Dojo of the Rising Sun (On Hiatus)

I-VII: Heads

1 9   Y E A R S   A G O

Kanao missed.

For all her sacrifices... for all her valiant efforts... for all her training, trauma, and pain...

She had failed.

She heard the injection clatter unto the floor as she fell down herself, feeling a sharp pain on her side, but...

She could not see.

Guys? Kanao thought. Tanjiro? Nezuko? Inosuke?

Shinobu?

"Tanjiro, stop it!" she heard Nezuko's voice behind her. Heavy footsteps followed, crawling closer towards Kanao. But without her eyes, she could not see anything. Not a color, nor a texture, nor even her own imagination.

Only darkness.

Help me, Nee-san... Kanao thought as she began to crawl away from Tanjiro's footsteps. Help me...

She was too slow.

She felt herself get tugged upwards, Tanjiro's demonic growls so loud and close to her ear. Her arms and legs were so incredibly weak that she could not even raise her arm to push Tanjiro's grasp away.

Then she heard the screaming.

Nezuko's screaming. Agonizing, hoarse, desperate. It was like she was the one being tortured, not Kanao. Why did she have to scream that way? Oh kami... oh kami, she couldn't hear anything else... oh kami, it's so loud... stop it... stop it, please... stop... stop!

"STOOOOOOOPPP!!!" Nezuko screamed.

A sharp pain bit into her shoulder.

She wailed in pain. Not a scream, but a wail of despair and dread as the pain washed over her body. Blindness was more terrifying than anything she could ever imagine. Not even the beauty of color and texture could distract her anymore. Nothing separated her from the pain. It was the only thing that she could feel.

And she felt pain. And it began to increase.

"Taaan... jiiiiiiii...roooOOOOOooooOOOOOO!!!!!" Kanao wailed, her throat being stretched to it's limit. Tanjiro grasped her chest and pulled her towards him, sinking his teeth even deeper down her shoulder. She could hear drastic footsteps running away, scampering and terrified.

They were leaving her to die.

"NooooOOOOoooo..." Kanao cried, but she knew they could not hear her. "DooonnNNNt... doooOOONNNNtttt AAAbbbaaaaaAAAAANnnnnndoooOOnnn MMeeeeeeeeEEEEEE!!!!!!"

But they did. They abandoned her. And soon, the only thing that stayed was Tanjiro's muffled growls as he chewed on her shoulder, the meat, stringy and soft, being torn to shreds as the demon blood seeped down her veins.

I hate you... Kanao thought. I hate you...

I hate everyone... I hate everyone... I hate... I... I...

. . .

1 9   Y E A R S   L A T E R

There was once a time... Kanao thought, playing with a bronze coin in her fingers. ...when I was so unsure of myself that I needed this little thing to keep me going.

Oh, how the tables have turned. Literally.

She stuffed the coin in her pocket. She raised her hand to adjust the white cape that was draped around her neck. It was a thing she never really changed from her old self, her hair being another unchanged aspect. But as she glanced at her own shadow, she did have to admit that it looked much fancier without that tacky Demon Slayer uniform in the way.