Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I decided to continue this story, so, here it is the third chapter!
Tanjiro abruptly stopped and Tamayo, confused, turned and watched him. The boy sniffed the air persistently.
"Is something wrong?" the woman asked. She did the same, thinking there might be some strange scent. But she didn't perceive anything out of the ordinary.
"What is that delicious smell?" Tanjiro wanted to know. Just catching that scent made his mouth water. He placed both hands on his stomach, the delicious aroma causing him to feel ravenous hunger. His stomach growled at that moment, and the young man blushed slightly. He averted his gaze, embarrassed upon hearing the woman laugh.
"It's no wonder you're so hungry," the woman said, smiling kindly. "Don't worry, it's normal. We've all experienced it after transforming."
"All of us?" Tanjiro asked with interest. Tamayo nodded and gestured for him to follow. The young man, aware that at that moment it was the only thing he could do, obeyed.
"I'll introduce them to you after you finish eating," Tamayo promised.
They reached the end of the hallway and stopped in front of a door. The smell came from there, and Tanjiro's stomach growled again in protest. His hunger intensified when the door opened, and the scent hit him with even more force.
Tanjiro abruptly stopped at the threshold. His eyes were fixed on the body lying on the floor. The boy, unaware, began to salivate, and some of it dripped onto the floor. Tamayo made a gesture of displeasure upon seeing that but didn't comment. She took hold of Tanjiro's arm and slowly brought him closer to the corpse.
The boy didn't take his eyes off it. He licked his lips slowly and knelt down, following Tamayo's instructions.
"Go ahead, don't hold back," she told him, smiling a little. Tanjiro looked at her, confused for a few seconds. Then he looked back at the corpse. He leaned over it and inhaled, taking in the scent. It smelled wonderful. He opened his mouth and, following his instinct, sank his teeth into the man's throat. He tore off a piece of flesh and chewed it slowly, savoring the first bite.
"Is it tasty?" Tamayo asked, stepping back a bit to give him space. Tanjiro lifted his head. His lips and chin were stained with blood, which dripped onto the wooden floor. The boy swallowed and nodded vigorously. He once again focused all his attention on his meal and bit into the neck again. "There's not much meat there. You should try lower, it'll be even tastier. I'm telling you from experience."
Tanjiro moved away from the body and observed the shoulder area. He wiped his chin with his right hand, but instead of achieving what he intended, the blood spread further on his face, and the back of his hand also got stained. The young demon looked at his dirty hand and tried to clean it with his clothes.
The woman sighed softly. When a demon ate for the first time, it often went like this. Tamayo had seen it hundreds of times before. She walked towards the door, opened it, and stepped outside, leaving Tanjiro to eat calmly.
Tamayo smiled happily as she entered the living room and saw Mitsuri there. The woman with pink and green hair was sitting on one of the cushions in front of a small table. Judging by her expression, Tamayo noticed that Mitsuri was deeply focused on completing a puzzle.
She cleared her throat to get Mitsuri's attention, successfully startling her and causing the piece she was holding to fall and land on the floor. Their eyes met at that moment, and Mitsuri smiled slightly.
"Oh, I didn't hear you come in, Tamayo!" exclaimed Mitsuri, getting up and walking towards the newcomer. "How is the boy? Did he like the prey I killed?"
Tamayo chuckled before responding, "Yes, he liked it, don't worry."
Mitsuri smiled, relieved. "I just grabbed the first human that crossed my path, and..."
"You always choose your prey carefully," Tamayo interjected.
Among the Twelve Demon Moons, Mitsuri, who held the rank of Lower Moon Three, was quite selective when it came to hunting. She only fed on men and took her time when on the hunt.
"Yes, you know me well," the woman laughed playfully. Mitsuri then directed her green eyes back to the puzzle. She was about to engage with it again, but the next question from Tamayo made her pause. "Have you eaten yet?"
"I ate a few days ago, I'm still not hungry," Mitsuri admitted, looking at her. "What about you?"
"I was just about to go hunting, in case you wanted to join me."
Mitsuri's face lit up with a playful smile upon hearing that. "Of course!" she gladly accepted. "Shall we go?"
Nezuko silently listened to Kokushibo's explanations. The demon was telling her about the Breath of the Moon and its history.
"And will that help me find my brother?" she asked, interrupting Kokushibo for the first time. The demon sighed and looked at her with pity.
"It's better if you forget about it," the man advised her. "Demons often forget their memories from when they were human. It's very likely that he won't recognize you."
Nezuko crossed her arms and looked at him seriously. "I don't care, I won't give up."
"Don't be naive!" scolded the Moon Pillar, losing his patience for a few seconds. After that, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Demons are beings that only think about eating humans. Your brother, in Kagaya's hands, has probably already tasted human flesh."
Nezuko swallowed, trying to push away the mental image of her kind-hearted brother feeding on a person. She shook her head.
"Stop thinking foolish things, Nezuko!" she scolded herself. "It's Tanjiro. Someone like him wouldn't do something like that."
"You need to come to terms with it, Kamado," said Kokushibo, fixing his three pairs of eyes on her. "But first, you must master the Breath of the Moon. If you want to become a demon slayer, you must be able to execute it perfectly."
Nezuko nodded, determined. If it was necessary to achieve what she wanted, she would do it. Kokushibo didn't know her brother, and he was wrong.
"I will," the girl assured, smiling a bit, resolute. "Wait for me, Tanjiro. I'm going to find you no matter what."
"Good," Kokushibo observed her from the corner of his eye. He had agreed to explain all this to see how she would react, and the young woman's determination hadn't wavered in the slightest. He smiled to himself; perhaps Hakuji was right, but he still planned to subject her to one final test. He examined the girl, seriously. He sighed a bit and stood up.
The girl watched him seriously. Kokushibo walked towards the door and stopped. He turned and looked at her.
"Follow me, there's something you must do for me to accept you as my disciple."
Nezuko got up immediately and followed the demon out of the house.
Hakuji entered quickly into the garden adjacent to Muzan Kibutsuji's residence. It had taken him longer than he would have liked. A strong blizzard had delayed him almost a whole day, but the important thing was that he had managed to arrive unscathed.
He didn't seem too surprised to find the owner of the house sitting in a rocking chair on the outside hallway. Muzan observed him silently, looking serious, and Hakuji hurried to kneel down, ignoring the reddish marks that covered his master's throat and chin.
"Did you fulfill your mission?," Muzan asked, not hiding his tone of annoyance.
Hakuji lowered his gaze and swallowed some saliva before answering. "I arrived late. The demon got ahead of me," he confessed reluctantly.
"So you failed," deduced Muzan, sitting up and approaching his subordinate. He forced him to raise his head by gripping his chin with his right hand. Hakuji suppressed a grimace upon feeling the strength of his grip.
"It was the first time we had any lead on him after hundreds of years," the man said, adopting a cold tone that made Hakuji shudder.
"I'm sorry, my lord."
"The last time something like this happened was four centuries ago," Muzan locked his violet eyes onto Hakuji. "Do you realize the opportunity you've wasted!?"
The man, unable to maintain eye contact, directed his gaze to the ground and swallowed hard. He needed to think quickly about what to say to appease Muzan.
"There was one survivor of the demon's attack," he finally said, hoping that would be enough.
"Ah, and?" Muzan asked, uninterested.
"I have placed her under Kokushibo's care," Hakuji continued. "The other survivor of the attack is possibly in the hands of Kagaya Ubuyashiki."
"In summary, we're back to square one, am I wrong?" Muzan spat, releasing Hakuji's chin abruptly. He moved away from him and turned his back. "Go, I'll inform you later about your next mission."
"Have a good day, master," Hakuji replied respectfully. He straightened up and quickly left.
Muzan growled. The man clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails into the palms of his hands. He ignored the pain without the slightest problem, though he slightly loosened his grip. He stormed into the house and went straight to his study. He slammed the door shut and walked towards the shelves filled with books.
There, within those volumes, lay the knowledge that his family, the Kibutsuji clan, had been gathering over the past thousand years. And he, just like his ancestors, was nowhere near close to ending Kagaya Ubuyashiki and putting an end to the curse that plagued his people.
He gritted his teeth. He wanted to be the one to accomplish it. He had to do it, even if it cost him his life. He opened the book and began reading the annotations written within. It was a diary written by the first master of the Demon Slayer Corps, Reiko Kibutsuji. In it, Reiko explained, with neat handwriting, the origin of the evil that afflicted the family and how, from that precise moment, it became his duty to end Kagaya Ubuyashiki's life.
Since then, numerous men and women had held the position of master in the Corps and led the organization to the best of their abilities. Muzan smiled a little at the thought of that, of the legacy that had been passed down to him.
He lifted his gaze from the book when he heard the door to the study open. He relaxed his expression when he saw that it was his eight-year-old daughter, Ayumi. He smiled a bit and, after closing the book, approached her.
"Father," the girl said. Her lilac eyes, slightly lighter than her father's, locked onto his. "Am I catching you at a bad time?"
"No, of course not," Muzan responded immediately. "Is something wrong?"
The girl averted her gaze and fidgeted with the edges of her white jacket. Without daring to look at him, she began to speak. "I've been thinking about something for a while. I would like to learn how to handle a katana."
Her declaration was followed by an incredulous silence. Muzan watched his daughter in silence, his mind a tangle of thoughts as he tried to process what he had just heard.
"No," the adult declared firmly. The young girl raised her head abruptly.
"Father, I want to contribute in that way," Ayumi declared seriously. Muzan observed her in silence. He could see the determination in his daughter's eyes.
"You will replace me when the time comes, Ayumi," the adult reminded her, softening his tone slightly. "We have always dedicated ourselves to that, to leading the Corps."
Ayumi looked away and, aware that she wouldn't be heard, nodded. Her father, realizing it immediately, watched her for a few seconds. He sighed softly.
"You are my only daughter, and that is your duty," Muzan insisted. "Leading the Corps is a great honor and a responsibility. You must be prepared for it."
"I know," Ayumi responded.
"And you cannot waste time on foolish daydreams, is that clear?"
"Yes... I'm sorry, Father," she said, looking away, dejected.
"And, if I'm not mistaken, you had lessons now, right?"
"Geography and history," Ayumi replied, looking at her father.
"Well, then go there. Punctuality is essential, and keeping your tutor waiting is an impoliteness unbecoming of our family. Let it not happen again, Ayumi."
"I won't do it again" said the girl, stepping away from him and heading towards the door—. See you later, father. Have a good afternoon.
Muzan let out a sigh when he was alone. Although his daughter looked just like him physically, she had inherited her mother's untamed and unpredictable character. And that worried him greatly.
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