On my DeviantART, I posted how Yua looks. Currently, she wears a ponytail, which is also the first of her hairstyles in my pic.
Hope you enjoy it.
Here is the link: empressofthesun/art/Mochizuki-Yua-971961805
Chapter 2: Moonlight Beauty
Yawing Yua stretched her arms in the air closing her eyes.
Currently, she was walking on a village street between farmland. Her trusty crow Kaguya flew over her head, showing her the way to her next mission.
She had finished off today already a demon, who had terrorized the farmers in this prefecture. Destroying their farmland and eating anyone who at night left their homes.
It had been a challenging fight, the demon had been crafty, but her Moon Breathing once again was superior.
Maybe she should go to a Wisteria House or even home, but she needed to keep going.
She couldn't show up again home without raising in Rank.
Yua was only a bit tired. She would manage.
Just keep going.
You can only go forward.
That's when her ears reached a loud ruckus. Confused she opened her eyes.
A drop appeared on her forehead as she saw the scene before her.
There were two boys.
One with a green checker haori, the other in a yellow with white triangles.
Yellow haori was on his knee, clinging to checker haori, screaming about he would die soon and more nonsense.
Normally Yua would ignore that, but she saw that both wore the Demon Slayer Corps Uniform.
These were fellow swordsmen.
Her father had taught her that she had to help her brother and sisters in arms. The Demon Slayer Corps was or should be one big family that should be there for each other.
Also, she couldn't just walk around them. If it came out that she didn't help her brothers-in-arms, it could lower her chance to become a Hashira.
She couldn't make any mistakes.
So with a forced smile on her pink lips, she called out to them: "Anything all right with you guys?"
Yua regretted already talking to them as the yellow haori formally zeroed in on her, pointing.
"AAH, a beautiful Demon Slayer girl! I must be dreaming! You look like the famous Moonlight Beauty of the Corps."
Oh no!
Another one who had heard this stupid nickname some slayer had giving her as a joke to rill her up.
"Moonlight Beauty?", repeated green haori confused, which only angered yellow haori: "Do you live under a rock Tanjiro?! There is said to be a beautiful girl with long midnight blue hair like the night sky, eyes as grey as moonlight, and a figure to die for in the Demon Slayer Corps! Also, she is pretty strong."
Of course that she was strong was an afterthought. If she ever again stumbled over this worm Katsumi Tomita, she would kick his ass. Rules be damned!
"I have a name, you know!", she called over, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm Mochizuki Yua, proud Demon Slayer for four years, Rank Hinoto. I won't let you reduce me to only my looks, crybaby Mizunoto!"
Yellow Haori screamed with ugly tears crybaby Mizunoto, till he seemed to register what else she said.
"Mochizuki Yua?! You are really the Moonlight Beauty-"
"-And your senpai!", she added with a growl.
Yua couldn't look that fast as green haori, gripped yellow haori by his neck, making him and himself bow to her.
"I'm sorry for my friend, senpai.", apologized green haori. "We didn't mean no disrespect."
At least someone had manners.
"What's your name, Mizunoto?", she asked green haori.
He looked up and Yua had to blink for a second.
Oh, he was a handsome boy.
He had lovely dark red eyes, just like his hair, and was a bit smaller than her. Well, she was 170 cm and surely older than him, so no wonder.
"I'm Kamado Tanjiro and he is Agatsuma Zenitsu, we really meant no disrespect."
Again Tanjiro made them bow, while Zenitsu sniffled.
"If Agatsuma-San stops calling me Moonlight Beauty and acting that shameless, I will."
Tanjiro promised as Zenitsu wailed that he wasn't shameless if he was dying soon.
Who in the name of Tsukuyomi did Yua just meet?
A while later Yua and her new acquaintances Tanjiro and Zenitsu were walking together.
Apparently, they all headed in the same direction.
The good thing was Zenitsu had finally calmed down because Yua was this close away to gag the blond boy with a cloth, so he would stop crying and bitching about how he would die soon.
Nuisance!
Tanjiro didn't share her sentiment, since he asked in calming and reassuring voice if Zenitsu was okay.
"Yeah.", sniffled Zenitsu his last tears away. "Now that I'm calmer, I'm getting hungry."
Yua couldn't help but roll her eyes. Naturally, there was something new with the Nuisance.
She didn't get how Tanjiro could give him his Onigiri, if he only had one. At least Zenitsu had enough manners to share the Onigiri with Tanjiro.
"Aren't you hungry, Yua-Senpai?", asked Tanjiro worried.
The midnight blue-haired girl just deadpanned.
"No, don't worry. I eat before."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Kamado-San, I am."
"Oh, all right."
That boy was way too sweet and caring. He would get eaten alive in this world. Yua wonder what had pushed him to become a Demon Slayer.
Her grey eyes wander over the box the red-haired boy carried.
"I know what you mean when you say you're scared of demons, but you can't make trouble for your sparrow.", told Tanjiro, Zenitsu.
"Huh? Was it distressed?", wonder the blond. "The sparrow? How can you tell?"
"Well, he says that you're always whining about not wanting to go to work, and you're always hitting on girls and that you snore so loud, he's had it! So he says."
"You are a pathetic skirt chaser also? Tzz.", grumbled Yua under her breath, crossing her arms.
"He's saying that?! You can understand bird language?", asked Zenitsu, the red-haired boy in utter confusion.
Yua answered for him: "Any kasugai crow or in your case, sparrow can talk. You didn't notice?"
"You're lying, senpai, right?! You're just trying to trick me!"
That's when Kaguya and another crow, probably Tanjiro one, called down to them: "Start running! Start running! Yua, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, run! The three of you head over to your next destination! Run! Run, Yua, Tanjiro, Zenitsu!"
This shocked Zenitsu so much that he screamed in fright and started to roll around on the ground.
Tanjiro looked worried at him, while Yua just deadpanned.
A Nuisance, trough, and trough.
Having enough Yua gripped Zenitsu by the collar of his yellow haori dragging him in the direction their crows lead them, ignoring his screams of letting go and he didn't want to go.
Tanjiro caught up to her.
"Senpai?"
"Kamado-San, we don't have time for Agatsuma-San's little crisis. We need to go. Anytime we waste, another human life could be taken."
"If you say so, Yua-Senpai."
So Yua dragged Zenitsu behind her, while Tanjiro followed.
The young woman wonder what would await them on this joint mission.
After walking through a forest and ignoring pointedly Zenitsu's cries that he wouldn't be much help to them, the three Demon Slayers found themselves before a mansion.
Yua let go of Zenitsu, so he could stand up.
The three looked at the mansion in caution.
"I can smell blood.", told Tanjiro "But this particular scent…"
"Huh? You smell something?", wonder Zenitsu.
"Something I've never smelled before."
"I don't know about that, but do you hear that sound? Also, are we three gonna work together, after all?"
The only female crossed her arms, fixing the mansion with sharp eyes, concentration on it. Demonic and human presence, that much was clear.
That's when all three saw two children, hugging each other, between bushes and trees.
It was a young boy and a little girl.
"K-Kids…", stutter Zenitsu.
"They are scarred.", added Yua.
"I wonder what's wrong.", wonder Tanjiro, walking up to them. "Hey, guys, what are you doing here?"
But the children are so terrified they can't manage to talk, only after Tanjiro shows them Zenitsu cute little sparrow, the boy tells them what's going on.
All the alarm bell ring in Yua's head as she hears their story.
"The monster only took you brother?", she repeats and the young boy nods shyly. "This is not good. There is only one explanation if a demon takes only one specific human and doesn't care for others."
"What is it senpai?", asks Tanjiro.
Yua explains: "Their older brother must be a marechi. This is the rarest blood type that exists and is particularly appetizing for demons. They forget anything and just want that person's blood, so tasteful it is to them."
The freaked-out look on Zenitsu's face was a bit funny while seeing the siblings scarred made Yua's heart hurt. They remind her of Kaito and Hikari.
So she kneels down to them and pats their heads.
"Don't worry. He is still alive, I can feel it."
Brother and sister just stare with big eyes at her. Secretly Tanjiro wonders what the older girl means by she feels that he is still alive, but this was not important right now.
He turns back to the kids.
"We're going to defeat the bad guy and rescue your brother!", promises Tanjiro them.
"Really? You really will?", asked the little girl to be sure.
"Yeah. For sure!"
Yua nods in agreement.
"Just wait, soon you will have your brother back."
"Tanjiro…Yua-Senpai…", calls Zenitsu for them, still holding his hands on his ears. "Hey, what is this sound? This creepy sound never stops. Is it a tsuzumi?"
Tanjiro and Yua both don't hear anything.
Suddenly a tsuzumi drum can be heard in the area.
All look around to find the source, till on the final drum beat, a boy's body flies out from the door on the second floor.
Shocked shouts turn to screams as the body hits the ground.
On instinct Yua hugs the children to herself, shushing them: "Don't look, don't look, okay, sweeties?"
Meanwhile, Tanjiro holds the poor dying boy in his arms, hugging him to himself in his last moments.
"Hey, is this man your…", he calls over.
The young boy shaking in Yua's arms tells him that this is not their older brother since he wears a persimmon-colored kimono.
Careful Tanjiro lays the dead boy on the ground, promising him in his thoughts to give him a proper burial after he saved the older brother of the kids.
"All right. Zenitsu, Yua-Senpai come on!"
"Right!", agrees Yua, slowly letting go of the still-scarred kids.
Zenitsu so doesn't want to enter the mansion and come with them, till Tanjiro just turns away from him, showing Zenitsu he will leave him behind. Of course, the blond boy doesn't want that, agreeing to come with them.
Then Tanjiro kneels again before the kids, while Yua gives them some last pats to calm them down.
He puts his box down on the ground before them.
"In case of an emergency, I'm leaving this box behind. Even if something happens, you two will be protected.", Tanjiro promises the siblings.
Calmy Yua stares at the box, it seems like her eyes twinkle with light, saying nothing.
"Kamado-San, Agatsuma-San, let's enter the mansion.", orders Yua, walking up to it. "Since I have the higher Rank, I will lead this mission. You are both under my command now."
"Of course, Yua-Senpai.", acknowledge Tanjiro, Zenitsu reluctantly follows them while sobbing.
The trio enters the mansion.
It's eerie and quiet.
Yua feels her nose tickle from the dust that flies around.
Demon doesn't care for housekeeping it seems.
Tanjiro and Yua walk further into it, as Zenitsu cries out behind them: "Tanjiro! Hey, Tanjiro! Senpai! Yua-Senpai! You'll protect me, right? You'll protect me, right?"
Together the three stop.
"Zenitsu, I hate to put you on the spot, but… I've got a broken rib and leg from my previous battle.", admins Tanjiro. "And neither is fully healed yet. So –"
You could have told me sooner from Yua gets drowned out by Zenitsu totally losing his nerves. The blond-haired boy again rolls around the ground crying about how he is going to die.
Annoyed Yua picks him up by his collar and gives him a hard slap in the face. She ignores Tanjiro's shocked gasp since Zenitsu stopped freacking out and hangs like a cloth from her hand.
"Listen to me Agatsuma! No one die's on my watch!", she growls pissed off. "I'm not a Hinoto for nothing. I won't let die any of my men, but for that get yourself at least together and stop being a crybaby or I will personally give you something to really cry over!"
Zenitsu squeaks quietly in fright, while Tanjiro means: "Senpai…please don't be so hard on him. Demons can be scary, his fear isn't without reason."
"He will never woman-up if he shit his pants because of anything slightly scary."
"Woman-up?"
"The future is female, Kamado-San."
Before Tanjiro can say something both he and Yua see how the two siblings enter the mansion.
"Goddammit, kids!", grumbles Yua and lets Zenitsu fall on the floor.
The boy lets out a tiny shriek.
"You shouldn't be here!", scolds Tanjiro the kids.
"M-Mister, we heard scratching sounds from inside that box!", tells the boy.
"E-Even still, it pains me that you left it behind! I mean, it's more precious to me than my own life!"
A wild and chaotic tremor occurs throughout the mansion. The group looks cautious and fearful around.
Zenitsu covers his ears and falls to his knees, accidentally bumping Tanjirou and the little girl into a room.
"Ah, sorry! My butt…"
A drum is played, and Tanjiro and the little girl vanish before their eyes!
Yua gets a determined look on her face, drawing her Katana, while Zenitsu screams in fear and shock and the little boy is frozen.
"Stay calm!", she orders.
"HOW CAN I BE CALM?! TANJIRO VANISH!", shouts Zenitsu.
Many things happen at the same time.
Zenitsu wants to throw himself at Yua, but she backs away from him, into the room behind her, the drums play again and suddenly she is in another room, no Zenitsu and the little boy to see. Or Tanjiro and the little girl for that matter.
The drums play a few times, Yua holding her Katana before her, ready for anything, till it stops.
She is now in a room that seems like a normal bedroom.
Analyzing her surroundings her eyes wander from one corner to another.
Nothing she sees and nothing she feels out of place.
"The room changed as the drum played.", she thoughts. "This must be the Blood Demon Art of the demon who took the older brother of the kids. Now the question is…shall I stay in the room and wait till it changes again…or follow my gut in hopes it leads me in the right direction."
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