Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I decided to continue this story, so, here it is the nineteenth chapter!
Ayumi sat at the table in the center of her home library and looked at the book she had taken. It was the volume dedicated to the first generation of Pillars and the creation of the different breathing styles. It's not that Ayumi didn't know anything about it, but everything she knew was only what her father had briefly told her.
The girl bit her lip, unsure of what kind of information she would find in that book, but it hadn't been easy to acquire it. She glanced at the door when she heard footsteps, but when they passed by, she relaxed a bit. There must be a reason why her father guarded that volume so carefully.
She had to secretly take the key to open the drawer where Muzan hid it. She let out a sigh and focused her attention back on the reading. Later, she would worry about returning everything to its place. Her eyes widened as she read the last fragment of the page.
"I didn't know that the Demon King had a wife and children," Ayumi thought, bewildered. If what was written there was true, the murder of his family was the origin of Kagaya Ubuyashiki's hatred towards the Demon Slayer Corps. She shivered a bit as she continued reading because the person who wrote that book spoke of the murder as if it were a great achievement by the demon slayers.
She abruptly closed the book and stood up. She cast another furtive glance at the door and firmly grasped the book. She slowly opened the door and peeked into the hallway. She let out a sigh of relief when she didn't see anyone. She hurriedly made her way to her father's study.
She was close to the room when she heard her mother calling her from behind. She swallowed hard and turned around slowly. Her mother was watching her from the kitchen.
"Yes, mother?" Ayumi asked, trying to maintain a calm tone of voice and a small smile.
"What were you doing?" the adult woman wanted to know, directing her gaze towards the book Ayumi was holding. "Studying?"
Ayumi latched onto that immediately. "Yes, of course," she said. "But I'm done now."
Hitomi nodded and smiled slightly. "Ayumi, how about accompanying me to visit my parents?"
The eight-year-old girl looked at her, confused. "Oh, well... I..." she tried to quickly come up with an excuse to not appear rude.
"The last time I visited them was shortly after you were born, and it's time for you to meet them," Hitomi insisted. "Besides, they're eager to see us again."
"Is it okay to leave father alone?" Ayumi asked, averting her gaze slightly.
Hitomi frowned at that remark and continued speaking. "Muzan is an adult. I've already hired people to take care of him. Don't worry." The cold and contemptuous tone she used gave Ayumi the cue to not insist. The girl, unable to look her in the eyes due to the silent anger she felt, nodded slightly.
"And how many days would we be gone?" the girl asked.
"A week," Hitomi answered, softening her features. "Start packing, and we'll leave early tomorrow, alright?"
Ayumi nodded. "Alright, I'll put the book away and get started," she said.
Hitomi went back into the kitchen, and the girl went to her father's study. She entered the room and went straight to the desk. She took the key out of her pocket and opened the drawer to the right of the chair. She placed the book inside and closed it, making sure to leave the key where she found it. After ensuring that everything was in its place, she left the study, closing the door behind her.
"How did you say?" Muzan asked, abruptly sitting up and suffering a coughing fit as a result. Hitomi observed, indifferent, the blood staining the corner of her husband's lips.
"We're going to spend a few days with my parents," the woman repeated, locking eyes with her husband, almost challenging him.
"And who gave you permission to make that decision?" Muzan clenched his fists and returned her gaze.
"I can decide on my own, thank you," Hitomi snapped, raising her voice and crossing her arms against her chest.
"You're my wife!" Muzan reminded her angrily. "You can't do whatever you please!"
"And who's going to stop me? You, who can't even walk around the house without assistance?" Hitomi mocked him. "Don't make me laugh, Muzan!"
"What did you just say?" Muzan stared at her, incredulous.
"You heard me perfectly well," she said. "All you do is lie around all day!"
"Retract that, Hitomi. Right now," Muzan glared at her. His knuckles had turned white from the strength with which he was clenching his fists.
"Why would I do that?" she asked, distancing herself from him. "It's still the truth. You grow weaker every day."
"Hitomi..." Muzan warned her, his tone serious. But she paid him no attention.
"Ayumi and I will leave tomorrow first thing in the morning," the woman informed him.
"I'm telling you again, I haven't given you permission," Muzan insisted, trying to get up and go after her, but Hitomi was already by the door.
"I wasn't asking for your permission," Hitomi reminded him, regaining her previous calmness and coldness. She left the bedroom, ignoring her husband's calls. She slammed the door and walked away with long strides.
Ayumi looked at the two people in front of her with a hint of wariness. Hitomi, who was beside her, smiled slightly.
"Ayumi, these are your grandparents, Hikari and Ryohei," her mother introduced, happily. Ayumi nodded and slightly bowed her head as a greeting.
Hikari's kind eyes rested on the girl, and she approached her. "You've grown so much, Ayumi," the woman commented. She stopped in front of her and beamed with joy. "The last time I saw you, you were just a baby." Ayumi nodded and glanced sideways at her mother. Hikari, undeterred by the girl's shyness, gently took her right hand. "Come, I'll show you the room I've prepared for you."
Ayumi gave a hesitant look to her mother, and Hitomi nodded, indicating that she should go. As the two of them left, Ryohei abandoned his amiable expression and fixed his dark eyes on Hitomi.
"What brings you here, dear?" he asked, serious.
Hitomi, who had also stopped smiling, looked exhausted as she gazed at her father. "I simply needed a break."
Ryohei furrowed his brow upon hearing that. "Let's go to the living room to talk calmly. Your mother will keep Ayumi entertained," he added, noticing the hesitation in Hitomi's eyes.
Once they were there, they sat on the green sofa in the middle of the room. Hitomi let out a sigh and rested both hands on her lap, adjusting her light blue kimono.
"I'm telling you, I just needed a break," Hitomi insisted.
"Is Kibutsuji not treating you well?" Ryohei asked, tense. The grimace on his face expressed his disapproval of that man.
"We've had several arguments lately..." Hitomi reluctantly admitted, still not lifting her gaze from her lap.
"I see," Ryohei murmured, serious. He gently took Hold of Hitomi's slender right wrist, causing her to look at him in surprise. "You can stay for as long as you need, alright?"
"We'll only be here for a week," Hitomi said, gratefully looking at her father.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Muzan is getting weaker and weaker," Hitomi confided. "It's just a matter of time before he..."
"I understand," Ryohei commented, somewhat relieved. "But don't hesitate to ask for our help if you need it."
"Thank you, father." Hitomi relaxed her shoulders completely and gave a small grateful smile.
Ryohei softened his features and looked at his daughter. "Well, let's stop talking about him," he requested. "Tell me more about Ayumi."
Nezuko looked at Ume, serious. The two girls had gotten up early that day and headed straight to the training room after breakfast.
"Let's continue," Nezuko requested, brushing the sweat-drenched hair off her forehead. Ume observed her thoughtfully.
"Do you still have the energy to go on?" Ume asked, with her typical mocking tone. But, for once, Nezuko decided to ignore it.
"I want, no, I need to become stronger," Nezuko confessed, gripping the wooden sword she held even tighter.
"You talk too much," Ume interrupted, pointing her wooden sword at her. "I don't care about what you want or don't want."
Nezuko growled a little. "And here I thought she had become more tolerable lately. Well, it doesn't matter," she thought as she lunged at Ume with her sword ready.
The two wooden swords clashed forcefully, and Ume, for the first time, displayed a fierce smile. Without giving Nezuko time to react, she attempted to strike her in the stomach. Nezuko, anticipating her intentions, stopped the weapon with her free hand. She held it firmly but couldn't prevent Ume from making her release it with a strong pull.
Ignoring the pain in her hand and how red it was becoming, Nezuko assessed Ume with her gaze. They immediately resumed their practice, exchanging blows at lightning speed. However, soon Nezuko could only resort to a defensive stance.
At one point, Nezuko's wooden sword slipped from her hands and fell loudly to the ground. Nezuko was panting as she picked it up from the floor, but her eyes still displayed the same determination, Ume noticed.
"Let's continue," Nezuko demanded sharply. "Don't hold back with me."
Ume burst into laughter upon hearing that. "If I didn't, I assure you, you wouldn't last a minute."
"Don't hold back," Nezuko repeated, launching herself into another attack. Ume easily stopped her and evaluated her with her gaze.
"As you wish, but I don't want to hear complaints later, alright, rookie?" said the young Kinoe, thrusting her sword at Nezuko, who, despite being able to block it, was pushed back slightly by the force of the impact. She gritted her teeth and planted her feet on the ground, attempting to stand firm.
Nezuko let out a cry of frustration and fiercely charged at Ume, determined not to give up so easily.
Gyutaro sighed as he entered the room and saw his sister training with that Mizunoto. He leaned against the wall and observed them silently. Both girls were so focused on their combat that they hadn't noticed his presence. And he made no attempt to announce his presence either.
He directed his gaze towards Ume, feeling somewhat concerned. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that, with each passing day, his younger sister was returning to her usual self. "All we can do is move forward," Gyutaro told himself as he moved away from the wall upon seeing Nezuko being disarmed and defeated by Ume. The boy smiled proudly and applauded, catching the attention of both girls.
"Oh, brother," Ume murmured, stepping away from Nezuko a bit. "Have you been here for long?"
"I just arrived," Gyutaro replied, glancing at Nezuko. Understanding what he wanted, the other girl murmured an apology and left.
Ume went to put the two swords back in their place, accompanied by Gyutaro. "Has something happened?" the girl wanted to know, crossing her arms, looking serious.
"They sent us Douma's ashes," Gyutaro announced, his expression serious. Ume, who had been smiling, adopted a sad expression.
"What do you want to do with them?" the girl asked, her arms crossed, serious.
"I don't know," the boy admitted. "They also sent us an envelope with his last will, but I didn't want to open it without you."
"Thank you," Ume said, embracing him tightly. Gyutaro reciprocated the gesture and stroked her hair.
"Shall we?"
"Yes." Ume followed him to his room and noticed the blue porcelain urn on the bed. Beside it was a small white envelope. The girl approached and picked it up with her right hand. She sat down and looked at her brother, hesitating.
"Open it," the boy requested, sitting to her right. Ume nodded and, slowly and delicately, opened the envelope and took out the folded paper.
"Gyutaro, Ume, if you're reading this, it means that I'm no longer among the living. I don't want you to mourn me, no matter how sad it makes you. All you can do is move forward with your heads held high and not let something like this stop you.
I know you're capable of doing it. I've never told you this, but I'm proud of both of you. And I'm confident that both of you will go far. I trust you.
I know it's not much, but I've left you some money so you can live with a bit more comfort. It's kept in the safe in my bedroom, behind the painting of Tokyo Bay. The password is the year we first met.
Again, I'm sorry for leaving you alone so soon. Move forward without hesitation, I trust you.
Douma Shabana"
Ume wiped away the tears that had started to fall from her eyes and looked at the paper with a mix of longing and sadness. For a moment, she imagined Douma sitting at his desk in his room as he wrote this brief farewell. Gyutaro silently observed the letter.
"I think it's best to leave that money untouched," the boy said, folding the letter slowly and putting it back in the envelope.
"I agree." They could manage without that money. "Hey, brother, I want to find the demon who did this to him."
Gyutaro let out a resigned sigh and glanced at her sideways. "Don't you dare," he said through clenched teeth.
Ume furrowed her brow, gritted her teeth, and stared at her older brother with anger in her eyes. "It's the least we can do," she said, making a superhuman effort not to start shouting.
"No," Gyutaro contradicted her immediately. "First of all, we don't know what that demon looks like, and there might be more than one. You wouldn't stand a chance against them. And second, and most importantly, you're not ready for something like that."
"I'll become stronger," Ume said, abruptly getting up from the bed. She looked at her brother, determined, and continued speaking. "I don't care how long it takes."
Gyutaro also stood up. "You're not going to listen to me, no matter what I say, right?" he asked, serious. Ume didn't respond, she simply held his gaze. That was answer enough for her older brother. "I'll help you," Gyutaro said. Ume, who hadn't expected that, blinked, puzzled, several times. Gyutaro let out a bitter laugh when he realized it and continued speaking. "I'm your brother, of course I'm going to support you in whatever you decide."
Ume smiled visibly relieved, and as she turned around, she didn't see the look of concern in Gyutaro's eyes. "Someone has to make sure nothing happens to you."
Tanjiro stopped in front of the mirror in his bedroom and proudly observed the kanji in his right eye. Lower Moon Zero. And Kagaya had given him more of his blood, making him even more powerful.
His smile faded slightly when, involuntarily, the image of that female hunter came to his mind. That Nezuko who insisted on being his sister. He clenched his teeth and, unknowingly, bit his lower lip, causing wounds. Thin streams of blood emerged and trickled down his chin, staining the wooden floor. Tanjiro wiped it off, somewhat irritated, with the back of his left hand. He growled and tried to calm himself.
"I don't care what a miserable human says. I am already with my family."
Tanjiro glanced towards the door when he heard it open. Kagaya, wearing his characteristic calm smile, entered the room and closed it behind him. The eyes of the Demon King stopped at the drops of blood on the floor and then observed Tanjiro's chin. Although he had done his best to clean himself, there were still dried traces.
"Are you alright?" Kagaya asked, approaching. Tanjiro was about to vehemently deny it, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to lie.
"In Hokkaido, one of the hunters I fought against claimed to be my sister," the boy confessed, swallowing hard as he saw the Demon King furrow his brow slightly.
"And what do you think about it?" Kagaya probed, evaluating his subordinate with his gaze.
Tanjiro didn't hesitate too much to respond. "I don't know if she's telling the truth or not. But I don't think it matters," the boy clenched his fists before continuing, "She is a hunter, and I am a demon. The next time I see her, I will kill her."
Kagaya's face lit up with a victorious smile upon hearing that. When Zenitsu told him what had happened, he had feared that Tanjiro's humanity might resurface, but what he had just heard was the best possible outcome.
"I'm very glad to hear that, Tanjiro," Kagaya said, visibly pleased. Tanjiro looked at him and returned the smile, although it was much less enthusiastic than the Demon King's. "But just in case, you should avoid facing her alone."
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