Ubuyashiki Kagaya looked over the most recent reports with a soft, sad smile. He couldn't help but be sad. Even the reports of success revolved around death. Every time he thought about how Muzan marked people for death simply by turning them into demons… and for those around said demons to die even faster and often more gruesome deaths… It hurt.
Still, he couldn't help but be so proud of the people who risked their lives – many would even volunteer for it, although he insisted on paying them for such a dangerous, unforgiving job – to stop the demons. It was inspirational to see. People who had often been through pain themselves risked so much to stop other people – strangers they'd never even met – from experiencing that pain. It was… in a word, incredible.
He just wished that they didn't have to rise to the occasion.
A jolt of pain shot through his head and he had to close his eyes. Rubbing at them gently, he sighed. His father had gone blind rather early on in his life. Kagaya knew he'd likely be losing his own eyesight soon, and while he hated that thought, he didn't see much of a point to rage against something he couldn't change. He'd simply have to find work-arounds. Until then, though, he would do his work and go over the reports sent to him.
He made some notes to send a rank kanoe or higher to check out some rumors of a forest where people disappeared at night a couple of days' travel south and moved onto the next report.
Ah, this one came from Kamado Tanjiro…
He didn't quite know what to think of that particular child. The child who claimed to be from the future and certainly had proof… this child who Urokudaki Sakonji – one of his strongest and most down-to-earth former Pillars – believed. And he'd certainly not given Kagaya any reason to disbelieve him either.
He was remarkably good at gathering information about demons… those that he didn't simply take care of himself. He was also remarkably good at hunting demons, and the rate at which he was climbing the ranks… well, he wouldn't be a Hashira in two months as Himejima-san had, but… it would be close.
Or… it would be if Tanjiro wanted to be a Hashira. Apparently, he'd asked that he not be considered for the position as he felt he'd already drawn too much attention to himself from Muzan. He was willing to take up all the duties thereof, though. Including taking a tsuguko (again, likely not under the name) for anyone who would be willing to learn the second Sun Breathing technique (apparently learning another technique first was a prerequisite).
Kagaya had to admit, having somebody out there just as competent as any Pillar pick up the slack while the rest of the Hashira took turns training with each other had been a boon he hadn't really expected. He'd take any good news at this point.
Actually, he had a couple of assignments that would probably require Hashira… like the boat problem. A couple of the ferries that tended to see higher volume would get lost on rivers and in bays… and no one could find any trace of any of them. Entire groups of people would just vanish. Kagaya had sent some lower ranks to investigate but they either hadn't discovered the problem or hadn't come back. He'd been contemplating sending in one of his Pillars the next time he could schedule it in.
But…
Making up his mind, he quickly jotted down the message and sent word to his kasugai crow to pass the message on. Then he made notes and moved onto the next report.
xXx
Tanjiro stared at his hand as he waited for the ferry boat that would take him across the Seto Inland Sea to Shikoku. He found himself doing that a lot, since he'd returned this time around – staring at his hands. They looked so… normal. But they didn't feel normal. Not for him.
This loop had been the longest he'd remained human since the first time around and honestly, he loved it. Not being a demon had its drawbacks, but it had so many more positives… He didn't have to watch his thoughts in fear of drawing Muzan's attention. He didn't have to worry about drawing attention by overcoming the curse too soon. He didn't have to worry about the sun or hiding from the rest of the Demon Slayer's Corps… but best of all, he didn't have to ignore that longing hunger in his gut that never really went away. It was always worse before his body changed (before he slept) but it was always still… there.
Sometimes he didn't know how Nezuko had always been so strong that first time…
The problem was, he was pretty sure he'd been a demon far longer than he'd been human at this point in the resets, which had to be the reason why his skin, sometimes, felt too small – constricting; why he still preferred to avoid the sun at its peak (and sometimes other parts of the day); why he sometimes got a whiff of blood and had to brace himself for just a moment…
He wasn't used to being human anymore.
Yet another thing Muzan had taken from him.
He clenched his fist and looked up. His eyes searched the dock he waited on, surrounded by a couple-dozen people. He saw traveling merchants ranging from a lone person to a group of eight and some pack animals. He saw some random travelers, perhaps heading over to see family? Just to get away and start a new life in a new area? Perhaps traveling to simply see the sights? He didn't know. However, most of the people seemed to be lower middle class and lower class (with maybe exceptions of the merchants, but society had never deemed them to be of higher class anyway). Exactly the kinds of people who had been disappearing on ferries recently.
The boat they would be traveling on sat at the dock already, waiting for the sailors to finish preparing. There weren't many as it wasn't a particularly large boat, but as Tanjiro's eyes swept over them, he recognized something – a sort of hopeless desperation that tore at his heart.
Withholding a sigh, he reached into the pocket of his trousers (brilliant inventions, pockets) and withdrew the ticket he'd had to purchase for the boat. He sniffed it again and nodded. He'd lost count of how many times he'd double checked, but he definitely recognized the scent.
It made sense, really. Trains weren't always around and the demon in question had to get to Waning Moon status somehow. Sometime in the next couple of years, he must have ditched the 'ferry' boat scheme and moved on to trains, either because he figured he could get more people that way or he wanted to throw off the trail of demon slayers.
And since Tanjiro didn't have any backup this time, he'd potentially have to fight without his eyes… on the water… at night. He already had a blindfold ready, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to it. He did wonder if he plugged his ears, could he avoid the demand to 'go to sleep'? It might lessen the effects, but would that be worth it? The demon he remembered had never been much of a fighter, preferring to stick to under-handed tricks and special abilities.
Just the opposite of Akaza, of course.
He stuck his hand in his other pocket and relaxed a little. He'd stuck his hanafuda earrings in there and wrapped his hair up under a sugegasa**. He wanted to look as nondescript as possible so as not to attract attention from Muzan.
Then he looked up at the sky, slowly darkening as daylight faded.
A cry from the boat pulled his attention back to it. One of the ferrymen called out for all to come forward and present their tickets.
That meant Tanjiro would likely have to fall asleep again to give Enmu time to bond with the boat, get overly confident and show himself. He both was and wasn't looking forward to it. He wondered if his dream had changed…
What would it say about him if it had?
Did he want to know how much he'd changed? Perhaps he could simply sniff out Enmu and kill him immediately… but doing so in such a small place without hurting the passengers or crew would be difficult enough if they were all asleep. If he went after Enmu immediately, they would all panic and may not trust him. He'd definitely have to fight the sailors, who Enmu had likely already brainwashed, blackmailed or promised 'dreams' to… and he couldn't allow himself to kill any humans. Ever. Not after...
He shook his head, focusing back on the line that had formed to get onto the ship. One particularly dour-looking man took the tickets and, yes, punched them. There would likely be a delayed reaction, but somehow, he couldn't help but think that the spell would make everyone very drowsy very quickly.
And likely, Tanjiro had already been marked as a demon slayer. He really needed to speak to Ubuyashiki about going around out of uniform. He'd have less physical protection, but it would be worth it to avoid problems like this…
The man didn't even give him a second look as he punched the ticket and turned to the next person.
Interesting, but not enough to really draw Tanjiro's attention.
He could already feel the spell taking hold of him… and he could fight it, but that might just draw more attention to him. It didn't take him long to decide that he knew how to get out of the dream state, and while it wasn't something he was looking forward to, it would probably be the best option.
And besides, he'd promised Nezuko he'd draw less attention to himself.
Still, before he fell asleep, he wanted to get a general layout of the ferry. It wasn't an enormous boat, looked to be old fashioned and well worn, made of wood with no sails or motor. Hence why so many sailors were needed – to either pole or row the boat forward. In the center toward the back, a covered area with wooden seating had been built for passengers. The animals and heavier baggage would go on either end, he supposed. Now he just had to figure out where that weak point was.
He sniffed the air, forcing himself to stay awake for a couple of minutes longer at least. He could vaguely sense the demon… but he certainly hadn't merged with the ship…
Yet.
Hmm. It would seem he had some time at least.
Still uneasy, he allowed himself to be lulled to sleep.
He woke in the mountains.
In the snow.
He took a breath of cool, fresh air and heard the sound of laughter coming from the familiar house.
He sighed and let out the breath he'd been holding. So… his dream hadn't changed. He went to step forward and looked down, catching sight of his hand.
It had claws on it.
His breath caught in his throat and he instantly snatched it back to his chest. Then, as he had when he'd woken up on that day, all those months ago (it seemed simultaneously like years and no time at all), he turned and dashed towards the stream, practically sliding to his knees on the dock and looking over the edge.
Normal.
He looked completely normal.
He let out a breath, practically slumping.
"Onii-san!"
He turned to see a very angry Nezuko running up to him with his winter gear in hand. He looked down at his bare feet. Oh… right. No demon healing.
He reached out to take them from her but saw that his hand still had claws on it.
He froze…
"Nezuko," he said slowly… "Do I look… normal?"
She huffed, her cheeks puffing up. "Do you mean 'normal' as in rushing out here without anything to keep you warm? Then yes, you look completely normal for someone who is about to freeze!"
He snorted quietly and took the hanten from her before slipping it on, following with his fukagutsu.
"There. I'm dressed now."
"Good!" she said, her hands on her hips. "Because now we need to go train."
Tanjiro blinked. "Wait, what?"
And that quickly, the world around them had changed. No longer were they on their old mountain, but on Urokudaki's, both dressed to train. Then Nezuko turned to him.
"Spar with me, Onii-san!"
Before he could answer, she attacked him with her wooden sword, movements so graceful in the Breath of Water style that his own breath caught in his throat. Since when had she gotten this good?
Grinning, he dodged, dodged again, parried and moved around her, getting into the fight and enjoying it. He really felt like he could go all out and was just about to pull out a Hinokami Kagura strike when movement caught the corner of his eye. Someone ran through the woods… someone he didn't recognize.
Someone who shouldn't be here.
"I'm your opponent, Tanjiro-nii!" Nezuko said angrily, diving at him with a piercing raindrop. "This is how I killed him, you know!"
Tanjiro's eyes widened. Muzan was dead? His heart leapt in his chest and just for a moment, everything was right with the world…
But then he remembered that figure in the trees.
This was just a dream.
She used the fastest movement in the water style. She used it well. He still dodged out of the way and chopped her on the back of the neck.
"Sorry, Nezuko," he said softly as she fell to the ground, unconscious, behind him. "This is truly a lovely dream. But that's all it is."
And with that, he dashed into the forest after the person, using his breath style to take to the treetops. And only his breath style. He most certainly did not use any demonic traits because he's not a demon.
He was not.
He did not think of himself that way.
(How he hated Muzan.)
He sensed something off to his left and paused, turning in that direction. There he found what looked like a rift, just hanging in the air. He only hesitated for a moment before stepping through… onto clear water with a lovely blue sky overhead. Was this… his soul? Yes, that resonated with him. It felt so familiar here… so warm…
The only real problem he had was the red around the horizon, fading into blue as if the sun were about to set. He didn't like that red, for some reason.
Brushing it off, he dashed across the surface of the water, looking for the invader.
It didn't take him long to see someone in the distance standing besides what looked to be the sun – a very small sun – surrounded by little fiery beings. Tanjiro raced towards them. The person raised their hand, as if to stab at the sun. Tanjiro felt a growl build in his chest and his claws flexed. The world around them faded further into red. He grabbed the hand just as it was about to plunge the knife into the sphere, tackling the person to the ground.
The water no longer looked calm or placid as waves began to roil around them (was it him, or did they burst into flames too? Like the surface of a sun… no, that was ridiculous, and it didn't matter anyway). The person – another child, just like those in his memory had been – stared fearfully up at Tanjiro.
"Y-you're not supposed t-to be here! Humans can't enter their subconscious! You'd have to be…" and then their breath caught in their throat. "Y-you're s-supposed to b-be a D-demon S-s-slayer! N-n-not a d-d-demon!"
Tanjiro grit his teeth.
"Answer me truthfully," he said as calmly as he could. The sun – the heart of his own soul – felt as if it would burn him up at any second. He ignored it. "Do my eyes say anything?"
The child – a girl, he thought but wasn't entirely sure – gulped. "Y-yes…"
His whole body tensed.
"What does it say?" he asked.
"W-w-waxing Zero!"
Tanjiro's heart stopped.
The world hung in fragile stillness for an eternity that lasted only moments.
Then he screamed.
The ocean around them roiled enormous waves (were they waves or bouts of flame and plasma?) that didn't seem to touch them.
He'd known, somehow. He'd known! Why did he have to ask? Was this part of his dream because some perverse part of him had actually enjoyed the power he'd had as a demon? Had he really fallen that far? Become the monster he'd been fighting for so long…
He remembered the image of a man in a white, Western suit, putting a hand on his shoulder – not friendly or warm in any way. More possessive and disheartening if anything.
"Your ability to resist is amusing, Tanjiro-kun," he whispered in his ear. "But how long can you last? Eventually you will be one of us, and you will enjoy it."
NO! No, it couldn't be! Not after everything he'd fought for! Not after—
A bundle of warmth attacked him and he looked up to see the flaming beings from before pile on top of him.
'You're wrong!' one said.
'He marked your soul,' another spoke without speaking.
'But he does not own you!' many of them practically shouted at once.
'Stop hurting them!' one final voice that wasn't a voice pleaded and he looked down to see the child from before screaming in pain. Tanjiro looked up at their arms, still held in his hands, and saw… oh… had he broken them?
"Oh!" he yelped, jumping back as if he'd been burned, then rushing forward frantically, trying to ignore the utter guilt at doing something so horrible. "I'm so sorry! I… I don't think that should be a problem in your real body! Does it transfer!? I didn't mean… I am so, so sorry!"
"I-I'll l-l-leave!" they said, cradling their hands to their chest as they scooted back away from him awkwardly.
"T-that's probably a good idea," Tanjiro said, then knelt and bowed into a seiza. "But before you go, please know I did not mean to do that. I honestly and truly apologize."
Silence except for some shuddering breaths from the child.
"I… I was going to k-kill you, you know," they said quietly. "Y-yet you're apologizing to me?"
Tanjiro looked up. "I know," he said with the warmest smile he could muster. "That's still no excuse."
The child laughed a little hysterically. "W-what kind of demon are you?"
His smile vanished for just a moment, but he forced it back. "I may look like one right now, but I'm not really." That wasn't quite a lie. It wasn't quite the truth either. He didn't really know exactly what he was anymore.
The child looked skeptical.
"Maybe you should go and I'll speak with you once your arms are feeling better?"
Their skepticism didn't change, but they did nod… and then they vanished.
Tanjiro's shoulders slumped, and then he raised his fists high overhead and brought them down with the loudest yell he could muster. The water splashed below him. Then he looked around once again, and while the ocean still seemed a little choppy, it was better than before. The red had receded too.
Good.
He looked down at his hands… His clawed hands.
"Muzan…" he growled. Then he took a deep breath and let it out. Now was not the time.
Somehow, he got the feeling that killing himself in this part of the world wouldn't be a good idea, so he stood and hurried back towards the forest he'd been in before. It didn't take him long to find the tear (but he was glad he knew about where it had been as finding it in this endless stretch would not have been easy).
The moment he stepped through, he drew his sword and put it to his throat…
Several seconds later, he opened his eyes, gasping and startling the figure in front of him… the figure that had held a knife over him, as if to stab him. Again. He immediately grabbed the arm that held the knife and the child whimpered as if in pain. He made sure he wasn't squeezing them hard, but they still looked up at him as he rose to his full height, terrified.
"Y-you're really n-not a demon?" they asked.
Something inside of him clenched, but he ignored it and smiled down at the child. "Nope."
"You're hurting me," they said softly, and from the cringe they gave, he didn't doubt it. He still didn't let go until he'd taken the knife from their hand. Once he did let go, they leapt back, cradling their arms to their chest.
"He isn't a kind person," Tanjiro said, finally, voice soft.
"What?" the child asked, confused.
"The demon that promised you a good dream… he isn't a good person. He likes to give good dreams and then turn them into nightmares to see the look of anguish on people's faces before he eats them. Whatever dream you wanted… he would have perverted it."
The child's big, brown eyes stared up at him in horror. "B-but… h-he p-p-promised…"
Tanjiro reached forward slowly, putting his hand on the child's head and rubbing it gently, even after they flinched.
"I know. I'm sorry."
They fell to their knees sobbing only barely audible over the sound of rushing water.
"Hey, what's your name?" Tanjiro asked, kneeling down beside them.
"M-miki…"
He nodded. "Alright, Miki-chan. I'm Tanjiro. Would you like to tell me what happened?"
She looked down, biting her lip and still sobbing quietly. "I-I'm an orph-phen. D-d-demons killed my P-p-papa an-and younger sist-ter. M-m-mama was al-already g-gone. I-I was s-s-so hungry all the time an-and n-no one w-w-wanted me… Th-they s-s-said I w-was cr-crazy for b-b-beliving in demons… T-they threw st-stones at me...
"T-then Enmu-s-san s-saw m-me and t-t-told me h-he could put me in a d-d-dream where they were a-all alive again i-if I jus-st…" she faded off. "I-I-I miss th-them s-s-so much!"
"Hey," Tanjiro said quietly, putting a hand on her head again and feeling pleased when she didn't flinch away. "You know, my experience was just the opposite.
"After a demon encounter, I saw my family killed in front of me again and again and again… and the only way I could stop them was to become a demon myself – distract the… man who turns people into demons so that they could live." He took a deep breath. "I remember how much I missed them every time they died… I…"
He paused for a moment. "I know it won't bring your family back, but I know of a place you could go and be safe. It… it won't be the same. Nothing ever can be. But you can fight against demons if you choose to, and if not, they have other ways for you to help."
The girl sniffed and looked up at him as if not daring to hope. "R-really?" she asked quietly.
"Really," he said, then looked around, "but first we have to make sure that no one here drowns when I kill the demon. Okay?"
She paused, her breath hitching and shuddering before she nodded. "O-okay."
He ran his hand over her short hair again – probably something she'd done to protect herself. Poor girl.
"Now," he said as he stood up, "stay here until I—"
He didn't need her gasp or widening eyes to know something was behind him. He sensed the killing intent and ducked away. One of the sailors plunged a knife into the deck where he'd just been.
"Don't get in the way of my dream!" he growled.
Tanjiro didn't even hesitate to dodge the next attack, circle round and knock him out from behind. Just in time to see the other men head his way. It really didn't take him long to take them out either.
"Stay here," he said to Miki before running off towards the head of the boat. He paused and sniffed the air, closing his eyes to concentrate. Two points of concentration where the scent came from: behind him and on top of the roof of the boat, as well as just ahead towards the front of the boat.
So, he'd had enough time to merge, had he? He glanced back and saw that even the animals, having some kind of sixth sense, were stamping restlessly and backing away from that side of the boat as far as they could.
Tanjiro smiled, then looked up at the demon.
"So, you broke out of it?" the Waning Moon asked. "Let's see if you can do it again. Go to sleep!"
He found himself back at Urokudaki's house as Takeo and Nezuko came running towards him. He grit his teeth and put his sword to his throat.
Outside, he opened his eyes and ran towards the body on the roof. Let the demon think he'd fallen for the decoy again. He didn't realize – or care – that as he leapt up and began to engage the demon in earnest, his hat and the cloth he'd used to tie up his hair had fallen off, showing off the red of his hair glinting in the moonlight.
Just as before, the Waning Moon panicked when Tanjiro kept coming out of his dream. He kept up his barrage against the body – not as fast or as powerful as he remembered from the train. Good. He leaped towards the demon who jumped out of his way, just as he'd hoped. Instead of following the demon into the air, he launched off of the roof towards the area the animals were steering clear of.
A choked, strangled sound came from the Waning Moon's decoy body. Tanjiro focused on the point, knowing he'd have to immediately turn to stop the demon from trying to devour the people inside the sheltered area to recover. His feet touched the ground and he could see the strange tentacle-like growths he remembered from the train come after him, but he'd already sprung into the Dance of the Fire God, Clear Blue Sky, spinning vertically in the air.
The moment he did, he heard a scream – small and high-pitched, one of fear more than of pain.
Turning, he saw Enmu grabbing at his throat, letting out a shriek from the entire boat, but he could also see the little girl held in one of the strange appendages by the throat. Tanjiro sprang forward… but he had a choice. The girl or the people inside. Enmu had done that on purpose… He always did make his losses hurt.
But Tanjiro could do it. He used his Sun Breathing to shoot forward and destroy everything demon inside the pavilion, then paused at the end and turned to shoot back only to see Enmu bite down on the girl's throat.
He should have taken care of the decoy body too!
"NOOOO!" Tanjiro screamed and something changed. He didn't know what, but he moved faster than he had before, grabbing the side of the shelter, not noticing the claw marks he left behind, but using a First Form: Waltz to slash through the Waning Moon's neck while simultaneously grabbing Miki, landing back near the front of the boat… that was now sinking.
He'd thought he had time…
He'd thought he could be fast enough…
He…
He'd been wrong.
Her neck was covered in blood. He didn't even know where the false body's head went and didn't particularly care at the moment. He knew this, though: there was too much blood… too much blood!
He tried to stem it, putting his hands over the puncture marks that must have gone directly into a vein or artery.
"Onii… chan…" she whispered, eyes already not focusing. She was so little…
"Miki, stay with me!" he begged… pleaded.
"It… was nice," she rasped weakly. "Your p-promise. But… I get… to see… Papa again."
"NO!" he denied, willing the blood to stop.
"And Mama…"
"MIKI!"
"And… Hi… za… shi…"
"NO! Please! Stay with me! Keep talking to me!"
But she didn't.
Her breathing slowed and then stopped altogether…
And for several seconds, each lasting lifetimes, he just stood there while people inside the boat began to wake up and see they were sinking… but Tanjiro couldn't move. He could only stare at the little girl in his arms as the water of the sea washed the blood away. When had he fallen to his knees? Did it matter?
He'd failed.
He'd made a mistake.
And she'd paid the price for it.
A deep rage battered with an even deeper guilt inside him. The boat around him was still screeching weakly. The demon that had done this…
The demon that needed to be eliminated.
And it would be…
But not fast enough.
"Demon Blood Art," he hissed to himself, not registering the words as he scratched his finger with the claw on his thumb, "Palm Fire Explosion."
A deep, red fire spread out from him, quickly encompassing the entire boat, taking the screams of both the dying demon and the people inside from worry and fading pain to intense pain and fear.
"Don't you think of hurting one. Other. Person!" Tanjiro screamed, knowing the fire would not hurt those he did not want it to. In moments the entire boat had gone up in a painless flame. Painless for the humans at least. The demon on the other hand…
Enmu was one of the few people Tanjiro could honestly say he hated. That didn't mean he didn't pity him, Tanjiro pitied every demon up to and including Muzan himself. But few got inside his head like the Waning One.
Even knowing his tricks ahead of time… he'd still failed.
He screamed, long and loud as he clutched a tiny form to him.
Then everything that had just happened clicked in his mind and he realized what he'd done. The fire around him… the fire that even the water rushing in could not put out…
His throat constricted.
He shouldn't be able to do that!
Why had he been able to do that?!
He looked down at his hands… normal. Completely normal… and yet the impossible fire raged around him, burning away the demon possession and sleeping spell alike.
The impossible fire be… because that shouldn't be… because he wasn't… this couldn't be…
A loud horn sounded from a boat coming towards them, carrying their own light. Must have been a larger ship if they had that kind of light to throw around, even in this darkness.
For several seconds he just sort of sat there while the cries of the former Waning Moon finally died down, and along with it, the fire.
No one approached him.
He didn't blame them…
The water on the deck rose, and Tanjiro couldn't help but, in his vague numb state, be a little surprised it hadn't tipped and sunk faster. Perhaps it was all the weight at the other end?
The larger boat found them and began to bring people on board. Tanjiro continued to sit in the ever growing water. Only when the other people had finally been evacuated did he stand as one man came over towards them in a boat already filled with passengers.
"Young man?" he asked. "Can you hear me? We need to get you out."
Tanjiro looked over at the fearful passengers and then down at the little girl in his arms.
He nodded and began to wade towards the boat, navigating the wood that had finally begun to tip up. He even saw them helping the panicking animals onto other boats. It didn't look like a pleasant job.
"Right," he said as he lowered himself into the water and began to swim, still holding Miki behind him.
"Is she alright?" the man asked as he reached over and grabbed for Miki.
"She's dead," Tanjiro said. The man faltered. "Please," the demon slayer said softly, "let me take her and give her a proper burial."
He could barely see the man's eyes in the dark (he didn't have demon eyes… he didn't, so he couldn't see in the dark like they could), but Tanjiro practically felt the man's gaze soften.
"Of course," he said, helping to drag her on board. "What happened?"
Tanjiro levered himself into the boat. The passengers all scooted away from him fearfully.
"There was a…" he paused. He couldn't tell them there was a demon. They wouldn't believe him. "A man wanted to sink the boat and drown the people. This girl was coerced into helping him, but I managed to talk her out of it… he saw that and killed her."
The boatman's eyes widened. "What happened to him?"
Tanjiro looked back at the tip of the boat as it sank beneath the waters. "I killed him."
Silence. Then the boatman's gaze turned down to the sword on Tanjiro's side.
"Oh," he said before yelling at the men at the oars. "Get us back to the ship!"
Several 'Hais' met his order and the little boat moved back to the larger one.
The survivors had to remain on deck of the ship as they had little to no room for them on the lower decks. However, they would be able to reach the nearest port in less than an hour.
The boatmen and the passengers all spoke with the policemen who came at the request of the captain of the ship to report the ferry sinking. They all had varying tales about waking up to see nothing and then a fire that didn't hurt or burn, how the ship had already been sinking, how the boy just sat there holding the girl in his arms. They'd been lucky another ship had been so close or there may not have been nearly as many survivors.
Everyone looked for the boy (and the dead girl) for questioning.
No one found them.
xXx
Kagaya received a report from Tanjiro stating that he'd killed Waning Moon One – to expect the other Waning Moons to vanish and keep an eye on any they knew of.
He also asked for an undisclosed amount of time for a vacation.
Tanjiro never asked for a vacation or a break… that worried Kagaya, so he approved it with the caveat that the young demon slayer would have to keep in contact.
A couple of days later, he got a simple 'Yes,' from him that didn't relieve his worries.
xXx
*Note: These Tanjiro scenes won't be happening often. I find the story to be more interesting when viewed from an outsider's perspective. I do find it interesting that while I don't ENJOY getting inside Muzan's head, I outright REFUSE to try Enmu… Take that as you will, I suppose.
** Asian conical hat, often made of bamboo to keep the sun off of one's head. Also hanten and fukagutsu are Japanese over-coats and straw-woven boots respectively.
I realize that ferries like this would likely not run at night and that this is highly suspicious… but to be fair, a lot of things the demons in the manga do are highly suspicious and still don't draw government attention. *shrug*
So anyway, one of my favorite chapters. :D Let me know what you think of it?
Thank you to TimeLordTim and Quathis for their help in this! Seriously, thank you! *luv* Also, thank you to anyone who reads, comments and/or shares this story. From the bottom of my heart.
Discord: discord. gg/EVUrHMd4za
