerted look furrowed Shinobu's brow at the utterance of her late sister.

No, she can never forget.

She never will.

..

"Shinobu..."

"Live a life of happiness... Leave the Corps, fall in love, and have children of your own...."

"Don't be consumed by hatred..."

"Don't be burdened by your own anger..."

"Shinobu..."

..

She had never fully recovered from that.

After all, she had concocted this whole persona based on Kanae's personality, all for the purpose of simply reminding her of that pain—to constantly evoke the memory and legacy of the late Flower Hashira to strengthen her resolve.

Kanae was everything to her: family, friend, and mentor. Without her, she was lost and without purpose. She had hoped that merely accustoming herself to Kanae's mannerisms would invoke the same feelings she had lost to the grief and anger.

But, alas, she was still a lost soul.

Anger still boils within her heart, longing for exacting revenge upon the creature that took her beloved sister away from her. Even if Kanae pleaded not to, she intended to be consumed by that very hatred, that very corruption of the soul.

Yet, her resolve and memories told her otherwise.

Once again, drawing from the pool of recollections, she recalls the words of a certain Water Hashira.

"If you want to honor the memory of your sister, ​​channel all that pain, all the grief, all that hatred, into a tangible result. Into a force for good. Take her spot amongst the strongest and carry on her legacy. Find your purpose."

She hadn't realized it at the time, but Giyuu had practically saved her back then—saved her from herself, from the suffocating feelings of rage, sorrow, and longing she was drowning in.

But now, after everything she's seen, done, and experienced, she has resolved to see everything to its end.

Giyuu asked her to find a purpose. Kanae's final words beseeched her to pursue that purpose.

And she has found it.

That purpose lies in her convictions, the conviction to ensure the happiness of her loved ones.

The conviction to save those she cares about.

The conviction to live on, to live happily and carry on the memories of her family—as her sister would have wished for her to do.

That purpose lies within him; it was a conviction to love Tomioka Giyuu, to repay his kindness with her love.

She had resolved to fight. To defeat this foul demon and return to Giyuu.

"No, I won't ever forget it. But, don't assume that I've already given up," she raised her sword, ready to launch an assault against the demon.

"So be it," Kanashimi's final attempt at convincing the Insect Hashira failed.

And so, the negotiations have now officially failed. Violent confrontation was the only viable solution.

WHOOSH

Shinobu made a full dash toward the enemy, gaining greater momentum by the second.

'Butterfly Dance: Caprice,' Shinobu gave the incantation as she leaped into the air and summoned the apparitional kaleidoscope of butterflies.

Everything rested on the outcome of this confrontation.

Shinobu knew that.

She resolved to end this, for the sake of herself, her sister, and Giyuu.

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This was an odd chapter to write, as it stalls the upcoming battle that is to come.

However, I wanted to build the foundations for some of the interactions that have happened and will happen between Giyuu & Shinobu / Kanae.

Also, I wanted to expand on Shinobu's justification for her continued resolve against the enemy.

I'll definitely be writing the fight next week.