On the Flip Side
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba fanfiction
Beta: euphoricimage
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Flipping the coin was second nature to Tsuyuri Kanao.
It was easier to let fate make the decisions for her than to do it herself. The coin was simple but fair, predictable yet not, and its result was absolute. Unquestionable, as if it was an order from Oyakata-sama himself.
Kanao lived by the coin, and she trusted the coin.
But she wondered what would have happened to him should the coin she had flipped landed with the tails side up. Perhaps, not much better than how it was now.
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Her Kasugai crow, Tenma, landed on her shoulder and whispered the details of a minor mission to her ear.
Kanao's eyebrows twitched momentarily into a frown. Apparently, a mysterious trail of brutal massacres was reported around this area three days ago. It was unclear whether the perpetrator was a demon since the human corpses were never eaten.
Over her years of service in the Demon Slayer Corps, Kanao had encountered many similar incidents which were caused not by demons, but by fellow humans. Evil was everywhere; both demons and humans were equally capable of committing terrible acts. Kanao had learned this first-hand, back before she first met Kanae and Shinobu.
Which was why she was troubled; it may or may not be a mission related to demons, and she would be wasting time here if it was caused by humans. After all, Demon Slayers existed to deal with demons only. Besides, Kanao was already pressed for time to complete her current mission.
But a mission was a mission. It was a matter of which to prioritise first.
"Am I the only one in this area?" Kanao asked.
Tenma shook her head. "Mizuki Yuu, Tsurui village, three days away from here. Tomioka Giyuu, Kitashiobara town, a week away from here," she replied. "They, be notified, as well."
Kanao knew of the Water Hashira, but she had never heard of Mizuki Yuu. Must be a low-rank Demon Slayer, then.
Looking up at the setting sun in between two, snowy hills, Kanao took out a coin from her skirt pocket.
Heads to accept, tails to pass.
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In another timeline, Kanao got tails and passed the mission over to Demon Slayer Mizuki Yuu.
In this timeline, fate decided otherwise.
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Kanao thought she knew what it meant to be on the brink of death.
When she was young, death was hunger. It was sure to follow the excruciating pain of an empty stomach and a malnourished body. Death meant hopelessness, as her impoverished body was beaten and drowned by the adults who called themselves her 'parents.' Death was to be accompanied by cold bodies, as it was how she found out that her brothers had 'died.'
As a slave, death was no longer hers to have, for her life was then owned by someone else. She was not allowed to die without her master's permission, but years later she wondered if her existence before she became Tsuyuri Kanao had 'died' back then. After all, Kanae and Shinobu had found her as an empty shell, unable to decide on what to do without being ordered to.
Since then, she was rarely at death's door. The Butterfly Mansion had revitalised her and brought her away from death. Her talents as a Demon Slayer had ensured her safety as she fought against demons. She would have forgotten about the pain of death were it not for Kanae's sudden passing years later.
Now, Kanao was once more reminded of the familiar sensation of dying. Yet, it felt unbearably different this time.
Too fast , Kanao thought. The hunger was painful and the beatings were agonising, but they were slow compared to how she was dying right now.
The pain was white hot, but at the same time she could feel her body cooling too quickly. Blood continued to dye the snow red as she laid prone on the ground. Cold, biting wind carried her visible breath away along with her body heat, and it was then Kanao realised that death was near.
Was she fortunate or unfortunate that she was still alive now? Perhaps an instant death would have been better, since it was clear that she had been left to slowly die alone on this cold mountain. Kanao was not being pessimistic; realistically, there was no chance she could survive this grievous wound inflicted by the demon.
Still, Kanao stretched out her hand, reaching for her Nichirin sword which rested on the ground in front of her. She couldn't die now. Kanae had ordered her to always come back alive, so Kanao would try her best to follow it through.
Tenma flew overhead, cawing loudly. She thought it was unusual for the usually quiet crow, but she felt a strange feeling akin to relief that she was at least not alone here.
Gradually, however, Tenma's cawing turned quiet. The sun began to rise, yet her vision slowly went dark. Kanao struggled to stay awake, but it was cold, too cold and tiring...
The last thing Kanao saw was a pair of straw boots running towards her, before she lost consciousness.
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A very big thank you to euphoricimage who has helped me beta this story. Without their supports and internal screamings, I would have lost the motivation to continue writing. Also, a shout-out to LittleDoot and Nobody(Super_NovaGrey) who have helped me proofread the story and see if the romance is too slow or cringy or anything.
