A/N- See my headcannon book for Blood Breathing details.
Narrator POV
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I opened my eyes as I felt a hand gently shaking me awake.
"Um, Y/N-chan?" A soft voice asked me, "I know this may sound like a childish question, but can I sleep with you tonight? I-I had a bad dream and I had trouble going-"
"Mhm, yeah whatever," I replied far too tired to know who it was. It was probably one of the younger girls that got scared of a nightmare and wanted some comfort.
I felt the person awkwardly climb into my bed and lay there next to me. They tossed and turned quite a bit until I said:
"Would you please stop moving around? The bed is small and it's getting hot."
"S-sorry..." The person mumbled. They said something else, but I drifted off to sleep as they did. I didn't hear it well, but it was something about me.
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"Y/N-chan?" A voice nervous called out to you.
"Hm? What is it?" You asked as you turned around to face Kanae, the girl you've been crushing on for the longest time. She looked nervous, which surprised you because Kanae was usually never nervous and incredibly outgoing.
"Um, can I ask you something?" Kanae asked as light pink blush grew across her cheeks, "And you won't get mad?"
"I would never get mad at you," You replied reassuringly. Kanae seemed to fidget with her hands a bit until she finally gained the confidence to speak.
"D-do you want to be my girlfriend?" Kanae asked so softly that you could barely hear her. But you did.
You lowered your head as you simply nodded. You felt your cheeks redden as you responded with "I would like that."
You didn't have to look at her to know that Kanae was beaming with happiness. You felt her gentle arms engulf you into a warm hug, and for one moment, it felt as though all of your injuries from final selection had disappeared. Your childhood crush was hugging you. But there was just one thing. She wasn't your crush anymore. After so many years of admiring her from a distance, she was finally more than a crush. She was your girlfriend. Soon enough, a salty tear slid down your cheek. Followed by another. And another. And another, up until to the point you were crying. You cried into the taller girl's collar bone as she giggled a bit.
"Why're you crying?" Kanae asked with a kind chuckle, "Isn't this a happy moment?"
"It is," You said in between sniffles, "I just love you so much."
"I love you too," Kanae said as she wrapped her arms around you tighter. You hugged her back as you were basking in your new girlfriend's warmth. The moment felt as though it could've lasted forever. And it could've until Kanae's warmth was replaced with a cold draft. 'What...? Where'd Kanae go?' You thought as you looked around frantically. A bead of sweat dropped from your temple as you stare into the darkness.
"Hello?" You asked, but the only response was your voice echoing through the empty abyss.
You wandered around for a bit until you heard a faint voice off in the distance. 'It sounds almost like Shinobu's voice...but different. Like she's straining it.' You thought as you walked towards the voice. Soon, the words became clear to you. It was Shinobu.
"Sister! Don't die, please! What will Y/N think?! She'll never forgive you!" Shinobu pleaded with Kanae in her arms. Blood dripped from Kanae's mouth as she looked into Shinobu's eyes with a sad smile. It took you a moment to digest the sight in front of you. 'What...?' You thought as your eyes widened.
Kanae was dying. Right there in front of you, in Shinobu's arms.
"Kanae!" You screamed as the threw yourself towards her to check her condition.
"Give Y/N my thanks. I never got to properly say it to her," Kanae said weakly.
'She can't hear me?' You thought as you realized what was going on. You were in a dream, and all of this had already happened. You felt your eyes fill up with salty tears again. 'Kanae died... and I wasn't able to save her.' You thought as you fell to your knees. 'I'm sorry, Kanae. I love you. I'm sorry about all of the times I would fuss over meeting new people. I'm sorry for all the times that I caused you trouble or made you worry. I'm sorry.' You thought as you closed your eyes and let your tears flow down your cheeks.
"It's ok. I forgive you. But I won't forgive you if you don't move on from me," A voice said as a warm hand patted your back
"Kanae!" You replied while turning around, eyes shot open. You were greeted with a warm smile plastered on none other than Kanae's face. There she was, right in front of you. But something was different. Kanae was slightly transparent and she had a warm glow around her. 'This is her ghost...'You concluded.
"Please, move on. I can feel you grieving my death, even in your sleep. That's my one request," Kanae said kindly.
"No, I can't!" you sobbed, "I love you too much! You're everything and anything I need!"
"Don't hold onto past emotions. That'll hold you back in life," Kanae said as she squatted down to your level and whipped your tears. Her hand was warm and it made you feel all fuzzy inside.
"Shinobu seemed to take a liking to you. Maybe try something with her," Kanae said calmly. You looked at her in shock.
"No way! That's too cruel! I-I love you! Don't just leave me!" You pleaded as you pushed Kanae away, "I refuse to believe it! I love you more than anything! You're not dead yet! We were supposed to get married and live a long happy life!"
Tears eventually started to flow from Kanae's eyes.
"I know moving on is a hard thing to do. But please do. I'm no longer in the world that you are anymore. You have to understand that," Kanae said as she started to crumble, like a demon. "Goodbye, Y/N. I love you."
"No! Kanae! Come back!" You cried as you tried to grab Kanae's ashes, "I need you!"
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"...Y/N. Y/N-chan! Wake up!" A voice shouted at you. It was early morning, maybe around 2-3 am.
"What..? What's happening?" You asked as your eyes fluttered open.
"You were crying in your sleep. Are you ok?" The person said. Your eyes were blurry, so it took a few seconds to recognize who had woken you up. Just as your vision started to clear, you saw who woke you up. It was Shinobu, but there was something else. She was in your bed, under the covers, and had a messy bedhead. Really? She was the one who had a nightmare? I thought it was Kiyo, Naho, or Sumi...
"Uhm, yeah I'm fine," you replied while rubbing your eyes, "Just a bad dream."
"Oh, ok. I-I guess I'll go back to my own room then. Goodbye," Shinobu said as she climbed out of the bed. This reminded you of something. What did Kanae say in my dream? You thought while trying to recall back to your dream That Shinobu likes me?
Shinobu was just at the door as you said, "No, it's fine. You can stay. You had a nightmare too, right? Let's talk."
She paused at the door for a second, but then she walked back and sat next to you on the bed.
"C'mon, don't be scared. You can tell me. Or not. You decide," You said calmly. There was a moment of silence as Shinobu was thinking of the words to say. Finally, Shinobu spoke a soft sentance.
"Well, my nightmare was about Kanae," Shinobu spoke slowly and quietly. "She was in my arms, and I felt like I was re-living her death. The only difference was that I was watching the scene in front of me. I saw Kanae Nee-san in my arms, almost as if I were watching a film. And then I sensed something different. I turned around and saw her right there. But she was a ghost and told me not to mourn her death." At this point, Shinobu was crying. What's wrong?! You panicked Is she hungry?! Oh my god! What do I do?! You completely ignored the fact that her dream was almost exactly like yours.
"It's ok," You said as you awkwardly hugged her, "Are you hungry?"
"Mhm. A little," She replied while digging her face into your collar bone. You did the exact same thing when Kanae asked you to be her girlfriend. The thought of this made you tear up a little.
"Ok. Let's go get a snack," You said as you climbed out of bed and held Shinobu's hand. She reluctantly gripped your hand as she followed you to the door. Shinobu kept her head slightly down most of the way, with the occasional hiccup popping up as an aftereffect of her crying.
"Want rice crackers or Karinto? I could make pancakes if you want, but they wouldn't be as good as Aoi's," You asked when the two of you finally got to the kitchen.
"Anything's fine," Shinobu said softly.
"Alright, I guess I'll whip up some Pancakes. That alright with you?" You asked while grabbing some batter. You seemed to be asking many questions regarding Shinobu's preferences, but you couldn't help it. Knowing her, this was the only time that Shinobu would allow herself to actually show her true feelings. Shinobu would most likely try to hide her emotions in front of the younger girls and put on a brave face. You would probably do the same. After all, the two of you were the eldest in the estate. It would be smart to put on a supportive attitude towards them. They probably have it harder than us. You occasionally thought to convince yourself that you needed to stay strong for everyone. At this point, you vowed to yourself that you would protect everyone living in the estate. Even if it costs you your life.
"Yeah, that's fine," Shinobu replied.
You mixed the ingredients up and put the better onto the hot pan. The raw pancake sizzled and popped until one side was crispy, so you turned it over. It was golden brown, and you mentally patted yourself on the back for making it so well.
As you were preparing 2 stacks of pancakes with berries, you couldn't help but notice that Shinobu was being awfully quiet. You decided to start some conversation with her because you thought it was a bit awkward just standing there.
"So, how're things going?" You asked in an attempt to spark some conversation with Shinobu.
You could tell that Shinobu was looking at you with a mix of confused and sad faces when she replied, "Are you alright Y/N? You know perfectly well how things are going,"
You sighed as you said "Yeah, I know. I was just trying to start a conversation. Small talk isn't really my thing."
"Mhm," Shinobu simply replied.
The rest of the cooking time was spent silent, with the occasional small talk between you and Shinobu.
When the two stacks of pancakes you prepared were finally done, you gave Shinobu her stack of pancakes and sat down across from her. As Shinobu took a bite, her face lit up.
"Wow, these are good, Y/N," She said in amazement.
"Really? I used Aoi's recipe, so no wonder you think they're good," You replied certainly. Shinobu let out a small chuckle at your overconfident statement.
"Mhm, sure. Blame it on Aoi's cooking," Shinobu said mockingly.
"Your just mad that Aoi doesn't give you recipes," You remarked.
"I don't need them. My cooking is actually good," Shinobu replied with a joking attitude.
"Hey, cooking's not in my blood. I'm an eater," You defended, "My mom wasn't a chef, my grandma wasn't a chef, my great-grandma wasn't a chef, et cetera."
Shinobu chuckled as you conversation ended with quiet footsteps coming down the hall. Aoi's tired face came out from the hallway as she seemed surprised to see both of you.
"Huh? Why are you two up so early? Do you have a mission?" Aoi asked as she stopped walking.
"No, Y/N and I couldn't sleep. We got up early and made a snack, but it appears we lost track of time," Shinobu said as she glanced up at the clock, "Well, I should get changed out of my pajamas. I suggest you do too, Y/N."
"Alright. See ya," You said to Aoi as Shinobu and you walked to your bedrooms.
Once you arrived to your room, you took out your Corps uniform and got changed into it. You slipped the Haori that hung on your coat rack as you noticed your Kasugai crow, perched on your window cill.
"Caw! Head north-notheast! A lower rank kizuku has been spotted! North-northeast! Y/N, head there and slay the demon immediately! Caw!" Your Kasugai crow skwaked. A mission? Finally. It feels like I haven't been on one forever.
You slung your blades on your back and headed out the door. When you arrived to the kitchen, Shinobu was talking to Aoi. Something was off, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it. Oh, Shinobu's wearing Kanae's Haori. It's a good look on her.
"Oh? Y/N-san, you finally finished changing," Shinobu said as she noticed you enter the room. You couldn't help but observe that she was smiling. A false smile. I was right. She already started to fake it.
"Yeah. My Kasugai crow just told me I have a mission, Be back soon," You said while heading to the door.
A frown crept onto Shinobu's face as she said "Stay safe."
"You know I will," You said as you slipped on your sandles and headed northeast. A lower kizuki, huh? Should be a breeze. You thought as you began your journey.
A/N- I'm baaaack. I like this story a lot..more than i should...
ANYWAY, WHAT? 18 FOLLOWERS OUT OF NO WHERE?! Y'ALL ARE REALLY THE BEST 😭 😭 😭
Word Count- 2300 words