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“Come at me!” 

He dashed, spear gripped at her side, twirling, before the woman raised it horizontally in front of her chest, jumping in the air. She landed with a thud, arm outstretching to attack the man with the weapon, pressing the button swiftly, releasing the blades. They scratched the tip of his locks just as he jumped back, grinning wide and his eyes flashing with a glint of enjoyment. 

He skidded to a stop, digging his katana into the ground for stability, crouched. The woman silently scoffed, brows furrowing and eyes narrowing before she lept towards the white haired man with exactly the same rigour as before. He pulled the sword from the dirt, puffing out a chuckle, before he dashed and met her halfway. 

The halfling retracted the blades, and instead, pushed the spear forward, readying for a strike directly at his chest. The man reacted quickly. He blocked the attack with his katana, holding the blade in place as sparks flew. The woman rushed towards him, hand travelling up the body of the weapon as she reeled her arm back. 

Her tight first landed directly against the flesh of his cheek. He stumbled back, hand still gripping the katana, cheek tainted a harsh red. The spear still gripped in her hold, her feet wedged themselves into the ground and she sprun her body and weapon left, the back of the spear edging just around the curve of her back as the spear was struck to her side, and the blades became known once again. 

The man struggled, eyes inches away from the blade. He swore he could see his reflection in the metal. Sanemi fell to the ground on his back, his teeth grit as he watched (Y/N) pull the spear away and the dust settled around her. 

She went in to stab down at him, but Sanemi was swift. He rolled away just as the spears tip plunged into the ground, right where he was moments ago. The hashira gripped his blade as though his life depended on it and he settled his body into a crouched position, raising the lining of the katana to his arm. 

She snapped her head towards him, eyes widening slightly as she watched Sanemi grin. She raced towards him, arm outstretched and spear at her side, though it was too late. The battle had been decided. 

His blade pierced the flesh of his arm, deep. Blood seeped and splashed and poured away from his arm until it thudded to the ground, pooling beneath him. (Y/N)’s senses became overwhelmed, and all of a sudden, she stumbled to the ground with a small grunt. Her ears rang, eyes blurred, chest heaved, and her body seemed unable to function, all while her mind forced her to think of his blood and his blood only. 

The woman grunted, attempting to move any part of her body, but was only rewarded by a sense of drunkness through her whole body. She was sloppy, dizzy, unable to fight, and Sanemi took this to his advantage quickly. 

She would normally be fine with Marechi blood….if she hadn't taken in the bloodlust of her brother, as well as all the other lusts from her other sibling when she digested their blood. Marechi had an overwhelming effect on the woman, forcing her body to appear drunk while her whole mind could hardly focus on one thing at a time. 

She had learnt this the hard way many years ago when she first sparred with Sanemi. 

Sanemi ran towards her, gripped her wrists with one hand and flipped her onto her back before he straddled over the halfling and held his bloody blade to her neck, panting. “Give up?” He huffed out, a shit-eating grin over his features. 

The woman couldn't manage a response, only giving a small gunt, only able to muster up a small glare to the man, who chuckled at her pity act. “Sh..shut up..” Her voice was small, he’d almost call her cute if it wasn’t for the attacks she managed at him just moments ago. “You said..t-that you..wouldn’t use..that..dirty..m-..move..” 

The woman beneath him struggled, though his grip on her pinned wrists only increased, she scoffed. She couldn’t move at all. The overpowering scent and power of the blood was almost enough to make her pass out. She’d flip the situation over if she could, but she couldn’t do a single thing. “I wanted to win.” The man shrugged, smirking down at the woman in his grasp. “And you still haven’t wielded. I’m not stopping until you say you give up.”

“...” The woman stayed silent, looking away to catch the glint of her spear laying a few metres away from where she lay. She silently debated the options before her, gritting her teeth in annoyance. The woman looked back up at the man, opening her mouth, where the man expected her to express her loss.

He was very wrong. 

WIth what strength she had left, she wrapped one of her legs around his own, and his eyes widened when she lunged her face forward, sword digging into her neck as she dug her sharpened teeth into his shoulder and the man grunted out in pain. 

She sluggishly flipped them over, her legs straddling his hips and her wrists wiggling their way out of his grasp before one of them chucked the katana away from the duo and then both of her palms plunged down on the man's wrists. 

She was weak, and Sanemi knew that. So why couldn’t he escape her grip? He struggled and thrashed and pulled, but it was all useless, he was stuck in place, face inches away from the woman away from him, and his shoulder no doubt holding a bruise. She panted, obviously about to collapse from her overwhelmed senses. 

“I..win…” Her voice faded as her soft eyes sluggishly closed and her body collapsed on top of the man, head landing on his chest. 

This was the reason Sanemi wasn’t allowed to use that dirty trick during their small training sessions. Whenever he used it, there was immediately an unfair advantage on her side. It was only a matter of time before her senses would become overrun and she would eventually collapse like a drunkard and the man would have to carry her back to the Ubuyashiki estate, or just dump her at the Butterfly Estate. 

Ofcourse, she would never admit defeat, her pride would simply never allow it. And so, because of that, she would always fight until her body fell apart, even as she stumbled and stuttered, she would simply never allow herself the unfortunate of losing. 

They usually called it a draw by the end of an hour-long argument once she woke up. 

Sanemi scoffed, sitting up and putting his arms around her to keep her steady in his chest. The man looked down at her with a small sigh, silently watching her shoulders rise and fall under her haori. 

He considered the woman a friend. She didn’t pester him like the others, nor did she have a saintly blank face like Giyu’s that he wanted to punch out of oblivion. She was there from the moment he joined the corps and rose to the role of hashira. She was the one who offered to help him train and get better when his mind wandered to his regrets. She was there to silently listen to his breathing and sit in a kind silence when he was alone. She was able to show her trust in him by showing him her one sin. 

Her true demonic form. 

He hated her at first. When he found she was a demon, he resented her and avoided her like the plague, even threatening her at times, but once he saw her dedication. Once he was able to witness with his own two eyes that she was as human as the next person, able to feel emotions and understand empathy like a normal person..he finally gave in and took his spare time to train with her, and eventually they grew a friendship. 

A comradery built over their spite of demons.

Ofcourse, they have their rough moments from time to time and when they argue, Sanemi never fails to bring up the point he hates demons and therefore he hates her, but by the next day, they’ll act as though nothing had happened and they were training buddies once again. 

Sanemi shook his head, silently moving to haul the woman onto his back, where he held her up by her thighs, and her arms wrapped around his neck, her head buried into his shoulder, thankfully, not the one she had just bitten to the point it bled.

He left the weapons on the ground, knowing a kakushi or two would take them and find their rightful owners by the end of the day and he walked away from the training ground and towards the Butterfly estate, seeing as it was the nearest place to where they were just training. He didn’t really care where he dropped her off, as long as he didn’t leave her there (which he did one time and almost was caught victim to a spear flying at into face)

The man scoffed at just the thought of having another close encounter with death due to that crazed woman of whom he was still carrying on his back, now at the gates of the Butterfly estate. 

It only took a moment before Shinobu was walking past the gates, her eyes catching the forms of the duo, only to give a small smile and a shake of her head, mumbling small hums under her breath before she made her way over to the duo.

Sanemi hauled the woman again, shifting her position on his back, and the grip on her thighs tightening slightly as he released a grumble. “My my, at it again are we?” The woman inquired as she made her way in front of the duo, lips tilted upwards in amusement. 

Sanemi only managed a small glare at the woman, looking away from her taunting eyes and instead to the wonderful gardens around. “So what if we were?”

“You cheated, Shinazugawa-san.” The woman hummed to herself, putting her curved finger to her chin as she tilted her head. All the man did was grit his teeth, mumbling a small excuse under his breath, away from the woman. “If I’m not mistaken, after she wakes up, you owe her. That was your agreement, after all.” 

Sanemi grumbled out, tensing his jaw. “You expected me to sit there as she tried to kill me? Using my blood against demons is one of the main ways I fight, or have you forgotten?” Shinobu swore she could see a tick mark forming just above his brow and she gave out a silent chuckle. “WHAT’S SO FUNNY, HUH?! YOU WANNA DIE OR SOMETHIN’?!”

She simply shook her head, silencing his calls before gesturing him through the doors, where he walked past her without hesitation. “Just follow me…besides, she has some loose ends to meet here.” Shinobu walked forward, opening the door and waiting for the man to walk through before her so she could close the door.

Sanemi grimaced, walking through the door, brows scrunched in confusion. “The hell do ya’ mean by that?” He inquired, as they passed a wide window, the bright sun shining through the clean glass, reflecting their forms in the window. The duo’s footsteps echoed through the long, wide corridors, thudding almost silently, Shinobu’s pace smooth compared to the man beside her. 

“I see, so you don’t know…” She sighed, passing yet another door in the wide and cleansed hall before turning her gaze towards the expecting man. “Yesterday afternoon, she took Kamado Tanjiro for training nearby. However, I quickly got reports from his yellow haired friend that he was beaten to the ground. I came to take a look, not expecting the latter, however, I was surprised to see the boy, beaten and hardly able to lift a finger as (Y/N) stood over him.” Sanemi only listened intently, lips parting and brows furrowing. “I took him in for treatment as soon as I could, but as soon as I went to look for her once it was finished, she was nowhere to be found.”

Shinobu was about to finish, however, she took a breath, instead choosing to continue. “It turns out that Tengen-san found her at Kyojuro-san’s grave.” The woman soon stopped at a door and smiled up at the man gently. “Take her in here and lay her on any free bed. I’ll get Aoi-chan to check up on her. When you’re done, make sure to take some bandages for those wounds of yours, alright?” She inquired kindly, however, Sanemi knew she was only doing that to hide her intentions of chasing him down if he didnt. 

The man scoffed, looking to the door, eager to leave and carry on with his own business. “Sure. Fine. Just get on with it.” She only shrugged, placing her palm on the handle of the door and pushing down, opening the door, and all chatter from the other side seemed to cease. 

Sanemi stepped through the door and his eyes scanned the room, though his mouth acted before he could. “You’ve gotta be shittin’ me.” 

Two of the three boys jumped in their place, while the other simply tilted his head in question. Sanemi scoffed, shaking his head and holding the desire to kill Tanjiro as he walked to a nearby bed, all eyes on him and the woman as he gently took her from his back and silently lay her down, almost kindly, like he was dealing with porcelain in a china shop. 

Tanjiro watched with amazement as he settled her down and even pulled the covers of the bed to her chest, taking care of her like a flitting flower, even with his rough and scarred hands. 

“Y-y-y-you’re that wind hashira!” Zenitsu cried, jumping behind Tanjiro and gripping his shoulders for dear life. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT DEMON!” He was about to continue his cries, but Shinobu interrupted. 

“-halfling, actually. (Y/N)-chan is a halfling, and doesn't take kindly to people who compare her to a man like Muzan.” She hummed, leaning against the door as Sanemi clicked his knuckles, readying himself to launch at the weeping boy. He was being far too loud for his liking. 

“I DON’T CARE WHAT SHE IS! SHE’S A MONSTER EITHER WAY! JUST LOOK AT WHAT SHE DID TO TANJIRO! I BET THAT WOUND ON HIS SHOULDER IS FOR THE SAME REASON!” Sanemi looked down to his shoulder which was once bleeding, the crimson now staining the cloth as if it had always been there.  

Sanemi grinned widely, brow flinching every few seconds as he approached the two boys, all while Inosuke sat to the side, cleansing his ear of any wax. “You wanna die?!” He chuckled, ready to throw his hands at the boys, however, a voice interrupted him before he could manage to even take another step. 

“Could you all perhaps just shut up?” 

The whole room turned to watch as the woman sat up from her bed and raised a hand to her aching head, her teeth grit and her eyes struggling to stay open. “I’ve got a headache and it hasn’t even been three seconds..”

“AAAAA SHE’S AWAKE! HIDE ME, TANJIROOOOOOO!”

“YOU’RE DEAD!”

“E-everyone calm down…”

“HAHAHAHA! I SEE A WORTHY CHALLENGER APPROACHES! FIGHT ME!”

“I hate you all..”

It was only moments later that Shinobu forced Sanemi out of the room and threatened Zenitsu to quiet down, also getting a plate of food to silence the boar boy from a passing Sumi, all before leaving them to find Sanemi some bandages. And now the four of them sat in silence, well- three of them sat on the beds, and the woman lay back into her pillows on the other side of the room. 

It was all silence before the woman heaved out a tired sigh, hands clenched as she turned to lay on her side, lips turned downwards as she watched out the window in silence, watching all the colours, all the movements, all the beauty that the world had to give….

All the things she had missed out on.

“You’re jealous.” 

A voice spoke out, and then a sniff. Zenitsu simply stared at the boy beside him in shock. How could he manage to talk to this woman after all the vibes she was giving out? How was he able to talk to her like nothing after she beat him to the ground? She is half demon after all..

It was only a moment before she could muster an answer, closing her eyes and furrowing her brows. “..yes.” 

Tanjiro furrowed his brows, the bandages wrapped around his body preventing his movements as he leaned forward, lips turned downwards like the mask of tragedy. “May I ask why?”

The woman lay silent for a moment. She was debating her answer, and most importantly questioning through her mind why he was acting as if she didn't hurt him. As if she didn't do anything wrong… “I am jealous of you all.” She paused, opening her eyes once again. “For most of my life I have been kept in a place with no beauty, only the same scene every day…no change in the weather..no shift in the light….no true understanding of time…” She heaved a sigh, fists tightening. “I wish I could have been able to see the world's beauty every day.” The woman finished. 

Tanjiro blinked, lips parting as the yellow haired boy beside him suddenly loosened his tense shoulders and Inosuke looked up from his small meal. “I am very sorry for hurting you Tanjiro Kamado. I have no excuse.” She shifted in her place to meet his gaze, a stern yet sorrowful glance through her pupils. The boy flinched. 

“P-please don’t think anything of it! You were just trying to help!” Tanjiro cried, hands waving in front of him like a madman while Zenitsu watched him with a deadpan, silently questioning how kind he actually was. It was only now that the woman recognised the bandages around her body, more specifically, the ones covering his chest. 

She looked down, hand hovering over her chest silently, feeling the gentle material of the bandages underneath her shirt. 

She had never stopped applying them, not even once. 

Kagaya even tried to help her by ordering special ones, but they simply weren’t used. She would always make her way to the Butterfly estate every night and steal a tattered and broken stache of bandages waiting to be thrown out on the table in Shinobu’s office. 

It was the only thing that ever brought her peace of mind back in that place, the only thing she could truly control every morning and noon. She loved the feeling of the bandages as she wrapped them expertly around her body. She would experiment, trying new knots for hours in her spare time, which ones were more comfortable, which ones stayed in place better, which ones would fall out, and she would only ever stop when Akaza called her over for another training session.

She couldn’t bring herself to stop changing them, even though she never got injured anymore, and she never even needed to, but she couldn't stop. It was as though her body refused to let her stop, even when her mind begged and tears slipped from her eyes, remembering how much she had endured with every fresh new roll. 

Over and over she would apply them, she would change them frantically, moving it from every morning and noon to every hour. She felt dirty in them, as though she didn't deserve their comfort anymore, yet she desired their pain, any sort of punishment for what she had done. 

And so, she changed them and changed them until Amane sat her down, held her hand and allowed her to express every emotion she had ever endured and by the time it was over, her shaking hands moved to her bandages and pulled to take them off, only to watch as Amane placed her hands over her own and simply shook her head. 

She broke down into a thousand pieces after that. 

She was limited to only two rolls a day, and if she went over, she would have to… well, there was no punishment, just the look that she would be given like a disappointed yet loving parent watching their child. 

So she lasted, and after a few years, her desire to change them over and over was still there, however, her self restraint would never allow her to go over the