It's the day of her and Giyuu's anniversary and Shinobu honestly couldn't feel any worse, that is until she gets a letter delivered to her.

WARNING: Mentions of blood, injury, and torture, though you should be used to it with me by now. 

-linebreak-

Ten days... 

T E N  D A Y S .

That's how long it'd had been since the investigation had really taken off, a week since Giyuu had been kidnapped which meant at least one of his fingers had been broken...

She sighed, at least it was only one. Oh if only she really knew how wrong she would be, hindsight is 2020 as they say. 

Although despite all that, worst of all it was the day of their anniversary, the first case they got together along with the ironically enough the day they got married since they just so happened to fall on the same day. Unknowing to her husband, while planning the wedding she made sure it'd be placed on the same day and mentioned it to her once in a passing comment and she shrugged it but she's sure he knew she was lying. He was always good at telling when someone was lying, it took a liar to know one after all, and with his silent demeanor, he knew when to talk, when to press the witness further and when to let them ramble on; of course, that didn't know how to hold a conversation.

That picture, that picture from their honeymoon. The two of them at the park, a picture she took without his knowledge of him with ice cream smeared on his cheek a picture she found quite adorable. What she wouldn't give to go back to those times, simpler times, she doesn't want to quit the case but she knows she has to. She should but at the same time she shouldn't, she can't let this go and let whoever did this escape. She just can't. 

It doesn't help that it's the day of the twos anniversary that she's considering leaving the case, it doesn't help that the package she got delivered today was for their said anniversary. She knew this by the text she was greeted with this morning and it was to be delivered which meant Aoi would bring it here soon. Ironically enough, she had just gotten a knock on her door signaling she was here with her package, she buzzed the phone machine and let her in.

She heard distant footsteps approach her desk, pausing in front of it, she didn't have to guess why. 

"Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fantastic... What do you think the answer to that question is right now?" She buries her face with her arms, resisting the urge to slam her head on the desk which would result in a nasty bruise that would only draw more attention to her comically large forehead, and right now that was the last thing she needed.

"So..." Aoi awkwardly began. "What's in the box..." She let out the grumble equivalent and apparently it wasn't loud enough so Aoi asked again. Then again, then again. Until finally...

"I-It's... It's a chocolate flake bars!..." She said with an unneeded amount of shame. "H-He said he wanted to try it so I got it for him for our anniversary and now he's not here so there's no point in having it!" 

Aoi doesn't say much but keeps her eyes directed at the ground as she shuffles on her feet. Shinobu is sure it'll stay like that until she eventually leaves but then she speaks up once more.

"...C... Can I eat it?" Shinobu pauses, and slowly raises her head up, and looks at her, slowly blinking.

"You know you're supposed to be comforting me, right?" She sees shame flash across Aoi's face and then she remembers who Tomioka got the idea from.

"But it's chocolate though..." The fine argument, yes yes, I see no point but it is valid though. 

"It is chocolate,"

"Fine, you can have it," In the blink of an eye her assistant tightens her grip around the package and bows, nearly hitting her head on the desk as she does it.

"Thank you so much! Your the best!" At least someone is happy. 

"Yeah... Don't tell me about..." She didn't do much that day and considered dropping the case.

-linebreak-

That same day, just like the day that started this all, Kanao walked into her room with a letter, it was about her husband, it was about the investigation except it wasn't bloody she considered that the only good thing about it. Uzui joined them later, saying he got a letter with a photo in it while she got a letter with a note in it, unluckily for her though, her partner had a habit of taking things that weren't his so she wasn't surprised when he took her letter as well, so instead, she focused on the one he had instead. 

"What's on the photo?" Shinobu did her best to peer over her fellow associate's shoulder at the photo. 

"Well, there's... Uh..." He squinted down at the picture, raising it up even higher than before so it was practically impossible for her to see it. 

"Darkness, and darkness and darkness... A kebab and more darkness." Then, he suddenly brightened up. 

"Hey! I think the person who sent this is eating a kebab in the dark!"

Shinobu nodded in acknowledgment. "I gathered,"

"But there's a letter," He added on and she nodded once more. "And I'd like to read it, it's my letter after all."

"And I'm your partner on these cases,"

"Uzui hand over the godforsaken letter,"

He let out a heavy sigh."Fine."

Taking in the letter he gave it to her and she held it in her hands and read, then skimmed over it and then looked up with a determined expression. 

"Abandoned shipment yard only a few miles away from here, that's where we need to go." Shinobu pushed, handing the letter to Uzui and walking briskly towards the door. Uzui fumbled a bit with the letter before straightening it out and staring at her bug-eyed. "O-kay, you walk and I'll read until we get to the vehicle." She nodded in agreement and he grinned at her then stared down at the letter. 

"Alright then, then you'll drive me to that godforsaken place, and we'll go kick some ass." And Shinobu wanted to wipe the grin off his stupid face as he nodded at her and gestured towards the car. The revving of the engine did nothing to steady her nerves, instead, it made her pulse race, her heart hammer in her chest running at what seemed like a thousand beats per second.

Soon enough as the ride there blurred heavily in her mind, a graveyard of empty shipment containers had started to appear in the distance and she felt her nerves start to buzz with anticipation. 

Our first case together... Her eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment, then furrowing her brows when her ride came to a sudden stop and she heard Uzui start to unbuckle his seatbelt and get out, she opened her eyes. 

Let's not make it our last one together then!

-linebreak-

All Giyuu knew was pain. Loud searing pain which most present in his hands which were almost all completely mangled now, except for his pinky on his right, his dominant hand, his most important hand, of course, they saved his most important for last, taking the phrase 'save the best' for last to heart I see.

Also, although another thing to consider was that Giyuu was not a man who begged easily, he hadn't many times in his life, but when he had those situations were most of the times, sexual situations, if not then it was when he was a child and he was begging for a turn on something like the slide or another thing. All things considered, on the topic of sexual situations, he knew he could come up away from this knowing a pain kink was a definite NO. 

But that all aside, here he was begging for no more, sobbing and sniffling and breakdown as he said whatever his captor told him to do. His voice had grown hoarse from the screaming, his limbs weak and heavy from what he was sure was blood loss, the fire ignited in his heart had gone out long since so had his fight. He had begged since he woke up despite how his throat ached and protested. 

"Nah... I'm still breaking your last finger, you didn't beg enough~" But it never was enough. And he sobbed, he sobbed and sobbed and sobbed until the cows came home! The pain didn't dull and neither did the ringing in his ears. 

"Wow..." His captor chuckled, a growing grin showing off his unnaturally pearly white teeth. "For someone in your position, you are so fucking stupid."

"P-please... Please just kill me..."

"Oh, dear..." They sighed, shaking their head as they slowly approached him and he trembled, moving his head out of his reach yet despite how much he tried they still cupped his cheek with their blood-soaked hands. Giyuu couldn't help but sob more vigorously, pain pouring from his eyes. "I'd love to but now when you'll be seeing your wife very soon... I promise I'll be gentle with her, okay?"

"P-please no-" He managed to choke out. "Please-"

"You can beg all you want," He dragged his hand that was cupping his cheek down to his throat and squeezed. "but know it will never be enough to satiate me, okay? But don't stop, maybe you'll change my mind by some miracle,"

"I'll be careful with her, I knock her out, not with my full strength but enough to give me time to strap her to a chair, ropes tight, but not too tight enough to bruise her skin. Then when she wakes up, I'll take her out quick painless, a gun, I'll bring it straight to the side of her head and then-" He squeezed his victim's neck tightly. 

"-BAM! Gone, and then you'll join her after I'm done with you, of course, it won't be quick and painless, you'll take the brute of everything I want to do to her and then I'll let you go and I'll be done with it." He feels the other hand move to his finger, holding it between two fingers, he knows what happens next after that, he knows, he knows-

"Please! Please don't- please -!" One hand grabs a fist full of his hair and yanks his head back, neck straining and there's a snap followed by a pain igniting in his last remaining finger, and all he can do is scream in pain.

 He's completely and utterly helpless. 

-linebreak-

"They found where Yuu' is," Those simple words made me freeze. They did? Holy shit they did!

"Where?" I asked, turning towards my boyfriend, his arms were folded over his chest. "At an abandoned shipment container yard, I got the directions on my phone, it's not too far away we can drive there."

Silently I smirked to myself. See? What did I tell you all? He isn't lost, there's no need to talk like that I knew he'd show up eventually.

I moved and took Sabito's hand and gave it a squeeze, feeling my lips quirk up into a smile. "Let's go see our friend, alright?"

And he smiled back at me with a toothy grin that made my heart skip a beat. 

-linebreak-

The two, despite their better judgment, split up, aiming to cover more ground, Uzui would check the containers as a backup would soon arrive in 10-15 minutes excluding the kakushi that arrived with them. While she would go where she was told to go, the building. 

Pulling her gun out of her holster and positioned her flashlight above it, holding it at her side as she pushed further into the playground of empty shipment containers and glared at the upcoming building in the distance with intensity. Dust wafts around her feet and coated her shoes, she speeds up her pace until she stood directly in front of the building, the soles of her shoes digging into the dirt to stop her from sliding.

The building beckons her with an unimaginable force, a murderous look flashed across her face, that anger in heart-swelling to three times its sizes. With careful steps, pausing to observe her surroundings every few seconds she approaches the door until she's finally in front of it. Then... She gently opened the door...

...And was greeted with the pungent smell of blood.

She felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach but she soldiered on despite the sharp smell assaulting her nostrils. The side rooms had been boarded off, dust collecting on the boards, and from the looks of things they hadn't been recently opened or worked on so there was no reason to investigate them, if anything she should keep moving further since the dust heavily coating the other parts of the room were no longer coated in the direction in front of her. Covering her mouth with her sleeve, steadying herself she hurried further in the hopes to find her husband before it was too late.

If he inhaled any of this dust it could be treated fairly easily but if he got any wounds and it got into them they would get infected which would be a different story, she felt the back of her eyes burn and she hurried her pace, oh Giyuu please be safe!

Upon moving to the next room the smell of blood grew irreversibly sharper, tainting the air with its foul smell and she couldn't help but gag. The only way to go was forward, through machines broken by time and up the stairs to a place with broken windows and towards the horrid smell. 

Step by step the smell grew stronger and stronger and her fingers itched to grab the badge in her front chest pocket as she walked up the stair and approached the door. She knew what was waiting for her on the other side, the source of the blood and most likely a body. Shinobu knew what she had to do.

Satisfying her urge she reached and grabbed the vocera badge in her front pocket and pressed a button speaking into it.

"Uzui-san I need back up,"

"Why? What's happening? What's up?"

"Something is about to happen is what's up."

"Alright alright, where are you?"

"In the building, go in, keep going forward and then take the stairs, I'll be in the room there, I think I found who we were looking for."

"Alright!" He exclaimed, sounding positively elated. "Be there in a few!" And the other line was nothing but white noise, nodding to herself, mentally hyping herself up she put the badge in her pocket and forced herself to move. She gently opened the door...

And the sharp metallic tang of blood grew stronger and under the flickering light sat a familiar figure. A loud gasp escaped her mouth and that bubble of her trepidation in her stomach burst and almost tripping, she raced towards him- raced towards her husband, blink panic threading its way into every seam of her body. 

"Giyuu!" She shouted, once again almost tripping over her feet. She dug her heels into the ground, sharply stopping in front of him, surveying the damage all over until something caught her attention making her jaw drop and eyes bulge. 

"Giyuu your hands," They were all mangled, however, that wasn't the only place of him that had gotten damaged, take note of the spork in his shoulder, with a sigh, tears welling in the corner of her eyes she cupped his cheek, resting her forehead against his. "Oh, honey I'm so sorry you had to go through this,"

Tears of pain and guilt slipped down her cheeks as she did her best to untie him, almost completely done when a voice called out to her.

"Over here! We're over here!" She called back out, her hand cupping at the side of her cheek to increase her voice's echo, then quick enough she should have gotten whiplash, she turned back to her husband and gently laid her hand over her husband's mangled one, face creasing with worry. "Don't worry dollface, we'll get you out of here,"

Steps boomed up the stairs as she moved to stare at the door, and who other could it be than her companion on this case?

"Uzui-san I never thought I'd be so happy to see you!"In favor of her husband, he peers over her shoulder and flinched at the sight of him, she's not quite sure if that's because of the blood that leaks from the side of his temple of his hands and she doesn't have the time to find out. 

"Ow, that hurts and it looks like what happened to Tomioka hurts, as well," Although she finds herself in favor of brushing off the partially rude comment she made and looks over her husband's  injuries

"And it probably does, where are the medics?"

"You mean the kakushi?"

"Whatever! Where are they?"

"Outside, they're a little hesitant-" While explaining this he gestured with his hand moving it side to side in a small repeated motion, Shinobu felt something in her snap. "Bring him to them then!"

"Are you sure-"

"I am, I have someone I need to have a talk to after all,"

"Don't kill anyone!"

"I can't guarantee I will,"

"If you do make sure you do it as flamboyantly as possible!"

"I'll try,"

She forced herself to move away and look towards the only exit beside the one she came from, there was only one way to move, and that was forward. With a shaky step and an exhale she moved forward and opened the door to the next exit which was another pair of stairs. She climbed down them and was greeted by a baron wasteland of empty ground, a fence entangling the next area ahead, a torn down warning side coated with rust greeted her as the fence seemed to be torn into, practically begging her to come near, so she did. 

Inside the fenced area, avoiding the rust so she wouldn't get nicked by it and possibly get tetanus she saw a house was in the fenced area, most likely an office. It looked worn by the years, covered in dirt and grime and she's sure dust inside. She isn't given that much of an opportunity to stare at it too long until a figure walks out of it, a, strangely enough, familiar figure...

It smiled at her, brightly, almost too bright... That face...

She tightened her grip around her gun, she knew that face all too well.

"Doma," She snarled and he just smiled at her with his blindingly pearly white teeth. "It's nice to see you too Shinobu, or should I say Koko instead?"

A/N: (Good for you if you got the 'eating a kebab in the darkness' joke.) This fic was inspired by this randomly generated plot blurbed:

She enlists the help of a daring Demon Slayer called Kanao Kocho.