“  oh -  ”

                            and  he’d  felt  helpless  –––  utterly,  utterly helpless.  without  his  ability  to  utilise  complex  flame  breathing  techniques, against  muzan,  he  was  able  to  do  so little  ––––  nothing  that  could  protect her,  nothing  that  could  have  saved  her.

he’d  been  glued  to  her  side  for  what  felt  like  an  eternity –  please,  he  would  always say,  please  wake  up,  mitsuri.

it  felt  like  an  echo  of  a  past  long  gone;  death  was  nostalgic  for  him,  as  it  was  painful.  even  when  she  finally  came  to  –––  he  couldn’t help  it.  he  couldn’t  help  bellowing  out  cries  that  none  would  ever  forget –––  and  as  time  passed, he’d  still  remain by  her  –––  losing  sleep, making  sure  she’d  wake  back  up.

please,  he  would  always say,  please  wake  up  again, mitsuri.

and  as  she  does  –––  ANOTHER NIGHT  OF  LITTLE  SLEEP  –––  he  looked tired.  he  looked  so  tired. but  he was  relieved,  as  he  saw  her  wake  once  again.

“–––good  morning.”

                            and  this  poor  butterfly ––  caught  in  a  spider’s web,  fluttering  its  wings  with  vigour; doing  whatever  it  could  to  escape  the  inevitable  death  that  came  for  it.  there’s  a  smile  from  douma  ––––  she’d  been  stronger  than  he’d  originally expected,  leaving  wounds on  his  body  that  he  naught  forget.

“––––i’ve  always wanted  a  friend,” another  wound  on  his  body  heals,  “––––this wouldn’t  be  the  first  time  i’ve  offered someone  a  gift,  in  hopes  they  will  see  the  joy  in  becoming  a  demon.”

“––––don’t  you  want  to  see  your  younger  sister grow  up?  it  would  be  a  shame  if  you  died  here,  right  now.  if  you  became  a  demon,  i  wouldn’t  steal  you  –––  you  could  stay  here,  to  watch  over  her  always.”

it’s  a  slow  afternoon  ,  and  it’s  because  of  that  ,  harumi  perks  up  when  she  hears  the  bell  ring  ,  indicating  a  new  customer.  she  smiles  cheerfully  as  she  recognises  the  person  walking  in  --  one  of  shōto’s  classmates  ,  yaoyorozu  momo-san  ?  --  and  waves  off  her  co-worker  as  she  goes  to  take  yaoyorozu-san’s  order.

@nightgaled sent: ❝ i can’t remember the last time i did this with someone. ❞ [ rin @ genma :3c ] from here

A lazy grin spread, slowly, across Genma's face.

He rolled to face her, first with just his head and then with his whole body, a hand automatically planting itself upon her stomach. For a moment he said nothing, simply took in the sight of her before him, enjoying the contented lull between them.

Propping himself up on one elbow, he turned that grin on her, as always full of typical Genma charm. He could remember the last time he did this with someone, quite vividly, but he wasn't going to tell her that, of course. And, if he was honest, compared to Rin that had been... sub-par at best. Given that he'd thoroughly enjoyed himself last time, that could only speak to how good it had been this time.

A sharp breath was drawn between fanged teeth as he shifted his weight, leaning into one foot in preparation for the swift dodge he executed as her fist came sailing past his ear. His hand shot out for her arm but she, just as efficiently, twisted out of his grasp before he could grab hold. His grin was fierce as he pivoted, caught her fist in his palm, her fingers curling tight around his wrist.

A brief moment of stillness followed, save for the exaggerated rise and fall of their chests as they sucked in deep breaths of air. It had been a fairly relentless sparring session so far, hardly a break in between vigorous bouts of taijutsu. She was, he decided, officially one of his favourite people to spar with. He was glad he'd asked her to train with him.