Disclaimer: I do not own Demon Slayer : Kimetsu no Yaiba or any of its characters/story.

III: Kanae

Kanao sat patiently on the couch in the apartment's living room, waiting for Kanae and Shinobu's return. They were out on a mission today, although she wasn't entirely sure what those missions consisted of.

She decided (with her coin, of course) to get up and go to her room. She gently pushed open the door, and sat down at the polished-wood desk. I might as well do something useful while I wait. So I don't get… nevermind. Taking out her writing supplies, she began to draw.

It was an odd habit, and Kanao wasn't really sure where it came from. Neither did Kanae or Shinobu. But she certainly seemed to be good at it, as everyone always loved it when she drew, and would ask for her pictures. Especially Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho, the 3 new girls that were recently adopted into their family.

Family… is that what we are? Her hand that was gripping the pen stilled. No, I can't be. I'm just a nuisance… right? The small writing utensil fell to the ground with a slight clatter against the hardwood floor. Images flashed into her mind, ones of her other family.

I don't belong here. That's all she thought for long minutes, sitting in her chair with her hands clasped at her chest. Then, she heard the front door open in the adjacent living room.

Knocked out of her thoughts, she walked out of her room, and stopped in front of Shinobu. But…

She gave a questioning look to the purple-haired demon slayer. Where is Kanae?

And Kanao's heart broke in two as Shinobu just shook her head, tears running down her face.

TTTTT

The funeral was short, solemn and simple.

Shinobu took Kanae's ashes, which were placed in a small pink box adorned with butterflies, and buried them underneath a Sakura tree. Kanae's favourite tree, Kanao remembered.

Even though the kind-hearted woman that had saved her was now gone, Kanao couldn't cry. It wasn't that she didn't want to, she physically couldn't. All she could do was clasp her hands, and look down at her feet, sweating.

Nobody had judged her for it. Even when she was the only one in the place left with dry cheeks, she was still respected. But inside the quiet girl who seemed fine from the outside, nothing was okay.

Her heart, which had slowly been healing over the years, had cracked once again. The woman she loved, her surrogate mother, the one who could somehow manage to find the abused girl among everyone else that one day in the streets, was gone. Taken too soon.

Now, even if she didn't say or do anything and seemed alright, Kanao was crying inside. Calling, begging for someone, anyone to help her, take pity on her. Maybe no one would.

No.

She still had family. Her family, who would still support her even when one of their own was gone. Even if they lost everything.

But Kanao had a deep sense of something that was blocking her true happiness. When she told herself that everything would be fine, that something, maybe her own personal darkness, would counter and convince her otherwise.

Your eyes are sad. Please smile.

I'm sorry, but I just can't.

TTTTTT

/-/ One Year Later…

"I want to go."

Shinobu looked up at her in surprise. Had she just… but then she spotted the coin in between two of the girl's fingers, and sighed with a slight smile.

"Why do you want to." It wasn't a question.

Kanao looked down at her feet. "I feel like I need to somehow. And…" She left the words unspoken.

Kanae would want it.

Shinobu glanced at her adopted sister, whose head was still lowered. A little while after the funeral, Kanao had taken one of Kanae's butterfly hairpins, and wore it in her own hair. Shinobu herself now wears her sister's old robe.

Shaking her head, the Demon Slayer reached out a hand, placing it on Kanao's chin and lifting the girl's head up.

"I'll have to train you a bit before we go. It won't be easy."

A flip of the coin. "I can handle it."

A sad smile. "I know."

Shinobu closed her eyes for a brief moment, thinking again of what Kanae would want.

Let her go. A soft voice in her ear.

"Alright Kanao. Let's start training."

The 14-year-old girl met her sister's eyes in surprise, as if she wasn't expecting her idea to actually be approved. "I… thank you, Shinobu."

"Don't thank me just yet."

TTTTT

Aim. Fire. Reload.

The drill was burned into her brain, until she knew nothing else. Kanao was aware that it would be difficult training, but she couldn't help but feel like she was back in her old house, struggling to survive.

Aim. Fire. Reload.

She stood in a room with a target, a bit of safety glass, a table with piles of ammo, and nothing more. The pistol Shinobu had given her fit into her hands almost perfectly, as if it was made to be there the whole time. Each shot hit either the center of the target, or very close.

Aim. Fire. Reload.

After a while with nothing but her thoughts to accompany her, she set down the gun.

And switched to knives.

The drill was pretty much the same. Only after throwing the knife, she had to immediately grab another that she would have previously placed in the hidden pocket of her skirt, and swipe at a different target hanging on a string.

Minutes, or maybe hours later, she stopped. Sweat slid down the side of her face. A few stray strands of her dark hair fell across her eyes, having escaped from her ponytail.

How long have I been doing this for?

An eternity, it seemed. Mornings were for reading, writing, and other education. Evenings were for this… training. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to steady herself. Then she resumed.

I need to get stronger. I need to-

She got through about 10 rounds of each drill, until a gentle hand rested on her shoulder. "Kanao. You can stop now." Shinobu stood behind her, a grim look on her face. "You've been doing this for an extra two hours. You need a break. Actually, take tomorrow off."

Turning around to face her sister, she nodded. As much as the training sessions let her be alone with her thoughts, she couldn't go pulling muscles or collapsing from exhaustion. Both of those had happened before. Less and less now as the months went by, but still on occasions she'd find herself injured.

It really wasn't healthy, taking her emotions and turning them into energy for training.

"Okay, then you can go sleep now."

Another nod.

Shinobu turned, starting to walk away. "Oh, and in another 6 months, you're going to be participating in the Final Selection, which is the entrance exam for D.S. Academy." Throwing her head over her shoulder, she added, "It'll be more difficult than simply measuring skills. You'll have to be perceptive, too."

Her sister left the small room, leaving Kanao alone. After a few minutes of cleaning up the room, the dark-haired girl left too.

Now in her room, she opened the curtains. Silver moonlight flooded in, covering all surfaces. She gazed up at the stars, wondering if anyone else just like her was doing the same.

Moments later, she climbed into bed and fell asleep.

TTTTT

What can I say? "I'm sorry" probably isn't good enough, and I have no explanation for why this story went on such a long hiatus. If anything, I should have more time on my hands to write thanks to the virus. But whatever.

For anyone who is reading both this story and When Destiny Calls, I am going to temporarily stop making chapters for WDC. It's too much for me to write two stories at once, and plus to be fully honest I have zero clue as to what I'm actually doing with that fic.

Sorry for the long wait, I should be back to weekly or semi-weekly (every other week) updates from now on.

Get ready for some darker stuff. A bit of swearing might occur in later chapters too. Violence too, obviously. I'm basing this off of a certain anime I've seen (other than Demon Slayer), and that anime is a little serious. So yeah, dark undertones coming your way.

See ya.