Chapter 34 – Shinobu and the Dream
That night… Shinobu dreamed.
A dream that pulled her back—deep into memories she had tried so hard to forget.
No matter how much she smiled.
No matter how far she tried to run.
She could never escape them.
When she "opened her eyes" within the dream, the world around her shimmered like an illusion—too perfect, too bright, too beautiful to be real.
"Shinobu, what's wrong?"
A gentle voice. A warm smile.
The kind of girl who always seemed bathed in sunlight—untainted, kind, and endlessly loving.
Her older sister: Kocho Kanae.
"I… why am I…"
Still half-asleep, Shinobu slowly sat up in bed. Her face was blank. No smile.
She stared at her sister with dazed eyes, head tilted slightly.
"No reason," Kanae said, smiling softly. "I'm just… happy."
That gentle, radiant expression—the one Shinobu had tried to mimic all her life—shone on her like sunlight through spring leaves.
"Don't seek revenge. Don't let hatred consume you. Just live, Shinobu. Live well."
Kanae reached out and placed a soft hand on Shinobu's head, her touch full of warmth and affection.
Shinobu's eyes widened.
She raised her own hand, trying to hold onto that warmth.
But in the next moment—
Kanae was gone.
All that remained were soft petals—pale violet, fluttering like butterflies in the dark, dancing gently before fading into nothing.
Nothing left to see.
Nothing left to touch.
— — —
"…Nee-san…"
The soft voice floated through the silence of the night.
From his futon on the other side of the room, Hikaru turned his head.
Shinobu was still asleep.
But her face wasn't peaceful.
Her eyebrows were furrowed in unease, her expression tense.
—A nightmare?
So that's what it was.
Her sister…
That's what still haunted her.
Hikaru watched quietly, his gaze narrowing slightly.
He had heard of Kocho Kanae, the former Flower Hashira.
A woman known not for her sword, but for her gentle heart.
Even on the battlefield, she smiled at everyone—friend and foe alike.
Hikaru had known for a while now. The smile Shinobu wore wasn't her own.
It was a mask. A shadow.
The smile of someone she couldn't let go of.
Someone whose life had been stolen by demons.
And yet… she held that pain silently.
Hikaru sighed, eyes thoughtful.
He wasn't the most emotionally perceptive person, but even he could tell—Shinobu acted differently around him. Sometimes, she mumbled things in her sleep. Words meant for someone else.
—Maybe, just maybe… being near him reminded her of Kanae.
But Hikaru didn't know what Kanae was truly like. He'd only heard what others said.
Warm. Cheerful. Overflowing with love.
He wasn't that person.
Not even close.
"…Guess this is all I can do."
Hikaru raised a hand gently.
A soft current stirred the air—barely noticeable, but unmistakably there.
A tranquil flow of Void Breathing: Mirror Flower, Water Moon, mixed with the subtle technique of Focused Serenity.
An invisible wave of calm spread across the room, like a lullaby made of air.
It brushed over Shinobu's forehead, soothing the tension between her brows.
Her breathing eased.
In the moonlight that spilled through the window, Hikaru's long black hair swayed softly.
He looked up at the sky—not with emotion.
But with quiet gratitude.
Shinobu had done a lot for him.
And this, at least, was something he could give back.
But…
This was enough.
"This distance… is fine."
He looked down again, at the girl lying beside him.
Just as he began to pull his hand away—
He froze.
Her eyes opened slowly.
Those violet-blue eyes shimmered, clear and calm.
She was awake.
"…You're up?"
Shinobu didn't answer right away.
She remained on her futon, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Watching the moonlight ripple like water across the wooden beams.
"I had a dream," she whispered at last.
"…About Nee-san."
"She told me to live… to let go of vengeance…"
"…But how?"
Her voice was barely audible.
So soft. So unsure.
So lost.
Even if she wore the title of Hashira—even if she carried herself like an adult—
She was still just a girl.
Sixteen years old.
One year younger than the body Hikaru inhabited now.
Of course she would falter.
And lately… ever since she began spending time with Hikaru…
That warmth had started to shake her.
She didn't know what she was feeling anymore.
Where she was supposed to go.
What she was supposed to be.
"…Where do I go from here?"
Hikaru didn't answer right away.
He knew the feeling Shinobu held for him wasn't romantic.
It was something else.
A tether.
Something that let her feel close to someone she'd lost.
He was a shadow of her sister. A replacement. A reflection.
And that's why—
"I didn't know your sister," he said gently, carefully choosing his words.
"But… if I may speak as a friend…"
"No one who truly loves you would ever want you to live in pain and hatred forever."
"I don't know what you've gone through. I won't pretend to understand your grief. So I won't tell you to forget it."
"But one thing I do know…"
"Someone who loves you… would want to see you smile. A real smile. One that isn't carrying everything alone."
He stopped there.
That was as far as he could go—as a friend.
"…Hope, huh?"
Shinobu was quiet.
She turned her head, looking at him with soft, searching eyes.
There was no teasing in her voice.
No mask.
Only a sincere look.
And in that moment, something shifted in her heart.
Despite the similarities…
Hikaru wasn't Kanae.
They were two different people.
And somehow…
That realization made her feel lighter.
Slowly, her lips curved.
A small smile bloomed on her face.
Not the usual one she always wore.
Not a copy of someone else's.
But a smile of her own.
"…I think I understand now."
Her face shone beneath the moonlight.
Just like before.
But this time… it was different.
This time, her smile wasn't hiding anything.
It didn't carry sorrow.
Or mimicry.
It was simply—
The smile of someone who, for the first time, had taken a step toward forgiving herself.
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