"You can still save your bonds, don't end up like me, you stupid girl."
Ayaka's eyebrows furrowed uncomfortably. Something… There was something poking her cheek, what was it? It was hard to discern what was happening, she could feel the touch of the humid earth under her palms and the biting cold of twilight against her cheek. The fresh air that filled her lungs confirmed her that she was, indeed, still breathing, but she couldn't think about anything else. The sweetness of dreaming and rest was too alluring to let go of, she lacked willpower to get up without reason, she didn't have any reason, did she?
A name came to her mind. Nezuko. Who was that and why did she think about her, bursting into her dream? Even so, her mind continued.
Nezuko, Nezuko, Nezuko, Nezuko, Nezuko. Pink ribbons, crushing hugs. Nezuko was in danger, right? She loved Nezuko, and she loved Tanjirou. Tanjirou, right, the smell of charcoal and burning eyes. Tints about the events of that night threw themselves at her and made her remember like rabid dogs. They buried their fangs strongly on her flesh and with every bite and raging chomp Ayaka regained consciousness.
A Lower Moon. Tanjirou surrounded by flames, Rui's head falling to the floor and Ayaka with him. And Nezuko… she had been hanging from Rui's threads, but they broke with her fire, Nezuko's fire, a strange magenta colour that made it clear it wasn't any ordinary fire.
Nezuko, Nezuko, Nezuko, Nezuko, Nezuko.
Her senses came back, and what had appeared like a far away touch on her cheek turned into insistent pokes.
"Nezuko," she muttered, without being sure about why she was saying a demon's name.
The first thing she saw when she woke up were a pair of eyes of a blue deeper than any lake or sea she had ever seen.
The person to whom they belonged, however, wasn't to her liking.
"Kid," called the kneeling man in front of her.
He was young, no more than twenty five year olds that was for sure. Spiky hair that ended in a blue the same tone like his eyes. First thing Ayaka's eyes ran to was his nichirin sword by his waist, the second one, his demon slayer uniform, the last one, his empty eyes.
«You've been abandoned too», she thought without hesitating, squinting for a moment and then letting out a long sigh. «You seem so lonely, is that how I look to other people?»
"Kid," the man called once again, as if he believed her silence was a lack of attention. He stayed poking her cheek.
"Stop poking me, please, I'm awake," Ayaka asked with a frown. She vaguely slapped his hand away from her face, and he stayed looking at her without paying no mind to it.
«This guy is clueless», she thought in an estranged grimace.
"Is this yours?", he asked, raising his hand to show her gray sword.
He had meant the sword, but his gaze, pointed at two bodies nearby, showed it wasn't the only thing he thought hers.
"Tanjirou." Ayaka exhaled his name in a sigh a moment before running towards him, but she was suddenly stopped by the unknown man, who grabbed her by the nape of her neck like one would grab a cat.
What kind of person was he to do something like that? However, he got to keep Ayaka still, although her eyes stayed fixed on the pair of siblings, who laid on the floor as if they were trash.
"Don't be so careless, you will only make your wounds worse," the man warned, who still held her sword on the other hand. "You fought against a Lower Moon, take a break, you deserve it for putting up with it until a pillar arrived. The boy did a good job too, be grateful for being so lucky."
Ayaka finally relaxed on the hold of the stranger, turning her head around to look at him a second time. The deep oceans he had for eyes looked back.
"A Pillar…" she muttered nearly not believing it, recognition shining on her eyes. "You are… Giyuu Tomioka, the Water Pillar."
"I wasn't talking about me," he said, close to sounding tired.
Ayaka retorted still with her feet on the air.
"But we… we took down the Lower Moon, Tanjirou cut off his head, I remember that right, what are you doing here?" she asked, confused.
"When I arrived the demon was still alive, and your friend there was going to die, so I doubt what you're saying is true," Tomioka replied still in the same blank expression he had been wearing all that time.
«Is he calling me a liar?», Ayaka thought, feeling how her eyebrow twitched slightly on its own.
Rui's corpse had been right there, his head close to where Ayaka had collapsed, fading away in ashes. But the corpse wasn't.
Ayaka's eyes wandered in alarm over the forest, finding it walking in an erratic pace. It wanted to reach Tanjirou and Nezuko.
"Can you walk?" Tomioka asked. His grip was tight on Ayaka's collar, as if expecting her to collapse if he set her on the floor.
She ignored him. Easily making him let her go with an unexpected tug, she fought against the pain and pulsing numbness on her legs to reach the siblings before the walking corpse of Rui could.
"I guess that's a yes," she heard Tomioka say behind her as she stumbled against her own two feet.
On a whim she placed herself in front of Tanjirou and Nezuko. You couldn't let your guard down with beings like demons until they disappeared completely, they clutched to life and many demon slayers were gravely hurt by demons in their last moments on the land of the living. Although difficult to believe, many inexperienced or lacking demon slayers died that way, a slash to the throat, a blade to the chest, it was easy to end a human's life.
With every hair on her body still, Ayaka swallowed to calm the trembling of her lips as she looked at Rui's body, slowly walking towards them. In a clumsy step, or maybe because most of it was dust already, it fell on its path and stayed there, barely a centimetre away from touching her with his claws. Without strength to walk or get up, half his body left and in silence, Rui went back to nothingness, turning into dust right before her eyes.
"Aya," Tanjirou called her name with a watered expression. He looked so tired, an arm hugging the unconscious Nezuko. The other one stretched to reach Rui's torso, who was bit by bit disappearing, bit by bit ceasing its existence.
Ayaka grabbed Tanjirou's injured hand between hers, preventing it from touching the demon.
"You're safe, you don't have to struggle anymore. He finally died," she told him in a whisper.
"But he… from his small body came such a great smell of sadness." Tanjirou's voice expressed crude pity, his expression wasn't watered because of tiredness like how she thought, but because of the pity and compassion he felt towards the demon. Of all demon slayers she could have encountered, she was sure Tanjirou was the only one she'd found consoling a demon, and the only one that could surprise her so many times and so strongly. Maybe because Tanjirou felt too much and for everyone around him. If not he wouldn't have been with her for so long, and just like her, the demon was someone Tanjirou would offer his help.
Because on Tanjirou 's eyes all of them were equal. Maybe he wasn't so wrong, because they had all been born from dust and all would go back to it eventually, no matter what. Just like Rui was doing then, and how they would when the time came for them.
"Please, let me… "he pleaded softly, and his voice died down when he let out a whimper. Ayaka obeyed and let go of his hand, staring as it made its way to Rui's body and settled softly there.
The demon could enjoy the Sun 's touch one last time. She hoped that was enough, for her it would be.
«You were cursed with a heart that 's too big. All that space for everyone but yourself», Ayaka thought as she slid her hand over Tanjirou 's frizzy hair. «I'd like to ask you to let me be the one that protects you, but I'm too much of a coward. I'll end up running away before that, although it's the thing I want the most.»
Brave for some things and a coward for others, she felt crude and piercing feelings just like him, too much for only one body as weak and frail as hers.
"We should go soon and check out your wounds," Ayaka dared say, sliding her hand from Tanjirou's hair to grazing the bloody cuts on his face with her fingertips. She sent Nezuko a glance, who laid under him with closed eyes. She was okay which made her heart beat slower, even if just a bit". The Sun will go up soon, its best for Nezuko to go back to her box."
From Tanjirou 's mouth came the smallest hiss of pain she had ever heard, but he made it out to be a joke:
"We also have to get you a new uniform and a haori, although we can forget about the ribbon, the hair down looks nice on you," he retorted back in a weak tone that pretended to be joking. Ayaka 's face, contorted in a worried frown, didn't show any sign of amusement.
"This is no time for jokes, Tanjirou," she pressed her lips together. Tanjirou got to let out a few weak laughs with unconcerned expression.
"Right, sorry," he apologized, his smile not faltering. "Now that we've finished the mission you'll have to apologize to Zenitsu, you have no excuse."
It was such a weak and pathetic smile that it was hard to believe he didn't have it plastered on his face for any other reason that wasn't trying to make her not worry, of course it wouldn't work, she had seen that smile for years.
He was just like them, Tanjirou was just like her parents.
"I hate you so much," Ayaka said softly. Her frown melted in a broken grimace, her eyes devoid of any trace of annoyance. She didn't take her fingertips off Tanjirou 's cheek, sliding down to his jaw. "I hate when you do that, you'll just end up burnout, so don't."
Tanjirou 's hand stayed where Rui' s body had been. Turning to dust, the only thing he left behind were his clothes, a white kimono with spider web motives that was still on the floor. How sad to only leave behind such a vain and simple thing. Tanjirou 's eyes, however, went up to her face, looking in fascination for a moment to look then behind her.
Giyuu Tomioka's steps were heard just behind Ayaka, who, without her noticing, had come up to them and stayed still, his feet on what was pitifully left of Rui.
"I would like you to give me back my sword, mister Tomioka," Ayaka demanded, without turning around to look at him and simply extending her hand behind her. She went back to her usual expressionless face. There was a certain distaste for the Water Pillar etched on her, colder than usual.
Just by looking at him he appeared to bring trouble, one way or another. Nezuko was still at plain sight and if he saw her… if he saw her…
Tomioka left her sword on her open hand without delay, as Ayaka tried to seem bigger than she was, a sleeping Nezuko behind her. If he didn't notice she was a demon than maybe…
"Please get your foot off," Tanjirou asked, only able to think about how Tomioka was stepping on Rui's remains.
Tomioka 's voice had the minimal tint of surprise and a certain scolding tone:
"Don't feel sorry for a demon who ate people. It doesn't matter or not he had the form of a child. He's an unsightly monster who lived for tens, hundreds, thousands of years."
Ayaka knew he was right, Rui had been as a demon specially bloody and twisted, to prove that there was only his small, false family. But she couldn't help but, somehow, feel pity for him as well. Maybe it was because of Tanjirou, or simply because her and Rui were the same, broken bonds mindlessly looking for new ones. As if it was on her back who Tomioka was stepping on.
"I'll have to ask you, mister Tomioka, to do as my partner says," Ayaka joined in, insisting. Her blank expression remained, externally unbothered although there was a small tenseness to her lips. "If you don't, I'll make you, I don't care you saved or that you are a pillar. Stepping on his remains is disrespectful, be it human or not."
She finally understood, it didn't matter if one was a human or a demon, those who committed evil acts had to be punished. Because demons could be horrible beings, but humans were no exception.
«Because all of us come from dust and all of us will go back to it.»
Knowing that, the weight of blood on her hands became lighter.
She had been blind. All that time, Ayaka had been so blind, everyone had said that so many times that she had never understood what it meant, but she knew now. And so, her eyes opened slightly.
"You don't have to stand up for me, Aya," Tanjirou whispered, angered expression, but not towards her. "I don't do this for you," she would have liked to say, but she lost the opportunity when Tanjirou averted his gaze to the real reason for his anger, the man of ocean trenches for eyes. "To dispel the regrets of those killed, to stop any more victims from appearing, I will relentlessly wield my blade against the demons, and that's a fact. But I will not trample on the pains of being a demon. Nor on those who regret their actions. Because demons were humans. They were humans just like me. He isn't an unsightly monster. Demons are lifeless, sorrowful beings.
«You were cursed with a heart that's too big», she thought again. The burning suns that replaced Tanjirou 's eyes shined his unwavering determination to Tomioka as strong as if it was sunlight. The gods really did it, they gave Tanjirou a heart too big for his own good.
Tomioka stayed silent, there was no way to guess the expression on his fae because Ayaka hadn't turned around and wasn't planning on it, either. Preferring to look at the other, said, she was the first one to notice a colourful flash fly right at them at an incredibly high speed.
"What the...?" she wondered, eyes wide open, only interrupted by the harshness Tomioka grabbed her shoulder with and force her to bend down.
The creak caused by the crashing of swords rumbled on her ears like lightning, a metallic, high pitched sound that only announced the arrival of another swordsman.
"Why are you getting on the way, Tomioka-san?" cuestioned a foreign voice.
Harshly getting away from Tomioka's hand still on her shoulder blade, Ayaka turned around fastly, adopting a defensive stance in front of the siblings and seeing the oh so famous Insect Pillar.
"Shinobu Kocho." Ayaka said her name like some kind of miracle. If it was in fear or admiration, she wouldn't know.
Tomioka took his nichirin sword out as well, but not towards the Kamado siblings, but to the other Pillar.
Was he going to fight another Pillar? It was the strangest thing she'd ever witness, if the fight betwen Tanjirou and Inosuke didn't take the cake, at the very least.
Ayaka threw a confuse glance towards the Water Pillar, who, with a calm expression, kept his attention on the figure of Shinobu Kocho. As if it didn't matter at all, Shinobu only gave them a sweet smile.
"Didn't you say we can't get along with demons?" asked the Pillar, her happy-go-lucky attitude remaining. Ayaka would have never thought she'd see two pillars together, unless of course until she was proclaimed a pillar, so the sight of such strong swordsmen overwhelmed her. Only adding to the stress of her and the Kamado siblings being between them in what would probably turn into a battlefield. "What is this all about, Tomioka-san? This is why everyone hates you."
It seemed not all pillars got along.
"Come on, Tomioka-san, get out of the way," Shinobu insisted, her sword shining dangerously like a looming threat. Looking closely at her, butterfly patterned haori, big dark purple eyes and bangs framing her face like wings, Ayaka thought she looked a lot like a giant bug just like her title announced. It was hard not to make the butterfly connection.
Although Shinobu herself didn't actually look like an insect, her eyes resembled one, black and purple and a small shine that reflected weakly on her pupils. If she hadn't known those eyes belonged to a human she would have thought who looked at her was just an insect. Her haori wasn't the only butterfly-patterned thing she wore, the small tips of the wings of her butterfly hairpin that her hair was tied with were visible behind her head.
"I'm not hated," Tomioka replied with bluntness. And Ayaka started to think he wasn't a pillar at all.
«I wasn't wrong, this guy is stupid, we're all going to be beheaded.» She brought her head to her hands, sucking in a deep breath to try and not huff.
"Ah, that… I'm sorry, so you didn't realize you were hated," Shinobu said, an intoxicatingly sweet and apologetic smile on her face. "Pardon me for saying too much."
Ayaka's eyes found Tanjirou's expression just as confused as hers. Giving a step back to be closer to the Kamado siblings, relief filled her knowing she wasn't the only one that found it strange.
"Guys, hey." For the first time the Insect Pillar fixed her very big and very unnerving eyes on them, Ayaka and Tanjirou exchanged silent tense looks.
"Yes?" Tanjirou finally replied in spite of Ayaka who was much more alarmed than him.
"You're protecting a demon, did you know that? It's dangerous, so please get off of her," she warned sweetly, as if she was telling two kids to not go near the river during raining season instead of warning about the very real possibility of being killed by a demon.
"We're good, thank you for your concern, lady Shinobu," Ayaka replied challenging, raising an arm to cover the Kamado siblings from the Pillar.
If she was going to be sentenced to death, better go down with dignity. It would be best to accept it as soon as possible, running away from the Demon Slaying Corps wasn't a possibility, and if they managed, not for too long. If she died running away the fact she had hidden Nezuko on her house would go unnoticed, leaving her family alone. So she prayed.
"Oh, wow, you should mind your manners, miss, didn't Himejima teach you to respect your elders?" asked Shinobu, still so sweet it was nauseating. Ayaka gave her a bitter frown, face contorted harshly.
Tanjirou passed his curious glance from one girl to the other.
"Do you two know each other?" he asked Ayaka in a whisper.
"The world of the Demon Slaying Corps is big, but if you're related to the Pillars it's hard not to recognise them or their "tsugukos" and disciples," she replied in a shrug.
"That 's true!" Shinobu butted in. "I bet you also know my "tsuguko", Kanao. She should be here by now, I can't think about what's taking her so long."
"I know her, that's true, but I don't exactly like her," Ayaka muttered, clicking her tongue in annoyance and eyes squinting. She tried to refrain from huffing, although her heart was beating fastly, leaving her dizzy and out of breath.
"Let's stop with the chit chat. Please, stay away from that demon," Shinobu asked brightly. "It needs to be killed, and I could hurt you if you're close."
Giving a glance behind her, Ayaka confirmed there was no one else besides Shinobu there, nor Kanao Tsuyuri nor someone else. Tomioka remained too quiet, but it was clear already he'd help them, for whatever reason, she couldn't help but question his motives, a second ago he had been stepping on a demon's remains without remorse. People like Tomioka were hard for Ayaka to figure out, his eyes were so empty and deep there was nothing she could see.
"No! Well, you're not wrong, but!" Tanjirou interrupted with his usual energy. Ayaka squinted, did he never get tired of spilling nonsense? "l She's my little sister, that's why- !
He was so tangled on his own thoughts he wasn't able to articulate correctly whatever it was he wanted to say. What would he try to use as an excuse? That Nezuko was harmless? That there was no need to cut off her head? Whatever it was he said would be useless, this was a Pillar, someone that had dedicated their life to be part of the Demon Slaying Corps, who lived and breathed to kill demons. Asking them not to would just be a contradiction. What was she saying? Tanjirou was a contradiction himself! It was to be expected he'd do something like trying to reason with a Pillar, but not everything could be accomplished! Less of all something like that!
"Shut up, will you? That's enough, you're getting on my nerves with the stuttering."
It was a miracle he hadn't been killed by now.
Shinobu's form stiffened, craning her neck to get a better glance at Nezuko.
"Your sister? What a pity," Shinobu said in pity with a small whimper. It was a short change on her cheerful demeanor, to which she came back to later, raising her sword with iron on her eyes that tasted sour, a big difference from the sugar on her voice. "In that case, I'll kill her with a sweet poison that won't leave her in pain."
Ayaka couldn't help but swallow as her eyes trembled. Sweat went down her temple, the way Shinobu carried herself was terrifying (of course because she was also very strong, they didn't give away Pillar titles), she saw something behind her eyes and all that sugar, something burning, hatred, fury, like a sleeping volcano hiding as a flourishing mountain. That of course wasn't the only thing, all that effort on Rui's fight and exceeding her limits more than she used to was starting to catch up to her, purple eyebags starting to appear under her eyes.
Tomioka gave her a side eyed glance. It wasn't just the eyebags, there was a small hiss to her breathing she tried to hide and every time he looked at her again she looked paler.
"Can you move?" Tomioka asked Tanjirou.
«He wants Tanjirou to run away», Ayaka caught his intentions fastly. The gears on her mind started to work, lost on her thoughts.
"Even if you can't, will yourself to move. The girl can't run, so take her and your sister and take them to safety."
«I wouldn't be able to go too far away, but Tanjirou is different», Ayaka continued on her thoughts, calculating just like only she was. «Even if he has wounds all over his body, he can run more than me, so if I stay to stop lady Shinobu, Tanjirou could at least...»
She was interrupted when Tanjirou 's hand grasped her wrist as strongly as a snake around its victim. With such a strength he easily pulled Ayaka, who was desperately trying not to fall to the floor because of such a harsh surprise.
"I'm sorry, thank you so much, Tomioka-san!" Tanjirou yelled gratefully at the man they were leaving behind them.
Ayaka looked back to the pillars and then at Tanjirou's hand, tightly secured against her forearm. She blinked, then realized she was walking away from the fight.
"Wait... Tanjirou... Tanjirou, stop! Let go of me!" Ayaka asked as she struggled with his hold on her wrist, occasionally looking back to the pillars that were becoming smaller in the distance. From her throat came out a scream when Tanjirou not only let go of her wrist, but also threw her over his shoulder to continue running, also with Nezuko and the wooden box at his back.
"I'm only going to slow you down like this, you know that! Can you pleae let me go? It's enough to have a pillar after you and-"
"No offense, Aya, but shut up!" Tanjirou interrupted in something close to a bark. Ayaka's eyes opened in surprise. "My whole body hurts so much. It's really painful, so please, don't move."
«Did he just... tell me to shut up…?», Ayaka thought with eyebrows raised in surprise. Even so, she tried to stay as still as possible, becoming stiff on Tanjirou's shoulder.
She could see under his skin how Tanjirou's chest stumbled, losing his feeting and every time making his pace erratic. He must be using all his strength to carry them.
Maybe if they came out alive Ayaka should thank him, not only for that but for everything. She knew she was hard to deal with, she should be more thankful to have someone like Tanjirou with her. Maybe before dying and turning into dust, just like Rui did, she should thank all the people that loved her.
Genya came to mind. He had no one to take care of or thank for loving him besides her and Himejima-shishou, so he had never stopped grabbing onto them and she knew that. Maybe instead of asking herself why, having a family, she was a demon slayer, it would be best to be grateful for having a family in the first place.
"How do you know Tomioka?" Ayaka asked, suddenly curious.
Tanjirou cleared his throat, gathering all his strength on her throat to answer.
"He was the one that told me about the Demon Slaying Corps and sent me to Urokodaki-san, he knows Nezuko is my sister, as he was there when she turned into a demon, " he explained, without giving further details.
"I don't like him, he's stupid. But if he's going to help us I'll have to trust him" Ayaka said, then muffling a laugh as she bit her lip. "Just how I did when I met Nezuko, I don't know how, but it seems you have a gift for making people trust you with such weird things."
Tanjirou's shoulders trembled in what Ayaka assumed were silent chuckled. She hoped it didn't hurt.
"It is weird! Not just you and Tomioka-san too, don't you think-...?"
His voice died down in a choke as something coming from the sky crashed strongly against his back. Tanjirou feel and with him fell from his arms both Ayaka and Nezuko.
Her sister landed next to him, but Ayaka rolled, stopping just a few metres away from them. With the taste of earth on her mouth, she raised her gaze from the floor to find the eyes and shining sword of Kanao Tsuyuri looking back.
But they didn't look back at her, but to a stunned Nezuko who, still on the floor, only dared look in fear to the girl's sword over her head with the ever present threat of cutting off her head.
It was merely an instant, enough so for Tanjirou to tug on the white cape Kanao Tsuyuri wore over her shoulders.
She lost balance and ended up sitting on Tanjirou's back, so her sword, which had been sure to grace Nezuko's neck, went over her head, cutting a few strands of black long hair. That was better than her head.
"Run, Nezuko! Run!" Tanjirou's eyes found Ayaka, who stayed looking in astonishment right on top of him, at Kanao. "Aya, protect Nezuko! Please, protect her! I promise I'll take all the blame, but pro-!"
Ayaka's eyes went from holding holy admiration to a latent worry at seeing how Kanao, with the ability of a "tsuguko", knocked Tanjirou down with the heel of her boots, still sitting on his back as if she didn't even need to get up to do that.
By then Nezko had obeyed his brother 's command and run on the opposite direction. Ayaka barely stood up, in between amazement and the pain of her wounds. She couldn't run so if Kanao started running after Nezuko, she would be swiftly left behind, powerless to protect Nezuko.
Even so, Kanao Tsuyuri stayed with her gaze fixed on her, something close to childish confusion as Ayaka stooped in front of her, covering Nezuko from those eyes of hers as unnerving as her own.
She would have liked this to be under other circumstances, like a Pillar Meeting, but the moment to officially meet her beloved Kanao Tsuyuri had finally come.
"Please, step aside," Kanao asked in a tone that reminded Ayaka of a memorized text. "You're on the way of the killing of a demon, consequently, violating the rules of the Demon Slaying Corps. This is a warning from the demon slayer Kanao Tsuyuri, now that you've been warned I have no obligation to hold back. If you're doing this deliberately, I'll be forced to physically stop you, since I'm not allowed to kill humans, I'll give you minor wounds."
Ayaka raised an eyebrow, pretending to be bored. Sweat soaked her forehead.
"Are you finished?" she asked with a heavy sigh. With the touch of the handle of her sword against her palms, she took a deep inhale and planted her feet firmly against the floor. She wouldn't let her go, she'd block her way until sunrise if needed. If she had the strength of the mountain with her, she'd use it then. "If you want to kill that demon so badly then how about you just kill me first?"
The metallic click of a sword going back to its sheath echoed on her ears as the green of the trees turned into the most beautiful purple Ayaka had ever seen. She best it would go nicely on kimonos on the like, but she doubted the merchants would be able to replicate it, not at least with such intensity. Blinking, Ayaka realized that colour wasn't a dream but that she was looking straight into her opponent's eyes.
"If it's needed, then I will," she replied, mere centimetres from Ayaka 's lips. Her mouth, painted with a sugary smile similar to her master 's, didn't fit her words.
«She's so fast», she couldn't help but think. Because she truly was, Kanao had moved to her in a second, even if she had been five metres away a moment before.
Kanao Tsuyuri had managed to stand just in front of her without giving her enough time to blink.
Then came the punch.
Kanao's right arm buried itself on Ayaka's stomach so harshly that if it had been her sword it would have pierced through her without trouble.
The confusion made its way momentarily to Kanao's face, however, breaking her smile so sweet it became intoxicating. She took a peek to her fist against Ayaka's abdomen and then to Ayaka herself, who hadn't moved from her place.
"You impressed, butterfly girl?" Ayaka tainted, although without breath. "You'd thought you'd send me flying, your strength is amazing, but you'll need more than that to make me fall to the ground."
Kanao's eyes went down to her fist against, which Ayaka had trapped against her hands and that should have made her go back a few mettres, but that hadn't even been close to making her move.
Proper of a "tsuguko", Kanao didn't take much time to react,not even blinking when she crashed her knee against Ayaka 's nose, making her let go of her fist from the pain.
Her feet tangled against each other and she took a few steps back. Kanao Tsuyuri went back to her meek smile.
"That was dirty, pinky," Ayaka accused harshly, back arched in tiredness. Kanao hadn't been there for too long, there wasn't any tiredness on her face or any sickness to slow her down, she couldn't defeat her, barely with a miracle to stop her. She doubted she'd be able to defeat her on equal terms either way, but at least Ayaka would be a more interesting fight than Tanjirou's unconcious body.
Frowning, Ayaka got her hands to the bloody mess that had become her nose, thick and crimson blood sticked to her skin. She tried not to think about it but it was quite, very, disgusting. Kanao didn't blink at the sight of her blood.
"If you're gonna play dirty, don't expect me not to do the same," she said, a certain amusement behind her eyes. It was exciting, for once, to fight against someone stronger than her. She nearly missed Genya.
From Kanao didn't come any word, just as she expected, without further ado throwing herself at Ayaka to try and repeat her attack. This time her fist was flying to her face, it would have left her a shining black eye if not because she got to dodge it, not because she was faster, but because Ayaka knew her like the palm of her hand.
She had observed her during the Final Selection, her effective and direct attacks worthy of the best demon slayers in the Corps.
She was like a killing machine, losing no time on each attack and recoil, planned to the smallest detail and making her moves as sharpest as possible to throw mortal attack every time.
If Ayaka hadn't spent hours simply looking at her during the Final Selection she would have been surely knocked down by now.
«I'm still not adequate to be at your level, Kanao Tsuyuri, but I won't let you defeat me tonight.»
There wasn't any strength left on her trembling arms, but it would be a good moment to use her jaws then. Without thinking and in a desperate attempt,she sank her fangs on the wrist that had been on her way to her face a moment prior.
Kanao let out a yell as surprise as pained. At her voice Ayaka only bit harder. Kanao's arm shook harshly trying to make her let go, when she did, falling to the ground, the marks of her teeth were strongly carved on her skin.
Ayaka didn't know if to feel satisfaction or disgust at seeing the bloody rivers that went down her hand, her nose wrinkling at the metallic taste on her tongue.
She wondered if this was how Genya felt when he used… his ability.
Believing it would work again, Ayaka got up with intentions of doing it again, too naive, she was too dizzy to think Kanao would predict her attack. She grabbed Ayaka harshly by her forearm, so harshly a loud crack came from it, and sent her flying, landing just where Nezuko was.
All the way Nezuko had ran on her way became nothing when Ayaka, flying over the sky and scratching her skin with the tree branches, reached her side in a storm of dust and leafs on her hair.
Ayaka grabbed her right arm in pain (she suspected the best it could be was just a dislocation). Nezuko's protective instincts rang loudly on her head at the sight of who she believed her brother so severely hurt. Without hesitating, the demon ran to her "brother 's" side. Her frown could tell Ayaka without issues what she was feeling at the moment, although no siblings, younger or older, she knew it could only mean one thing. An older sister's scolding.
"No, Nezuko. Nezuko, stop it. You have to run, listen to Tanjirou. Do as Tanjirou said. Our friend Tanjirou, your older brother, who told you to run," Ayaka tried to free herself from her grip as Nezuko wrapped her arms around her. She pushed against her cheek but Nezuko merely budged and stayed squeezing Ayaka in between annoyance and fondness.
The hairs on her neck stiffened in alarm as she distinguished a new shadow looming over them. Kanao Tsuyuri.
Nezuko finally obeyed her because, with a kick, Ayaka made Nezuko let go of he. If she had wanted to, that pathetic kick wouldn't have made her move, but she let herself be pushed, going back to her running on a chase she couldn't delay any longer.
Kanao's sword appeared threatening over Nezuko's head. With sharp senses and reflexes bizarre for her Ayaka clashed her sword against Kanao's that had been so close to cutting off Nezuko's neck, as she started to run again.
Swords cried as they fought against one another and the sharp pain that travelled through Ayaka's arm was just as piercing. If her arm wasn't broken before, it definitely was now.
Kanao had no trouble throwing her to the side, pushing with her sword, easily taking advantage of trembling legs and how weak her posture was. Ayaka finally fell to the floor, defeated. She had out a toll on her body and she was paying the consequences now, suffering of great waves of shaking that made her let go of her grip on her sword as she watched powerlessly how Kanao ran after Nezuko.
"Don't let her behead you!" she asked in a scream, eyes filled with fear as she saw the shining of Kanao's blade get closer and closer to Nezuko. She tried to crawl towards them but her shaking didn't let her, falling to the floor overwhelmed by her own weakness. "Do whatever it takes, but you aren't allowed to die, Nezuko!"
Just when Ayaka expected to see Nezuko's head fly out of her body, the demon's body got smaller.
Kanao stayed still in surprise momentarily and Nezuko continued running with the size of a small child, going over at an equally astonished Ayaka in protectiveness.
«She can do that?», Ayaka thought, taking in carefully just how small Nezuko had turned.
Her thoughts were muffled by the yelling of a crow over their heads that wasn't hers.
"Message, message! We have a message!" it screamed loudly just like all crows were. "Restrain the ones named Tanjirou and Nezuko! And bring them to headquarters! Tanjirou has a scar on his forehead! The demon Nezuko is biting onto a piece of bamboo!"
Kanao Tsuyuri lowered her sword, surprisingly walking over at them, cautious, and kneeling to the height Nezuko had adopted.
"So you are Nezuko?" she asked curious.
"Yes, she's Nezuko! So don't kill her!" Ayaka acted quickly, although still shaking terribly, she grabbed Nezuko and put her behind her back, even while drowning in astonishment. "And the boy you knocked down is Tanjirou, don't hurt him either!"
The crow, even so, wasn't finished.
"Ayaka goes with them! She has a mole on her right cheekbone! Bring the three of them to the headquarters inmmediately!"
«I'm going to die», Ayaka thought defeated.
Kanao diverted her gaze from Nezuko to look at her.
"Are you Ayaka?"
«She doesn't even know my name», she thought in disappointment.
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