Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I decided to continue this story, so, here it is the eighth 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 wrote, solemnly, in her diary. It had already been six months since she had started training, but she still didn't feel prepared, or at least that's what Kokushibo had told her the night before.
The girl clenched her fists as she remembered and ignored the pain caused by the calluses that had formed on the palms of her hands over time. She sighed a little and tried to calm herself.
"Calm down, Nezuko!" she scolded herself and forced herself to reread what she had just written. She rubbed her eyes, exhausted, and let out another sigh. Kokushibo had warned her repeatedly that succumbing to hatred or anger would be her downfall.
She focused on continuing to write. She suppressed a yawn and blinked several times. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and wiped them away rather forcefully. She wrote a few more lines and closed the notebook. She put the pen back in its place and stood up. She stretched a little and directed her gaze towards the futon lying on the floor.
She walked over and lay down. She looked at the ceiling and closed her eyes. She needed to rest as much as she could. She turned and settled on her side. She tried to clear her mind following the instructions Kokushibo had given her, but realizing that it wasn't working, she opened her eyes and sat up.
Kokushibo silently walked through the house, making sure everything was in order. He stopped in front of his apprentice's bedroom and peered inside. Nezuko was asleep, the demon noticed. He was about to continue his morning stroll when he heard the girl speak. Nezuko was calling out to someone in her dreams. Kokushibo hesitated; she seemed to be having a nightmare.
"What am I supposed to do?" the demon wondered to himself. The first thought that came to his mind was to wake her up, but he wasn't sure if that was a good idea. However, when Nezuko began to toss and turn restlessly, Kokushibo made up his mind.
He approached her and knelt down. He gently shook her while calling out to her. Nezuko didn't take long to wake up and sat up abruptly. Kokushibo could hear how fast her heart was beating, and Nezuko gasped, frightened. Though she gradually calmed down as she realized where she was.
"Are you okay?" Kokushibo asked, getting straight to the point.
Nezuko, still wide-eyed with a shadow of fear lingering in her eyes, nodded. "Yes... I'm fine," she murmured, not sounding entirely convinced.
Kokushibo furrowed his brow slightly and silently observed her. "If you say so..." he conceded after a while. Nezuko watched as he stood up, serious.
"What did you do when your brother joined Ubuyashiki?" the girl abruptly asked.
Kokushibo fell silent, and Nezuko thought he wouldn't answer. But finally, the demon responded, "I tried to kill him," he declared. The girl looked at him, incredulous. Kokushibo held her gaze, serious.
Nezuko lowered her head and fell silent. The demon stood up and moved away from her. "Try to get some rest," he said, heading towards the door.
"Did you really have to try to kill him?" the girl asked. Kokushibo paused at the threshold and looked at her. "Wasn't there another solution?" Nezuko insisted. Desperation was evident in her voice, but Kokushibo knew he couldn't sugarcoat the truth. It wouldn't do her any good.
"No, there wasn't," Kokushibo was as honest as he could be about it. Nezuko nodded but didn't raise her gaze.
"I see..." was her only response.
Kokushibo listened as raindrops pattered against the house. The demon sat on the floor of his bedroom, holding a small package wrapped in cloth in his right hand. He unwrapped it with his free hand and looked at the wooden flute.
He absentmindedly stroked it. It was quite rough and hastily carved. But Kokushibo didn't mind that at all. That small wooden instrument was all he had left of his brother. Before Ubuyashiki took it away from him. Or perhaps it was his stupid pride and stubbornness that ultimately triggered it all. Kokushibo wasn't entirely sure.
"If I hadn't done that, would things have been different?" he wondered. That question haunted him more than he was prepared to admit. He closed his eyes and wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes. He placed the flute against his chest, and his thoughts took him back to the past, to a time when everything was better, when he hadn't made that colossal mistake yet.
But in the past four hundred years, he hadn't seen him again. He had no doubt, however, that Yoriichi was still alive. His brother was too strong to die just like that. And he doubted that Ubuyashiki would allow himself to lose his most powerful ally. He let out a bitter smile. That was something that man had in common with the members of the Kibutsuji family.
His thoughts shifted to Nezuko. The girl reminded him of himself more than he liked. And he feared that she would make similar mistakes to his own in due time. He sighed. He hoped he was wrong about that. Only time would tell, and all he could do was prepare her. The rest would depend on her and the comrades who would be part of her squad.
Tanjiro silently followed the three demons accompanying him. Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Kanao appeared to be around the same age as him, and he felt quite comfortable spending time with them.
Kanao turned around, and their gazes met. She gave him a slight smile, and Tanjiro returned the gesture immediately. The girl was the first to avert her gaze and tuck a few strands of her silver hair behind her left ear. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, standing out against her pale skin.
"If you keep entertaining yourselves like that, we won't make it on time!" Inosuke shouted at them, annoyed. Zenitsu rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry," Tanjiro apologized immediately, catching up to the other demons. Inosuke grumbled something under his breath, but no one paid attention to what he said.
They stopped and observed the city descending the hill where they stood. From their vantage point, they could see the lights illuminating every street in the human settlement. There seemed to be a lot of activity that night, Tanjiro noticed. He couldn't help but lick his lips slightly.
"We should take on a human appearance," Zenitsu advised, serious. The other three demons nodded and, after concentrating for a moment, assumed ordinary looks. The blond-haired boy nodded, satisfied, and followed suit. "Well, now we can easily go see the fireworks."
Tanjiro shifted uncomfortably at hearing the mention of fireworks. "I wonder what those fireworks will be like," the boy wondered, excited. His companions had described them as a grand event, one of the few inventions by humans that were truly worth it.
The four of them quickly made their way toward the city. They didn't have much time. It had taken them hours to convince Yuichiro to let them go see the show, and they could only secure one hour before he would betray them to the other Moons.
When they arrived in the city, they searched for a secluded area from where they could watch everything without being bothered. Kanao noticed that Tanjiro seemed particularly overwhelmed.
"Is something wrong, Tanjiro?" the girl asked, concerned.
"It's nothing," he quickly replied. Zenitsu and Inosuke, who had overheard the question, looked somewhat unconvinced at their new friend.
"It's just that there are so many people... I'm not used to it. But don't worry," Tanjiro reassured them.
"Are you sure?" Zenitsu asked, biting his lower lip. Perhaps he should have waited a little longer before bringing such a young demon to such a bustling place.
"Yes, it's fine. Really," Tanjiro added.
"If he says so, Monitsu, then it must be true!" Inosuke chimed in. "You're such a pest!"
"What did you say, empty head?" Zenitsu responded.
Uncomfortable, Kanao moved away slightly from the two demons. Tanjiro looked at her with concern and approached her. The two young ones sat on the ground and looked up at the night sky. There was a waning moon that night, Tanjiro noticed. It was a bit chilly, but being demons, they were not affected by the low temperatures. People passing by and noticing them stared, possibly due to Zenitsu and Inosuke's argument. It could also be because the four of them were wearing clothes that were too thin for that time of year.
"We're attracting too much attention," Kanao protested, not raising her voice enough for Zenitsu and Inosuke to hear as they continued their quarrel. Tanjiro was about to intervene to separate them, but he abruptly stopped and looked up at the night sky, distressed. However, his distress was soon replaced by a look of complete astonishment and fascination as the first fireworks burst into the sky.
"I told you he would like them," Zenitsu commented, smugly looking at Inosuke. The other boy completely ignored him and focused his attention on the fireworks being launched by the humans into the night sky.
"They're beautiful..." Kanao murmured, also absorbed in the spectacle.
Yuichiro squirmed uncomfortably under Kagaya's penetrating gaze. The Demon King stared at him intently, though his expression remained calm.
"Can you tell me where those four are, Yuichiro?" Kagaya asked, with false kindness. "Because it's obvious they're not here."
"They wanted to see a fireworks show," the boy revealed without any remorse.
Shinobu and Kyojuro, who were also present, frowned upon hearing that, and the woman took a step towards Yuichiro, but Kagaya stopped her with a gesture of his right hand.
"And why did you let them go?" he insisted. "You know it's very dangerous. There could be hunters."
Yuichiro shrugged. "Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Kanao are Lower Moons. I didn't think it would be a problem."
"Bring them back immediately," Kagaya ordered. Yuichiro nodded and obeyed promptly.
The four demons appeared in the middle of the room and looked around, confused. It didn't take them long to realize they were in big trouble, and they nervously swallowed, feeling uneasy.
Shinobu and Kyojuro looked at them sternly, with their arms crossed. Kanao and Tanjiro lowered their gaze, unable to hold it any longer.
"What were you thinking, Kanao!?" Shinobu shouted, momentarily losing her composure. "You know as well as I do how dangerous it is to go on your own!"
"We were only going to be out for an hour..." the girl weakly protested. "We just wanted to see the fireworks."
"You should have let us know," Kagaya interjected. "One of the Upper Moons could have gone with you, and there wouldn't have been a problem."
Kyojuro nodded in agreement and locked his eyes on Tanjiro again. "Let it not happen again," the demon said. "I can understand that Tanjiro may not yet be aware of how dangerous your little adventure was. But you three are Lower Moons."
"You can't act so recklessly," Shinobu reproached them. "What if one of the Pillars had found you?"
"I'm sorry, Shinobu," Kanao murmured. The girl bit her lower lip and fidgeted with the sleeves of her pink kimono. She had already regained her demonic appearance, and her violet eyes remained fixed on the floor, unable to meet her elder sister's gaze.
Shinobu approached her and hugged her tightly. "I'm glad to see you're okay, but please don't do it again," she pleaded. "I don't want to lose you too."
Tanjiro raised his head in confusion and looked at the two women. But upon seeing the tears streaming down Kanao's eyes, he didn't have the courage to ask. He swallowed hard, feeling Kyojuro's gaze on him, and slowly returned the gaze. The Fourth Upper Moon observed him sternly, with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Do you have something to say, Tanjiro?" Kyojuro's harsh and cold tone sent chills down the boy's spine. He nodded hesitantly. "I'm listening," Kyojuro said, not softening his anger in the slightest.
"I won't do it again," the boy murmured. "I'm really sorry."
"We're very sorry," Zenitsu spoke up, intervening for the first time. "We thought if we were only out for a short time, nothing would happen."
"The important thing is that you don't do it again," Kagaya said.
"It won't happen again!" the four demons exclaimed.
"I hope so," Kagaya replied. The Demon King shifted his attention to Yuichiro. "Don't let them go without informing us anymore. Either you notify us, or you ask Muichiro to accompany them. Is that clear?"
"Yes," Yuichiro reluctantly accepted.
Kagaya nodded, satisfied, and watched in silence as Shinobu left the room with Kanao. Kyojuro and Tanjiro soon followed suit and left. Zenitsu muttered a quick apology and left the room, dragging Inosuke along, who was vigorously protesting as Zenitsu pulled him behind in any way he could.
Tanjiro continued to follow Kyojuro down the corridors of the Infinite Palace, his head bowed. He could sense that the other demon's anger had not diminished in the slightest, and the first traces of disappointment began to surface.
"What you did was foolish," Kyojuro said at that moment. "I thought I had taught you how dangerous it is to act on your own." Tanjiro prepared to say something, attempting to ease the tension, but Kyojuro quickly cut him off. "And don't tell me that nothing happened. You've just been lucky. Right now, the four of you could be dead, you know?"
"I'm sorry," the boy repeated. Kyojuro growled and continued walking without saying anything. Tanjiro quickened his pace and followed behind him.
"From now on, you'll eat more frequently and in larger quantities," Kyojuro announced, his expression serious, without turning around. "The sooner you unlock your demon blood technique, the better."
Tanjiro nodded. He knew that thanks to Kyojuro's previous explanation. "I wonder what my blood technique will be," Tanjiro thought. During the time he had been there, he had only witnessed his master's technique. Kyojuro's blood technique was pyrokinesis, and the Upper Moon mastered it perfectly.
The boy abruptly stopped as he felt a powerful presence approaching. He began to break out in a cold sweat, and his body refused to move forward. All he wanted was to flee, to put distance between himself and whatever was approaching. But Kyojuro, who had also sensed it, remained quite calm.
"Hello, Yoriichi," greeted the Fourth Upper Moon.
At that moment, Tanjiro caught a glimpse of that demon for the first time. At first glance, nothing about that man stood out. He maintained a calm and tranquil expression. His yellowish eyes stopped on Tanjiro, and the boy repressed a shiver as he read the kanji in his pupils. That man was the Zero Upper Moon.
"Kyojuro, and who is he?" Yoriichi asked, curious.
"Tanjiro," Kyojuro quickly responded. "He's been with us for about six months now."
Yoriichi advanced and stopped in front of Tanjiro. The boy, who was still nervous, swallowed hard and looked at him uneasily.
"Welcome to the family, Tanjiro," the demon said, extending his right arm. Tanjiro shook his hand and tried to relax. "It's okay, Tanjiro," he told himself, attempting to force a smile. "Nothing's wrong." He hoped to acclimate well.
"He still has things to learn," the tense tone and reproach returned to Kyojuro's voice, and Tanjiro repressed a grimace of embarrassment.
"Well, we all have things to learn," Yoriichi said, downplaying the matter.
At that moment, Tanjiro noticed the sword at the man's belt, and he felt panic, completely irrational, flooding back. Every cell in his body screamed at him to move away, that he was in danger. He fixed his gaze on the ground and forced himself to relax. He had no reason to react that way. After all, he was among his own.
"Well, I'd love to stay and chat a bit more," Yoriichi continued, "but there's something important I need to discuss with Ubuyashiki."
"Of course, of course. No problem," Kyojuro said, forcing a smile.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Tanjiro," Yoriichi commented as he passed by the boy.
"The s-same here!" Although his voice trembled, Tanjiro managed to respond.
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