DEAD ♔ END

@vilenie​

ƒ.  ❝ Ohoooo~ Are you curious about what’s in the booox, Katarina-chaaan? ❞ Quit the smugness, Tachibana. Were you really that proud of what you’ve bought? Well, in fact, she was and as she slowly opened the box to show its contents like she was the host of a really lame game show, her stupid smile didn’t disappear at all. 

Inside the box were two apple candies bathed in sprinkles and shining like they were the only ones left in the entire city or something.  ❝ I’ve bought the last ones of toodaaaay, are you hungryy?~ ❞

Hiding my own feelings, such a thing is impossible. My face may be evil but when it came about food, one can say it softened a lot. I was eager to discover what Hibiki had in that box, the many possibilities were already running in my head. All sorts of pastries, candies, maybe small sandwiches -- !!

Calm down, heart of mine.

When she unveiled the surprise, I let out a gasp. Such a sight might bring tears on my eyes, I was being dazzled by the beauty of those apples. Ripe and sweet, decorated so wonderfully and inviting you to devour them. I felt honoured alone that she was showing them to me. 

⚡  Demon Slayers, huh? Maybe he intended to avoid talking about these things a little too hard. Just ignoring what has happened the last days seems extremely selfish to him now, as he realizes that not just Katarina’s garden suffered from it. How did she feel? After all, he originally went to visit her after he’s already gone once before. He’s a fool beyond comparison.

“No. The sole purpose of the Demon Slayers was to defeat Muzan and his demons. But we finally succeeded in that… so I guess, field work sounds not so far off anymore, huh? But that’s not what prompted this. I’ve spent much time with flowers and garden work before, which is why I think I can help you here.” Katarina’s garden. Field work. Preparing food every morning for each other. A thought occurs to him suddenly and he sits up a little abruptly.

“OH! I just have an idea! What if we two run a gardening shop here, in this place? I was still trying to figure out where I could start working and maybe we two could do just our own thing? We both can do food for each other every morning before we start working. We’d sell flowers, bushes and crops! We’ll have an even bigger garden—!” — on hindsight, maybe he’s getting a little bit ahead of himself here. How to accomplish that without any money? And he’s not exactly what you’d call a workaholic. But he just couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

He seemed hesitant on speaking about what happened during his absence. I wanted to know because I worried about him but I couldn’t push on the topic since it might be a bit too painful to recall. His optimism in something more mundane pulled me, I’m surprise how someone adept with a sword can go into raising a field like nothing. I suppose that’s the life of a protagonist for you.

That was when he suggested something out of the ordinary, which I found incredibly great. I can’t hide how excited at felt, since that option was better than anything else. Was I actually preparing myself for this life, instead of the possibility of being exiled?! Is this what you would call destiny?!

“That’s a wonderful idea! How should we call it?! Ah, I know a bit of flower arrangements!! Can we sell sweets too!?” The sweets would be for the customers! This is in no way my evil plan to get a taste of many kinds of desserts! Not at all! “I still have seedlings at home and my tools are fine, instead of fixing this garden just for myself... it can be for everyone else. It’s fine if we start small. We can ask help as it grows. If it’s with you at my side, we can definitively do it.”

► “KATARINAAAAAAAA!” You better catch your tiny friend as she jumps in for the hug, Claes.

She caught me off guard but I manage to stretch out my arms, pulling her into an embrace. Uwaaa, I’ll end crying! I was all by myself, you know!? It’s not the same getting trapped in a mess without your close friends.

Getting kidnapped is no good and I am in no way glad that Sophia was dragged into this mess of an island but I can’t deny the happiness in my chest. I hold her tightly against me, feeling the softness only a girl like her can have. Her silky white hair and fair skin, the smell of freshly cut flowers that reminded me of her-- it was truly my dearest friend. 

Forgive me for being such a brute, I will care for you in Nicol’s place. I swear it upon your devilish charms.

@vilenie  <333

⚡ Archimedes Ward, Katarina’s Garden, somewhere in the afternoon. Zenitsu is clinging on Katarina as if today’s his last opportunity to hug her. A few days ago, that fear was actually real. But now, all the fighting is over and everything is slowly returning back to normal. All he wants now is a normal life. Like a teen is supposed to have. Learning a normal job. Getting into normal work. Marrying his girlfriend. Perfectly normal, right? At least a lot of tension has been washed off of him now. He let out a happy little sigh. He doesn’t allow any negative thoughts to bother him. Not now. He wants to spend a happy and peaceful day with the girl he has fallen in love with here. And he got a lot of catching up to do.

“Mh? Don’t worry, I’ll help you with the garden. It will be perfect again.”

Who ever thought I’d be so quick to forgive? Actually, I wasn’t mad but upset at what a huge failure I had been as a girlfriend. His departure and sudden return didn’t let my feelings settle -- between sadness and relief, I was a mesh of maaaany emotions that were beyond my brain’s capacities.

Let’s not forget my garden, it was destroyed in the island’s last fight. Seriously, can’t I have a break too? I was raising these vegetables wonderfully.

There was something certain, though and that was how much I would give up to have Zenitsu at my side. I wanted to trust him. Yes, because I am a villainess... I cannot save anyone and that included him. I just had to work hard if I wanted to become the rightful heroine for him. 

Letting myself be comforted by his hug, I nuzzled in his arms and allowed myself to sigh. There was a lot of work ahead for us.

“Please do, I don’t know how long it would take by myself...”

⚡ Danger is filling the air as he’s on his way to her garden. Not just here in the Archimedes ward, but at the other places too. His excitement to see her again gets quickly mixed with worry. He has to get her somewhere safe quickly. This is going to be his first priority! Arriving at her garden, he can’t help but admire her hard work before anything else. He just loves gardening, flowers and her crops. It looks pretty and he really wishes he could just stay here with her. Why does his life always have to be like that? Isn’t he allowed to have a break from all this misery? There is no time for that now, though.

“Katarina! We have to get away from here. The fog— something bad is going on!”

I should be used by now with how weird things get in this island but it wasn’t sitting with me as well as I thought. Fiddling nervously, I thought that was long as Zenitsu arrived... then all would be fine. 

Amidst the heavy fog, I can hear his voice and his eventual warning. I am not able to see him except a few specs of yellow. Looking left and right, I try to see where we can shield ourselves from the weather but it was useless. Instead of shelter, what appeared was a ghost of sorts -- one, then two and so on. My heart quickly sunk to the pits of my empty stomach, possibly draining my other organs in the process. Their wails pierce my ears, as if to bring me back into reality.

Hey, this is no good at all!

My eyes wander around, seeking for anything to shield me from harm’s way. My eyes spot the farming scythe and I run toward it, sliding down the dirt to avoid the ghostly creature and my hand finally reached --... the bucket?! This wasn’t how I was supposed to go! 

Can’t I have some type of honourable fight?!

In the heat of the moment, I am not left with many options and while I would have loved to look partially cool, I quickly throw the contents of the bucket at our enemies. Since I didn’t check, it only had a couple of potatoes which were launched mercilessly. 

Forgive me, my precious spuds!

Maybe it was my cowardice what had lead me to my current predicament.

Zenitsu had left and I was once again facing complex emotions that I couldn’t name. I was sad but quite angry at myself, for being such a lacking person. I couldn’t be a worthwhile enemy for a heroine, nor even a good love interest. It was a natural decision, leaving me behind.

He deserved a better girl, I wasn’t up to his level. I could try but that wasn’t enough, I was never enough and while fine with it... why was I so frustrated? I was fine being an idiot, if anything, I won’t go against the facts! I’m really stupid! So why I was so upset?!

I was a weak idiot and a villainess at the top of that. Beating the destruction flags was a little harder this time, that was all. They had no heart and let me fall in love for the first time, so of course I wasn’t sure what to do! It was my fault for not preparing myself. Was this supposed to happen? I wasn’t meant to be loved this way in the first place, so of course I had no idea what to do in case I was abandoned.

Her rivalry senses are tingling beyond the burnt roots of her beautiful auburn locks.

Come to think of it, didn’t she leave the island last time without finishing an epic showdown or two?

“The winds of change are approaching...”