Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I decided to continue this story, so, here it is the thirteenth chapter!
Nezuko let out a growl and dropped onto the wooden floor. She was breathing with some difficulty after the grueling training. Her companions were not in better conditions. Rui had a red face and was sweating profusely, while Enmu was wiping the sweat off his forehead with a towel.
Kaigaku's bangs were completely stuck to his forehead as he drank some water from a canteen given to him by Susamaru. The boy stopped near them and sighed, frustrated.
They still couldn't overcome the different parts of the training. And it wasn't anything out of this world.
"What are we doing wrong?" Rui wondered aloud.
"Nothing," Kaigaku responded, annoyed. He sat down near them and offered the canteen to Nezuko. She took a big gulp of water and passed it to Enmu.
"But we must be doing something wrong," Rui insisted, accepting the canteen and taking a sip of water.
"They have the rank of Kinoe," Kaigaku pointed out, looking angrily at the younger one. "We have the lowest rank, and we haven't even participated in a mission yet. Can we really expect a different outcome?"
The three boys let out a sigh of resignation. They were aware that Kaigaku was right about that.
"Well, I don't think it'll be long before they assign us a mission, I'm sure of it," Nezuko said, trying to lift their spirits.
"I suppose so. I heard they were short on personnel," Enmu commented. "Or at least that's what the kakushis I ran into in the hallway were saying."
"That's not our concern," Kaigaku interrupted sternly, casting a sidelong glance at the Ume and Gyutaro squad, but they didn't seem to have heard Enmu. "Be careful when you say things like that. Don't be an idiot."
Enmu shrugged indifferently. "Not saying it won't make it any less true."
Nezuko looked at her companions thoughtfully. "Well, whatever will be, will be," she concluded. She glanced at the Ume group out of the corner of her eye. The four demon slayers were sitting in a circle. Susamaru was speaking animatedly and gesturing wildly with her hands.
"They seem to get along quite well," Rui commented, noticing the direction she was looking.
"Yeah, it looks like it," Nezuko couldn't help but agree with Rui.
Kaigaku stood up grumbling and looked at the members of his squad, serious. "I'm going to continue training a bit in the courtyard. Are you coming?"
Enmu and Rui immediately averted their gaze and didn't respond, but Nezuko stood up in an instant and nodded with renewed energy. Kaigaku smiled satisfied, and the two young men left the gymnasium.
"They take it quite seriously," Enmu commented, watching them walk away.
"They must have their reasons, I suppose," Rui said, pensively. "What are you going to do now?"
"Get some sleep. And you?"
"I guess I'll join them in a while," Rui acknowledged, lost in thought.
Enmu sighed a little and looked at him. "And how did someone as young as you end up joining the Corps?"
Rui, who hadn't expected that question, looked at him in surprise and took a moment to respond. "I had nowhere else to go, and my instructor told me I would find what I was looking for here."
Enmu observed him curiously. "I want to avenge my family," he confessed. "They were killed by demons."
Rui straightened up and looked at him. "I'm really sorry."
Enmu sighed a little and looked ahead.
Tanjiro silently followed Kanao. The girl had invited him to go hunting with her and other demons. She smiled slightly, clearly happy.
"Where are we going to hunt?" Tanjiro asked, interested.
"To the Tohoku region," Kanao replied. "To one of the villages specialized in hunting."
"Oh, is this what you mentioned to me last week?" Tanjiro remembered that conversation perfectly.
Kanao's smile widened upon hearing that. "Yes, the hunting season for humans has already begun."
"Who will accompany us?" the boy wanted to know, matching her height.
"Well... Zenitsu, Muichiro, and I think Giyuu and Obanai as well," Kanao listed. "I don't think anyone else will join, but you never know."
Tanjiro nodded, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. Although he didn't have a bad relationship with any of the demons in the Infinity Castle, Obanai was quite imposing. He was the only one of the Twelve Moons who had a more inhuman appearance. He had the appearance of a naga, with a snowy-white serpent tail.
At that moment, the two boys arrived in the room where the others were waiting, and Tanjiro had to suppress a shiver when he saw Obanai. The demon locked his blue and yellow eyes on him, and feeling intimidated, Tanjiro quickly looked away.
"Are we all here now?" Kanao asked, taking charge of the situation and drawing the attention of the other demons.
"Yes, you two were the only ones missing. You could have hurried up," Obanai remarked sharply. He looked annoyed at the girl, but Kanao, already accustomed to his venomous tongue, remained unfazed.
"Well, Yuichiro, we are ready now, '' Kanao said, looking at Muichiro's twin brother. The boy let out a sigh of annoyance and transported them to the location where they would go hunting.
A group of eight hunters sat in front of a small campfire that one of them had lit. They had left their shotguns nearby and were warming up some of their supplies.
The hunting dogs lay on the ground, their eyes wide open, alert to any sound. One of the men, a young boy participating for the first time, shivered slightly when the hooting of an owl broke the silence of the night.
"Don't tell me you're still scared, Takeshi," mocked another hunter, Hisashi, a sturdy man who had been participating in this activity for years.
"I'm not afraid!" protested Takeshi, standing up abruptly, indignant at the accusation.
"Hahaha! There's no need to get worked up like that, kid!" Hisashi continued teasing him.
"Give the boy a chance," Hajime, the leader of the hunting group, requested. He was a calm man and the most experienced among them. "It's his first hunt. It's normal to be nervous."
Takeshi gave him a grateful look and sat back down. Hisashi immediately apologized, and the men engaged in a more friendly conversation.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to hunt several deer," commented Kenta, taking a bite of the piece of meat he held in his hands. Kenta was a lanky man with excellent aim.
"That's what you said last year," pointed out another man, Osamu, rolling his eyes, somewhat annoyed. "And the biggest thing we managed to get were rabbits."
"I have a feeling it will be different this time," insisted Kenta, optimistic. "You'll see!"
The other hunters didn't seem to share his enthusiasm, but none of them expressed it out loud and continued eating. They had spent the whole day looking for a decent prey and hadn't found anything worth pursuing. And now that night had fallen, it was time to rest.
At that moment, the four dogs stood up simultaneously. Their ears were pressed against their heads, and their tails tucked between their hind legs. They growled and bared their teeth. All the animals had their gaze fixed on the same spot among the trees. The hunters, confused by this reaction, stood up with their weapons ready. The light of the full moon provided enough illumination for them to see what lay ahead.
A doe stood among the trees, her black eyes locked on them. Upon realizing they had her attention, the animal began to flee.
"I told you!" exclaimed Kenta enthusiastically. He was about to go after the animal, but Osamu stopped him.
"Easy, man, don't rush," urged Osamu, looking serious as he glanced at the dogs. The animals had started to retreat, and some of them had even urinated. "The dogs' reaction is not normal."
"They've never reacted like this before," confessed Hajime, concerned. He approached one of the dogs slowly and tried to calm it down, but it was in vain.
"What do you suggest we do?" Kenta asked impatiently, gripping his shotgun tighter.
"For now, calm the dogs," said Hajime, quickly taking charge of the situation.
A thick fog had begun to rise around the makeshift camp, and none of the hunters could see beyond the area they were in.
"We've angered the mountain goddess..." murmured Akihiko, one of the most superstitious hunters in the group.
"Don't talk nonsense!" snapped Hajime sharply. "It's just fog, it's not the first time something like this has happened. Let's calm the dogs and get some rest."
At that moment, the four dogs suddenly ran off, fleeing in terror, while their owners were unable to do anything to stop them. They disappeared into the fog, running at full speed.
"Shit!" exclaimed Hajime. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, looking at his companions with a serious expression. The dogs were essential for hunting, but going out to search for them in such dense fog didn't seem like a good idea.
"Did you hear that?" Akihiko asked at that moment. He looked to his right with a furrowed brow, his tone filled with concern.
"No, I didn't hear anything," replied Kenta, looking confused at his companions. He paled when he understood what sound Akihiko was referring to. It was as if something was slithering toward them, getting closer and closer.
"It sounds like a snake," Hajime said after a while. Whatever was approaching must be very close to them.
Suddenly, without warning, a wolf leaped out of the fog and knocked down Kenta, throwing him to the ground. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, it bit the young man's neck, severing the vital veins in that area and killing him instantly. Hajime let out a cry of rage and, wasting no time, raised his weapon and aimed at the animal's head. But he didn't get to shoot. A robust white tail emerged from the fog, trapping him and dragging him away.
The wolf advanced toward the remaining hunters with calmness, without any fear. Osamu fired at the animal in a state of agitation, piercing its chest, but to the incredulous eyes of the hunters, the wound closed immediately, and the animal continued walking toward them.
"I-I told you!" Akihiko exclaimed, losing his composure. "We have angered the mountain goddess!"
At that moment, the wolf leaped toward Osamu, who, in a desperate attempt, moved out of its path and with a hunting knife he had on him, slashed the animal's right side, causing it to whimper in pain as some blood flowed. But just like before, the wound closed within seconds.
The sound of something tearing through the air was heard, and two water stakes appeared, moving swiftly toward the humans. They cleanly pierced Osamu's and Akihiko's hearts, exiting through their backs and heading for the rest of the hunters.
Soon, from that once joyful hunting expedition, only corpses remained.
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