Fleeting Shadows (KNY x OC)

-5

Something has to be done about her haori. Sayomi has lost her privilege to roam in broad daylight and this is her first mission yet as a demon: avoiding the sun without making it seem suspicious. Of course, she plans to stitch a hood to her haori and maybe, just maybe, she could limit going out during hours of glaring heat. What other option is there for her?

There are no other demons in the Corps besides her and the younger Kamado...well, no other known demons in the Corps other than the younger Kamado.

She stares annoyingly at her haori and turns her head toward the window. It's still pretty much an overcast outside, which is good, considering she was able to wake up and walk back unscathed. It's glaring daylight she has to avoid entirely but...of course, she can't hide whenever it's scorching out there or speculation amongst the Corps may arise.

With a frustrated huff, she shakes her head and grabs the thread and needle beside her, getting to work with that hood.

"Takashi-san, are you alright?" A knock on the door snaps her out and it's Aoi, who has something for her. Sayomi quickly scrambles towards the mirror and changes her eye color, calling for her to finally come in as she walks back to her bed to pick up where she left off.
How she wishes she could retract her fangs just for a little while.

The door creaks open and Aoi steps in with a cup of tea in hand.

"Hey. I hope you don't mind me borrowing a sewing kit." Sayomi shrugs her shoulders laxly and Aoi shakes her head with a smile, setting the cup on the bedside table. "Oh no, by all means. But what did you want to stitch? I could have had the girls do it for you."

"It's fine, just a hood to my haori. Trying to um...upgrade a bit." Sayomi finds the urge to grin in reassurance, but stops herself instantly after remembering her fangs. This is going to take a while to get used to.

Aoi nods and smiles softly at Sayomi's hand in stitching the hood in, prompting Sayomi to let her have a seat beside her. Aoi rubs her arm and politely passes, though she would love to sit down and have a friendly chat with Sayomi, she just has some errands to run at the moment.

"I see. Well then, thank you for the tea, Aoi-chan. Maybe I'll see you later." Sayomi smiles warmly at her and Aoi nods, glancing at the wall and sighing. "If you hear any unnecessary screaming from the next room, just know that it's just two of the three swordsmen that had been on the train mission as well."

"You mean Kamado-kun's companions? How are they doing?"

Aoi nods and rubs her forehead in slight exhaustion, chuckling. "We've had quite the field day. They're quite a handful but otherwise, recovering gradually." Sayomi lets out a soft giggle and purses her lips together in amusement at that, careful to not bare her teeth too much. "I could tell."

Aoi excuses herself and leaves her to her task, but before she can even open the door, Sayomi asks out of curiosity. "Where's Tanjiro, by the way?"

A hard line forms on Aoi's lips as she rests her hands on her hips, waving her hand vaguely. "He left earlier, against Kocho-san's orders to rest up."

"Where'd he go?"

Aoi shrugs apologetically and taps on her chin, as if trying to recall some tidbits of information. "I'm not really sure but, I did overhear him imply that he'd be going to the Rengoku house for whatever reason. Probably to express his condolences."

Sayomi's gaze lowers to the hardwood floor and lingers there for a few moments, a broken exhale slipping out. Aoi catches on to her expression and frowns at how his death really impacted her. "You could go, you know."

The encouraging prompt means a lot and nothing at the same time with Sayomi's looming identity crisis. She shakes her head and smiles sadly, feeling tears pool in her eyes. "I...maybe soon. They need some time to grieve too."

Aoi doesn't reply and merely nods, sliding the door open as she takes a gingerly step out. "If you say so, Takashi-san. But you can leave the estate any time to go. I'm sure Kocho-san wouldn't mind." The little reassurance eases the tension in Sayomi and she thanks Aoi for the hope.

Kyojuro has already been buried in the special graveyard for fallen Corps members, and when the days allow it, she will visit him as much as she can. Her mind wanders off to how Senjuro, Kyojuro's younger brother, must have felt upon hearing the bad news.

And what about their father...?

She sniffles and wipes the corners of her eyes, getting back to her task with a heavy heart.

=================

After finishing, Sayomi had fallen asleep completely on the edge of the bed. Shinobu came around earlier to check up on her, along with Tanjiro, who had also been looking for her with something to deliver. But then they found her heavily knocked out, leaving her to resume replenishing her energy. Shinobu did have the girls leave Sayomi some dinner on the bedside table for when she wakes.

In her sleep, Sayomi's impassive expression twists. Her brows furrow as her eyes remain shut but tighten in her slumber. She snarls and starts enveloping her arms around her stomach as she curls into a fetal position. She becomes more unsettled in her sleep when her stomach begins rumbling, causing her to elicit a guttural groan from the sensation. It becomes unbearable enough to rouse her from sleep, her expression indiscernible.

It's already dark out and she spent the rest of the day unconscious. She shakes her head rapidly and runs her hand through her disheveled hair, slipping out of her blazer and tossing it to the head of the bed.

Clasping her hands together, she brings her knees up to her chest and mulls over absentmindedly.

She's hungry.

A harsh huff leaves her lips as she turns around and finds a tray of delicious tonkotsu ramen waiting for her on the bedside table, allowing a small smile of relief and gratitude to ghost on her lips. Her last bite was the apple Giyuu had given her and from there, she went on without anything else for the next 24 hours.

She scoots over and reaches for the bowl and chopsticks, feeling the warm ceramic beneath her palm. She licks her lips and fiddles with the chopsticks, eager to finally eat. And yet she freezes, staring at what should be an appetizing flair of wheat noodles, minced egg, green spices, and pork. What appeal to her senses have now changed and she shakes her head rapidly at the thought of discarding the warm soup for something...raw and horrendous.

She exhales harshly and forces the noodles into her mouth, making her gag at how bland they now taste. They're supposed to be satisfying and yet her tastebuds have now rejected them. If not the noodles, then the soup should do. She places her mouth on the rim of the bowl and takes a huge swig of the soup, but to no avail, she spits it out entirely, leaving the egg and pork as options.

She tuts and wipes the corner of her lips, picking up the meat and egg and popping both into her mouth. They taste...less than what she had expected when it should be a burst of flavor and spice. Nevertheless, she swallows the mush immediately after chewing and finds herself unsatisfied.

The food looked heavenly and it's all for naught with her roused demon appetite.

"What do you want then?!" Sayomi hisses at her own belly and rises from the bed, leaning against the window frame in unbridled frustration. She opens the windows and inhales the cool, evening air, wondering if any of the Hashira has been sent off on missions. She could go ask the master for an open slot to take her mind off of her hunger...but she opts not to make it unbearable.

She has to eat something to quell the bubbling urge in her. It's almost as though her body is forcing a frenzy upon her that she ought to avoid.

An alien yet unsettling frenzy.

Sayomi rolls her eyes heavenward and clenches her jaw, trying to ward off any thoughts of...harming a living being for food. She's going to have a field day trying to supress her unholy cravings. Sayomi turns around and stops on her heels as the sight of the soup she'd spat out moments ago alarms her.

"Yikes," she mutters to herself and immediately begins scouring the room for a rag to wipe off her mess, "a perfectly good soup ruined. Good job, demon me."

Luckily, she pulls out a rag from underneath the drawers and starts cleaning up.

"Sayomi, are you awa- oh."

A familiar voice from the door causes her to jump to her feet and exclaim. "Shinobu?!"