The three new Demon Slayers got dressed in their new Uniforms. "Oooh! You all look so cool!" Shigeru exclaimed excitedly. Gyutaro and Tanjiro pulled Ume and Nezuko's boxes onto their back and strapped their weapons into the appropriate places. "Take care of yourselves. And take care of our Sister's too" Takeo said to them. Gyutaro chuckled, "they're Demons. I'm pretty sure they're going to be taking care of us" he replied. "Make sure you all stay safe!" Hanako said firmly. "And write to us as much as you can so we know how you're both doing, okay?" Shigeru asked. Rokuta had tears in his eyes, but was bravely holding them back, "be careful" the 6-year-old said seriously. Gyutaro and Tanjiro hugged each of their younger Siblings and patted them on the head, "we will, I promise." Tanjiro said.
"Takeo, make sure you take care of everyone and protect them" Gyutaro said seriously. The 13-year-old nodded, of course I will" he promised. The green-haired young man nodded, before his gaze softened as he looked at his four young Siblings, "we love all of you so much. I swear, we will turn Ume and Nezuko back into humans, no matter what. We'll find a way. And one day, we'll all go home together, I promise!" he swore, utterly serious. Everyone smiled tearfully at that. Then the two Oldest Son's of the Kamado family left for their Missions.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Gyutaro and Tanjiro walked together for a while, before they reached a fork in the road. "Alright, we're going this way" Gyutaro said, pointing at the left path. "We have to head this way. I'll let you know how the Mission goes Tanjiro. Also if I make any progress on finding information on a cure for our Sisters" he continued. The younger Brother nodded, "so will I. You and Ume be careful Big Brother" Tanjiro replied. Then the two Demon Slayers split up. As Gyutaro walked, he wondered how Ume was doing. According to Takeo, both Ume and Nezuko slept for the whole 2 years they'd all been training. Earlier that day, Takeo had taken him and Tanjiro aside to talk.
(Flashback)
"I think I should tell you both. Urokodaki told me that he thinks that Ume and Nezuko recover from injury and regain energy by sleeping instead of eating humans. So if they sleep a lot, that's why" Takeo explained, as they watched the two Demons cuddle with their younger Siblings- though, in Nezuko and Hanako's case, not younger anymore. "Thanks for telling us Takeo. It makes me feel better that we won't have to starve our Sister's" Tanjiro said gratefully.
(End flashback)
Gyutaro glanced back at Ume's box, "hey Ume. Are you awake?" he asked. No replying hum or scratch at the box answered him, so he guessed that she must be asleep. He smiled, "alright then. You sleep as much as you need Sis. Big Brother will take care of those Demons and look after you" he promised. Suddenly he heard a sleepy noise from inside the box, "hmmmm?" Ume asked, apparently awake now. "Oh! Sorry if I woke you Ume. You can go back to sleep if you want" Gyutaro said apologetically. "Hmm hmmm? Hmm" Ume said. "No, we're not there yet." The Demon Slayer replied, "I'll let you know when we're there, okay?" "Mhm" the Demon woman replied, before they both slipped back into silence. Gyutaro continued on his way to their destination.
'I wonder what the Demon we're after can do? I hope we can take care of it before too many people die' he thought to himself. He looked up at the blue sky, "well, at least Demons can't come after us during the day." Gyutaro glanced back at the box where Ume was sleeping soundly, "and if it's absolutely necessary, Ume can help fight it as well. But I really hope it won't be. Demon or not, she's still my little Sister and I don't want her getting hurt" he muttered to himself. Gyutaro shook himself out of those thoughts. No use worrying about things like that now. Ume was a Demon, and that meant she was stronger than him. She also had healing abilities now. He had to trust in his little Sister's strength. Next his thoughts turned to Tanjiro and Nezuko. He hoped their younger Siblings would be alright on their mission too.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Finally they reached the town. Gyutaro looked over the town and the forest that bordered it. "So, a Demon in the forest, huh? We have to be careful from here. We don't know what we're up against" he said to himself. As he continued into the town, Gyutaro decided to start searching for information about what had been happening here. He walked up to a stall, knowing that such people were bound to have heard all the gossip going around town. "Excuse me Sir, can I get one those necklaces?" he asked, pointing to one that was decorated with Cherry Blossoms. "Oh? Getting a gift for your Wife, Sir?" the man asked. Gyutaro had to fight not to frown, "my little Sister actually. She loves flowers, and never had a chance to wear jewellery before. So I thought she might like it" he replied, paying for the necklace as the Merchant put it in a little pouch and tied it up.
"Well, I hope she does" he said with a smile. The green-haired man nodded his thanks as he took the bag. "Hey, I heard some rummers going around that the forest is haunted. Is it true Sir?" Gyutaro asked with a frown. The Merchant's smile disappeared instantly, "why? Thinking of heading home through there? I wouldn't. Those rummers are one hundred percent true. Anyone who gets near the forest at night disappears and is never heard from again. That's why we haven't had much business lately. Take my advice- if you want to live to make it home and give you Sister that necklace, stay put of the forest" the man warned seriously. Gyutaro nodded, Understood. Thank you for the advice" he replied, before walking away.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Gyutaro spent the rest of the time until sundown exploring the Village, finding information from the locals and even getting a few more gifts for his Siblings. Shigeru got a drawing pad with pencils and Rokuta got a stuffed Rabbit for his Birthday that was in a week. He was sure Takeo wouldn't be interested in presents, so he didn't bother getting anything for him. However, he couldn't find anything for Tanjiro. As for Ume and Nezuko, there was nothing they could really use while they were Demons. Finally, as the sun went down, Gyutaro hid in an alleyway. Once it was fully gone and the night had taken over, he removed Ume's box from his back, knocking on it, "hey Ume, are you awake?" he asked. A hum was his answer and he opened the door of it. "The sun's gone down, you can come out now" Gyutaro said.
The white and green-haired Demon woman climbed out of the box and grew back to her normal size. "That ability of yours and Nezuko's is really convenient" her Older Brother said. Ume smiled at him and hugged him happily. The Eldest Kamado child held his little Sister with a chuckle "I'm glad you could come out too Ume. Now, let's go check out that forest" Gyutaro said firmly. The Siblings travelled silently through the sleeping town, eyes locked on the dark expanse that was the most likely Demon-infested forest. As they walked, Gyutaro glanced at his now seven-year-younger Sister. 'I'm still going to find a way to turn you and Nezuko back into humans. No matter what it takes' he thought to himself. Ume walked calmly at her Brother's side, holding his hand. Her light blue eyes and the white part of her now white and green hair seemed to glow unnaturally in the moonlight.
Though her mind had been slightly dimmed by her demonic transformation, she understood enough of what it is they were going to do here. 'Kill the Demons, Protect humans. Protect Big Brother' she thought as she stared at the dark forest ahead of them. Ume thought of all her younger Brother's and Sister's that would be just that little bit safer with these Demons gone. Veins started to pop out of her face as she let out a low growl, 'I will not allow the Demons to harm any humans!' You she, while Ume and Nezuko were with Urokodaki, the old man wasn't just keeping an eye on them while they slept. He was placing them both under a hypnotic suggestion. Ume was slightly more mentally aware than her younger Sister. So the Trainer hadn't placed such a strong compulsion on her mind. But he did put one on her, just in case she'd be less inclined to control herself around humans that weren't her Siblings.
Her's was then: "Demons are a danger to your family and other humans. Humans are not to be eaten. Protect them, like they would your family." Now, they were about to see if it worked.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Soon they found themselves travelling through the forest. Gyutaro had released Ume's hand, due to needing two hands to use his weapon. His little Sister kept her Demonic senses spread wide. Unlike Tanjiro, her Older Brother didn't have an enhanced sense that would warn him of an attack. But he trusted in his younger Sister to watch his back. They would protect and look after each other. Just like they always had. He couldn't sense anything yet, so he let his mind wander just slightly as he thought back to his interaction with the Merchant. He always thought that his Birthmarks would make him unattractive to any woman. Yes, most of his insecurities had been dissolved by his family, and he no longer thought he was ugly. But attractive? Desirable? The kind of man a woman would want as a Husband? No way.
That's why he never bothered to look at any woman romantically. He didn't need a Wife to be happy. And no woman would ever want him either- right? But then his thoughts turned back to Final Selection. To that woman with the scarred hand, and probably arm. She had been beautiful. He wondered what her name was. Suddenly a blip of Demonic presence, different from his Sister's appeared on his senses, Instantly Gyutaro's attention was back on his Mission, noticing that they were standing in front of a cave. "So, this is it" he breathed softly. However, he didn't realize that this breath travelled into the cave, and was enough to catch the attention of the Demon who was lazing around in boredom.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
The Demon, who looked like a half bat half man, perked up, "someone is inside my territory. Judging by the sound and smell, two people. One human, one Demon." The Bat Demon quirked an eyebrow, "a Demon and a human together, but I can't hear any sounds of fighting or panic. Is the Demon not going to eat the food right in front of it? Heh. Very well then. I'll beat the Demon until it can't move and then I'll eat the human. If it didn't want to lose it's meal, it should have eaten it sooner!" he let out a shriek, 'Blood Demon Art: Paralysing Shriek!' The Demon thought as he did. The sound travelled ahead of him, carried by the echo of the cave walls. The Bat Demon smirked, 'humans so rarely come to the forest lately, I was worried that I was going to starve!' he thought, spreading his wings.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
As they stared into the darkness of the cave, Ume's instincts suddenly shot a chill throughout her whole body: 'move!' they screamed. Wasting no time, she body-slammed Gyutaro to the side, just as an inhumanly loud shriek engulfed her. The Demon woman instantly froze up, her body going stiff as she toppled to the ground. "Ume!" Gyutaro cried fearfully, watching as his little Sister lay stiff as a board on the grass. He stood up, but before he could run over to her, a huge shape burst out of the cave, wind blowing from the force of it's exit. The form, which Gyutaro could now recognise in the moonlight as being a huge bat, landed on top of Ume's frozen body. That alone was enough to make fury course through him, but he managed to keep himself from attacking blindly, just barely. The bat Demon's claws looked wickedly shark, and he might hurt Ume if he rushed in too quickly.
The Demon woman, on the other hand, was trying to force her body to move, but the blast had caused it to lock up tightly, muscles refusing to obey her desires. She could feel her Demonic healing starting to fix her up now, but she was worried about Gyutaro. He didn't have any healing abilities. If he was hit with that blast, he wouldn't be able to move. The Demon would kill him, Veins popped all over her body and she growled lowly in her throat. Ume refused to allow her Older Brother to die! The Bat Demon stared down at her, noticing how slowly she healed from his attack and scoffing. "What a weak Demon you are. You mustn't have eaten many humans, have you? Either that, or you're just too young" he said, paying no attention to the human standing in front of him.
Gyutaro wasn't sure what to do. His opponent was a bat Demon, which meant it would probably have super hearing or something like that. If he made a move for his weapon, no matter how quiet he was, the enemy Demon would hear it, and attack. Ume continued to struggle against the paralysis holding her down. She had just managed to move her fingers, when the other Demon swiped with his claws and removed her had from her arm completely. She couldn't help letting out a scream of pain. "Get the fuck away from my little Sister you piece of shit!" Gyutaro suddenly screamed, swinging the weighted part of his chained sickle. The Demon dodged by flapping his wings, and Gytaro stood protectively in front of Ume. He knew she could attach her hand easily, but she couldn't move at the moment.
He refused to allow this shithead to harm her anymore than he already had. 'Ume, once you've recovered from the paralysis, reattach your hand. I won't let him near you until then" Gyutaro said lowly. "Hm!" the Demon woman replied, still unable to move her body. Then Gyutaro began swinging the weighted end of his weapon. His eyes showed nothing but hatred for the Demon who had harmed his Sister. And determination to protect her. "Huuh? Sister? A Demon Slayer is calling a Demon his Sister? Are you drunk you brat?" the Bat Demon asked in confusion. Gyutaro didn't answer, instead he threw the weight at the Demon, who dodged. The extra momentum caused the attack to crack the ground where he'd just stood.
'Ah! He's strong!' he thought in shock. Suddenly Gyutaro was right in front of him, swinging at his neck with the Scythe. The Demon cried out in alarm, "oh no! I can't dodge this one!" he yelped. Before his look of fear turned to an evil smirk, "Blood Demon Art: Paralysing Shriek!" he cried, unleashing the same piercing sound waves from before, Unfortunately Gyutaro took this one head on. He felt his bones rattle agonizingly through his body and couldn't help crying out in pain. Then all his muscles locked up and he fell to the ground just like Ume had. Fortunately the muscles in his hands had locked up too, meaning he didn't lose his grip on his weapon, but now he couldn't move at all. He tried to, but it was like they weren't connected to his brain at all anymore.
He could still feel the agonizing pain of the vibrations wracking his bones, but was unable to move at all. "Well, I'd say you look a lot better like this boy. Despite how ugly you are, you should still make a good meal. Don't worry, I'll eat your heart first so you'll die quickly-" before the Bat Demon could even finish his sentence, he was grabbed from behind and tossed through three threes. They fell to the ground with loud crashed. Ume leaned down and looked at him worriedly. "-" Gyutaro tried to speak, to ask his little Sister if she was alright, to tell her to be careful, to just say her name in relief. But all that he could get out was a weak croak of pain. Ume picked him up gently and moved him to a divot in the ground, hiding him from easy access by the enemy Demon. Even though he couldn't speak, Gyutaro still tried to convey his message with his eyes, 'please be careful Ume'. The young Demon woman nodded, before she walked back to confront the Demon. The Oldest Son of the Kamado family closed his eyes, still trying to move.
But the only thing he could feel was pain. Still just pain everywhere. He assumed that the effects would last longer on a human, and that Ume had recovered so fast because she was a Demon. 'Goddamn it! How long am I going to be stuck like this?!' he wondered furiously, 'and while my little Sister is fighting to protect me!'
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
Ume growled threateningly as she sent a kick at the Demon. "You're pretty persistent, aren't you? Even without having eaten anyone since turning, you're still not giving up, are you?" he asked, blocking or dodging the Demon girl's attacks. 'Even so-' he dodged as Ume demolished a huge rock behind him with a single kick, 'she's way too strong!' he thought to himself, as his distraction cost him and Ume managed to land a hard kick into his ribs. The bones cracked and splintered around her boot, making the Bat Demon cough up blood as his ribs damaged his internal organs. Even as his body healed the injury, he was shocked at the strength of the woman. "How are you so strong?! Without eating any humans! You freak!" the Bat Demon shrieked, sending his Blood Demon Art at her again.
Ume lunged behind a rock that she hadn't demolished and let it take the brunt of the sonic attack. Suddenly, something hit him over the back of the head and sent him sprawling across the ground. "Damn it!" he began to turn his head, but something landed on his back, "die already you Bastard!" Gyutaro cried, frustrated beyond belief with this shitty Demon. With a swing of his scythe, the Demon's head was severed. "Damn it, no! How could I be defeated like this?! It's impossible!" the Bat Demon cried furiously as his head and body faded away. Gyutaro collapsed to the ground, body still shaking with pain, 'I used Recovery Breathing, but damn! That Bastard's Blood Demon Art was awful. My body's still shaking with pain!' he thought to himself as he practically collapsed.
The only reason he didn't fall flat on hiss face was because Ume caught him. Gyutato sighed, "th-thanks Ume. Let's get back to the Inn now, okay? I'm gonna need to recover for a while before we can leave" he sighed. Ume easily picked her Older Brother up and carried him back. As she walked, Gyutaro began to try his Recovery Breathing again, but his focused breaths soon turned into soft snores as the exhaustion from dealing with the pain overwhelmed him.
Ư*Ğ.Ķ
The next time Gyutaro woke up, he assumed it was the next night, as Ume was found in her box again. When he let her out, she hugged him tightly (gently for her new strength) and stared at him worriedly. "Hm?" she hummed in concern. "I'm okay. Still a bit achey, but I can move again without my whole body screaming now at least" Gyutaro said with a smile. He looked out the window, "now that the Demon is gone, let's get going. If we stay here too long, people might start to notice things" he said firmly. And so the Green-haired 27-year-old returned their room and they left the town.
The woman working at the front desk of the Inn was worried about them, but Gyutaro assured her that they'd be fine. And, if they care to look, that the forest was safe to travel at night now too. The Siblings left before any comment could be made on that. As they walked down the road, Gyutaro looked down at the bag that Hanako's necklace and Rokuta's bear was in, and wondered how soon he would get to give them to them.
To Be Continued