BUTTERFLY : SHINOBU KOCHO (PART ONE)

Part 1: Chapter 30; The Beginning of Something New

*This Chapter is incredibly long (I think almost 4 chapters in 1) and covers almost half an entire 'arc' on its own so heads up lol*

*also I just wanted to clarify that Yae's real age is not given in the Giyuu Tomioka Gaiden, the book I took her character from, and I decided to just make her 17 for simplicity's sake. She is in no way shape or form canonically 17, and to my knowledge, her age is in fact undisclosed.*

"Wow, there's a summer festival in Nagasaki coming up~?"

"Yeah, yeah! You, me and Mister Kari should go, Miss Kocho!"

Yae held up the poster in Shinobu's face at the dinner table with the rest of the Kakushi, evidently eager from the toothy grin on her face.

"I haven't been to one in forever," The hunter girl sighed, "I really think we should go together!"

"Ahaha~, I think Saku-san and I have more training to do that night, but I hope some of the younger Kakushi may join you instead, Yae~!" Shinobu replied, flashing an apologetic smile.

Actually, I just don't want to go. Why the hell should a Hashira give up a night like that to celebrate, when a demon could easily attack during the festival hours?

"But you and Mister Kari have been training non-stop for like two months now!" Yae protested with a whine, "Don't you think you deserve a little break?"

......what did you just say?

Shinobu almost scoffed in her disgust.

A break? For a Hashira? For a demon slayer bent on eradicating a race of man-eating demons that have been killing for centuries?

Do demons take breaks from slaughtering the ones they love? From taking the lives of innocents without a second thought?

Would Doma have taken a break that night he took her sister away from her?

The only day a break would ever be an option for Shinobu would be when the last demon burned to ash, and-

"Yeah, why not." Sakusa suddenly piped up.

Shinobu spat out her tea.

WHA-

"I'm sorry, Saku-san, did you just agree?" Shinobu sputtered in shock, crinkling her nose at the boy to her right.

"Uh, yeah, I can get one of my relatives to take my shift that night." The Hashira shrugged, "Plus, you can just bring your little sword if you're so paranoid in case we do see a demon, stupid."

The butterfly girl must have been going deaf, because-

Are you....are you okay with taking a break from your Hashira duties?

You're a mindless, unrelenting freak of nature literally bred to kill demons, why the hell would you take a break, you idiot?!

"Ara~, well, unfortunately for you, you have responsibilities as a Hashira to attend to, so I'm banning you from going anywhere~" Shinobu flashed her fake smile.

The butterfly girl got the shock of her life, however, when a hand clasped itself around her throat, and she got yanked centimetres away from Sakusa's face.

"Oi, oi, oi, just try to tell me what to do like that again, little brat, and I'll make sure you won't be able to walk for a damn week, you understand me?"

The room went dead silent the second that whisper escaped his lips.

Shinobu looked back with a blank expression, before bursting into a furious blush when Sakusa's words processed in her head, not to mention the fact that he was choking her. It seemed that the crimson-tipped teenager's words and actions didn't process in his mind either, because it wasn't until a few seconds later that he reacted and burst into an equally-furious blush on his own, letting go of the girl's neck and slamming his hands against the table.