Fleeting Shadows (KNY x OC)

-18

The floor seems to be spinning beneath her, her head throbbing as though it is itching to explode with every hurl of a viscous, black liquid into a basin. Sayomi's face momentarily twists in disgust at the amount she's thrown up in such a short amount of time, without the distressing sounds ever ceasing from her lips. Her body is in a momentary battle with itself as it struggles to contain whatever is happening inside on a microscopic level.

You are ungrateful... despicable.

All this potential in your blood and you dare turn it away for weakness, for death.

And so death is what you will get.

Tanjiro had nearly dropped the cup for Tamayo the moment Sayomi began collapsing on her knees, and he moved swiftly by his instincts to her side to help appease whatever agony was wracking her body.

As Sayomi continues to expel what resembles blood– but isn't –out of her mouth, Tamayo hastily answers Tanjiro's unspoken question about what the thick, black ooze is in the midst of scurrying around the room to gather some medicines for the blunt pain in Sayomi's head.

"Heaps and heaps of Muzan's cells," Tamayo breathes out and kneels beside Sayomi to ensure that she's getting it all out, Yushiro hurrying into the room with a match and another cup of tea for her to drink afterwards.

Tanjiro rapidly blinks at the doctor to show his uneasiness at the amount his superior is throwing up. "This is horrifying, Tamayo-sama."

"Yes, and now you see how demons under this curse aren't able to defy him on their own whim," Tamayo rubs Sayomi's back as she continues to let out broken screams after every hurl, her voice becoming strained from vocalizing her physical anguish, "it's a miracle that she's retained her memories and has not been dealing with this for over a year. Otherwise, it would have been hard for her to get out of it."

Had Tanjiro not demanded Sayomi to tell him everything, she wouldn't have gotten the help that she needed and would have completely lost herself as fast as she transformed– giving a justified green light for her colleagues to execute her on the spot. All that's left for her to do is make sure the master and the rest of the Hashira will reconsider once she tells them the truth– their acceptance a looming uncertainty.

Not a minute after getting rid of the last batch of cells, Sayomi pants before the basin and scrunches her nose in repulsion at what she's expelled, sitting upright after wiping the corner of her mouth with her sleeve. She remains wordless, hands clenched together firmly atop her lap from the intensity of the moment and her bangs damp with sweat and disheveled over her forehead.

Yushiro steps in to take the basin and its contents to burn outside, completely destroying the monstrosity that is the amalgamation of Muzan's cells. Tamayo brings her hand up to stroke the back of Sayomi's head and calms her from having to go through that necessary torment, with Tanjiro helping her up from the floor.

"You're alright, Sayomi. Take a ten minute respite before we administer the second shot," Tamayo receives a mildly dreaded gaze from her and winds back a little with her words for clarification, "this one's not going to hurt."

Sayomi nods eagerly, tugging the lower half of her haori from beneath her belt and jerking her shoulders to wriggle out of it, which Tanjiro slips off of her upon noticing her movements. The doctor leads the groggy Hashira to a lounging chair beside a window and lays her down, her arm tossed over her eyes.

Tamayo requests Tanjiro to hand her the receptacle with the essential medicine for Sayomi's lingering headache– mini vials containing unknown, green liquids made from medicinal plants.