Crossposted on AO3 - I'm much more active there. Italics are funky because FFnet sucks ass. I hope you'll like this story, and don't hesitate to leave a review if you enjoyed it :)

The green leaves rustled softly with the midnight wind, the light of a pale moon filtering through the gaps as the area remained still, not a sign of life in sight.

Then, the sound of hurried, light footsteps broke through the mist, soil flying and fallen branches cracking loudly in the quiet. Loud panting could be heard, resonating between the trees as more footsteps joined the first pair.

A gasp, thump and following resounding cry were the last sounds to breach the forest before silence fell once again.

"My, my, you thought you could escape?" A lone figure emerged from the dark, moonlight reflected in slitted, sickening yellow eyes. They were holding a spear of sorts, sharp and jagged, and they twirled it in their hands. "Well, I'm afraid you're stuck now."

The figure walked forward, kneeling next to the fallen person who attempted to stand, despite the spear piercing through her shoulder, keeping her pinned to the ground. They grabbed the end of the weapon that protruded from her body, and with a grin, twisted it.

The person writhed and screamed, blood gushing out of the wound, tears leaking out of her eyes as she turned to glare at the one inflicting such pain upon her. She bared sharp fangs, fury burning in pale pink, cat-like eyes.

"Oh wow! So feisty! You're so cute when you get mad!" They had stood up again, clapping their hands in glee and laughing at the display.

"Iesada." Another voice, controlled yet impatient interrupted him. The first person turned towards the one who had just appeared. "Not that your enjoyment is annoying or anything, but would you mind hurrying up . Slayers must have heard about us already, and I'd rather not lose my head anytime soon." The other demon said through gritted teeth, "Not that you seem to share the sentiment." They finally muttered, crossing tattooed arms over their chest.

"Aw, Kenichi, are you scared ? It's not like they'd be the first to try to stop us." The first demon glanced at his companion, a mocking edge to his words. He kept playing with the spear, the girl gasping at the jolts of pain. His grin grew. "Let them come, honestly. I don't see why you always insist on moving from town to town. We're running away from quality meat. It's just silly."

The demon named Kenichi stepped forward, grabbing Iesada's arm, forcing him to look at him as he glowered. His words were full of warning when he spoke. "Are you this stupid? If we stay in the same place and kill all the weaker slayers they send our way, it means that soon enough, they'll start sending the Pillars after us. Trust me, you don't want that to happen." As soon as he was finished, Iesada glared at the other demon, wrenching his arm away from the tightening grip. He went back to his prodding, smile gone from his face.

"Sure. Whatever. Let's leave." He said disinterestedly. He pointed to the girl who breathed heavily before them. "What do we do with her, though? I've never seen a demon defending humans before. Do you think he would want to have her?"

"No. Let's just kill her. We've wasted enough time here, and I don't want to drag her to him for god knows how many miles . Do you?"

Iesada grimaced at that. "No." He turned back towards the demon girl. "Well, sorry kiddo, guess today's your last day on Earth. You know humans are food, right?" He knocked on her head lightly. "Maybe you're just fucked up there, uh? Well, any last words before we pin you to a tree 'til the sun rises?"

Fiery, glowing eyes snapped back towards him, a leafy pattern appearing on her skin as her petite body grew, making the two other demons recoil in surprise.

"Yes. Burn."

The forest burst with orange, bright flames, blinding like the sun as the malicious demons screamed, fire spreading towards them before they could react.

Iesada writhed on the ground and screamed, screamed, screamed as the demon girl, clad in a pink kimono and long, brown, bloodied haori slid off the spear impaling her, standing up.

Kenichi clutched his burnt arm to his chest as the flames receded, shock on his face as he stared at his fallen friend. He turned towards the girl, who swayed slightly as brown locks fell in front of her eyes. "You bitch ! What the fuck did you do?"

Before she could answer, the pink-eyed demon tilted to the side and fell to the ground with a thump , unconscious.

Kenichi stared, surprise and fear melting to be replaced with relief. He laughed hysterically, the sudden rush of adrenaline having made him light-headed. "Aha. Ahahaa! I'm going to tear you apart! "

The demon took an unsteady step forward, spots dancing in front of his vision as he picked up one of Iesada's spears. " Sayonara , you freak."

He raised his arm to strike her down, but nothing happened. He blinked, his head was suddenly at ground level, damp leaves pressing against his cheek.

What?

He watched as a body collapsed in front of him, and his eyes widened when he realized, horrified, that it was his own.

Fear and grief rose in him as a single thought echoed through his mind.

He was going to die.

As he started to turn to ashes, silver, slitted eyes saw a new figure facing away from him sheathing their sword. They were clad in a mismatched haori and wore the typical Demon Slayer trousers.

So, they had been found.

He saw in the corner of his vision the last of Ieasa's scorched head disintegrating, having suffered the same fate he did. It was almost tragic. They'd been turned together, and they'd die together.

As his eyes closed for the last time, a lone tear ran down the side of his face.

I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Iesada.

Giyuu had watched from afar the exchange, intending on slaying the three demons before realizing something about the situation was unusual.

For one, he had been sent to exterminate two demons in this particular village, not three . They'd been tracking the pair for a while, as they never stayed long in the same area, so it didn't make sense that another demon would join them. A pair was already something he had barely seen in his years of service, but a demon joining an already established companionship , of sorts? That was unheard of. Demons didn't like sharing.

Secondly, the pair had attacked the third one, the only girl of the trio. While that wasn't surprising in itself, what they'd said after they'd caught up to her was.

'I've never seen a demon defending humans before.'

Well, he hadn't either, for what it was worth.

Giyuu kneeled next to the teen girl. She had reverted back to her original form while unconscious. She looked a lot smaller this way.

And not threatening at all.

He shook his head. She was a demon. It didn't matter what those demons had said, or what she looked like. They could have misinterpreted what had happened.

He made to unsheathe his sword again, but his hand just twitched, remaining by his side.

Her blood demon art , he thought, it was harmful to demons.

That was maybe the weirdest part.

What he had been taught to believe his whole life warred with his personal morals and confusion.

What if this was a chance? What if she could help?

Giyuu made up his mind. He took out a quill and a piece of paper, and wrote a succinct note on it. The decision wasn't his to make, in the end.

His crow was perched on a branch high above, and Giyuu gestured for the bird to come to him. It cawed and landed on his arm, waiting patiently as the pillar attached the note to its leg.

"Send this to Kagaya-sama."

The crow let out a caw in response before flying away.

Giyuu stared after it for a long time, until the bird was nothing more but a small black spot on the horizon. He turned back towards the unconscious demon.

I hope this isn't a mistake.

When she came to, well-rested but stiff all over, the first thing that registered in the girl's mind was how cramped it was. She opened glowing eyes, but all around her, utter darkness. Confused, she tried to move but realized her hands were linked by chains behind her back and that there was a bamboo muzzle in her mouth.

Confusion turned to fear as she recalled the events that had caused her to lose consciousness in the first place.

The demons! Oh god, they were still alive when I passed out!

God. What if they went back to the village? No, no, no!

She cursed her weakness as she started to panic, her mind conjuring up the worst scenarios. Shit! She had been too reckless, too angry at the sight of demons tearing apart young human children to take the time to think. She hoped with a burdened heart the consequences of her failure hadn't been too disastrous. She almost scoffed at the notion of being hopeful , after everything. Still, those people would die if she didn't help.

I need to go back!

The box she guessed she was in was sturdy, and tied as she was, she wasn't too hopeful she'd be able to break out of it. It was also very tight, her shoulders squeezing between the two sides as the upper board brushed against the top of her head. The demon's heart started beating a little faster. She didn't know how she had ended up in here, or why, but it couldn't mean anything good. She gulped.

Here's to trying to make this hellish world slightly better, she thought dejectedly, sighing through the muzzle.

The brunette perked up when she heard footsteps, and tensed when she realized they were heading her way. They stopped right in front of the box, and didn't move for a moment. She didn't have his sense of smell, but even she could sense the hesitation wafting from the person on the other side. She also recognized them to be humans, to her dismay. If anything, she expected the two demons to have taken her to the demon lord, rethinking their decision to let her burn in the sun.

(Not that it'd have worked , she thought, but they hadn't known that.)

She was brought out of her musings when something fumbled with the locks on the box, and the demon readied herself. There's so much I still need to do. I can't die today.

The door opened, and blinding light flooded the cramped space. As much as she tried to resist, she had to close her sensitive eyes against the brightness, unused to it after spending so much time in darkness.

A hand grabbed her arm, and pulled her out of the box before dropping her onto the harsh wooden floor unceremoniously. The breath was knocked out of her, still unable to see, and it took a moment for her to focus on the sounds echoing around her.

She opened her eyes slowly, only seeing blurry forms at first, but her vision cleared up quickly. The first thing she saw was a pair of milky, lilac-colored eyes looking kindly in her direction. They were framed by straight, black strands, but what was unusual about the man's appearance was the deformed skin covering the upper half of his face.

She knew who the man was the moment she saw the sign of the deadly illness, and she froze in terror.

No.

Please.

Not again.

The man was oblivious to her rising panic when he spoke, his tone soothing and kind.

( His voice had been soothing, too.)

"So this is the demon you mentioned in your letter, Giyuu?" The pale eyes hadn't moved from her, and it was starting to unnerve her. She realized he must have been blind, but the last time eyes identical to those ones had stared at her, the moment had been anything but pleasant.

If she was honest, as well as slightly bitter, it had been the moment that had torn the rest of her life apart.

Another voice, calm and emotionless came from behind her, confirming her identity and the demon startled. She couldn't see who it was, but she guessed he had been the one to find him.

Why he hadn't killed her on the spot, that she didn't know.

She shuddered at the thought of them torturing her for information she most certainly didn't have.

The calm voice spoke again.

"I found her near the village of Miyakami, east of here. I was supposed to find two demons there, but," there was a slight pause, as if the person was trying to make sense of something, "she was already fighting them when I arrived."

She didn't have time to be relieved by the fact that the village was indeed safe before a feminine, cheery voice spoke up. The girl's eyes snapped to the newest addition of their little meeting, not having noticed other people besides the two men.

It turns out the meeting was anything but 'little.'

Her eyes widened when she realized there was a line of men and women kneeling in front of the engawa she was collapsed on. They all wore the uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps and at their hips, nirichi blades that rested proudly there, threatening even when sheathed. She recognized them immediately too.

They were the Hashira. The nine strongest slayers currently alive.

The sense of deja vu made bile rise in her throat. This couldn't be real. A face to face with him almost sounded better right now.

Almost.

"Ah, Tomioka-san. I know you're not the most… conventional slayers among us, but why go to the trouble of bringing a demon before us? Isn't it a bit reckless, showing her where Kagaya-sama lives, meeting all of us?" She said all of this with a serene smile on her face, but the words held a warning edge. "Surely, even you know demons are to be killed, right?"

Dread threatened to suffocate the demon laying on the floor. I'm going to die here. She closed her eyes, but Kagaya-sama's voice cut through her despair.

"Kochou, I believe there's more to Giyuu's story." The gentle man's gaze finally tore away from her, turning to look at the slayer she presumably owed her life, or future demise, to. "Please, continue."

"Shinobu-san, I wouldn't have taken such a risk had some things not been unusual about the situation. The two demons said something I thought was very peculiar: they claimed she had been defending humans from them, and while I didn't see it for my-"

"Ah, always so naive, Tomioka-san~," the suave, chilling voice cut him off, a hand coming up to cover her mouth as she chuckled softly, "There are such things as a ploy. They probably noticed you and thought it would be a good way to infiltrate us. Demons are getting creative, these days." The words hung heavy in the afternoon air, but the Water Pillar wasn't deterred by them.

Giyuu's firm voice was steady when he spoke again. "I agree. But I'm fairly sure blood demon art cannot be faked. Hers were flames, that burnt nothing but the demons attacking her. I've never seen a demon art harmful to other demons before, and our records don't mention such a thing having ever happened either, according to Ubuyashiki-sama."

The smile faded from the face of the woman with the butterfly-patterned haori. Surprise, and suspicion painted her features as she narrowed her eyes at the frightened demon.

"I sent a letter to Kagaya-sama regarding the situation, and he instructed me to bring her here. I know it is dangerous, but if this helps us in our fight against Kibutsuji, we should use it."

As he finished speaking, silence reigned over the gathering. The demon was speechless.

Had a slayer, a pillar no less, defended her in front of his leader and comrades?

She noticed that more than a few pillars were glaring at her, clearly not buying the man's story. Okay, maybe she still was in trouble.

A white-haired man, covered in scars stood up and practically shouted at the man still behind her. This time, his proximity reassured her more than it scared her.

"So what?! Who cares if this demon has an identity crisis or if whatever fucking reason she might have compelled her to do that! Doesn't erase the fact that she probably killed dozens of people and will keep on doing just that, because guess what, Tomioka?"

"She's," he took a step closer, "A", he stepped on the engawa, "Demon."

His feet were barely a few feet away from her face, and the girl tried to put some distance between her and the dangerous man.

He must have noticed her wriggling because he looked down, raised a foot, and brought it down against her side, hard. There was a resounding crack as a few of her ribs gave out and she let out a muffled shout. It hurt!

He pressed against her wounded side, making her cry out some more, and she barely registered his next words.

"Want me to prove it to you? Fine. Get her out of those chains and I'll show you she's just as bad as the rest."

There was a beat of silence before Kagaya sighed. "There are other ways to make a point but through violence, Sanemi." The lilac, saddened eyes turned towards the slayer. "If she passes your test, do you promise to try and help us understand how a demon came to have such powers and behavior?"

Sanemi stayed silent for a few moments, before deciding to humor their leader. "Yes, Kagaya-sama, though I highly doubt she will." He spoke respectfully, and the change of tone startled the demon. That was the same person that had just broken a few of her ribs on a whim?

Kagaya hummed before smiling again and turning towards the rest of the disapproving pillars.

"This goes for the rest of you too. I trust you'll respect my decisions regarding this matter."

The slayers looked uncertain, but nodded nonetheless before acquiescing out loud. The leader of the corps looked satisfied and he spoke again. "Giyuu, would you remove the demon's chains and muzzle? Please ready your blade in case we were both mistaken regarding her."

"Yes, Kagaya-sama."

The man who had hurt her stepped away, contempt clear in his dark gaze, and the demon flinched when she felt someone remove the bamboo piece in her mouth. Her jaw hurt after spending what she guessed were weeks in that position, but not being muzzled was relieving. It made her feel like a rabid animal, and she hadn't struggled to retain her humanity for her to be treated like any of those mindless, bloodthirsty monsters.

The cuffs around her wrists clicked open and the figure behind her stepped away.

Everyone held their breath as she stood up, still in a smaller form than she usually preferred. Her kimono was still ripped and bloodied, and she itched to change in cleaner clothes, but there were more important matters at the moment.

The pillar in front of her, Sanemi, grinned at her, a dark glint in his eyes as he took out his katana. The demon narrowed her eyes at him. If he wanted to kill her, she wouldn't go down without a fight. She was stubborn, and they needed to know that killing her would be a mistake.

Sanemi raised his sword before holding it up against his forearm, surprising her. What was he doing?

Her question was answered quickly enough when, in a twist of his wrist, he cut into his own skin, and the sweetest smell she had ever encountered filled her nostrils. Instincts she had buried deep within her resurfaced as her mouth watered at the sight of delicious blood. She wanted nothing more but to sink her teeth into his skin and eat at the flesh until nothing but bones were left.

But she had resisted the urge for decades.

She wasn't going to give in now. Not when she finally seemed to have a chance to finally change things.

Not when her life was looking up for the first time in years.

(Not when he was still by this monster's side.)

Sharp nails digging into her palms, she turned her face away from the treat, squeezing her eyes shut. It went against her very nature, but she couldn't give in. Too much was at stake.

She heard a few gasps, and when she opened pale pink eyes again, Sanemi's arm had dropped as he stared at her in shock. No one said anything, not quite believing what they were seeing before Kagaya's voice broke through the thick veil of disbelief.

"Now, what else could I call you, other than 'demon girl'?"

The girl turned towards the man, still a little queasy but tendrils of hope filling her heart again after so long. She returned his smile, albeit shakily, and answered him.

"Kamado Nezuko."

Ubuyashiki's smile widened as he gestured for her to sit next to him.

"Welcome, Nezuko. Now, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"