❛ i’m not afraid of anything. not anymore. ❜ — for kanae!
FOR A MOMENT HER ONLY REPLY IS NONE. the silence that fills the space is all consuming, but far from uncomfortable. kanae is half consumed by the conversation and half consumed with packing a bag with three day's worth of medical supplies. not for herself ⸻ the flower hashira was from from active in the field space, but she liked having emergency stock for when there wasn't time to plan ahead. ( the silence is broken only by cicadas singing through trees and the undercut of her own humming, light in the air, no real rhythm or tune to it. ) kanae rubs the remaining salve from the soaked bandages off her hands and into the fabric of her pants, fixing him a soft and cursory glance. she knows the type well, has worked and trained with it plenty. " your confidence will make you stupid and get you killed. " such brutal words in a sweet tone, but the eldest kocho sister is nothing if not honest. kanae's gaze is as honeyed as ever, despite the furrow of her brows and the purse of her lips. it all feels heavier than it had five years ago. " hold onto your fear as long as you're alive enough to feel it. that's what separates us from them, isn't it? "
A NOTE ON A CHARACTER PORTRAYAL. it's been a while since i've talked about kanae, so below is a complication of various studies i've carried over from her original single muse blog. please note my portrayal of kanae kocho is extremely divergent from canon and my own. below you'll find a table of contents for the various subjects i ramble about under the cut.
( 1. ) kanae's vision loss post battle. ( 2. ) tidbits on her breathing style. ( 3. ) detailed on her battle with upper moon two.
( 1. ) AFTER HER NEAR DEATH, kanae does ultimately lose her vision. following immediate recovery, kanae has near complete vision loss. with some physical therapy and adjustment time, she's able to focus in on objects a little better. ( however: the way in which her eyes are damaged means she receives little to no light to her retina. ) as a result, everything looks far darker to her than it does to an undamaged eye, and it's near impossible for kanae to see at night. at best, kanae remains with two thirds of her vision in good and clear lighting. she struggles but makes do in cloudy or low lit environments, often needing to keep a hand on a wall or someone's elbow to avoid tripping or walking into things. she'd be legally blind in any modern setting.
( 2. ) KANAE'S BREATHING STYLE IS VERY GENTLE. like her, as we know from the second fanbook. ( i like to think you can't even really feel being cut by her. ) demons that were interviewed in the book each described their experience being slain by kanae as:
that slayer was like a celestial maiden!
the way it happened was very ... gentle.
it was soft. also smelled good!
she had some kind words for me before the end.
it felt like i was going to heaven.
( 3. ) AS LISTED BELOW.
kanae fought for a total of four hours and forty three minutes. the fight would have ended sometime between four and five in the morning.
kanae’s sword broke close to the three hour mark. the blade cracked in several spots and the handle grip snapped off, kanae cutting into her own hand with every swing thereafter.
the wounds that really did her in was a slash about one and a half inches deep ( just over halfway through ) to the back of her knees ( right where they bend ) and three stacked horizontal cuts on her abdomen, below, on and above the belly button.
regarding my portrayal of her, kanae was unconscious for twelve days following this, lost her vision, and never regained normal use of her knees. bending them can be difficult for her when going up and down stairs, jumping, sitting down, etc.
she remains in the corps by honors alone, no longer active in the field or in battle, but instead dedicates herself to training new slayers and continuing to help run the mansion.
" IT SMELLS LIKE RAIN. " their silence had been comfortable, better yet: familiar, until the flower hashira's gentle lulling had echoed on the autumn breeze. it's early morning, she thinks ⸻ if that muted call of an oriental turtle dove gave her any semblance of understanding time in the blackness she stares into. she didn't recall them vocalizing much at night. ( she wonders what it looks like ... the shape of the clouds, rolls of the horizon. she's sure the younger is eager to train, but the thought of leaving was an ache. ) it's quiet enough she can hear the breeze ripple over the edge of the forest's leaves, and imagines the branches dancing in time. kanae blinks it away and angles a soft gaze on the other. " i'll be ready to spar in a moment. " chin tilts to the sky, motioning vaguely to it's vast escape. " what color is the sky this morning? "
🌸- Put a flower in my muse’s hair.
/ with one for the sisters <3
BE HOME IN TIME FOR LUNCH, their mother had called behind them as they skipped out the door, knowing plain and well the girls wouldn't be home until dinner. the orchard wasn't particularly far away, but kanae and shinobu were their mother's daughters ⸻ their hereditary green thumbs had long since been stained brown by the dirt they weed through at the garden's edge. ( it's the turn of seasons, fall into winter, and their apple trees would be a frozen waste if they didn't harvest their entirety soon. ) kanae and shinobu had gathered bags and baskets, far too many for two young girls to realistically haul on their own, and declared they'd clear out the field before dusk. it's a childish sentiment, but their father had messed through their bangs and fondly uttered a warning not to spoil dinner's appetite with fruit.
kanae held her sister's hand the entire walk across their vast property: partly in protection, partly finding self comfort in the proximity. fear of what loomed in shadows diminished during the day but was never truly absent. she doesn't release her hold until they're well within the fence line, until the smell of apple blossoms drowns out the stale air. the bags looped through her left arm hit the ground without much of a sound, and she watches shinobu lower her basket with the same care. ( it's a wooden weave, that belonged to their great grandmother, something cherished through past generations and the ones to come. ) they'd each carried it through this same orchard year after year, it's weight steady and familiar, hard grain stained by various fruit peels and the lingering scent of summer strawberries.
it's the first thing they fill. apples stacked so high they roll off each other if not balanced just perfectly. kanae even stashes a couple inside the pockets their mother had sewn into each of their dresses. by the time the last canvas bag is almost filled ⸻ all that's left to pull down is too high on the branch for either of them to reach. KANAE'S SOLUTION IS TO BALANCE SHINOBU ON HER SHOULDERS. it goes about as well as it can go for the first seven minutes. kanae is up on the tips of her toes, trying to help her reach the very last and top apple, when she looses her footing. ( there's a startled yelp in warning before the two young girls topple down atop each other, a soft elbow meeting her ribs, chin clacking against skull. ) it's not a very far drop, the remnants of spring's plush grass and autumn leaves a cushion, but enough to rattle their teeth none the less.
before kanae can even turn in a frenzy to ask if the other is alright, a startled sob hits the air, and the eldest sits up sharply. shinobu isn't hurt, not in any physical way, but it was a terrifying turn of events none the less. " hey, " kanae begins, eyebrows drawn tight with the concern that's etched into lavender eyes. her hands are on her sister's cheeks, the tops of her shoulders, pulling dried leaf crumbs out of her hair for her. voice soft and meant to soothe, like it always is. " don't cry. you're alright. i'm alright, too. see? " her gentle thumbs are already wiping away the traces of moisture streaking down her cheeks and drawing her into a tight hug. shinobu goes into it easy, though she's calmed significantly, now that the initial startle had faded into reorientation.
when kanae releases the hug, it's with a grin blooming over her face, her hands coming to wrap around one of shinobu's own, lifting it to eye level. ( without even realizing, shinobu still clutches the very apple they'd toppled over for, fingers still clasped tight with adrenaline. ) kanae plucks the fully bloomed apple blossom off it's step and tucks it snugly behind her sister's ear. " and ⸻ you got the very last apple down. "
"that wasn't so bad, was it?" (to kanae from giyu)
" I'VE SEEN A LOT OF GROSS THINGS, tomioka-san ... but that was by far the grossest. " kanae had never been much for dramatics, whether it be on the battlefield or in general day to day life, but even the eldest butterfly sister is choking back a retch at the lingering smell and dissolved flesh. the demon had been a gnarled, rotting, mangled thing ⸻ that consumed anything in sight, uncaring if it was a body laying in the sun on the side of the road for a week, or a fresh kill. ( when they'd beheaded it, it had exploded into a burst of necrotic tissue that made even the flower hashira, with all her medical and gore expertise, recoil harshly. ) and now all she wanted to do was take a scalding hot shower and stick her head in her rose bushes until her nose was stuffed up with pollen and petals. instead, she's offer a polite smile and smooths down the edges of her wrinkled haori. " i think it would be wise of us to recommend a 30 to 60 day quarantine of this area before reopening the roads for traveling. "
To be graced with such beauty before him was a god-given gift. To witness such charm made tears threaten to spill from his eyes. Oh, how he wanted to cry about how he was lucky to have the honor to see such a renaissance man. Footsteps are gentle, unheard as he follows Shuu throughout the greenhouse, a soft smile tugging at his lips as Shuu talks about each and every type of rose. ❝ And this one? ❞ Kanae asks, pointing to a wilting red rose.
Why is Eto interested in Kanae? Is it because he wanted to kill the Quinx? Is she trying to stop him? Is it because of the money he has? He doesn't seem particularly special as far as ghouls go. At least not compared to someone like Hinami. So why is Eto personally going through the trouble of talking to him? I doubt it's good for Kanae, whatever it is. :/
