#this is making me INSANE I was losing my damn GOURD when I saw this card. they're trying to kill me with the madokas lately

[silvertsundere]

【ワーキングスナップ～デート】 Higuchi Madoka

[metoo-desu]

whatever it takes 

shinobu x fem!reader - soulmate au

contains spoilers

approx. 4,500 words sheesh

Two small figures trudged down the mountain side-by-side in silence, admiring the quiet night after slaying a rather strong demon that terrorized a town below. They stopped at a clearing to rest for awhile and to take care of each other’s injuries.

“Isn’t the moon beautiful?” Shinobu hummed, watching her partner slather a salve over a gash on her pale leg. She smiled at the gentleness of y/n’s touch— the Light Pillar had always been so caring and gentle towards her after they had acknowledged their feelings for each other. 

No reply, instead the h/c-haired slayer asked for a roll of bandages and then getting back to tending Shinobu’s wounds. After she finished up, y/n turned her back to her, removing her white and black-spotted haori and unbuttoning her uniform to reveal her bare and bloodied back to Shinobu, who let out a disapproving sound. It was Shinobu’s reckless move that had y/n receive such a nasty wound. Shinobu failed to see that the demon performed a Blood Demon Art towards her instead of y/n, who acted quickly and jumped in and took the hit. 

With how silent her partner was and the hesitation she heard behind her, y/n knew that Shinobu was looking back into the fight and blaming herself for what happened. The Light Pillar lifted her head, her white fur headpiece tickling her cheeks from the movement. E/c eyes searched the sky for the moon that Shinobu mentioned earlier, but only saw twinkling stars. 

“Liar. The moon isn’t even out,” y/n spoke softly to snap Shinobu out of her guilty conscience. She looked over her shoulder, giving her a gentle smile. “And don’t blame yourself.”

“If I had just paid attention, you wouldn’t have been hurt.” 

Shinobu started to tend y/n’s wound with a frown as she popped a cork off of a small gourd and began pouring the contents on her wound to wash the blood away. It was such a deep gash, the Insect Pillar would have to stitch it up. Pulling out her stitching kit, she immediately began the procedure. 

“If I was fast enough, I would’ve been able to turn to deflect the attack. I lacked speed that moment— my fault, not yours,” y/n argued. 

“Y/n..”

“How about we were both at fault? Yeah? It was tough fight after all. We should be ashamed it took two Pillars to defeat a Lower Moon.”

Shinobu chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re right, let’s agree to disagree.” 

From then on, the ladies continued their descent after their rest. Shinobu stayed quiet the whole time, occupied with her thoughts, concerning y/n. The Light Pillar stopped in her tracks and took Shinobu’s hand. 

“What’s the matter?” 

Y/n‘s eyes bore into Shinobu’s violets, “I should be asking you that, silly. Are you still blaming yourself?” 

“What? I was just thinking about..,” Shinobu trailed off, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought deeply. “I was wondering who could it be. It seems that your rose is almost at full bloom.” 

Shinobu meant y/n’s soulmate mark. A delicate rose tattoo at the front of her left shoulder, that blooms until she would meet her star-fated lover. Y/n honestly forgot about the mark, too busy with work and her feelings for Shinobu. 

“Is it now?” Y/n mumbled, placing her hand over her uniform that covered her mark. “That’s unfortunate. That would mean my time with you may be nearing its end. Or not.” She wiggles her eyebrows at Shinobu with the last comment, hinting that she would continue their affair despite meeting her soulmate. 

“Don’t. I’ve heard cases that soulmates share pain whether it’s physical or emotional. A betrayal towards the other will cause both to go through an excruciating pain for trying to defy the stars. They can die from it.”

Y/n looked up at the sky for the second time again, “Well, curse the stars. I’d go through any type of pain just to be with you. Whatever it takes. If it’s the only way, I’ll go through it.”

“I don’t want to see you in such state,” Shinobu huffed out. “We’ve agreed not to be together because of our work. And because it’s considered scandalous and immoral.”

“We’ve agreed, but did it stop our growing feelings for each other? Because where I see it, the more it grows, the more painful it will be to be with my soulmate.”

Shinobu retracted her hand and walked away, y/n right at her heels. “Exactly, we’re already in too deep. We have to put a stop to this.”

Y/n chose not to continue the argument. There was no way to change Shinobu’s mind. Either way, it’s going to be painful for her, whether she chooses to be with her soulmate or Shinobu because both endings will just lead her to losing the Insect Pillar. 

Unless if she makes it in time. 

“The moon is beautiful,” she finally replied to Shinobu’s words. 

But the stars aren’t. 

✧˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧

“Hey, moth girl! You good?” 

Inosuke shouted over his shoulder as he dealt with the wave of demons that seemed never-ending. Y/n scoffed at the use of the nickname the pretty boy assigned her during their current situation. Just because her outfit resembled of the white ermine moth and her Light Breathing Style, didn’t mean she wanted to be called that. He knew her name, why does he keep using ‘Moth girl’?

“Did Muzan bring the whole demon population in this freaky fortress because it seems like it!” Y/n growled, skillfully taking down thirteen demons in a short amount of time. “Come on! We have to get to the others fast so we can take down that son of a bitch!”

The boar-headed slayer killed the last demon and caught up with y/n. “Who is this Moron anyways?” he asked, mispronouncing the world’s very first demon’s name.

Well technically, he wasn’t wrong.

“The man that plagued us with demons! Damn it, there’s so many turns! What kind of fortress is this? It seems impossible to reunite with everyone! There’s no way that Muzan would have a shortcut to anywhere!”

“Ha! I can make a shortcut to anybody!” Inosuke puffed out his chest and laughed rather cockily. 

He stabbed the wooden floor with his katanas and held his arms out. Y/n didn’t question his actions and just took down the demons that charged towards them before they could disturb Inosuke’s form. The boy jumped up on his feet and grabbed his katanas before sprinting down the hall without a word to y/n. 

“The hell, Inosuke!” The Light Pillar quickly decapitated the demon she held off, wanting no time to be wasted, she ignored the rest of them to run after the boy. They were stopped at a dead end and y/n stared at the back of the boar mask in annoyance. “Well so much for finding a shortcut.”

“I didn’t say I can find a shortcut, I said I can make one! Behind this wall is a demon slayer, I betcha!” 

And then he began striking the wall with his katanas with all of his strength. Y/n groaned, turning around, ready to slay the last of the demons she left once they catch up to them. As their footsteps neared, she tightly gripped the hilt of her sword. 

“Sixth Form: Blinding Light.”

The moment the demons turned the corner, she swung her sword twice. First, at their eyes and the second to decapitate them while on their dazed state. 

“GRRRRAAAAH!” Inosuke finally broke through the wall, the two jumping into action and joining whoever was in the room. “Out of the sky, Lord Inosuke comin’ in!” Inosuke announced. Seeing the suspicious flying petals, he quickly performed Fifth Fang: Mad Cleave. 

Once the area cleared of the petals, the two landed safely beside Kanao, the Light Pillar checking up on the girl as the Inosuke eyed the demon before them, identifying him as the Upper Moon Two. 

Inosuke finally noticed Kanao’s presence and began scolding her about being beat up. “Shinobu’ll get really mad at you! And she gets really angry!” 

The Light Pillar brushed past Inosuke, staring at the two katanas beside the Upper Moon before her eyes met with the demon’s numbered, rainbow ones. The owner of the familiar and unique katana was nowhere to be seen. 

“Is Shinobu...dead?” Y/n heard Inosuke ask Kanao. 

There was ringing in her ears as she felt her heart break in two and a wave of strong emotions crashing down on her like a tsunami. Tears pricked at her eyes as she remembered all the moments she had with Shinobu, the woman she loves. 

✧˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧

It was a laughable situation to y/n. The first time she was taken to the Butterfly Estate, she mocked the name of it. The reason why she was taken there was because of her grave injuries after battling a strong Lower Moon. 

Even in her state, she managed to laugh at the name but when the master of the estate walked into the room, she immediately shut her mouth. 

Maybe the reason of the estate’s name was because of the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach, caused by the insane beauty of this lady. 

“Hi, you must be l/n y/n! I heard you recently became a Pillar after a scary fight against a Lower Moon. Congratulations!”

“Is that how you normally greet your patients?” Y/n nervously swallowed, afraid that an actual butterfly might fly out of her throat with how strong the feeling of the butterflies in her stomach. 

The purple-haired beauty sat beside the bed after setting her medical equipments down on the bedside table. “I’m Kochou Shinobu, the Insect Pillar. I’m excited to be the first of the Pillars to welcome the newest addition! Now let’s take a look at your injuries, sure it won’t be that bad seeing that you can manage to sit upright!”

“Actually,” y/n panted, unable to keep up with her Total Breath Concentration, “I think I’m dying..”

She fainted right there and then. 

“Oh my.”

*.*.*.*.*.*

“Are you confessing your love to me?” 

Y/n turned to Shinobu with a grin plastered on her face. The two sat at the engawa, gazing at the stars as they drank tea when Shinobu shared a phrase with a hidden meaning. What the Insect Pillar didn’t know, y/n was a lover of poems and literature, so she knew of the beautifully hidden message. 

“Whatever do you mean, y/n?” Shinobu blushed, embarrassed that the Light Pillar caught her. “I was just saying the moon was beautiful.”

“I don’t think so,” y/n deadpanned, watching the slightest downward twitch at the corners of her lips as Shinobu mistook her answer as a rejection.

Y/n purposely let a moment of silence before she spoke again. “I don’t think you meant it literally but poetically. Just so you know, I’m quite aware of the hidden message,” she teased, leaning closer to Shinobu, watching her uncharacteristically get flustered under her gaze. 

“Feeling the butterflies yet?” Y/n asked her, seeing how uneven Shinobu’s breathing was as pink tainted her cheeks adorably. “That’s payback for when we first met.”

Shinobu tried so hard to keep her cool, but seeing that y/n’s gaze was now on her lips, she just couldn’t. How embarrassing that she had caught onto the phrase so quickly, but now knowing that y/n had good tastes in literature, she was even more attracted to her. The Insect Pillar was also rather speechless at the forwardness of y/n. 

“Also, it’s a new moon tonight,” y/n whispered, their noses were nearly touching. She waited to see if Shinobu would push her away, but she saw that she inched closer as well.

“But it is quite beautiful.”

Slender fingers reached up to the sides of y/n face before Shinobu closed the distance between them and crashed her lips with hers. 

*.*.*.*.*.*

Y/n looked up at Shinobu, who straddled her, both lacking of their uniform and undergarments. As beautiful as she was in y/n’s eyes in their current circumstance, her breath was caught in her throat by the tears that suddenly streamed down Shinobu’s face. She reached up and wiped them away, y/n’s voice trembled as she attempted to comfort her love. 

“I’m sorry. If I could rewrite the stars, I would.” 

Shinobu covered y/n’s hand and leaned into her touch. She whimpered, “It’s not fair. It seems like the world is taking away everyone I love from me. My family. And now you?”

The Insect Pillar has finally learned of y/n’s soulmate mark. 

“The world isn’t fair. The stars aren’t either.” This time, it was y/n’s turn to cry. 

Y/n never really believed in soulmates, she had completely cut off the idea of any kind of love after her whole family had been killed by a demon. She didn’t want to get attached to people, scared she might lose them in any way. 

That is until she met Shinobu. Her love for the lady was unexpected. She never thought she would be attracted to someone of her own gender. But their love was the type that was looked down upon in the society, considered it immoral for two females to love each other romantically. 

Their line of work, the society, and y/n’s soulmate mark kept the two ladies from going further into their relationship, having to keep their affair a secret. 

It was hard for both of them. 

“I’m here, Shinobu. I’m still here. I’ll always be. For you.” 

That night, their sounds from their love was unheard by the world but seen by the unfair stars and the beautiful moon. 

✧˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧

It was like something had blown the flames out and ripped the wings off a moth that admired the beauty of the flame. 

Shinobu was gone. 

Y/n was too late to stop Shinobu from pulling through with her plan to poison the demon that killed Kanae. Now this demon that stood before her, smiled while he claimed that Shinobu was very much alive but just inside of him, off to a happy place. 

What a sick man. 

Inosuke acted out first, charging at the man angrily. “I’m gonna chew you up, you scum!”

“Don’t breathe the cold air he spreads!” Kanao warned him. 

Y/n controlled her breathing to calm herself down. She knew it was useless to act out of pure rage, Shinobu would have scolded her if she did so. It seemed Kanao knew more, not just because of her previous fight, but what Shinobu might have told her. Then not a moment later, Inosuke returned to them and handed Kanao her katana. 

“Don’t let him take it again,” he grumbled. “But what the hell are you doing, y/n?”

The Light Pillar looked down at him, making him freeze from the aura she gave off. Of course, other than Kanao, y/n was the closest to Shinobu. He often wondered what was going on between the two Pillars, then he realized he didn’t care. But with the death of Shinobu, he bet that it affected y/n the most out of the three of them. He can literally feel the rage coming from her.

“Nothing yet. I’ll let you tire Douma out, if that’s cool with you.” She put on a little façade, breaking her serious expression with a smirk. “Go crazy, Inosuke. I won’t let him kill y—“

Y/n gasped, taking a step and kicking the Upper Moon away when he almost closed in on them, disregarding the pain that erupted in her stomach. “Tire me out? I don’t think I lost a single ounce of energy even before you got here. Maybe because of that Shinobu girl? I don’t know, but I’m feeling real good right now!” Douma laughed airily, spreading his arms out.

She almost laughed. How long till it starts kicking in, she wondered. He won’t be feeling so good then. 

Inosuke charged at Douma once again, using a move that dislocated all his joints in his arms to get a longer range. When she said for him to go crazy, she didn’t really think he’d pull off a stunt like that. He managed to get a hit, though which was impressive. The boy returned, standing before them protectively.

“We’re gonna do whatever it takes to kill this man.”

“He’s fast. It’s going to be difficult to take him on with the range of his attacks,” Kanao told y/n, eyebrows furrowed. “It’s hard to get near him.”

“I can totally get near him,” Inosuke scoffed.

Y/n nodded. “We’ll keep attacking for now and at our own discretion, but if we’re ever stuck in a situation, follow my orders.”

They both watched cautiously, assessing Douma’s every move when Inosuke went after the upper demon after he stole his mask, waiting to see even just the slightest sign of the poison’s effects. 

The fight rolled out into a more personal matter about Inosuke’s mother. Finding out that this very demon was also involved with the loss of someone so important to Inosuke, something within her snapped. Y/n won’t let him take any more loved ones away! No way in hell was this bastard going to walk out of this room. 

While Kanao and Inosuke fought off his ice doll, she chased after Douma, swiftly dodging the vines and petals that were in her way. Y/n launched herself off from a vine as quick as she landed on it to avoid being frozen, her arms up high and katana in the air. 

“Second Form. Incandescent Strike.” 

Douma turned his head towards her right before she cut off his left arm along with his shoulder. Backing away would be a mistake as he would try to create more distance with his blood art. So she performed every form of her Breath of Light, the demon managing to block off all of the attacks with his fan even after he sent out more of his ice dolls to the teenagers. 

“Wow! You’re strong! Form after form after form!” The demon gushed in excitement, never having a demon slayer cut off one of his limbs. It was strange though. Usually, he would only feel a pinch from such a wound but why did it hurt? 

He tilted his head and looked down at her katana in curiosity. “How odd. There’s no trace of Wisteria poison on your blade. Even so, it wouldn’t have hurt.”

Y/n stifled a cry when she felt an unbearable pain on her left shoulder. Douma didn’t manage to land a single strike on her. Her eyes trailed down to his regenerating arm, a familiar tattoo slowly inking on his pale skin. 

A fully-bloomed rose. 

Douma followed her line of sight, and it was clear that the man rarely paid attention to the mark. “The last time I checked this weird mark was almost a hundred years ago. It was a barely a bud. Now it’s fully bloomed, I wonder what it means.”

“I know what it means, that cursed mark,” y/n whispered, a thousand thoughts running through her head. That explained the stomach pain she felt after she kicked him. 

The pillar didn’t react when Douma grabbed hold of her uniform and asked her to enlighten him, genuinely curious. Y/n must have imagined the slight fearful tone in his voice. She couldn’t blame him, she was afraid the moment she got it. Afraid of what would happen once it fully bloomed, and who she was assigned to be with her whole life. 

Once afraid, now enraged, y/n cursed the stars for the millionth time. Of all people, her soulmate had to be the demon that devoured her one true love. 

Douma clawed at her back, ripping through uniform and digging his nails into her skin to urge this pretty nobody to explain the meaning of the claimed cursed mark. The pain he inflicted on y/n was shared with him, feeling the same intense pain across his back.

“What is this?” 

“The mark of soulmates.”

It was all too much for y/n to handle. Everything came at her all at once— the death of Oyakata-sama, his wife and two daughters, and Muzan’s appearance. She lost Shinobu, then met her soulmate. The overwhelming emotions and pain took over her, making her fall limp in Douma’s hold. 

What is the point? She lost everything.

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and made her look up at him. “Answer me. I don’t get it. Why are we fighting? Aren’t you supposed to be my lover?” 

Tears streamed down y/n’s eyes, Douma taken aback at the sight of how truly pretty she was. He felt a foreign feeling bubble up inside him. Was this love? How could this be? They’ve never even met. 

Her lips trembled as she spoke, “Forever.”

Until they die. 

Until they die.

Her vision turned black. Where Douma was supposed to be, there stood Shinobu. In all her beauty. She stared at her with sadness in her eyes. 

Did she watch everything from the heavens?  

Does she know?

“I could’ve stopped you, but I was too slow. Too late,” y/n immediately caved in to her, letting all her feelings out. “I could have saved you, Shinobu!”

Shinobu shook her head sadly, “I’m sorry.”

“I should be sorry! Not you! I’m sorry that I wasn’t there. I’m sorry that it had to be him!” 

The Light Pillar sobbed into her hands. She felt a ghost of a touch on top of her head and around her body, feeling the familiar warmth of Shinobu’s embrace. 

“I’ve hurt you and made you go through such pain. I can’t ever forgive myself for it, but it was something I had to do,” Shinobu spoke softly, tears staining her cheeks. “The stars wrote you a destiny you truly do not deserve. You lost me, but that doesn’t mean you have nothing left to lose. Those who still have, are stronger than the ones that don’t.”

Y/n wrapped her arms tightly around Shinobu and cried into her chest. “Don’t leave me. Please.”

“Don’t let those children die.”

The images of Inosuke and Kanao flooded y/n’s mind. The bond they formed back in the Pillar training came to her, making her realize that these two literally forced themselves a spot in her heart from Inosuke’s constant nagging and Kanao’s silent stalking when Shinobu was busy. 

These children were still out there, fighting for their lives. 

Inosuke was right earlier. What the hell is she doing?

Y/n came back to her senses, finding herself latched onto Douma, her arms wrapped around his frame tightly. It surprised her that he hadn’t devoured her yet. Did time pass by during that vision? 

She heard Inosuke and Kanao cry out for her while they fought even harder to try to save her. The demon before her stood stock still, slowly processing the idea of soulmates. He heard her whisper, “To have someone to love by my side forever? Until we die?”

Y/n adjusted her hold on the katana, careful not to make any suspicious movements that would alarm Douma. She gripped onto the blade instead. Their distance from each other was too close for her to cut his head. Any other attacks would be futile with his regeneration, and their shared mark would just weaken her. There was only one way, and Kanao and Inosuke would have to finish it. 

Droplets of blood that didn’t belong to her landed on her as she pointed the blade toward his back. The lady smiled. The poison was finally taking effect. 

“Feeling the butterflies yet?” Y/n asked. She hugged him tighter, using all her strength not to drop the katana. 

Douma hummed, “Hm, is this how love feels?”

All y/n could think of was Shinobu. 

“Yes.” 

It’s painful. It’s going to be even more painful for him. 

Y/n squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to make her final blow. There was no time for hesitation as it was the only time he’ll be weak. With quick movements, she reached for the hilt of her katana and pulled it towards her with all her strength, feeling the sun-kissed blade pierce through her.

At the same time, Douma quite literally melted into her ‘embrace’. Y/n tightly held onto sword with her bloodied hands to hold the demon down while he screamed out in pain from Shinobu’s poison and y/n’s betrayal. The ice dolls Kanao and Inosuke battled, shattered into pieces from Douma’s weakened state. 

“Y/n!” Both of them ran towards their senior after realizing this was it, their only moment to kill Douma.

Before they could close in on Douma, the upper moon performed a massive blood demon art to protect himself from the two. He tried to push y/n off of him, but the smallest movement of the blade caused another flare of the soulmate’s curse. 

“Forever until we die isn’t really forever, now is it?” y/n weakly chuckled.

Douma controlled himself from hurting y/n to avoid a new wave of pain. He growled into her ear, “Curse you, you wench.”

“No. Curse the stars.” 

Her eyes met with Kanao’s and Inosuke’s equally tearful ones, seeing the hesitation in their eyes. She gave them a warm smile and mouthed her orders. 

‘Do it.’ 

Whatever it takes. If it’s the only way, I’ll go through it.

✧˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧ ˳✧

Y/n looked up at the night sky in silence, feeling another one’s presence behind her yet she didn’t turn to look as she was mesmerized with how pretty the sky looked. But the stars seemed to look down on her almost tauntingly because of how stupid of a lady she was to defy them and the destiny they wrote for her.

She didn’t care since the full moon was present. If she stared at it long enough, the stars would disappear. 

“I think it’s my turn to ask.” The silence broken when y/n spoke. She turned to the figure, taking their hand in hers. “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” 

The solemn expression on Shinobu’s face was replaced by a smile. For the first time, both of them shed tears of happiness. Nothing was in their way, they could finally love each other without any worries. No soulmate. No demons. 

Both of them were strong till the end, and will still continue to be in their new beginning because this time, they will write their own destinies. Forget about what the world thinks of their love for each other.

The moon witnessed how true their love was and they’re together now. That’s all that mattered.

“Yes. It is beautiful.”