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The sun has risen, bright blinding and freeing.
Light pours over the battlefield with no mercy, no kindness, just the truth of the situation, the wounds, the ragged breathing. The world is painfully bright, maybe darkness would've been easier to slip into, to leave peacefully.
Iguro is crouched, over the warm grass, the morning heat drying the blood. He can feel how little of his strength remains in all his limbs, a fresh pang of pain nearly blots out all thought, almost.
Because she is here. In his arms.
Mitsuri is trembling, blood seeping from the wounds, her eyes open and fixated on him, her hair looks as soft as a field of morning flowers, like the flowers that only bloom once in a full moon. Her gaze holds an impossible amount of love.
"If we're reborn as humans," she whispers. Her voice stumbling, catching itself in her throat. "If we are... can i be your bride?"
The question kind, so ordinarily heartbreaking against the ruin around them, that his heart feels like it's splitting open. He meets her gaze, sweet and gentle, nothing matters, only them.
Sunlight shines on her like a halo, "Of course," he answers, and with a hoarse voice, there is no hesitation. "If you'll agree to have me."
Her breath catches, a small smile appearing, only for a moment she's only a girl in love, not a warrior dying in what was once a battlefield.
"I do," she says.
Somehow that promise makes the pain just a little more bearable.
He shifts his arms, pulling her as close as he can. She exhales shakily, and feels the warmth of her cheek against his neck, the last fragile breath escapes her body. He holds her when his own vision begins to dim. He keeps his face looking at her.
When the world goes dark, she is still in his arms, he is hers.
The day wears on, bright and terrible.
When the Kakushi arrive, the sun reaches its midpoint during midday. The battlefield lies exposed, there is no softening of its ugliness. Ash having settled hours ago, dried blood encasing everything. The Kakushi check for a pulse for both Mitsuri and Iguro, only to be met with bodies stone cold, pulse gone ages ago. The Kakushi bows his head in respect, gently takes Kaburamaru off Iguro's neck and passes it to the clean-up crew. He goes to find a linen cloth, bowing as if in apology, he places the cloth over both of them.
He makes notes on paper for all casualities:
Lower Rank Slayers, badly injured, immediate medical attention given, severe blood loss.
Deaths:
Gyoumei Himejima, Stone Hashira.
Iguro Obanai, Serpent Hashira.
Mitsuri Kanroji, Love Hashira.
They were warriors, brave, fearless and incredibly powerful.
There is no language to comfort a pet who lost its only master, the person it's attached to so deeply, but the Kakushi tries.
He gently brushes his fingers over its iridescent scales, trying to ease its worry.
By the time the last of the wounded are tended to the sun is low, soon setting.
Word reaches the Butterfly Mansion and the new Master.
Kiriya listens without interruption as the Kakushi explain all casualty and condition of all surviving slayers, his face is solemn but his shaking hands betray him. "They must be buried with Honor," he says at last, voice steady and kind, yet filled with sadness. "Bury them somewhere beautiful, I'm sure they'd like that."
The Kakushi nod and get ready to begin their trek, they wander past the wisteria forests, to a clearing full of luscious grass, a distant waterfall, they dig, after Gyoumei's burial, they bury the lovers together, Iguro's hold had been so strong even in death the Kakushi could not separate them. Once they bury the lovers all the Kakushi place small bouquets of flowers, nothing grand just wiildflowers collected on the walk, they give the stone hashira bright sprouting flowers, wisteria and peonies. For Iguro and Mitsuri, a Kakushi places a branch from a peach tree, the other Kakushi place wisteria, and rosemary sprigs, bound in scrap ribbon.
Maybe in another world beyond this one, they get to live life again, happily married, with a family of their own, carefree and sweet, only this time dying of old age, with no demonic threats looming, no more pain and anguish.
Beyond this world they laugh together, forever free.