As usual, a very big thank you to euphoricimage who has helped me beta the chapter, as well as LittleDoot and Nobody(Super_NovaGrey) who have helped me proofread. Also, thank you for TungstenCat who has advised me with the romance aspect of the story!
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Tomioka Giyuu had known the Insect Hashira for years, but never had he ever seen her this agitated.
The sun had long set; the temperature dropped rapidly as the moon rose higher up in the sky. Snow and trees flitted by as they moved through the forest at breakneck speeds. The wind howled, biting cold against his skin, but he paid it little mind as he forced himself to keep pace with his fellow Hashira.
Shinobu, however, was unstoppable. She jumped from one tree branch to another, unbothered by the wet snow and the cold wind. Her speed hadn't decreased ever since they met up at Kitashiobara town over thirty hours ago.
The sky had finally gone dark. Thankfully, there was a village nearby, but it did not seem like she was going to stop. Thirty hours of high-speed travel on foot, not stopping for food or sleep, and Shinobu still wanted to continue.
"Kochou!" Giyuu called out to her, panting. His veins bulged on his forehead due to his constant use of breathing techniques. He received no response. "Kochou! Slow down!"
Shinobu didn't seem to even register that he was there. Left with no choice, he used his Water Breathing Technique to overtake her.
However, when he turned to face her, Giyuu didn't expect a sharp blade to greet him.
Unsheathing his own sword, he barely parried the attack. Fortunately, Shinobu didn't put much energy in her slash as their blades rebounded with a sharp clang. But for her to raise her sword against him, she must have been desperate to reach their destination.
Giyuu skidded on the snow as he landed a few meters away from Shinobu. They were both breathing hard, their limbs trembling; the prolonged, intensive use of breathing techniques had taken a toll on their body. Yet, she began to run North again, towards where her Tsuguko was last seen.
"Enough, Kochou!" Giyuu hissed as their swords clashed once more.
"Tomioka-san." Lifeless violet eyes met his. "Move."
"We've been running for almost two days already. You need to rest—"
"Move out of my way!"
Shinobu snarled and tried to push forward. Giyuu didn't budge though, because while he was tired, the Insect Hashira must be exhausted. They had covered what was supposed to be a five day trip into just one and a half days of running, and this was excluding Shinobu's own travel time from the Butterfly Mansion to Kitashiobara town, where Giyuu was stationed. He received his task to investigate Tsuyuri Kanao's disappearance just two days ago, so that must have meant Shinobu had taken half a day to reach Kitashiobara when it was supposed to be a two-days trip.
Hashiras were the most elite Demon Slayers in the organisation, but they were still human. It was beyond amazing that she could still function in this state.
Face contorting in anger, Shinobu screamed and attacked once more. Her true emotions were now clear in her eyes, as her ever-present smile was replaced with a snarl. It was so intense that he found himself slightly intimidated by her.
But things could not go on like this. Prepared to at least lose an arm against her, he spun to avoid her attack and swept her off her feet. Shinobu stumbled but still managed to dodge the neck chop coming her way by rolling forward. Giyuu wasted no time to lunge and grab her haori before pushing her back to the ground, face down. Once they fell onto the snow, he immediately grabbed the hand that held her sword to stop her from retaliating.
"Let me go!" Shinobu yelled as she bucked underneath him.
"Stop it already, will you!" Giyuu growled, tightening his hold on her. "You're pushing yourself too hard for no reason! What would you do when we got there? Would you even have enough energy to spare should we encounter a demon? Pull yourself together, Mushibashira!"
"It's my sister! Nee-san is dying, I need to save her—"
"It's not Kanae-san!" Giyuu snapped. He felt a twinge in his chest, remembering what had happened to the former Flower Hashira. "It's Tsuyuri Kanao, your adoptive younger sister. She has been missing for ten days, but her crow had never come back. She might still be alive!"
Shinobu stilled at his words. Giyuu could hear choked sobs muffled by the snow as he felt her body tremble underneath him. She had finally stopped struggling, so he sighed before moving away to sprawl beside her. He kept his hold on her haori, however, just in case she decided to bolt once more.
They laid on the snow in silence, finally taking a rest. Giyuu could feel his body protesting against the harsh treatment from the past two days. His body ached, his throat felt parched, and his feet were numb. It was just like Final Selection all over again, constantly moving without food, water or sleep.
"... I'm sorry, Tomioka-san," Giyuu heard her whisper. Shinobu pushed herself up. He tugged at her haori, causing her to sit back down on the ground.
Don't go. "Don't be stupid."
"I'm not going anywhere," Shinobu sighed, relenting.
Giyuu grunted and eyed her suspiciously. Then, without releasing his hold on her haori, he sat up and took out his waterskin before passing it to her. Thankfully, she still had enough sense to accept it.
Both Hashiras perked up when they heard a crow's call. They shot up, eyes intently scanning the sky. Soon enough, Giyuu's crow Yata appeared and landed on his shoulder. Or attempted to, as the old crow slipped and fell onto the snow instead.
Shinobu snorted. For some reason, Giyuu felt slightly relieved when he heard that.
Picking up the trembling crow, Giyuu gave Yata some treats and waited for the crow to regain his energy.
"What did you find?" Giyuu prompted his crow. He had sent Yata to scout ahead just a few hours ago. They chose not to use Shinobu's Kasugai crow since they were still within his assigned region, thus Yata knew the area better. Though, he felt bad whenever he had to rely on his old crow. One of these days, he was going to get a new, young crow just so that Yata could finally retire.
"Tomari...Higawa...Mount Nishiazuma…," Yata croaked. "No crows...No demons...Signs…Battle..."
At once, both Hashiras tensed. Mount Nishiazuma was where Tsuyuri Kanao was last seen. It was closer than he had thought; apparently, their rushed travel had brought them much closer to their destination without him realising it.
In addition, Yata had seen traces of a battle in the area, possibly occurring at least in the last six days, for there to be no demons in the area. It was both good and bad news. Good in that the fact that there were no demons meant the demons were most likely already slain, considering their territorial nature. Bad in that Tsuyuri Kanao had yet to report back to the Headquarters still, which could either mean that she had fallen in battle or passed out somewhere.
Giyuu hoped it was due to a more trivial problem, such as her crow being injured or something. Once again, he regretted not taking this mission earlier. Shinobu's sister wouldn't have been missing if he had been the one who had accepted the mission instead. It would've been better that way. After all, no one would miss him.
He almost let go of the haori in his hand when Shinobu suddenly lurched forward.
"Kochou!" Giyuu gritted his teeth when she refused to stop.
"This is my last warning, Tomioka-san," Shinobu snapped at him and brandished her sword. "Let me go, or I'll cut off your arm."
A chill ran down his spine. Knowing her, she would really carry out her threat. A threat made infinitely more terrifying by the fact that her sword was not forged for cutting only. He didn't let go, however.
"You really want to die?"
"... Let's make a stop at Tomari first," Giyuu compromised. "I would also like to reach our destination as soon as possible, but you are too exhausted by this point. At least have dinner first. You have to regain your strength before facing whatever it is on Mount Nishiazuma."
"Fine," Shinobu relented, tugging at her haori. He let it go. "But we're not stopping after that."
"... Alright."
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By the time they reached the foot of Mount Nishiazuma, the sun had just risen.
As promised, they immediately ran towards where Kanao was last seen once they took a short rest at Tomari. Shinobu inhaled deeply before clenching her teeth as she used her breathing technique to keep her severe fatigue at bay. The dinner had provided her with sufficient energy to keep going, but she didn't need Giyuu to tell her that it was dangerous to push herself too far in the current situation.
Yata flew overhead, cawing softly. Following the crow, they turned to take a path less travelled into the forest. Bright, white snow covered every inch of the ground, absorbing the sound around them to create an eerie silence. It made the sound of her own heartbeat seem even louder in her ears.
Shinobu refused to think of what might have happened to Kanao. Her adopted sister was strong, way stronger than most Demon Slayers her age, and she was her Tsuguko. Shinobu believed in Kanao. But her mind wouldn't stop conjuring memories of Kanae's broken body moments before her death. Nor replacing her dead sister's face with the living one's. Kanao wasn't her first Tsuguko, after all.
Fortunately, there was a distraction ahead.
Normally, they would ignore civilians during their travels unless they needed information. But the person ahead waved at them, purposely trying to get their attention. Maybe he recognised them as Demon Slayers and wished to ask for a demon-related request. It wouldn't be the first time that happened.
Shinobu would have ignored him and moved onward were it not for Giyuu calling her name.
This better be good. Shinobu narrowed her eyes as they slowed down.
Perhaps sensing her mood, the stranger wasted no time in blurting out, "Tsuyuri Kanao is at our house right now."
"... Is she alive?" Giyuu asked when Shinobu remained silent.
"Don't worry. She's awake and recovering well," the stranger, a young man, beamed. He then gestured with his hand. "Come with me. I'll guide you to—"
"No need," Shinobu bluntly interjected before turning to her companion. "Tomioka-san, please carry him. It's faster to move at our speed."
The boy gaped at her. Giyuu scrunched up his nose at her, displeased. Shinobu felt a vein on her forehead throb.
"You want me to carry him instead?"
"..."
Giyuu grunted and obediently carried the boy over his shoulder, ignoring the boy's protests. Shinobu gave him a sharp glare.
The boy looked up before sighing in resignation. Then, he pointed North.
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