Third Person's POV.
Hanabi keep running, following the blue line that she is seeing. 'Please, please, please. Let me make it in time!' She keep running until something flew into her mind. 'What's this!?'
"Hanabi? Is there something wrong?" Kikyō asked her because her movement is getting slower.
"I...I don't know. Is this...memory??" She hold her head, trying to focusing herself but failed to do so. The unknown memory is flowing inside of her mind. 'Who is this... Dojo? Koyuki? They all...die?'
Tears suddenly fell from Hanabi's eyes. She wiped them away, but they keep flowing out. 'Why do I feel painful? These memories are not eveb mine, but yet...they are so sad.'
"Memories? But there is no demon around us?" Kikyo looking around them, confirming that they are alone in the area.
"I have no idea either. I thought that I can see memories if I have made physical contact with them, but..." She wiped her tears again. After that, she slapped herself to knock on her senses. 'I can't be carried away by these memories! I need to find Giyuu!' She shook her head and starting to run again. "If I can somehow see their memories, they must be close!"
BOOM!
"Explosion!?" She halted her running and checking the source of the sound. She went to the railings and looking down below.
"It's possibly down there," Kikyō muttered.
'Wether go big or go home!' Hanabi climbed the railings and set her foot on the wooden bars.
"Hey! Hanabi, what are you doing!?" Kikyō shouted.
"There's a fight down there! If my intuition is right, the blue line that I have been following to is also directed towards that fight. I am taking the shortcut!" She yelled to Kikyō before jumping down to the dark without any ground that can be seen to land safely.
"Are you crazy!? This is suicide!" Kikyō yelled.
"It's not! I can still use Will of Nature to save myself!"
"You can't be sure it will saved you from broken bones!"
"Then I can simply heal it!" Hanabi exclaimed. She focused herself to anticipate any sudden door popping out or the surface is somehow can not be seen by the eyes so she won't have time to save herself. But her focus broke when there is a voice ringing in her ears.
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Hakuji-san, thank you. You've done enough.
It's okay. It's okay now.
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'Another one!?' She gritted her teeth. She need to focus or else her tears are threatening to fall again. She finally saw the surface down below, but the ground is a mess and there is a demon with pink hair and stripes mark all around his body. She readied herself.
Will of Nature: Protection.
The air around her is slowing her speed of falling. The closer she get to the ground, the more she can hear the voice from the demon inside her head.
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Enough.
Just stop regenerate.
The match is over.
I lost.
I lost right at that moment.
It was fair and square.
It was a magnificent technique.
He completely read his enemy's attacks and spun in the nick of time, the slashed right before his enemy struck.
It's over.
I just want to go to hell like a man.
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In the middle of the air, Hanabi is shocked. 'He wants to go, but his demon's side is not allowing him to.' She grabbed her sword handle with her right hand and readying herself in the mid-air to launch an attack. 'Then let me help you.'
She pulled out her sword from the sheaths and concentrated herself.
Breath of Nature: Ninth Form; Fireworks.
Sparks of fire is surrounded her sword as she get closer to the demon. She slashed the demon's head and landing safely on the floor, creating flare of colorful sparks behind her from the attack. She glance at the demon who is starting to whitering away. "Rest well, Hakuji-san."
Tanjirou who has been fighting the demon from before is surprised when he saw the Nature Pillar suddenly barging in. "Hanabi...-san?"
The Nature Pillar sheated back her sword and glance at the voice that is calling her name. There she saw Tanjirou who has bloods coming down from his forehead. Beside him is the man that she has been looking for, looking at her with wide ocean eyes.
"Tanjirou-kun! Giyuu!" She runs towards Tanjirou first because the boy looks like he is going to passed out in any second.
"You killed...him. It's over..." Tanjirou muttered. "We...have to...hurry...to Tamayo..." Tanjirou passed out immediately after that. Hanabi quickly catched him before he can fall to the floor.
"Hanabi..." Giyuu muttered while trying to approached her, but when he tried to do so, he staggered and almost fall onto the ground.
"Giyuu!" She called out of worry, seeing her significant other is about to hit the floor.
Giyuu quickly used his sword that is broken into half to support his body from hitting the floor. He manage to hold his body from falling, but feeling the exhaustion creeping to his entire body, his vision is getting darker. He rested his forehead on his hand that is holding down the sword in the floor.
Hanabi quickly laid down Tanjirou on the floor carefully and immediately approaching Giyuu. "Giyuu, can you move?"
"Hana..." He muttered under his breath, "thank God... you're...al...right..." He passed out.
Hanabi quickly help him to laid down next to Tanjirou. She carefully releasing his sword from his grip and gently placing his head on the floor.
"Their state is awful. They must have fought that previous demon with great effort," Kikyō said beside her.
"I know, they passed out because of exhaustion," Hanabi said after checking them out. "But their bleeding must be stopped now." She sat between the two and concentrated again.
Will of Nature: Mother Nature; Blessing.
She lifted her hand above each of them and healed them with he gift. 'I can't fully healed them and this battle is still long. At least they won't lose any blood from these wounds.'
She observe them while keep healing them. 'I am glad that they are still alive.' She glance at the ravenette and smiled. 'What would I do without you.'
After finishing up, she pulled out a small pouch from her sleeves haori and opened them. She grabbed a roll of bandage and a small bottle of clean water. She cut off some of the bandage and drenched it with the water. She cleaned their face from the bloods.
When she was about to clean up Giyuu's face, the man woken up. "Giyuu? Are you alright?"
His eyes are half opened, adjusting to the light around the room. He groaned and slowly sitting up. Hanabi assisting him to sit properly. By his grip on her hand, she knows that he is still dizzy.
Giyuu opened up his eyes widely this time, trying to grasped the situation. The first thing that he saw is a pink hue orbs that he wanted to see the most when they are trapped inside of this infinity fortress. He immediately pulled her into a hug, startling her down to her spine.
Hanabi's cheeks flushed. She didn't expect any hugging because her main focus is to clean his face. "G-Giyuu...?"
Hearing her voice is only getting his arms around her tighter. He desperately wants to have her in his arms for the longest time, so he can be sure that she is still alive, that she is still by his side. "I'm sorry, Hana, but please...only for five minutes..."
'Five minutes is long Giyuu, and we are in the enemy's headquarter,' she said in her mind. She wanted to spat them out but after thinking twice, she decided to let him. She sighed, "fine." She hugged him back, relaxing her muscles to his embrace. 'Well, I do missed him too.'
Five minute is long. In that long time, thoughts that she has been suppressed is flowing out one by one. The painful feeling that her heart has been suppressing is now flowing out to her throat. Her tears welled up and her throat is in pain because she is holding up her tears. Can't hold it back anymore, she buried her face on his shoulder and cry.
"Giyuu...." She whimpered.
Giyuu lifted his other hand and stroking her hair softly. He didn't say anything, but he comforting her in silent.
"...Shinobu... Shinobu is...." She shook her head deeply to his shoulder, not wanting to continued her sentence. She gripped his haori and muffling her tears. Giyuu keep silent and keep stroking back her hair. It's his way to comfort her.
They stayed like that for a good five minutes before pulling out from each other embrace. Giyuu cupped her face with one hand, drowning himself into her slightly red eyes. The trail of her tears are still visible on her cheeks and lids.
"Thank you for sharing your feeling to me, you are strong," he planted a kiss on her cheeks, making her flustered. He smiled at her reaction and rubbing her cheeks more.
"Thank you for comforting me," she held his hand on her cheek and smiled. "Now, please Take off your clothes."
Giyuu is shocked as if he just get strucked by lightning. Hanabi noticed his expression and finally realized that her words was messed up.
"I-I mean... I wanted to bandage your wound! Even though the bleeding is stopped, you can still can get infected if it doesn't get covered well! Don't get me wrong!" She quickly explained herself while her cheeks are flushing out of embarrassment.
Giyuu smiled after seeing her reaction, he almost chuckled. "Alright then." He take off his teared haori first before unbuttoning his uniform. She stare at his haori with sad look on her face. Giyuu noticed her gaze and pat her head. "It's alright, it can be fixed later."
She look at him and smiled. "I'll fix it then."
"Then please do," he smiled. He unbuttoned his uniforms and taking them off. Hanabi quickly take the wet bandage earlier and cleansing his skin from dried bloods before closing his wounds with another fresh clean bandage.
He winced when she put the bandage on his last wound on his chest. "Ah, I'm sorry," she muttered but keep it going. After some time, she finished her work. "All done."
Before she can retract her hand from his chest, he immediately grabbed them and hold it on his. She is startled and immediately look at him. His eyes are looking straight at her with hint of seriousness and worried. "Hana," he said, "promised me to fixed my haori later."
She is dumbfounded when she heard his request. But after thinking it through, she understands what he meant. 'Promised me to stay alive until the end of the battle.'
She swallowed the pressure that she doesn't know has been building up in her throat. "I..." She look down to the floor with sad eyes, "...can't promised you that, but I'll try."
He hold her chin and lifting her head up to match his gaze. "Then promised me to not give up." She widened her eyes, not expecting that kind of reply. "No matter the reason and situation, promised me to not giving up."
She smiled and nodded. "I can promised you that." She entertwinded her fingers with his and held them tight. She leaned herself towards him and kissed his lips. She can tasted the metallic smell in his tongue, as well as his chapped lips as she nibbling them.
Tanjirou is slowly waking up. He opened his eyes, trying to adjust with the light and grasped the situation around him. When he glance around, the first thing that he saw is the Nature Pillar is kissing the half naked Water Pillar. His face immediately turned into a dark shade of red. He immediately sit up out of shock and covering his eyes with his hands. "Uahh! I-I am sorry, I didn't mean to look!"
The couple is startled by the sudden loud voice. Hanabi immediately broke the kiss and turned around to see Tanjirou. The boy is looking all flustered. She turned around to look at the half naked Water Pillar and back to Tanjirou, she immediately feel embarrassed as well. She crouched down to the floor, covering her face. "AAAH! It's not like what it looks like!!"
Giyuu is looking at both of their embarrassed demeanor with a deadpan, not being bothered by the fact that he was caught kissing with the Nature Pillar by Tanjirou.
In the other hand, Hanabi is extremely embarrassed. "I want to go hide in a hole," she mumbled. After suppressing her embarrassment, she take a peek at Tanjirou who is still looking flustered. She sighed and lifting her head to see him eye to eye. "Tanjirou-kun, I am sorry that you have to see that. I am so embarrassed," she bowed down.
"Eh? No, no, you don't have to apologize, Hanabi-san. I understand that it must be hard on you two!" He said, reassuring her.
Hanabi is looking dumbfounded again. "Eh? What was that even mean?" She sweatdropped before sighing. "Anyway, I'll help you to wrapped your wounds, so by no other meaning intended, please take off your clothes."
Tanjirou seems to understand the situation better now and obeyed her request. She tended to his wounds delicately and finished it in no time.
Giyuu is already wearing back his uniform, as well as his haori. He grabbed his half-broken sword and bring it up in front of him, staring at it with blank expression.
Hanabi noticed his behavior and quickly approaching him. "Oh my God, your sword is broken?" She gasped.
"Well, it's still useful anyway," he shrugged and placed it in the sheath.
"Then use my sword, Giyuu," she said with determination. Giyuu's surprised by her reply and quickly object.
"No, it's your sword. You need them as a pair, that's why you've been practicing dual wielding."
"Don't worry about that. I can still fight perfectly with one sword like how I have been doing all this time. In this situation, you need it the most than I am," she tried to convince him.
Giyuu shook his head. "I can still work this out, so you don't have to give me your sword."
"Maybe you can, but I insist! It's the best option, Giyuu. Don't be so stubborn and accept it." She pulled out the best sword that she requested her swordsmith to made and offering it to him. "Here."
Giyuu shook his head. "You shouldn't be so persistent and trust me. I am fine with my sword."
"Yes, but-" her words get cutted because she suddenly feel her body is floating. There's no ground to stepped on. She glanced down and there is a sliding door that is opened wide below her.
Giyuu doesn't has time to react because it's happening so suddenly. He tried to reach out to grabbed her, but she slipped out from his hand. "HANA!!"
Hanabi is falling down inside the door with her sword still in her hand. She clicked her tongue. "Don't worry about me!! Go on and help Tamayo-san! I will see you in the end of the line!"
Giyuu was about to fall along with her, but the door is closed and disappeared. He fell on his knees, punching the floor out of frustration with tense expression. "DAMN IT!"
His breathing is getting heavier as his rage pouring down. He closed his eyes and taking control of his breath. 'I can't lose my composure over these things.'
"Giyuu-san, we need to get moving," Tanjirou said with worried tone.
Giyuu stand up and sighing deeply. He opened his eyes and his expression turned back into his usual stoic ones. "Let's go."
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A
/n: New year is going crazy for me because the electricity was out for almost two days, and there are floods everywhere.
Anyway, have a great weekend fellas~