Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I decided to continue this story, so, here it is the sixth chapter!

And also, I have a question for the readers; would you be interested on reading about the past of the Twelve Demon Moons and the Hashiras?

Nezuko silently followed Kokushibo. They were already close to their destination, and the girl nervously massaged her forearms. Kokushibo glanced at her without saying anything.

"When we arrive, you will stay in the wisteria house in the village, is that clear?" Kokushibo said, serious. He stopped and observed her, his expression stern. "I will take on a more human appearance to avoid drawing attention," the demon instructed.

Nezuko nodded and watched in astonishment as her master's appearance changed. The markings on his face disappeared, as well as his two extra pairs of eyes. The remaining pair of eyes turned from yellow to black. And his skin, which had been almost sickly pale until then, took on a healthier tone. Nezuko widened her eyes, amazed.

"I didn't know demons could do that," the girl said, averting her gaze uncomfortably.

"All of us can," Kokushibo replied, serious. "That's how we manage to go unnoticed."

"Oh..." mumbled Nezuko and Kokushibo resumed walking, but Nezuko stood still, watching him. She bit her lip. "If I meet my brother and he has..." her voice broke in that moment, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"If that were the case, and he has already consumed humans, which is highly probable, the only thing you can do for your brother is to kill him."

Nezuko clenched her fists and looked away. She swallowed hard and, keeping her head down, followed Kokushibo.

The demon glanced at her and sighed slightly. "The sooner you accept that reality, the better, Nezuko."

"I'll see what I do when we meet," Nezuko declared. "I'll do whatever it takes to save him."

"You've stopped using the Total Concentration Breathing," Kokushibo warned her, giving his pupil a stern look.

"I'm sorry," the girl said and resumed, as best as she could, that breathing style. Kokushibo nodded, satisfied.

"If people ask, you're my niece, do you understand?" the demon told her, serious.

"Wouldn't it be better if I accompanied you?" Nezuko asked, serious, completely ignoring what her master had just asked of her.

"It's too dangerous. Demons always travel in groups, and you're still learning the Moon Breathing," Kokushibo frowned and observed her, annoyed.

"I won't be a hindrance," she insisted. Kokushibo furrowed his brow and looked at her, irritated.

"Something you'll have to learn when you join the Corps is to obey the orders of your superiors, Nezuko," the demon admonished her. "So, when we reach the village, you'll stay at the wisteria house and wait for me to return."

"But I don't want to sit idle!"

"Is there anything you can do?" Kokushibo countered. They had kept walking, and the village was already visible at the end of the road. They didn't have much left to reach it. "You barely know how to execute the Moon Breathing forms properly. In your current state, you're just a hindrance."

"But still..."

"You will risk getting killed," he said sharply. "And if you truly want the slightest chance of finding your brother, I advise you to obey me."

"I understand..."

"First, you'll have to pass the Final Selection, and then, once you're assigned a squad, you'll start receiving missions."

"Kokushibo, don't you have a squad?" Nezuko asked, confused.

"No, I don't need one, nor do I want one," he declared. "I work better alone."

"I see..."

At that moment, they arrived at the village, and Nezuko stared in awe at the houses. They were bigger than those in the town near her home and had a more well-maintained and new appearance. There were streetlights illuminated along the streets, something Nezuko had never seen before. She stopped in front of one and observed it.

"Don't get distracted, Nezuko," Kokushibo said, placing a hand on her right shoulder. The girl looked at him, serious, and nodded.

Nezuko curiously observed the house they had stopped in front of. It looked like an ordinary oriental house, but it had a strange symbol on one of the stone walls. Several wisteria flowers were drawn in a circle, with something written in the center. It took the girl a couple of seconds to decipher the meaning of the kanji. She turned around and looked at Kokushibo.

"Is this a wisteria house?" the girl asked.

"Yes, it is," replied the demon, moving towards the door of the house. He gently knocked a couple of times and waited.

Meanwhile, Nezuko looked around with interest. From where they stood, she could see several wisteria trees in full bloom. She furrowed her brow slightly, puzzled, and turned to look at Kokushibo.

"I thought wisteria trees only bloomed in spring."

"These are a special kind," clarified the Moon Pillar. "A hybrid that blooms all year round. They serve to repel demons."

"And they don't affect you?"

"At first, they did. But over time, I've grown accustomed and developed some immunity. That's what Douma says, at least."

"Who?" asked the girl, intrigued.

"The Ice Pillar," Kokushibo answered. At that moment, the door of the house opened, and a young-looking woman appeared. She looked confused at the two for a few seconds, but her face soon reflected understanding, and she stepped aside.

"Please, come in," requested the brown-haired woman. She maintained a serious expression and seemed somewhat tense, Nezuko noticed.

"Thank you very much for receiving us," Kokushibo said politely, bowing his head slightly.

"It is my duty to attend to your needs," she responded, a bit brusquely. "How can I be of assistance?"

Kokushibo let out a sigh. "We were looking for a place to rest," he explained.

"Follow me, please," said their host. She started walking towards the narrow hallway of the house, and the two followed behind her.

The woman led them to a wooden door at the end. "You can rest as much as you need in this room. Can I assist you with anything else?"

"My apprentice will stay here while I take care of a mission," the demon said, serious.

The woman fixed her blue eyes on Nezuko, and the girl suppressed a shudder at the hostility she perceived.

"Nezuko," Kokushibo called her. "I won't be long. Remember what I told you, stay here until I return."

"Yes, of course."

Satisfied, Kokushibo nodded and turned his attention back to their host. "Thank you very much for your hospitality. I apologize for any inconvenience we may be causing."

"It's no inconvenience," the woman said curtly.

Kokushibo left after that, leaving Nezuko behind.

Nezuko glanced uncomfortably around the room. It had been a while since her master had left. In an attempt to distract herself, she had been writing in her diary about the events of the past few days.

She closed her eyes for a moment and held back a sigh. She would have preferred to accompany Kokushibo on that mission.

"What if those demons had information about Tanjiro?" she wondered to herself, looking out the window. She knew how unlikely that was, but was there any harm in asking? She sighed again.

She sat on the wooden floor next to the blue futon that Fuyumi, the woman who had received them, had laid out for her. She covered her mouth when she yawned and rubbed her eyes with both hands. She was tired but didn't want to sleep until Kokushibo returned.

She was startled when the door suddenly opened. She quickly turned and saw Fuyumi entering with a tray.

"I thought you might be hungry," Fuyumi said, serious, as she approached. Nezuko silently observed the tray.

"Thank you," Nezuko murmured. She watched as the woman filled the two cups on the tray with a bit of green tea. Fuyumi then handed one to Nezuko, and she took it.

"How old are you?" the woman asked suddenly, examining Nezuko with her gaze. The girl, who hadn't expected that question, took a couple of seconds to respond.

"Twelve," Nezuko answered, confused. She didn't understand why she was being asked.

"Twelve?" Fuyumi looked at her with strangeness, bringing back Nezuko's previous discomfort. "I thought you were younger, to be honest."

The girl didn't know how to respond to that, so she simply took a sip of her tea. A silence settled between the two, and neither made an effort to break it. Nezuko placed the cup back on the tray and took one of the onigiris from a plate. She took a small bite and chewed.

Her eyes widened when she tasted something slightly strange. She examined the rice ball curiously and noticed something inside.

"What are these filled with?" Nezuko wanted to know.

"Tuna. Don't you like it?" The woman's tone had become somewhat curt as she asked that question, and the girl quickly apologized.

"I've never tried it before, that's all," she excused herself. "I'm sorry, it's delicious, really."

Kokushibo unsheathed his katana, serious. It had taken him longer than he would have liked to track down the group of demons. One of them had a blood demon art technique based on camouflage, and following their trail had been a herculean task.

Fortunately, he had found them on the outskirts of the area, where there were no people. The demon slayer returned to his original form and fixed his six eyes on the five demons in front of him. He assumed an offensive stance and prepared to charge at them.

The other demons bared their teeth, threateningly. One of them, the largest one, ripped out a nearby lamppost and swung it at him. He tried to strike Kokushibo in the stomach with it, but Kokushibo easily cut it with his sword.

The red eyes of the demon widened as Kokushibo, in the process, severed two of his four arms. The demon slayer tried to take advantage of his fear and decapitate him, but another demon intervened. Hands emerged from the ground beneath Kokushibo, grabbing his ankles and wrists.

The Pillar of the Moon raised an eyebrow at this, slightly irritated. Blades emerged from his arms and legs, cutting the hands that held him. After that, he moved at a dizzying speed and beheaded the nearest demon.

"TAKESHI!" shouted one of the demon women. Her face was disfigured by a green color and an expression of pain. She fixed her black eyes on Kokushibo and let out an agonized scream. Without thinking, she lunged at Kokushibo, ignoring the warning cries of her companions.

The demon slayer decapitated her and watched disinterestedly as she quickly turned to dust, sharing the same fate as the previous demon. Kokushibo directed his three pairs of eyes towards the remaining four demons.

In the blink of an eye, the heads of those beings fell to the ground and met the same fate as the others. Kokushibo sheathed his sword and stood watching as they vanished.

One of them, the last one he had decapitated, gave him a resentful look, and Kokushibo held it without flinching. When there was no trace of the demons left, Kokushibo turned around and walked away.

Kyojuro knelt before Kagaya. Tanjiro looked at the black-haired demon, not understanding, and after seeing Kyojuro's gesture, he imitated him and also knelt down. Kagaya smiled slightly, affectionately, and approached the two. He stopped in front of them, still wearing that smile.

"How is Tanjiro adjusting, Kyojuro?" Kagaya asked, interested.

"Perfectly, although he still has much to learn," assured the red-eyed demon.

"I'm glad to hear that," Kagaya said, smiling happily. "I'm sure he will learn everything in no time."

Tanjiro looked at Kyojuro, confused. "What do I have left to learn?" he wondered. He already knew how to hunt and where to bite to kill his victims. Was there something more than that?

"Is something bothering you, Tanjiro?" Kagaya asked. He hadn't missed the look Tanjiro had directed at the other demon. The boy, not expecting to be addressed directly, quickly turned his head and looked at Kagaya, unsure of what to say.

"No, it's nothing," the boy lied. Telling that lie didn't seem to be the right thing to do, but he didn't know how to express what he was feeling at that moment. For some reason he couldn't grasp, something inside him wasn't content with what was happening. That feeling had appeared when the female voice spoke to him earlier and it still lingered within him. "But, can I ask something?" he wanted to know. Perhaps Kagaya could explain what was happening to him.

"Of course, what is it?" Kagaya asked, smiling kindly, inviting the boy to continue.

"Before becoming a demon, I was a human, right?" Tanjiro asked, uncertain. Kyojuro furrowed his brow slightly upon hearing that question and looked at his lord, intrigued. Kagaya had stopped smiling and seemed somewhat worried.

"Yes, that's correct," the Demon King answered, approaching him. "Is something the matter, Tanjiro?"

The boy swallowed for a moment; the atmosphere had become somewhat tense, but he couldn't back down now. "It's just that I don't remember anything from before that, and..."

"Don't worry about it, Tanjiro," Kagaya's voice turned sweet and understanding. The demon knelt in front of him and forced him to look at him. "All of that doesn't matter. Now you have a new life, and you should make the most of it," Kagaya said. Tanjiro swallowed nervously but nodded. "You may go now. There is something important I need to discuss with Kyojuro."

The boy quickly obeyed and left them alone. Kyojuro looked at his lord. He wanted to ask some questions related to what he had just heard, but first, he wanted to know what Kagaya wanted to tell him.

"I suppose you're wondering why he doesn't remember anything from before being a demon, aren't you?" Kagaya asked, getting straight to the point. Kyojuro nodded immediately and looked expectantly at his king. "I have my reasons. It's for his own good, Kyojuro."

"I understand, my lord," said the Fourth Upper Moon, lowering his gaze a bit.

"For now, I want you to continue teaching him and help him adapt as quickly as possible," Kagaya advised. "The sooner he accepts his new nature, the sooner he will stop asking those kind of questions."

"That's what I'll do," the other demon assured.

Kagaya smiled slightly, satisfied. "You may leave now, Kyojuro."

The demon nodded and left the room, leaving Kagaya alone there.

Nezuko relaxed once they were back at Kokushibo's house. It had been an exhausting journey for her. She stopped, confused, when she saw a blond man standing in front of the house's door. Kokushibo didn't seem happy either, judging by the annoyed growl he just let out.

"Douma," he said, catching the stranger's attention. Nezuko noticed that he was wearing the same uniform as her master, so he must be another demon slayer. But what caught the girl's attention was the color of his eyes. She had never seen eyes that had the colors of a rainbow.

The man turned around and smiled upon seeing them. "Hello, Kokushibo!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. His eyes stopped at Nezuko, and he observed her curiously. "Hello, I am pleased to meet you, miss. My name is Douma, I am the Pillar of the Ice Breath."

"P-Pleased to meet you," Nezuko stammered, involuntarily taking a few steps back. That man's gaze made her particularly nervous.

"What do you want, Douma?" Kokushibo asked sharply, not hiding his displeasure, and maintaining an indifferent tone of voice, although it wasn't easy for him.

"Can't I visit one of my comrades?" Douma wondered, adopting a sad expression. "I was passing by the area and thought of dropping by to see you."

"Why?" insisted the demon, trying not to show any signs of disgust while trying to keep a serious tone. Although it wasn't proving to be an easy task.

"We are comrades. We have to get along!" Douma exclaimed.

Kokushibo growled and looked at Nezuko. "While I talk to my comrade, continue with your training. Fifteen hundred thrusts and then practice all the forms of the Breath of the Moon."

Nezuko nodded and quickly left for the courtyard, leaving the two demon slayers alone. Kokushibo approached the door and opened it. "Come in."

Douma smiled a little and entered the house. Without waiting to see if the demon would follow, he went straight to the living room and sat down in one of the chairs.

"You have a very cozy house, Kokushibo."

"Whatever you say," the demon replied, approaching. "Now tell me, why have you really come?"

Douma chuckled, amused, and Kokushibo frowned. "Thanks to a little bird, I found out that you were training someone," Douma revealed, still smiling. "And I got curious."

"Well, you've seen her now."

"Oh, come on, Kokushibo," Douma said, looking amused at his comrade. "I just arrived. You're not going to kick me out already, are you?"

"I'm busy, and you seem to have too much free time," Kokushibo pointed out, serious.

"The only thing you have to do now is train that girl, right?" Douma asked, leaning forward a little, his eyes fixed on the demon.

"I have to prepare her for the Final Selection."

"And then what?" Douma inquired. Kokushibo suppressed a grimace at the spark of interest in the Pillar's eyes. "Would you say she has what it takes to be your successor?"

Kokushibo shrugged. "It's too early to say. For now, she can be considered a potential successor. Time will tell."

Douma laughed a little at that and curiously observed the demon. He sighed and straightened up. "Well, I'd like to stay longer, but you know, the life of a Pillar is not easy. It has been a pleasure talking to you, even if it wasn't for long."

"You know where the door is," Kokushibo responded, crossing his arms.

"Oh, come on, you're not even going to walk me there?" Douma asked, feigning offense. "You're worse than Hakuji, you know?"

"I'm busy. We'll see each other at the next meeting, Douma."

"Fine! See you soon, Kokushibo!"

The demon relaxed when Douma left. He rubbed his eyes and tried to calm down. Shaking his head, he went to check on his pupil. He clenched his fists when he saw Douma there, watching Nezuko train and giving her advice.

"I thought you had left," Kokushibo commented as he approached. Douma looked at him and let out a chuckle that sounded extremely irritating to the demon.

"I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to your pupil. That would have been very rude of me, don't you think?" Douma excused himself. "And I couldn't help but correct what she was doing wrong."

"I see," Kokushibo said, resigning himself.

"I've got it!" Douma exclaimed suddenly. Kokushibo rolled his eyes, fearing the worst. "I told you I have two successors, right?"

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sure they will get along well with Nezuko," Douma assured. "So, the next time I come, I'll bring them with me. It's a good idea, don't you think?" The fact that neither Kokushibo nor Nezuko responded to that didn't seem to discourage him at all. "It's settled then. See you soon, Kokushibo, Nezuko!"

Douma left in a hurry. Nezuko watched in disbelief as she witnessed the speed at which the Ice Pillar moved.

"Once you fully master the Breath of Concentration, you'll be able to do it too," Kokushibo told her, serious. "Now, it's better that you continue with the exercises I assigned you. Where did you leave off when you were interrupted?"

"Well... I had only done sixteen..." Nezuko admitted, embarrassed, while averting her gaze.

"Start from the beginning then."

Nezuko stared at him, incredulous, and was about to protest, but the stern and grumpy look her master gave her was enough to make her change her mind. "YES!" She responded instead and got to work.

Kokushibo stepped aside and sat in the outer hallway, overseeing Nezuko's exercises. He sighed a bit, recalling the conversation he had with Douma.

"I hope he forgets about it by the next time we meet," the demon wished. He had no intention of interacting with that Pillar more than necessary.

Battles are still hard for me to write, but I am trying my best. I loved writing the parts with Douma, I tried my best to portray him. I hope I managed to do that.

Taisho secret: Tanjiro, as well as Nezuko, doesn't know how to read or write. Maybe he will learn. That would depend on Kyojuro.

Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!