Flower Breathing vs Selfless Breathing - Let the Love Bloom!

"Sumi!" Aoi shouted at the top of her lungs, eying the three girls in front of her. "Kiyo! Naho!!"

"Yes!!!" the girls responded, straightening their backs.

"Today a new batch of injured Demon Slayers are getting transferred over," Aoi told them, satisfied with the enthusiasm. "Let's do our best!"

"Yes!!!"

Aoi shooed the girls away and eyed the horizon. The sun had barely come up, lighting the world with a bright relief. For some, the sun indeed meant peace, as it was the only thing that stood between them and the demons.

Demons…

The word tasted bitter at the tip of Aoi's tongue. Especially when she remembered the events from four months back, when the Leader of the Demon Slayer Corps had confined Insect Hashira at the Butterfly Mansion upon the other Hashiras' requests.

Aoi hated it.

She hated the nerve of everyone to doubt her master. She hated how they refused to trust her, despite the obvious proofs.

But, more than anything, she absolutely loathed that dem…

Aoi held herself back, shaking her head as she marched toward the Butterfly Mansion's garden.

… not… not demon…

She loathed that man who had somehow… changed her master.

Aoi passed by several attendants, her steps now heavy and wide, her raging breath making her face red in anger and… shame.

Aoi Kanzaki was a Demon Slayer of the Demon Slayer Corps. But she had taken up the position of a helper at the Butterfly Mansion, instead of taking the field. Now, she was training as a medicine practitioner under the guidance of Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho.

"Ma'am Aoi!" a Kakushi, wearing all black and a black mask, approached her from behind.

Aoi spun and almost slammed into him. She didn't know why, but every morning these days, her mind remained a mess. Her master had been waking up quite early in the morning for the last few months to look at the rising sun, as if waiting for something to come out of the burning star. Or… for someone.

Then there was another reason. Even more pressing, perhaps.

"Should I take the breakfast to Sir Water Hashira now?" the Kakushi asked, shuffling on his feet. "He… he just stayed up all night. Like always."

Aoi balled her fingers into a fist.

The Demon Slayer Corps couldn't afford to keep a Hashira-level confined. So, the leader and the Hashiras had decided to keep an eye on Shinobu, making sure she didn't leave the Butterfly Mansion, unless a mission was assigned to her.

A week ago, the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, had arrived at the mansion. And things… had become nothing but awkward since then.

"No." Aoi flatly rejected. "I will go myself."

Perhaps Sir Giyu can make Master Shinobu forget about that man... Aoi thought, frowning in concern.

Lost in thoughts and worries, Aoi arrived at the Butterfly Mansion's garden, where the Victory Tree had been planted by the first Flower Breathing user ages ago.

Victory Tree was a Cherry Blossom, and as they were in the bloom, Aoi had been bringing them fresh in the morning to cheer up her master.

However, the everyday routine of Aoi Kanzaki broke today.

She paused.

Her feet refused to lift themselves off the earth.

Her eyes cursed when she tried to look away from... him.

The empty garden held the presence of a man dressed in a white kimono and white shoes. His long white hair spilled down to his shoulders, the falling cherry blossoms dancing around him as if welcoming a deity.

As if sensing her, the man tore his gaze off the tree and looked at Aoi.

Oh…

Aoi's heart gave out, her cheeks flushing red. The hazel eyes replaced everything for her. If it was just this, then it would have been still okay.

But the tall man lifted the corners of his lips, his smile the gentlest kiss.

"Hello," the white-haired man said, stepping toward her. "You must be Aoi, right? Shinobu talked much about you."

Aoi's wanted to say something, but words just refused to climb her dry throat.

The most handsome man must have felt her trouble, for he chuckled when she didn't respond at all.

It was then a figure walked out of the corridor and stepped into the garden, finally bringing some life to the paused world.

*

*

Kai stopped as he saw Shinobu's Tsuguko, Kanao Tsuyuri, the future Hashira, stepping into the garden.

Unlike Aoi, the 16-year-old Kanao didn't lose her senses against the 22-year-old Kai's Charisma. Her lilac eyes were still, and her expressionless face had gone harden than ever.

She neither asked who Kai was nor she raised the alarm.

Kanao's hand went to the Nichirin Sword's handle, her lungs puffing as she took a hissing breath.

Flower Breathing…

Boom!

Aoi stumbled back with a horrified expression as the powerful Demon Slayer boomed out of existence.

Kanao Tsuyuri appeared like a falling petal over Kai's head, her light pink katana raised high and her strength pulsing furiously through her bursting veins.

… Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!

The 1300-year-old white-haired monster found all this quite cute, to be honest.

A string of Blood Flames left Kai's mouth as he hissed, using the Total Concentration Selfless Breathing. He raised the forefinger of his right hand, and the blood flames spun around it, coating it under a thin layer of redness.

Kanao hacked with all her might, a pink blur screeching through the air.

Kai deflected it with his finger with a smile on his face.

Clank!

Kanao's lilac eyes quivered. Her heart shook, finally realizing the blunder she had caused. It was too late to stop now, though.

The first strike of Flower Breathing Fifth Form followed another, weaving into the first, and then third, fourth, fifth, still counting.

The space stirred like a paper getting splashed with pink brush strokes, loud clanking sounds reverberating throughout the Butterfly Mansion now.

Clank! Boom! Clankkkk!!!

Kai flicked off one strike after another, his feet barely moving an inch. "Impressive," he commented, his breath calm. "Shinobu said true. You indeed have the power and attitude to be the next Hashira."

BANG!

When the ninth strike landed, a loud bang shook the very ground and the cherry blossom tree in the garden, petals falling like rain behind Kai.

With Kai's one thought, they paused midair.

With another, the petals combined with leaves, becoming a wreathe, and landed on Kanao's head.

"A gift," Kai said, putting the finger away. "I don't want her to complain that I didn't properly greet a fellow Tsuguko. Haha!"

The young Kanao panted hard, disappearing and then reappearing far from Kai. The wreathe refused to budge off her head, nonetheless.

Despair.

Fear and a horrible sense of utter defeat.

Kanao had never thought she would experience these feelings here… in the Butterfly Mansion. "Who…" No. He couldn't be that man!

"You can ask about me to him," Kai said, pointing above Kanao's head.

Aoi and Kanao's head spun as they looked over their shoulders.

There, at the mansion's roof, was the Water Hashira, his sword unsheathed, his breath misting. There was no expression on his face, either. But even a mindless idiot could tell that Giyu Tomioka's rage was burning the brightest right now.

 didn't even give the Water Hashira a second look, though. "You took your time…" he said, smiling.

"Ara-Ara!" a sweet voice descended from the Cherry Blossom tree. "Someone has become naughtier…"

Kai turned around and saw her falling like another petal, landing on the ground with a gentle grace.

Shinobu Kocho looked pale, but her eyes shone like purple diamonds, buried hope and love oozing out of them with unwanted tears. It didn't look for a second that she hadn't recognized him, either. It was as if she knew, despite the lack of blueness and a tail, that this was the same man who had stolen her heart.

"I told you I would come back," Kai said, lifting his arms, "and I would find you wherever you would be."

Shinobu blurred and appeared near Kai, her arms wrapping around him as if they were one. "I always knew you would."

Aoi's jaw dropped. Kanao's grip on the sword loosened. And, still standing on the roof, the ignored Water Hashira narrowed his eyes, the world going calmer than dead around him.

The two beings those three were looking at cared for nothing though.

In this garden, under the shade of the Cherry Blossom, they only existed for each other.

Shinobu buried her face in Kai's chest as he stroked her hair and sang.

"In bloom, she danced, a cherry blossom fair…

Petals soft as silk, sunlight in her hair."

The Insect Hashira's cheeks went red, her heart pounding, skipping beats… now and then.

***************

AN: You can access up to 21 Chapters ahead of WN on Patre0n and Ko-Fi. Links available in Synopsis.

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