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"Just shut up will you-"

She gave out a sharp grunt, blood spilling from her lips, her back stained with blood and deep gashes that stained her haori, which had fallen from her figure long ago, its material torn in a small puddle of blood behind her.

"Silence."

She only let her head hang low, her breaths forced through her throat and her back stained with agony. She was on her knees, wrists bound by chains that extended either side of her body, her arms lazy but filled with pins and needles. She tried to adjust her form, but with the string of the biwa, she only released yet another hiss, the chains extending her arms to the point her joints burned.

"You will find Nezuko and bring her to me." Muzan stared down at her, his class stained with her blood, the liquid slithering down his skin, leaving a dark trail, all before it slipped from his hand and thudded to the ground beside the panting and pained woman.

The halfling weakly tilted her head up at him, lips parted with blood and chest heaving up and down. "How About..we make a deal?" She gritted out, glaring into his eyes harshly.

The demon rose a brow at this, his eyes glistening with interest for a moment. "A deal?" He inquired.

She weakly nodded, all before she let out a breathy chuckle, her lips tilting up. She licked the side of her mouth, the blood being licked away. "Yeah...How's about you go walk out in daylight, kill yourself, and then I find it-"

She was silenced by her own cry of agony. Muzan let his claws dig deep into her back, his body crouched beside her own, his face inches away from her own. "Your foolishness will get you nowhere, my dear."

"U-...using nicknames..a-are we now?" The halfling gritted out, giving him a side glare, her lips fallen from their tight smile. She could feel his nails slowly digging deeper and deeper into her back through every moment. All she could do was purse her lips, eyes clenched shut and muffling her own grunts of pain.

The demon only huffed, pulling his claws from her back. She grunted beneath clenched teeth, head falling back to stare at the ceiling. "Enough." He huffed, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look him dead in the eye as he moved in front of her. "You are only still here because you refuse to search for a simple flower."

"Yeah...and I've told you.." she huffed, eyes holding a deep glare as she continued weakly. "I'm not helping you do anything." Her fists clenched, nails digging into her skin.

"Then you will only continue to suffer. And yet, even through this whole time, you have refused to turn into a demon.." He narrowed his eyes, forcing her face away before he let go of her chin and stood to his feet above her. "No doubt to delay torture since you know I don't want you dead..."

She huffed, smiling to herself as she hung her head, swallowing down for a moment before gritting her teeth in pain. "Well-...the longer I take to heal..the less you can get outta me.."

Muzan simply scoffed before he turned on his heel. "I will allow you to heal. Think about your choice. Make the correct one." And with another buzz of the biwa, the man disappeared, leaving the woman alone in silence.

When he finally did disappear, the halfling suddenly hunched over. "AAAAAAAGGHHHHHHH!" She cried out in agony, her screams shaking and her voice wavering as she cried out in pain. She panted roughly, her chest heaving, her bloodshot eyes wide, her brain stained with panic.

"AKAZA HELP- PLEASE! AAAAGGHHH!" Her voice tore through the silence of the fortress, her breaths loud, letting her heart race as agony took over her entire body. "PLEASE- AKAZA!"

Her voice became clogged when she began to choke on her own blood. Crimson falling from her lips, slithering down her cheek. She coughed, wheezing for breath and eyes wide with panic, feat striking through her chest in the form of tight jitters. "A-aka-"

Suddenly, two strong arms gently wrapped her body gently, Akaza appearing in front of her hunched over body. His eyes were wide, her teeth grit as he tried to hold her close.

Akaza knew Muzan would be at it for hours- but he didn't expect days. For the past two constant days, the halfling had been forced awake from the pain of Muzans torture. He wanted her to find the blue spider lily- something that he wanted for centuries now- he was desperate...but Akaza didn't know he was this desperate.

So desperate that he was willing to put his only chance on the brink of death. Akaza had watched the whole thing but he couldn't interfere. He saw how the woman attempted to keep a straight face through his constant attacks- but he could see...he could see the never seen before agony flashing through her eyes every time.

It was a miracle she has lasted this long..

"A-akaz-" The halfling struggled, her voice weak and her body writhing in pain. Her chest heaved, her blood dripping to the floor, her heart racing. Akaza could see her eye bags were much deeper, and she was considerably skinnier than before- no doubt the lack of nutrition.

"I know.." Akaza grimly spoke, his hand on the back of her head, holding it on his shoulder as his other arm wrapped around her back, holding her like she was porcelain. "..I know.."

"I need-" she stuttered out, her eyes wide as another slither of blood ran down the side of her face. She felt Akaza begin to wipe away some of the blood with his hand to attempt to clean her up.

Akaza nodded, his thumb pressing down on the wound on her forehead. She winced, attempting to pull away, but he stopped her. "I'm trying to stop the bleeding, hold still..come on you got this.." His voice was calm- calmer than she ever remembered.

"Help- please-"

With that, she fell slack in his arms, the chains loosening slightly to the point her arms fell either side of her. "Goddamnit.." Akaza gritted out, moving to hold her closer. He rested his chin on the top of her head, eyes closing and brows furrowing. "What did that man do to you..?"

It was no surprise to akaza when she fell unconscious in his arms, her body unable to keep up with the constant demand without rest. And so, all he could do was keep her close until Muzan came back- make sure no upper moon two took advantage of this situation- especially not to her...

Akaza held a deep care for this woman. She was beautiful, stubborn, devoted, passionate... His admiration for her was the main reason he pet her to get away with killing her family.

He was the one that covered for her when she left- or, got taken away

If the stone hashira didn't step in to prevent her from killing herself, he would've stopped her himself. He saw the whole thing from the moment he found her sibling dead in the infinity Fortress.

Akaza was the reason why Muzan assumed her dead. Akaza was the one who managed to convince him that she had killed herself by some silly miracle. Akaza was the reason he was able to close off any links to her from the outside world. Akaza was the reason Gyomei found her in the forest once she was done with her sister's corpse because she knew she would be better off with a hashira than with him. And it was Akaza who got beat- almost to death- once Muzan found out she was alive.

But then, that also means she had no need to hide her emotions from everyone for so long.

It was all useless in the end.

He just wanted her to survive....but now that he looked at her in his arms, unconscious, covered in blood, half dead, her body almost torn to shreds...perhaps it would've been better to release her of her pain when he had the chance.

Perhaps he should've killed her the moment he found that she was killing her family?

Maybe it would've spared her this pain?

Akaza gritted his teeth in thought, holding her closer unintentionally. "No...I could never do that even if I tried..." He mumbled to himself, his eyes closing before he left a gentle kiss at the top of her head.

The only reason she was here was because she turned into a demon. Muzan can know all locations of every demon, and since he didn't know she was alive until recently, the only way he could get her here was because she had turned into a demon. In that small moment, Muzan was able to grab her location and take her here against her will-

Akaza always found that unfair. Muzan had become obsessed with her ever since he found she was alive. He knew she could find the spider lily since she could walk in both day and night. He knew that she was strong, and so very useful.

Why wouldn't he become obsessed with someone with so much potential?

Not to mention, it was all Muzans plan.

He knew the siblings would eventually turn on one another. He knew conflict would rise. He knew that, eventually, they would spark an internal war, and the Victor would be the one he studied in more depth. Their blood, their abilities, their life.

He knew it all from the very beginning.

But as much as he wanted to obey orders...he had to help her.

With dreading eyes, he gently moved one of his hands to take out a small vial, a dark crimson liquid swirling in the glass. He gently moved her back so that he could hold the vial up to her lips after opening it. "I'm sorry..." Akaza spoke before he poured the liquid past her lips and she swallowed it down.

Without any hesitation, her blood stopped spilling. It only took a second before all her wounds had sealed in a blink of an eye and her eyes snapped open. She gasped for breath, her lips parting to breathe as Akaza held her closer.

"...t-thank you.." The halfling panted out, her chest heaving as she felt Akaza nodding, kissing her head gently once again as she regained consciousness.

With a gentle hum, Akaza spoke. "Spilling some of my blood is worth your survival.." He chuckled breathily, shaking his head slightly at her words mixed with his own response, the light of the infinity Fortress flashing in his eyes.

(Y/N) gritted her teeth as she leaned her head off his shoulder and attempted to stand, the chains singing as she stumbled to her feet, her breath rugged. "That's my girl" Akaza hummed with a proud smile, standing up beside her.

"I feel stronger" the halfling hummed, looking down at herself before she turned to Ajaza and tilted her head. "Do you know who's blood is gonna be next?" She inquired, suddenly looking much stronger, her eyebags gone and her body clean of blood, only stained with the remaining tears in her clothing.

Akaza nodded, his hand laying itself on his shoulder. "Upper moon two. I'll get it to you once you're left alone again." He huffed, looking away, almost ashamed. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

The halfling only smiled at this, moving her chained hands to lay on top of his own. "It's alright. There wasn't much you could do anyway." She huffed, her smile soft but her eyes slightly pained. Just thinking about the pain...it made shivers run down her spine.

At this point, she would prefer death itself...but she had to keep going. Whether it was Rengoku's blood telling her that, she didn't care.

She just had to keep going.

"You better leave. I wouldn't want anyone spotting you." Her voice let out, her eyes wandering around the fortress before she turned back to the man. "Remember- keep your thoughts in check."

Akaza smiled, nodding as he patted her head. "I'll try. You keep your emotions in control." She nodded. "You've got this." And without another word, the demon disappeared into the fortress.

Now, it was all just a waiting game

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