Chapter 2
"Train J, departing in five minutes." The speaker said in a muffled voice through the sponges in my ears.
I didn't like the city one bit. It was cramped and crowded. Reminds me almost of my… I guess you could call my home. But now my home was the Butterfly Estate. Kiyo had given me little buds to put on to muffle the noise, which was rather helpful. I had grown used to the quiet countryside, and as soon as I arrived, I nearly collapsed from the overwhelming activity. I had slept in a nearby inn last night, so it was a little easier now, my senses adjusting to the flashing lights, smell of smoke and alcohol, and the filth in the air. Though, I didn't think I'd ever get used to living in such a bustling place. I hurried onto the train, glad that the mission was located in a farm village on the East side of Osaka.
Besides the cramped and smelly roads, the people were also much ruder there. There was the poor and filthy, and the rich and snobby. Although they were both pretty bad, the rich ones were slightly worse. They smelled of wine and jewels, their clothing was exaggerated and too flashy, as if they wanted to show the world how careless they were with money. They held their chins up and carefully avoided those they deemed 'lower' than them. When I bumped into one, the woman gave her a disgusted look and tried to beat me down by bragging how expensive her kimono was and how much money her husband made. But before she could interrogate me how much I had, I spun around and lost her in the crowd, though I could hear her shouts, something about being rude and jealous.
That was how I grew to like the crowds. They are pretty useful, sometimes.
Back to the train.
I was warned that carrying swords in broad daylight(or nightlight. They're around the same level of brightness.) would attract unwanted attention and trouble, so I had stored them inside a bag. Though, they didn't really fit so now there were two long bumps sticking out on the sides. But it was fine, because whenever I ran into another rude snob, the bag would hit them as I escape or they try to strut away. But it also got caught on a lot of things, so by the time I reached the train, it was just about to leave.
At first, there were no Demon Slayers in sight. Everyone looked like city folk. Of course, I was kind of expecting this. We were all instructed to be in disguise, since it'd be strange if there was a group of kids with similar uniforms all over the train station. Though I did see a few young kids around my age carrying suspicious looking cases.
I found myself glancing around anxiously, my neck tingling with anticipation? But for what?
I didn't see any red hair, though, and I calmed down a bit… Actually, I'm not sure if that was the right word, since I also felt more of a sinking feeling than a relaxing one.
"Those assigned to Train J, please proceed to enter, as we are departing now."
I pushed through the tight crowd, hurrying in.
The train was surprisingly quieter on the inside than on the outside and it smelled much nicer. I had never been on a train before, and it was very very big and spacious, despite being one long hollow snake-like machine. It was very nice, actually, and the seats were comfortable and looked clean enough. But it was rather confusing on where to sit, since there was no instructions on where to go. Apparently there were assigned seats, since I had mistakenly sat down twice on someone else's spot. I considered simply standing up, but a man had warned me that it was dangerous to stand on a train and to hurry to my seat before we left.
But when the doors closed and the engine started to roar, I still didn't understand anything. I felt myself swinging slightly to the right, but I stopped myself and adjusted my position so I wouldn't wobble or budge.
"Oi, what the hell are you doing, girl?" Someone snapped.
I turned and saw a group of around five kids, probably thirteen or my age. I said nothing in response and turned my head back.
"Hey, I was talking to you. You're a Demon Slayer member?"
I looked at them, slightly surprised. No outsiders were supposed to know about the organization except…
Oh, of course.
Underneath their clothes she could see something heavy and durable, which was probably their uniforms.
I nodded, which seemed to make them more irritated, for some reason.
"Wait a minute, you're a tsuguko!" The youngest one cried, pointing at me. "Of the Insect Pillar, Master Kocho, right?"
Still silence.
The leader's eyelid twitched and he approached me and lifted his chin.
"Hey, hey, hey. Answer her." He knocked on my head. "Are you listening, tsuguko? Or are you too high and mighty for us Kanotos and Mizunoes?"
The second eldest joined in. "Yeah! I bet she thinks she's so strong and so talented."
Another piped up, "Just because you got chosen doesn't mean you have the right to look down on us newbies like we're trash. Now saying something, girl!"
"W-w-what's g-going on?" A new voice speaks.
We all turn around and stare at a tall girl that sits up from her seat. She had a good build and towered over all of us, her statue indimiating, yet there still hints of anxiety in her eyes. The gang members backed up a bit, shaking slightly.
"N-nothing! We were just-um-talking to this girl over here." The leader squeaked out.
"O-o-oh. Then d-d-do-do it m-more polite-ly." Her voice seemed to trip a lot, and every word seemed like it was being squeezed out, and after each sentence, she'd sigh as if was tired from just that.
The alpha's face changed from fright to interest, probably noticing this too. "Hey, what's wrong with your voice? Are you scared?"
"N-n-no." She said,
The beta caught on and covered her mouth with a gasp.
"Oh my god! You have a stutter, don't you!"
"S-so-so what i-if I d-do?" She tried to place her hand on her hip, but her hand was shaking pretty badly.
"You must be 'Rapid Mouth!" One of them shouted out and burst into laughter.
"The Mizunoe that sputters words out rapidly?" A girl turned, giggling.
"S-s-s-shut up." Rapid Mouth stammered.
"H-h-how r-r-r-rude." The head mocked.
The gang burst into cackling laughter, the girl starting to glow a bright shade of pink.
"Guys, the snack cart is coming!" A person called, and the gang twirled around.
"C'mon guys, let's leave these losers." The center member called, and they all gave one last smirk to us and hurried back to their seats. The girl looked at her feet and I regarded her. She wore a kimono that wasn't really hiding her uniform well, so you could see a lot of the black armour. Not only that, the kimono was obviously too small for her, and was so short, it was almost the length of a haori. Parts of it were even ripped. Her hair was a light brown and her eyes were a bright emerald color, glowing with uneasiness and uncertainty.
"S-sorry I c-couldn't do much." She muttered, heading back to her seat.
I reached out and held her hand. The girl looked surprised and stared into my eyes.
"Your name?" I asked.
"Oh! Y-you c-c-c-can s-speak!" She gasped. "I'm T-Tateha. A-a-and you?"
"Kanao Tsuyuri."
"Ah," she nodded.
There was a moment where neither of us spoke before Tateha broke it.
"S-so, y-you're a tsuguko? W-w-w-why don't you t-talk? I-is it some-some kind of tsuguko o-o-oath?" She laughed a bit, which was strange.
She was rather chatty.
I shook my head and smiled.
She smiled back, but it looked more confused than sincere.
"H-how o-o-old?"
"Sixteen."
"C-cool. S-sa-same here." When another silence began, she quickly filled it. "D-do you have any family members also in the c-c-corps?"
"No."
She waited a bit for more, then frowned slightly. "This i-i-isn't some k-kind of i-interro-interrogation, y-y-you know."
"Then why are you questioning me?"
"T-t-to make a c-conversation?"
I stared blankly at her, and after a bit, her expression turned to shock.
"You d-don't know why-what a conver-conversation i-i-i-is?!"
"No."
"HOW C-C-CAN YOU L-LO-LOOK-LOOK SO OKAY W-WITH THAT?!" She cried out.
"I'm not comprehending this."
She opened her mouth several times and closed it, looking very distressed. Then I realized I was probably the one stressing her. Taking the hint, I bowed.
"Sorry for bothering you."
"Huh, w-w-what? Am I-I being a-annoying or s-some-something?" She looked even more anxious.
"No. Sorry for bothering you." I started to move away when the train moved and swayed me off my feet.
But before I could hit the ground, Tetaha caught me and set me straight.
"You're n-not bothering m-me!" She frowned. "Not at all. You're n-n-now one of m-my friends!"
I looked into her green eyes.
"Yeah, you talk-ked to me. You asked for my n-name. We h-ha-had a c-c-c-conversation. We're fr-friends… right?"
I blinked, warmth filling me.
"S-so, I will s-start another c-c-conversation, a-and you answer n-normally. Y-you say wh-whatever you w-want or f-f-f-feel."
I nodded.
"D-did y-you know there's a d-demon s-s-slay-slayer accompanying a d-dem-demon?"
I gasped, my heart suddenly pacing. Suddenly, my senses went crazy again. I could smell everyone's breaths and hints of perfume, and the snores of those sleeping filled my ears. No, no, no! Not here! Not here!
"Is he here?" I blurted.
"P-pardon?" Tateha tilted her head, looking confused.
"The boy? With the demon? Is he also assigned here?"
"I d-don't know. Why-y?"
I looked around, scanning for a green and black haori, or his red hair, or the earrings. I hoped to see a flash of those kind eyes.
"T-Tsuyuri?"
"You can just call me Kanao!" I suddenly said in a voice too cheerful to be my own. I covered my mouth, eyes open in horror.
"H-Huh? A-a-are you o-okay?"
"I need to go, Tateha." I slipped past her, the train's movement pushing me forward faster.
I used the force to boost me to go faster. I needed to get a drink and calm myself. I dodged the other passengers and nearly stumbled a couple times, my face flushed and my brain not working properly. I need to get it under control. But it wasn't helping that his face was showing up, flashing like a bright light. And when it appeared, my eyes wandered around me, hoping with a desperation I had never felt before. The words repeated in my head like a chant.
Is he here?
Is he here?
Is he here?
I skidded to a stop by the water fountain, ignoring the stares. I just needed to drink something and I'll feel better. I took a deep breath, trying to control the flow of air. Breath of the Flower. I needed to use that now. I gritted my teeth and felt the oxygen rush into my lungs, expanding and contracting. When my face cooled down, I leaned forward and drank some of the room-temperature water. I let out a sigh, my rhythm slowly changing to normal.
He isn't here.
He isn't here.
He isn't here.
I didn't see him on the way here. He probably didn't come. Of course. They didn't need that many others. Master could handle herself just fine. At least I can see her in action! It would be very good for learning.
Although I tried to cheer myself up, there was still an empty void.
Was I really expecting things would go my way-
Wait, why did I want him to be here?
Why do I want to see him?
Why does he keep appearing in my head?
What is happening?
Now I remember the real reason I wanted to see Master.
I felt water approaching my eyes. Maybe I drank too much. But I feel a longing for something. I wiped the water away, confused. But they kept coming. Maybe this is how my body gets rid of excess water. But I don't think I drank more than usual. My nose also became runny, and I couldn't help but sniffle a bit.
Why is this happening to me...?
I headed towards the bathroom. I needed to wash my face. I turned around, but almost instantly, someone slammed into me. We collapsed on the ground, both falling backwards. The ground hit my back and I felt something and water jetted out of my eyes, more than before.
"Ugh… Why are you guarding the water fountain?!" The boy cried. "The cup is now dirty! You'll pay-"
I sat up, meeting face-to-face with him. His face was shocked, and his hair was a bright yellow and orange-wait, I know this person! I opened my mouth when suddenly he started making a noise.
"AaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! OH MY GOD A GIRL! I'm very very very sorry!" He kind of shrieked.
He got up and started bowing vigorously. He looked pale and horrified.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," he started, and I became concerned that he wouldn't stop, but he did.
"I-Wait," he squinted at me. "Aren't you that cute girl from the Butterfly Estate?"
I blinked, without saying anything. I looked at his cup. Drinking fountains don't need cups. He noticed where I was staring and suddenly blushed.
"Oh, this." He avoided my eyes. "It's not for me. I… uhh… meant it for…"
"Zenitsu, are you alright?"
I froze, eyes widening. I knew that voice too. And as soon as I heard it, the water stopped and I felt the void suddenly seal itself.
Thump, thump, thump.
And then he appeared, from behind his friend. A boy with bright red hair, a checkered haori, tanned skin, hanafuda earrings, and red eyes. Tanjiro Kamado, friends with Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibara. And the boy who accompanied a demon.