章 109: Surprise
[Seiji's : POV]
"You've returned," Shinobu said when she saw me enter the Flower Mansion through the small entrance at the back.
It was not the main entrance so only a few would use it to enter the mansion. I was already quite famous among the demon slayer corps so I did not want to bother with the people I would meet if I took the front gate.
I responded to her call by stopping in my place and looking at her - as if I had the capacity to hear whatever she was saying.
If one were to compare how Shinobu looked right now with how she was a few months ago, they would surely be perplexed at the drastic change. It was not just a change in her appearance or fashion, it was a metamorphosis of her vibe altogether.
She was much more mature now, and her emotions couldn't be noticed without eyes like mine. She had a permanent smile on her face, a great mask, that hid every other real emotion she might have had.
Or was it a change? Maybe it's just growth.
A growth which came, when her older sister was bound to the bed and all the responsibility of the medical team fell on her shoulder. The kind of growth that came when she became a Hashira and now had to bear the responsibility of countless lives.
A year ago, she would've lept at me before I even crossed the door and asked me to experiment or spar with her while telling me endless information about what happened while I was gone.
But now she sat on the veranda of the back of the mansion, her legs dangling in the air because she was too short to reach the ground. Her haori was the exact replica of her sister's, it had a beautiful butterfly pattern.
Her eyes were not only exotic in thier colour but also thier shape. She had no pupils and her eyes looked like that of an insect. It was unnatural, but attractive at the same time.
I took a moment to take in the view of her, etching it into my memory.
"Welcome back," she said, a small smile on her tilted face. She used a smile as a mask but my eyes saw that this one was genuine. There was a smile behind the smile.
"And here I thought you'd be busy since they said you were exempted from the training programme," I said, walking inside the compound.
"What do you mean? I was awfully busy until five minutes before you arrived," she said and her smile showed a toothy grin.
"Is that so?" I said and I turned my head around the compound. My eyes perceived through the walls as I observed the mansion deeply, checking on the residents and even the patients.
I smiled, "Thank you for your hard work,"
I bowed my head slightly when I stood in front of her. She let out a deep sigh and took in a greedy breath afterwards, trying to take in my scent. It was an instinctive action that came from the relief of seeing me - a way for the brain to prove my existence in front of her.
"How have you been?" I asked.
"Good, and like I said busy. I'm more curious about what was so important that you couldn't even return to enjoy the reward of slaying another Upper Moon," she said.
"You'll know soon enough, in the upcoming Hashira meeting," I said.
"Soon?" she questioned.
"Yes, I sent Raven to Lord Ubuyashiki and requested another Hashira meeting," I said. I have not received a reply or a confirmation but I knew he would surely allow my small request.
"I see," she said. She copied that phrase from me.
"So..." I began, and immediately I felt my heartbeat go off rhythm. My throat clogged up for reasons not of logical nature as I asked.
"How is she?"
Shinobu allowed a place for silence after my words fell. Silence for me was inaction, and Shinobu was simply staring at me without doing anything.
In the end, she smiled again.
"Why don't you see for yourself," she said, there was this knowing look in her eyes that warned me to expect something.
Whether to expect something good or something bad, I did not know. So I stepped up on the veranda while Shinobu stood up, and then we went towards Kanae's room.
The smell of medicine and cold steel was the first thing I noticed when the door was opened. Then I was greeted with the sight of a room, which actually looked like a normal room this time instead of a hospital ward.
There were books neatly arranged on the table with other things like flowers and decorations. The medical equipment was all gone now and only the IV stand was left behind.
I slowly walked towards the only bed in the room and I saw the girl lying on it.
Kanae.
She looked much healthier now. Her cheeks were flushed and each breath looked to go in and out with ease now. Her lung injuries were significantly better.
The bruises on her face and the bandages were gone as well, her elegant features had regained their beauty. She looked like a sleeping beauty on that bed.
My eyes glowed a little as I examined her body. She was fine, in fact, it looked like she was not in a coma anymore and was just simply sleeping.
I went even closer to her, I was already standing right beside her bed. I snaked my hand inside the blanket and took hold of her hand, they were warm and soft.
Shinobu came with a chair in her hand and placed it next to me. I sat on it while still gripping Kanae's hand.
"I'm glad," I said with a relieved chuckle. I finally closed my eyes and rested my forehead on her unmoving body.
She's okay.
She's fine.
I stayed like that for a while, appreciating the fact that Kanae was making a recovery and that I had not failed in my endeavour, at least not fully.
I only looked up when I felt the slightest movement of her body.
"What was that?" I asked.
Then I felt it again, there was a twitch in her hand and I could feel it. I could also feel at that exact moment, my heart beating like a drum.
Was she...waking up?
I know it was cliche, sleeping beauty waking up when the prince was beside her. But the shallowness of her breath and the twitch of her muscles told me that she was all but awake.
Did she really wake up at the perfect time when I visited her?
I inch my face ever so slowly closer to hers. My eyes narrowed utile they turned into slits as I peered at her face.
I found no flaws. I was not looking at them but I thought I should mention it. She was beautiful.
I was only a few inches away from her face when my eyes caught the movement of her face. She turned her head slightly in my direction and puckered her lips. My eyes saw everything in slow motion but I was too surprised to react.
She blew at my eyes.
The rush of air caused my eyes to blink instinctively. It was only a millisecond of darkness but when I opened my eyes again, I saw Kanae's lips were no longer puckered.
It was curving.
She was smiling.
"....."
"BOOOOH!!" she yelled suddenly after that.
"...."
"Ah, right, you are deaf. No use yelling to scare you," she said to herself afterwards.
"...."
"Ummm, what is he doing? Is he still here?" she then asked while turning her head to the side where Shinobu was standing.
"Yeah," Shinobu let out a peal of laughter, "I think he is too shocked. He had the same face as when Kanao called him father,"
"Does he?" Kanae said and turned back to me. Actually, the angle was a bit off, proof that she was not seeing me.
"I can imagine that," she said and her smile turned even wider.
...
"You're awake..." my voice must've come out low and unsure.
Damn it, I wanted to sound confident and charming when I talked to her again.
"..and you are smiling," I said and my breath hitched,
Her amused smile turned softer and gentler as the hand I had been holding all this time, held me back.
"Of course, I'm smiling," she said, "You are here and you saved me,"
Heh..it was phenomenal what those sentences did to me. I finally released the breath I had been holding and my body relaxed.
I knew it was a ridiculous speculation, but I was expecting her to be sadder and even blame me for her blindness.
Like how I have been blaming myself.
But the first thing she did was wrap me in a hug. I could feel her warmth which had returned after enduring the frigid coldness of demonic ice.
"Thank you, Seiji," she said sincerely. But the next sentence that followed was uttered with her whole heart.
"I love you,"
..
..
..
[IMAGE]
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Auhtor : Extra chapter if we reach 500 stones!!
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