#mizukokyu

[idagiri]

@mizukokyu ♥

obanai hasn't cut her hair since muzan was killed.   readjusting to a new normal has pushed that far down on her list of priorities,  mind too occupied by learning how to live without the weight of the world on her shoulders.   even when it finally becomes a problem,  she finds herself hesitating when putting the scissors up to her face,  cold metal resting on her skin.   eyesight so far gone,  cutting at it haphazardly like she had before has become a more daunting task,  even with kaburamaru trying to guide her.

a moment passes,  and she considers her options,  a slow sift through potential solutions before hesitantly settling on one.   giyū could help.   the idea of someone else cutting her hair still makes her pause.   she hasn't let anyone touch her hair in years,  having never grown from the habit of handling it herself.   but she trusts him,  more than she's trusted anyone in a while,  and maybe that trust makes her want to try.   with that in mind,  she tucks the scissors away into her pocket,  and makes her way to him.   and he's exactly where she expects him to be;  he's never out of reach these days.

" giyū? "   her voice comes uncharacteristically quiet,  arms crossed over her chest defensively.   she knows it's silly to be so tense over something so simple,  but that scared twelve year old with a knife being dragged across her face still has a home in her,  pushing those fears back to the surface.   she breathes in,  it's fine, i'm fine, " my hair is getting too long.   can you cut it for me? "

[huozhi]

" you leave me no choice. " 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐎𝐊𝐀, GIYŪ. --- ₀₁ @mizukokyu .ᐟ

the game board, all - consuming and contradictory and abstract, laid out before her in a manner that only she could decipher. rules created by her favor, changing and malleable, curated to suit the whims of a mirage. steam rose from the large body of water, lack of current and calm, until interrupted by her presence, lithe figure dipping beneath the surface. the temperature was hotter than she'd anticipated, but nothing the thickened layer of her skin could not take. solitary embraced the two, the waters the only barrier and sense of security. up to her shoulders, shielding the rest of her body, she moved closer, daringly. “ relax, you big baby. ” head cocked to the side as she studied him, tendrils fluttering over pale cheeks. she could see it then, the start of her roots taking form, that thorned touch of hers slowly engraining into him. whether he liked it or not, whether he realized he'd been marked. she could feel a thin layer of condensation building over her hairline, wishing she'd put her hair up prior, and inky strands, now doused and expanding around her in a cloud. “ ah, okay. humor me, then. what are you going to do ? run away ? complain ? ”

[idagiri]

" i think i feel ... happy. i actually feel happy. " (with her, if that was not clear <3)

stanley parable starters

even months,  creeping closer to a year,  after the dissolution of the demon slayer corps,  it feels strange to have as much free time as she does.   no battle to train for,  no demon to kill,  she's left to settle into a peaceful existence.   it's not one she could have imagined for herself   ( how could she imagine something she's never had ),  but it's easier to fall into a quiet routine with @mizukokyu at her side.   really,  she wouldn't have it any other way.

cooking has become something she picked up that she hadn't expected to enjoy.   her appetite is still flimsy on a good day,  but it's a touch easier when she makes it for herself.   of course it doesn't hurt that he seems to enjoy her food,  that her heart flutters whenever he compliments it,  that it always seems to make him smile.   so the routine goes,  she makes enough food for the two of them,  she sets it on the table in front of him,  she presses a kiss to the top of his head before sitting down next to him.

[ i think i feel ... happy. i actually feel happy. ]

gaze shifts to look back at him,  and there's that smile she's come to adore so much.   the feeling is almost overwhelming,  heart bursting at seams she had stitched up time and time again.   it feels natural when she leans forward onto her knees,  hands coming to rest on his cheeks,  pressing their lips together.   words have never been a strong suit of hers,  so she settles for pouring her devotion into a kiss,  until her lungs are begging for air.

when she pulls away  ( reluctantly,  almost upset she even needs to breathe ),  she stays leaned against him,  forehead pressed to his.   silent for a moment while she catches her breath,  there's a growing smile on her face when she finally murmurs,   " i think i am too. "

[hanakokyu]

[ INTERCEPT ]: giyū picking (an angry) kanae up to carry her out of the room, to prevent engaging in a potential fight with someone.

celebration to a months long mission's end, almost to a close now, at this time of morning. sun has long since risen in the sky, but it's not like they could spend their nights doing anything other than their duty. THE FIND THEIR TIME IN THE SUNRISE AND FALL, WHEN THE WORLD IS CALM AND QUIET, THE FAINT GLOW OF SUN ON THE HORIZON STILL A SAFETY NET. demons still active, but the ease of knowing anything still out and about at this hour is likely unintelligent, nothing more than an instinct driven beast, set to shrivel up and burn on it's own accord. nothing a lower ranking slayer couldn't handle if it came down to a physical altercation. it's near five in the morning and the room is as boisterous as it had been when they'd all clambered in hours ago. kanae is sat on the ground, legs in a cross, a high flush to her face. they're all a couple drinks in: some more than others. [ half strewn across the table in a sleepy mess of obsidian and butterfly wings. a lightweight, as they all know her to be, but the flower hashira always takes special care to note her limits. ] seems content to just rest her head and observe the chaos around her. gyomei the calmest of them, as always, in contrast to the loud barking conversation the sound and wind hashira seem to be carrying out from opposite sides of the room. she knows giyu to be somewhere around here, but has lost him, attention stuck on the pieces of paper that fly from one wall to the far.

and it's not a good kind of attention. the frustration building in her is near palpable in the souring expression on her face. an unusual frown and hardness to her gaze. [ it's impossibly loud, and that wad of paper has smacked into the side of her head four times already in the span of the last two hours. ] it soars overhead, she can feel the wind it creates when it passes, and her eye twitches in ways she's seen shinobu's do countless times. the water hashira appears in of the corner of her eye, and for a moment she lightens. A PLASTERED SMILE THEY ALL KNOW HER FOR, BUT IT'S BRUSHED AWAY BY THE THUNK OF PAPER AGAINST HER SKULL. the room is suddenly eerily silent. her beloved butterfly clip clatters onto the table before her hands can fumble out to catch it. the room is still eerily silent, aside for her growing anger, like the whistle of a tea kettle. wobbling and uncoordinated in her movements does she whip around in the direction the wad had flown from. hauls herself around so her seated position is facing the far right wall, near the window it'd flown from, where the sound hashira sits pointedly avoiding eye contact. speech a slurred frenzy, her clumsy palm finds the handle of her sword. ❝ did you just ... did you just break my —   ❞

arms lift before she has much time to react to it. up and under the pits of her arm, kanae reaches out as an after thought and closes her fist around the metal of her hair clip. SHE DOESN'T BOTHER TO ALTER HER POSITION: STILL SEATED MID AIR WITH LOCKED CROSSED LEGS. her arms cross over her chest and she all but pouts when the water hashira's voice cuts in with a strained by calm it's not broken, calm down and look as he removes her from the room. dangling for a moment, the flower hashira resists the urge to plant her heels into the carpet floors they pass over. [ the walk to the kitchen is near memorized for her by now — she recalls every chipped wooden trim and peeled paint patch she has to pass to get there. ] she continues to refuse to move as she's deposited onto the cold tile floors, sticks her tongue out when a glass of water is thrust into her chest, but takes it with a huff none the less. a couple sips is enough to resweeten her mood, a coy smile to lips as she fiddles with reattaching the butterfly clip. ceramic clinks against the floor where she sets the cup down to utilize both hands. kanae carefully unfolds her knees, straightening them out against the ground, pins and needles running through her feet. dares a glance up at giyu, crinkling up her nose while smile stays sheepish, folding back to lay completely flat to the floor. ❝ thanks for, uh ... doing some damage control there. i'm gonna nap.   ❞

[higekki-a]

@mizukokyu wrote: ❛ hold me closer. i always feel safer when you're with me. ❜ (for fuyumi <3)

beams of light dance across bare feet, filtering through the dusty net 'window' of an old beige tent. a private oasis. a secret just for two. pale fingers entwine in long dark locks, ripples of moonlight on the water's surface. he fills every empty space, each crack in her soul and heart overflowing like a cup set beneath a waterfall. if he is water, is she the comfort of a snowy day? or a stable place to land? an iceberg adrift in his endless sea? a safe harbor in the endless storm?

ultimately, it doesn't matter. who is she to question if he finds safety in her embrace? if it means she can hold him a little longer, she won't dare to argue and if it means she can hold him forever... she would die without ever speaking another word.

so her arms tighten around him, fingertips pressing against the bare skin of his back until there is not even air separating them. and as her face presses against the curve of his neck, as legs tangle with his and teeth play lightly against tender skin, she cannot help but whisper how much she adores him. his voice, his eyes, his smile, his touch, his laughter. it pours forth, an overflowing of all the love he has given her, strengthened and returned in an endless loop.

and with each word, her lips climb the curve of his jaw. with each drop, her mouth comes closer to his and her hands press firmer against his back until at last her forehead comes to rest on his - aquamarine on darkest blue - waiting for a sign of approval or encouragement or ANYTHING to encourage her to continue.

[higekki-a]

♪ for fuyumi specifically + ♬ for fuyumi and giyū <3

FUYUMI is there really no happiness by porter robinson

this song means everything to me, tbh. but there are a lot of lines in it that reminded me a lot of fuyumi once i listed to it not crying bc it reminded me of myself. this verse tho really reminds me of how she is with her family and her brothers tho. Making love to the memory, you'd think I'd been chasing the dragon, you'd been watching me weep Saying some things are better left remembered How's that help me? Well, maybe it's my fault 'Cause I'm so nostalgic The sum of my habits had you sharing my accent And you're just like me, I feel like I trained you I've been trying to change, but I don't know how to change you

GIYUU + FUYUMI cozy by lauv

the song speaks for itself. they're each other's safe place. <3 i can't even point to one specific thing because the whole thing just fits them super well.

[idagiri]

❛ would you like to talk about it? ❜

sounds of nightmares ; @mizukokyu

sleep is not something that comes easily to her,   it's one of the few things that have been a constant in her life.   if she's lucky,   she can fall into a dreamless sleep for a few hours,   enough to keep exhaustion from overtaking her.   that's only if she's lucky.   on nights like tonight,   with the moon obscured by clouds and darkness encroaching too heavily,   it feels unsurprising her unconscious mind drags her back into the memories that she tries to keep locked away.

it's always a strange amalgamation,   too abstract to be real.   the feeling of cold steel digging into warm flesh,   blood dripping from her chin,   and the feeling of being watched by something just out of sight.   it registers somewhere in the back of her mind that this is a nightmare,   but fear smothers any rational thought when she's face to face with that demon.   she's twelve again,   and helpless when sharp teeth close around her throat—

when she wakes up,   it's with a start,   heart pounding,   breathing uneven and eyes darting around the room for any sign of something astray.   it's quiet,   and there's some comfort to be found in that.   so used to dealing with this alone,   the fact that giyū is sharing a bed with her hadn't crossed her mind until he speaks,   and when he does she jumps   (  later,   she'll make a half - hearted threat to never mention it  ) .

the ugly feeling that wells up in her chest is some mix between mortification and blind anger,   and defensiveness is her first reaction,   and her voice is harsh,   near mocking,   despite an uneven tone,   “ do i look like i want to talk about it? ”

then it's guilt.   lashing out,   pushing people away,   it's an easy habit to fall back on with her mind still under the lingering influence of fear.   she falls silent for a moment,   tilting her head away from him in an unfocused stare at the corner of the room.   when she looks away from him,   it's like she curls in on herself,   her nails digging into her arms when she does.

“ later,   maybe. ”   this time,   her voice lacks any of the previous hostility.   she sounds exhausted,   even if she knows sleep will be impossible after this.   that's fine,   a lack of sleep is better than what her subconscious has in store for her. she doesn't look back at him, it feels just a little easier this way.   “ just stay here with me,   please? ”

[idagiri]

[ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 ] ― giyū notices obanai's not wearing her mask (but in a good way, in a oh, you trust me that much, way)

five senses

habits are hard to break,  especially ones that were never intended to be broken.   it takes a conscious effort for her to stop herself from wrapping the bandages she had become some comfortable with around her mouth,  and even more effort to quietly roll them back up.   @mizukokyu is her only visitor for the day,  a last minute request to train together to occupy her time while she's on mandated rest from kochō.   if there was ever a time to try,  it would be today while she still has excuses to spill.

time passes faster than she'd like,  the sun rises peacefully into the sky and the telltale sound of kanzaburō pulls her from meditation.   she hesitates.   sickening anxiety pulls at the back of her mind,  tells her there's still time to change her mind.   nails dig into her palms,  and she slowly,  intentionally draws a slow breath in until her lungs start to ache again  ( the reason kochō had told her to rest ;  even with her medicine,  the poison from the last demon she had killed had still lingered ).   it's fine,  it's fine,  it's fine.   i trust him.

it's just barely enough to get her to move,  to meet giyū at the gate,  but not enough to keep her from offering up a reason that he hadn't pried for,  like she's trying to skip over her face being uncovered as quickly as possible.   “ it's easier to breathe like this.   until i recover,  at least. ”   about to leave it at that,  she idly waves her hand for him to follow,  ready to turn and walk away when he speaks,  makes her freeze up for a moment.

[ you should wear your mask less.   you're pretty without it. ]

it's hard to fight the urge to lash out,  to bare teeth and push away perceived pity  ( i don't need pity,  don't you dare ),  and maybe even just a few months ago she would have seen it that way.   she knows him better than that,  now.   even still,  what she should say comes slowly,  awkwardly.   she's spent long enough being defensive that a genuine compliment is hard to process.   it feels almost pathetic when she can't bring herself to face him,  when the first words she musters up are,   “ i'll um—  i'll think about it. ”   a pause,  if she could dig a hole and crawl in it,  she would,   “ thank you. ”