Notes:
Fair warning to my dear readers... If you are squeamish about descriptions of body horror, this chapter has it.Yuichiro
"Go North! Go North!" Our crows order us towards our next mission, and then Ryokucha continues to lead the way as Ginko returns to Muichiro and perches on his shoulder. My brother is now letting her nuzzle against his cheek. She's like an old Auntie with him because he spoils her.
I haven't been so soft with Ryokucha. I'm actually starting to consider asking Kobe for one of his dogs just to prove a point.
I chuckle at the thought of it. I'm sure Muichiro would like it a lot.
I actually threatened both of the crows sometime after our first mission. They wanted to send us on separate missions, which neither Mui nor I would have liked, so I did my thing. In the three weeks since then, we've done 4 more missions, making it a total of five missions we've done together so far, and about five times we've had to request new Uniforms.
The new ones we currently have on are tailored and came with a note from Amane. Apparently, she's been keeping in touch with our teachers and added that these new baggy clothes will help obscure our movements.
It didn't occur to me at the time, but by then I was starting to warm up to her. It was little details like this, that made me start to realize subconsciously, that we weren't just soldiers to her. She really did care about us, even though she'd send us off to die.
As for Kobe… I still got letters from him too. And I actually took pleasure in getting them because it gave me the satisfaction of not replying to them. But when the language is cleaner than usual, I do show them to Muichiro, who… I am simultaneously proud and chagrined to admit; can actually read fluently now. He's been helping me write my letters too.
I'm lost in these thoughts for a few minutes when my brother starts the conversation. "So what do you think of our matching Uniforms Nii-san?"
"Our old Uniforms matched too" I reply.
"Yeah, but these ones are custom, they even have a turquoise tint. It brings out our hair doncha think?"
"We look like a pair of kids wearing an adult's uniform." I come off way more irritably than I had meant to there.
"Oh… I'm sorry I brought it up Nii-san." His voice is full of dejection. I turn around and see he's bowed his head.
Shit! Why do I always end up doing this? He's probably wanted to ask me about this for a while and has been waiting patiently because he wanted to get me at a time when I would be least annoyed.
I saw it in his face, how happy he looked that our uniforms matched, and I know he loves the idea of people being unable to tell us apart since we're twins. Now I've gone and made him sad because deep in the back of my mind, I'm still furious that they let him join.
And every now and then… I end up taking it out on him.
"Nii-san."
"Yes?" I say with a bit of hope that I'll have a chance to redeem myself.
"Mmm… Nevermind."
"No, say it."
"But it might make you mad"
"I'm already mad" (shit!) "Not at you though. My arm is still killing me."
"Oh…" (he doesn't sound relieved when he says that) "I'm sorry Nii-san."
"Don't apologize Muichiro. You didn't do anything wrong. Now, what did you want to ask me?"
He looks startled, before glancing left and asking; "I was just wondering… If you'd like to get some Furofuki Daikon with me when we get into town before we start our mission… If there is time."
Why would that make me mad? Muichiro clearly wanted to ask me something else, but I think it's better I don't push him at this point.
"Yeah… If there is time," I say.
I try to think of a way to change the topic, and hopefully make him feel better… but my mind is at a blank. My arm is bothering me more than usual as the sun goes down. The pain increases my anger. It makes my blade cry for blood. I grip its handle… I'm excited to see the moon again.
My bloodshot eyes narrow as my mind's eye fixates on what I now want. To kill the demons who did this to my arm… To kill those things that gave my brother nightmares! I will send them to hell!
I've been getting this way more and more lately, I no longer even try to fight it. Muichiro just wants to help others. He's a good kid.
But I am not. That's what Kobe saw in me, that's how he knew I could master the breath of the moon. It wasn't just that my ancestor was its only other user. It was the fact that I have something rotten inside me.
And if it's what it takes to keep Muichiro safe and happy, I'll gladly embrace it. No evil demon will be able to escape it.
Muichiro .
Nii-san and I were born just 19 minutes apart… Just 19 minutes. But sometimes it feels like the difference Isn't minutes but years. Even now as I follow him through the night forest, he feels so distant. He never lets me take the lead. He's focused on the target and has excellent instincts for how to find it, not to mention how cool his sword style is. I tried to do some of the same moves, but I just can't.
It's true I became a demon slayer because I wanted to help people, but, selfishly, I want Nii-san to see how strong I've become…
I want him to praise me.
"Muichiro" He whispers.
"Yeah, I see it," I whisper back.
The demon we've been following is in a clearing, on his knees. We can see it all from up in a tree. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He whines. "I didn't know that this was your territory."
Another demon steps out of the shadows, wearing a green kimono with wavy purple stripes… The demon's head is hideously deformed, and it looks reddish and almost translucent. It's also two-faced. One gaping mouth on one side, and another gaping mouth on the other.
Without saying anything, it swipes a horrible, gnarled hand at the demon on its knees and takes its head right off!
The body falls to the ground but doesn't crumble, and the two-faced demon begins to eat the other demon's head in such a grotesque way! I can hardly stand to watch.
"Muichiro," Nii-san whispers, "This demon feels different, I want you to stay back"
"No Nii-san. I can do this." I realize now how babyish my voice sounds compared to his. Our voices are almost identical, but he just sounds way more confident. I was practically whining just now. But I know I can do this! I turn to the demon, I'll jump in and take his head as soon as he lets his guard down. But the demon looks up at us and says in a voice that is simultaneously a man's voice and a woman's voice (probably from each of its mouths)
"Welcome slayers!" It brings its hands together, and hidden lights light up the clearing. In the light, I see something that makes my blood boil! I almost want to puke!
There are headless bodies of demon slayers all over! All displayed half-buried in the dirt! "Koufun has been waiting for you." It says, "Koufun is hungry."
Koufun's voice is sending shivers down my spine.
"Koufun has two new meals here," it says. "Koufun add Slayers to Koufun's mummy collection!"
The way it talks, its voice, the way its mouths don't move when it talks. The way I just now noticed there are pits where its four eyes should be, all of it screams that I should run! But I don't.
"Nii-san! Let's attack together!"
I don't wait for his response. I jump down at the demon with my sword, but flies come pouring out of the demon's mouths! Two waves of deafeningly loud flies turn symmetrically and converge onto me from both ends. I'm in mid-air and can't possibly defend against both sides at once, when Nii-san comes in and saves me.
Sixth form: Rainy Night, Blinding Moonlight!
Nii-san's sword makes a beautiful 360° slash, dispersing the attack around me. I land on my feet unscathed, as Koufun kneels down and puts his hand to the dead demon's torso.
Blood demon art: Infestation Mummy-Dummy!
The demon's skin starts to bubble as though there is something underneath it, as its limbs start to writhe! It then jumps up and runs at me, but its movements are so predictable I could slash it in my sleep.
I swing my sword and cut it up, but when I do… Maggots explode from it.
I am covered in them, and I freeze… I can't move, I'm paralyzed… Maggots!
My mouth goes dry. My hands go numb. I'm so disoriented I don't even realize that I've dropped my sword.
I can't even hear Nii-san calling out my name.
Suddenly I'm not just seeing it... I'm physically there again. I'm…
Yuichiro .
"Muichiro!" I call out his name, but he's already fainted. I rush and catch his body before it hits the ground… He's covered in them. Disgusting, wriggling, writhing maggots! It never occurred to me that he was so afraid of them! I don't need to be psychic to realize that they've just triggered his most horrible memory! Had I remained conscious as long as he did, I'd probably be the same way. "Oi! Muichiro!"
He doesn't respond. He's taking panicked shaky breaths, I want to get him out of here, I want to run, but we're now surrounded.
Those headless corpses of the demon slayers are now surrounding us, cutting off our escape.
"Koufun will eat your head" that sickening double voice says from behind me. "Then Koufun turn your bodies into dummy-mummies." I feel bile bubble up in my throat, as I turn to the demon, and see in the middle of its head, between the two faces, a sickly green and purple eye with a Kanji in it…
I don't know what it says, and I don't care. My only priority now is getting out of here with Muichiro, but I can't easily fight these guys and carry him at the same time. The headless corpses charge at us, and I cut them down one by one! But more keep coming. Most of them aren't even slayers, they are the corpses of civilians this guy has killed! Headless maggot-filled corpses that were once ordinary people like us, like our parents; come at me, and each one I kill bursts into disgusting maggots! Until one burst into buzzing, biting flies.
I disburse them as quickly as I can, but I can't keep up! One of them then grabs Muichiro in the split-second that I'm distracted.
"Oh no you don't!" I cry as I slash the zombie, slicing him in half! It drops my brother, but the flies are on him too!
More flies are coming out of the demon's mouth, and more corpses come out of the ground… I don't know how long this goes on for but… I can't keep up. I can't keep protecting Muichiro! I've lost count of how many times one of his zombies has gotten ahold of him and almost taken him away. Our bodies are both covered in bleeding fly bites.
I'm on the verge of tears. I'd have fallen to my knees and begged long ago had I not known how futile it was. This ruthless demon… It's by far the most disgusting one I've ever faced.
In my panicked state, I do something that's almost as futile. I pick up Muichiro, sling him across my shoulder, and run!
But I trip. Something slimy has grabbed onto my ankle, and is dragging me back toward the demon… Thousands of worm-like tentacles have come out of its mouths, and the few that caught my ankle are joined by hundreds more. They wrap themselves around my legs and arms. Muichiro is gone! Some of the tentacles have grabbed him and are taking him toward the demon.
"NO!" I feel nothing but fear and rage within me.
Somehow I manage to break free, and cut the ones that are still clinging to me. As soon as they are severed from their host body they go limp and fall. I charge at the demon and go for his neck! First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace!
I hit his neck… but nothing happens… My sword didn't even cut him.
-THWACK! His hit just now did a lot more to me than I did to him. I'm sent flying back. I'm sure I just broke a few ribs. I hit the ground far away from the demon, into a pile of upturned dirt and maggots from the countless Zombies I cut up.
My sword… couldn't cut it. I lay there in that disgusting pile… watching helplessly. My beloved brother… Is being held aloft like that… My vision starts to blur as my eyes fill with tears, and a sob wells up in my chest…
I can't do anything but scream. I scream for the demon to stop. I scream my brother's name. I scream out to God… "Please… please save him!"
Flower breathing Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo.
I blink away my tears. Almost as though she floated down from heaven, an angel comes down in a beautiful Haori which floats like the wings of a butterfly. She doesn't catch Muichiro as he falls so much as she takes him gently in her arms as she cuts the worms away.
"Are you alright!?" I look up and see another girl, with short black hair, that's tinted purple on the ends, and concerned pair of Wisteria eyes looking back down at me.
'Do I look fucking alright!?' would have been my response if I still had it in me, but now I'm a crying mess.
"Yeah! Just save my brother!" is all I can babble out.
I notice the girl's eyes widen as she sees my wounds which are… crawling with fly larvae.
"Come! Quickly!" she cries as she pulls me out of the dirt, and then calls to her companion. "Nee-san! Please be careful!"
The demon seems just as afraid of her than we are of it… the one with the Kanji, looks fearful. It dives into the ground and escapes.
The angel holding Muichiro sheaths her sword and then moves him into a bridal carry which is more comfortable. She looks down at his injuries with sympathetic eyes, and then to me.
"Don't cry now" she says. You're both going to be alright.
"What do you mean!?" I shout. "Did you even look at him!?"
I should have looked at myself at that point. The larvae in our wounds have disappeared. So have the flies and maggots. It seems the two-faced demon's blood demon art disappears once he is out of range.
"Your wounds are not life-threatening," she says as she approaches me. The other one who must be her sister puts her arm around me comfortingly.
"Your safe now. Nee-san and I will take it from here."
"My name is Kocho Kanae." the older sister says to me. "This is my little sister Shinobu. You two did an amazing job, to hold out against one of the twelve Kizuki for so long. Truly amazing."
I look down. There is something about these two that's so disarming… and my brother is safe. That was the scariest moment of my life. Muichiro and I should not have been anywhere near that thing.
"Just take him out of here." That is all I can say before I feel another sob well up in my chest.
In the distance, I hear what must be Kakushi running to us.
"Of course," Kanae says. "We'll take you two to the butterfly mansion right away. You two have earned a long rest."
Rest is the furthest thing from my mind right now.
I dig my fingers into the earth. I'm relieved. I'm shaking with gratitude. But these tears in my eyes are tears of anger.
"I…" My voice comes out as a growl. "I will never allow this to happen again!"
More Notes:
Don't worry! I don't plan on nerfing the boys! They still become pillars! They just had some bad luck here!