𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗩𝗘 ╱ farewell

     "Why? Sayuri... why did you let us die?" Michi Fukunaga's bleeding body latches onto the ankle of a now twelve-year-old Sayuri. Two hands bury themselves into the girl's shoulders, making her head whip back to see Tetsuya clutching her from behind,

     "You failed to protect us. How will you ever save anybody else?"

     "I was scared! I... I didn't know," Sayuri pleads her throat raw, repeating the same excuse over and over. It seemed these zombie parents of hers could read her mind. Michi begins to stand up, blood splashing onto the ground from her gaping wounds as the small red roped demon in the corner slowly makes its way towards the family, yellow eyes hungrily soaking in the scene. Sayuri's mother rips the young girl's haori to the side to jab at the red spider lily imprinted into her skin,

     "You led that demon to us, you knew and convinced yourself you didn't! You're-"

     "Leave me alone! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so sorry!"

     Sayuri wakes up. Sweat drips from her forehead and she wipes it to check it for any trace of the blood from the dream. Her chest heaves out each breath as anxiety and shame tore through her heart and pierced a million little holes she'd have to restitch once again. Panicked blue eyes stare at shaky hands before taking in the surroundings that always made her calm back down. 

     Urokodaki's cottage was her new home, it had been for two months now. She could see the elder man sleeping soundly with Giyuu and Sabito a few feet away from him. Their bodies shifted ever so slightly and the hardly audible snoring was a clear indication of life, one that Sayuri was always relieved to notice. This wasn't enough to keep the dream away, even if she'd convinced herself every night that she fell asleep with a former hashira in the vicinity. Giyuu and Sabito were both strong as well, far more than Sayuri herself.

     "Sayuri! You need to sleep more, your eyes are all swollen and glazed!" Sabito fussed three weeks ago after keeping careful watch over his friend's declining state. Currently, he had sat across from her on the porch while Giyuu fetched ice to rest upon her forehead. She had just returned from trying to defeat her sensei whilst wielding a sword. To put it simply, Urokodaki returned an hour before she could limp back, and was completely unscathed. 

     "I'm getting more sleep than I used to," Sayuri offers a weak excuse to ease his worries, but it causes the opposite effect. Sabito shakes his head ignorantly,

     "It doesn't matter if it's gotten better than before. You need to bounce back at 100%, at least, if you want to still partake in Final Selection."

     "I'm trying Sabito, I am..."

     "Try is a weak word, how about," He smiles despite the reprimanding, "-I will do it Sabito. See? Easy enough 'Yuri."

     "Okay, I will do it Sabito. I'll do whatever it takes," Sayuri nods her agreeance.

     "Great! I expect to see you learn the first form of Water Breathing within two weeks!"

     She was a week over Sabito's request. But Sayuri had to protect them like she hadn't protected her parents. Guilt seeped through every crack of her mental shield and fought her even in dreams like a parasite. No matter how hard the girl tried to push these feelings aside and just sleep, the lingering panic of 'will I be the cause of their death' rung in her head. Protect was becoming the only mantra she listened to and it suffered in her day-to-day training to become another user of Water Breathing.

     There was another downside, and it was that Sayuri sucked at using the breathing style. As much as she'd like to blame it all on the lack of energy in her body, her exhaustion wasn't the only reason related to the issue at hand. It started when Urokodaki had told her the first step in training to master Water Breathing,

     "You must remain calm enough to maintain your breathing. To do this, you must always imagine the surface of water."

     Yet every time Sayuri imagined the exact image per Urokodaki's instruction, her practiced sword slashes and movements came out pathetic and unstable. If Giyuu and Sabito were to do this, Sayuri could sense a strong and turbulent river, tempestuous at the time of the attack, then returning to nothing but tranquility and serenity. A mirror of water's calm surface that no longer seethed in rapids from their sword. If it was Sayuri following the same steps, one could say they witnessed a trickle of a stream from a dried-up well. 

     Her body knew a different style of breath, one unique to her and formed when she was alone. Walking amongst the clouds day and night was what she knew and felt in her soul and muscles. Urokodaki didn't teach any other techniques, and Sayuri wondered if she'd be able to stay with the three males if she brought the topic into conversation. It worried her plenty enough to keep it to herself.

    "'Yuri?" Giyuu mumbles sleepily, rubbing his fist against his closed eye. He was sitting up on his tatami mat in confusion as to why Sayuri looked lost in thought, and her hands were still trembling.

     "A nightmare..." Sayuri doesn't feel like going into an in-depth explanation once her body feels weighty with exhaustion again. Giyuu doesn't press either, picking up his mat and moving over to the brunette, resituating his bed right beside her. He sits back down criss-cross and faces Sayuri,

     "I'll braid your hair until you fall asleep... If you want. My sister did that to help me sometimes," This time Sayuri doesn't press, neither wishing to overstep their boundaries and bring back unwanted memories. Instead, she agrees and faces her back to his front, letting each tendril of hair be meticulously weaved into a neat braid. There were no words to be spoken, the forming sibling love was enough to fill the air between them.

     When Giyuu felt Sayuri slouch into a sleeping stance minutes later, he finishes his braids and lays her back down under the single blanket. The months were warming up again and it meant easier nights (in the sense of temperature at least) for the occupants of the home. It also meant Sayuri was not shaking due to the cold, so before he too falls asleep, Giyuu holds her hand. 

     "Giyuu, Sabito. Grab your training swords and Sayuri, bring nothing but yourself." Urokodaki shoves open the windows and front door to blast the bright morning sun in the children's faces. While earning plenty of groans and grumbles in return, there are no direct complaints given to their teacher as three smaller bodies begin to roll up their sleeping mats. 

     Sabito was quick to notice Giyuu's absence by his side this morning, and he opts for staring at the other two children in confusion all morning. It had taken all of the boy's might to get Giyuu to open up to Sayuri and yet there was still an awkward silence that lingered in the air. What had changed away from his watch that made them become closer together? Sabito knew Sayuri had night terrors, often hearing her thrashing and murmuring in her sleep, and when recalling the night prior it had been fairly calm.

     "Giyuu! Are you friends with 'Yuri now?" He pesters Giyuu when both dress in their haori in another room. The other frowns and tilts his head,

     "I always have been, I'm just not as loud about it as you."

     "That's a pathetic response!"

     "How was it 'pathetic'? If you're wondering why I slept somewhere else, it was because I wanted to help Sayuri be well-rested. She's been having nightmares, you know that," Giyuu pokes Sabito's shoulder pointedly and proceeds to grab their warding masks along with two plain metal blades. The masks were specially crafted by Urokodaki as a gift to his students to defend them against bad luck, both reflecting the boy's separate appearances. Giyuu tied a white fox mask with piercing blue eyes to the side of his head while Sabito's bore his wide scar running from the corner of his mouth to his ear. Thick red ropes held them secure to the boys' heads while they fastened the blades to their waists and headed to meet their teacher outside of the home.

     Sayuri sat on the edge of the wooden porch swinging her legs, the kitsune mask she was gifted hanging from the side of her hair as well, large red triangles reminiscent of whiskers adorning each side of it. Her jinbei kimono was identical to Urokodaki's, blue with billowing clouds. She turns when Sabito and Giyuu close the sliding door and offers a tired smile,

     "Good morning," Her voice was warm, braids swaying in the balmy breeze of the morning. Dew adorned the grass and sparkled like a blanket of diamonds while birds chirped their cheers to a new day. Urokodaki stood beside Sayuri and nods once ready to head out,

     "Let's go."

     They begin a long walk through the path in the woods, staying silent and following behind their teacher. Crunchy footsteps can be heard from their zōri padding across the earth, or an animal scurrying away every now and again. Questions stir in the back of Sayuri's mind as their travel continues and she can't help but speak what's pestering her mind,

     "Urokodaki-sensei, why did you request I not bring a sword?"

     "You are to learn today's lesson, and it requires nothing but your trust in your friends and I."

     "Is it dangerous?" Giyuu asks from beside Sayuri and Sabito, who exchange curious expressions. The elder shakes his head,

     "Not if Ms. Fukunaga can follow my instruction."

     "So, do you trust us 'Yuri? I promise we'd never let you get hurt!" Sabito sticks out his pinky for an unbreakable promise. Sayuri stares at it with another pang of guilt and anguish in her heart, she'd heard those words before.

     "The people here would never hurt you..."

     Tetsuya Fukunaga trusted the people in their village, but they still hurt his daughter. Sayuri hesitated at Sabito's promise. That wasn't the problem... the problem was Sayuri not being able to protect her parents in the first place. How could she accept the Water Breather's pinky without returning the favor?

    "Everyone says they'll keep a loved one safe until danger shows up..." She says in earnest, Sabito and Giyuu widening their eyes. It seemed time for Sayuri to confess some of her convictions, "-My parents died because I led a demon to them. I shouldn't ask for your protection when I can't give my own."

     Silence settles around the group, still moving through the woods toward wherever a quiet, yet always listening Urokodaki was leading them. Sayuri feels shame build up in her cheeks and focuses her head on the ground, twisting her fingers together with nerves. Of course the brand upon her skin would make sense by now, though whether it was rightly given still hung in the air.

     "Don't say that." Sabito huffs after some time, grasping Sayuri's attention when she turns to see his eyebrows furrowed in anger. Giyuu smiles and seemingly already agrees with what the other will say before it even spills past his lips. Sabito crosses his arms,

     "You can't live with regret, or feel you made the mistake. Your parents don't actually hate you for your weak naivety, that's what your nightmares are about right? You didn't know Sayuri, if you constantly believe that mark on your skin, you're an insult to your parents."

     Sayuri felt a flood of emotions break open. She started to cry. Sabito didn't relent, eyes stern with anger only he could muster. It was caring,

     "I told Giyuu the same thing. You can't die, ever, because you need to live for your parents. They're still with you, and parents don't hate a child for surviving. They're rooting for your future so you need to let it go and live. Maybe you couldn't save them, but we're all learning to be Demon Slayers. It's not a who-can-protect-who. We all have to be there for each other."

     Sabito holds out his pinky again with the kindest smile, Giyuu stretching his own as well. Water Breath users have the prettiest smiles, Sayuri thinks with a long sniffle. And maybe it was time to let go and not hide behind the emotional barriers and guilt traps she'd laid upon herself. Sabito was harsh and spelled out the truth, but Sayuri had to hear it.

     She reaches out both of her own fingers to entwine with theirs,

     "Okay, okay. Thank you Sabito," She dips her head and stumbles over a large rock on the path after losing focus of the road before them. Her head flames in embarrassment, but Giyuu and Sabito only giggle cheerfully, to which Sayuri finds herself joining in. She felt a lot lighter now. A few feet ahead, Urokodaki too, was smiling under his tengu mask. 

     Night settled in far too slowly for the children still following their teacher. It was as if the sun was playing tricks on them, setting for a few moments before running back in time. Eventually, the air cooled and crisped, baby budding leaves holding on against a battle with the wind. Trees grew denser and taller where they had ended up and loomed in the darkened sky as if they were to reach down and snatch the group of four.

     The first stop had been for lunch in a homey rural village where many elders knew of Urokodaki from his days as the Water Pillar. They had offered him free goods and food, all of which he paid for. Sayuri was also gifted her own haori just like Giyuu and Sabito had designs unique to them. As much as she insisted wearing her master's jinbei was perfectly fine, when she gave up on arguing the brunette delightedly grabbed the one practically calling to her. A beautiful creamy white with silvery-blue lilies embroidered into the edging of the sleeves and bottom. It had long twirling movements, bringing back a comforting memory of showing off her parents' clothes.

     "Your embroidery is very elegant Ma'am," Sayuri had told the elder woman as Urokodaki handed the money to her. Frail lines crinkled into sincerity,

     "I'm glad you know decent sewing when you see it! I worked these aged hands plenty hard on that."

     "I'll make sure to keep it well-kept then! I can repair it if need be, it won't go unloved," The young girl had ensured with sparkling eyes and cheeks red as a rose with promising bliss. With the haori close to her heart, she parted with the shop owner and ran over to Giyuu and Sabito to show it off. She liked how the lilies matched their eyes.

     Then they had all eaten miso soup, to which Sayuri couldn't have been any more cheerful. Her face never dampened in its redness or smiling, except now, when walking up to a small monastery in the dark of the night. While Giyuu and Sabito had their hands on their sword hilts with a constant alert, Sayuri's heart raced at the absence of one by her hip.

      "I feel you understand why we came here," Urokodaki speaks over crossed arms once they reach the top of the mossy stairs leading to a battered down and abandoned home. There likely hadn't been anyone living here for a long while, but the unsettling feeling of dread flooded Sayuri's senses. When a dangling vine moved from where it crept into a broken window, the girl flicked her head over in preparation for an attack. A demon had made this its predatory grounds.

      "We'll set your belongings to the side for now," The man grabs the haori and some food they'd picked up in the village. He places them neatly beside the entrance arc and tucks the scarf from his head around the items to give them shelter from the weather. The four continue deeper into the area with trepidation until they reach the courtyard of the monastery. Vines and wilted flora added to the aura, and when Urokodaki spoke his next instructions, Sayuri paled,

     "You are to stand here. It is my only instruction that you do not move. Trust is key Sayuri." That is all he leaves his student with before taking off with Giyuu and Sabito in tow. Sayuri teeters on her feet and shakes out her stiff posture, promising herself she would be safe. There was a retired Hashira nearby along with two extremely talented swordsmen.

     A thump stirs up the sandy courtyard as a yellowed demon smacks into the ground, sharp eyes staring down at the lone child. It leers and snaps its pointy teeth in excitement when Sayuri doesn't dare to move even a muscle. This is a test. This is a test. She repeats this in her head and tries to think of anything else to wash away the weight of the demon's murderous emotions flooding her senses.

     Giyuu had approached a sweet dog licking Sabito's hand, yet the animal turned vicious and bit at his ponytail when he got too close. That was something funny to think about. Giyuu, the sweet and beaming boy who was hated by even the most loving dogs.

    "Too scared, kid?" The demon's voice sounded like metal scraping into ceramic and Sayuri's skin prickled at the noise. She tried to focus back on Giyuu's misfortune but can't begin to pull her mind away as claws reach out for her before the creature leaped with accelerated force. Sayuri wasn't supposed to move, yet her heart and mind were yelling at her to get out of the way.

     "Water Breathing; First Form, Surface Slash!" Urokodaki instructs his blade into a powerful single concentrated strike, beheading the unsuspecting demon with ease. Giyuu and Sabito race up behind him with their swords unsheathed but return them to their holsters seeing their teacher's swiftness. 

     The demon vanishes into ashes before it utters a single word, though its eyes turn glassy with tears that have no time to be shed. Sayuri looks at it, trying to understand her own thoughts about such a tragic creature, but feels nothing of which she could make sense. So she nods in respect and turns to the others,

     "Thank you, I understand why you brought us here, Urokodaki-sensei."

     "Good, now let us find a place to stay for the night."

     It was when falling asleep that night and seeing her parents walk away after planting kisses on Sayuri's forehead, that the girl ever saw Michi and Fukunaga inside of a dream again. They'd left her and her future, the last Fukunaga would grow to become a fierce warrior as much as she would a kind-hearted woman. 

☁️

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘 ╱ giyuu getting bit by a dog in
stories of water and flame fr sends me

sabito curing both giyuu and sayuri 
with his words of wisdom <3 

also if you follow my wp insta i added
sayuri's adult vas + info about cloud
breathing bc i think she's neat >:) she
also blushes whenever she's happy a
cutie !!

gumiguro-