walk steady on this cruel world's path

By: Aviantei

Part Thirty-Two:

"Calmness Before Dark Skies"

I stood at the side of the vendor's stall, weighing my options, despite thinking way too hard about a decision that didn't matter in the larger scheme of things. In fact, with how much had been going on as of late, I shouldn't have even been thinking about it at all, but I needed something to distract me from the fact of just how much things had decided to Escalate™ in the past month or so.

My predictions had been correct, and the Plot had kicked in once more not all that long ago. Again, an Upper Moon had been on the scene (the fresh-promoted Rank Five, as it were), along with, again, none other than the Protag Squad plus Shimizu—surprise! The saving grace was that both Rengoku and Uzui were there, and two Hashira had been enough for there to be no major losses or casualties, which was an undeniable godsend.

What was far less of a godsend was that that victory meant that things were still kicking up a notch (and even more so if we were getting into powers like Two Upper Moon Level Demons in One), and I didn't like the idea of where things might end up after an event like that. I knew the Lower Moons got replacements whenever a Hashira defeated them, but were things the same for the upper-ranked Kizuki? What the hell were we going to have to face before this whole mess would be over?

Dear lord, I prayed that Canon didn't have some bullshit non-ending and we could have this whole mess be over for real. Tanjirō and everyone else deserved some proper rest after being goddamn trouble magnets for so long.

Just like I was having zero luck trying to think of something positive about all my dear friends and loved ones being in regular and increasing states of danger, I was also having zero luck with finding a suitable gift among the wares before me. Holding back my own sigh, I gave the vendor an apologetic smile and stopped taking up their precious space that could better be used on an actual paying customer. You would think, I thought as I trudged down the street, casting my eyes over the various artisans who had happened to gather while Michi and I had stopped in town for a now complete mission, that with so much shit to buy, finding a present would be easy.

At Mitsuri's suggestion, I'd decided to pick up some presents for my crush pile. She'd convinced me that it would be a good way to show my appreciation for those I cared about—and she'd also requested to hear about Shimizu and Kaigaku's reactions to help gauge their potential interest for me. I might have been a bit interested in both options, but I'd at least agreed to follow through on the condition of Mitsuri doing the same for Iguro, because if I was going to embarrass myself, then she was going down with me, dammit!

Picking out something for Shimizu had been simple, and the response I'd gotten with her follow-up letter had been positive, so I'd had success on that front. Though I did have to say I would have liked it if I could have seen her reaction in person, but in a fit of anxiety over her response I'd had Michi lie for me so I could escape in case she didn't like it, and I was counting her written excitement as reward enough. The issue was none other than my resident problem kōhai himself, Kaigaku.

I'd thought so before when I'd been picking out a gift for his birthday, but buying a successful present for Kaigaku was a pain in the ass. Unlike Zenitsu, who I'd gone shopping with plenty of times during our training days and had a general idea of his tastes, Kaigaku wasn't one to collect trinkets. He was way more of a practical person, hence the sword maintenance kit I'd gotten him before, and getting him anything excessive would just get in the way and be seen as a nuisance.

It's a shame he keeps his hair short. Then I could get him a hair tie or something in return and call it even. I fiddled with my own barrette between my thumb and forefinger as I walked through the mini bazaar, thinking through my options. While Kaigaku would be able to pull off jewelry well, I couldn't very well just send him some earrings or whatnot out of the blue with the note that I thought they'd look good on him. I guess he likes his choker, though. I don't think I've ever seen him without the thing. From the day he'd arrived at Sensei's to the last time I'd seen him at Headquarters, the golden magatama had been ever-present tied around his neck.

Whether he had a sentimental reason to keep it or he just liked it enough that he was used to always wearing it, trying to get him a replacement wouldn't work out, either. I quashed down my forming (very stupid) fantasy of him wearing a gift from me, visible underneath his open collar for the world to see.

"There you are, Rairi-senpai. Are you still looking around?"

Michi had managed to find me again after we had split up. Since we'd been paired up under my mentorship program, we'd gotten a bit more familiar with each other—but he still made sure to address me with respect. I hoped it was more because he thought I was a worthwhile mentor than because I'd scared the shit out of him back during our beach mission.

"Yeah, I still need a little bit of time. Sorry about that."

"No need to worry. We don't have a mission to take care of right now, so it's okay to meander around a little bit. Even we Slayers need breathers." I tried to hold back my smug smile but failed; that had been one of the first lessons I'd given him. "You've been searching for something for a while, though, huh? Is it something else special for—ah, Shimizu-san, was it?"

The blush that formed on my cheeks was very undignified for a mentor, if I had to say so myself. I almost took the easy way out and agreed, but that lie would reveal itself in no time. "No, it's not for Shimizu-chan."

"Oh?" Michi tilted his head as he looked me over. "Is it for someone else special, then?"

Since he was gossiping about Kaigaku on a mission, I should have known this guy was tuned into the rumor mill! Agh, but acting like it's nothing will just make it worse, won't it? "If I admit that it is, will you not press me for more details?" Because there might just be something the slightest bit awkward about admitting to Michi that I was crushing hard on Kaigaku, all things considered.

"Hm, I could consider extending mercy for now in exchange for you picking up the bill for dinner." That was an easy enough deal to make, considering that we already picked up the bill for each other out of convenience's sake. When I nodded my agreeance, Michi pumped his fist in victory. "Well, in that case I won't pester you more and instead offer you a suggestion. Here."

Michi reached into his pocket, pulling out a small parcel that he offered out to me. Since it was a gift, I accepted, and when I opened it up, I found an omamori talisman inside. The characters on the back were kanai-anzen—a blessing for the safety of the family and household. "Yeah, that's probably the best option, all things considered. Thanks, Michi-san."

"You sure about that? Maybe I should have picked you up en-musubi instead." Once again abandoning any sense of decorum as a responsible mentor, I stuck out my tongue. Protection of my family—and if the gods didn't think chosen family counted, then fuck them—was far more important right now than my having a successful love life. Michi snickered, but didn't take any more pot shots at me. "That said, if you're pressed for something, you could always get an omamori. To let whoever it is know what you're thinking about their wellbeing."

Putting aside all the teasing we'd had to endure to get there, that wasn't a half bad idea at all. I didn't know if Kaigaku put any particular stock in ideas like the blessings of the gods, but it was the thought that counted? Though I could also just see myself buying a batch for everyone, because heavens knew we could use some luck headed our way. "Well, it's better than any other idea I had. Michi-san, would you do me the favor of leading the way?"

"Sure thing, Rairi-senpai."

With Michi-san in the lead, we navigated our way through the crowd. Out of habit more than anything, I kept my eyes peeled on the off chance that there would be something suitable to Kaigaku's tastes along the way, but I came up just as empty as before. That said, however, I did end up finding a convenient distraction, and I gave Michi a warning before changing course.

While I was sort of a failure as an otaku for not having watched Kimetsu no Yaiba before, ya know, getting dumped into it, I at least could maintain my pride and say I'd watched Kimi no Na wa. before. As such, I recognized the complicated looking stand that served as the effective loom for making the infamous braided cord from the film. A miniature table on a stand with several weighted spools of thread hanging over the sides, the marudai stood at the ready as the craftsperson moved the pieces around to weave together the final product.

"Oh, kumihimo," Michi said once he caught up with me. "I haven't seen one of these made in person in a long time. Whoa, check out that spread. These are pretty nice."

I agreed with that sentiment, no doubt. While the person was hard at work making a fresh kumihimo cord to add to the collection, plenty more were spread out as wares in a near rainbow of colors. Some were single hues, others were multiple colors, but they were all pretty, and the end result was an impressive lineup to look at.

Is it corny for me to want to get one of these for Kaigaku because of a ship in a movie from the future? Oh, no doubt there. For having a grand total of a few months of being aware of my crush (because I wasn't enough of a masochist to pin down when this whole mess had started), I was kind of in it deep. Why was it that whenever I fell, I fell hard for no other conceivable reason than I was a complete and utter disaster? Some mysteries would never see a resolution, I supposed. Not that it means I can't get Kaigaku one, anyways.

While I didn't know if it was a kumihimo, the cord he wore his pendant on was similar enough in design. So long as it could fit the magatama on the end, he could use it as a replacement if something ever happened to the one he already had. Or, well, that could make a good enough excuse for why I was sending it to him.

I leaned down to get a closer look at the kumihimo, inspecting the different colors. "You think you'll pick one up?" Michi asked, and I nodded. "Hm, maybe I should get one, too; these are pretty cool…"

Leaving Michi to consider his own potential purchase, I tried to narrow down my own options. The one he has right now is dark blue, right? It would be a good idea to match that if it's going to be a replacement… Or so I was planning to do, when I found one in a pale lilac, and I had to bite my lip. While I hadn't had any choice in the matter when it came to the haori that Sensei had given me, I didn't mind the design in the slightest, and purple had just about become my signature color after so long of wearing it. Would it be too obvious to get Kaigaku a present that was all but outright asking him to wear something meant to remind him of me? Was that all but a confession?

That's the point, dumbass, I reminded myself. If nothing else, gauging Kaigaku's reaction could help me get a clue as to what his feelings for me were. Besides, it wasn't like the purple didn't go with the golden color of his pendant, and everything went with the black of the Corps uniform since he didn't wear a haori—so I tried to tell myself as I asked the vendor to wrap up the kumihimo and passed over the money for it.

"So," Michi said as I ignored him, "do we still need to go to pick up some omamori, or…?"

"What's that, Michi-san? You miss training already? You're right, we should keep our skills sharp—"

"Right! The stand was over here, Rairi-senpai."

I don't think there was ever such a thing as a fun mission summons, but anything prefaced with "known cases of Demon Slayers going missing" was one of the worst possible things to hear. Tadashi didn't know the exact ranks of whoever had failed this mission before us, but I at least hoped whoever had assigned this wasn't sending us on a job that some Kinoto or whatever had already bombed beforehand.

I also don't think there were a lot of slums that one would call pleasant, but snooping around one in the dark didn't do much to make the place look better. There was the usual mix of trash and dirt on the streets, and most residents seemed to have already locked themselves up in whatever shelter they could have in protection against the recent disappearances. I did wish that could do something against a determined demon, but since it couldn't, it was our job to do something about it.

"Should we split up?"

Michi and I had already done a first sweep of the area, and we'd found jack squat other than some scared locals. Considering that the Corps had already lost a couple of Slayers in this area, I was loath to separate us, and even less so since Michi was my responsibility. Sure, he was just a bit lower than me in rank, and he'd shown his skill well enough so far, but still.

After being around each other for a few months, Michi knew the exact argument I was about to make, just like I knew the counterargument he was about to make. If we kept together, he was bound to insist using his blood as bait (and I had no one to blame for him to picking up that habit but myself), and I didn't want to risk that when it wasn't necessary. At least if we parted ways, we could reconvene with each other by using a flashy Breathing technique, and it wouldn't start with kicking a powerful demon into a frenzy that could do more damage to the surroundings than we could mitigate.

"Fine," I said, and Michi nodded, knowing my logic. "You know what to do if you come across anything. Meet up here again at the regular time. And don't do anything reckless."

Michi glanced away. Yes, I had to give him that warning every single time, and it never got any less frustrating. Lucky for him, I was used to dealing with handfuls of kōhai, so I at least had the patience for it. "Understood, Rairi-senpai. I'll be careful."

That verbal promise was as good as it was going to get, so we blocked out who would cover which areas and went our separate ways. After working with another Slayer for so long, it was a bit strange to be on my own during a mission, but I fell back into the rhythm soon enough. All we could do was scout out the area and hope we acted fast enough before the demon here could claim another victim.

I didn't come across anything, and neither did Michi, based on his lack of a signal. While multi-day mission searches weren't that unusual, they still weren't what I preferred to do. Around the time we'd agreed upon, I headed back to our rendezvous point so we could eat without getting ambushed, but Michi didn't arrive on time—and he was still MIA even about ten minutes later, which wasn't like him whatsoever. And, well, after this much time in the field, I knew to trust my instincts whenever I got a bad feeling.

"Fucking hell," I said, taking off down the same road I'd just seen Michi off down just a few hours beforehand. "Fucking hell, Michi-san, please be okay, please, please."

Prayers didn't mean much in the face of demons, so I just had to run and hope I caught up with him before it was too late. Shit, what kind of demon could pull off enough of a sneak attack that Michi, a skilled Tsuchinoe, couldn't even give me a signal? An answer occurred to me that was enough to make the taste of vomit start to flood my mouth.

Kizuki.

It had been a long time since I'd worried that I was just some background character that got offed, but the possibility of running into a Kizuki made it seem way more possible. Should I have Tadashi send a warning in advance, just in case I didn't make it? No, I couldn't waste time on that, not when there was still a chance that I could help Michi out.

Except when I found what I was looking for, I wasn't sure there was a chance I could do anything at all. Not because Michi was in too bad of shape to be saved, but because I didn't know if I had it in me to draw my sword against the figure that looked up to face me as I approached.

"Rairi-senpai," he said.

I started, stalled, and stammered, "Kaigaku."

He may have looked different, but that was Kaigaku. Kaigaku with a blue obi around his waist and his black kimono hung over his shoulders, the white collar creating a clear boundary between that fabric and the darkness of his Corps uniform underneath. Kaigaku with a bloody sword in his hands and Michi collapsed on the ground beneath him, unmoving. Kaigaku with black sclera, Kaigaku with pointed ears and sharp fangs, Kaigaku with dark marks across his cheeks that looked like they could have been placed there by a calligrapher's brush.

Kaigaku, a demon.

[Author's Notes]

*Brews some tea, sits back, and waits for the next round of angry comments to come in*

In all seriousness, thank you so much to EmptySpot, gg (Guest), , ansainse7en, ILikeFoxes828, SoraNarukami13, Knidew, Iceleigh, AbselLhant, kimglumption, bravefrontierpark, UzuRunner, Punk Trash Noiz, WWPandemic, celesse201, KGY, tsukiyomi83, The purple Willow, am0461164, S-S-WTF, RubyBlake1027, jcquelindefauchy, Yorikifon, aircraftcarriersword, and Konno Tsukoshi for the faves, follows, and reviews! There were a lot reviews last time, which made me super giddy. We also crossed the 400 faves mark, too! I am so grateful to you all, you have no idea.

Also, it's February, so it's Rairi's birthday month! I drew a pic on my insta (aviplotbunny) to celebrate, along with the rough sketch of a design for a Rairi charm I plan to make for myself. Take these and the fluff content in this chapter as my offering to appease you for giving you another nasty cliffhanger to deal with, 'cause, uh, next time, hoo boy.

It's time for a Taishō Era Secret! Michi is someone who listens in for rumors a lot, so he has a pretty good rapport with his Kasugai Crow, who shares regular updates with him. Despite being pretty interested in what's happening in others' lives, Michi is pretty close lipped about his own. While he was out shopping, it seems he picked up something for a special someone as well…?

Next Time: Disciple fight, round three. Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[02.12.2022]