The sun was rising. It was all over. The three idiots clinged to their master, crying their hearts out.
Rengoku's body was covered by Hiiro's white haori. The demon slayer corps had arrived moment before and they were taking care of all the train incident. He felt his heart shrunk, he wanted to cry but he couldn't do it, not right now.
She looked for Shinobu, but she wasn't there, that was weird, she was helping with the injured. The boys weren't there anymore, they were clinging to him moments ago. He was all alone, everyone dissapeared, everyone but Rengoku's body.
"Why didn't you protect me?" That voice, his heart froze, his eyes locked on his dead friend. The flames were raging on his eyes. "You said you were going to protect me!" He grabbed the night pillar from his shirt collar, Hiiro could feel the heat coming from the former pillar. "Who's next? Sanemi? Mitsuri? Tanjiro? Shinobu?"
A gentle breeze blew, the former pillar began to cry silently.
"When are you going to protect someone? When?"
As the night breath user opened his eyes, the sunlight was warm enough to assume the morning came.
"A nightmare..." cold sweat coming down his forehead. "Shit... I'm sorry, Rengoku."
He was resting at the Butterfly estate, his body felt like he had a beating the night before. Hiiro analyzed all the Reiatsus inside the estate. Shinobu, Aoi, Kanao, Sumi, Kiyo and Naho, the three idiots and... Mitsuri!?
"Good morning, Hiiro-kun~" the love pillar bursted into the room, with her playful smile and his always positive attitude. "How does it feel to wake up after four days?"
"Four days?" He looked at her with a blank expression. Hiiro had no recollection of falling asleep.
"You don't remember? After the demon who killed Rengoku fled, you went into a rampage. You killed fifty or sixty demons before the other Hashiras could stop you." The pinknette explained as she walked forward the boy.
"I see..." The night pillar stomach growled, with pink tinted cheeks he looked at the girl who just giggled.
"I'll tell the others that you are awake and I'll bring you breakfast." She smiled and left the room.
Hiiro could teel that something around her changed, she left the room with a nice smell, is it lavender? The tenth pillar liked it anyways.
After a long breakfast and reunion with his apprentices and the all the inhabitants of the butterfly estate, he left the manor with a shunpo, he has to visit someone.
That afternoon, Mitsuri Kanroji was looking for him without any trace of him, he just vanished.m and left her with a sad heart without explanation.
For Sanemi Shinazugawa, visiting the cemetery of the demon slayer corps wasn't a pleasant experience. He detest to see all the names, he could even recognize one or two of them.
'Tch. Fucking Demons. I'll slay them all.'
The wind pillar was carrying a flower bouquet, Kanae's favorites.
He was like an older sister for the three of them, he admired her and she encouraged him to become a pillar, ah how much he missed her, the wind pillar wondered if she was still alive... he shook his head, it's mo good crying over spilled milk.
Her grave was no different from the others, you could say it was the standard.
Kocho Kanae, former flower pillar. Was read at her tombstone. He smiled a bit when he read it, it's like she's still alive.
Whenever he goes there, he stays a loooong time, Sanemi enjoys a meal with her and he talks about how is all going. It was like he's visiting an old friend. Ah, no matter how much time pass, he was still in love with her.
"Hey, Sanemi-kun!" Talking about old friends. The night pillar was in front of him, carrying some bentous and a bottle of sake. "Fancy meeting you here. Huh?"
"Shut up" the scar faced pillar growled before leaving the bouquet on her grave and sitting in front oh it. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"What? I can't visit my old friend?" He dropped himself besides his fellow Hashira and opened his bentou, rice, pork chops, his favorite food. He offered some to his friend who just growled a thanks and began to eat too.
They talked about their five years apart, Sanemi even told Hiiro about how he became a pillar and how he came to respect Oyakata-sama.
Hiiro told him about his shinigami powers, about how he can control Reiatsu and his long and painful training.
After five year he came back and with insane speed he became a Hashira. After some hours the sun was setting, the orange skies and the gentle breeze were a nice combination with the strong alcohol they were drinking.
"Ahhhh, sake's the best" Hiiro said as he took another sip of his drink. To be honest with you, readers, they were a little drunk already, they began to laugh more and more and they began to sweep their words.
"Say, Sanemi-kun." Hiiro called with a serious tone. The white haired pillar eyed him and stood silent. "Did you ever tell her what you felt?"
Sanemi laughed a bit and a smile appeared on his face.
"You sure know how to ruin the mood, huh?" The scarface boy shrugged the question and took another drink. "Even if I did, nothing would change between us."
"What? Don't say that, bro. I think that Kanae was in love with you too!" The wind pillar punched his arm and they laughed, Shinazugawa didn't remember the last time he laughed like that.
Even if he will never accept it, Hiiro was his closest friend and he can drop the mask around him.
"And you?" Sanemi stroke back with his peculiar smile plastered on his face, the night pillar didn't knew where that was coming from. "Are you going to tell Shinobu about your love? All the pillars are talking about that. Uzui made a bet with me, if you confess your feelings to her right now I'll give you half of the money or I'll treat you to whatever you want."
The night pillar cheeks became fire, even in the future Sanemi Shinazugawa will said that Hiiro's cheeks had the brightest red color he had ever seen.
"Or is it the love pillar? Man, I really enjoy this love triangles."
"Shut up, asshole." Now the raven haired boy punched his fella before the two of them began to laugh.
"So, which of them is the one?" They both took another sip and finished the whole bottle.
The alcohol was good, strong flavor yet delicious, a nice drink for a lovely afternoon like that one.
"If I answer that question, what will you do?" The golden eyes studied the swordsman from head to toe, like trying to tell of something was different from just some seconds ago.
"Who knows, I'll do whatever I want to."
When they were leaving, Hiiro found himself incapable of walking by himself, the wind pillar helped him.
They left some food and sake at Kanae's grave, Hiiro wondered if she will enjoy them. He prayed to god that she like it.
Sanemi Shinazugawa dropped him at the Butterfly estate and made his way out to his own manor, he informed his friend that he will depart on a mission for a week or so, also he thanked him for the food and the drinks. Hiiro just waved goodbye to him and told him to take care of himself.
"He will be fined, master! He seems strong like me!" A wounded Inosuke Hashibira comforted the boy, the loud boar head boy was itching to start his training but they couldn't, they have to heal first.
"I wonder about that. Let's go to sleep Inosuke-kun. You need to rest." The boy followed the pillar inside the estate.
When the three idiot fell asleep, Hiiro returned to his room, he was not tired. Well who knows, he had a good time with Sanemi, but the grief from Rengoku's death was still there.
"Well, I can't be grieving all day. I need to train, find those Upper Moon bastards and slay them."
A pair of gentle arms wrapped around him. He didn't flinch, he knew who was, the seet smell, the pink hair and those big attributes pushing against his back, such a perv.
"Where have you been? I was looking for you." The love pillar pouted as her grip tightened, the night pillar felt her colossal strength and understood what the other pillar said about her inhuman strength. "I thought you did something stupid!"
"Something stupid..." a puzzled look drew itself on Hiiro's face. "What you mean?"
"Don't damage yourself, I know Rengoku died and you couldn't protect him but, but if you die... I'll be sad." She whispered the last part and her grip became tighter and tighter.
"Ah, you mean that. I won't." He placed her hands between his, she let him go and he faced, her green eyes locked the golden orbs of the boy.
Tear began to fall, she was glad now that the boy was there in front of her.
"I have to overcome that, Kanae and Rengoku won't forgive me if I can't overcome this. I have to be strong and move on."
The girl hugged him and cried her heart out. They stayed like that until Mitsuri fell asleep. The night pillar carried her to his futon and let her sleep there, then he walked outside to the pond.
The night was cold and the sky was full of stars. The pond inside the Butterfly estate was calm, Hiiro enjoyed this, Rengoku and Kanae came to his mind, he was sad, he was broken, couldn't protect them. At the end he was still weak.
"I'm sorry, Rengoku. I'm so sorry..."