𓆩♡𓆪 brought to you by : 𝙢𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 and co.

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// your POV // 

ʚɞ

"KIRA!"

The scream ripped through the forest, echoing in the silence after the rain. My legs moved on their own, sprinting alongside Mai and Tengen. But nothing could prepare me for the sight that awaited us.

She lay there, lifeless in the mud, her undone hair matted with dirt, her face still graced with a soft smile—as if she was happy to leave.

But I wasn't happy. I wasn't ready.

I knelt beside her, my hands trembling as they hovered over her still form. My mind reeled with questions, each one clawing at my heart. How could she do this? We were happy. We were together. Why would she go and be so reckless?

She wasn't just my student. She wasn't just my disciple.

She was my daughter.

And now she was gone.

I pressed my hand against her chest, willing a heartbeat to return, but there was nothing. The cold reality of her loss seeped into my skin like the rain-soaked ground beneath us.

"Y/n..." Tengen's voice broke the stillness, gentle but firm. "Look up."

Reluctantly, I tore my gaze from Kira and met the eyes of the monster who had stolen her from me.

"Hello, Y/n," Muzan said smoothly, his lips curving into a venomous smile. "Remember me?"

I said nothing, refusing to let his words dig into my wounds. Instead, I turned back to Kira, brushing the mud from her face as if that simple act could bring her back to me.

Behind me, I heard Mai choke back a sob.

"Kira... you're so stupid," he whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of his grief. "So, so stupid..."

I glanced over my shoulder to see tears streaming down his face, but beneath the sorrow, anger burned in his eyes.

"Oh dear child," Muzan taunted, his tone dripping with mockery. "Was she your friend? Friends are only temporary. You should really be thanking me."

Mai snapped his head up, his tears replaced by a fierce determination.

"Thank you?!" he roared, his voice filled with raw fury. "Why would I thank someone who doesn't give a damn about anything? Kira was kind, honest, tough—the best friend I've ever had. She loved people, and people loved her. You'll never understand that because you're a heartless monster. You're incapable of love, and no one will ever love you. I pray for the day you realize that you're destined to wander alone, searching for something you'll never find. And by the time you do, you'll have rotted away into the depths of hell, you fucking monster!"

The air around Mai shifted, the anger radiating from him manifesting as an aura of deep crimson. He gripped his sword tightly, his knuckles white, his stance unwavering.

Tengen moved to step forward, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"This is Mai's fight," I said quietly.

Mai took a deep breath, his voice ringing out with conviction. "SPIRIT BREATHING – ULTIMATE FORM – GATES OF GOD!"

He moved faster than the eye could follow, darting around Muzan in a blur of light and motion. The storm above seemed to answer his call, and a pillar of pure, radiant energy descended from the heavens, engulfing Muzan in blinding brilliance. The earth trembled, and the air was filled with the deafening roar of the universe itself unleashing its wrath.

When the light faded, the forest was silent once more.

All that remained of Muzan was a pile of ash.

And Mai.

He stood for only a moment before collapsing to the ground, utterly spent. I rushed to his side, gathering him into my arms. His face was pale, his breaths shallow, but he managed a weak smile.

"You shouldn't have done that," I said, my voice trembling.

Mai chuckled softly, his bloodied lips curving upward. "I've... been working on it since Kira came here," he whispered. "Didn't want to fall behind..."

He coughed, a small trickle of blood staining the corner of his mouth.

Tengen knelt beside us, Kira cradled in his arms. "You did good, little man," he said, his voice unusually gentle. "Very flashy."

Mai let out a soft laugh. "Lady Y/n... are you proud of me?"

I nodded, tears streaming down my face. "Yes, Mai. But you should never risk your life like that again."

Tengen's voice was somber. "Y/n... I don't think there will be an 'again.'"

I shook my head, refusing to listen, refusing to accept. "When we get home, we'll rest. And I'll ask Shinobu for rehabilitation training. Everything will go back to normal, and—"

"Y/n."

"And we'll—"

"Y/N!" Tengen shouted, his voice cracking.

I looked down at Mai. His chest was still. His body, cold.

"He's gone."

The words shattered me. I pulled Mai's lifeless form closer, sobbing uncontrollably. How could they both do this? Was I a bad teacher? A bad protector?

Why would they both leave me?

Tengen stood, his expression grim as he adjusted Kira in his arms. "Let's go home, Y/n," he said softly.

I shook my head, clutching Mai tighter. "No," I whispered. "My home died today. My home is gone."

// word count : 823 //

this has been edited from the previous chapter