The loud noise of a Kasugai Crow roused me from my slumber. "Huh?" Muffled voices from outside my room leaked in and shook me from my still sleepy state. "I don't care if you're a hashira, you can't just barge into her room!"
Nobu? I was already sitting when my door slid open and a few rays of sunlight strayed in. Of course, I panicked and shuffled deep into my room while Nobu pushed in the hashira and hurriedly slid the door closed behind them. Of all the demon slayers I've ever met, this one – Tokito-san – is the youngest and… well, rudest yet. Hmm, maybe not rude exactly but there simply isn't any better word to describe him.
The first time we met, he told me he only came to see if it was true that a demon was known to live in our house and that they weren't allowed to kill me. He was quite odd. "Demon, Oyakata-sama requires your presence." Was all he said, expecting me to just understand it right away. "Oyakata? Isn't that the demon slayer's leader?" Nobu asked, which went in Tokito-san's ear and out the other.
"It's still daytime." I said instead, stating the obvious. Tokito-san threw something to me, "A cloak or haori should be fine, then put this on your head." Curious, I grabbed the thing and felt my blood run cold at what it was.
"A sack? Hey! You are not going to drag my obaachan somewhere and kill her!" Nobu was ready to attack Tokito-san, but he was obviously faster. With Nobu's arm twisted, thoughts swirled in my head. Would me getting Nobu away from him make things worse? And would he really kill me? Didn't he just say Oyakata-sama summoned me?
With a roll of his eyes, Tokito-san explained, "It's to cover her head so she won't burn in the sun. She hasn't killed anyone, so she won't be harmed. That was the deal they made decades ago, remember?" Letting Nobu go, he continued, "hurry up.
"Tokito-san, I appreciate you thinking about me but I don't think we'd make good progress if I can't see where we're walking. Wouldn't it be better if we travel at night?" His face, which looks impassive and blank all the time suddenly looked so serious at that. "We can't keep them waiting." He said, before sliding the door open and leaving me and Nobu in stunned silence.
After rushing to once again slide the door closed, Nobu grabbed the sack from me. "This is just disrespectful. Asking a lady to wear a sack on her head? The nerve of that boy!" I couldn't help but laugh at that. Nobu is only twenty and still acts bratty himself despite being a new father, yet he's talking as if he's a grumpy old man that hates Tokito-san's guts. "I'm sure he meant well."
"Pssh. I saw your face Y/N-chan. You got scared, too." Observant as always. "A little." Our conversation was cut short when Tokito-san barged in again, this time holding a wooden crate. "Get in this. I made sure there are no holes, so the sunlight won't get in. We'll wrap it for good measure." Now I'm starting to agree with Nobu wholeheartedly. "I don't think I'll fit." I don't understand how Tokito-san's mind works, but everyone could see that I won't be able to fit in that crate. I doubt a child could fit in it!
With a look that could speak for itself – which was screaming that I must be stupid – Tokito-san began to explain, "demons can manipulate their bodies to an extent. Change forms or sizes. I've seen it before. Y/N-san, you change your eyes pretty often." I was stumped. "Disguising my eyes was all I was taught." But could I really do that? I'm past the point of thinking anything is impossible now, only if I could do it. So, I tried.
I don't even know how to explain it. Maybe it's similar to how I change my eyes? I just picture my eyes when I was a human, as best as I can, and somehow command my… cells to move around - if that even makes sense. All I know is there are things that I could do better because I can make my body follow almost every thought. Changing my size included, apparently.
"That's better!" I had a rare glimpse of Tokito-san's pleased expression. I found myself looking up at a much bigger Tokito-san and Nobu. So much bigger. "Ha! You can do that?" Nobu said, scooping me up in his arms. "You're smaller than my daughter, and she's a newborn! You're like a small doll. Oh!" I could only control my body, so my clothes were loose. Very much so that it was almost indecent.
With me travel-sized, Tokito-san was quick to leave. Despite baby clothes being a little big, it was all I could wear right now. Nobu packed me something regular sized to wear later, which I really hope Tokito-san did not leave behind. Also, he just shoved me in a carrier that he already has – after making sure no sunlight could get in – and I had to sit beside his rice balls and dried squid till we reach our destination. I really did not enjoy it.
I think I fell asleep some time in our journey, but it seemed like the new headquarters of the demon slayers is pretty close to our home. "You can stay here. I'll be waiting outside." Tokito-san left before I could ask anything. I was left in a dark room. Alone. I took this as a chance to change back.
I was able to make myself presentable and still have plenty of time. I wasn't even sure what I was waiting for. But voices traveled in from outside. "Yukiko-sama." A calm voice greeted. "Forgive me for abruptly summoning you." A young man entered the room I was in, guided by two girls that looked eerily similar. The man was blind due to the same sickness his ancestor had. As I understand it, every man in his family is cursed to have it and to die young from it.
I merely nodded at him, not knowing what to say. "I believe you're familiar with our family's gift?" He smiled as he asked me, face and voice so serene and peaceful. "Yes, premonition?" A nod and he continued. "Things… big things are about to happen. I believe a vision you shared with a, well, ancestor of mine would happen soon." I wanted to say that I knew what he was talking about right away, but I suddenly couldn't remember the visions I've had and shared. With him being blind he missed the confused look I had so he excused himself, saying he better go see to the people waiting outside.
I was left to ponder. What vision? Could it be the demons I saw under the sun? Or Kibutsuji surrounded by demon slayers? I'm sure I almost had it when my attention was suddenly captured when an aroma that I've never had the pleasure of smelling before. It was so sweet, sickly sweet I felt like suffocating. But I wanted to drink it, to taste it. Somehow, I knew it was blood. And I knew that the person it's from would be extremely tasty.
I felt myself drool… I've never felt this way in decades! I was so sure I had decent control over my urges at a demon, but this was too much. My breathing picked up, and it only made things worse as I inhaled more of that smell. I shouldn't give in. I… this was also the worst possible place to eat my first human. I can't…
I don't think I need to breathe. Maybe I won't die if I stopped. Nope, I do need to breathe. But the scent eventually got weaker. I managed somehow. After some time of calming myself down, one of the children before slid inside the room I was in. "They're ready for you, Yukiko-sama." I followed her into a candlelit room and found Tokito-san with several others. Strong people who smelled like they've killed a lot of demons.
"Ah, Kyo-kun? Is that you?" It was as if Rengoku-san was looking right at me. Same hair, same brows… but I know it's Kyojuro. "Y/N-chan?" The confusion was displayed on his face, another demon slayer questioned him, "you know her, Rengoku-san?"
"Yes. But, you're still young! I mean, you look exactly the same…" Oh my. Rengoku-san never told him what I am? Mixed feelings swirled within me at that. "Demons don't age." Tokito-san said as if commenting on the weather. "Demon?" He really didn't know?
"Yes, Kyo-kun. You used to help me make sure I don't get exposed to sunlight remember?" I'm pretty sure that in the time that he visits us he should've noticed how I never changed. "Another demon? Oyakata-sama, just what is going on?" A white-haired man asked, face so intense I'd say he just came out of a fight. The scars littering his face and body certainly help that image of his and – "You… it was you who smells delicious."
That was the worst thing to say in a room full of hashiras, yet I was not able to stop myself. I felt the shift… they were all ready to kill me in that instant. "Ah, that's Shinazugawa-sama. You've never encountered a marechi before, have you Yukiko-sama?" I shook my head, then remembered he couldn't see me anyway. "I'm afraid I don't know what that means."
"Simply put, Marechi are humans with rare blood. Quite nutritious for demons like yourself." Explained one of the female hashiras, a dark-haired one who looks extremely familiar. "Have you been here all this time? Does that mean you were able to take a whiff of Shinazugawa-san's blood without losing control, too? Phew, your blood must just be losing its effect. That's two demons not reacting in one day." I almost missed the fact that another demon was mentioned because the hashira that spoke was someone that is quite good looking. It's embarrassing to admit, but I find him quite attractive. But then, the demon he mentioned. "There was another demon?"
Oyakata-sama took that as the chance to take control of the conversation. "It's why I've summoned you here, Yukiko-sama. Years ago, you wrote to the head of our family about a vision you had." I felt everyone's eyes move from him to me at that… I also felt like Kyojuro is wondering why he's calling me Yukiko and not the name he knows me by. "A demoness with black hair and flower colored tips as you described her. That vision?" Suddenly, the hashiras collectively commented on how the demon they met earlier could fit that description.
"Things are about to change. Kibutsuji is about to meet his end. I believe you had a vision of that as well, Yukiko-sama?" Despite him not being able to see, his blank eyes still looked on to me. I felt exposed somehow. This current head is different than the one I met before.
"Excuse me for interrupting but, Yukiko?" It was Kyojuro, definitely confused. "That's my real name, Kyo-kun. The one my parents gave me. Y/N was just one of the names I had to use… I try to change it every few decades or so since I lived in one place for so long. My nieces and nephews were very talkative when they were younger, you see…" I remember how confused the neighbors were when Nobu's father, Ryoma was still a child talking about playing with Yukiko-chan.
"You live with your family? Around children?" A young man with black hair asked, looking unimpressed. "Yes. I – well… when I first became like this, Kibutsuji kept me with him for what I thought was weeks or just a few months but it was actually eight years. When I ran into my family, I never left. Also because I was afraid Kibutsuji would go after them. And I've never attacked a human or eaten any human flesh before, so my brother was fine with me being around his children and their children." Of course, I've had some human blood but it was never because of me attacking them, just the circumstance… but they don't really need to know that, do they? The man that asked me looks like he didn't believe me. Most of them, actually.
The angry and delicious white-haired man was, well, angry. "I don't believe it. Even parents who become demons doesn't hesitate to attack their children!" What do I even say to that? The dark-haired girl from before intervened, mentioning that the demon they saw earlier didn't eat her brother nor him. "It's true, what Y/N… Yukiko-san said. I was around her a lot as a child, and she never tried to eat me."
"Ah, come to think of it, it was your home Rengoku-san's father brought me to when I was young." A bandaged man spoke, mismatch eyes capturing my attention more than his words. "Father?" Hold on, did Rengoku-san bring another child… ah, the one he rescued? What was his name again? "I was injured then, but she didn't even seem to pick up on the scent of blood then." If I remember correctly, that was because I was so tired already.
A pink-haired girl who looks too adorable to be a demon slayer actually raised her hand in the middle of it all. When everyone paused to look at her, she fidgeted before saying what she wanted to say. "Uhm… why would Kibutsuji Muzan go after your family?"
"Ah, I forgot to mention that detail. Yukiko-sama, perhaps you could show them your real eyes?" With my heart pounding out of my chest, I obeyed. "Seventh moon?" I didn't think it was possible, but the man called Shinazugawa-san got angrier and started screaming at me. "Seventh moon? She's a demon moon?!"
"She was." Was Ubuyashiki-sama's answer. "Was? Her eyes are in perfect condition!" Shinazugawa stood up and I think was going to attack me however several pairs of hands shoot up to stop him. "I don't know what you mean, Shinazugawa-san but I haven't seen Kibutsuji Muzan in decades. And I don't think he cares what I do, so this title is meaningless." It was true. I don't even know my purpose anymore – why he even made me a demon or even a demon moon.
I was useless as a human, useless as a demon moon… useless until now. I'm just around, not really doing anything.
"I'd have to disagree, Yukiko-sama. Also, I'd appreciate it if you calm down, Shinazugawa-sama." To my surprise, Shinazugawa-san knelt down and obeyed Oyakata-sama right away. "Another way to draw out Kibutsuji is to have your cooperation with us be known."
"Huh? Forgive me, Oyakata-sama, but I doubt that would work. He only sent demons after me once, and that was a very long time ago now. I don't think he wants anything to do with me."
A smile that both comforted me and made the hairs and my body stand was back on his face. "I'm afraid we've kept a lot from you and your family. For years, your district has been heavily targeted by demons. Every now and then, Kibutsuji would send someone just to see if it is still heavily patrolled. In fact, a few years back he sent on high-ranking moon demon there."
It was not something I expected. All this time I believed he left me alone. Wait, "high-ranking moon? What – who?" Instead of Oyakata-sama answering, the dark-haired girl spoke up. "Upper-rank two." Despite the smile that didn't leave her face, her eyes look like she's ready to murder everyone. "Three or four years ago."
"Doma?" I remember him. Akaza-san hates him. He seems insincere, but I don't really have much interaction to have more opinions on him. But the fact that he almost exclusively eats women is something that scares me. Also, the hashira assigned to my district then was a woman. She was so kind and friendly, finding out she passed was a hard blow. Could Doma? "Was he the one who… Kanae-san, was she?" it was a difficult question to form – a question I really didn't want to hear the answer to.
"Yes. He killed my sister." That's why she looked familiar.
"Shinobu-san and Mitsuri-san?" After that tense meeting, the hashiras that were friendly enough introduced themselves. Shinazugawa-san left almost immediately. The attractive one was Uzui-san. "Yes! Uhm, should we call you Y/N or Yukiko?" Mitsuri asked, tilting her head. I discovered right away that she is friendlier than the rest. Cheerful and sweet – pretty much someone I'd never expect to be a demon slayer. "Ah, I don't really care… though I'm getting more used to Y/N now." After a few more small talks, both of them excused themselves before Kyojuro finally walked over. Voice as loud as when he was young, he greeted me and asked me a lot of questions.
"Huh? Nobu is married now?" I understand his surprise, they are the same age after all. "Yes. He and his wife just had their first daughter." A sigh escaped him. "Him? A father? Wow." I couldn't help but nudge and tease him. "How about you, are you married too? Engaged? Or maybe a father as well?"
"Ah, no. I've been busy with my duties as a demon slayer. And even busier as a hashira." I couldn't help but feel pride swell in my chest. I remember him saying how his mother would teach him to protect the weak. I can see how he lived with those words in mind. "You're going straight to a mission now, right?" Nearing the end of the meeting earlier, Oyakata-sama assigned a few assignments to them, and I remember Kyojuro being assigned to a train.
"Yes Y/N-chan. Do you want to come with me?" Another decision made at the meeting was to let the news spread that I was working with the demon slayers. A great way to do that was to go on missions with them. I thought it'd be better to go with Tokito-san since he is assigned back home, but reuniting with Kyojuro and spending more time with him is something that I really want to do. Also, I want to see a train and ride one.
"Yes, I'll go with you!" Of course, I had to inform Tokito-san. And I had to write a letter to my family so they won't worry. I'm sure Nobu would freak out and say Tokito-san killed me if I don't write to him.
With all that in order, I willed my body to shrink and surprised myself to see that I somehow made my clothes smaller too. Crazy, but I don't really question many things anymore. With me small enough to fit in his pocket, Kyo-kun and I went on to our first mission together!
And last… apparently.