Victory had a cost

Author : Bruh I didn't expect this much stones. You guys were dehydrated I see.

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[Seiji's POV]

Existence hurts literally for me.

I was in a deep numbing silence and complete darkness. It took me a while to realize that I had just woken up.

I opened my eyes to see the familiar ceiling of the Flower Mansion. I flared my nose and took in the scent around me, I could smell the summer air, the pollen flowers and the artificial smell of medicine.

I could also smell the familiar scent of sweets and love.

Yeah, love had a smell.

I moved my head to look at the beautiful face of Mitsuri sleeping in her folded arms. She sat on a chair right next to me but her upper body lay on the bed to fall asleep.

Her fair skin had a healthy pink hue on it, showing how sensitive she was. Pink locks of hair, slightly curly due to being braided fell from her head. They were a little unkept, hinting that she had not taken care of them for a few days now.

I took a closer look at her and my eyes noticed the line of dryness on her face, tracing the journey of tears. It seemed I had made her worried.

I did not immediately wake her though, I kept staring at her with my purple eyes for a long time, imprinting her image in my mind, like a tattoo that would never fade.

Was it weird that I found her incredibly beautiful? Others would think that she was not in her most attractive state. But knowing that her dishevelled state came from the fact that she was worried sick for me made all her flaws perfect.

I tried and reach out to her but then I realized I couldn't move. My body was still too exhausted even after all the rest it had gotten.

So I tried again, and this time I put more effort - the same effort I would put in when I swing a sword and not simply move a hand. I rest my palm on top of her fluffy hair and caress her head for a while.

Her eyes quivered shut before they slowly opened. Her green orbs got caught in a spell cast by my purple ones. She stayed frozen, for a while before she exploded in shock.

"Seiji!!"

My eyes read her body language and told me that she was going to pounce at me. I could've stopped but I didn't. She threw herself on top of me, without even a second thought about my injuries. Some may criticize her carelessness but I simply loved that I could make her forget everything.

I braced myself, expecting the warmth of an embrace mixed with pain. But the pain never came, her gigantic squishy melons acted as a pillow to cushion her and I only felt warmth and softness.

I guess those things had their use other than just distracting me.

"You're awake, you're awake, you're awake!!" she chanted while hugging me tightly.

I allowed myself to melt into her soft embrace and bask in her sweet scent. Why the fuck would I want to die and go to heaven when I had her?

And so, the reunion started.

I said reunion because I learned later on that I had been sleeping for two weeks. Normally, I should've woken up a couple of days later but Shinobu thought it best that they gave me sleeping medication and forced me to rest for many more days.

The people of the mansion who knew me all came when they heard I woke up. It was not only because we knew each other but also because of the feat I had accomplished.

Slaying an Upper Moon. Apparently, the reaction of the people was bigger than I'd even expected.

Shinobu herself remained in the Flower Mansion so she was there when I woke up. She immediately came rushing to the private room where I was saying to greet me.

"Thank you. You couldn't imagine how grateful I am that you saved my sister," Shinobu said and gave me a deep bow.

I told her it was fine, that we were friends and there was no need for such a thing.

I also felt immense relief when I heard that she was safe. Things felt a little blurry after two weeks of sleep but I remembered noticing her faint breaths and heartbeat when I last held Kanae. So hearing that she was indeed alive was much needed.

The whole thing took nearly an hour before I was left alone again. The people in the mansion returned to their work and seeing that I had woken up, Mitsuri also left with the promise that she'd return quickly.

She was probably going to get some food and refresh herself. I learned that she had been the one nursing me all this time, giving me injections and taking care of my body while I passed out.

Hmm, I wonder how my dick was when I passed out. Luckily it did not shrink like a shrimp while I was out cold. It'd be embarrassing if when Mitsuri cleaned my body, apply medication to the wounds etc she saw my dick and it was only the size of a juvenile mushroom.

Now that I thought about it, that was a genuine concern.

It's summer and hot so hopefully it did not shrivel up. But even if that was the case, instead of a negative reaction Mitsuri would probably say it's cute.

Wait..

What's with these weird drug-induced thoughts?

Just then, I felt a hand touch my shoulder and when I turned to look, I saw Shinobu with a tray of food. I was at peace and tired at the moment so I did not even notice her when she came close to me.

"You need to eat this," she said.

My eyes remained stuck on her face for a long time. I was not sure why I kept on staring, maybe I was expecting to see the usual smile on her face or that childish blink in her eyes.

In the span of two weeks, she looked like she had matured for two years. I guess seeing and taking care of two of the most important people in your life while they were at death's door inevitably changed her.

I finally tore my eyes off her face to look at the food she was carrying on a tray.

My heart dropped.

"That's not food," I said.

"It is. It's food but more digestible and with more nutrients," she said and handed the tray to me. "We can't have you eating normally yet,"

This thing looked like fucking oatmeal.

"I understand, thank you," I said.

And then we both became silent.

"...."

"...."

"Are you not gonna leave?" I asked finally.

"I will, right after you finish that. I need to take back the dirty plates,"

"You don't need to, I will bring it out myself later,"

"It's okay, please eat,"

"..."

"..."

I didn't want to eat it. Due to my deafness, my other senses were better than average. Nothing that is superhuman but enough to make me a picky eater.

Appearance also had a lot to do with whether I liked the food or not. Even if they taste literally the same, to me, the better-looking one always tasted better.

The food I had in my hands was neither good-looking nor did it taste good.

But alas, Shinobu knew me too well. I couldn't avoid eating it.

So I did, under her watchful eyes I ate the food in a matter of seconds. Not because it tasted good by all means but because of the opposite, it tasted horrible.

Ew.

I did not vomit physically but mentally I did.

"Done," I said and showed her the empty plate with a huge sigh.

"That's good, we don't have time to act childish Seiji, you need to take care of your health," said the same girl who wanted to take poison in small doses daily so that in the case a demon ate her, they would die.

I stopped her from doing that of course.

"Has Kanae, not woken up yet? I haven't seen her," I said before Shinobu could leave. I thought that since I was more injured, she would wake up before me.

Strangely, Shinobu froze when I asked the question. At that moment, I immediately knew something was wrong. I did not need an answer.

"I want to see her,"

...

...

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And so, I stared at the woman sleeping on the bed. She was pale like a corpse and she had many bandages even on the visible skin.

But most notably, there was a bandage around her eyes.

I looked around at the room, which was filled with medical instruments - Oxygen tanks, IVs, chemical boxes, etc. Unlike the room I was staying in, the room Kanae was kept looked like a proper Hospital ward.

I also saw many flowers and gifts on the side of her bed. They were put by her friends and fellow Hashiras, as a way to wish her good health soon.

"Shinobu..." I asked and looked at her for an answer, "Why is she like that?"

"The after-effects of hypothermia," Shinbu answered, "She is still in a state of coma and would remain like so for a month or more,"

Ah, how could I be so dumb?

She may suffer less physical injury than me but she had no way to guard herself from the cold which was the real danger in that scenario. I activated my demon slayer mark and had sun breathing but she had no such protection.

So the cold consumed her.

"And regarding her physical state, she is just as she is supposed to be. She is healing but at a normal speed," she said and then turned to look at me.

"You are the strange one here. I still cannot comprehend how you healed so quickly. You should be in bed for at least 6 months,"

I blinked twice at her answer before I caught the rhythm of my breath.

Sun Breathing.

"Ah," that makes sense.

The sun was the source of all energy in this world. Sun Breathing allows you to utilize that energy directly to nourish your body and acquire exceptional strength. In comparison, I was almost like a plant.

Also, the demon slayer mark was supposed to unlock the limits of my body. Therefore, that probably played a major role in why I healed so quickly.

"Not only did you heal quickly but you heal impossible injuries as well, like your left leg," Shinobu continued, "I was certain that you would be crippled for life when I first saw the extent of the damage,"

"But here you are, still standing on two legs, in less than a month,"

"What happened?" she asked me curiously "And is there a way you could help my sister too?"

"I wish I knew, Shibi," I answered, "I'm just as surprised as you, now that you mention it,"

I walked up the the side of the bed and stared down at the sleeping Kanae. She looked so fragile and vulnerable at this moment even though I knew she was going to be fine.

"Are you sure she is going to wake up?" I asked as my heart dropped at the thought that she could be in a coma for years.

"Yes, she suffered no lethal brain injury. It's just that her blood had frozen up in battle and the supply of oxygen and blood was cut off to the brain. It would've been lethal if the duration was more than a minute but whatever you did, you did it fast enough that there should be no irreversible damage,"

I took a few seconds to digest her words and allow my heart to crawl up into my chest. But I still have one question.

"What about memory loss?"

That would've been a shitty twist that you would see in Japanese books. The memory of one couple was lost before they could confess to each other. That type of shit.

"That should not happen," Shinobu said with a shake of her head.

I swallowed the ball clogging my throat and I put my hand on her eyes. I did not need Shinobu's help on this one, my eyes could see the truth.

My body shook as I tried to cope with the situation. I told myself it was fine, we could find a solution to this. I guess this was what Shinobu was trying to hide from me and what was bothering her so much.

Kanae, she was blind.

The demons had taken my hearing from me a long time ago, and now they took her sight. I didn't know how she would react after she woke up but I knew that it would be a massive hit to her.

She and I shared enhanced eyes and we loved to appreciate the beauty of the world. It was one of the things that bonded us, the same goes for our shared love for flowers. So the loss of vision would affect her tremendously.

I felt anger bubbling up in my heart. It was them again, like always. Demons. It was Doma who forced Kanae to use the final form of Flower Breathing which permanently caused damage to her eyes. It was also his technique that froze her eyes.

My body continued shaking as I clenched my fist. The tension in my body caused new wounds to open up, showing red on my clothes but I stopped when I felt Shinobu hug me from the side.

"It's okay," she said, a voice of reason for me.

"Right,"

I'll never forgive them.

...

...

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[IMAGE]

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Author : To be honest, the memory loss route and permanent coma route were things I considered. We are in the middle of the story and plot so we need a new drive for the story. But then I settled with this.

For your information, all issues will be resolved. Kanae wouldn't be blind forever and she will wake up soon.

Seiji himself did not have a permanent injury but Kanae's new loss affected him as if it happened to him. So that should light up a new spark of hatred and motivation.

I also had to do a few researches on how the cold could affect brains and stuff so that took quite a bit of my time as well.

Anyways, thank you for reading.