The flame of love,
was now just cold loneliness.
"Boo!" Haizaki called out as he came about from the corner, scaring [name] as they were playing a game of chase. Haizaki smiled as [name] giggled and soon plopped herself into his short arms as they were playing outside their house.
It was dark, and Haizaki knew [name] loved to watch the stars and moon. No matter how many times their parents told them not to stay outside for too long, especially when it was winter.
"Papa will be going to a faraway place tomorrow to help earn money for our family," Haizaki said with a smile, and [name] could only giggle then.
"But that's because papa loves us a lot " [name] said with a smile, and Haizaki smiled back at how kind and affectionate his younger sister was. His dark blue ocean eyes widened as he heard growling noises and how his younger sister tensed up in his arms.
"Shh..." he whispered out as they quickly made their way into the house, and Haizaki tugged onto their mother's kimono, causing her to stop in her house chores and look at him.
"Mama, demons are out there... Where is papa?" and their mother's eyes could only widen as she quickly picked [name] up in her arms and ran into the room by dragging Haizaki along with her as well. She bit her lips as she flung opened the cupboard and placed the siblings inside.
"Whatever happens, don't come out okay?" she whispered out and noticed how Haizaki was holding onto [name] who started to cry. Their mother could bit the bottom of her lips as the growling got louder, and then she flashed a smile as tears rolled down her eyes.
"Be careful from now on. Haizaki, remember to take care of [name] as well, okay?" she whispered out as she shut the door, whereas Haizaki held [name] back as he listened to the words of their mother.
He felt [name] gripping his clothes tightly, and he looked at her. From the small gap of the cupboard they were placed in, he could see how [name] was biting her lips harshly to prevent herself from crying.
And he could only gently pat her on the head as he soothed her silent sobs, waiting for a sign where they could finally come out from the cupboard.
How long were they in the cupboard? They couldn't tell, but Haizaki noticed the sun had risen, and it was cold, given how it was the winter season. With a shaky hand, he pushed the cabinet door open, only to watch as his dark blue ocean eyes widened.
The house was in a mess. Blood was everywhere. And there laid their mother who was bleeding profusely, no longer breathing. Their father knelt by her side as he held a chipped blade in his hand. Bleeding from the chest and head.
"Papa...?" [name] called out softly as she noticed her father was still breathing. Haizaki crawled out of the cupboard with [name] as they stood by their father's side.
"Papa?" Haizaki whispered out and they watched as their father turned to look at them. His eyes widened slightly but his lips curled up into a soft smile.
"Take care of yourselves, okay? Papa and mama have to go now..." their father whispered out and he fell forward, landing against his wife's body as he lost consciousness, leaving the world and his children alone.
Haizaki remained silent as [name] started to cry hysterically when he placed her down. Haizaki picked up the chipped blade from his father and pulled something off from their mother's half-eaten neck and looked at it.
"[name], wear this," Haizaki whispered out and [name] stopped crying as she looked at what her older brother was holding out to her. How she noticed it was the pendant that their mother would always wear.
"Take it. Wear it with pride," he whispered out as he gripped the chipped blade tightly in his hand as his dark blue ocean eyes narrowed dangerously. He turned to look just as [name] screamed and his eyes widened as he threw the chipped blade towards the demon who managed to stay within the shadows.
Watching as it crashed against the door that was about to give way, and the siblings watched as the demon started to disappear after the sunlight had hit it. But Haizaki's attention remained on [name] when he heard her screaming.
"Nii-san, I can't see! Where are you?!"
"I hate winter..." Haizaki muttered to himself and Giyuu looked at him confusedly as they were in the middle of decapitating a demon but she was being well protected by someone else.
"Focus on the mission. Enough idle chit chats," Giyuu spoke out and Haizaki lets out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck a little, looking at how Giyuu continued to look at him as he held onto the demon girl tightly by the back.
"You need to loosen up some times, Giyuu," Haizaki pointed out.
"Nezuko is different, I don't know why she's acting like that! She's my younger sister!" the young boy before them started to yell, which Haizaki had a frown on his face as he placed his hand up.
"It's simple. If you bathe an open wound in a demon's blood, you become a demon. This is how the man-eating demons increase their numbers," he spoke out as his dark blue ocean eyes remained on Nezuko.
"Nezuko hasn't eaten any people!" he yelled out.
"How dare you! Just now, it looked like you were about to be eaten!" Giyuu retorted.
"That's wrong! You can't know that for sure in my case! I wouldn't let her injure anyone. I'll turn Nezuko back into a human, I'll cure her!" and Giyuu noticed Haizaki's hands were trembling slightly.
"There is no cure. There is no way to turn a demon back into a human," Haizaki whispered out as he tried to contain his emotions. Losing his family was something, but having to watch an older brother trying to protect his younger sister had hit him on the head.
How he had failed as an older brother.
"I'll search for one! I'll certainly find a method, so please don't kill her! I beg of you, please don't kill her! What if you have a sibling who was turned into a demon?" Tanjiro asked and Haizaki's dark blue ocean eyes widened at what he had said.
"What if..." Haizaki thought to himself.
"I'll also find the one who killed my family! I'll take care of everything! So please, please! PLEASE STOP!" he cried out and Haizaki let out a shaky breath and Giyuu took a step away from his comrade as he tugged Nezuko along who was grunting and he brought his nichirin blade up and pointed towards Nezuko's chest.
"Please stop... Whatever you do, please don't kill my sister... I beg of you... I beg of you..." the boy got down on his knees as he placed his forehead against the snow. Haizaki tilts his head up as he tried his best to prevent himself from showing any weakness.
"YOU CAN'T GRASP THE AUTHORITY OVER SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE AND DEATH! STOP THAT MISERABLE LOOKING SQUAT! IF YOU TRY TO PASS OFF THAT KIND OF THING, YOUR FAMILY WOULDN'T BE DEAD!" and Haizaki started to zone out as his hand rested on the handle of his nichirin blade.
"Taken away? In the time that they could be taken away, you were weak and couldn't seize the initiative. Cure your sister? Search for the enemy? IT'S HIGHLY RIDICULOUS!" Haizaki turned to look, watching how Giyuu was lashing out.
Something that he wasn't sure he was capable of, but he was rather surprised he was allowed to witness it before his eyes.
"The meek have no power and no options! The strong will crush them in every way! Demons might know how to cure your little sister... But... No demon will respect your whining and begging! And for that matter, I don't respect you either! That's reality!"
"Why just now you were fallen upon by your sister. Do you plan to protect her like that?! Why didn't you swing your axe?! Why did you show me your back?! While failing like that, you plan to save your sister?! Is it okay if I skewer your sister right in front of you?!" and Haizaki raised his hand out as if he wanted to stop Giyuu from doing anything rash.
Yet, the sound of Giyuu's nichirin blade being drawn out was heard as Haizaki turned to look once more, watching as Giyuu had plunged the nichirin blade into Nezuko's chest.
"STOP!" he yelled out and threw a stone right at Giyuu, whereas Haizaki dodged just in time as he raised his hand and caught another stone that was thrown towards his direction. He winced slightly as he allowed the stone to drop onto the snow-covered ground.
"A simple attack based on emotion, you fool," Giyuu whispered out as he and Haizaki watched as Giyuu lifted his blade and used the end of the handle and slammed down onto his back at the same time.
"Giyuu, careful," Haizaki mumbled out and that answered the question in Giyuu's mind on where the axe was. He then easily shifted his head and the axe missed him by a little.
"Kid has great reflexes, I'll give him that. He just before he was hidden by the tree, he threw the rock to distract us while he threw the axe up. He knew he couldn't beat us," Haizaki spoke out as he squats down and gently brushed away the snow that landed on the boy's head.
"Why are you being all sentimental?" Giyuu asked.
"Because what he asked, was what struck me. What if my younger sister had turned into a demon? What am I going to do? As much as I'm the Shadow Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, I won't be able to take down my younger sister," Haizaki spoke out and his dark blue ocean eyes widened as he felt a kick sending him right towards a tree and he slammed against it. Wincing slightly he turned and noticed how Giyuu has kicked away as well.
"Crap!" Giyuu muttered out as he watched Nezuko heading straight for Tanjiro.
"He'll be eaten!" Haizaki thought to himself and soon their eyes widened.
"Nezuko is different. She doesn't eat people," and the memory of how someone said the same thing flowed through Haizaki and Giyuu's mind. There was a guy who said the same thing and was eaten.
Demon in a starving condition would eat their parents or siblings.
And despite having a wound, fixing that would consume a lot of energy for Nezuko. And they noticed how Nezuko was lunging forward to Giyuu. Haizaki could only press his lips into a thin line as he kept his nichirin blade, watching as Giyuu did so as well.
Hitting Nezuko with the side of his hand against the side of her neck. Haizaki remained still as he watched what Giyuu was doing, carving his water bottle to form a bamboo gag for the demon. Haizaki lifted his hands as he took a good look at them.
Covered in scars, the skin was rough as well. His lips parted as he wondered where his younger sister was as he watched Giyuu securing the bamboo gag in between Nezuko's mouth.
"You intend to send them to your Master?" Haizaki asked and Giyuu slowly nodded his head in response. Haizaki's lips were pressed into a fine thin line as he waiting patiently by Giyuu's side.
"You know we are going to get into trouble because of this, right?" Haizaki asked and Giyuu slowly nodded his head in response. The Shadow Hashira lets out a sigh as he started to draw random characters against the now.
.
.
"Are you awake?" Giyuu asked and noticed how the boy was protectively holding onto his sister. Tanjiro's eyes noticed how Haizaki was acting, where he continued to squat as he drew against the snow with his finger.
"Visit the elder named Urokodaki Sakonji living at the foot of the misty mountain. Tell him that Tomioka Giyuu sent you. Because the light isn't increasing it seems like it should be okay. Don't take your sister out under the sun," and he proceeded to turn and kicking Haizaki on the back harshly, causing the taller man to end up face-first against the snow.
"Giyuu..." Haizaki muttered out as he sat on the snow with his eyes closed, his lips curled up into a smile and an irk mark visible on his forehead.
☾
He sat on the patio as he watched how she was huddled up and sleeping in the futon. Night had fallen upon them once again and Kokushibo returned once more during such a storm. His three pairs of eyes looked up, watching as the moon was now covered by the passing clothes.
A strong gust of wind was felt and he turned to look, watching as [name]'s figure was shivering slightly due to how cold it was. He got up as he walked into the kitchen, rummaging through it as quietly as he could.
There wasn't enough water for her, given how the well was now frozen. He had to make do what he got to make do as he prepared the fire and brought over the pipe, placing the end of it nearer to the fireplace did he start to blow harshly into it.
He watched as the flames started to burn furiously as he brought over a gourd bottle that was present in her kitchen. He filled the gourd with hot water but wrapped a cloth around it as well. Walking out of the kitchen, he headed to where [name] was sound asleep.
Closer to the futon of where he often laid upon as well. He placed the gourd nearer to where her hands were, where her hands automatically reached out and grabbed hold of the cloth-covered gourd. He watched as her lips curled up into a smile as she sighed in relief.
He reached out, gently brushing away the strands of hair that covered her face. He looked towards the futon that was by the side of hers, and he got up, removing his blade did he set it aside as he pushed the futon closer to where hers was.
He laid upon the futon as he laid on his side, watching how [name] was sleeping peacefully. He watched the way her lips parted as she breathed in and out calmly, how her hands remained on the gourd bottle still.
"It's cold... Too cold..." she whispered out in her sleep and Kokushibo's eyes widened at what she had said. He reached out as he pulled her close against his body, where he surprised himself as well.
He could feel her heart beating against her chest and the steady rhythm of her breathing as well. But he continued to hold onto her as he too, started to drift off into a slumber.
"It's cold... Too cold..." she whispered out as she rubbed her hands together and she heard chuckling coming from her older brother.
"Too cold? Come on, I'll warm your hands up," he spoke out with a smile as he rubbed his hands together and grabbed hold of hers tightly in his, warming her up.
"Better?" he asked.
"Better..." she whispered out as she opened her blind eyes a little and wondered why Kokushibo was hugging her in his sleep. But she couldn't deny the fact that with him hugging her tightly, she felt warm.
And that was a comforting feeling indeed for her. She moved closer to where his body was as his hold on her tightened. She smiled softly as she could tell her cheeks were turning red somehow, but with exhaustion overtaking her senses, did [name] started to fall asleep once more.
.
.
He woke up feeling warm. Something he wasn't used to. His pairs of eyes opened slowly as he looked out and noticed the sun was out, yet, it wasn't entering the estate due to how thick the clouds were, rendering him safe from the sun.
He heard soft snores coming from beside him and he looked as [name] continued to sleep in his arms. How she held onto his kimono tightly, and the way she slept was still in a peaceful manner. He reached his hand out as he gently caressed her cheek, hoping that he wouldn't wake her up.
But it seems luck wasn't on his side as she stirred in her sleep. She started to open her eyes a little as her lips curled up into a smile. Adjusting herself as she covered her mouth while she yawned before speaking what's on her mind.
"Good morning, Kokushibo-san," she whispered out and Kokushibo felt his heart skipping a beat at the way she spoke despite just waking up. He continued to caress her cheek with his hand and she had on a slight frown.
"Please greet me back as well," she spoke out.
"Good morning," he mumbled out, unsure of what he was doing was the right thing to do. But he knew it was the right thing, the moment [name]'s lips curled up into a wide smile as she shut her eyes once more.
"Thank you for keeping me warm, Kokushibo-san. I hope it wasn't too much of a hassle for you," she spoke out and Kokushibo remained silent as he watched as [name] started to fall asleep once more.
It wasn't cold anymore,
when she was in his arms.
◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤
To be continued...
A/N: I'm really busy with work now. Lmao.