Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I decided to continue this story, so, here it is the fifteenth chapter!
Kaigaku kept his eyes fixed on the mansion, attentive to any changes that might occur. It was beginning to get dark, and the demons that had gone hunting could come out at any moment.
He didn't know how many there would be or if they would have demon blood techniques. He glanced at his companions and suppressed a growl of frustration. The three of them were sitting on the ground, chatting animatedly about nonsense.
"Focus, it's getting dark," he snapped succinctly, turning his attention back to the house.
"We know," Nezuko said, standing up and standing next to the boy. She directed her eyes to the house and let out a sigh. The girl noticed that her palms were sweaty and tried to wipe them on her pants legs with mediocre results.
They were watching as the sun finished setting when the unpleasant creak of the door opening caught their attention. The four hunters quickly hid and watched cautiously, holding their breath. A demon with the appearance of a young boy had just stepped out and was scanning the surroundings, suspicious.
"Is something wrong, Murata?" another demon asked, peering out. She had the appearance of a fifteen-year-old girl, with sickly pale skin.
"We're not alone," the boy commented, pointing to the trees behind which the hunters were hiding. "There are four humans over there."
"Well, in that case, we won't have to go down to the village this time," the girl said, smirking cruelly.
"Ozaki, inform the others," Murata requested without taking his eyes off the human hiding place.
"Sure, I'll go now," she said, entering the mansion again and leaving Murata alone.
Kaigaku and Nezuko exchanged a glance and nodded, determined. Careful not to make more noise than necessary, the four hunters unsheathed their weapons and left their hiding place.
Murata widened his four eyes and took a couple of steps back. "OZAKI!" he screamed, alarmed. "THEY'RE DEMON SLAYERS!"
Enmu ran towards the demon with his katana held horizontally. "Water Breathing, First Form," the demon slayer said, focusing his gaze on the demon's neck. "Water Surface Slash."
The demon's eyes, completely paralyzed by fear, fixated on the edge of the katana. Enmu smiled, content, knowing he was the victor. However, before the sword made contact with the supernatural being's neck, someone pulled Murata back. The blade only grazed the throat, causing a shallow cut.
Enmu jumped back, evading the swipe Ozaki attempted to land. Murata's wound continued to bleed, and the demon started trembling. Two more demons appeared then and, upon seeing their comrade's injury, they glared at the four hunters with hatred.
One of the newly arrived demons lunged at Enmu, but before he could lay hands on the boy, Rui intervened.
"Spider Breathing, First Form," the boy murmured. "Black Widow's Bite."
That attack consisted of two swift cuts, one vertical and one horizontal. With the first one, Rui was able to inflict a deep wound on the demon's chest, tearing through the black shirt the being wore. The second cut allowed the boy to decapitate the demon.
Ozaki cursed and looked at her two companions. Murata wouldn't be of much help in those circumstances, even though his wound had already healed, the demon remained paralyzed by fear. Determined, she hoisted him onto her back and exchanged a fleeting glance with the other demon, who nodded, and the two started to flee.
The demon slayers, who had expected anything but that, took several seconds to react and pursue them. Ozaki, trailing behind due to the extra weight, could hear them getting closer than she would have liked. They ran desperately, aware that it was only a matter of time before the demon slayers caught up with them.
"What do we do!?" Ozaki shouted, looking ahead. She couldn't run any faster.
"Keep running!" demanded Hideaki, her companion. "They're humans! Sooner or later, they'll get tired of chasing us!"
Ozaki glanced sideways at the four humans and furrowed her brow, realizing that one of them had stopped while the others were gradually closing the distance. It was only a matter of time before they caught up with her.
"Lightning Breathing, First Form," Kaigaku said, his dark eyes fixed on the fleeing demons. "Thunderclap and Flash Double!"
Ozaki's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she witnessed the speed at which that human was approaching them. It was as if that human had turned into lightning. And before the young demon's brain could fully process what was happening, her head fell to the ground, and her body collapsed. From there, she sadly observed as Murata suffered the same fate.
Hideaki heard the thuds made by his companions' heads hitting the ground, and his already pale complexion turned almost white. The demon swallowed hard, aware of what awaited him. He heard one of them jumping, too close to him, and the demon prepared for the inevitable. He exposed his neck, leaving it completely unprotected. "What's the point of living if they're already dead?" Hideaki thought bitterly.
"Water Breathing, Fifth Form," Enmu said, focusing his gaze on the remaining demon. "Blessed Rain After the Drought." He cleanly slashed the demon's throat and turned to look at his friends. Rui and Nezuko caught up with him.
"Well, I think we're done," Rui declared, clearly satisfied. Although Nezuko didn't seem entirely convinced.
"Shouldn't we check the house?" she asked, and the three boys looked at her confused. "There could be some hidden demons there, right?" Nezuko murmured, somewhat unsure due to their gazes.
Kaigaku closed his eyes and let out a growl. "You're right, it's better to make sure."
Nezuko suppressed a shiver as they stood in front of the house. Up close, it was even more intimidating. It felt as if the building was truly cursed. She swallowed nervously and glanced at her companions.
"Are you scared?" Rui asked, looking at her curiously. The girl vehemently denied it and proceeded towards the house.
"Of course not," she lied and stopped in front of the porch of the house. "Shall we?" she asked, instinctively placing her right hand on the hilt of her katana.
"Yes," Kaigaku agreed.
The four demon hunters paused at the entrance of the house and surveyed the interior. The wooden floor was broken in many places and didn't seem very stable. The wood had rotted, and there was an unpleasant odor in the room. There were also some areas stained with dried blood.
"It doesn't seem very safe," Enmu muttered hesitantly.
"It's falling apart," Nezuko whispered, as if afraid to speak too loudly.
"Do you really think there will be another demon here?" Kaigaku asked, beginning to doubt the possibility.
The only one who seemed unafraid was Rui, who gazed fascinated at the walls of the house. The paper that had covered them was torn and faded, making it impossible to know their original color.
"Come on, let's go," the youngest one urged, taking the first step. The floor creaked under his feet, but Rui remained unfazed. He looked expectantly at his companions, who hesitantly followed him. They crossed the room and entered a very long corridor, which was in similar conditions. There were stairs leading to the upper floor, but several steps were missing.
"We should split up," Enmu suggested, pausing in front of the stairs. Kaigaku and Nezuko exchanged an unconvinced look.
"I think it's better to stay together," Nezuko objected.
"Okay," Enmu didn't insist once his proposal was rejected. "Should we go upstairs or keep exploring the house?"
"Let's go upstairs," Rui said immediately, still in excellent spirits. Kaigaku gave him a look of disbelief.
"Don't tell me you're actually enjoying this," muttered Kaigaku under his breath.
"Isn't it exciting to explore a place like this?" Rui asked, barely able to contain his excitement.
"You must be joking," grumbled Kaigaku. He shook his head, frustrated, and decided not to say anything more about it. He followed Enmu and Nezuko, who had already started to climb the stairs carefully.
The wood creaked loudly with each step they took, and Kaigaku was sure that at any moment it would break under his feet. "It was a terrible idea to come in here," he thought, regretting his decision. But it was too late to turn back now.
Nezuko was the first to reach the first floor and nervously surveyed the decrepit floor. It had a similar appearance that sent chills down her spine. She took a few steps, perhaps faster than she should have, and the board she was standing on with her left foot gave way, breaking. Nezuko let out a surprised cry as her leg got stuck.
Her friends cautiously moved towards her, and with the help of Enmu and Kaigaku, they managed to free her. The left pant leg had torn slightly from the splinters, and a couple of thin streams of blood were visible, but it didn't seem serious. Nezuko suppressed a grimace of pain as she tried to walk normally.
"I think it's time to leave," Kaigaku said seriously, looking at his companions. Enmu and Rui nodded, and they began to make their way back to the stairs, keeping their eyes fixed on the floor, taking every step with care.
Nezuko hissed in annoyance as she tended to the cuts on her leg with a damp cloth. They had returned to the wisteria house in the village after the successful mission. They had decided to spend the rest of the night there and leave at dawn.
The girl gently rubbed the cloth against the cuts and sighed in relief when she saw that they were no longer bleeding, although cleaning the dried blood was proving to be more challenging and the small cuts stung quite a bit.
"How are you doing?" Enmu asked, peeking into her room. Nezuko smiled slightly and looked at him gratefully.
"Better, the cuts weren't too deep, but they sting a little."
"Well, at least it's not serious," commented Enmu. "Would you like something to eat? The owner of the house has prepared something for us."
Nezuko nodded and, after placing the cloth on the floor, she got up and followed her companion. The two of them went to the dining room where the other three were waiting for them.
"Are you feeling better?" asked the owner of the house, looking at Nezuko with some concern.
The girl gave a kind smile and nodded. "They're just superficial cuts, nothing serious. The important thing is that we have taken care of all the demons."
"Now they can live in peace," added Rui, enjoying the piece of chicken on his plate.
"I'm glad to hear that," acknowledged the man, relaxing the tension in his shoulders a bit. "Thank you very much for helping us."
"It's our job," said Kaigaku, serious. "It's nothing out of the ordinary."
"For us, what you have done means a lot," insisted the grateful adult. "You can stay as long as you want. It's the least I can do."
"Thank you very much for your offer, but we can't impose on your hospitality," said Nezuko. "We intend to leave early at dawn."
"At least stay for breakfast," he pleaded with them.
The four slayers, although somewhat hesitant, nodded and accepted.
Kagaya sat in front of the demons he had summoned. Almost all of his Moons were present, with the exception of Shinobu. Judging by the looks of confusion being exchanged, they had also noticed her absence.
"We're all here who need to be, don't worry," the progenitor demon said softly.
"But, Shinobu..." Mitsuri protested, but Kagaya raised his right hand slightly, silencing the demoness instantly.
"It's better for her not to know what we're about to discuss," Kagaya warned them, his expression serious. The demons, even more confused and intrigued, nodded, albeit hesitantly.
"Does it have something to do with what happened to Kanae?" Giyuu wanted to know, quickly putting the pieces together. Kagaya, with a hint of sadness, nodded.
"Thanks to our little bird, we've managed to find out who her killer was," the demon king declared. The reactions to this revelation were immediate.
Kyojuro and Sanemi stood up immediately, both wearing bloodthirsty smiles. Kanao seemed genuinely interested in what her king was about to say. And if Zenitsu hadn't grabbed her right arm in time, she would have stood up as well.
"It's the Ice Hashira, a man named Douma Shabana," Kagaya informed them. "He patrols in the Hokkaido region, although his residence is in Aomori, in Tohoku."
"Do you want me to take care of that despicable bastard?" Sanemi asked, clenching his fists.
"Sanemi, I would appreciate it if you didn't use that kind of foul language in front of the children," Kagaya reprimanded him sternly, while giving him a warning glance. "As I was saying, we also know that he has two successors, and it's only a matter of time before they become Pillars."
"And what do you want us to do?" Kanao asked, her interest piqued. Her eyes were shining strangely, and she was unconsciously releasing a killer aura.
"I'm sure that if any of you were to go to Hokkaido and start killing demon slayers in that area, he would eventually show up," Kagaya revealed, his tone serious. "I'm thinking that three Upper Moons and three Lower Moons should be enough to take care of him."
Upon hearing this, all the demons present raised their hands, volunteering for the mission. Kagaya smiled proudly at the sight and observed them, trying to decide who was suitable.
"Of the Upper Moons, you three will go," he said, pointing to the chosen ones. Then he looked at the Lower Moons and quickly made his selection among them.
I still suck at writing battles. Sorry, I am trying my best but they are not easy to write.
Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!