Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. Here is the second chapter of the backstory of Yoriichi and Kokushibo!
Yoriichi was sitting near the corpses of his wife and daughter. He hugged his knees and simply stayed there, staring at the wall with a completely empty expression. He had been like this, unwilling to separate from his family, for three days already. His stomach growled, but the adult made no attempt to get up and eat something.
He hadn't bothered to take care of his appearance either. He was starting to grow a beard and sleep crusts accumulated in his eyes. His katana was near him, in the same position he left it in when he arrived and saw the macabre scene.
He had cried so much that he had run out of tears. His throat felt dry, and he was sure that if he tried to move, even a little, he would fall unconscious. He looked at the bodies of Uta and Homura in silence.
"I-I'm s-sorry..." he wasn't able to finish speaking, immediately starting to cough. He covered his mouth with his right hand and absentmindedly wiped his hand on his pants leg. Speaking had been a bad idea.
He turned his head sharply towards the door as he heard light footsteps approaching the house. And that was also a mistake because his head was spinning, and the man started to feel dizzy. He heard the door open and someone enter, but he didn't have the strength to get up.
"Hello?" a female voice asked from the door.
"Maybe there's no one here, Mom," a much higher-pitched voice responded hesitantly.
"Don't leave my side," the woman requested firmly.
Yoriichi, despite recognizing the voice, showed no reaction, not even when they entered and Amane let out a choked exclamation and ran towards him. The woman turned around and looked at her son, who had stayed staring at the two bodies.
"Alert your father!" she shouted at him, and seeing that he didn't move, she insisted, "NOW!"
This shout snapped Kiriya out of his daze, and he immediately obeyed, leaving the room. Amane, furrowing her brow and with a deeply concerned expression, approached and stopped by Yoriichi's side.
"Tsugikuni?" she asked as she knelt to the left of the man, who returned her gaze with empty eyes, completely devoid of emotions. Amane bit her lower lip and lowered her eyes slightly. "I'm so sorry..." she murmured while grabbing his left arm and trying to help him up. Yoriichi let her, offering no resistance.
Fortunately for Amane, Kagaya arrived at that moment and immediately understood the situation. "Accompany him outside, my dear," the demon king requested. "I'll be there soon." Amane looked at him, unconvinced, but after glancing sideways at Yoriichi's condition, she nodded and led the man outside.
Michikatsu couldn't believe that the person in front of him was his brother. Yoriichi seemed like a shadow of what he had been weeks ago. He frowned slightly and looked at Amane, serious, as he placed his dominant hand on the hilt of his weapon.
"We should finish him off," the six-eyed demon proposed. Kiriya looked at him with surprise, while Amane glared at him.
"We didn't come here for that, Michikatsu," she scolded him. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't say that about the person who spared my life."
The other demon growled and reluctantly withdrew his hand from his weapon. Nevertheless, he observed the human with a mixture of displeasure and distrust. Yoriichi, still unresponsive, didn't take his gaze away from the house.
Amane, noticing this, gently squeezed his hand. She looked in that direction, trying to ignore the red graffiti that said "DEMON SYMPATHIZERS," albeit with mediocre success.
Kagaya reappeared at that moment. He carried Uta's body, wrapped in a white blanket. Carefully, he placed it in front of Yoriichi, who looked at it without saying anything.
"I'll go get the girl," Kagaya said seriously. "Then we'll bury them."
Yoriichi, for the first time, showed a reaction. He looked at Kagaya with surprise. Amane, even though the man still didn't speak, couldn't help but feel relieved by that small progress.
"We'll help you bury your family," she said, smiling slightly with sadness.
"...Why?" Yoriichi rasped. After speaking, he started coughing, and Amane looked at him with compassion.
"If we had arrived earlier, maybe we could have saved your family," Amane replied. The sadness in her voice didn't go unnoticed. "I'm sure all of this is because you spared our lives," she murmured, glancing at the scribble on one of the house walls.
Yoriichi didn't say anything in response. He approached his wife's body and observed it for a few seconds. "...Thank you," he murmured with visible effort.
Michikatsu snorted a bit and looked towards the house as Kagaya emerged carrying the second body. Sensing what was about to happen next, he moved several meters away.
He clenched his fists and watched them with a furrowed brow. The three of them were completely focused on burying his twin's deceased family. He looked away, highly annoyed.
He heard the two men start digging two makeshift graves, and he tensed a little when he realized that Kiriya had approached him.
"Aren't you going to help them?" the boy asked.
"I don't think my help is necessary," the six-eyed demon replied, grumpy. "And even if it were necessary, I wouldn't offer it." Michikatsu observed, bewildered and annoyed, as Kagaya, the demon king himself, dirtied his clothes and hands helping someone who had been his enemy just hours ago.
He couldn't help but smile with a certain arrogance and satisfaction as he saw Yoriichi kneel before the graves. Seeing him like that, so defeated, provided Michikatsu with immeasurable satisfaction. It had been worth being forced to accompany Amane and Kagaya.
However, when he saw Kagaya extend his right hand to Yoriichi, he furrowed his brow slightly. Something about that whole scenario didn't sit well with him at all. He had a bad feeling. Amane, who had positioned herself by his side, looked at him sideways, serious.
"We came here just to say thank you," Amane said. "But it seems Kagaya has changed his mind."
"I can see that," Michikatsu muttered sharply and rudely. He clenched his fists when he saw his twin brother take the hand offered by the demon king.
Yoriichi closed his eyes and silently prayed for Uta and Homura. In that moment, he couldn't help tears falling from his eyes again. He sensed Kagaya's presence nearby and appreciated that the demon didn't comment on it.
He opened his eyes when he finished praying and looked, confused, at the hand that the demon king was offering him. His gaze must have reflected some apprehension, as the other man gave him a reassuring smile.
"What will you do now?" the demon asked, not withdrawing his hand.
Yoriichi shrugged. "Is there any reason to keep going?" the human wondered as he glanced at the two makeshift graves.
"If you have nowhere to go," Kagaya began to say, "you can spend some time with us while you decide what to do."
Yoriichi observed him, incredulous, not quite sure what to do. "Why?" he managed to ask.
"You spared the life of my wife and children," Kagaya replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Another hunter wouldn't have done that. It's my way of thanking you for what you did."
Yoriichi looked at Amane, Kiriya, and Michikatsu. "I hope you're not suggesting that I..."
"No, of course not," Kagaya clarified, smiling.
Yoriichi sighed a little. He looked hesitantly at the hand that the demon was offering and slowly took it, accepting his offer.
"I hope I don't come to regret this," the man thought, eyeing Kagaya with caution.
Michikatsu furrowed his brow, never taking his eyes off Yoriichi. His twin had been living with them for almost two months now, and the demon was starting to lose patience. Neither Kagaya nor Amane seemed willing to get rid of the human anytime soon.
And his brother didn't seem willing to leave soon either. That only aggravated Michikatsu further.
"All I wanted was to be superior to my brother," the six-eyed demon thought bitterly. "Now what do I do?" Michikatsu wondered to himself.
Perhaps he could try to convince Kagaya that it was time to make Yoriichi leave. He sighed a bit and tried to calm down. He walked down the hallway of the house they were taking refuge in until he found the room where the demon king was calmly reading a book.
Michikatsu cleared his throat to get his attention. Kagaya looked up from the book and, after placing a bookmark, closed it.
"Is something wrong?" the demon king asked.
"How long is this charade going to last?" Michikatsu wanted to know, getting straight to the point.
Kagaya slightly furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"
"How long are you going to allow that human to keep living with us?"
Kagaya let out a long sigh and crossed his legs, settling even more into the armchair he was sitting in. "That human spared the life of my wife and children," he reminded him, serious. "And he's also your brother."
Michikatsu growled and bared his fangs upon hearing the latter. Kagaya observed him thoughtfully.
"Michikatsu..."
"No!" the other demon suddenly shouted. "Don't tell me I have to get along with him just because he's my brother!"
Kagaya, upon hearing that, looked at him with pity, which only increased Michikatsu's discomfort.
"I'm leaving!" he yelled. He turned around and hurriedly walked away without looking back.
Kagaya let out another sigh but made no attempt to stop him. "I'm sure that once he calms down, he'll come back," the demon king thought, resuming his reading, fully convinced of that.
The demon kept his gaze fixed on the ground, ignoring the swords pointed at him by his former companions.
"I want to speak with Kibutsuji," the demon requested, although it sounded like a demand.
"Why do you think we would let you do something like that?" Aoi asked, pressing her sword against Michikatsu's neck.
"Because I have vital information," the demon said, serious.
"Like what?" Ryo interjected, not trusting him in the least.
"I know the location of the demon king and his entire family," Michikatsu hurriedly spoke.
Hanako, who had come out to see what was happening upon hearing the commotion, heard the last part and quickly approached the demon.
"Why would you give us that information?" the girl wanted to know, crossing her arms and looking at Michikatsu with suspicion. "What do you want in return?"
"Boss, you're not considering accepting, are you!?" Aoi exclaimed, unable to believe all of this.
Michikatsu remained silent for a few seconds. Hanako stood in front of him, ignoring the protests of her subordinates.
"I will bring you their heads," Michikatsu said, serious.
"If you succeed, we will pardon your betrayal," Hanako said. "But if you fail, you will be at our mercy and I will decide your punishment." The girl raised her right arm, silencing the protests. "Is that clear?"
Michikatsu lifted his head slightly and nodded. He clenched his teeth as he thought about his brother and the demon king. "They deserve it," Michikatsu thought, eliminating any trace of regret he may have had. "No one belittles me in that way and lives to tell the tale."
Yoriichi anxiously watched the deserted street from the living room window. Night had already fallen, and there was still no sign of Michikatsu.
The man paced around the room like a caged animal. Occasionally, he would stop in front of the window and scan the rocky streets, but without getting the result he hoped for.
"Tsugikuni?" Amane asked, peering in and looking at the man. "I just prepared something for you to have dinner," she informed him. Seeing his state of nervousness, the calm features of the demon woman displayed concern. "Is something wrong?"
"My brother hasn't returned," Yoriichi said, turning around and holding the woman demon's gaze. "And it's been over a week. I'm going out to look for him."
"I'll inform Kagaya," Amane said immediately. She didn't give Yoriichi a chance to object and left.
Yoriichi turned his eyes back to the window and frowned when he didn't see Michikatsu. He wanted to go search for him right away. "What if he's in danger? I don't want to lose him too."
The mere thought of losing his brother made him dizzy. He didn't even want to consider the possibility that Michikatsu could be dead. He glanced towards the door when he heard footsteps approaching. Kagaya entered and looked at him, serious.
"Amane has told me everything," the demon king said. "I'll accompany you."
Under normal circumstances, Yoriichi would have protested. But at that moment, any help he could get would be welcome.
"Thank you very much, Kagaya," he said, approaching.
The two men left the house minutes later, disappearing into the cold night.
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