A Flower That Blooms in the Rain

Chapter 5.5 Interlude

The smallest ripple in the water can make the largest impact to the ocean. 

A/N: WARNING: CHILD ABUSE!

-linebreak-

Giyuu is holding scissors right next to his neck. 

His hands shake as something thick and frizzy falls between the two blades. 

Just one snip. One snip and it'll all be over, his torment will be gone. The hands dragging him by his hair will go away.

This nightmare was worse than others. It was almost like he was there, despite how many years it had been he felt like he was there again. Despite how much he's grown, how much he's changed, and how different everything was.

He was there again. 

It was more real this time somehow. When he woke up he could still feel their hands on his skin, despite how silent the room was everything felt too loud. It felt like his body was not his own. That the air he breathed was not meant for him, it was not oxygen. 

So he'd make his body his own again. 

And that is how he got here, standing in front of the now shattered mirror of his bathroom with his messy, locks of hair sandwiched between the two blades of his rusty pair of scissors. 

He can feel the villager's hands in his hair, it's long, and they never did like his hair long. Or was that his grandparents? A vague and blurry memory comes to mind of the time his grandmother forced him to cut his hair short, he can still feel the cool blade against the back of his neck and hear her yelling drowning out his sobs.

He missed his parents, they were so much nicer than them. He loved them dearly.

Once more, phantom hands grasp and wrench at his hair, twirling it around like a toy, as if it does him no pain. The thick, potent smell of blood invades his senses. 

That's right, his grandmother nicked his ear while trying to cut his hair and the villagers pulled out a few clumps of it while they dragged him away.

For him, there's no tranquility of an in-between when it comes down to it. His hair is either too long or too short. He's either being dragged by it or being reprimanded that a man isn't supposed to have long hair.

To him, it makes no sense in his eyes. What dignifies a man and what dignifies a woman? Is it the same rules that separate them from humans to demons?

Why must matters always be so complicated? Why can't there ever be a simple solution? An easy way out?

Why can't he just live a life of blissful naivety, innocent of the horrors that truly surround him?

But that's all moot because, in the end, this body is not his own. The choices he makes are not his own. He is merely a soul meant to inhabit this shell of a body until he eventually croaks. 

But is that really true? Or is he simply oblivious to the liberties he could indulge in?

He could make his own choice right now. Begin a journey anew of choices that he made, not ones others made for him. 

He could cut his hair, and begin anew.

But as always, Giyuu hesitates stopping before he can make the final cut. But then-

Then.

Words and thoughts penetrate his mind, solidifying his decision. 

"It'll be okay Tomioka, I promise," 

I was only a kid. 

Why had Himejima chosen to comfort him instead of punishing him?

Long, inky strands of hair call to the floor in clumps like snow, smaller strands accompanying them. 

Giyuu stares at himself through his crackled reflection. This time, he no longer doubt's the person he sees in the mirror. Those short, spiky locks curling around the nape of his neck are his own and not his sisters. 

His hair is too short to be his sister's length like it formerly was.

As he stared the edges of his mouth curled upwards forming a small smile.

Everyone told him his smile looked like his sisters, but now, with his hair shortened he could no longer recognize it.

He no longer looked similar to his sister. And for some reason...

Some reason...

That made him far more happy than he could have ever imagined.

Lost in his sudden joy, for a moment he did not care what the world thought of him, he only cared for himself.

A/N: Wassup i'm back. so uh, I've been gone for a bit because i kinda fell out of my demon slayer hyperfixation cuz i was embarrassed about how much i liked it and now i'm back into it again and not embarrassed lol.

also finals and all that jazz.

anyway, i will note this. as someone who has an older sister myself i can affirm that it IS possibly to get caught in your own sibling shadow because you think so highly of them and devolp imposter syndrome like how giyuu developed it as shown. but i in no way mean to shade his older sibling that's not her fault it happened lol

anyway, enjoy and yell at me in the comments

i also posted a new work called 'unconventioally conventional' so if you want some light hearted content go check that out on my ao3!