Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I decided to continue this story, so, here it is the twenty third chapter!
Kokushibo read, tense and in silence, the mission that had just been assigned to Nezuko's squad. The four boys looked at him, restless and concerned, as he remained silent. Kaigaku furrowed his brow, more tense than usual.
"Is there something wrong?" Nezuko wanted to know, approaching the Pillar of the Moon. The demon sighed and looked at her.
"Nothing seems out of place in the mission," Kokushibo acknowledged. Despite his words, the demon remained tense. "But I suppose we will find out when we get there."
"Are you going to help us with the mission?" Rui asked, confused, ignoring the warning looks he received from Nezuko and Kaigaku.
"Only if necessary," Kokushibo clarified, serious. He stood up and headed for the door. "Given my... condition, we can only travel at night."
"True, how will we do it then?" Kaigaku asked. Although he tried to hide it, his voice betrayed how annoyed he felt about it.
"It's simple." But Kokushibo didn't flinch. "In each wisteria house, there are areas set up for me."
"But it will take too long," Kaigaku was still not convinced, and having the Moon Pillar with them was starting to seem more like a drawback than an advantage.
"Thank you very much for your help," Enmu said. "But won't it be a problem that you're assisting us?"
"There won't be a problem as long as no one else knows," the demon clarified. "Nezuko already told you that this has to be kept a secret, didn't she?"
"Yes, she did," Kaigaku replied immediately, crossing his arms. "Where do we have to go?" he asked brusquely and quite rudely.
Kokushibo fixed his six eyes on the boy and gradually released an oppressive aura. It had an immediate effect. The four boys, tense as hedgehogs, stepped back several steps, cautious, and placed their hands on the hilt of their swords, never taking their eyes off the demon.
"You'd do well to remember that I am your superior and one of the Pillars of the Corps, boy," Kokushibo warned him. "And, at the moment, I am the only one willing to help you."
"You ask me to respect an organization that sent us on a mission where we were almost killed!?"
"If you want to live longer, you should keep those opinions to yourself."
Kaigaku growled at that, he would have replied again had Nezuko not put a hand on his right shoulder.
"It doesn't make sense for us to fight amongst ourselves," Nezuko said in an attempt to mediate and calm nerves. Kaigaku looked away, gritting his teeth.
"For now, we should focus on the mission," Enmu suggested, serious. He had his arms crossed and was looking suspiciously at Kokushibo. "One thing, Mr. Kokushibo, is it possible that what happened in Hokkaido might repeat itself?"
The Pillar of the Moon sighed. "I don't think Kibutsuji will assign you such a dangerous mission again in the near future. But it's not something you should rule out. Now, if you don't want to attract more attention than necessary, let's limit ourselves to fulfilling the mission."
"Speaking of which, where do we have to go?" Rui wanted to know, curious. Among those present, he was the most at ease.
"To a rural area not too far from here," Kokushibo said. "Do you have everything prepared?"
"Yes, of course," Nezuko replied immediately. After all, they hadn't brought anything more than what they were wearing.
"Then let's go."
Tanjiro gazed at the ceiling of his room, letting out a long sigh and shifting slightly. He glanced disinterestedly at the wooden floor of the bedroom and exhaled again. Abruptly, he sat up and looked toward the door. Seconds later, it opened, and Kanao peeked inside.
Her face brightened with a smile when she saw him. "I was looking for you, Tanjiro," she said, stepping inside and closing the door behind her.
"Is something the matter?" the demon asked, approaching quickly.
"Oh, no, no," she shook her head, gesturing with her hand, "Kagaya has asked us to hunt for everyone."
Tanjiro nodded, not too surprised. After all, that was a task they usually shared. "I suppose they won't let us go alone, right?"
Kanao nodded. "Giyuu, Muichiro, and Tengen will join us," she informed him. "We have to hunt more than usual."
"And why is that?" Tanjiro asked with interest.
"We'll have visitors," Kanao said as the two demons left the room and began walking toward Yuichiro's quarters. "Tamayo and Sanemi's younger brother will be here in a few hours."
"I didn't know Sanemi had a brother," Tanjiro commented, furrowing his brow. It was the first time he had heard about it.
"He doesn't live here," Kanao explained solemnly.
They reached the room where Yuichiro was, and the black-haired demon with blue-tipped hair looked at them irritably. "You're early," he remarked with displeasure. Kanao, accustomed to his demeanor, paid no attention, but Tanjiro nervously scratched his head and looked around.
"Let's sit and wait, Tanjiro," Kanao suggested as she settled on the tatami floor.
Tanjiro glanced at Yuichiro, who was acting as if they weren't there, and followed Kanao's lead, sitting beside her.
"What is Sanemi's brother like?" Tanjiro asked.
Kanao sighed a little and looked ahead. "I don't know him very well," the young demon admitted. "I've seen him a couple of times, but I haven't had a chance to talk to him."
"Oh..." Tanjiro looked at the girl. "I hope we can get along."
Kanao shrugged, uninterested. "As you wish. Don't get your hopes up too much," she warned. "Genya tends to do his own thing."
Nezuko held tightly onto her right side. She had received a powerful kick there from one of the demons they were facing. The problem was that, judging by the pain, some bone must have broken.
But she had to keep going. Gritting her teeth, Nezuko took a deep breath. She charged towards her enemy and, with more difficulty than she would have liked, sliced off his left arm. The demon growled and bared his fangs as he leaped backward. But Nezuko didn't give him a moment's rest; she jumped after him and attempted to slash his neck.
She drove her katana's blade into the demon's neck and clenched her teeth, channeling all her strength into her arms. Slowly, more slowly than Nezuko would have wished, the blade began to slide through.
The demon screamed and, in a desperate attempt to save his life, tried to strike Nezuko's head with his fist. The girl widened her eyes; she wouldn't be able to dodge it in time, and judging by the speed and force he had, he would at least shatter her skull.
Terrified, Nezuko closed her eyes, expecting the inevitable impact, but it never came. Slowly, she opened her eyes, still feeling her heart pounding wildly. The first thing she saw was that the demon she had been facing was now missing his head. Kokushibo stood behind the demon with his sword drawn.
Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!