Kimetsu no Yaiba: Stardust

I've been having this idea for Kimetsu no Yaiba, so I decided to post it here. Hope you all enjoy 😘

[kny-stardust]

Kimetsu no Yaiba: Stardust

Series Synopsis:

You loved your family, more than anything in the world. You knew that as long as you were together, you would be happy, no matter the hardships. However, your world fell apart when one day, that you stayed out for longer than expected and slept out, your house was attacked. As the eldest child of your family, you must take responsibility for your young siblings as well as search for a cure for them, to make them human again. For your love for them, you'll do anything in her power to save them, even go to the deepest pits of hell.

Disclaimer:

This is an Reader-Insert AU Role Swap Fanfic, so everyone (or almost everyone) is changed to villain to hero and hero to villain. I've had this idea for a while, and thought of making it a reader story. It's my first time, though, so be patient with me, okay?

The original characters and world of Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) belong to Koyoharu Gotōge. Only the story belongs to me.

Series Content Warnings:

Slight gore, blood, depictions of violence, hurt, emotional hurt, strangers to friends to lovers, traumatic pasts, characters death.

Chapters:

Fading Stars Arc

✧ Prologue

✧ Chapter 1

✧ Chapter 2

✧ Chapter 3

✧ Interlude 1

Rising Stars Arc

✧ Chapter 4

✧ Chapter 5

✧ Chapter 6

✧ Chapter 7

✧ Chapter 8

✧ Chapter 9

✧ Chapter 10

✧ Chapter 11

✧ Chapter 12

✧ Interlude II

Passing Starts Arc

✧ Chapter 13

✧ Chapter 14

✧ Chapter 15

✧ Chapter 16

✧ Chapter 17

✧ Chapter 18

✧ Chapter 19

✧ Chapter 20

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 18 – Alliance

Word Count: 2042

Summary: Meeting an expected group of demons and humans, you form an unlikely alliance with them, for the sake of your siblings. But things are never easy. There’s always a price to pay.

“Impressive.” You hear Kanae say. “If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe these sleeping cuties were throwing a tantrum just now.” You giggle at her words.

“I raised these two when my mother had to take care of my father.” You say while running your fingers through your brother's hair. “Since they are pretty much small children again, it's not that hard to calm them down.” You tell her before bowing slightly, which was your limit since those two were resting their heads on your legs. “Once again, I'm deeply sorry for the trouble they caused. They've never done this before.”

What you don't mention is that they are bigger and with superhuman strength when compared to their past selves. It wasn't easy to take samples from either of them. They struggled a lot and Tanjiro even kicked Kanao away. You had to scream for them to stop, which shocked them, since you never once screamed, never with them, and not even at their worst tantrums when younger. They stopped resisting and let Shinobu take some blood from them. She left and Kanao followed her, not even sparing you and your family a glance. You then took your time to calm them down, who were crying, especially Nezuko that had never been yelled at. Finally, they fell asleep and you had your chance to talk to Kanae.

“Oh, no. It's okay. Believe me, I've seen worse, both with humans and demons.” The oni said.

“You...” You hesitate before continuing. “Do you all interact with humans very often? I mean, apart from those girls.”

“Yes. Aoi and the other three girls tend to a flower shop while me and my sisters operate a medical facility.” She explains. “Usually, the girls bring someone who's in need and can't pay for medical treatment so that we can take care of them. The only thing we ask from them as payment is to give us a bit of blood, so that we can use it in blood transfusions.”

“So, that's how you feed.” You conclude, to which she nods.

“We'll have to move, unfortunately. I won't risk the children if Kagaya knows we're here.” The oni said with a sad smile.

“Is there something I can do to help?” You ask her, to which she widens her eyes before softening.

“You don't need to bother, (Y/N). It's not the first time we do this, so it's a minor annoyance.” She said.

“Please, let me help.” You begged. “You're searching for a cure, right? I can repay you that way.”

“There are other ways of repaying us.” Kanae said before smiling. “For example, searching for demons who have a high concentration of Ubuyashiki's blood.”

“His blood? But, why?” You tilt your head at those words, confused.

“It's important to develop a cure.” She stood up and walked towards a shelf. “You see, many years ago, when Shinobu and I were being chased by Kagaya's henchmen, we came across this.” She said while showing you something. A parchment, a rather old one.

“What is that?” You asked as you reached out to hold it.

“The way which turned Kagaya into a demon.” She said and you froze on the spot.

“What!?” You screamed, waking both Tanjiro and Nezuko up. “Are you sure?! How... How did you find this?”

“We didn't. It was given to us.” Her response made your eyes go wide. “Back then, we had the help of a rather strange individual. It was them who killed most of Kagaya's henchmen, and it was also them that gave this to us once they've learned that we were trying to develop a cure for demons.” Kanae took it back and placed it on her lap as she sat. “They said that it was this that he used.”

“Is it…” You look at the parchment. “...really?”

“Yes. We confirmed it with Kanao. We managed to turn her into an oni thanks to it, although we had to use our blood to replace the last ingredient, that we couldn’t find.” She explained.

“She wasn't a demon like you? Turned by Kagaya?” You asked her, but she shook her head.

“No. We met her when we found her being thrown out of her home.” Kanae said, her voice becoming lower. “Such a little thing. She was so weak back then. There was no way for her to survive. By that time, we had already made some experiments with what's written here, but we had yet to find one final ingredient. We replaced it with a bit of our blood, and it worked. She survived and became a demon, already free of his control.”

“I see...” You whisper, before smiling. “At least, she's happier here.”

“Yes... She is.” She replied, but her tone was low, uncertain. “Regardless, if you want to help, try gathering demons with his blood. It won't be easy since demons that have larger quantities of his blood... are the ones who gained a great amount of strength from Ubuyashiki himself. I can assure you this: the ones who have the most blood of his are usually the Twelve Demon Moons. I received a lot of blood of his and had yet to meet someone else who could match me outside of the twelve, and even so, I couldn't even hold my ground with those above me. The upper moons... I couldn't even start to hold a candle to them.” She chuckles. “What I'm trying to say is that by doing this you will have to take a lot of risks, however it is the only way to return your siblings to that original form. That alone will be enough already. You don't need to risk yourself more than you already will have to. Do you understand?”

You don't answer her for sometime just looking at your sleeping siblings.

“...even if it's my fault you got discovered?” You whisper, confusing the oni, before she smiles.

“You really don't give up, do you?” She asked with a giggle. “It wasn't entirely your fault, (Y/N). There was no way neither you or Aoi could have known what would happen, nor that you would meet with him. So, there's no need for you to compensate us because of that. However...” Her silence caught your attention, making you look up to her. “If you want to help us so badly, we could use one helping hand or three to move out.” Your face brightens up immediately.

“Really!?” You ask her, your eyes glowing.

“Yes.” She replies with a kind smile. “We already had a place prepared in case we had to move quickly. We'll pack everything tonight and move tomorrow as soon as the sun goes up.”

“But, onis can't move out in the sunlight, right?” You ask her, confused.

“Yes, that’s why it’s the best time to move.” Kanae said. “We have a cart that’s big enough to fit out things and us hidden inside of it. The children will move us out through it. You can help them, and make sure that no demon jumps on us. Would that be okay?”

“Yes! Yes, it would!” You tell her, happy that you can help, which makes her giggle.

“Good.” She nodded before putting the parchment away in her clothes and standing up. “Now, I’ll prepare a room for you to stay in. You should rest for the journey tomorrow. You don’t seem like you have had much sleep lately, do you?”

You are caught off guard by that, but you soon calm down and nod.

“Alright, then. Come with me.” She tells you, walking out of the room, which you follow, with your siblings turned in their smaller form and leads you through the mansion.

Your eyes opened to face the dark room given to you by Kanae and the other girls. A sound nearby had woken you up, kicking your instincts. You still remembered the oni that tried to sneak up to you when you were sleeping on the Final Selection. Not a good memory, however it was good to keep you sharp in any situation. You stop leaning on the chair you were sleeping, looking over to Tanjiro and Nezuko. The window was fully closed, but you could still discern the laying form of your siblings. By their breathing, you can tell they’re still sleeping. How lucky. You tiptoe to take your blade and sneak out of the room, closing the door behind you.

“What are you doing?” A voice behind you makes you draw out your blade, or at least try to, as the person who spoke holds your wrist so you can’t do so.

You turn to her, and notice the oni girl you fought when you first got there. You let go of your breath that you didn’t know you were holding.

“Ah, it’s just you, Kanao.” You tell her. She just stares at you, in silence. You stare back before replying. “I heard a strange sound. I thought it could be something dangerous, so I decided to check.”

“...you’re sharper than you look.” She says before turning away, leaving you stunned where you were.

Just what the hell did she mean with that!?

“...are you just going to stand there?” It’s her that snaps you back to reality, standing at the edge of the staircase. “We have unplanned guests… unpleasant ones…” She tells you before she starts going down, leaving you alone.

You don’t take much time thinking about what it means. You know what it means.

Kagaya’s minions. They’ve finally come.

You rush down the stairs, meeting with Kanao and Shinobu in the entrance. You meet with them, the older oni still with that same smile that creeps you out.

“Oh, my. You’re awake.” She says giggling. “You must be a real deal.” She jokes as you put your shoes on.

“Where are the girls?” You ask them.

“In the basement. Sis is with them, so they must be safe if one of them manage to go past us.” The oni explains as she checks her sharp claws. “What about your siblings?”

“Still sleeping, but Tanjiro will wake up if he feels something is wrong.” You tell her as you stand up. “He’s like that.”

“I see.” She smiles, before holding the handle. “Oh, two more things: stay close to Kanao, you can back each other up; and stay as far as you possibly can from me, ‘kay?”

“Why…?” You ask her. “Wouldn’t it be better if we fought together?”

“Hum… How should I put this…?” Shinobu hums in thought.

“Do it if you don’t wanna die.” Kanao replies, short and rude.

“Yeah, that’s a good way of putting it.” She giggles as she opens the door.

You don’t understand what she means, but you don’t have time to as small light alerts you. You bring your sword forward and unsheath it, and you feel something hit the blade. When you look to the side, there’s a strange looking knife on the floor. Where it hits your nodachi, there’s a small dent. You have a feeling that this is no good and you should worry.

“Greetings.” A pair of identical voices catch your attention as the door fully opens.

In the open garden in front of the mansion, you see a pair of girls with light purple, sharp eyes and short, straight, white hair, using identical kimonos. They were the girls that were with Kagaya and that lady earlier, and they weren’t alone. Around them, there were a dozen or so people using strange black clothes, including masks that hide their faces.

“My, oh, my. If it isn’t the devil’s spawns.” Shinobu said cheerfully as she walked outside. “Tell me, have you gotten lost from your daddy?” Both you and Kanao follow her, the door closing behind you. “We can take you back to him, but you might have to wait a bit before we can send him to the same hell hole you all came from.” The way Shinobu’s voice became cruel and cold gives you chills.

“Silly traitor and your little pets.” One of the girls says.

“You won’t pass tonight.” The other continues.

“Attack!” They say at the same time, and the shadowed figures rush in your direction.

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 17 — Demonic Butterflies

Word Count: 3237

Summary: You accept to meet a group that seems to be trying to cure demons. Clinging to a little hope, you're surprised to meet a group of onis that rebelled against the Demon King, and more: you're not the only one trying to turn a demon back to human.

You stare at the girl in front of you with wide eyes. Her demand was still processing through your head as she looked at you expectantly, with a confident smile on her face.

“Wha… What do you mean…?” You ask her, still unable to wrap your head around what she said.

She was quick to come to you and hold your hands.

“You said that you wanted to turn them back, right? Cure them and make them humans again?” She says, her face uncomfortably close to yours. You pull away a bit before nodding in response. “We’ve been running tests to make a cure! To make any demon back to human!”

Her declaration stuns you. A cure? There was someone really trying to make a cure? Your gaze falls to your feet. Was it really possible?

You wanted your sister and brother to be humans once again, of course. That’s why you endured everything you went through. The final goal in all of your journey. Although you wanted to cut that disgusting face of Ubuyashiki, your ultimate wish was to see your family back to what it was, even if your parents were no longer present. However, you had to admit you were never sure that there was a cure.

No matter how much you wanted it to be true, the Demon Corps have been fighting the onis for centuries, at the very least, and yet no cure was found, not even a hint? That was a thought that you ignored constantly, but that stubbornly remained in the back of your mind. Was there really a cure? Could you really turn them back? In this whole millennia that onis existed, no other demon like your siblings existed and no slayer wanted to bring them to what they were? Were you truly the first case? This doubt haunted you, but only could ignore it because of your intense stress and focus

Now, this girl said that there was a cure, or at the very least, there were people working on one at the moment.

You look at her and with trembling lips, you ask her:

“Really?”

“Yes!” She says, with a confident smile. “It’s not complete yet, but we believe we can do it!” As she says this, she seems to remember something and looks around, her expression turning a bit fearful before she looks at you again. “Look. I can’t tell you much more out here, so I need you to come with me!”

You look at her for a couple seconds before strengthening your resolve and nodding.

“Okay. Lead the way.” You tell her, standing up.

“Good!” She said, letting go of you. “Follow me. We have a safe place away from him!”

You nod once again, before holding Tanjiro’s hand, that holds Nezuko’s. You remember momentarily of how when you were teaching them how to walk down to the village, when your father’s health wasn’t so bad, that you used to go like this: you upfront, Tanjiro in the middle and Nezuko in the back. A smile finds their way to your lips before you start to follow the girl.

The four of you walked around for quite sometime, turning in a couple of alleys and side streets, avoiding the most crowded places. Your brother and sister were more likely to doze off before you all reached your destination. You began to question the girl, if she was trying to deceive you or if she was just lost.

“Here we are.” The girl finally tells you just as you open your mouth.

You look at where you were at, curious about the place, but you couldn’t help the confusion and disappointment that washed over you. The four of you were in an alley that lead to a dead end. There was nothing there, not even one trash can, however you could sense something in the air. A familiar scent. The sweet one you felt when you investigated the place that supposedly the onis you were searching for were seen. As you turn to the girl, you realize that she was missing. She had just disappeared.

“Nezuko, Tanjiro.” Your siblings turned to you at your call, fully waking up. “Did you see where did she go?” Your sister Nezuko nodded before pointing at the wall. “There…?”

Your sister nodded and you turn to the wall at the dead end. You slowly approach the wall, feeling the scent grow stronger in your nose, so strong that was giving you nausea. The wall in front of you looked mostly normal, that was until you touched it and your hand passed by it. The shock makes you stumble on your feet and fall back, and you would be on the floor, if it wasn’t for Tanjiro’s quick thinking and fast catching. You didn’t had time to thank him, as your attention immediately went to your hand, that was looking normal. There wasn’t nothing wrong with it, as if nothing had happened to it at all.

“What in the world…?” You whispered before the humming of your brother reached your ear. “Sorry. Thanks, Tanjiro.” You tell him, patting his head before standing up.

As you turn to face the wall, you notice it flickering, wavering before you realize that there’s a form leaving the wall. In front of you, were a girl, pretty much the age of the one that lead you there and there wasn’t much you could say about her. She looked mostly human, however there were three details you couldn’t over look: the butterfly hairpin on her pigtail, the dark veins showing under the sleeve of her pink kimono and her unnatural white hair and bloodshot red eyes. It wasn’t needed another thought for you to understand that she wasn’t human. Her nauseating bloody scent already did so. With each one of them by your sides, Tanjiro and Nezuko growled at her, their claws growing.

You couldn’t exchange glances with the oni for long before she jumped at you. You draw your sword fast to prepare to fight, but your blade meets metal. You flinch as you notice that the girl had a katana in her hand, an unnaturally pink one.

How…? How did she had a nichirin blade!?

“Stay away!” You tell your siblings that move away from her reach.

You’re retreat a couple meters back to adjust yourself. With your blade pointing at her, the oni seemed to hesitate, tensing her body. Although a dead end, the place was wide enough so you could swing the nodachi easily and without trouble, and she understood this. She was smart. She could see the situation completely and was being cautious.

Just who was she?

“Kanao!” A cry from a familiar voice got both of your attention as the girl that lead you there came out of the strange wall.

“Aoi. Return to the barrier.” The oni in front of you, Kanao said without looking back, her tone monotone. “I’ll deal with this one swiftly.”

“She’s not an enemy! Kanae-san and Shinobu-san want to see her!” The girl, Aoi, screamed back as she rushed to the oni and held her arm back.

She didn’t move the slightest, but the oni’s attention, as bloody eyes met blue ones. The two of them glared at each other intensely while you watched them closely. At the slight sign that this Kanao oni would attack her, you would strike.

“Now now~. That’s enough.” A gentle voice said, getting their attention.

Standing in front of that strange wall, was a pair of woman. One of them had long black hair with gentle eyes while the other, slightly shorter, had a ponytail and blank eyes that had an angry stare. The only two things they had in common were the butterfly hairpin on their hair and their butterfly wings on their back. The taller ones strides in your direction, and you instinctively pointed your blade at her, making Kanao rush to stand between the two of you. You glared at her, but the hand of the tall one was placed on her shoulder.

“Don’t do that, Kanao. She’s a guest.” She says, before turning to you and bowing. “I’m deeply sorry for what happened. Kanao is very keen on protecting us and the little girls. I hope you can understand.” Then, she rose up and smiled at you. “I also wanted to thank you for protecting Aoi. We would never have forgiven ourselves had something happened to her. You have our eternal gratitude.”

You’re caught off guard. You had a demon being polite to you, and not jumping at you for your blood. That was surprising, to say the least, and a little awkward. You put away your blade before bowing.

“I see.” You whisper before bowing to her. “I’m deeply sorry for appearing without any notice.” You tell her, but she giggles.

“There’s no need for apologies. You came to talk, and we were looking for someone like you to talk about this matter.” She said, before turning and pointing at the wall. “Now, let’s get inside, shall we? It’s really not safe here.”

You nod at her, which prompts the oni to walk away. You motion to your siblings to come to your side, and they do, each one of them holding one of your hands. The other three girls follow the one that looks like the eldest, and you watch them pass by the wall. You take a deep breath and walk forwards. When you thought you would simply crash into the wall, you pass by it, just like your hand earlier. A few moments later, you see yourself inan open area with a couple of cherry trees and in the middle of the place, a large house, more like a mansion in a traditional style. But, how could that be? You look back and see the same wall you had just crossed, no sight of the dead end you were in a couple seconds earlier. You didn’t see any cherry tree or the mansion’s roof back there.

“Are you going to just stand there?” The oni with a blank stare asked you, her tone quite cheerful, but that sent chills down your back.

“C-Coming!” You anser her, rushing to the mansion with your siblings right behind you.

She holds the door open for the three of you, closing it after you’ve passed by her. You stop to take off your shoes as to not dirty their house, when you hear a couple gasps. Once you turn, you see three small girls looking at you from a nearby doorframe, quickly hiding once you’ve seen them.

“They are orphans.” The “cheerful”oni said, taking notice of your actions. “Kagaya’s minions killed their families, but Kanao managed to save them a couple months back.” You nod at her before looking momentarily back at the door frame.

Then, you finish taking off your shoes and follow them to a room in the back. You notice how the whole place smells like that flowery scent from before and that all the windows are blocked. It makes sense to you, considering their inhabitants.

“Please, have a seat.” The eldest oni said, montioning for you and your siblings at the large couch. You and Tanjiro sit up, but Nezuko lays down, resting her head on your tight. You smile at her and caress her head. “How interesting.” The oni says, getting your attention. She’s looking at your sister, like someone watching animals interacting in the woods.

“Is… something the matter?” You ask her.

“Your siblings are quite docile.” She said with a smile. “Not exactly a first, but yours are very… child-like?”

“Yeah, I guess so…” You tell her, looking at your siblings.

“Oh, my. Where are my manners!” She says, as if realizing what happened to her. “My name is Kanae. And this are my siblings: Shinobu and Kanao.” She says, montioning to herself, and later to the cheerful demon and the one that attacked you. “And the one who brought you is Aoi.”

“I see. My name is (Y/N) Kamado. And these are my younger siblings, Nezuko and Tanjiro.” You say, introducing yourselves. “Nice to meet you all.”

“Nice to meet you, Kamado-chan.” Kanae says. “Now, I believe you have some questions, don’t you?”

“Y-Yes.” You say, before reaching out for you bag and pulling out the wrapped hairpin. “I believe this is yours?”

“Oh, my. I was wondering where that ended up.” Shinobu said, picking up the hairpin.

“I was sent to search for a group of demons, but I ended up finding Aoi and… that man…” You say, your disgust at mentioning Kagaya visible in your words.

“I see…” Kanae says. “We knew he was searching for us, but I never knew he was around here himself. How unfortunate…” She sighs.

“We’ll have to move out before he finds this place.” Shinobu says with a groan.

“Indeed.” The eldest one said.

“He is… searching for you?” You ask them, hesitating.

“Yes, he is. He never handled with traitors well. He’s usually calm, but can be quite paranoic if things get troublesome.” Kanae says, giggling at the situation.

“Traitors?” You repeat the word, confused.

The eldest oni motions for you to get closer as she leans in from the seat across form you, pointing at her eyes. You lean closer, looking at her intensely, before it changes. Where once there was a fading pink circle, her right eye changes to a kanji: Ka Shi, Lower Four. You jump back, your heart beating fast as she looks at you, her eye changing back to normal.

“Demon Moon.” You whisper as you watch her closely.

“Former Demon Moon, actually.” She says, being quite emphatic on the first words. “We quit a couple decades ago. We were quite lucky to escape from his grasp back then.”

“Why…?” You ask them, confused. “I thought that demons… enjoyed this lifestyle?” You asked them, careful with your words.

“Well… I wouldn’t say you’re wrong.” Kanae said, her tone quite sad.

“Whenever someone turns, his insanity leaks into our minds. So, many of us share the same thoughts of him, of how this kind of life is good.” Shinobu says, before sighing. “Many have a tendency do to evil, but not all are like this. Those who were turned against their will or didn’t know what turning meant to them, they would be insane for quite some time, but eventually, they would become “sober” and realize what they did.” Then, she straights up and points at Nezuko and Tanjiro. “That’s why they are strange.”

“This insanity lasts a long time?” You asked them.

“Not exactly. It usually last a couple hours, a couple days at most.” Kanae explains. “That’s usually more than enough for someone just turned to eat for the first time. That’s what extends the insanity. After that, the demon has to keep eating to maintain their insanity of they don’t have a tendency, or have gone mad themselves.”

“That’s why demons have to eat humans?” You wonder, your voice shivering.

“No, but that easens the process.” She replies. “How much have your siblings ate?”

“...none.” You take your time before answering the question. The silence of the three onis present bother you deeply, so you elaborate. “Tanjiro attacked me when he turned, but he stopped and hasn’t tried anything like that ever since. Nezuko didn’t even attack me, nor anyone back then or ever. These past two years, they were just sleeping. So, it’s safe to say that they’ve never eaten someone.”

“...is that true?” Kanae asks, her voice low.

“Even that other boy had to drink a little of blood, but them…” Shinobu continues, shocked.

“Boy? What boy?” You ask them, looking at them confused, but a bit scared.

Kanae breathes in deeply before continuing.

“Aoi told you that we were trying to develop a cure, right? That’s why you came. To cure them.” She said, to which you nodded. “You are not the only one trying to cure someone. There’s this one man, a slayer like you trying to cure his little sibling.”

“Really!?” You ask her, almost crying out as you stand up. “Who is he?”

“A weirdo.” Shinobu spats, as if bothered by the mere memory of said person.

“He’s quite excentric indeed.” Kanae says, her tone a bit lower. “He didn’t seem to mind giving a bit of blood to his brother every week, if it meant he could.”

“The kid was almost starving when we met. I was surprised how he managed to keep going with so little.” The other oni said.

“Demons can starve to death?” You ask, looking at your siblings. Nezuko had crawled after you stood up and was now cuddling in Tanjiro’s lap.

“Not that we are aware. The hunger only makes us more aggressive, so that we have to hunt to eat.” Kanae says, calming your racing heart. “However, every demon has to eat at least a little bit so they can restore their energy. You see, we modified our bodies so we require less blood to survive. Both Shinobu and I need very little blood to survive and keep our sanity, but Kanao and this boy require even less. So, demons that don’t need either blood or flesh like your siblings is unheard of.”

“My master… He said he thinks my siblings are restoring their energy by sleeping.” You tell them of your uncle’s theory.

“Hum… Yes, that would make sense.” Shinobu said, as if thinking about the theory before turning to you. “Would you mind if I take some samples from them?”

“Samples?” You ask, confused.

“A bit of their blood. I want to check on their condition, and if there’s something I can find out through it.” Shinobu explained, before hesitating. “That is, if you don’t mind.”

You look at your siblings, that were at your side. Tanjiro was braiding Nezuko’s hair, who was playing with his scarf, both stoping to look at you once they notice you looking at them. You smile at them before turning to them.

“Okay. You can take some samples.”

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 16 — Demons in Tokyo

Word Count: 3184

Summary: You killed your first demon, officially at least. However, a Demon Slayer has no time to rest and you're quickly sent to another city to hunt demons. As you get there, you have your most meaningful encounters yet.

The travel to Tokyo takes two days from the town you were previously. The journey was pretty uneventful, except for an unknown oni strying to sneak you from the woods. You should've taken longer to get there, but fortunately, you met a kind man pulling a wagon that gave you a ride, so you managed to get at the city by noon of the second day. The imposing forests you were used to gave place to large plains that were over taken by many houses, but soon those houses grew so tall and high that you felt as if they could scratch the sky. To you, who lived your whole life on the country side, those "houses" were more like mountains.

As the sun was still high in the sky, and (C/N) warned you that no one believed in demons in the big cities anymore, there was no point in you asking around about that. All you could do was walk in the places where those demons were seen by other people in the corps. Unfortunately, though, they left no trace behind. Even their smells were faint. So, the only thing you could do was walk around the city, hoping that you would her some commotion and head there immediately.

It was strange though. In a big city like this, it would be hard for a demon to hide, since most of them were deformed. This deformation either happens during transformation or after, once they eaten enough people. While it wasn't impossible that a demon maintained their human form or had the ability change their physical body at will, both cases were very rare, being the only currently known example the Demon King himself. So you found it amusing that a demon managed to hide so well among people and wasn't caught yet, as well as didn't cause any rukus. It was a big city, a highly populated area. Althought there were many alleys, with so many people, it would be difficult to kill, eat and hide a body without being seen. Just how did a group of demons managed to hide for this long in here?

“This is really something that should be assigned to a single person?” You ask yourself, sitting in a park bench as you look up in the sky. You had walked for quite sometime now, and you couldn't help, but think that the oni was quite smart for themselves. You sigh and close your eyes, but soon feel a sting in your forehead, making them open again, and see (C/N) looking down at you. “Let me rest a bit. The sun hasn't set yet. Once it goes down, I'll chase them.” It wouldn't take too long, though as the sky was already in a shade of orange and would soon turn dark

“There is a new spot where an oni was seen! Go investigate!” (C/N) said, looking at you.

“You're quite a bossy bird, did you know that?” You complained before standing up. “So, where's this new spot?”

(C/N) flew off, but stayed in a low flight, so you could follow them. You, for the uptenth time on the day, navigated through an endless crowd of people that seemed to push you to different directions, but you managed to resist them and follow your crow that, finally lead you to an alley, where you could escape the crowd. You continued to walk deeper and deeper into the complicate maze that was Tokyo, but you soon found the place that the supposed oni was seen.

You were in a space in between buildings, with only trash and some pipes going around. If was a bit messy, but you had found other places like those, and the only thing you could tell was that it was just a little bit messier than the others and there was an strange sweet scent. Something that reminded you of the field of flowers in full bloom at the mountain that your family lived. You remembered of a rather strange spider lily that had a blue color, unlike all others, but the smell wasn't of that flower. It was something else. You look around, trying to find the source of that smell.

While you looked around and was unable to find the source, you found a colorful thing tossed to the ground. Hidden in the shade, was a butterfly hairpin with quite some strands of hair still wrapped around it. As you tried to pick it up...

“Ouch!” You take your hand back and look at your fingers. Your fingertips felt like burning, as if touching hot water, but worse.

“Venom!” (C/N) cried out as they landed by my side. “Demon's Venom!”

“What...?” You look back again to the hairpin. Could it be a demon ability? It wasn't to far stretch to assume that. The one you met at the last town could melt into the shadows. For one to use venom wasn't too unthinkable. You search between your things for a cloth, that you use to wrap up the hairpin and avoid touching it. As you noticed it didn't affect it, you put it away. “At the very least, this proves that there are demons here.” And if one of them has venom related powers that would explain how they managed to act without being spotted.

“Ah-!” You hear a gasp from nearby and you quickly turn.

A couple meters away from you, you see a girl with twin pigtails in a blue dress. She had a strange scent; a mix of flowers and medicine. You take your time to look at her for a bit long, and then notices something: her pigtails are tied with butterfly hairpins!

“Hey, you!” You called her, but she quickly turned and ran off.

Cussing under your breath, you stand up and rush after her. More than once, she made turns and rushed through a densely moving crowd. She should be used to navigate in this town, and your tiredness from walking so much during the day and carrying a huge box like you were doing were posing as problems that would slow anyone down. However, you had your training backing you up. Walking around town wasn't that tiring anymore, and you were already learning how to walk around with your siblings on your back. It was only a matter of time before you caught up to her.

Once again, she turns to a street and ran in the middle of a crowd, and you followed suit. You saw her looking over her shoulder to see you only a couple meters behind her, but thanks to that she didn't see where she was going to and bumped into someone and fell to the ground. You slowed down and crouched down to her side.

“Are you okay?” You asked her, with worry in your voice, but already putting a tight grip on her shoulder to prevent her from running off again.

The girl turned to look at you, but something else attracted her eyes, and when she did, her skin instantly turned pale. You didn't understand, so you followed her gaze and your red eyes met lilac ones.

Standing above you, you saw a tall man with very white skin, straight black hair that ended around his shoulders, and used a white suit with black details and a hat in the same pattern. Being crouched at his side, you couldn't help but feel so small under his gaze, that felt glassy, misty, unfocused, and still retained a beautiful shade of light purple. As you stared a couple seconds at him, you finally felt a scent. A familiar scent. A disgusting scent. One that brought you sadness. One that gave you anger. It was the same. It was the same scent you felt at your house, that belonged to the demon. That attacked your family. And it came from here.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki. In flesh. Right on front of you.

Your heart races sharply and sweat covers the palm of your hand.

It was him.

The man- no. The MONSTER that destroyed your family.

This was the god-damned creature you had to kill.

‘...your life is far more precious than some stupid revenge.’

“Ah! I'm so sorry, sir!” You exclaim, getting the attention of everyone around. You bowed deeply. “My younger sister dirtied your white suit! I'm really sorry!”

No...

It wasn't time yet...

You were in the middle of a crowd, and there wasn't any other demon slayer in the city, as much as you were aware. Should you reveal to know who he was, it would take nothing for him to kill everyone there, yourself included. As much as you wanted to kill him...

‘Run if you have to; just don't throw your life away.’

Your uncle was right. There was nothing you could do to him now, by yourself. As much as you wanted to take revenge, right now it would be no different than to throw your life away.

“I'm truly sorry, sir!” The girl you were chasing off followed you and kneeled in front of the man to ask for forgiveness. “My sister and I were playing tag, but I wasn't paying attention where I was going to! I'm deeply sorry, sir!”

“I should have payed more attention to her! Please, don't punish her! Punish me instead!” You begged, trying to get the demon's attention onto yourself.

You could feel the people staring at you and hear their unending whispers. Now, what would happen next was up to him, but you felt comfortable, as much as you could in that situation.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki. The most wanted demon in all of Demon Corps, however his encounters with any members where rare, and any that happened had only one of two possible endings: death by his hands, or treason by turning into a demon. Finding him here without any other member around, by mere luck, means one thing: he's hiding, and intends staying this way. Doing anything right now would give the Demon Corps hints of how to find him. So, if he wanted to remain hidden, as you were thinking, then there was only one thing to do.

After waiting for what felt for an eternity, you see the man kneeling in front of you. As his hand touches your shoulder, you have to fight the urge to throw up.

“Please, don't say that. Stand up, both of you.” His voice is linda and soothing, so unlike what you thought you would hear from the person so called the Demon King. You stand up and look at the man, who was looking at you both with gentle eyes and a small smile, in a way that reminded you of your father. Once again you have to give your all to not throw up or show disgust in front of him. “Children like you shouldn't have to apologize for something like that. I just have to wash the suit, so don't you worry.” He said as naturally as breathing, as if it was something he thought. Liar.

“Dear? Is something wrong?” A new voice gets your attention.

Turning your head, you see a woman that looked like around the age of your late mother, wearing fine clothes that you and your family would never be able to afford back at your mountain. Holding each of her hands, was a pair of girls with straight, short, white hair and and eyes that looked much like the ones from the demon in front of you. Your muscles tense as you recognize the scent you felt from him. Blood. Those two girls were demons tok, but not the woman. She was human. a normal human.

“No, honey. It's okay.” The Demon King said, putting some of her hair begins her ear.

You wanted to scream, to push him away from her, tell her to get away from them, warn everyone of the danger they were in, but....!

Kagaya turns to you and the girl by your side.

“I accidentally bumped into these two girls, and they were apologizing for dirtying the suit. I was just telling them there was nothing to worry about.” He says as he looks at you two with the same disgusting smile.

You couldn't do anything, not without endangering everyone around younot without putting the lives of Nezuko and Tanjiro at risk. Your hands were tied and you lips sealed the truth. In that situation, silence and ommision were your best, and only option, watching the scene unfolding, without doing anything; you were unable to, anyway. However, you were barely able to keep yourself calm. You couldn't stay there any longer.

“It seems like we took too much of your time, sir. We'll excuse ourselves.” You say, getting their attention before bowing. “Once again, I'm deeply sorry for the suit, sir.” You tell him, the girl at your side repeating your words and motion before you grab her hand and start to drag her out of that place.

You mind is restless as the world seems to silence and turn dark. The only thing you could see was yourself and the demon you were leaving behind. The demon you were after. The one you wanted to kill the most. You found him, but you couldn't do anything.

Not now. Not alone.

This time, you would accept to turn a "blind eye" and leave. You won't do anything against him, right now.

It was not the time yet, nor the place.

You don't know when you're going to have another chance to find him, but you know that there will be a time when you will stand in front of each other, face to face, one against the other. You will met again, and you'll wait, for as long as it takes, untill you get a chance to kill that demon. That was your promise.

Once you and the girl sit on a bench in a side way, it's only then that you notice that the night had already fallen. It must have happened at some point in your chase for the girl, but you were so focused that you didn't realize the fact. Looking momentarily at the main street, you see the dark skies lighten as they approached the large buildings. The light was so strong you had mistaken the night for day. It also helped in your surprise once seeing the Demon King in front of you, but all was explained now.

Finally, you look at the girl by your side, who still had a tight grip on you hand and you could feel her shaking. If that wasn't enough to tell you how she was, then the widen stare at the floor and her panicked breathing were.

“It's okay. You're safe here.” You tell her, with a calm voice, your hands moving to hold her shaking one between them, slightly tight to offer some comfort.

“No... I'm not....” She says under her breath. “Now, he knows we're here... He'll come after us for sure... He'll kill all of us...”

“Why would the Demon King want to kill you?” You ask her.

That seems to snap her out of her trance, as she quickly turns to you with a shocked gaze. She immediately tries to stand up, but your hands were still holding hers, so it's futile. She sits back down, and she avoids your gaze.

“What are you doing here, slayer...?” She asks lowly.

“I received a report of a group of demons walking around Tokyo.” You tell her. You needed her trust, and hiding and lying would do you no good. “I was investigating an area where they were supposedly seem to track them down.”

“Then, you have no reason to keep me here.” She says, before glaring at you. “Let me go.”

“No. Not until you tell me why you ran away when you saw I had the hairpin.” You tell her, and you feel her shaking.

“Then you'll die of old age, since I'm not telling you never.” She snaps back, grinning think that would make you give up.

“Fine by me. I can be very patient.” You tell her with a smile.

You hear her groan, and you know you got her off guard. You just had to press her a little bit more. You were about to open your mouth when you heard a sound behind you. That's when it clicks you that you were carrying your siblings with you all the time and you were literally running and jumping after the girl. The two of them crawl out of the box in their baby form. Tanjiro is quick to get to his normal height while Nezuko comes to you with teary eyes. You let go of the girl and put your sister on your lap, who hides her face in your shoulder and starts hitting you with her baby fists. They hurt, especially because she was an oni, but you hid you pain.

“Sorey, Nezuko. I forgot you weren't used to that.” You tell her, while patting her back. “Please forgive me.”

You turn to your brother, who was staring at the path you came down from. You knew your brother eversince he was a baby, ever so calm and gentle, but the way veins popped up from his body, his low groans, the way his eyes were widen and predatory, you couldn't help but glup. You never saw your brother like this, not even when he attacked you all those years ago. You wonder what was making him like this, and you remember, shortly after, what it was. You brother had a very sharp nose and was back home when your family was attacked: he smelled Kagaya when you met him earlier.

“Tanjiro.” You call him, holding his hand.

You touch drags his attention to you. His light red eyes stare at your own for a moment before softening. As the two oldest, you learned how to speak with the least amount of words, or even with just a few glances. He knew what you wanted, thought and felt with just a shared gaze. He wouldn't do anything reckless. That much you were sure.

“Impossible...” The girl's voice reminds you of her presence. “They are onis... Why are you...”

“They're my siblings. Kagaya turned them against their will.” You tell her before looking at Nezuko that was looking at you with her very big eyes. You smiled at her as you patted her head. “I intend to make them turn normal. No matter what.”

Silence takes place for a moment before you hear the girl standing up, turning to you.

“Please! Come with me!” She says. “We can help you!”

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 15 — The Onis And The Demon Slayer

Word Count: 2620

Summary: Your first job as a Demon Slayer is against a demon that brought sadness to another family, like it happened to your own two years ago. Your first official fight and your first official kill.

“That we'll see, demon.” You tell them, despite not being able to see them anymore. Without no other word, you close your eyes.

Breathe in.

Your senses heighten and your focus sharpen.

Breathe out.

Everything unnecessary is thrown away. All sounds are silenced and all scents fade away. Even sensations, such as the cold breeze on your skin and your heart's fast pacing melt into nothing.

Breathe in.

You feel the weight of your long sword, your hands holding it tight.

Breathe out.

Your grip loosens at the same time as the heaviness in your lessens.

There's only you, your sword and the demonic presence lurking somewhere nearby.

Breathe in.

Your eyes shot open when their scent becomes stronger and you trust your blade as sparkles surround it.

“Stardust Breathing! Fourth Form!” You can barely see a shadow forming on the ground, from the middle of the three brothers, what were back to back. They startle at your actions, but that takes them away from the oni, and you can finish them once you feel your sword hitting their flesh. “Morning Star!” with a quick swing you cut their flesh, sending their head flying.

You smile at yourself for your victory, but once you look up, you notice how the shape feels... Odd. Looking for a bit longer, you realize that the severed part wasn't the head, but an arm. A bait!

The scent grows stronger once again, now right behind you. You only have time to turn your head and see his claws at inches from your eyes. You wouldn't have time to react, to fight back. That would be your end...

Or, at least, that should be what the oni was thinking.

Faster than them can think, the door on the box on your back swings open and the oni is hit, thrown meters away from you. You catch a glimpse of a green blur rushing towards them and the sound of something falling to the ground. You can deduce very quickly what was going on, especially thanks to the lightness on your back.

“Tanjiro!” You call your brother, but couldn't get to him, as Nezuko prevented you from doing so. You can only watch as he runs up to the demon and tries to punch them. The oni quickly reacts and hides once again in the shadows, only leaving your brother to punch and crack the ground with his now inhuman strength. “Tanjiro! Get back here! Now!” You tell him and he quickly rushes to your side, still looking all around to where the demon could be. “Nezuko, Tanjiro. Stay close, please.” You ask them, your attention never wavering, your hands still gripping your sword.

“I know I should have asked for your permission first, (Y/N), but I took the liberty to do something for the sake of your siblings.” You remember uncle saying this once you woke up after returning from the Final Selection. “I used a little trick over these years to induce a couple messages in your siblings' mind. This may come handing later on.”

You felt the scent growing stronger, but Nezuko acted first, rushing to the brothers, grabbing them and pulling them away. Missing a couple seconds, a pair of arms hit nothing, where once they were.

‘Humans are your family. Protect humans.’

Tanjiro followed suit, jumping high in the air and coming crashing down on the ground, with a powerful kick, that destroyed the surrounding area. The scent of blood reaches your blood, but you know it isn't your brother's.

‘Demons are your enemy. Never show any forgiveness to any demon that hurts another human.’

A painful scream fills the air and the demon is forced out of the shadows, leaning on to the. You take this as an opportunity to strike, breathing in deeply as you shift the blade on your hands.

“Stardust Breathing: First Form!” The distance between the two of you is quickly closed, sparkles faaling where you passed. “Brightest Star at Night!” Your blade moves quickly swiftly cutting him by their chest, but soon one cut splits and becomes more. “Rising Sirius!”

Their limbs are sliced off, and deep cuts are made in their face and torso, but their neck is left unscathed, except for the tip of your blade that touches the skin, making a little bit of blood pour.

“W-Why...” They ask. “Why are onis and... a damned slayer-” The oni tries to speak, but you press the blade harder on their neck, silicong them.

“I'll the one making the questions. Not the other way around.” You tell him, your tone emotionless, as if you were talking to the air. In the little light that there is, it's possible to see them shiver at your words. “First question: is there anyway to make an oni turn back to a human?” Their eyes seemed to grow wide at your question, but that's only for a moment, as they began to chuckles.

“So... that's what it is-” They stop once again as the pressure on their neck rises once more. “I don't know... Why should I?! This body is a blessing! A blessing I tell! Why would anyone turn back?! Only an idiot would do so!”

You could only sigh. Their opinion couldn't matter less to you, however, there were truths in his words. Turning to a demon gives many benefits to those who turn, in exchange to being unable of walking under daylight and limiting your feeding options. It makes sense that no demon should know how to turn someone back. Who would want that? However, if you were to give up on the very first obstacle, then you wouldn't be standing here.

“Then, I'll ask one that you should be able to answer.” You tell them, pressing the tip of the blade harder on their flesh. “What do you know of Kagaya Ubuyashiki?”

As soon as those words leave your mouth, you felt their body tense. With the little light that was coming from the three brothers, you could see their eyes going wide and their mouth opening and closing. Althought you could be sure, you felt as if their already pale skin had become more white. This only last for a few seconds as their face changes, muscles and facial traits turning into something hard to describe. It gave you the same feeling of those demonic masks from wandering theaters, twisted in anger and wrath.

“You dare...” Their voice has become deeper and rougher, sending chills down your spine.

In your head, there's only one thought: RUN! Your instincts kick in, making you quickly take a couple steps back to get away from their reach, but in a blink of an eye, their face is right in front of yours, their regrown claws gripping tightly to your flesh. If it wasn't for your uniform, you were certain that they would have drawn blood.

“You dare!” They scream at you as they push youw ith great strength to the ground.

“(Y/N)!” You hear the triplets calling you, but their cries are soon muffled, and you're thrown in the darkness. All that your eyes can see is the oni approaching their face to bite you.

You put your blade between you and their teeth, that scratch against the metal, but don't touch you in any way. That's not enough, however, as you feel their grip growing tighter and their face pushing closer to yours, their teeth biting harder your sword. In that angle, it was just a matter of time before they managed to break your sword. You were trying to think of a way, a mean to escape that situation, and your time was running out.

Just as your arms began to shake at the strength of that oni when you feel them press their body against yours, their hold on you loosening and their mouth gasping as it lets go of your sword. You don't even try to understand what was going on; you had to get out and that was your chance. One of your hands push them away and the other slashes their neck, blood splashing in your face. They groan and cover their wound, which you take the opportunity to kick them, as harder as you can. Your strength sends them flying against the darkness, that shatters and you feel as if you had been spit out.

Despite that, you still focus on the oni. Given their reaction, you had no reason to keep them alive. They wouldn't answer you. You watch as the demon tried to fall on their fits, but you saw a black and green blur moving towards them. Tanjiro kicked them on their face, destroying their balance. Another chance. You breathe in, adjusting the blade in your hands.

“Stardust Breathing! First Form!” You close the distance between both of you. “Brightest Star At Night!” You blade flies towards them, only to split. “Rising Sirius!” Their neck is cut clean, and their body follows suit, slashed to shreds. The pieces of the oni fall to the ground, unable to do anything else.

You sigh as quick steps make their ways to you, to which you turn. Your brother's kind, pale red eyes are wide open, looking at your body up and down, touching at places that seemed even the slightest bit dirty, to check if you were okay. You notice his right hand was hurt and dripping blood. Looking away to the wall the oni had pushed you into, you see a fist-sized hole with large cracks surrounding it, with something dripping from it. You can't help the tiny smile that makes their way to your lips as you turn back to Tanjiro, who was still checking on you. You hold his hands, getting his attention.

“I'm okay, Tanjiro. They didn't hurt me, thanks to you.” You tell him, making him close his eyes and let out a happy sound. “However, you should be less careless with yourself.” You say as you pick a handkerchief and clean the blood of his hand. The injury isn't too deep as you thought, but then again, onis can heal themselves pretty quickly. “I know you're stronger now, but so am I. Be more careful next time.” You tell him, to which he nods, right before he goes limp in front of you.

You are quick to pick him before he hits the ground, and fear washes over your body before you hear his soft breathing. You sigh in relief.

“Is he okay?” You hear one of the triplets say. You turn to them, that are now by your side along with Nezuko.

“He is. He's just resting.” You tell them as you slip the box from your back. “It was the way they found to live without killing anyone.”

“So... They're...” Jiro asks, taking a step back.

“They were turned against their will.” You told them as you adjust Tanjiro in your arms. “Smaller, Tanjiro. Smaller.” You tell him, and after a few seconds he shrinks to his tiny form. You hear surprised gasps from the brothers, bout you say nothing as you place your baby brother into the box. You turn to Nezuko, that's looking at you with expectant eyes, and you can't help but chuckle. “You also did great, Nezuko. Thank you very much.” You tell her as you pat her. She makes a cute sound of happiness before she shrinks and enters the box. In there, you see her cuddling up to your brother and quickly falling asleep. You sigh as you close the box.

“They're... different...” You hear one of the brothers say, but it was neither Ichiro or Jiro. You turn to Saboru, who was looking at you. “They are... kind...” He tells you and you nod.

“Yes, they are.” You agree, before putting the box back on. You look at them, and bow your head. “I'm sorry. I couldn't save your sister.”

“Don't... You did... your best... You're... the ones... that failed...” Saboru said, looking down, his brothers following suit. You look at them for a moment before talking.

“Don't be so hard on yourselves.” You tell them, who looked at you and saw a tiny smile, not of joy, but of something else. “I know what you feel. I also blamed myself for what came to these two, and for the other four.” Your words seem shock them, but they couldn't understand why you were smiling. “It was a long way, but I understood that there wasn't nothing I could do, even if I was with them. So, I decided to move forward.” Your smile grew wider as you looked at them. “I may not have know her, but I'm pretty sure that your sister is glad that the three of you are safe and managed to save another girl from the same fate. And she wouldn't want you to give up on live, because of her, but the opposite: to live because of her.” You sheathe your sword. “I promised that I would take care of my siblings after my parents died, and I'll do anything in my power to bring these two back to what they were. This is what allowed me to keep living on despite it all. Maybe... You could find something like that too.”

A deep silence falls between all of you as the sun rises. You don't say anything as you turn and walks down the street. There was nothing else to be said. As someone who suffered the same, this was the most you could offer in terms of comfort. Like you said, you didn't know her nor did you know them, but if she was someone good like you heard around, you could suppose what she would say. If you were in her place, if she truly loved her brothers, she would wish only the best for her. Regardless, you couldn't tell people who to live their life. The path they took from here on out was entirely up to them.

All these thoughts run through your mind as you walk, staring at the floor, but that's when you noticed a moving shadow. You raise your head and see a familiar white crow flying in circles around you. (C/N) comes down and lands on your shoulder.

“Cawmado (Y/N)! Your next destination is Tokyo Prefecture! Head there immediately!” The crow says.

“Already? I've only just finish this mission!” You told them.

“No! No waiting! A group of demons is hiding there! They must be dealt immediately!” The crow says before flying off.

You can only sigh as you follow the bird, but thanks to that, you see a girl sit on a close rooftop. She was really young, younger than you, wearing a very beautiful blue kimono and a flower hairpin. You two exchanges looks before she smiled and mouthed something, without speaking:

‘Thank you.’

After that, she disappeared of you sight, fading in the golden sky. It takes a moment for you to process what happened, but you smile painfully when you do.

“You're welcome, Hatsue.” You tell her before continuing your walk.

Your next destination was Tokyo.

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 14 — First Assignment

Word Count: 3014

Summary: You finally learned the name of the one responsible for the tragedy of your family. The feelings it evokes on you are... indescribable. None the less, you leave your family once more, to take on the role you worked so hard to reach. On northwest, a tragic family meets another.

You were traveling to the northwest town, closely following (C/N), that was flying right ahead of you to show you the path. You could hear your siblings' peaceful snores on the box you were carrying on your back. Thanks to your training, and lifestyle of carrying charcoal up and down the mountain you all grew up in, they felt as if they weight nothing. However, your thoughts weren't on the mission right ahead of you, nor on your siblings, that you have "been away" for two years. It was on your uncle's words when you left his house.

Your siblings made a line up in front of the house for them to tell the three of you goodbye. Takeo and Shigeru were more understanding and Hanako complained about being the only girl left and feeling lonely, but knew what needed to be done. Rokuta broke your heart the most, begging you, Nezuko and Tanjiro to not leave, rivers of tears running down his eyes. You were barely present in his life for the last two years, and he had grown used to your presence in the last couple of weeks; you leaving now, for God knows how long? He couldn't accept it. You had to put him to sleep before handing him to your other siblings.

Finally, it was your uncle's turn. He didn't say nothing at first, just fixing your uniform and the straps that held the box to your back. His dark eyes looked at your red ones for a short while before he hug you. At first, you thought he was showing off his care and worry for you, until he whispered to your ear.

“There's one more thing I need to tell you.” He said, being careful to not be heard by your siblings. “Aizetsu told me that on the night your family was attacked and you two met, he was with somebody, that recognized the oni that attacked your family. The oni your looking for is the one who fathered the whole demon race: Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the Demon King.” You felt chills run down your spine as you heard that name. Your uncle and Aizetsu had told you about the Demon King and his elite of demons, but you never expected to be so closely related to any of them. “I know that you also want to avenge your mother, but I beg you: don't be reckless. You have your siblings to cure and others waiting to have the three of you back in their lives. Even if you, by any chance, come across him, don't fight him. You won't be able to do nothing against him on your own, and your life is far more precious than some stupid revenge. Run if you have to; just don't throw your life away.”

His words still echoed in your mind as you walked a long road to your destiny. For some reason, the name of the Demon King was cried out loud in your head ever since you left your uncle's house.

Something about it made you disgusted.

Something about it made your blood boil.

Something about it... made you want to run the whole of Japan until you found him and kill him with your bare hands.

You didn't know what this feeling was. You had never felt something like this, not when you learned your auntie killed her children, who you considered your friends, and not when you decided to find the demon that attacked your family before you learned of his name.

You couldn't explain why you felt this way, or why this feeling felt older than time itself. You just knew what it felt like.

Only the worried gaze of your uncle and siblings seemed to contain this burning feeling on your just. But only a little bit.

You reach the northwest town before sunset. You look around, seeing people lead their lives. At a first sight, it would seem like a peaceful town, but your instincts are saying the opposite. With a closer look, it's possible to see people walking in groups. The women and girls are looking fearful while the men carry a very badly hidden anger in their eyes, as if they could kill anyone and anything. Knowing the true culprit behind the disappearances, you know that they could barely do anything to it even if they caught it red-handed. A newly transformed demon is not to take lightly for someone without training and one that has eaten as many people as the one from this town is something only a slayer like you can deal with.

You walk around a bit more before you see a group of three young men with long hair. They seemed beat down, in more than one sense. The bruises on their arms is evident even under their sleeves, but it's the dark circles under their lifeless eyes that tell you that something was up with them.

“What's up with those three?” You heard a voice nearby. “They aren't running around causing trouble today.” You look and see a group of grown ups talking among themselves.

“Don't you know? Their younger sister disappeared last night.” A second one said.

“What? Really?” The first one asked.

“I'm surprised you don't know.” A third one said. “They were knocking every door this night, asking if anyone saw their sister. It seems like they were bringing her home when she vanished.” They chuckled. “Honestly, it was a really ridiculous sight.”

“The three of them were with her and it still happened to her?!” The first one exclaimed.

“Shhhhh! They are right beside us, you idiot!” The second one said, looking at the trio that had dark expressions on their faces.

“Honestly, I think that's karma.” The third one said, turning their eyes to them. “Those three have been nothing but throuble since them moved to our town. Now they're getting what they deserve.”

“Maybe, the culprit was their victim and targeted their sister to teach them a lesson.” The first one said with an evil grin on his lips.

“It's such a shame, though. Their sister was such a sweetheart. But, none of the girls that disappeared was seen again. They might as well be dead.” The second one said before sighing. “I feel bad for her.”

“I don't.” The third one said. “She was still young, but I don't doubt that she would turn exactly like those three. Or even worse. It's only expected, coming from such a family.”

You couldn't help the disgust that emerged from you as you heard those words, but you couldn't do nothing as a person passed by you, pushing you to the side and walked towards them. It was one of the three brothers. He grabbed them by them clothes and lifted them.

“Listen to me, you bastard!” He screamed at them, making the person shriek. “I don't give two fucks about what you say about us! But one more word about our sister, and you're fucked! You hear me?!”

“Hey! You two! Stop!” You cry out loud, pushing both away from one another. “And you!” You point at one of the other people there. “Put that away, or I'll make you do so!” You glare at them, which prompts them to drop a knife they had hidden. “Don't you have no shame? You insult their family and when they get angry, you go and try to kill them?” They can't face your gaze and look away. “If you're such aware of the circumstances, then at the very least apologize for what you've said.”

The three of them looked at each other before apologizing and quickly running off. You sigh in relief that the situation was solved.

“Hey.” You heard someone talking at your side, and you saw the three brothers in front of you. Now that you could see them together, you could tell that they were identical, triplets. They were back to their down selves, but were silently sharing looks before they talked again. “We... Huh... We would like to... properly thank you for... helping us. What's your name?”

“It's (Y/N) Kamado, but you don't need to thank me.” You tell them.

“But Hatsue said we should always thank when helped, so...” One of them said.

“Is Hatsue your sister?” You asked them. They flinch at it, and you can only sigh. “I came here to help, so if you could take me to where you saw your sister last, I could try to find her.”

“For real?!” Two of them exclaimed, but the third one didn't say anything, just showing surprise.

“Yes. I won't say it's certain, but there's still a chance we can save her. So please, tell me what you know.” You plead.

The three brothers exchanged one more look before turning to you and nodding.

The day had ended before you could notice it.

You were guided by the triples to the place they had last saw their sister, where she disappeared. The eldest, Ichiro, did most of the talking, explaining that they were going back home after spending her birthday playing by the river when she disappeared. The middle one, Jiro, told you that he was holding her hand, but that in the moment he let go of her, she was gone within a second. The youngest, Saburo, had yet to say a word, just staying in silence the whole time. They seemed uncomfortable telling you what had happened to them, as it sounded absurd and no one had believed them. You don't blame them, nor the people who didn't believe them. Had you not had a previous experience with onis, you wouldn't have believed them either.

“I believe you. I'll help you find your sister and the culprit.” Your words seemed to calm them, at least in the beginning.

As hours passed, you walked around the town. You stopped by a couple of places around the place, with people looking at you ⁰ as you stopped to check on something that seemed invisible to all but you, or to sniff around. You felt the glare of the brothers on your back, but you said nothing, just walking around the town, finding trails of the oni. By their scent, you could tell that it truly had quite the number on his list. Maybe it was too late to save her, but you couldn't let go of the chance even of it was this small. Besides, you had to kill the oni, so no more victims were made.

“Aren't you tired?” Ichiro asked you. “It's late. We should continue searching tomorrow.”

Turning to him, you could see his expression turned into one of worry, but you just shook your head, with serious eyes.

“If we rest now, someone else will be targeted by the one responsible for these disappearances. It might even become too late to save your sister.” You tell them, making their eyes go wide. “Besides, they're only active at night, so this is the only time we have to find and get rid of them.”

“Do you even have any idea of who they are actually, woman?” Jiro asked, clearly annoyed if his tone was any indication.

“I wouldn't be here if I didn't know what they are.” You tell them, your tone colder than the night's air.

You continue looking, paying no mind to them, until you sniff the air again. Your body freezes and your heart beats faster as the scent felt much more stronger than before. It acted. Your body reacta instantly, jumping to a nearby wall and then to a roof of a house. From the higher ground you have a better view from the city, already asleep except for a couple of residents. You sniff the air again, closing your eyes and heightening your senses. You feel their scent, just a couple streets over.

Without wasting anytime, you rush towards the origin, leaving behind the triplets that cry out to you, calling you, asking questions, but a second of hesitation is all that's needed for a life to be lost, and you have none to spare. You dash through the roofs and the top of the walls, until you see it: a weird shadow rushing through the walls, yet with no body to cast it. The scent is strong and there's no doubt: that's a demon and with a special ability of their own. You jump down to the street, unsheathing your swords in the process and adjusting in your hands.

“Concentrate. Stardust breathing.” You breathe in deeply, analyzing the shadow. It had a weird shape. You couldn't imagine a person with that shape, but as you saw with your auntie, demons can deform when they've eaten plenty of people, so it wasn't impossible to imagine a deformed demon like that. However, there's another possibility: that the demon was carrying someone. That and the mixed scents you felt gave you a clearer picture of what you were dealing with, and where and how to hit. “Fourth Form: Morning Star!”

You thrust your sword into the shadow, where you picture it to be the neck of the oni. The shadow stopped moving and you heard something that was a mix of a gasp and a groan. Then, you finish the job slicing the "neck". The shadows undo themselves, revealing a pale figure with a limp body on their grasp. A girl! You reach out to her clothing and pull her away from them, who falls to the ground with their hands holding their neck.

“Hurts! It hurts!” They scream, quickly crawling away from you.

Your sword is pointed at them, as a mean to be sure it won't attack you as your eyes scan the girl's body. She's unconscious, but doesn't seem like she was hurt anywhere. You too don't feel any scent of blood, so that's a relief.

“(Y/N)!” You hear the voice of one of the triplets. You look behind to see them rushing towards you, but they stop once their eyes find the fallen demon.

“What the fuck is that...” Jiro asks, with his hands shaking.

“You... BASTARDS!” The oni cried before they touch the wall and turn into shadows again. You try to hit him, but with an unconscious girl on your arms and your sword, despite long, having no strength behind it, you end up just hitting the air.

“It disappeared!” Ichiro cries in surprise.

“Not exactly!” You tell them, before standing up, with the girl in your arms and rushing to them. Your eyes are focused on the shadow of the clone, that quickly moves around, and smash the nearby lamp posts, diving the street in the darkness of the night and merging their shadow with it. The only light that that's left is coming from one of the brothers, Saburo, who's holding a portable lantern. “Here.” You tell one of them, you can't see which and you don't have time to identify them either. “Hold her and stay close to me. As long as you do that, I promise to protect you.”

“O-Okay.” You hear them replying.

You focus around. With their presence, the lantern can barely light them, casting your shadows on the floor and the wall, where the oni was hidden somewhere.

“You better not run. You won't make it.” You warn the oni, but you know they're not trying to run, since their scent hadn't moved at all, but you wanted to make them appear, so you were trying to taunt them. “I have a couple questions for you, and you'll answer them.”

“Arrogant... Too arrogant...” You heard the oni's voice and you immediately knew where it was coming from.

Wielding your long sword, you rush around the three brothers, to slashing the darkness behind one of them. You feel your blade stop momentarily before moving more slowly, followed by a cry of pain. The brothers react to your actions and their movement allows the light to be cast over the oni, who had their shoulder slashed up to the middle of their chest.

“I said I would protect them. Don't turn me into a liar, demon.” You warn them as they groan, adjusting your sword in hand. “Now, tell me: where are all the girls that you kidnapped?” Your hand holds tighter to the weapon, in response for your anxiousness, which only heightens once the oni gives you a crooked smile.

“You know where they are, girl.” They tell you. “You know what happens when a oni hunts a human. Why waste time, when that will only let them spoil?” They say, before pointing at the brothers, or more specifically, at the girl with them. “Give me that girl, now! She'll spoil soon enough, and I want to make sure I savored her before then!”

No other word is needed.

The fate of those girls, including the triplets' sister, was clear to you now.

The temptation of killing them was high, but a hand was placed on your heart calming you down. You still had other two questions for them. After that, you didn't need to hesitate any longer.

“You'll have to get past me to touch any of them.” You tell them, breathing in deeply, prepared to react.

“Then, I shall savor you first, girl.” They replied, melting back into the shadows.

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 13 — The Color Changing Katana

Word Count: 3559

Summary: You did it. You put an end to the tragedy that followed those you began to call family. You returned to your family, both old and new. However the two years and the struggling week among demons, were only the first step. A long road awaits you, but for now you receive your reward: a colorful blade heavy with meanings.

“I’m almost done… And… There it is.” Hanako cries with a proud smile as she leaves your back, smiling proudly. “Did you like it, sis?”

You look at the river close to the stone you’re sit in, and watch your reflection on the water. There, you can see your sister’s hard job on your hair. She was saying she wanted to braid your hair with a couple flowers she found by the river when she was walking around with Rokuta. She would usually do this to Nezuko, but your sister was an oni and you found it dangerous for her to leave at such a late time, so you decided to allow her to do so. Besides, you found it hard to say no to her big puppy eyes, not after two years without seeing them on a daily basis. After checking her job, you smile to her.

“It’s lovely, Hanako.” You tell her, hugging her tight. “Thank you, dear.”

“You’re welcome, sis!” She says smiling, before groaning a bit. “It’s… a bit too tight, sis.”

“My, oh, my. I’m sorry, Hanako.” You tell her, letting her go. You stand up and show her your hand. “Now, let’s go back, shall we?”

“Yes!” She says, holding your hand with her own, bringing a basket of flowers in the other.

Happily, the two of you began your way back to your uncle’s house.

It’s been around fifteen days ever since you returned from the Final Selection. You were greeted with a surprise when you found Nezuko and Tanjiro awake. You didn’t had much time to rejoice, since you fell asleep for two days straight. When you woke up, you found yourself in your siblings room, with Tanjiro and Nezuko in their smaller forms cuddled up to you along with Rokuta. Hantengu said it was probably because of all the physical and emotional stress, along with the lack of proper rest and food and the few wounds you sustained that lead you to that point.

You’ve made a full recovery from that time and were spending quite the little time you had left with your siblings before you began your actual job. Your sword should arrive today, but you still had no news from whoever was supposed to deliver it to you.

Although you worried about it, your main focus was being with your family.

“We’re home!” Hanako cried happily as you reached home and found your uncle and Takeo doing something outside. Your brother flinched at your sister’s high pitch.

“We’re home, uncle.” You said too, but on your normal tone, to not bother him.

“Welcome back.” Hantengu said, before noticing that your hair had flowers in it. “Oh, what is that? Did you do a make over on your sister’s hair, Hanako?”

“Yes! Isn’t she pretty like this?” Your sister asked proudly.

“Yes. The prettiest in the area.” Your uncle said, chuckling lightly at the small girl’s behavior.

“It doesn’t make much of a difference.” Takeo said, rubbing his ear.

“What do you mean?” Hanako asked, pouting.

“I mean, even back at the village, (Y/N) has always been the prettiest. She has even received marriage proposals.” He said, patting your sisters head. “So, it doesn’t change much.”

“Well, well. It seems that my dear niece is actually pretty popular among the opposite sex. Should I worry about it?” Hantengu asked, as if in deep thought, but with a mischievous smile on his lips.

“Uncle!” You called him on it, but he just laughed.

“There. There. Don’t take it too seriously.” He said while chuckling. “I know I don’t have to worry about it. You’re so focused on your family that the boy would actually have to be a god to get your attention.” You blushed at his words, making him laugh louder.

“Anyway, what are you two doing?” You asked them, trying to quickly change the subject from your non-existent love life.

“We're making a box to carry brother and sister.” Takeo said.

“Carry them?” You asked him, confused.

“I believe that once you find a cure for, you'll want to give it to them as soon as possible, won't you? It will be faster if they are with you.” Hantengu said, adjusting the box. “Besides, your siblings can be of help. Demons are strong on their own, and I believe Tanjiro and Nezuko want to help you on their own way too. You've been working hard for them these past two years, right? They want to pay you back.”

His words leave you silent as you turn to the house, where you knew Tanjiro and Nezuko were.

“How do you know that?” You ask him.

“Well... Tanjiro read the journals you made while you were asleep, and he cried. Then, he spent the next two days pulling my sleeve as if trying to ask me something, but he couldn't speak.” He said, scratching the back of his head. “I just assumed it was it, but I guess I was right, since he was happy when I told him what I would do.”

“I see.” You whispered, then turned to him. “Thanks, uncle. I don't know what I would have done without you.” You smiled to him as you said so.

“You're welcome, (Y/N).” He says, looking at you, before his eyes go wide and he tiltes his head to look at something behind you.

You notice this, prompting you to turn around and see what he was looking at, with Hanako and Takeo doing the same. There was a person coming in the direction of the house, using an ajirogasa (japanese straw hat) over their head, a long, black cape with crossing white lines, black pants and boots and really big something wrapped in a cloth on their back. You couldn't tell much about them, except that they looked short, certainly shorter than you, but taller than Tanjiro, considering that your brother hasn't grown at all in these two years.

“Hey, Hanako.” Your uncle called, getting the attention of all of you. “Would you mind making some tea? For our guest?” He asked, standing up, to which your sister just nodded, rushing to the house. “Takeo, could you help her?” Your brother also nodded, following her soon behind.

“A guest, uncle?” You asked as he walked to your side.

“Yes. Today is the day your sword arrives.” He told you, before looking at the arriving person. “Although, I didn't expect for it to be him.”

Him? Was this person someone your uncle knew?

You looked at the person who stopped a couple meters away from you two. Silence settled between the three of you

“Long time no see, Zohakuten. It's been what? Five years without even a letter?” Your uncle was the first to talk. His tone was light, but you could sense his body tense and his racing heartbeat. The silence remains, so your uncle continues. “You sure have grown in this time. How's your grandfather? The same nagging old man I knew?”

The silence remains for some time, but none of you speak a word. The tension in the air was so dense that you could cut it with a blind knife.

“It's really been really a long time, father.” The person, Zohakuten, said taking off his hat. The voice is deep, but when you see the face, you realize is a young boy, around the age of your brother. Looking at him, you could see the resemblance between him, your uncle and your auntie. He had your uncle's tan skin and firm expression, especially his glare, but he had your auntie's eyes, like all of his brothers (you knew that Karaku and Urogi had the same eyes as Sekido and Aizetsu cause you saw their picture from when they were younger). His eyes were golden, like Urogi's. He also had a pair of purple string-like earrings. “You look better than I thought you'd be.”

“I can't really blame you. I definitely wasn't on my best shape when we last spoke.” Your uncle said, with a sorrowful shine in his eyes. “From what I see, you certainly been doing well. I can assume you became a fully fledged swordsmith?

Zohakuten nodded before turning to face you. You couldn't help but flinch under his gaze. Should a child have such an intense glare?

“I didn't know Aizetsu had taken in a bride.” Zohakuten said, crossing his arms.

A bride? You?! What on earth was going on on this kid's mind?!

Your uncle didn't hold back at his laughter at your flustered face.

“She's not Aizetsu's bride. You should know your brother is too busy nowadays. He has no time to think about love, much less take in a bride for himself.” Your uncle said chuckling, before putting a hand on his chin. “Although, I wouldn't complain if she would become my daughter-in-law either."

“UNCLE!” You practically screamed at him, your face burning red while he laughed joyfully.

“If you're not Aizetsu's bride, then who are you?” Zohakuten asked, his arms still crossed.

“My name is (Y/N) Kamado. I'm uncle's, Mr. Hantengu's apprentice.” You tell him, calming yourself, with your cheeks still a little bit red.

“Ah!” He said, widening his eyes slightly. “Then, you're the one I'm looking for.” He said, reaching up to the thing he had wrapped on his back. “I've come a long way to deliver you this.” He said as he crouched, unwrapping a clothes box.

“Wa-Wait a moment. Your bag is going to get mud on it this way.” You told him, holding him by the shoulders.

“She's right, son.” Your uncle said, calming down his laughter, before pointing at the house. “Let's come inside first. I'm pretty sure the tea is ready by now.”

Zohakuten said nothing, just nodding and standing up, but carrying his bag on his arms. You motioned to offer carrying it for him, but he just took a step away from you, and continued his walk.

Okay, then.

The three of you made your way to the house. When you entered, you saw Hanako pouring some tea, with Shigeru by her side and Takeo by the door. Tanjiro and Nezuko were there too, hidden under thick covers to protect themselves from the sun, and Rokuta also hidden between the two of them. Zohakuten stopped by the door, eyeing them.

“Are you taking new students now, father?” He asked.

“No. Just (Y/N), since your brother asked me. These are her younger siblings.” Your uncle explains as he sits.

“Very well then.” He said, before going to sit by his father's side, finishing unwrapping his bag.

You sit in front of the two of them, your brothers and sister gathering around you. You all watched in silence as he brought out a really long sword, which made your siblings gasp.

“A real sword!” Shigeru exclaimed, his eyes shining.

“Isn't it too long, though?” Takeo asked, eyeing Zohakuten. “On the wandering theaters, the actors' katanas seemed shorter.”

“This is no regular katana. It's a nodachi. Basically, a katana with a long blade.” He explained. “Usually, we make normal katanas, but your sister seems to have no trouble using a longer blade. It should even be better for her.” Then, he turned to you. “Quickly, unsheathe it. I want to see which color it will change to.”

“It can change colors?!” Your siblings cried at the same time, fixing on their gaze on the weapon.

“That's a trait from the nichirin blades.” Hantengu said, chuckling at your siblings reaction.

“It doesn't happen always. If the slayer isn't strong enough, then it won't change.” Zohakuten said, looking at you. “What are you waiting for?”

You nod and look at the sword. Yours was pretty long, almost as long as you were tall, just a dozen centimeters less or so. You also noticed how it didn't have a guard, like your uncle's. You sigh, standing up and unsheathing it. You look at the blade, which had a pretty normal iron color, like the one from your handaxe, however, as you held the handle, you notice how the color began to change, from a normal metal color to a dark shade.

“For real?!”

“It really changed!”

“So cool!”

“Wow!”

Your siblings reacted, watching the blade change color in your hands.

“Is it black?” You uncle asked, taking a closer look.

“No. It's dark purple.” You said, laying it on your lap. You hear a distressed sigh and look at Zohakuten. “Is... Something the matter?”

“I just thought I would see a bright crimson colored blade this time around. What pain...” He said, crossing his arms.

“It seems your grandfather's obsession has rubbed off on you. But now that I think about it, your mother always spoke about a red nichirin. It must be a family thing.” Hantengu said, sighing. “But this isn't your only assignment, right? You'll have plenty of chances of seeing one.”

“Actually, she's my first one. I've just been approved as a swordsmith, and she was assigned to me since she was your student and I was your son.” He said, resting his chin on his hand.

“Then, look at the bright side, Zohakuten. You'll meet a lot of slayers and make them swords.” You tell him, before looking at the blade. You didn't understand much about katanas and blacksmithing, but you could tell that he put a lot of effort to do this blade. “I'll make sure to take good care of this one.”

“You better do so.” He said, while growling lowly. “I'll kill you if you break it.”

Did... Did you hear him right? He'll kill you if you break his sword?

It must be a joke, but he was glaring at you and his tone made him sound like Sekido.

Scary...

“Caw! Caw! Cawmado (Y/N)!” You are dragged out of your thoughts by (C/N), who entered flying and stopped by your side. “Hurry up and go to the northwest town! Caw! Go and kill demons there! This is your first assignment! Caw!”

“Whaaaaaa!”

“That crow-!”

“It talked!”

“Wow! Birdie!”

Your siblings are shocked by the arrival of (C/N), with only Rokuta amazed by it. You, your uncle and Zohakuten just stared at them.

“Remember this, Kamado (Y/N)! Remember well!” The crow continued, ignoring your siblings amazed eyes. “In the northwest town, there are girls are disappearing every night! Every night, there are girls, young girls, constantly disappearing!”

You step out of your room, wearing your slayer uniform. As all others, according to your uncle, yours was black with your rank written on the back, but you used trousers instead of skirt and a pair of boots, which you would wear when leaving the house. They were very comfortable. You were wearing a (F/C) haori that had the same pattern of your favorite kimono, which you’ve been using ever since you could remember. Hanako had prepared one for you to use once you returned, using a couple of money she saved from helping around the nearby village. You can’t help, but smile at her care.

“So, what do you think?” You ask your family, that was looking straight at you.

“You look amazing, sis!” Hanako and Shigeru said, with sparkles in their eyes.

“Pretty.” Rokuta said, clapping his hands.

“You could easily pass by as one of those government office agents we saw in the village back then.” Takeo said with his arms crossed.

“Big brother!” Hanako cried, glaring at him, while Shigeru chuckled.

“What? It’s true!”

“As good as I expected you to be.” Your uncle said, before motioning you to get closer to him, while your brother and sister fought among themselves. “There’s a couple of things I need to tell you. Just the normal protocol.” He said, and you nodded, looking intensely at him. “The fabric of which your uniform is made of is very breathable, but repels moisture and won’t burn as easily, and also is able to resist to attacks of weaker onis, so it won’t tear easily.” He says, before pointing at your blade. “As Zohakuten said, the nichirin blade changes color, but it depends on the user which color it will be, and each one has different proprieties. Yours seem a mix of black and purple. You told me that you made your breathing based on mine and a dance that your family performed, right?”

“Yes. I couldn’t learn yours, but there were a couple things I understood, so I applied it to combine with my family’s dance.” You tell him.

“Usually, the breathing are passed down as traditional dances when there are no heirs to the technique, so the one from your family must be a long forgotten breathing that found no heir to it. A long time must have passed and this knowledge was lost to your family.” Hantengu explained. “That would explain how you forced Aizetsu to defend himself more than it would usually be necessary, how you could blend it with mine to make your own breathing. And also the color.”

“The color?” You repeated, confused.

“Yes. Usually, the color of the nichirin is a reflection of the breathing. The oldest breathing techniques are Flames, Stone, Wind, Water and Thunder, and they have their respective color, those being reddish-orange, gray, green, blue and yellow. The other colors are usually derivations of those five, which reflects a breathing being derived of these five oldest breathing techniques.” He said before picking up his own sword. “The breathing I was taught was Water Breathing, but my blade turned purple since I couldn’t exactly perform it and changed it to make it suit my style. This happens all the time, and you and I aren’t rare. However, black nichirins are rare and their wielders don’t usually live long, so their proprieties are unknown.” Then, he looks at your blade. “Yours was so dark that I mistook it for black, until you said it was just a really dark purple.”

“Where are you trying to get, uncle?” You ask him, touching lightly your sword.

“Perhaps your family’s dance is one of the oldest breathings, since the color is completely different form the others.” He said, putting his sword away. “I believe your blade was supposed to be black, but since you mixed it with mine, which is mostly based on the Water Breathing, it turned a bit purple.” He sighed, before looking at you. “Well, at least that’s my theory. In any case, be careful with it.” He said, looking you in the eyes, the same way he looked at you when he told you his reasons for not wanting you to take part in the Final Selection. Like back then, you smile and nod at him.

“Yes. I’ll take extra care, uncle.” You tell him, melting his worried gaze. “Is there something more?”

“Just two more.” He said, before going to pick up the box he was making with Takeo. “This box was made with a light wood, but it’s extremely sturdy. Despite that, I made sure to reinforce it with rock lacquer, just to be sure.”

“I see.” You tell him, before picking the box up yourself, and you’re surprised with how little strength you use to lift it up. “Amazing, uncle! This is really light!” You tell him, sounding like a child on their birthday party. You also turn to Takeo, who was watching you two talk. “You also did a good job, Takeo. I’m proud of you.”

Your brother smiles, puffing his chest, with a slight blush on his cheeks. You smile at him, before going to your hidden siblings.

“Nezuko. Tanjiro. Could get inside here, please?” You ask them. You watch them hesitate at first, approaching the box before retreating, but they soon enough enter the box, which is spacious enough to have the two of them there side by side. You look at them with a smile. “Nezuko. Tanjiro. From now own, we’ll be always together. We’re gonna have to be a bit away from the others, but once this is over, we’ll all be together at home, with mother and father, okay?” They nod at you, as you close the box door.

“It’s just my theory, but I believe that your brothers are replenishing their energy through sleep, instead of going for humans.” Your uncle said, getting your attention, but he was looking straight at the box. “This may become handy in case you meet one of the higher ups in the Demon Corps, but still, you must pay attention so they won’t get killed by accident.” He turns to you, his eyes meeting yours before you close them, nodding. “Now, it’s time for you to go.”

So explaining myself about the joke of reader being Aizetsu's wife: there was this reader of the series that reblogged one of the chapters and on the tags told Hantengu that they would be a good daughter-in-law. I found it funny and while writing this chapter, I remembered that joke, and seeing as the original Aizetsu and Zohakuten were delusional about things, I thought it would be a funny "misunderstanding", so it came out this way. Either way, I hoped you enjoyed it, and thank @hesvelg for the idea.

[kny-stardust]

Interlude II — Hantengu & ???

Word Count: 4650

Summary: When the old Hashira first met you, he just didn't want to see a young life being taken away by the demons. Later, as a father, he did not want to see another child of his to die in this meaningless conflict. He only understands that children are meant to walk their own path, even a risk life such as the Demon Slayers, when you're too far away for him to decide to let you live your life however you want.

You did. You actually did it.

He didn't want to believe it, but he knew it was not a dream.

You did cut that boulder in two, with a single strike.

In the end, all of his efforts were for nothing.

You far surpassed his expectations, and managed to learn a breathing technique on your own, without his help, despite his attempts of sabotaging you.

Hantengu didn't think much of you in the beginning. To his eyes, you were just another fool young that was messing with things beyond your comprehension. It didn't help that you had your siblings coming with you.

He simply couldn't understand. Many children came to him in search of power to take revenge on onis that have taken everything from them except their lives. And he turned them all down, making them give up and value more their lives, and live on without getting revenge. You weren't like them. You still had your family with you, even though two of them were no longer human. You could still live a semi normal life if you wanted, both you and your siblings. If you came to him asking for shelter and protection for your family, he would have welcomed you with open arms, even if it meant housing two demons under his roof. He would have done that, because then he would actually be helping someone, a young one like you, instead of wasting his time training you and getting attached to you only to sent you to the slaughter and then mourn your for it, to torture himself with this guilt, of not having done enough for you. Like it happened with his late friends and students.

That's why he tried to scare you at first, with that test and the initial training. All those harsh words, all that violence, his distance, it was to make you give up. His test to you had been much harder than it should have been at first, with that very purpose of making you quit. He managed to get that with much tougher children, especially boys. They usually either gave up during the test, failed it or quit the moment he said the actual training would be much harsher. He thought it wouldn't be much different with you. He actually believed it would be easier, since you were a girl.

Except you didn't quit. You accepted the challenge, for your unconditional love for your siblings.

So you were one of the stubborn ones, but how long would your stubbornness last against his training? He was generous when he thought you would give up in less than two months. Many didn't last half a month.

But you did. You actually continued everyday, even if your whole body was hurt, even if you were dead tired. And you still managed to smile so gently and so genuinely to him and your siblings.

Your smile... It reminded him so much of hers.

In the end, it was he who didn't last two months. He couldn't keep being that cruel to you when you still had that lightness in your heart. He stopped hitting you as hard and was less ruthless when training you.

However, that didn't mean he gave up on making you quit.

Oh, no... For the first time in quite a while, he was very determined, more focused on something other than his own misery.

He would NOT allow you to become a slayer.

He began to leave you to your own devices. He taught you the bare minimum and in an oversimplified version of what he was supposed to train you. He just taught you what he planned to teach you, showed you only once the moves and how to wield a sword, and never corrected you in anything. He knew that you would never actually grow, and hoped your frustrations would make you think you were inappropriate for the job and make you give up.

Don't get it wrong. You had potential. A lot of potential. Aizetsu words were enough for him to think so, and he thought that more after you passed his test. You could become a great slayer of trained properly. He saw it when you began catching up on what you were supposed to do, and your talent shone when Aizetsu stayed for a while and trained you. He was sure that if he gave you enough time, you would eventually learn how to use his technique, even though he put all those obstacles on your way.

So, he gave his ultimatum: to cut the boulder. And you had to do it on your own. He even went as far as to forbid Aizetsu from aiding you in any way. He was sure that this should be what would make you surrender, to give up this life and live a normal one.

This was really his last chance of making you give up. And the would not cave in this time. He vowed so. He would not see anyone become a slayer while under him! He had had enough! He had lost too many already! Friends, students, master, and even his own sons to this life! His only two living sons were neck deep in that life and he knew he could not take them away from it, but he could prevent you from ever entering this life! He was determined in not allowing you and your family in his life! He no longer saw you as just his students, nor your siblings as long term guests in his house. You were his daughter. Your siblings were his children too. He didn't want to loose you, to loose his family again! He couldn't. He wouldn't be able to bear the pain...

And yet, you continued to train. Day after day. Harder and harder. He could see you giving your all in your training. He heard you leaving before everyone woke up, and even making breakfast for them, and arriving much after they slept. You can take a slayer out of a slaying life, but you can't never take a slayer out of one, especially with someone who worked his whole life with that. That was how he knew how tired you were. How the dark circles under your eyes grew. How you became more and more thinner. How he saw more and more wound in your hands that he bandaged them in your sleep. He was having trouble sleeping just thinking that you would get yourself killed at that rate.

He was determined to put an end to this, when you suddenly... Changed.

You stopped arriving late and leaving early. You started spending more time with your siblings. You had meals with them, talked to them, played with them, you went to sleep with them, you were becoming healthier, like any girl of your age should be. To his eyes, you were living the life you were supposed to. There was just one thing that bothered him: you still left the house to train. You left after breakfast and returned before dinner. And he knew you were training because you always took Aizetsu's sword with you.

He kept his silence as he continued to watch your routine.

You still came back hurt from your training, somehow even more hurt than before. He was wondering how could a woung girl like you get so much wounds in your arms and legs. And you were being secretive too, bandaging yourself in your bath as to not show your siblings anything. What were you up to?

Then, you changed again.

It wasn't clear at first, but he soon realized that you coming back home earlier and earlier. And you weren't as hurt as before. You also seemed a bit mind absent, not hearing your siblings calling you until they pulled your sleeve, or just staring at something for a prolonged period of time with no real reason. One of your siblings even pointed that out, and you replied shyly that you were thinking of a couple matters and got to caught up on it, but that it was nothing for them to worry.

Nonetheless, you were spending more and more time with your family, playing with them, talking, joking, caring for them. He once caught you and your siblings dancing and you showed them a small dance that you had been practicing for some time, and that it was not ready yet. You were actually living the life he had hoped for you from the beginning, but you still climbed up the mountain and stayed there for a couple of hours before coming down.

Maybe you were giving up on that path?

He thought that until he heard you waking up early again, making breakfast to them and leaving before everyone woke up.

Oh, no. Not this again.

He wasn't going to let you go back to that habit of yours, that made you sick for weeks. He had had enough. After waking your siblings up and sharing a short breakfast with them, he set up to follow you to the mountain.

Today, he would be "sincere" with you and ask you to give up. The very fact that you didn't come to him yet showed that you haven't been able to cut the boulder. He would lie to you and tell you that if you couldn't do that, even after one year he gave you the test, that you should give up. Maybe... That was all you needed to give up the path of a slayer. It was low blow? Yes, it was, and he knew that, but he couldn't spend not even one day more with you wasting your youth like that. He just couldn't.

However, when he finally found you, you had cut the boulder. You had actually did it.

It was then that he fell and cried. He had promised you that once you cut the boulder, he would sent you to the Final Selection. He had to fulfill his words. He was about to sent you to slaughter! He was going to loose you too! But there was nothing he could do about it now, except be opened up with you.

He told you everything. All his feelings and thoughts. His sleepless nights worrying about you. The heavy burden he carried while lying to you. About all the people he lost due to this lifestyle, either by death or by not being able to be on the same page. He didn't spoke about his family, though, as even after years, that was a sensitive topic to him. Except this, he told you everything else.

And how you responded to that?

“I... I won't say I'm not upset that you tried to go against my wishes. I really am, because all this time, I thought I wasn't enough and you didn't train me properly because I wasn't worth the effort. But... I'm relieved that it wasn't the case, and that you were honest with me in the end. So, I won't blame you for anything, because all you've told me just shows that you really cared about me and my family, and that makes me happy, uncle.”

Oh, what did he, a sinful man, do to deserve such a sweet child as you? If only if you knew that those words of yours hurt him so much when he knew that he would have to send you to the Final Selection. He could only pray that you would come back to him and your family.

The day you left for the Final Selection, Hantengu couldn't sleep. The words you said as you went your way, left him stunned for the most of day, and echoed as ghosts of the past. More specifically, the names you said. Sekido. Urogi. Karaku. When was the last time he heard or said those names?

It was a couple years back. He still remembered it as clear as day.

His students had been unable to survive the Final Selection, which he found odd. Dying was something common in this line of work, which was sad, but he learned to manage his feelings. However, it felt like his students were being purposely targeted. How could this be? He first thought that he hadn't prepared them enough, but even though he made the necessary adjustments and some of his best students went to the selection, they still died. He only learned what happened when Aizetsu returned from his selection. He was the only one to return. None of his brothers were with him. And his son wouldn't stop crying.

“Father... Why...?” He asked him as soon as he returned home, grabbing him by the clothes. “Why haven't you told us that mother became a demon? You said that an oni killed her! Not that she had turned into one!”

Yes. He hid it from his sons. It was easy, since his boys were already big enough to take care of themselves and their younger sibling even if both him and his wife were away. She had left to meet her father to discuss something, and had yet to return. He received a message that she had already left for home, yet there was no news of her. When he looked for her, he found out why. She had been attacked and turned on her way back home. He found her eating a young couple on an alley.

By the rules, he would have to kill her, and she had already eaten human flesh, unlike your siblings. There was no way to save her other than killing her. But he couldn't do it. Not to his wife. Not to the mother of your children. He couldn't kill her. So he fought and weakened her, leaving long lasting wounds on her body, and trapped her in the Mount Fujisakane, where she could never escape. He had cut and damaged pretty badly her wings to make sure she couldn't fly away, even if she healed. However, he was sure that with how badly he hurt her, she wouldn't be able to survive the Selection that was close by. He told everyone, including his sons, that his wife had died. His boys cried, sure, but they managed to live on their loss, and he thought the same, until Aizetsu returned and said those words.

“She attacked us, father! Mother tried to kill us! She killed everyone! I saw her eating them with my very eyes!” His son cried as their entire world fell around them. “Tell me, father! Why did you lie to us?! Why?!”

There it was. His answer. The why of all his students, and now his own sons, died in the Final Selection. His wife was killing and eating them. This was his punishment for his weakness, for his soft heart. The love of his life killed his children and he was an accomplice.

The night the Final Selection began, Hantengu left his house. He place a Wisteria charm around the house. It was never too much to be careful, especially against demons. Hantengu took a spare sword he had and began climbing the Mount Sagiri until he reached the split boulder. In front of it was the swords he made for his sons, and around the clearing, the swords his students who died. He came here yearly, on the anniversary of their deaths, to pay respects, to apologize for their deaths. After all, it was all his fault.

They should have known that as well, as they never appeared to him, neither as a ghosts nor in his dreams, unless it was to torment him in his nightmares. And yet, they appeared to you, and they apparently even helped you. He could only suppose it was with training. They should not want anyone else to die by his and his wife’s hands.

Hantengu fell to his knees in front of the split boulder and began to cry.

“I’m monster. I’m well aware of that. I know that the only thing I deserve from you is hate and spite. I have no right to be here in front of you nor to ask you anything, but...” He sobbed as he pressed his forehead to the ground. “I beg you! Please! Protect (Y/N)! You must have seen her all this time training! She just wants to save her brother and sister! She has no fault! She carries none of my sins! I’ll endure anything you want to do with me, even killing me! I know I deserve the worst! I just beg! I beg you to bring her back home, to her family, to where she belongs!”

Silence was his only response. He was alone. And alone, he sobbed, trying to deal with his own misery and despair. Maybe solitude was his punishment for something in his past life, and he was doomed to loose all of those he held dear. He stood up, still cleaning the tears that stubbornly ran down his cheeks and turned to leave.

“My love?” A voice called him, making him stop. It was a voice that he hadn’t heard in years, only in his dreams, more as a torment than as a delightful memory, but it was sweeter than he remembered. He turned slowly, and there he saw her, with the white, flower patterned kimono he had given her in their last wedding anniversary, with the very same blue eyes he fell in love with so many years ago. “You’ve grown old, my love. What is it? Did you forget how to take care of yourself after I left?” She asked with a soft giggle, and it sounded like music to his ears. He just stared at her in disbelief, making her laugh again. “What is this now? Did a cat caught your tongue? My Hantengu was never at a loss for words.”

“(W/N)…?” He tried his voice, but it came out trembling. “Is it… really you…? Am I… dreaming?”

“I can assure you, my love, you’re very much awake.” She said as she took her hand to the side of his face, brushing off a couple lasting tears. Her touch was cold and it sent shivers down his spine. “Now, this is odd. I don’t remember you crying so much like this, except in our marriage and when Sekido was born. What’s gotten to you, my love? Did these ten years changed you so much?”

Hantengu couldn’t reply. He fell to his knees as he hugged her, crying his heart out. (W/N) didn’t say anything. She just held him close and caressed his hair.

“(W/N)! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” He told her between his sobs. “I shouldn't have left you alone! I should have gone with you! If I had, you wouldn’t have been turned! Then, our sons wouldn’t have…!”

“Ssshhhhhhh.” She shushed him, her long fingers passing through his hair. “It was never your fault. There was no way either of us could have known or prepared for it, however we knew of the risks of this life when we chose it, didn’t we…? Don’t apologize.” She says as she breathes in deeply. “If anything, it is I who has to apologize. I… was the one who took their lives... Of your kids... Of our children... I am... The only one at fault, here...” She says, sobbing as tears fall down her face. “I am so... So sorry, my love...”

“None of you is at fault.”

“It's no one's fault.”

Those voices catch the couple's attention, especially Hantengu's, who turns quickly to face them, his face going pale. From the middle of the mist-surrounded trees, many children come forth. Each of them was using a haori with similar pattern of his and also having a mask of distorted figures, long teeth and a pair of horns, either on their faces, holding on their hands or hanging by their hips. Hantengu remembered that his sons began to make those masks as a way of role playing among themselves and his students, pretending to be slayers and onis. They all went to the Final Selection with their respective mask.

They all looked at them with sympathetic eyes, and began to speak. One after the other.

“Mother's death was a shock to us all. We all mourned for days.”

“It was also a surprise when I found you at the Final Selection, as an oni.”

“I didn't understand at first, when I died, but I did later...”

“Mom, you weren't the same back then, were you?”

“Father used to say that once one turns into an oni, they are not the same as they once were.”

“But, I guess father still loved you, even as an oni, and couldn’t kill you, literally and emotionally.”

“Father always made sure that you would be remember by how you were, how you took care of us.”

“Because of that and the shock, I couldn’t even think of killing you. Any of us could.”

“I remember seeing Sekido, Karaku, Urogi and Aizetsu trying to bring you back to your senses, even as you attacked them.”

“We know now that father was trying to keep the memory of you alive his own way.”

“And that mother was not in her best mind and moment of that time.”

“So, we don’t blame any of you. We never did.”

“So, no hard feelings, okay?”

As they spoke, a new round of tears came out from the two adults, who became the children in the situation. The kids then gathered and trapped them in a big hug.

“We know it must have been hard, for you two.”

“We’re sorry we didn’t come up earlier. We were thinking of a way of helping you both.”

“But it’s over. Everything was solved.”

“Mother is free and herself again.”

“Father doesn’t need to blame himself anymore.”

“We want you to move on.”

“We know it will take a while before mother and father can join us...”

“But we will be waiting for you!”

“We’ll be waiting right here!”

“So we’ll be a big family again!”

“That’s a promise, okay?”

“So don’t blame yourselves any longer.”

“It hurts us, seeing you two cry like that.”

They couldn’t say anything with those words. The couple just hugged their children back, that started to disappear, one by one. In the end, the two of them were alone. Hantengu stood up and looked at his wife, who was still wiping off her tears.

“(W/N)...” He called her, but was unable to continue.

“When I came here… I was so afraid… I thought that you hated me… for everything I’ve done to them… to you… I came here prepared to beg for your forgiveness… But I was so scared of you looking at me with the same eyes as him…” She said, before looking at him, caressing his cheek. “But then, I saw you… and realized my worries were for nothing.”

“I never blamed you... Never once...” He said, holding her cheek with his hand. “I just wished I could have done more for you.”

“You did. You respected and loved me, despite of what had become of me.” She said softly. “And you raised a wonderful girl to be a strong woman. (Y/N)... She’ll be a terrific slayer in the future.”

Hantengu couldn’t help the light chuckle leaving his mouth.

“She will. Definitely.” He said, closing his eyes and touched her forehead with his.

He breathed in deeply, enjoying the moment, before he opened his eyes. She was gone, and he was alone in front of the boulder. He looked at the swords of his sons. They hadn’t appeared to him.

“They still must be upset that I lied, huh?” He said, remembering how his sons were. “That’s okay. I’ll wait for as long as necessary, until you three forgive me.”

He then turned and started to climb down the mountain. It was late, and he wanted to make sure his new children were okay.

SNAP!

The sudden feeling made him stop. The man stopped what he was doing and looked up, up to the sky and the stars. It took him a while to understand what happened. Someone under him had died and the snapping feeling he felt was their bond being broken. He sighed, as he closed his eyes.

“What a hassle...” He mumbles to himself.

“Oi, Sankoji.” The voice of his companion gets him out of his thoughts. “Are you full already? If so, mind giving me that one?” He asked, pointing his long fingernail to the body in front of him, his golden eyes glowing with glutonny.

“I’m not.” The first one, Sankoji, said, glaring at him, the other’s face reflected in his dark eye.

The silence continued for a while, before the second demon asked.

“What’s up with you? You aren’t this thoughtful when eating.” He said, before chuckling a bit. “Careful. It will give you a bad digestion.”

“That’s stupid crap that humans made up, Shinjuro.” Sankoji says annoyed. He doesn’t understand why he still hangs around him. No. Actually he does. This guy is the least annoying and the most sane among the lower ranks. He sighs as he continues his midnight lunch. “It’s none of your business.”

“If you say so.” The other says, turning to his own prey.

Sankoji continues to eat as he tries to remember who that demon was. It doesn’t take long for him to do so.

He remembers a woman hanging around a village at night with her baggage, which he recognized as a couple of swords. Nichirin ones. He believed that he would be able to find out where that swordsmith village finally was if he turned her into an oni. He managed to find her, but the swords were gone, and so were most of her memories once she turned. He just left her there and went about his business. He didn’t know what became of her since then.

She did survive for quite the long time, huh? But she ultimately died, like many others before her. It was unfortunate though, since he could still feel her fading strength, and she had some potential. Sankoji checked her last memories, and he saw a young girl with red eyes and Hanafuda earrings.

He froze, staring at nothing, chills running down his back and his heart beating fast. He breathes in slowly, trying to focus on his food, but her image kept crawling back to his mind over and over again. He turned to see if his companion noticed his reaction, but their eyes met, with a shared uncontrollable fear. Not a single word is said as they stand up and leave, neither of them feeling hungry anymore, not with the fear running through their veins.

“Let’s kill her if we ever cross paths...” Sankoji and Shinjuro say at the same time, their eyes meeting once more, with the kanjis of ‘Fourth Rank’ and ‘Fifth Rank’ staring at each other.

I'll be honest with you guys... I almost cried a couple times writing this one.

Also, a slight warning: as a couple must have noticed, I was posting this on the Wednesdays and the Saturdays, but I'll go back to just posting on Saturdays because, it's taking me too long to write this, so I can't keep up. Once I get a bit more calm, with a couple more chapters prepared, I'll return to Wednesdays and Saturdays, okay? Hope you understand, and see ya!

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 12 — Long Awaited Ending

Word Count: 3541

Summary: With your heart back to its rightful place, you found the strength needed to fight and decapitate your first and greatest enemy yet. A decade long tragedy is put to rest thanks to your sword. Now, all that there's to do left is to return home and end a week-long, and a two-year-long, pain and worry.

“Hey, Karaku.” You called him before he left.

He turned to you, making a sound of surprise. It was already late, so you would usually run to Mr. Hantengu's home to spend the little time you still had before bed with your siblings. So, you staying and calling out for him specifically was something new, but he still turned and walked up to you, with his usual relaxed pose.

“Yes, (Y/N). What is it?” He asked casually, but he couldn't understand why you were looking at the floor

“Is it really okay what you said earlier? For me to not harbor negative feelings for the other demons?” You asked him with a low voice. “I mean, I don't like them, but even as killers, I don't feel in my heart any anger or hatred for them. The only exception is the one who attacked my family, but-” You try to continue, but you can't, not after he places his hand over your head and pats it.

“Urogi already said it, didn't he? You're not the violent type, and I can tell you aren't the kind of person who wishes bad for others either, even if they are your enemies.” He said calmly at you.

“But, is it really okay for me to be like this?” You ask him, still feeling unsure.

“Of course it is! After all, that's just who you are! Being anything other than that will actually make you weak!” He said, laughing a bit, leaving you to stare at him in disbelief. “Look. Everyone of us has our temper. I'm the most chill one while Sekido is the hot head one and Urogi is the ‘craziest bitch you will ever meet’ one. It's our nature and that's reflected in which part pf the old man's breathing we learned and use the best. Yours just happens to be different from ours, that's never ‘I don't give two fucks about them’ nor ‘hey, killing them is cool’!” He said, laughing at himself. “You're caring. That's just how you are and you don't need to be nothing different from that. Just be yourself and you'll be at your strongest, okay?”

“Okay! Thanks, Karaku.” You tell him, bowing in gratitude.

“Don't mention it, babe. Just do your best, and you'll be set for life.” He answers.

That memory had played on your mind as you fought (W/N), Karaku's words stuck in your mind. Although you were still angry at her for what she did to them, her very children, blood of her blood, you couldn't hold on to those feelings for long.

Was it really her choice, to become a demon? Or was she turned like it happened to Tanjiro and Nezuko? Was this her true self, or a twisted version of her, thorough the transformation into a demon? Did the solitude and betrayal she experienced play a role on it or this was just her coping mechanism to survive?

Those questions calmed you down by the time you were prepared for the last blow. Your anger wasn't what was driving you any longer. It was your pity.

And then, it was over. You cut her head off and stepped to the side as her body passed by your side, falling limp to the ground. You hear her growling and mumbling something as you put your blade back. You turn to her, looking her in the eyes, making her stop whatever she was saying before. You stared at each other before you make your way to her, kneeling in front of you.

“What is it!? Haven't you humiliated me en-” You don't let her finish, picking her fading head and pulling it into a hug. She stops, not saying anything for a short while, which you take as a chance to open your heart.

“Auntie. No one holds any grudge for you. Not me nor anyone in your family.” You tell her, making her gasp. “I met uncle and your children. I talked to them for long enough to know how they are, how they feel, and I can be sure that they don't resent you. Not one bit.”

“...lies.” She says, half of her head gone. “There's no way they don't resent me... I killed my children... his children... their brothers... There's no way they don't resent me at all...”

“They don't. I'm sure of it.” You tell her. “Because they never spoke ill of you, even when they got countless chances of doing so. Because they didn't kill you, even though I sure they were highly capable of.” You pat her hair-like feathers. “They still love you, and they still miss you to this day.”

“...little one...” She calls you, almost disappearing. “...do you think... they'll ever forgive me... after all I've done...?”

“I don't think. I know so. They'll forgive you.” You let go of the hug holding her head on the same level as your eyes. “So go back to them, your dear ones. They're waiting for you.”

She doesn't say anything back, just letting one single tear fall from her eye onto your haori before she fades away forever. You stay there for a moment, looking at your hands, where even her ashes are fading away as seconds pass. You look back to where her body was, where there was just a mostly ripped kimono laying motionlessly on the dirt. You walk up to it, picking it up and starting to fold it, until something falls to the ground, getting your attention.

It was something round, and heavy, made of a metal, with a thin peeling layer of gold. In the front, you read: “To my beloved (W/N)”. You examine it for a bit, hearing something moving inside. You get shocked when you press something on top and it opens, revealing a clock inside of it. It was a pocket watch. You never saw one, since your family didn’t have enough money to spend in something like that, but you heard others from the village talking about something like this. You touch it to examine it, when you notice something in the back of the cover.

It was a photo, in black and white, with familiar people there. There was a man extremely familiar and a woman by his side, both in traditional clothing. In her arms, there was a wrapped blanket with a small face barely visible. Around them, was four children in the order from the tallest to the shortest. It was your uncle’s family, when Mr. Aizetsu and his brothers were young.

You smile gently at the photo, closing the photo and putting it away, before finishing folding the kimono, burying it and placing a couple of stones on top of it. You do the same to the boy that was killed before you arrived. You don’t see the other one, the one you helped. Maybe he left while you were unconscious?

You sigh, leaving the place. You could only hope for the best for him.

The rest of the week passed in a blur to you. After your battle against (W/N), you didn’t find too much trouble for the remaining of the selection. You stayed up all those nights and barely slept during the day, close to a couple wisteria trees that you found in the mountain. Even then, it wasn’t safe, as you woke up to a oni trying to drag you away from the tree to attack you. Thankfully, your training and years of taking care of your father made you wake up immediately and you slayed the demon.

Other than those two cases, you couldn’t remember any other encounter with any other demon as you lazily made your way back to the foot of the mountain on the dawn of the seventh day. You were tired, but what remained of adrenaline in your veins kept you awake.

You soon arrive at the foot of the mountain, in the same clearing where you started your test. There were four people there already. You recognized the woman who ordered the beginning of the selection, the fading hair boy and the young one too. The last one was…

“(Y/N)!” Ume cried out loud as she ran to your side. “Are you okay? By the gods, you’re bleeding! Does your head hurt? Wait, I have something here to help!” She said all at the same time as she began to search through her bag.

“Ume.” You call her, smiling softly at her . “It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt. I stopped bleeding on the first day. I’m okay.”

“You sure?” She asked, looking back to you.

You nod at her, still smiling. Despite that, she still helped you. Her worry lifted a part of your tiredness and made the rest feel like it was all worth it.

“It seems that everyone is here.” The woman said once the two of you joined the group. “First of all, welcome back and congratulations. I’m glad you made it back safe and sound.”

You can’t help but look around. There were really only the four of you? You remember seeing over twenty people there, but they were all gone. The boy you helped on the first day also wasn’t there. Did he… die? You couldn’t help the sadness creeping into your heart. You didn’t know him, but as someone you helped, you hoped that he would have lived longer.

“So… what happens now?” You hear the youngest of your group ask the woman.

“Gosh. What’s the rush? Can’t you wait for her to explain?” The other boy, the one with the fading hair, asked, seemingly annoyed.

“Yoshino.” The woman calls him out, making him stiff. “Behave.”

“Yes, lady Tamayo.” The boy, Yoshino, replies, his head laying low.

“Well, let us continue.” The woman, Tamayo, said. “You must first pay for the cost of the uniform. Next, you’ll have your body measured and have your rank engraved. There are ten ranks. Mizunoto, Mizunoe, Kanoto, Kanoe, Tsuchinoto, Tsuchinoe, Hinoto, Hinoe, Kinoto and Kinoe. As new slayers, you’re at the lowest level, as Mizunoto.”

“Ms. Tamayo.” Ume asked, raising her hand. “My master said that we would get a weapon of our own. Is it true?”

“Yes. Today, you’ll chose a chunk of Tamahagane alloy, from which your blade will be made of. It should be completed within 10 to 15 days. And, also...” She stopped, blowing a whistle. You looked at her confused before you heard a loud sound coming from the sky. Looking up, you saw a group of crows coming down, one landing on the shoulders of each one of you. “A Kasugai crow will be following you from now on. They are trained and used primarily for communication.”

You look at your crow. Yours was different from the others, as their feathers was white with a black beak. You look at one another, and you slowly reach out to caress them, which they accept, rubbing their head against your cheek.

“Awww! Yours is so cute, (Y/N)!” You hear Ume saying, approaching with her own crow. “Don’t you think so, Kurohime?” She asked, turning to her crow.

“You finally decided to leave home, Shiro?” Kurohime talked, surprising you.

“It-It talked!” You exclaimed surprised.

“Of course they do. How else would we communicate, silly?” She asked you, giggling.

“I… I see.” You actually didn’t, since you didn’t expect that at all. “So… Your name is Shiro?” You asked your crow, who ‘nodded’, but said nothing.

“You can rename them. They are usually named when young, but you can suggest a new name, and if they like it, they stick with it.” Ume says, looking at you expectant.

You turn to your crow, who is looking at you intensely, as if waiting for you to suggest a new name. You stop to think about it, but you were never actually good in naming pets. But then, a name comes to your mind.

“Huh… (C/N)…?” You say it, slowly, worrying if it would sound bad.

“What? (C/N)? Really?” Ume made a pout face, as if she was let down.

“(C/N)… I like it…” Your crow says, surprising you all. “Then, my name shall be (C/N) from now own… Good to see you again… (Y/N)…”

Good to see you again? What did they mean?

“Are you done introducing each other?” Tamayo asked, pulling you out of your thoughts. “If so, please go over there, and choose the alloy that will be used to create your blade. The very same blade that will be used to destroy demons and protect yourself. You must choose it yourselves.”

The four of you walk up the table indicated by Tamayo, where there were a couple of ores on top of it. She didn’t say nothing, and just watched all of you. You can’t help but feel anxious. You never saw an ore before. The closest thing to that was the charcoal you sold at the village.

“How are we supposed to choose?” Ume asks under her breath.

“I have no clue…” The little boy asks.

You turn back to the ore and tries reaching out to one. Your hand hangs over one for a second before you touch it. A shock runs all over your body, making you jump slightly. You don’t know what happened to you, or what made you react that way. You tried taking the ore again, getting no reaction this time, and turned to Tamayo.

“I choose this one...” You tell her.

After you left the Mount Fujisakane, you made your way back to Mount Sagiri. You made the same way back, but a whole week of build-up stress, prolonged fights, poor sleep and eating was certainly taking its tool on you when the adrenaline ran out. You had picked up a wood staff to keep yourself up as you slowly made your way back to the place. The sun was hot, burning your skin, leaving you thirsty and sweating heavily. Your vision was becoming blurred and darkening on the corners as you continued your path.

The only thing that kept you going was returning to your family, to your uncle, to the place you began to call home. You wanted to calm your siblings, who should be worried about your absence, and comfort Rokuta, who should be calling out your name at this point. You wanted to see Nezuko and Tanjiro, to be sure that they were still alive, even if they were still asleep. You wanted to be back as to put your uncle’s worries aside, for he should be fearful of your fate, now that you knew actual reason why he didn’t want you to take on the selection. You wanted to go back to that boulder, to thank Sekido, Karaku and Urogi for their help even after they passed, even if you didn’t get to see them one last time.

These thoughts were what kept you going despite your tiredness. In fact, you were so focused on those thoughts that you unintentionally ignored other people worried questionings and offerings of help. You just wanted to get home.

You didn’t notice the time pass until the sun was mostly hidden on the nearby mountains, lessening the heat on your body. It was only when you became aware of this fact that you recognized that you were close to the village, the same one of the old lady who welcomed you and your family in her home two years ago. The memory brought a tired smile to your lips as you notice a person leaving the village and heading to the path you were in. Despite your blurred vision, you still recognize a familiar patterned black and red kimono.

“Uncle!” You call up to him, using whatever was left of your voice.

Hantengu stops, turning to you, as if he had been called out by a ghost. The very next second, however, he's running towards you at a rapid pace. You try to meet him in the middle, tripping and falling in the middle of it, but he manages to catch you before you reach the ground and pulls you into a bear hug, holding you tightly against his chest.

“You're back... You actually came back!” He said as he hugged you, patting your hair. You hug him back and feel your haori get wet with his tears.

“I'm sorry, uncle. I'm so sorry!” You tell him as you also cry. “I didn't know... I didn't know about Sekido, Karaku and Urogi... I didn't know they were... That auntie had... I'm so sorry!”

“Shhhhh... I know, I know, little one...” He says as he pats your head. “I don't blame you... I'm just glad that you are back, safe and sound.” He says, comforting you. It reminded you of when you were little and went to sleep in your parents' bed because you had a nightmare. Your father patted your head the same way he does.

“Uncle... There's something more...” You say as you pull away from him, reach out for your bag and show it to him.

“Ah! This is...” He pauses before he picks the pocket watch from your hand, his own shaking as if it would crumble to dust by his mere touch. “I see...” He says as he hugs you back. “You must be tired, child. Let's go back. Your siblings have been asking for you the entire week.”

You were so tired at this point that you couldn't even make an answer. You hear him giggle as he adjusts you on his back, letting you lean on him and carrying you carefully. You wanted to sleep, but you simply couldn't. Whenever you closed your eyes, they would just pop open, and not let you sleep. You didn't understand why you were doing this, even though you were dead tired. You tried a couple more times, but you just gave up after failing them. You just laid on your uncle's back, your eyes half closed as you two went back to the house.

By the time you get there, it's already dark, and you still couldn't fall asleep. You were just looking forward until your ears got a sound weird. That sound makes you lift from your uncle's back and also made him stop.

“What was that?” You hear him ask.

His house was close already, but a good thirty meters of distance. You stayed still, your ears trying to capture anything at all. You were hearing your siblings crying about something that you didn't understand. All at the same time.

No.

You get out of your uncle's back and rush to the house, with him right behind you, calling out your name.

Please, gods, heavens!

Not again!

Not this again!

You were almost at the door when the same is sent flying, making you stop to avoid getting hit.

You stand there motionless as someone leaves the house. Your hands, that were gripping tightly to the sword, lost their strength as they recognize the red hair coming out of the house, followed by a long and floating black hair.

“Tanjiro...! Nezuko...! You... You woke up!” You let go of the sword as you fell to your knees in front of them.

They turn to you and they both reach out to you at the same time, hugging you. You hug them back, tightly, crying on their shoulders.

“Why did you fall into a coma like that?!” You questioned them. “Neither of you would wake up! I thought...! I thought you were dead!”

“Wait! Is that you, sis?!” You hear a new voice, that makes you raise your head. You can't help the smile that takes over your lips.

“Sis!” Your smaller siblings cry, running to the three of you, joining the hug.

A soft sigh leaves your lips as you feel your family's warmth, both literally and figuratively. Your siblings were okay. Tanjiro and Nezuko finally woke up. You were home. At the moment, this is all you could ask for.

With the last of your worries put to rest, you close your eyes, giving in to the tiredness that was stuck in your body since that morning. Even as darkness claimed you, you still felt your siblings warm hug and the soft headpats your uncle gave you.

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 11 — Past and Realization

Word Count: 3159

Summary: The Final Selection has begun, and with that, your struggle for survival. The results of your training shine as you progress, and the blessing given by your uncle and master seems to work. However, tides turn as bad blood rises and reveals something about the past you didn't expect.

You stop a couple meters away once you've cut the demons' neck, returning to breathe normally. You didn't feel so much of an impact when you cut their necks. It was the same feeling you had when you cut that rock: you hit something, but the sword slashed with ease as you cut through their flesh and bones. Certainly, this was result of your training? Of those two years you spent in Mount Sagiri, waking up early and sleeping late at night? You let out a relief sigh as you look at your blade, your uncle's blade, (W/N). She did cut the demons beautifully and protected you, like he said she would. You caress her, in a manner to thank her.

After that, you turn to the demons you just defeated, watching as they crumbled to dust. You couldn't feel any change in their, neither in expression or scent, but none the less, you kneel by their side, silently praying.

“May you rest in peace, and may you reincarnate as good people in your next life.” You tell them as their bodies completely vanished.

As much as you wanted to do the appropriate rites, it was hard without a body, and you weren't in an exactly safe place. You had to keep moving, so demons wouldn't be able to gang up on you. One or two demons shouldn't be a problem, but more than that, and alone, then it started to become complicated. However, as you stood up to leave, you sniffed the air and instantly felt nauseous. From all demons you saw up until now, they smelled like fresh blood, or a newly killed animal, which disgusted you to no end, but it was still tolerable. This scent you smelled, however, was like a highly rotten body that had been burned suddenly. You even had to cover your mouth to prevent the rice ball you ate earlier from coming out. This was how bad it was. It just wasn’t worse than the scent you felt back at your home, when you were attacked. That one you couldn’t even put into words.

Where was this coming from?

“Uwaaaaaaaaaah!” You hear a cry coming from nearby, and you turn to see another contestant running away, with wide eyes and stumbling pace, as if running away from something. “Why is there such kind of a mutant here? I didn’t hear about anything like this!”

Mutant?

You remember your uncle explaining that a oni grows in power the more demons they have eaten, and they even developed powers that could not be easily explained and could even change their flesh.

“I told you… TO STOP RUNNING, YOU BRAT!” You hear a loud female voice screaming as something falls from the sky, right on top of him.

You hide behind a tree, as the scene unfolds in front of you. The scent you felt earlier had gotten just much stronger. You watch as the being, an oni, stands upon that poor guy. She was tall, certainly taller than yourself, with long hair-like dark feathers coming from her head and a pair of horns coming out from her forehead, a big pair of canines coming out of her mouth twisted in something akin to annoyance, her hands and feet looking more more like talons from a bird and a pair of beautiful wings. Despite her appearance, it seemed to wear something akin a light, flower patterned kimono, but it was dirty and ripped, especially on the sleeves and on the back. In one of her hands was the body of another contestant, with their chest already split open.

“You youngsters are so disrespectful nowadays.” The oni said as she used one of her feet to hold the contestant’s head and push it hard to the ground. “When an elder tell you something, you listen!”

Despite with the face pushed against the ground, you could still hear the poor guy scream. The scream brought you back to that night of two years ago. Your body moves before you can think. And when you do, you only think of something: to save him! You had to save him!

“Stardust Breathing!” You breath in deeply, and sparkles float around the blade, joining one another and leaving a couple of them strong to even shine. “First Form: Brightest Star at Night!”

You aim for the body of the oni with your fastest attack, but her head slightly turn to you and she leaps, evading your attack and leaving both the body and the boy behind. He groans in pain as you crouch by his side, your eyes focused in the oni, that lands on top of a branch. Staring at each other from the front, you see a couple more details you didn’t notice about her before.

One of her kimono sleeves is empty, as if lacking something in there. She actually has one wing, that is damaged already, and there’s nothing on the other side. And, last but not least, she has a ferocious glare turned to you, but the shape and the blue color of her eyes are awfully familiar to you.

After a couple of seconds in silence, she scoffs and her lips twists into a toothy grin.

“Finally, another one of you has come. I thought he had already forgotten about me.” She says as she looks at you and the boy by your side, that struggles to get up, and stays away from the body close by. “Tell me, little one. In what year of the Meiji Era are we?” That question surprises you, but it seemed as she wasn’t interested in attacking you yet.

“We’re in the Taisho Era!” You tell her.

At first, she remains silent, her eyes widen and her mouth gaping. However her face soon distorts into one of deep wrath and a loud, deafening shriek leaves her mouth. It’s so loud that the nearby trees shook and you were forced cover your ears, that were sensitive.

“The era name!! Even the era name changed too!!” She cried out loud before letting out another shriek. “How dare you! How dare you leave me here! How dare you leave me alone! How long will you dare to leave me here! I’ll never forgive you! Never! Don’t you dare to think that these children will lessen my hatred for you! Curse you, Hantengu! Curse you for the eternity! You and your damned bloodline and the Demon Corps! Curse you and everything you’re slightly related to!”

That name gets your attention as she screams her wrath away.

“How do you know un- Mr. Hantengu?” You ask her, making her hateful eyes turn to you.

“You know why, stupid girl! He trapped me in here!” She says, unable to contain her. “I won’t forget what he did to me that night! How he betrayed me ten years ago! Even if his old bones have been turned to dust, I’ll never forget! He was still an active slayer back then!”

“That’s impossible!” The boy behind you screams, but quickly shuts as she turns to him.

“What do you mean?” You ask him.

“The demons here aren’t strong. They have eaten only two to three people. And many of them are killed during the selection. They also kill each other for their prey.” Then, he turns to the oni in front of you. “It’s impossible that she’s here this long!”

“But it is possible! Can’t you see me here, stupid boy?!” She says, opening her wing and arm as if to show herself. “I am here, still breathing. I strove in this prison of Wisteria. And I’ve already eaten fifty children like you two! And you...” She says pointing her long talon at you, making you take a step back. “You must be the tenth… No! The fourteenth one!”

“What are you talking about?” You ask her, gripping tightly to your blade, but you shake as she grins deviously.

“His children, of course. He has always called his students his sons and daughters, doesn’t he? He always had a soft spot for them.” Then, she starts laughing. “That sorry excuse of a man! I bet he couldn’t even fathom that I would survive this long nor that I would kill all of his students that came here!” She starts laughing harder. “Not even they were spared! I still remember to this day, a couple years back, how they all ended! His precious sons!” She starts to loose herself in front of you, laughing maniacally as she continues. “I tossed Karaku against a rock and heard his bones cracking! Then, I ripped Sekido’s chest with my claws! And then! And then! I tore Urogi’s arm off with my teeth!”

Your blood runs cold as she describes those horrible deaths. Karaku, Sekido and Urogi… Was she for real? No that, couldn’t be. You met them! You trained with them! For months! You still had some bruises from Sekido’s attacks. You still hear Urogi’s laughs in your ears. You still remember Karaku tickling you into submission. They couldn’t be dead…! Or, could they…? Suddenly, the unfinished sentence from Urogi rings in your mind.

“Did you know, little girl?” The oni’s voice brings you back. She’s pointing at you once again. “That haori of yours, is a mark. He used this same pattern on his days as a slayer. I’ve seen it so much back then, it’s been burned into my mind, even as an oni. He used to make one of this for each of his students. Even his sons got one of this. This is how I know who he trained.” She said as her grin grew wider. “Apart from him, I’ve eaten every single one of them. They are all in here. All sent from Hantengu, just for me.” She said as she placed her ‘hand’ on her belly. “It’s almost like as if he killed them himself, don’t you think?”

“...shut up.” You mumbled under your breath.

“What? Speak louder, girl. I couldn’t hear you.” She said, placing her hand next to her ear.

“Shut up, you monster! Don’t you dare talk about uncle like that! He would nev-”

“Are you sure?” You were screaming at her before she interrupted you. You couldn’t continue what you said, and she just smiled confidently at you. Even as an oni, she had beautiful traits. “That blade of yours. I bet he thought I might have forgotten about his pattern, so he sent you to me with that nichirin. He knew I would never forget about it. How thoughtful of him.”

“What nonsense are you spewing about now?!” You question her, already enraged.

“I made that blade to him. Back when I was a lowly human woman.” She said, making you stop. “That idiot. He broke my beautifully crafts every single time and he would always ask me to make a new one. That incompetent. But I guess that was part of his charm.”

“That can’t be...” You say, looking at the blade. “He told me that his wife made this to him!”

“Yeah. Her name was (W/N), right? And he gave his sword her name to remember her, didn’t he?” She said, talking carefully and softly, before breaking into a maniacal laughter. “It was me, girl, who made him this sword! I still remember from my time as a human, and my name was (W/N) Kidoairaku! Wife of Hantengu Kidoairaku! The most feared Hashira of his time!”

Those words take their time to sink into you.

(W/N)… She was (W/N). She was your uncle’s wife. The one you were told that had passed. The one he still mourned over.

She didn’t die.

She turned into an oni, and your uncle trapped her there. Looking at her, you could see the marks of his technique on her, especially on her wings. Maybe he couldn’t kill her, since she was his wife. You knew, first hand, how easily he attached to others. He would much rather break your hope than to have you die in the Final Selection. You weren’t even his child, and he reacted this way. If she was his wife, then…!

As you think this, a terrible thought crawls into your head, and as much you try to shake it, you can’t.

“I-If you’re Mrs. (W/N), then… that means you… ate...” You stuttered as you refused to complete that sentence.

“You’re asking me if I ate my own children?” She asked, giggling as she watched you shake. “I wasn’t at first, you know. I still loved all my boys. I birthed them myself. Even if I did kill them, I would never dare to eat them. What kind of a mother would I be if I did that? However..” She stops, biting her talons and slightly blushing. “When I bit Urogi, his blood, his flavor… he tasted so good. It was like getting drunk. The sweetest drink. I craved for more. I wanted to devour him whole, and see if my other boys tasted just as good.” She said, taking her ‘hand’ out of her mouth. “However, Aizetsu was there that day too. That boy… I never thought he would be a good slayer, given how soft he was… That same soft boy managed to pin me to a tree with his sword and run with his brothers bodies before I could chase after them.” She said, before sighing. “What a shame, isn’t it? I lost delicious banquet because of that son of mine. What a stupid kid, doing such a hopeless thing.”

As you hear she say those words, you raise your head to glare at her. Your eyes were devoid of any kindness, fear or light. There was only anger in them, and the only thing you saw was RED.

You roared as you rushed towards her.

A small part of you told you to calm down, but you shut that part down.

You were going to kill her, even if that was the last thing you’d do.

You jump high, trying to slash her, but she leaped once again, leaving only the branch to be hacked by your blade. You both reach the ground, you are a quite the distance from each other, but you rush towards her, determined to finish this once and for all. However, your instincts scream danger, making you stop in your tracks. That's when you feel it: a subtle breeze that goes towards (W/N), who is crouched, glaring at you with a twisted smile on her lips. Suddenly, the breeze stops, and you feel a strong gust of wind that rushes in your direction. You shield you face from possible debris, so you don't see her flying towards you, carried by the wind. You only notice what's going on when her talons are strongly holding your neck and your body is thrown back by impact and the strong wind.

You try to break free from her suffocating grip, but she is faster, and stronger. She slams you on the floor, knocking the air out of your lungs. In physical terms, no human had any chance against a demon, and you were no exception. The last thing you know is that she has taken a hold your leg and began to spin you around. You try to regain your breath, but she is quick to let go of you, and you are once again thrown to somewhere. You fly to what seem an eternity before your back and neck hit something hard, probably a tree, and you slide down to the floor.

Darkness wastes no time in taken hold of you weakened form and drags you into unconsciousness. Due to the impact and the previous, you don't understand what had just happened to you. You can only think of closing your eyes for a bit. Certainly, a nap wouldn't hurt, would it?

...

...

...

...

“(Y/N)...”

You hear a voice calling you...

It's familiar...

Urogi?

“Wake up!”

The sudden order wakes you up instantly and your body moved immediately, making you roll to the side, just in time to avoid (W/N)'s attack. Her claw pierced the tree log, where you were just a few seconds ago, her talons appearing on the other side. She turns to you, growling at you.

“Stupid girl. How are you even awaken?” She asks you, pulling her stuck arm back, making the tree fall. “If you hadn't moved, I would have killed you PAINLESSLY!”

She launches at you, trying to slash you, but you just roll to the side, both hands holding your blade. She tries to grab you, but you barely evaded her, your hair running through her talons. Time and time again, she tries to attack or hold you, but every single time you evade her.

“Stop moving!” She cries out, trying to reach you, but her cries fall on deaf ears as you just evade her. She suddenly stops and you also do, staying a couple of meters away from her. “So, is this how is it going to be? Then, I want to see you evade this!”

Once again, you feel the breeze pulling you towards her, as you jump back, creating distance, your sword by your hips.

“IT'S USELESS, BRAT!” She cries as the breeze stops and a gust of wind blows in your direction, sending her in an amazing speed.

You, however, don't stop moving backwards. In fact, you move faster, thanks to the strong wind, but you never stop looking at her. Your eyes are still locked on ber even as you crave your foot on the ground, and as you crouch.

Concentrate. You breathe in deeply, feeling your body heat up.

(W/N)'s snap wide open, finally understanding the situation. She opens both her arm and her wing to stop moving, even as far as trying to user her feet to break her advance, but it's useless. She noticed it too late.

“Stardust Breathing. First Form.” Sparkles float around you, but suddenly leaving just a couple that shine even brighter. “Brightest Star At Night.” You say softly as the blade instantly closes the distance between the two of you and slices her head.

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 10 — Mount Fujisakane

Word Count: 3009

Summary: It's finally time. This is what you worked yourself to exhaustion in the past two years. However you knew of the risks. There was always that chance that you would never come back. These past few days and next few hours might be your last.

The day had finally come. The day of the Final Selection. The last few days were good, full of peace and smiles, as you spent all your time with your siblings, except for the morning, when Hantengu had you to do a little work out to "not get too soft" as he would put. You missed this time, just playing around and doing mundane chores, not thinking about demons. It was like you were dreaming and you were back to your life in the mountain. Unfortunately, whenever you looked at Tanjiro and Nezuko, this fantasy broke.

Your life would never go back to what it was, but you still could restore some of it, by turning your siblings back. And the first step, was passing the Selection.

You left in the early morning, when the sun was yet to rise, when all of your siblings were sleeping. They had clung to you the previous day and slept with you. Mr. Hantengu had to help you untangle from them so you could prepare to leave. He had clean clothes to you, along with a new haori. It was a stamp he used as a Slayer, and he began to use it again once he grew out of alcoholism. His was split in half: one half was a deep red, the other half was black with golden yellow patterns of lines and flowers. Your was similar, but was half (F/C) and half (S/C) with (D/C) patterns. You felt touched that he was this thoughtful.

“Here, take this.” He said as you stood just outside the house.

“Your sword...?” You asked silently, as you took it as if it would turn to dust if you touch, which made him chuckle.

“No need to be so afraid. (W/N) isn't so fragile, but I can assure you that she doesn't bite either.” He said with an amused expression. “She's a nichirin blade, the only metal capable of killing onis. Don't loose her. She's like your own life.”

“S-Sure.” You stuttered as you looked at the blade in your hands. “But... (W/N)...? She?” As you asked it, his eyes turned sorrowful, but with a little smile, as if remembering something of a distant past.

“(W/N) was my wife's name. She was the one who made me this blade. One of the very few mementos I still have of her. Please, take good care of her, and let her take good care of you.” He said, looking at you, with a gentle smile, which you couldn't help but return.

“Sure, uncle. I'll take of auntie.” You said as you placed the blade around your hip and hugged him. “Take care of everyone in my absence, and let them take care of you.” You told him, but he only responded with a low "uhum", which made you smile as you let go of him. “I'll be off now, uncle.”

“Sure. Have a safe journey.” He said as he watched you dash away, waving at you.

When you were a couple of meters away of him, something clicked in your mind, making you turn to him.

“Oh, yes! Thank Sekido, Karaku and Urogi for everything in my stead if you see them!” You say, quickly turning around and leaving, not seeing the stunned expression in his face.

Time passed quickly as you traveled to your destination. In the past, you would have taken two to three days get to get there, but now, two years later, you were not the same girl from before and arrived there right before the sun began to set. Mr. Hantengu had told you you would take the whole day to arrive and should be there by nighttime, around the time the Selection should begin. You couldn't help but feel embarrassed that you were so afraid of losing it that you ram all the way here in a high pace. Well the others didn't need to know that.

You began to climb up the staircase that led into he mountain, glancing around as the shadows covered the path. Mount Sagiri was safe since it was a very isolated area and the infinite hunger of the onis wouldn't allow them to live there for without an easy prey nearby, not to mention the very presence of Mr. Hantengu, that periodically roams randomly and slays a couple onis hanging around. The same could not be said about the Mount Fujisakane. You were given a short preview of what to expect when taken part in the Final Selection: a week-long struggle where you would have to survive in a mount filled with onis. Not exactly easy, but that was to be expected. That being said, you couldn't help but feel anxious. An oni could jump out of nowhere.

Time passes, and you keep looking around, aware of every moving leaf, until you see slowly falling by your side. You pick it mid-air, noticing it was a very pretty lilac petal.

“Wisteria...” You whisper under your breath and look up, seeing more of the petals falling to the ground from a tree nearby.

You walk up the stairs to get closer to it, noticing how beautifully they bloomed, despite being out of season, and noticed a slight glow coming from it. Looking up one more time, you notice how the Wisteria trees grow more and more in number the higher you would go.

“Mr. Hantengu said that if there's Wisteria nearby, it's safe from most demons.” You said, smiling a bit before continuing your climb.

Once you get to the top, you reach a huge clearing surrounded by wisteria and a couple of people there. You notice their swords and realize they were their swords by their hips, but you three of them caught your attention the most: a boy with pale fading to black hair and a very serious expression, a very beautiful woman with gentle face and light irises and, the one who caught your attention the most, a young boy with delicate features and dark hair. That boy seemed just around the age of Takeo currently, or the age Tanjiro had before he... You shake your head, trying not to think much about it, just avoiding looking at him and sitting under a tree to rest for a bit.

The sun went down and the light began to die out as more and more people came to joing you and the others. You start to feel hungry, since you came running all the way and forgot to eat. You pulled out a small bag that Hanako had prepared for you the night before and there were a couple of small rice balls for you to eat during the Selection Period. You eagerly pick one up and start to eat when you have the feeling of someone watching you. Thanks to the training, your senses and especially your instincts became sharper, so you quickly turn to the person who was staring at you. It was a girl, maybe around your age, with beautiful white hair and sky like blue eyes, looking at you, or more especially, at your rice ball with a little bit of drool coming out from the corner of her mouth. She notices you looking back, making her blush and face away from you. You can't help but giggle.

“Hey, come here.” You called her, who turned back to you wide eyed.

You motioned her to come closer, smiling at her. She looked around, noticing most of the others staring at her side eyed, so she quickly made her way to you, to avoid more attention.

“What is it?” She asked you, crossing her arms, looking bossy, but looking at her, you couldn't help but giggle gently.

“Sit here.” You told her, patting at the spot by your side.

“Why should I?” She asked again, raising her eyebrow.

“It's bad to eat standing. Sitting is better.” You tell her, making her blush. “You're hungry, aren't you?” You asked her, once again patting the spot by your side.

She looked at you, up and down, as if trying to find a trick or a lie in you, but you were genuinely smiling at her, as you had no ulterior motives nor nothing to hide. She stared at you a little longer before taking her place by your side. You took another rice ball and gave her.

“Here. My little sis made for me. It's delicious.” You told her.

“But... These aren't for your test?” She asked you, still eyeing you suspiciously.

“They are, but it's not bad to eat with shared company, is it?” You tell her and turn back to your bento.

She takes a bit longer to turn to her own and start to eat. You checked on her with the corner of your eye. She was eating bit by bit, slowly, as if trying to savour it to remember later. Looking closely too, you notice that she was truly a beautiful girl, but she seemed too thin for her age, and she also looked a lot more delicate than everyone else around, even you. Was she truly trying to become a slayer?

“You haven't been eating properly, have you?” You ask her, seeing her flinch at your question, but she doesn't answer. ”If you don't eat properly, you won't have enough energy for the test. That can be dangerous, you know?”

“I know, but... My mentor told me to always be mindful of my looks, since to kill demons, I must be beautifully deadly.” She said as she finished eating her rice ball. “He said it would be a disgrace if he ever died without make up.”

You fight to contain you laugh, but you can't and a little bit escapes, getting the attention of the girl by your side.

“Your mentor must be a very different kind of a man.” You say, still trying to contain your laugh and failing miserably, but soon the girl at your side starts to laugh too.

“He definitely is.” She agrees, laughing a bit. She reminds you of Nezuko when she saw one of your brothers doing something silly.

“I know it's not my place to contest your mentor, but if stay without eating properly, it will take a tool on your beauty in the long run.” You tell her, reminding of the old lady telling you something similar two years prior. “It's okay to be conscious of what you eat and how you look, but that doesn't mean you can simply skip meals.” After you say that, you search you bag until you find a big enough cloth, in which you wrap a couple of rice balls and give it to her. “Here. Eat this during the Selection.”

“B-But those aren't from your little sister? I can't accept it.” She said, trying to refuse it.

“And I can't accept that you'll eat nothing during the Selection. Take it.” You say, pushing it onto her hands.

She blushes a little, looking at the package in her hands, a bit uncomfortable. You can't help but feel the same, however your worry for her sake is bigger, so you just brush it off. After all, it's best a little bit of food than none at all.

“...why?” Her question gets your attention. She was still looking at your package. “You don't even know me, so why are you doing this?”

“Do I need to know someone to do something out of charity?” You ask her back, but still smiling. “Besides, you seemed to be really hungry, and I'm used to eat less so my little siblings can eat more. So, don't think too much about it.”

“Hum... Okay... If you say so...” She says as she puts away the wrapped food. “I know it's a bit late for introductions, but... I'm Ume, Ume Shabana.” She says, reaching out her hand, which you hold and shake.

“I'm (Y/N), (Y/N) Kamado. Nice to meet you, Ume.” You tell her, with a smile.

“I believe plenty have gathered. Now, shall we start.” A voice said, getting the attention of not only the two of you, but of all present. It was that beautiful woman from before. “First of all, I want to thank you all who have joined the Final Selection. In this mountain, there are a lot of captured demons brought here by skilled Slayers. They are unable to leave thanks to the demon repellent Wisteria that is blooming all year round. However, from this point onwards, there are no Wisteria. You must survive here for a whole week. If you're able to do that,~ you'll become slayers. I believe I don't need to mention what happens if you fail, right?” Silence took over the place, as there was an unanimous understanding of her words. “Well then, may the Final Selection begin.”

The two of you quickly stood up to follow the other contestants into the forest, following separate paths. In your mind, you prayed that she would be safe and survive.

It didn't took you long before you found yourself alone in the forest. You couldn't even hear the other contestants. Only the soft breeze and the crickets singing. However, you didn't let your guard down, already knowing what expecting to find there.

“There it is!” You hear a loud screech from somewhere nearby, followed by the rushed footsteps.

“A human!” You heard another voice screaming, much closer to you.

You turn, your hands already prepared to unsheathe the katana by the side of you hip. As you turn, you see two demons running towards you, they were bickering among themselves, but you couldn't care less about their discussion. All you cared to do was to get to your stance and watch them closely.

“You... You are not the violent type are you?” You remember Urogi talking that when you were training with them for quite sometime already. “There's a lot of hesitation in your sword, and that can get you killed. Get rid of it.” He told you bluntly.

“What do you mean?” You asked him, a little flustered at his straightforwardness.

“You act like you're afraid of hitting and hurting us. Dang, girl! How are you supposed to train if you don't put your all?!” He said, sounding quite annoyed. “You don't need to put that intention to kill to me, of course. That's Sekido's job, but even with him I see you hesitating! Like, aren't you at least annoyed that he offended you and wants his words to bite him back in the ass or something like that?”

“I am annoyed, but... I don't want to hurt anyone...” You tell him, lowering your head.

“And I've already told you to not think of us as humans, but as demons! Those are the ones who you will be fighting with, and they won't waste anytime before going for your head!” Urogi says, almost screaming at this point, but you don't respond, keeping your head low.

“Hey, (Y/N).” You hear a voice calling you after a short silence. It was Karaku, who approached you with his arms crossed. “Could it be that... You still see demons as people...?”

“...Karaku, have you eaten something spoiled? I mean, that's just stu-”

“That's right...” You reply lowly, cutting Urogi mid-sentence.

“I bet it's because of your siblings, right?” He asks, looking you in the eyes as you nodded. He sighs, and starts to scratch the back of his head. “I can see where you're coming from, but remember one thing: your brother and sister are two of a kind. I've never heard of a demon like them, you know. So, it's okay for you to see them like that, but not the rest.” As he says that, you lower your head again, but he quickly crouches and holds your chin. “Look. Not all demons have turned by their own will, but their humanity has been either killed or is so deep buried in them that it can't come back. Don't think of killing them as ending their life. Think of it as freeing them from a sinful existence and saving whatever may be left of their old selves.” His hand then moves from your chin to your cheek. “Many won't regret their doings until their very last breath, but you can still pray for them after you fought them. If they regret, then you should definitely do it, so they may have a chance of forgiveness in the afterlife. But, remember, to even do that, you must be strong enough to fight them. Do you understand?” He asks you, and you nod, which prompts him to gently pat your cheek. “Good girl.”

You look once again at the demons, seeing small sparkles twinkling in their necks. An opening. You breathe in deeply, feeling your body heat up.

“Concentrate. Stardust Breathing.” You say softly, as the sparkles becomes a shining light, like that of stars in the night sky. You quickly rush to them, an after image of yourself moving by your side, surprising and confusing them. Both swords move in synchrony, swinging in the direction of their necks, as countless of small lights danced around them, before detaching form the blades and shooting towards the onis. “Third Form: Passing Shooting Stars!” And the swords swiftly slice their necks.

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 9 — Approval

Word Count: 3093

Summary: What would you do? After everything you went through, you hadn't thought about the point you were lacking the most. What would you do about it? You find the answer in an old memory, and you find your way to the future.

Urogi had been the one to welcome you that day at the boulder. There was no sight of Sekido or Karaku, which was rare since former never skipped a day and the latter seemed to be joined by the hip with his yellow friend. When you asked about them, he merely said that they had other things to do, so you would have to put up with him, which wasn't hard, since he was a pleasant company, despite him being overly excited all the time.

“What do I want to do?” You repeated his words, unsure of what they meant. He had asked you that after some chitchat, which usually was about anything other than training, so it got you off guard.

“Well, we've already gone through the basic, which was what you were lacking the most. Right now, you should try learning the breathing style, but you said that you weren't able to actually use it, no matter how hard you tried.” He said remember your words from when you two first met. “The breathing style is important, since it's what helps you kill the onis, so not learning one isn't an option. So, I want to know what you intend to do about it.”

“Shouldn't I just learn it either way?” You ask him, a bit doubtful. “I mean, Mr. Hantengu also learned a breathing technique that did not suit him before he made his own as a Hashira, right?” You said, remembering the story you heard, but Urogi got a bit silent, which was unusual for him.

“Was it the old man who told you that?” He finally asked, after a couple of minutes.

“Actually, no. It was his son, Mr. Aizetsu. I don't know if you kno-” You couldn't finish your answer before Urogi bursted out laughing. “Something wrong?” You asked him as you saw him slightly turn his face to wipe the tears out of his eyes. You still couldn't see his face.

“Not really. I was worried that old man had gotten more depressed about his past and wasn't even being honest about himself anymore, but it was just Aizetsu.” He explained, as he turned back to you, his mask back on. “He was the worst storyteller I've ever met, so it isn't surprised that you got it all wrong.”

You couldn't help the confusion that took over your head as you looked at him, as well as curiosity. During all your training, it was clear as day that something happened in Mr. Hantengu's past that shook him personally. The way that he took care of himself and the state that the house was when you and your siblings arrived was worrisome, and he said that he supposedly took care of cleaning up a bit before you arrived. He seemed better after a couple of months of you living together, but you couldn't deny that sorrowful gaze he had when he thought that neither you or your siblings were around. It still haunted him. You remember the old lady who welcomed you and your siblings, saying that he changed after his wife passed and his son's grew distant of him.

Could that it be it? You knew it wasn't polite to pry into someone's past if they didn't feel like talking, but you couldn't help but wonder what happened. Was there something else to his late wife passing? Could she have been attacked by an oni? If he failed to protect her as a slayer, that could explain things.

“Hey, (Y/N). You there?” Urogi's voice takes you out of your thoughts, and the sudden closeness of your face to his made you take a step back.

“Sorry. I was over thinking something. What were you saying?” You apologize, wanting to quickly change subject to get out of this akward situation.

“Well, long story short, yeah, old man was a Hashira, but he became one thanks to his technique. He made while he was still a rookie, if I'm not mistaken.” Urogi said, putting his arms behind his head.

“Really!? He must have been a genius.” You said, which made him laugh again.

“Not exactly. The only thing he was good at was the basics, but he had plenty of knowledge of his master's technique to switch it to something more of his taste, you know?” He said. “I guess his original breathing was Water? Not sure. It's been so long and he had forgotten how to use it by the time he trained me, and he got a couple of other breathings tricks into his own. Either way, what I want to know is if you want to keep on learning his style or you want to make your own?”

“Wouldn't I have to learn his style or his original style to make my own though?” You ask him, holding your hand to a fist.

“Not exactly. You quite a bit of the theory of his technique, so that should be enough for you to make your own based of on his.” He said, and you could tell he should be smiling gleefully behind his mask. “It's like a freestyle dance. You know the basics of others, so you mix them all together and make your style.”

“Dance...” That word stuck with you as you remembered the feeling you had when you used Hinokami Kagura. “Then, could I take a dance and use it as a base to my technique?” Your question must have gotten him off guard, as you saw him flinch.

“Huh... Well... I guess...? Yeah. But, it depends if the dance can fit into sword style.” He said, moving a bit too much to his usual self.

You don't mind this though, as a thought began to take root in your mind. You wouldn't use Hinokami Kagura to fight demons. It was a sacred dance passed generation to generation in your family and you refused to tarnish it for something bloody, even if for a good cause. However, the inspiration was there.

“I guess... I know what I want to do, Mr. Urogi.” You tell him, smiling.

All of this happened a couple of weeks back. You began to develop your breathing technique, but you were doing most of it alone. It was your breathing style, your technique, something that would fit you and you alone. Other people's point of view would only help distracting you and pushing you further of what you were intending to do. You knew that either Karaku or Urogi was always around, watching you develop your style, ready to answer your doubts, to make you company when you got tired and needed to rest. The latter was mostly the reason you called either of them.

It seemed like you had no doubts regarding what to do, like you knew exactly what you would do. You couldn't tell why, but you also had this feeling of familiarity, that only grew stronger as you progressed. It was like you had been tied, blindfolded and silenced by years and you were relearning how to walk, to see and to speak, and speeding up the process as time went on. It gave you the same familiarity as when you danced in the New Years so your father could get some rest when his heath began do decline further, many months before he has diagnosed with just a couple of weeks to live. This familiarity lead you to completing your style.

Once you did that, the very next day, you met Sekido. You hadn't seen him in many weeks, since the day Urogi asked you what would you do from then on. You don't know the reason for his absence, but he seemed to come back right when you said you should try to slice the boulder. Not only that, but he came back with a real staff, a Khakkhara, with sharp tips and edges certainly capable of terribly wounding and possibly killing a person, and maybe a demon.

“Not looking so pathetic anymore, are we? But, have you learned anything in these past months?” Sekido asked, before beating his staff on the ground. “Show me!”

You draw your sword, the very same sword that has been by your side since the beginning, from the person who set you in this path in the first place.

“I'll show you. Today, you'll be the one to loose.” You said, making him scoff.

“Too arrogant, you brat.” He replied.

Today was different from all the other times you fought him. Although too aggressive and violent, what you had was still a spar, where the chance of you getting terribly wounded and possibly killed was low (althought that bastard did manage to to make your arms black from all the beating he gave you). Now, with two real weapons, his intention was clear: it's not long fight, but a short one, where the victory is defined by the quickest strike. Due to his weapon's range and clear experience, Sekido should have the advantage in this situations, but you remember Mr. Aizetsu's words from when he trained with you.

‘Weapons are merely tools to be wielded by humans. Even the strongest sword will be as effective as a stick in the hands of an incompetent master. So, all the advantages a weapon might have will be of nothing if one is incapable of grasping them.’

Sekido was clearly capable of grasping and fully utilizing these advantages, but you were just as capable of overcoming them.

You prepare yourself, breathing in deeply, feeling your body heat up and the world disappear. In this place, there was only you and Sekido. You watch as he begins to move slightly. He was going to crouch and launch himself at you, wielding his staff to thrust the tip against you. It was an habit of his, that you began to notice after a couple beating sessions, that he always started off like that. You knew what he would do, you wouldn't let him however. Quicker than him, you close the distance between the two of you, the sword up your head. You were close, too close for him to do something. His only option was to dodge, but that came too late. You bring down your sword, slashing him. He takes a couple of feet back to back away from you, but his mask falls, hanging around his neck, split in half.

The silence takes over the place as you both stare at each other. Sekido had a shocked expression in his face, stiff and angered, like you imagined he would have if you could have looked to him without his mask. You were equally shocked, not only for managing to pull out an strike on him, which you never did until now, but at the reveal of his face, so much similar to someone else you knew. This feeling of familiarity only grew stronger as his face softened and he gave a small smile, one that gave off pride and a little bit of relief, but his eyes carried a mix sadness and worry. He looked so much like Mr. Aizetsu, a splitting copy even, except for his eyes being red like his mask.

“You actually pulled it off, (Y/N)!” You heard Karaku scream from behind you. You turned to him and saw Urogi by his side. Their shoulders were tense. “Our job here is done. From now on, it's all up to you.”

“Hey, (Y/N). Take care over there, okay?” Urogi told you, his tone nothing like his usual happy careless self. “There is like the real deal. You only got one shot. You either succeed or...” He doesn't finish his sentence, as if afraid to unintentionally put a curse on you. “Anyway! Good luck at the Final Selection!”

Final Selection? You remember Mr. Hantengu telling that after the training, you would have to go throught one final test to see if you could actually be a slayer, but you could only go and take if if he approves of you, and you would only do so if you could split the boulder. You look at the said one, and you notice something. Your sword had almost almost hit Sekido, which he dodged, leading to only his mask being cut, however, your sword hit something else. As you turned, you saw the boulder, split in half, in a clean cut. You stared at the sight in awe, not noticing that Sekido had literally vanished from your side.

You cut the boulder. You did. You actually did it.

As realization came to you, you couldn't help the smile that made its way to your lips.

You had to tell Mr. Hantengu!

You stood up and turned to rush to his house, but as you did so, you saw him standing at the edge of the clearing, looking at you with an expression fo disbelief. Karaku and Urogi were nowhere to be seen. He made his way towards you, in utter silence, until he stopped by your side, but he wasn't looking at you. He was looking at the boulder. He raised his shaking hands towards the perfectly sliced surface before he fell to his knees.

“Uncle!” You let go of the sword, crouching by his side, holding him. “Are you okay, uncle? Are you hurt? What hap-” You began to bombard him with questions, wondering what could have happened to make him like that, but then you heard it: sobs.

When you looked at him, you noticed he was crying, his face twisted with pain and something else, something like guilt. He was holding to his chest as he rested his forehead against the boulder, letting his heart cry freely. You were frozen at the side. You didn't understand what happened. Why was he crying? With how much he was sobbing, you didn't think he would be able to answer you straight away, but you couldn't let him like that either. So, you pulled him closer and hugged him, patting on his back gently.

“Shh.... It's okay... It's okay... There, there...” You told him softly, repeatedly.

It took some good minutes for his sobs to die down, for his breath to even itself, for you to let go of him and see him with just a couple of trails of tears running down his cheeks, already beginning to dry themselves. You waited for him to talk, gently rubbing your hand on his shoulder, reassuring him.

“I'm sorry, (Y/N)...” He told you after some time, but you shook your head, smiling gently at him.

“It's okay, sir...” You told him. “I did have my fair share of just crying and being unable to stop. It's not shameful at all. Father also did that and said it's okay when-”

“That's not it.” He said, interrupting you. You remained in silence at his words, until he sighed and stood up. “Let's go home. I'll tell you everything there. I owe you an explanation, and an apology.”

You didn't understand what he meant by that, but you didn't ask it either. He said he was going to explain it to you, so you believed him. You picked you Mr. Aizetsu's sword you let down and stood up, following him on your way down the mountain, not noticing the dozens of eyes following the two of you, especially three pairs of red, green and golden.

Hey, Nezuko, Tanjiro. I did. I actually did! I cut the boulder, and uncle approved of me!

You can probably tell, but I’m so happy. It’s been a long time. Two years. Two long years. Two painful years. At last, it was all worth it. I made my own breathing style, and I’ll take part in the Final Selection.

Our siblings were overjoyed to hear it. Hanako and Shigeru jumped in me, telling me I was incredible and asked me to show what I could do. Rokuta is still a bit too young to understand, so he’s going with the flow of his older siblings. Takeo seemed happy, but he has become more closed than before, more silent than before, so he didn’t show as much. You know him, he’s been trying to pose as the man of the family whenever Tanjiro or I weren’t around. He still blushes and gets embarrassed when teased right.

Uncle made sure to buy enough food for celebrate my success. The kids were so happy. I wish you two were there, to see their faces, their smiles, it’s been so long since I saw them smile like that. It was beautiful.

Sometimes I wonder, if where would I be if I hadn’t chosen to become a demon slayer. What would have happened to me, to us. I don’t even know, and I won’t even think about it. I learned in these past years to not think about what ifs, and focus on the what to do from now own. And right now, I’m getting ready for the Final Selection. I’ll have to stay away for sometime, the test is long, and hard it seems, but thanks to Karaku, Urogi and Sekido, I feel it. I can do it. Even uncle believes in me.

I know that I had told you that I felt like he didn’t believe in me, but that was not it. He explained everything to me, his reasons, his motives, and even his wrongdoings. He was honest with me.

I won’t lie to you. I was deeply upset by the things he told me. Had he just been honest with me from the start, many things could have been avoided, but maybe I wouldn’t be here. Like I said, I won’t think about the what ifs, but what do now. Besides for every bad thing he did to me, he did a dozen of good ones to us, so I forgave him.

I’ll be going now. I going to leave tomorrow early, and the journey is rather long, so I should get some sleep.

I promise to be back as soon as I can. And I hope you’re awake too.

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 8 — The Masks

Word Count: 3209

Summary: You have met your greatest challenge yet, which surprisingly is a patient and still existence. As you break down from the dripping pressure, you meet a trio of people who would change your path.

Mr. Hantengu has given you one final test, but it was an impossible feat, as much as you were aware of. To split the boulder using the sword you were given to train. Could that even be? Could you really split it open? With a katana? Given all you know about the sword, that you learned through your training, that should be impossible. It would break the moment you tried it. You tried to tell him this, but he turned and walked away, leaving you alone. From that day, you haven’t heard anything from you. Of course, he would still talk to you about other things, but as soon as you managed the test or the boulder, you were met with silence. Since that day, he hasn’t taught you anything, staying true to his words: he couldn’t teach you nothing more, it was all up to you. You were on your own.

This was six months ago, and you’re still as lost as you were that day.

You tried to cut the boulder, but you soon found out it was useless. You couldn’t think of anything useful to train, so you decided to redo your steps. Thankfully, the diaries you wrote for Nezuko and Tanjiro helped you remember what was done. The only training you couldn’t redo was when Mr. Hantengu “hunted” you. Other than that, you remade all of your steps. As you feared, your training was far from enough. You should have tried harder. So you did just that. You gave your heart and soul to redo the training, and even still, it wasn’t enough.

At some point, Mr. Aizetsu came to the house. He was having a mission nearby and decided to pass by to see how the training was going. Mr. Hantengu warned him that you were doing the final test, and that you were to find out what you were doing alone. He seemed to want to help you out, but under the close watch of his father, there was little space for you to actually talk about it. He left the very same day, at night, after you put your siblings to sleep. His last words to you where that you should keep trying that you were going to pass the test.

This was around a month ago. Six months since this test first started, and you were stuck, loosing your hope with each passing day.

“Come on! Do something!” You cry as you punch the boulder.

“Shut up, you bitch!” A voice cries out, coming from behind you.

You turn and you’re surprised to see a masked figure standing a couple meters behind you. By the voice, you can certainly tell it’s a man. He’s tall, taller than you certainly, using a kimono that is half black, half red with lines and flowery patterns in yellow. He also has dark hair, but he wears a deep red mask with an angered expression, with big pointing teeth coming out of its mouth and a pair of horns leaving its forehead. In his hand, was a simple wooden staff.

“What… are you…?” You tried to ask, surprised that there was someone there. Maybe you were so distracted that you didn’t hear him coming closer.

“You’re pathetic, girl.” He said. You could feel his scorn as he spoke. “I thought you were something else, having endured the training and all, but I guess I was wrong.” He continued to speak, and you can’t help the boiling feeling inside of you.

“What do you know!?” You ask him, enraged.

This wasn’t you. You wouldn’t let yourself be overtaken by your feelings this easily, however with all the stress from these last few months, all the failure, you couldn’t take it.

“What do I know? Hmph!” He repeated in a mocking tone. In a blink of an eye, he closes the distance between the two of you and attacks you with his staff. You try to block it with your sword, but the strength with he hit you, made your arm shake. “I know more than you, you little whore!” He screamed at your face right before he kicked you hard in the ribs.

You feel the air leaving your lungs as your brain registers the pain. You feel extremely dizzy for a moment as your body slowly fell to the ground after being thrown a couple meters away, but as if by muscle memory from all your training, you quickly roll on the ground and steady yourself. You hold on to your side, finding difficulty in breathing for the first time in months since you began training there.

“Pathetic...” You heard him say through your heavy breathing. “Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic! A thousand times PATHETIC!” He continues to chant as he hits the ground with his staff, the last time being the strongest. “Forget about becoming a Demon Slayer! You won’t even amount to a good snack to the demons with how weak you are!” He tells you in this anger.

“Shut up!” You cry back at him, feeling your anger boil more and more in your heart. You get yourself back up, glaring at him. “You just showed up out of nowhere and started criticizing me and belittling me! What could you possibly know about me!?”

He stares at you in silence before he begins to laugh, first low, then growing louder and louder, until his laughter could be heard in all the forest, as if echoing. You can’t help but stare at him, confused. He calms down after a moment, before looking straight at you.

“I guess you have a point. I haven’t seen your ridiculous training. What could I possibly know about you?” He says, still in the same scoffing tone. Then, he pointed his staff at you. “How about you show me? Come on. Attack me.”

“What?” You gasp as he says that. Could he possibly be insane? “But you’re with a wooden staff and I-”

“So what? That’s not for you to worry!” He said, as he charged towards you. “Unlike you, weakling bitch, I’ve split a boulder myself!”

Those words rang in your mind like a broken record. He split a boulder? Like that one in the clearing? His claims came right against your own believes, shaking you so you couldn’t properly protect from his attack, being send backwards by his aggressive offensive.

“You trained? That sorry excuse you of a work out were doing this whole time? Don’t you fucking dare do call that training!” The masked man said, continuously charging at you to hit you, while you could barely protect yourself. “You haven’t learned shit! You don’t understand his technique! Your body doesn’t understand it! You’re no different from a fucking child who knows how to talk but doesn’t understand stupid letters or how language fucking works!” He keeps screaming at you as he continuously hits you.

How could he talk so much and fight like this without running out of air? You try to attack him, but he easily deflects all your attempts and turns into opportunities to leave more marks in your body.

“Even if you can’t use his technique, you should be able to do the fucking basic! Even if he gave you a half-ass training like that, you should have become the embodiment of his secrets! And, yet, here you are!” He screams at you as he puts you to the ground once again, and you, tiredly and stubbornly, stand up. “Getting beaten up like the lowly bitch you are!”

With this, he delivers one last blow on you, which sends you hard against the boulder, once again knocking the air out of your lungs. You stay on the ground, gasping for air, feeling your whole body aching from all the attacks you suffered and your arms and legs shaking from having to withstand his attacks. He stays a couple feet away from you, looking down on you, with a disappointed sigh.

“If you can’t fight, then just give up. It will spare time for everyone. But if you don’t, then you better take this shit seriously. Nothing else matters here other than making the sword your own.” He tells you, his tone a lot calmer, but it was clear as day, his despite. He turns around and starts to walk away. “I’ll be here tomorrow morning. If you don’t plan on quitting, at the very least put up a fucking fight.”

Then, he disappears into the mist that seemed to take the place. You can just watch as he leaves, unable to say anything. Once he’s gone, your body fails you and you loose conscience.

The first thing you took notice of as your consciousness returned was the warmth and muffled voices that came form somewhere nearby. Next, was a terrible pain that washed all over your body, making you whine softly in pain. As soon as this happened, you hear the sounds mostly stopping. You find it weird and tries to open your eyes, only to find a very familiar mask right over your face, just a few centimeters away from you.

“Oh, great! You’re awake!” The person said happily.

You let out the loudest cry you ever gave in your life. It was so loud that it made the person above you cover their ears, which you took as an opportunity to punch them and crawl away from them. You watch them contorting on the ground, holding their face, groaning in pain.

“Damn! This hurts!” They complain.

As you watch him, you suddenly hear a loud laugh coming from nearby, a very familiar laugh, although with a different tone. You look around and see another person, also with a similar mask, rolling on the ground, holding to their stomach.

“Crap, man! She sent you flying!” The laughing person cried out loud while still cackling.

“Shut up!” The pained person cried back.

You’re shocked at the situation before you, but your shock allows you to notice something that had just skipped your mind as you woke up suddenly. Both of them were male and were using similar masks to the one who beat you up, but his mask was a deep red while the one you punched (and cracked the mask with your strength) was green and the other one laughing was yellow. Long story short, you mistook someone else for that guy and hit him unnecessarily.

“Oh my God! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m so so sorry!” You keep ask him for forgiveness as you approach him. “Does it hurt to much? Gods, I hit you so hard...” You say softly, trying to see his face, but afraid of touching him. Your stomach twists as you watch him that way.

“I’m good. I’m good. That old man used to hit me harder when training me.” The green one said, massaging his face underneath the mask.

“Old man…?” You ask him, before you connect the dots. “You were trained by Mr. Hantengu?”

“Yeah. He trained us a couple of years ago.” He said, before he adjusted himself. “Also, I’m sorry about Sekido. He really looks up to the old man, and seeing you barely being able to use his technique sets him off.”

“Anything sets that guy off!” Said the yellow one as he finally calmed himself down.

“Yeah, but not as much as this. Although I have to agree that with the way you were using his techniques, it was really unsightly.” The green said, before turning to you. “You gotta put some work on that sword, babe. You’ll never cut that boulder like this, much less survive the Final Selection.”

His words hit you hard, making you lower your head.

“You’re gonna make her cry.” The yellow one said in a teasing tone.

“It’s not like I can let her to keep lying to herself, you know!” The green replied, his tone getting slightly annoyed.

“Did you...” You find your voice after hearing them talking, barely over a whisper, but they still heard you, seeing as they turned their heads to you. “Did you cut that boulder too? One like that?”

“Yeah!” The yellow one said proudly.

“It’s not like you can consider yourself a master of any breathing without cutting one like that.” The green one said, not giving much of a thought to it. “The flesh of stronger onis tend to be much harder, you know?”

“I see...” You say softly at their replies. “Then… I guess I’m really useless...”

“What!?” You heard them both exclaim at the same time.

“I’ve been doing this for over a year, gave my best everyday, tried my hardest, and in the end, it little mattered.” You said, looking down, tears beginning to form in your eyes. “I guess that Sekido guy was right. I really should just give up. Stop wasting everyone’s time.”

The silence took that place as you began to let your tears run down. You lay down your heart at that moment. You didn't know either of them, but you couldn't care less. All the humiliation you endured this year and a half, all the beating, all the sleepless nights, all the pain, when you worked so hard that you nearly fainted, all your blood and sweat, everything that you took in and kept in all this time, now it was coming out in the form of your tears. You can't control all the sobs that make their way out of your mouth. The other two stay silent, but you still can feel their eyes upon you.

After sometime, you feel a sharp pain in your forehead, that made you stop crying. Opening your eyes, you notice the green masked one closer to you, with his hand close to you face. Did he really just gave you a flick?

“So you're giving up. You know that means you're giving up on your siblings, right?” His words made you freeze for a moment. You look up to him, and he was looking straight into your eyes. “As much as I'm aware, no one is trying to find a cure for demons. As a matter of fact, everyone who enters the Demon Corps are either victims of demons who want revenge or children of older slayers, mainly Hashiras, who are following their parents footsteps.”

“That means that if you give up now, no one will search for the cure.” The yellow one said, sitting by your side. “Your brother and sister will live as onis for the rest of their lives, will watch you age and die, and then they'll be alone. That is, if they don't die first, at the hands of some other slayer or something like that. No one will believe that they are good onis.” He said, shrugging as if he remembered of something.

“The Demon Corps exist for nearly as long as the onis. In centuries, it was certain that no good demons existed.” The other continued. “What we're trying to say is... Your siblings can't rely on no one other than you. And if they can't rely on you, well, then they're doomed. So, if you want their sake, giving up is not an option.”

“But, what can do? I can't use Mr. Hantengu's breathing, much less cut this boulder. I can't be a slayer like th-” You begin to say, but the green masked one silenced you, putting his hands on your cheeks and pressing them, making you look like a little fish.

“Don't you dare to continue that. You can, and will become a slayer. We'll make sure of that.” He said confidently as the other one started to laugh at your face.

The green one let go of you and stood up. By then, the other one had calmed down, so he crouched to your height and, despite you being unable to see his face, you could see his eyes. They were golden and smiling. Then, he headpat you, like you were a kid.

“For now, forget the Final Selection, the breathing and that stupid boulder. Just focus on the basics. You can't do anything without them, so let's start by that, 'kay?” He asked you, extending his hand to you, and you can't help but smile at him.

“Yes. I guess you're right.” You say, holding your hand, with which he helped you to stand up. “I'll be in your care then.”

Like this, you renewed your determination and you restarted your training. That man that beat you up, Sekido according to the other two, remained true to his words, waiting for you in the early morning to fight you. He still beated you up, but he seemed calmer than the first time you two met, more controlled, criticizing your moves more than just criticizing you (he still does that though).

The other two were helping you train from the beginning, like they promised to. The one with the green mask was Karaku, mainly responsible for teaching you from the beginning and sparring with you so your body learns what to do (Karaku was actually training move by move with you, while Sekido was just fighting you to see if you got what was needed to be an actual slayer). The one with the yellow mask was Urogi, mainly responsible to point out your mistakes, and cheer you up when you began to look down; it would be best to say that he chased sadness away. Pair funny guys, you had to admit, but they were what made you push forward despite it all.

There were many things that these two said that didn't make sense to you at first, like "Concentrating Breathing" and "heating up through breathing", but as they pointed out where you were lacking and you worked to improve it, you slowly and surely began to understand it, more with your body than with your head. There was a sense of familiarity to it, as if you had already experienced it before, and you knew where from. When you danced the Hinokami Kagura, you felt like nothing in this world could stop you for as long as you continued to dance. It was the same feeling, but applied to fighting instead of dancing. Once you had this epiphany, you quickly rushed through the lessons, however you reached another, bigger wall.

That's when Urogi asked you.

“So, what do you want to do now?”

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 7 — Diaries

Word Count: 3215

Summary: You began to face your greatest challenge yet: to become someone capable of slaying demons. It's not an easy path, but you're willing to go through with it, despite your limitations as a person and as a fighter. Your only source of determination are your siblings, who you only wish the good, and while they don't wake up, you'll write your thoughts and feeling in diaries, letters to their future selves once they open your eyes.

Weeks had quickly gone by as you began your training. Everyday was a struggle, as Mr. Hantengu kept his word to turn your life a living hell. Every morning you woke up with your sore body to prepare everyone a breakfast to start the day, your siblings with their respective chore, Mr. Hantengu and you with the training. Every night, you came back wasted, but still cared for your siblings, making them warm food, bathing them, putting them to sleep, cleaning the mess in the house before going to sleep yourself. It wasn't easy, in anyway, but having helped your mother to look after your family and the house from a young age, even though you were tired sure helped you wonders in these situations. What didn't help was your worry for Nezuko and Tanjiro.

Both of them were in a deep slumber from the day Mr. Hantengu took you all in. He even called for a doctor to check on both of them, but there seemed to be nothing wrong with you. You couldn't help the tears flooding your eyes when he left. You felt once again powerless that something was happening to them. The feeling you had when you put them to "sleep" and they didn't react to your touches came to haunt you again like a cruel ghost. What if they didn't wake up? Would they ever wake up? Or would they die in their slumber while you were out? All these thoughts tormented you for days.

The only thing that consoled you was Mr. Hantengu's experience with demons. There are only two ways of a demon to die: by being exposed to light or by being beheaded with a special blade like his own. Demon would grow weak by not eating regularly, but it wouldn't kill them, or so he said. He also presented you with a idea: write a diary, as to keep tracking of the time and so your siblings would know what you did while they were asleep when they woke up. You thought it would be a good idea, so you started.

Today I ran down the mountain.

I've been doing this eversince we came to live with Mr. Hantengu. He said that living in a mountain and going up and down it while carrying coals on my back gave me decent physical strength and endurance, but it only made me a little better than normal people. It was nowhere near enough what I needed to have in other to be a slayer. So, going up and down the mountain was a must and would allow him to do multiple trainings at the same time.

The air was thinner the higher we climbed, and was very thin in the large boulder I saw those swords, so training going up and down would help me breathe better, as well as train my endurance in a situation where I needed more energy with little fuel (air) available. The traps were good for my senses and instincts. He said that I might not always see a demon approaching so a quick reaction and being able of sensing a demon nearby, even hidden, was good to keep me alive. There's also the fact that some demons have Blood Demon Arts, special abilities that make them much more deadlier. While he can't name every single one, as every Demon develops different powers, using traps that could come from anywhere, I would learn to evade one targeting me or the area I'm in.

My biggest worry, though, is that the traps are getting deadlier. I don't know if he's trying to actually train me or getting me killed in the training.

Today, Mr. Hantengu decided to help me train running down the mountain.

While it should prepare me more, I can't help the feeling that he's actually trying to kill me. His help is actually chasing me around and trying to hit me. He chases me around with a variety of wooden tools, and it hurts! My arms and legs are turning purple from how many times he's hit me! He complained that it didn't show as much when he and Aizetsu trained, but their skin is much darker than mine! Of course mine shows more! And I think he's enjoying this much more than he should!

His explanation for this type of training is that demons can also think, and they would try to hit me with any available mean possible. So it's not enough to just run, but to be aware of the multiple ways I can get attacked. My brain is going to melt at this point.

Ah, also, there's something cute I need to tell you. I got back from training today and saw our siblings sitting around you. You still haven't woken up, but they were talking to you as if you two were awake, talking about their day and their thoughts. Rokuta is learning to talk better. It's so cute!

With all this training, I haven't been able to be as present as I used to be. Shigeru came the other day to say they've been missing me around them. I told this to Mr. Hantengu and said that it is to be expected. As a slayer, I'll have to walk around Japan for weeks and months, so I probably won't be able to see them as much, if at all. We don't know how long it will take for me to heal Nezuko and Tanjiro either, so it may take a long time for me to come back to live with them. In the end, it may actually be better for them to get used to my absence, as they won't miss me as much. I feel bad, but there's nothing I can do about it.

————————————

Mr. Hantengu began to train me with a sword.

He had told me previously that each trainer has their own technique, and his was one he made for himself after he failed to fully learn his trainer's when he was young. He also told me that each form of this breathing technique was made in a separate part of his life with different feeling in mind, taking multiple traits from the other breathings and applying to his own. Thanks to that, he said his technique was the most versatile, but one of the hardest to learn. He's had less disciples than other trainers thanks to it, but his were much better than the others.

He also told me that his breathing technique also allowed to each user have their own preference in weapon. He told me that he noticed that his sword would break a lot with his trainer's technique and he would get scolded a lot by his swordsmith. So he began to develop his own breathing and when his sword wasn't ready, he would use other weapon, then his style turned out his way. He said that the most optimal weapon for him was a sword, but Aizetsu's was a yari, a spear. So we first had to find out my most suitable weapon.

There isn't much mystery here. It was a sword, but I'm stuck between a regular katana and a longer version of it called nodachi. Compared to the others weapons he head at his disposal, these two were the ones I "dealt better", in his own words. He meant that I could lift it somewhat well and wouldn't let it slip away from my grisp. He wasn't surprised, as I seemed to have some affinity to katana even though I never held one, but he didn't expect me to actually be comfortable with a nodachi. I told him that I had a feeling of just feeling right when I used his katana to kill that serpent oni from the village, but with a nodachi? That feeling was all to stronger. Even holding a regular katana felt wrong after it, ironically.

We spent the whole day with this trail and error to see what weapon suited me better, so I'll only train with a weapon tomorrow. He said that will start the basics with a regular katana, them move forward to nodachi.

I don't know why, but I'm feeling excited! I can't wait for tomorrow to come!

Hey, Nezuko, Tanjiro. Do you remember Mr. Aizetsu? I think Tanjiro might remember him better, given all the situation we went with him, but I'm not sure about you, Nezuko.

Either way, he's here in Mr. Hantengu's house, and he'll help me train!

He told me that he's been a bit injured in a mission so he had to rest to get better. He's been exchanging letters with Mr. Hantengu to get updates about us (he told me he was worried about us, isn't that cute). His wounds weren't so severe, so he asked permission to recover in his father's house, and he was granted.

And yes, Mr. Aizetsu is Mr. Hantengu's son. I had already known it, as Mrs. (F/N) had told me previously, but you weren't around, so it should be a surprise to you. Or maybe not, since they look too much similar. Like, they have the same skin tone and they when they are serious, they have the same expression. It's not just that! They also have some of the same habits, as in their way fo walking or doing a couple of things. I swear when I tell you that Mr. Aizetsu could easily pose as a younger version of Mr. Hantengu! However, there are some clear differences. Mr. Aizetsu's usual expression, personality and a couple of his traits are much more kinder and delicate than his father's. I think he got it from his mother, or it's just his own thing.

Either way, now he's here and he'll help me train. He's more used to longer weapons than Mr. Hantengu, so they both thought he would be a better teacher to help me in this matter. I can't wait to train with him. I'm excited!

I take back what I said. I don't want to train with him anymore.

Don't let Mr. Aizetsu soft voice deceive you! He's much more strict than Mr. Hantengu! Even when training with him running down the mountain, I didn't get hit as much as I did today! I don't know if it's Mr. Hantengu that was taking it easy on me, Mr. Aizetsu being younger and more physically prepared or both! My arms are turning purple again because of him!

Despite that, I felt much more comfortable training around him than I do with Mr. Hantengu. He's a lot more patient with me and takes his time explaining me everything, adjusting my stance and the way I wield my sword. He also explained a bit about Mr. Hantengu's breathing technique.

While he was active, he was a Hashira, which is just the highest level a slayer can get, and his breathing changes depending on his feeling. His first few forms were made when he in the beginning, then he was a bit more fearful, then his techniques were mostly counteractive than actively trying to slay the oni. Then, came his mostly enraged ones, with were much more powerful and active. Then, his most calmer ones, which were also much more counteractive, but held the same power than his enraged ones, being also much more swift. Next came his more sorrowful ones, which was when he was dealing with a huge loss, that he wanted to be done quickly with the missions, so he managed to make his attacks much more precise and deadly, as he somehow managed to extend his range of attacks much further than it should actually be possible. Finally, his more levelheaded ones, which were when he was the happiest in his life, so his attacks were much more active and he would evade attacks as easily as a leaf in the air.

I was amazed when I heard about this, as now I can understand fights better now (as I've been training) than I did before. No wonder he was considered one of the strongest in his prime, and even now. Mr. Aizetsu said that he couldn't fully learn his father's technique, but he was the best in his long ranged attacks, as he had very good spatial awareness. He also thought that this should be my case, having a longer weapon and being well aware of my movements. He promised that he would help me in the time he was were.

I miss Mr. Aizetsu. He has left a couple of weeks already, but I can't help but think of it now.

I still haven’t changed my mind about him. He’s a lot more strict and I’m still sore from all the extreme effort I had to do while training with him. But, I felt like he really was doing his best to teach me everything, to help me overcome my shortcomings and improve, to explain any doubts I had.

I don’t have this same feeling with Mr. Hantengu.

Don’t get me wrong. He’s been wonderful to us. Although he was really strict and distant in the beginning, he started to open up more to us, started talking more, smiling more. I used to see him drinking every now and then when no one was looking, but all the bottles had stopped completely at some point. I remember being worried about his drinking habits, so I asked him the reason of such a change, and he said something along the lines: “Well, since your siblings will be in my care for a while, I don’t want them to have a bad example for life.” I was sincerely happy to hear this! I remember a few older man in the village having their lives nearly destroyed because of their vice in alcohol. I was happy to not see him fall to the same path. He’s even gotten healthier and began to look younger. Now he truly looks like his age.

I don’t know when I got to have these feelings, but I’ve been having them for sometime now, and our siblings are having the same. Mr. Hantengu has become some sort of a parental figure to us. He’ll never replace father, of course, but he feels a lot like an uncle or a grandfather. I don’t remember grandpa well, since he died before father had us, but he gives me the same feelings that we had with grandma. He’s a good man, and caring, and looks like he’s doing his best. But, I don’t feel like he wants to train me.

I’ve had these feelings for quite a while. Actually, I’ve had them since the beginning, but only I could realize this now. Mr. Hantengu has been a lot harsh from the beginning, but he seemed to have soften up when time passed. He is patient and teaches me what I need to do and know, but he doesn’t take his time to explain my doubts. He usually tells me that I won’t have all the information I need when going to missions, so I’d have to figure it out on my own, and it was better to learn it sooner than latter.

I don’t think he is wrong about it. It must be his experience, but… I can’t help but think that there’s something more to it. Am I not doing enough? Am I not good enough? I’ve been trying my hardest, but I still can’t shake that feeling. Well, I guess that compared to his son, I mustn’t be nowhere good enough. I mean, you two should see Mr. Aizetsu using his breathing technique. It’s amazing, like the most carefully crafted masterpiece. I’m not good at that at all. I can’t do any of this techniques right, even the ones I’m the best with. He must think of me as a failure.

I’ll try harder. I really want to become a slayer to help you and Nezuko. But first, I need to get his acceptance.

It’s over. It’s really over. I don’t know what to do. I’m completely lost.

Today, Mr. Hantengu called me before I started climbing up the mountain, just like I’ve done this past year. He said he had something to tell me, but I could never expect him to tell me that.

“I have nothing more to teach you.” Mr. Hantengu said.

You stared at him in awe. You couldn’t believe it. First you thought you had heard it wrong, but he didn’t say anything else, so you probably wasn’t mistaken. You also thought that it was a silly joke he was telling you to see your reaction, like he’s done before, but he would quickly tell you so. Besides, he rarely had such a serious expression in his face when joking. It was no joke. He was serious.

“What do you mean, Mr. Hantengu?” You ask him, expecting to have some answers, but…

“Exactly what I said. I have nothing else to teach you. The rest is up to you.” He said, not saying anything else.

You can’t help but lower your head.

“Sir… I am… not good enough?” You ask him, and he’s surprisingly taken back by your words.

“What?” He asked, his voice hesitating.

“I know I’m not as good as Mr. Aizetsu.” You told him, feeling ashamed. “But I’m still trying, so...”

You heard him chuckling, then felt his hand rest on top of your head.

“This is not it.” He said, his voice the softest you ever heard. “You’re really good. One of the best students I ever had. But, there’s really nothing I can teach you anymore. It is up to you to take it to the next level. I can’t help you with that.”

“I… I don’t understand.” You tell him as his hands leaves your head.

“I’ll show you then. Follow me.” He said, repeating the same words he said all those months ago.

Like he instructed you to, you followed him, in silence. The sword you have been training all this time, Aizetsu’s sword, in your hand, as you’ve grown used to its weight and presence by your side. Quickly, you two made your way up to the mountain, something you could do in less than an hour after a year of running up and down the place. Finally, you reach the place where this all started. The large boulder with a couple of swords stuck to the ground.

“Do you see this?” Mr. Hantengu asked you.

“The boulder? What about it?” You asked him. You look at it, trying to see if there was something different to it, but it was the same as you’ve seen this whole year.

“This is your last test, (Y/N).” He said enigmatically, making you look at him as if he’s lost his mind. “If you want to go to the Final Selection, you must split this boulder with your sword in one attack.”

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 6 — Trials

Word Count: 3329

Summary: You were taken in by Mr. Hantengu and he seems willing to train you, or more like, with no other choice other than train you. However, he's clear that this life isn't for everyone, much less to those of weak heart. He decides to test you, to see if you are determined and capable enough to be his newest trainee.

“Follow me.”

Those were the first words Mr. Hantengu told you as soon as you two met the other day. Your siblings were still sleeping, but Mr. (F/N) told you that it was fine to let them sleep a bit longer, and that she would take them later, after a good breakfast. She also said that you could leave Nezuko and Tanjiro there, apologizing to you for how she reacted and that Mr. Hantengu had already explained everything for her. You didn't know what that man had supposedly explained, but you didn't ask her, saying to her that you didn't blame her and apologizing for the mess from the previous night, leaving soon after.

As you followed Mr. Hantengu, a couple thoughts crossed your mind. First, he certainly wasn't as old as he looked, because he was running so fast and you were yet to see him pant or anything. You don't consider yourself especially fit like a couple hunters and lumberjacks, but you were pretty strong and had a really good stamina from helping your father all those years, but you felt humiliated as you were running out of breath and he was just fine. Second, his steps didn't make any noise. He was running, and yet you heard nothing other than his clothes floating against the wind. Even as he walked around Mrs. (F/N)'s house, you didn't hear him walking or the wood creaking under his weight. It was as if he was a ghost. Your father did the same when he danced the Hinokami Kagura. The ground under his feet barely moved as he danced. Third, he wasn't smelling as bad as he was last night.

After an hour or so, you reach a humble cabin at the foot of the mount. Despite being humble, it wasn't exactly small. You could say it was almost as big you own house, one that could fit a big family, like your own. He stops by the house, where you finally find a place to regain your breath. You could feel him staring at you, but he didn’t say anything as you rested, only speaking once you recover.

“What would you do if you siblings ate someone?” The question was so sudden and so incredulous that you couldn’t help the anger creep to your face.

“Nezuko and Tanjiro would never eat anyone!” You tell him, almost crying at him, making him flinch. When you notice his reaction, your anger fades away instantly and you lower your head. “I’m sorry, but I know what I’m talking about. Tanjiro and Nezuko are good people. They would never eat anyone.” You tell him, but you soon hear him sigh.

“Don’t apologize. Your answer was right, in part, until you apologized.” He said as he entered the house, but didn’t get too much in. “If you’re so certain that they won’t do it, then even if you had reacted in a bad way, you wouldn’t be wrong. But you did apologize. That’s the problem.” You hear him putting something down, and look up as he exits and closes the door. His sword was gone. “You know what your believes are, but you’re not certain in them. You waver. You ponder in what to do. You freeze when you have to take action.”

“What do you mean?” You asked him.

“You believe your siblings would never hurt a human as onis. You came to that conclusion after you were attacked by them and they recognized you.” His words stunned you, making your eyes go wide.

“How di-” You tried to talk, but he karate chopped your head. You felt as if he had hit your head with a rock.

“I’m still talking.” He said in a stern tone. “You really believe they won’t do anything, and you will stay by their side, no matter what, however your believes conflict when another person is put in the picture.” He spoke as he looked down at you. “Aizetsu had taken your brother from you and was threatening to kill him. That oni from yesterday had attacked both you and your siblings, saying that they would kill you. You had all the reasons to end their life, but didn’t do so until the last moment. Why?”

You can’t meet his gaze as you quickly turn away. What you wanted right now was to run and hide in shame or turn to him and scream at him how wrong he was, but you can’t. You can’t do either. You came a long way to meet him just to run away ashamed. You also knew he was right in his words. In the end, all you could do was stare down at your feet and hold on to your clothes.

“Because, consciously, you can’t bear the thought of hurting or of others being hurt. If your brother hadn’t recognized you, you most likely would have let him kill you. If Aizetsu hadn’t taken so long to kill him and provoked you, you wouldn’t fought him to protect him. The same happened yesterday, with that oni. If you aren’t pushed enough, you won’t take action. It seems that even if your life is in danger, you might as well not act at all.” He pointed out, and in each of his points, you wished the ground would swallow you whole. “Am I wrong?”

You can’t say anything back. You keep your head low to hide your tears, but they run and fall to the ground against your will. All you could do was to shake your head.

“You can’t hurt others. You have a kind heart. That’s in your nature and you can’t fight it.” He says, before sighing. “Although that’s not entirely a bad thing.” He whispers, more to himself, but you can’t help but hear it, making you look at him. He’s facing away from you. “That will be something to be solved in the long run. For now, let’s see if you’re anything actually worth of my time. Follow me.”

As soon as he said those words, he started to climb up the mountain behind his house and you, wordlessly, went after him. He walked for quite sometime, not saying a word nor sparing a glance to look if you were following him. You walked up the mountain silently, but taking note of how the place was slowly but surely becoming colder and you were having a harder time to breathe as you climbed higher. After quite a while, you reach a place that was near the top of the mountain, an open clearing that had a huge rock with a thick rope and papers hanging around it. In front of it, there were couple swords stuck to the ground, and many others in the surrounding forest.

You remembered that your grandmother would tell you stories of how blades were used in war times as graves for the fallen warriors, and you had to be respectful of them. You watched silently as Mr. Hantengu approached the swords and prayed silently, but straighten yourself up when he picked one up and threw it to your feet.

“Pick it up.” He said.

“But isn’t it a...” You can’t complete the sentence, taking a step back as if touching the blade would make you sick.

“It was one Aizetsu got when he was a bit younger than you are now. He left it here after he got his lance. Now, pick it up.” He said, watching you carefully as you picked the sword in your hands. Your hands instinctively moved to properly hold the handle, feeling the weight of the katana in your hold. “You don’t have a sheath, so you have to be careful of the blade on the way down.”

“On the way down?” You asked him.

“Yes. It will be your first test. You have to get to the cabin before nightfall and taking the least possible attacks from me.” He said calmly.

“What!?” You exclaimed as the old man sit down in front of the rock, not acknowledging your reaction.

The sun was high in the sky, and it would take a few hours to go down, but again you two took quite a couple just to climb the mountain in the first place. To reach the foot of the mountain in that time? It would be quite hard, but you could do so. Yet, that wasn’t what had you bewildered.

“What do you mean by attacks?” You asked him.

“I’m going to hunt you, with this.” He said before taking something out of his clothes and craving it to the ground. It was your knife. “Keep this scenario in your head: I am the strongest demon alive and you, little slayer, is watching me as I take my sweet time to kill your companions. You have no hope of beheading me, so all you can do is run. You’ll have a short head start, but I’ll be after you as soon as I see you gone. You have to run to somewhere away from this forest, where the sun can touch and I can’t reach you. I can’t let you escape as your survival will turn into a problem in the long run, so I’ll do anything in my power to kill you. Run and fight for your life as I chase you down. This is your test.”

You can’t help the shivers that run down your body under his stare. Being in his sight is no different than being a defenseless baby in front of a hungry wolf. You feel as if he could and would actually kill you. You find even more difficult to breathe. This place is higher than you lived, and the air was much more thinner too. You can’t help but wonder if you could actually survive this.

“You have ten seconds. Starting now.” Mr. Hantengu said as he looked into your eyes.

Your body reacts before your mind can register his words. The next thing you know is that you are running through the countless trees, your mind racing, trying to retrace the path you took up to the mountain. You try to breathe through your mouth as you run down, but you soon find yourself gasping for air. As you run, a thought crosses your mind:

The ten seconds are up.

As you turn to find your way back, you feel something holding the katana, making you stop for a moment. You notice some that the katana brushed in some sort of a rope, that was hanging around there for some reason. As you pulled the sword away from it, you register the pain before you can see something being thrown at you. You stumble back at the impact before you can see what it was: just a couple of stones.

“Did you really fall for that?” You heard a voice as you tried to understand what happened.

Following your instincts, you threw yourself to the floor, rolling away from the voice, only hearing something moving quickly just over your head. You try to stand up after rolling, but you feel your feet slip to something and you almost fall, just barely holding to a tree. Looking behind, you see a big, hidden hole dig into the ground.

“Huh? That one was a close call.” You hear and turn to see Mr. Hantengu just a few meters away from you. “What? Have you given up already? When we’ve just started?” He asks you as he slowly makes his way to you, his glare and murderous intent is clear and his lips are twisted into a malicious grin. If you were a rabbit, he would be a mocking fox playing with your life. Once again, you ran off. “Just as I thought...” You somewhat hear him say in the middle of your running steps and moving leaves of bushes.

You finally understood.

You feel something grab the sword, but you just pulls it with you, and dash forward, just barely dodging a log that swung in your direction.

His attacks weren’t just about his attacks with the knife.

The floor in front of you caved in just a little, making you jump, thus avoiding a big hole that opened up right bellow you.

He also had traps prepared and certainly knew this mountain well.

You caught something moving with the corner of your eye, so you raised the sword. As soon as you passed by the tree, Mr. Hantengu appeared, attempting to strike you with the knife, but you barely evaded it. His strength was surprising, sending you stumbling a few steps back.

His physical poweress too was an advantage he had over you. However, you weren't going to back down. You've decide.

As soon as you get a but of stance you rush down once again, heading to the cabin in the base of the mountain.

You are going to pass this test, and any upcoming test he may throw on you. You aren't giving up. You will become a slayer and cure your siblings.

Hours had passed, and you're on the floor, panting heavily while leaning on the cabin's wall, the sword barely leaving your hand. Mr. Hantengu is standing in front of you, arms crossed, as if judging you.

“You actually made it before sun set. Well done.” He said. Did he really just compliment you? You found it hard to believe that he was the same person that was trying to kill you a few seconds ago.

“So... I passed your test?” You asked, trying to stand up. “Will you train me?”

He stayed in silence for a moment, eyeing you before sighing.

“Yes. I'll train you. But just so you know...” He said as he looked down on you. “I won't be as kind as today. Everyday you'll wish to die. Are you ready to have your life turned into hell?”

“My life has been turned into hell when my family was attacked. And I won't die until I bring my siblings back to what they originally were.” You said, looking determined.

Mr. Hantengu nodded, but you saw something flash in his eyes. Hesitation.

“Veey well. Then, I'll show you were you and your siblings will be staying.” He said as he walked to the cabin. “Since Aizetsu warned me beforehand of your arrival, I had the chance to clean up a bit, but not everything. I usually don't receive visitors, so it may be a bit messy.”

You followed him into the cabin, where while it wasn't the prime example of a clean place, it wasn't so bad. He showed you a room with five futons and a spare room with the windows closed, making it completely dark, with two more futons. He also showed the other places in the house, so you could know where was where. According to him, training took a long time, so you had to get used to it as soon as possible, for you would be staying a long time. Your siblings arrived sometime after you were introduced to the house, along with Mrs. (F/N), who came to show them the way and help them get settled. Mr. Hantengu then left with her, saying that it was already too dark and would get her safely to the village and come back. Usually, it would take quite some time, so he told you and your siblings to eat without him and go to sleep early.

As you were instructed to, you made a bath and gave food for your siblings, before putting them to bed. You also had to carry Nezuko and Tanjiro out of their basket, setting them in the dark room. You caressed your brother's bangs, watching him sleep. He didn't react to your touch, as he usually would stir in his sleep and nuzzle closer to you. The same happened to Nezuko. You thought that they were just tired and didn't pay it much a mind, but you couldn't help the uncomfortable sinking feeling in your heart.

“Sis...” You heard a voice calling you as you left the room.

“Takeo... What are you doing up? Go to sleep. It's late already.” You told him.

“What about you? You should sleep too.” He asked, but not looking in your eyes.

“I will. I'll just wait for Mr. Hantengu to arrive.” You told him, patting his head, but he pushed your hand away.

“But you're tired! You said yourselft that you climbed that mountain up and down today already, and that tomorrow, it would get even harder! And that man said that we shouldn't wait for him! You're the one that needs to sleep the most!” Takeo complained, looking in your eyes, the same way he would do when he asked to sleep with you when he was little.

You can't help but smile at that memory, and bring him softly to a hug. He didn't resist

“You're such a good boy, Takeo...” You said, brushing his hair with your fingers. “I know that you're worried, but I'm also worried for Mr. Hantengu. After what happened back home... I can't rest peacefully without knowing if he's back or not.” You tell him before pulling him away from you. “I'll just wait for him to come back. Then, I'll go straight to sleep. Is that okay?”

Takeo remained silent for a while before nodding. You smiled and once again put him in bed, kissing his forehead as he fell asleep. You were about to leave the room when you heard something moving outside. You recognized the smell.

“Welcome back, Mr. Hantengu.” You told him as he took of his shoes.

“Still up?” He asked, looking at you before scoffing. “Don't even bother. Nothing really happens around here. It's safe.” He says. His words bother you more than it actually should, but you couldn't help it.

“We also thought that home was safe. And yet, here we are, sir.” Your words make him freeze, before sighing.

“You're right. I'm sorry.” He said.

“It's okay. It was inappropriate from my part too.” You tell him. “There's some food in the counter. I think it's still warm.”

“I see. Thank you.” He said as he headed to the kitchen, before sparing you a glance, as you were still standing in the corridor. “If there's something you want to ask, do it. As your trainer, I must erase your doubts.”

“It's nothing much. Just a slight curiosity...” You confessed. “That thing you said before the test. About you being a demon and I a slayer who could only run.”

“It was your first lesson. There are certain enemies you won't be able to fight. Sometimes, you'll find a demon much stronger than yourself, then you would have to run until he lost you or until the sun rose, which would send them into hiding. There's no shame in running to save yourself or others, so don't think you're forced to fight something beyond you.” He said, getting the food and sitting at the table. “That's about it.”

“I see.” You say after hearing his reasoning. “Then, good night, sir.” You tell him before heading to your own room to sleep.

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 5 — Hantengu of the Mount Sagiri

Word Count: 3120

Summary: When your and your families life is on the line, you can defeat any evil. But could you do the same, when the adrenaline runs out and you remember that onis were also people, also humans, like Tanjiro and Nezuko? To protect other humans, can you let part of your own humanity die? The gentle weight of the blade gives you that answer.

“There you are~!” The thing, the oni said gleefully, looking at you from up and down.

The old lady behind you was shaking. You could hear her making some sounds, as if she wanted to scream but couldn’t. You put yourself between them and her, keeping your eyes on them, to not miss anything. Between you two, only you could do something about them, would them decide to attack. You had a small knife you hid in your clothes for protection, but you weren't as good as managing it as you were with your axe, so you wasn't sure if it would be useful.

They “take a step” closer and you two take a step back. They raise their head to sniff the air, making them twist their face in disgust.

“Oh! You’re the stinky one! It’s worse than I thought!” The oni exclaimed, shaking their head in disgust. You weren't stinky! You really just had a bath a couple hours earlier!

You take your eyes off from them, looking behind. You see something moving at the end of the corridor, but you focus on the elderly woman by your side.

“Mrs. (F/N).” You call her, making her look at you. “Go to my siblings. Take them to a safe place and hide with them. I’ll try to buy some time.” She looks at you shocked.

“B-But…! What about you!?” She asks.

“I’ll be fine. You have to go.” You tell her, firmly, shocking her.

“Where do you think you’re going!?” The oni said, jumping towards you; at the same time, you heard a muffed growl coming from behind.

Quickly, you turn and crouch, bringing the old lady with you. From above you two bodies colliding and falling a couple of steps in front of you. You don’t need to look to know what it is about, just turning to the old lady.

“Go! Now!” You tell her, putting her standing and pushing her towards the end of the corridor.

She looks at you, surprised. You two exchange glance for a couple seconds before she turns and rushes towards the room your siblings were. With that out of the way, you turn to the struggle happening close to you, only to see a shadow moving towards you. You grab it, being thrown to the floor. Tanjiro is in your arms, groaning from pain, but soon growling at the oni in front of you. You notice that your brothers fingertips are red and there’s a big red stain in his arm.

“Tanjiro! Are you okay?” You ask him worried.

He nods, but never takes his eyes of the oni.

“What the fuck is going on here!?” The snake-like oni cries, sitting him his hands covering his face, with blood running down his arms. “I thought that there was no oni here! Where the heck did you come from!? And what the fuck are you doing with a human?!”

Tanjiro pushes you behind him a bit, putting you ax in your hands. You notice that he’s shaking and breathing heavily.

“Well, at the very least, it seems my poison works at you.” The snake-like oni said, the blood running down his face having already dried and the wounds turned to scars. Poison? Tanjiro was poisoned? “Now, be a good brat and let me kill that stupid girl.” The oni said as he jumped at you again.

You pass by your brother, swinging the ax and cutting the oni from their chest to their face. The force and movement of your attack sends him upwards, and away from both of you. You pull Tanjiro with you towards the entrance. Fighting in a closed space like this won’t do any good.

“That was barely a scratch, pretty face.” You heard the oni say, seeing them turning to you. You were sure that you had cut one of their eyes, but you could see both golden orbs staring into your soul. “See? I’m already healed.” They said before dragging themselves after you quickly.

You rush out of the door, Tanjiro stumbling by your side.

“Stop running! You stupid girl!” They said as they got the end of your kimono. “Catch ya-!” They started to say before their head simply vanished from your sight.

You can’t help but let out a loud cry as the headless body falls limb in front of you, letting go of you. By its side, is Nezuko who is turned to you, with expectant eyes, as if waiting some praise.

“Nezuko… You did this…?” You ask her, to which he nods. You’re amazed by this reveal, but you have little time to, because you feel Tanjiro fall by your side. “Tanjiro! Are you okay!?” You kneel by his side, holding him close to you, Nezuko rushing to your side as well.

You notice Tanjiro trying to move, but he was unexpectedly shaking, much more than before, as if he was making such an effort to move. You look at his arm, where he was bitten, only to notice his veins turning black. It was that oni’s poison! It had to be!

“Bastards! Stupid bastard brats! There was one more of you!” You heard a voice and a hissing, which you instantly recognized. You turned around to see the oni’s head, a couple meters of you, still alive and talking! “Listen! You bastards! You’re gonna pay! I’ll make sure to give that little human whore alive to the mistress! You will have wished I had her killed before then! I’ll do the same to all the other four in that house!”

As he said that, you heard something moving right beside you. To your horror, you saw the oni's headless body moving, preparing to attack you three. Before you can react, you see Nezuko rushing to kick it away from the you all, but the body quickly recovers and comes back crawling to you.

“Watch ou-” You try warning Nezuko, with you handaxe prepared to fight the body along with her, when you see something moving from the corner of you eye.

Your instincts kick in, moving you arms before you can even realize and putting the wooden handle between you and whatever it was. The next thing you know is that the oni's eyes are right in from of you, staring deep into your soul, your reflection clear in the large golden orbs, their mouth bitting the axe handle, their long fangs so close to your hands that they almost scratched you. You could see a dark liquid dripping from the point of fangs, possibly the poison that was affecting Tanjiro.

It was the head! The oni's head had just moved on its own!

To make matters worse, you see something akin to a tail moving right behind it, before you feel something quickly wrapping around your arm and then your neck, gripping them tightly. You feel the air being unable to reach you lungs as you see a snake-like body around your arm and feel the pain in your muscles and bones, being crushing in its gripping. The head had just grown a new body and it planned on suffocating you.

“Stupid whore! That's what you deserve!” You hear the hissing oni scream at you, but you also hear a sharp cry.

Looking to the side, you see the still headless body attacking Nezuko and Tanjiro, slashing them with their sharp nails and pushing them behind with their strong punches. They were in danger! You had to help them! However, you felt the grip in your throat tightening, your bones almost breaking and your vision darkening at the lack of air.

“Worrying about others!? You little bastard! Worry first about yourself!” The oni mocked you, as it bit the handle harder, enough for the wood snap, but you can barely hear anything, the world sounding like muffed incoherence.

In your head, you just think about them, your siblings. Tanjiro and Nezuko were being attacked fiercely by the oni's body. Your other younger siblings were hidden, but that monster could find them if he passed by you. You couldn't let that happen! You couldn't! You wouldn't allow it to happen.

Using all the strength left you still had on you, you fall to your knees at the same time as you slam your hands to the ground, hard, consequently taking the handaxe and the wrapped oni with them. A painful cry leaves the oni, and the tight in your neck lessens, but you don't stop. You keep going. One, two, three times. You keep slamming your fists to the ground and making the oni take all of the hit until their snake body let's go of you. You take a deep breath, but you still don't stop. You hold the axe in your hands and it the ground, making it get stuck on it, the handle pressing them between the tool and the ground. The last of you instincts makes you take the out the knife from your clothes, unsheathing it and piercing the snake body, to make sure they would leave so soon.

You stay there on the ground for a few seconds, breathing deeply multiple times, while staring at the oni head, that was unconscious before you. You don't have any strength on your legs, but you still try to push yourself up. You had to help Nezuko and Tanjiro. You could still hear them close by. You turn to them, seeing your brother trying to fight back, but his body seems to refuse to obey him. You try to get to them, but you "trip" and fall to the ground again, your legs having just given up. You still raise your head, wanting to help your siblings.

However, in the dark behind them, you see something, reflecting the little moonlight that there is. You blink your eyes, just in time to see a man appear out of nowhere, right behind the headless body and a long blade being swung down towards the body. In a split second, you see the body being split in a half by the blade, like it's made out of paper, and both halves fall to the ground, beginning to fade away right before your eyes. The man sheathes the blade back, a katana you realize, and looks at your siblings, that had fallen to the ground before he turns to you.

The man before you looked... Old. No. That's not right. Not old. "Drained" would be a better word. Yes. He looked so drained with his thin bony face and deep dark circles under his eyes that he look older than he actually was. His half open dark eyes, very messed black hair and unaligned kimono didn't help his "age" either. It was almost like they had given up on life and didn't even bother to dress up properly. Even his sword didn't even seem to have any proper care in quite some time. This man walked towards you, but seemed to have problem standing up right, stumbling a bit and leaning to one side than the other. As he kneeled in front of you, you can smell him reeking of alcohol.

“Are you okay?” He asked. Despite his outer appearance and smell, his voice was deep, but the tone was calming, much like Aizetsu's, although it also clearly showed the gap in age between them. You tried to answer at first, but you coughed a bit, before answering.

“Yes... Mostly... But, that thing... It just won't die...!” You tell him.

“That's expected.” He said before helping you to help you stand and turning to the head, that was groaning lightly. “A simple blade or attack won't kill an oni. Try this.” He said, showing his sheathed blade, leaving the handle for you to hold it.

“But... What should I do with it?” You asked, stepping back a little, which makes the man sigh.

“To kill it. What else?” He said, looking at you. “It it gets free, it likely will kill you and everyone here, and feast on your flesh. So, cut their head with this. It should be enough.”

You can't help but look at him in disbelief. Was he actually telling you to take a life? You look at the oni. That monstrous thing used to be a human. Like Tanjiro and Nezuko once were. They seemed to be acting more on their instincts than on reason, especially because of their fear of this so called "lord" and "mistress". Tanjiro also attacked you on instinct when he first turned. They could have been turned against their will, like it happened to your siblings. Your hands shook as you thought of you killing them. That very thought scared you deeply.

“What... Is happening...? Where am...” The oni murmured as they regained conscience. The golden eyes fell on you, and widen up completely, washing up all confusion. “You little bastard! Stupid whore! Who do you think you are to do this to me?! Huh?!” They screamed as they struggled against the handle and the knife. “Damn it! Hey! Get over here! I'll show you what happens when someone messess up with me! Come on! Come colder, you stinky bitch!”

You stared at the oni screaming and struggling by your side. As he cussed at you, your hands still wouldn't stop shaking.

“Could you be cold enough to kill another human being? To have blood of somebody else in your hand!?” The words Aizetsu told you all those days ago echo in your mind once again. “You can't.”

“You can't.” The man by you side said as he sighed, coincidentally saying it at the same time as Aizetsu did in your head.

They were right. You couldn't. You had killed before. A couple birds, some fishes you fished with your brothers, a couple animals you hunted, but nothing too big. You never enjoyed it, though. Killing just... Never settled right with you. It just didn't. You always turned away or closed your eyes when delivering the killing blow. Even overtaken by emotion, you wouldn't have been able to look at Aizetsu if, back then, you had delivered the finishing blow. You still doubt if you would actually be able to kill him. Would your heart allow you to go to end with it?

“One day, I'll be gone, and it will be your duty to keep our family safe.” Next, was your father's voice in your mind. “That's a responsibility that the father, the eldest child and the eldest son must bear.” His tone was calm and low, as if he was by your side, whispering to you, understanding your inner struggle. “Do you understand? (Y/N)?” Your hands stop shaking. That's right. You were the eldest. “To those who threaten our family...”

“Spare no mercy.” You whisper back, completing his line.

Before your mind and heart can stop you, you let your hands reach out and pull out the katana from the man. The blade was a lot heavier than anything you remember holding. It was also much longer and didn't feel balanced in your hands. But, somehow, it did feel right in your hands. It felt familiar. Strangely, but comfortably familiar. You couldn't explain why you had this feeling, but you didn't push it away. Instead, you let it lead your hands and you attack the head. You felt some resistance against the blade, but katana soon cut the head smoothly, cutting it in half. The oni screams, but their cries don't upset you as much as you thought it would and you watch it fade in front of you.

You breathe in slowly, your hands still holding to the katana before you feel a much larger hand covering yours. You turn to see the man from before, looking at you with the same half opened eyes, but those looked much firmer than before. You let go of the weapon letting him pick it up and sheath it once again. Then, he turns to you.

“Are you sure you never picked a blade?” He asked you his tone a lot firmer than before.

Your mind goes to the feeling of familiarity you felt as you wielded the blade. Since the law that came from the government many years ago, no one could casually walk around with a weapon on the streets and you never had one katana at home. It was really the first time you had one on your hands. But you couldn't deny what you felt when you had in your hands.

“Never before tonight.” You tell him, with your eyes looking at the floor. You breathe in before looking at you. “Who are you, sir? I have to properly thank you for saving my siblings.”

“It wasn't much. You don't have to thank me. But you know who I am. Aizetsu told you to look for me, right?” The man said. It was then that it clicked on you.

“You're Mr.-”

“Hantengu! (Y/N)!” You stop talking as you heard that voice. You both look to the side, seeing Mrs. (F/N) coming from around the corner, a terrified gaze in her face. “Are you okay? Is it...?”

“It's dead. It didn't hurt anyone.” Mr. Hantengu said as he approached the older woman.

Then, you notice her gaze swift to you, which confused you until you felt something hold your sleeve. You turn to see Nezuko and Tanjiro, who looked much better, the dark veins having disappeared and his arms shaking just slightly. You understand why she looked at you.

“It's okay.” You hear the man say. He also notice the woman's worry. “They're harmless. For now at least.” You look at him, who is watching the three of you carefully. You can't exactly decipher the look in his eyes before he shakes his head and opens his mouth. “You must have many questions, but leave them for now. It's late and you must be tired, from the journey and all this fighting. Sleep. We'll talk tomorrow.”

You can't say anything back. You just nod, your head low.

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 4 — Starry Journey

Word Count: 3175

Summary: You and your family were given a chance, a chance to try to turn everything to normal, to be truly together. The first step, however, was to search for a man in a distant place, where you hear a bit about him from someone who knows then for a long time.

You stood there at the same place that man, Aizetsu, left you for quite some time. You didn't move from that spot. You just leaned at the door frame and breathed with your eyes closed. The cold darkness and your loud breathing help you to collect your thoughts and raging emotions. You still couldn't believe what had just happened to you and your siblings. You never thought your family would be the same after your father's passing, but you hoped that you could still share the same happiness and hope for the future that was to come. And now, you lost your mother, in a very sudden and traumatic way. It would take a long time for you to heal, if it ever healed, and you couldn't even imagine how it would be for your siblings.

When you opened your eyes, you were met with the snow slowly falling down the ground. It was a sight you shared plenty of times with your father. When his disease began to take more of him, you started to just sit and watch the snow for hours. It somehow managed to calm you down, bring you some peace in mind and heart. If only you could just vanish and your spirit eternally watch the snow falling, forget the heavy burden that was placed in your shoulders, mind and heart...

You were so mesmerized with the sight that you didn't hear the sound of the covers moving nor the light footsteps that made their way to you. You only noticed the presence of someone when you felt the sleeve of your kimono bring pulled. You look only to find a pair of big and light pink eyes that were once so familiar to you.

“Nezuko...” You called you sister, who just stared back at you.

She couldn't answer you, like she normally would, because she had this bamboo thing in her mouth. You thought it was a doing of that man, to prevent her from biting anyone. Once again, he aided you and your siblings, despite having no obligation of doing so.

Your sister pulled you into a tight hug, resting her head in your chest, over your heart. You chuckle lightly, remembering how she used to do it when she was just a baby. You pat her head gently, as you finally manages to calm down. You share this little moment of yours, one that you hadn't been able to since you had to care for your younger siblings, especially after your father's health took a turn for the worse.

“Nezuko...” You called her, making her look at you. “We have to go somewhere, to get help for you and Tanjiro. Would you help me pack our things for the journey?” You asked her, who stared at you blinking before nodding.

So, while your siblings slept, you and your sister started to prepare everything for the journey. You noticed how her movements looked a bit clumsy. Maybe it's because she became an oni? You can't be sure, but you're more careful, asking her to do things that you know that wouldn't be hard for even if she was getting used to her body. Things such as taking the snow off the cart or putting the supplies on it. You did the rest, packing food, water and clothing, among other things. Finally, after around an hour, you were done with most of things, except for the basket you were preparing to cover any holes.

“(Y/N)...?” You heard a shy voice calling you.

When you turn, you see your younger siblings standing behind a door.

“Ah, you're all awake. That's good.” You tell them, with a shy smile.

Then, you see Tanjiro come from behind them, looking around until he finds you, rushing in your direction. He grabs you, looks you up and down, turns you, then holding your head and lowering it to his height, so he could look at it. You're surprised at first, but once you understand what he's doing, you can't help but giggle. You rise your head, much to his annoyance, and hugs him, bringing him to your chest.

“I'm okay, Tanjiro. I'm not hurt.” You tell him, rubbing his hair. He resists a bit, but soon gives up leaning into your embrance.

He's still the same. Your dear, kind-hearted brother. He would never change, even if he's no longer human. But he would soon be one again. You would be sure of it. You would turn him back. Both him and Nezuko.

“(Y/N), why are you doing this to the basket?” Takeo asked, bringing you out of your thoughts.

“Ah, yes.” You say, letting go of your brother. “That mister told us to search for a man called Hantengu, but the sunlight might hurt Nezuko and Tanjiro, so I thought of patching these baskets and cover them, so we can carry Tanjiro and Nezuko during the travel.”

“Aren't them to big for it, though?” Shigeru asked, taking a closer look.

“They will fit. Don't worry about the details.” You tell him, making her title her head.

“We all have to go?” Hanako asks, shyly, to which you nod.

“I'm afraid so. Whatever attacked us, might come back. It would be safer if we all went there.” You tell them, to which all of the nod. “Everything is almost done, so let's get dressed. We're leaving as soon as possible.”

You tell them, giving them their kimonos so they could get prepared to leave. You yourself get ready (you ran off only with your "pajamas" and without anything on your feet) for the journey and ends preparing the basket.

“Tanjiro, Nezuko. Come here.” You call them, making them rush to your side. “Could you try to fit here?” They look at the basket for some time before Tanjiro tries to get in, but as expected, he was too big to it. “You grew bigger a few hours later. Try to get smaller, Tanjiro. Smaller.” You tell him, patting his back.

At first, he didn't move, but he pushed himself deeper into the basket, suddenly making it stand and disappearing inside of it. When your siblings looked inside, Tanjiro was there, but he was smaller, even smaller than Rokuta, with a round face and big eyes.

“He really did fit!” Your siblings cried loud, approaching to look at their older brother looking like a baby. Nezuko also came closer, looking at Tanjiro for a moment before she herself shrank to the same size. “Nezuko shrank too!” You giggled at their reactions and kneeled before her, patting her head.

“Good girl, Nezuko.” You tell her, making her smile. Then, you picked her up and put her with your brother, who you noticed was with a small pout. You smile at him and pat his head. “You were good too, Tanjiro. A very good boy.” You tell him, erasing his pout and the smile emerged in his face.

Then, you proceed to cover the basket both of them were in with a blanket and hid them in the middle of the others baskets you prepared. While you were finishing preparing the cart, you turn around, where you saw a makeshift grave with a small pile of stones on top of it. By it's side was a proper grave, where the name “Kamado Tanjuro” was written. You walk up to them, kneeling and praying in a whisper.

“Mom. Dad. We'll be going now. I don't know when we'll be back. I only intend to come back once Tanjiro and Nezuko, which can take a long time. Can't say about the others. Regardless, please look after us and wish us luck.” You tell them, standing up. You prepare to go to your siblings, before you stop and spare a glance to the woods close to your house, close to where you and your father performed the Kagura Dance. “Please. Please, Red Eyes. Look after them in our absence. I beg you. If you're real, you're the only one I can trust.” You whisper to the wind, before going to your siblings, are waiting for you anxiously.

“(Y/N), can we visit Mr. Saburo's grave on our way down?” Hanako asks while you where picking up the carts handle. You freeze on the spot when you heard it, turning to her.

“Mr. Saburo's... Grave?” You ask, to which she nods slowly.

“After you left, that thing that attacked us tried to get us again. Mr. Saburo jumped between us and it to save us. He was attacked in our place.” Hanako explains in low tone.

“But, thanks to that, those two men managed to arrive in time. They fought it and it was amazing to watch! They made that thing run away! Then, we told them that you ran up to our home and one of them came after you while the other brought us with him.” Shigeru continues, looking a bit excited despite the sad eyes.

“Then, there were two men? How did he look like? The one who stayed with you?” You ask them.

“He had a really long hair, longer than yours I think, and it was tied in a ponytail. He also were a purple and black haori and had bandages over his hand and face. I found it weird, but couldn't ask him.” Takeo tells you.

“I see. I'll remember that. I have to thank them for saving you all.” You say, finally picking up the cart. “For now, let's go see Mr. Saburo.”

“Once again, thank you so much for having us tonight, Mrs. (F/N).” You bow as you thank the old lady in front of you.

It's been a couple of days ever since you left the mountain you all grew up in all you life. If you were alone, the trip would have taken sometime already, but you had to be mindful of your little siblings, who you came with. After all that trauma they when through, you couldn't leave them alone. You were the only one they had left.

“No need to thank me, my child.” The old lady told you with a waving hand and kind smile. “I couldn't let you and your brothers and sister sleep on the streets like that, especially not after knowing you were Mr. Hantengu’s acquaintances.”

Throughout your travel, you managed to make makeshift beds where you and your siblings could sleep. You were the one who had the least time to sleep, having to pull the cart and keep watch to protect them. That's not even mentioning the nightmares haunting you with guilty scenes of your family being ruthlessly attacked and killed by monsters you never saw before. Fortunately, you came across this village and met this old lady when looking for directions to Mount Sagiri. She invited you to stay the night at her house and guide you to Mr. Hantengu on the morning. You couldn't deny it, since your siblings longed for a good bath and homemade food. Maybe a roof on top of your head would ease your nightmares. Right now, your siblings were sound asleep in the bedroom the miss prepared for you, well fed and well washed.

“I know it's not much, but allow me to clean the dishes at the very least.” You asked her, but she shook her head.

“No, I don't, young lady. Look at these dark circles under your eyes.” She said, pointing at your face. “You couldn’t sleep these past days, right? You’re still young and it won’t be a problem in the short run, but it will affect your beauty in the long run. Go to sleep. I may be old, but I can manage it.”

“Then, let me help you. I have no way to repay your kindness and you even rejected the money I offered you earlier.” You begged her.

“I don’t need repayment, child. I did it out of charity.” She told you.

“My father always be kind, to give kindness and repay kindness given to me or our family.” You tell her, holding her hands. “Please, let me help you. I promise you that I’ll sleep soon after.”

The old lady looks at you with wide eyes for a while before sighing.

“You sure are stubborn. So much like he himself.” She says in a whisper, but you heard her. “Okay, if you insists so much, I’ll accept it, but after we’re done, you go to bed, no more buts, am I clear?”

“Yes! Thank you, Mrs. (F/N)!” You tell her, excited.

She giggles and both of you go to clean the dishes. For sometime, you do the chore quietly, before you can’t hold your curiosity any longer.

“Mrs. (F/N).” You called her. “You said that I was stubborn like ‘him’. Were you talking about Mr. Hantengu?”

“Oh, yes. He was very stubborn when he was your age.” She said as she looked up, as she could picture the memory in front of her. “That boy. He got into fights for the most silly things because he just couldn’t accept he was wrong. His believes were very strong and he would be easily annoyed when turned against him. But, he did apologize when proven wrong, although it was a very difficult labor.” She said giggling to herself, returning to work. “Fortunately, he got better with time, especially after he met his wife through work. She and their kids were the best thing that ever happened to him. No one could believe that the troublemaker Hantengu became a reliable husband and father. Despite all odds, he did become a reliable man.”

You couldn’t help but smile to yourself. You reminded of how much love and care your father gave to you and your family, doing his best despite his sickness.

“I can’t wait to meet him tomorrow!” You said excitedly, but said lowly as to not wake up your siblings.

“I guess he’ll be happy too.” The lady said, but her tone was too sorrowful.

“Is… something wrong?” You asked.

“A little… It’s just…” She hesitated before sighing. “His wife died a couple years back and all his boys went separate ways. It seems they argued very badly, as when I asked about them, Hantengu said that everything was over between them. The only one I’ve ever seen come back was Aizetsu, but his work keeps him away for weeks and he’s only able to stay a day or two before he has to go. It’s almost like sorrow had taken over him.” She said, before turning to you. “I hope that the presence of you kids will light him up and maybe make him smile. I haven’t seen that boy smile in such a long time…”

Hearing her say that makes you wish to not have asked.

You end the chore swiftly after you are done talking. Her words replay in your mind like a spiral. Could that be why Aizetsu consoled you when you cried? He knew your pain, to some extent. You thought of asking him about it when you met again, but you soon shook that idea out of your head. You had any guarantee that you would ever meet. Besides, it would be extremely disrespectful with his feelings. You wouldn’t want anyone to ask about your dead family, especially those you’re not close to. He might want the same.

Done with the dishes, the lady starts to lead you to the room your siblings’ room, from where you could hear their peaceful breath. However, as you pass close to the main door of their house, you freeze in your tracks, alarming the older woman. When she looks at you, she would notice you frozen, turned to the entrance, wide, static eyes, like a prey looking at a bush that just moved.

“What’s wrong, my child?” She asked you, worried.

“Blood…” You said, your volume and tone low, almost like a whisper, but the firmness in your voice made her shake and let go of you.

Free from your restrains, you walk towards the door, your breath evened and you steps silent, or at least as silent as you possibly could. There was a hole on the door, from how old it was. You look through it. It was already a little late at night, so you could barely see the street, but you could notice something moving in the darkness. It looked like a person, but they were dragging themselves through the floor, their long and thin arms helping them crawl through the floor, their skin very pale and scaly and their dark veins visible through it. You heard a hissing sound, like that of a snake. But the thing that caught your attention more was the smell that came from them. A very distinctive scent, thick and ferrous, strong and nauseous, like a slaughter had taken place nearby. That thing reeked of blood of people.

“That’s no good...That’s no good...” You heard them say, hissing in some words. “There’s no good one here… All I feel are old bags of bones and disease… These won’t please my lord… My lord will punish me if I take them to the mistress… She doesn’t mind, but he does… I can’t take them… There’s no good one here… I have to find at least one… Young and healthy… But there’s no human like this he-” They stopped, completely.

It raised their heard and started hissing. Their tongue was thin, long and forked, moving to all sides along with their head, until they turned to the door.

“That’s it… That’s it… I found it…” They said, joyfully. “Young and healthy… Two female… Three male… One of them stinks, but I can wash them… I just need to get them first!”

“Step back!” You cry after hearing that, rushing towards the old lady.

You grab her, pulling her towards the corridor, away from the door. Luckily, you do it just in time; right before the door breaks, slamming on the wall. You look behind, being able to see it better. It had big eyes with big slits for their irises, long, messed hair and a couple of horns coming out of their head.