Begone world of darkness

[3rd POV]

Her heart was beating so loudly in her chest that it made her deaf. She could not see around her but her knee spatial awareness told her of the emptiness of the room.

The quiet night felt heavier than usual, enough to make her nervous like ever before. And coming from a retired Hashira, that meant a lot.

She had come to terms with her blindness a long time ago. She accepted it as a price she paid to buy those few seconds when Seiji needed the most during his fight with Douma.

She did not lose her life, and Seiji did not lose her life. In all fairness, she had no reason to complain about the outcome.

She was fine with being blind for life. She was not okay but she was fine with not being okay.

A life of darkness was certainly not so bad if it meant a life with him. His presence in her world was more than enough to replace the light of the universe.

But he wasn't fine with that, even more than she was. He promised that he would not rest until she could see him again.

At first, it was only cute how he would go on and on about how he planned to heal her eyes. It was one of those things to which she listened just because words came with his voice.

In truth, she did not want to hope. Hope was beautiful, but it was the ugliest thing when it was dashed away by cruel reality.

Truly, she accepted her fate and was even happy with it.

But once again, the purple boy of miracles proved her wrong. He had this way of going not only beyond but completely outside expectations.

Those theories he would mumble about nonstop, those unconventional ways that could potentially heal her eyes. All of them were not mere words to give her false hope. They were all true.

It broke her heart, in a good way, but she was also ashamed that she had not shared his hope back then. She had not supported him when he always battled fate for her sake.

Because there was a way, he found a way.

Of course, Seiji was not a medical expert to be able to fix her eyes but he was hopeful enough, determined enough and creative enough to find a way.

He loved her so much.

...

"Kanae-sama," the voice came just outside the door, she recognized Aoi by her voice, "It's time,"

Her hands gripped the sheet of the futon as she sat on the edge. The upcoming procedure she was about to have loomed over her, wrapping and coiling into a ball of nervousness inside her.

"Coming," she answered.

She stood up from the futon, her movement was fluid despite her blindness. Years of training allowed her to move with confidence even in a world of darkness.

She went to the door, at this point she knew the entire dimension of the mansion like the back of her hand. So she knew she should stop after 20 steps and she was in front of the door.

"Are you ready?" Aoi asked while sliding the door open.

Was she?

"Absolutely,"

So they went to the operating room. Kanae made sure to savour the myriad of sounds of the world around her one last time. She knew if she regained her eyes, her sense of hearing would be dulled once more as her brain worked to process the information of sight.

A world of darkness had its own charm, she noted for the first time. It is when you are about to lose things that you truly appreciate them.

When they reached the operation room, Kanae sensed three presence there. The first was Shinobu, her little sister and the other two were the two demons that Seiji brought with him.

She couldn't believe at first that Seiji of all people was okay with working together with demons. She knew how much Rengoku's case alone fucked him up.

But he did it all for her. Even though he must've wanted to avoid it, he did so to give her back her sight.

"Go lay down on the bed, we will start the operation shortly after," Lady Tamayo said. Kanae had learned to trust the wise demon lady over the months. Her medical knowledge and her sheer persistence to get back at the Demon Lord were something to admire.

So Kanae lay down on the bed. An impossible thing happened as her heart beat even harder. It felt like the beating flesh was going to jump right out of her mouth anytime.

The operation was fairly simple. They were going to remove all the dead and defective tissue in her eyes and replace it with Muzan Kibutsuji's.

Tissue grafting was not something new in the medical field. The first recorded skin draft was way over 600 BC ago.

But drafting a demon's tissue on a human. that was going to be the first time. And the only way they could do this was because of the Muzan's cell which was cut off by Seiji so the Demon Lord had no control over them anymore.

The demon tissues were also adaptable enough to work as replacements for any tissue in the human body. Normally it was impossible to get the precision right especially when it came to nerves but the demon's regenerative properties solved that problem too.

So by the time this operation was over, all her defective tissue would be replaced with demon cells and they would also regenerate any missing parts so that her eyes became functional again.

There was no risk of the demon cells spreading beyond the eyes either, the cells were out of Muzan's control and only did what doctors wanted it to do. If not, medication for wisteria always helped control the cells.

"We will begin now," Shinobu said while gently injecting anaesthesia.

Kanae closed her eyes and prepared for what was to come next. The next time she woke up, she would see light.

..

..

/////////////////////////////////

(After the procedure)

Kanae sat in the heart of the garden, the sunlight warm against her skin, the scent of flowers thick in the air. Her fingers trembled as they reached up, feeling the soft fabric wrapped around her eyes.

She hesitated, again.

She had rejected her bandage being taken off in the operation room and she hesitated even now. Many questions and fear brewed in her mind;

What if it hadn't worked? What if she was still lost in the dark?

Or worse, what if the demon cells spread unlike what everyone expected? What if her eyes were harmed under the sunlight?

A deep breath steadied her and strengthened her resolve. She slowly and carefully, began to unwind the bandages. Layer by layer, light pressed against her closed eyelids, growing brighter with each motion. Her heart pounded in her chest. The final strip loosened, slipping through her fingers and falling to her lap.

She opened her eyes.

The garden was alive with colour, swaying with the gentle touch of the breeze. Soft petals fluttered to the ground like drifting snow, and the warm glow of the afternoon sun painted the world in hues of gold and amber.

Kanae stood up amidst it all, her breath shallow, hands trembling at her sides.

She could see, and it didn't hurt since the demon cells were all smartly hidden under her skin and flesh.

But soon her vision turned blurry again as tears welled in her eyes.

She turned her gaze to the flowers around her. The delicate purple of the wisteria, the rich reds of the camellias that Seiji bought for her, the pale pink of cherry blossoms in full bloom, it was all there, vivid and breathtaking.

Her world had been nothing but darkness for so long, and now it was bathed in light once more.

A quiet sob escaped her lips as she clutched at her chest. This was real. This wasn't some fleeting dream that would fade when she opened her eyes. She spun in place, drinking in the details, the shifting leaves, the stone pathways, the pond reflecting the sky like glass. She could see it all.

Surrounded by all the beauty the world had to offer, her eyes still searched for something. A face that she knew was far away.

Seiji...she wanted to see him again so badly. His intense purple eyes, his boyish grin, his awkward smile and his unkempt hair.

He should've been the first thing she saw again.

"When are you coming back?" she asked aloud. He had been gone for months and she had not even received one letter from him.

She wanted to thank him for this. She wanted to love him for this.

When he returned, she would make sure to give the greatest kiss in the world. One full of love and gratitude.

"Welcome back to the world of colour sis," she heard a voice behind her. Kanae turned to look at Shinobu who was smiling, she looked as happy as Kane herself.

Kanae ran up to her and gave her a hug. That's right, her sister too had done everything to help her. She couldn't ask for a better sibling.

"Thank you,"

And so, Kanae Kocho's world was bright again.

Out of the many failures in Seij's life, this was a rare victory.

..

..

[IMAGE]

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Throw stones of celebration