Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I decided to continue this story, so, here it is the eleventh chapter!
And also, I have a question for the readers; would you be interested on reading about the past of the Twelve Demon Moons and the Hashiras?
Ayumi closed the door behind her. She had gone to her favorite place in the entire house. It was a spacious room where the portraits of all the Kibutsuji family members who had become leaders of the Corps were displayed. The girl began to observe the different portraits. There were both men and women, the only requirement to attain such a position was to be the eldest child.
The girl stopped in front of one of the paintings. It was the one corresponding to Reiko Kibutsuji, the first leader of the Corps. She had a stern gaze and strict features. She dressed elegantly. Having established such a long-lasting organization couldn't have been an easy task. But what caught Ayumi's attention the most was how young Reiko appeared in that painting. She didn't seem to be older than thirteen, five years older than Ayumi herself.
"I wonder what her life was like," the girl wondered. Almost nine hundred years had passed, and they were still far from defeating Kagaya Ubuyashiki. She continued walking and observed the portraits of her ancestors. Every now and then, she would stop and read the name engraved on a golden plaque placed beneath the painting. She knew quite a few of them because her father had forced her to start studying family history since she turned five and learned to read and write.
The girl shivered for a moment as she remembered that. Since that moment, her life had been reduced to that. Studying was the only thing she did in her daily life. She shook her head, trying to push those memories away.
"It's my duty as the future leader of the Corps," she reminded herself. And one day, her portrait would be hanging in that room for future generations to admire. "But I wish I could contribute in a different way," she thought with a hint of sadness. She hated studying, and she got bored almost instantly. But aware of the importance of her role, she had persevered.
She turned around startled when she heard the door open. She tensed, thinking it was her father, but when she realized it was her mother who had just entered, she couldn't help but relax.
Hitomi approached her, looking concerned. "I've been looking for you, Ayumi," she said, stopping in front of the girl.
"Is something wrong, mother?" the girl asked, confused.
"Your father was looking for you," the woman informed her.
"But I'm done with classes for today," Ayumi protested immediately. Hitomi sighed a bit upon hearing that.
"I know, but it seemed to be something important. He's in his office, I believe," the adult insisted. "Don't keep him waiting; you know he doesn't like that."
Ayumi nodded and hurriedly left, leaving Hitomi alone. The woman turned her attention to the paintings in the room and stopped smiling. Her face lost any trace of warmth and filled with resentment and hatred. She clenched her fists as she glared at the faces of her husband's ancestors. She turned around and left the room, slamming the door behind her. Her daughter, who was at the end of the hallway, turned and looked worriedly as her mother hurried away. She didn't have time to say anything as the girl averted her gaze and resignedly continued walking towards where her father was waiting.
Ayumi entered her father's office and found him as usual, reading some papers in front of him. Muzan raised his head, and their eyes met. The girl had to suppress a shiver at the sight of the purple marks covering the adult's face. They now covered the lower half of his face.
"Did you need something, father?" the girl asked, struggling to hide her unease.
Muzan looked at her, serious. "I want you to take on a more significant role within the Corps from now on."
"May I ask why?" the girl wanted to know, taking a step towards her father, concerned. The adult let out a bitter laugh at that.
"Look at me closely, Ayumi," he demanded as he straightened up. "It's becoming increasingly difficult for me to move on my own," he confided.
"But, father, I..." Ayumi tried to protest, but the reproachful look he gave her silenced her, and she fell silent.
"This way, you can gradually replace me," the adult continued explaining. Ayumi lowered her gaze and nodded, aware that her father wouldn't accept any other response from her. "I trust that you'll do well," Muzan added.
"I won't disappoint you, father," the girl murmured, perfectly disguising the tremor in her voice this time. Muzan nodded and focused his attention back on the paperwork in front of him.
"You may leave, Ayumi."
The girl didn't need to be told twice. She quickly left the room and gently closed the door behind her. She stood still in the hallway, assimilating the implications of that conversation.
"So now I have to get more involved..." thought the girl, feeling dispirited. That was the last thing she wanted, but she was aware that there was nothing she could do to avoid it. Resigned, she made her way to the library in the house. It wasn't too far from her father's office, so it didn't take her more than five minutes to get there.
She entered the library and closed the door. She examined the bookshelves filled with books until she made up her mind. With the help of a small ladder, she tried to reach the top shelf. She wanted to read something about the Edo period, which was what she was currently studying with her tutor. She smiled a little when she found the book she was looking for, a sizable volume heavier than it initially seemed. Nonetheless, she managed to carry it without any problems, descended the ladder, and approached one of the tables. She placed the book on it and sat down.
Nezuko walked silently through the halls of the Eternal Paradise. While her arm was healing completely, that was the only thing she could do. And the girl preferred it that way. She glanced at the women who passed by her side. They were walking hurriedly and speaking quickly.
From what the girl managed to hear, several hunters had arrived with severe injuries. She turned and watched as the group of women turned the corner toward the infirmary.
"Nezuko!" The girl couldn't help but jump a little at hearing that shout so close to her. She turned and saw that it was Rui. The boy was looking at her amused, barely able to control his laughter. Nezuko, far from being annoyed, started laughing and Rui didn't take long to join her.
"Good morning to you too, Rui," the girl said when both of them stopped laughing.
"How are you?" the boy asked, his gaze directed at Nezuko's sling.
"Better, it hardly hurts anymore," Nezuko downplayed it with a smile. "And how about you?"
Rui shrugged. "Since we didn't end up so badly, the Ice Pillar has been forcing us to participate in some training with his successors. His way of killing time," the boy said, somewhat sarcastically.
"And how are they?" Nezuko asked, curious.
"Infernal," Rui said without hesitation. "Apparently, we don't have enough reflexes, nor are we as fast as we should be."
"Well, we just started, right?" Nezuko reasoned, trying not to make a big deal out of it. "They must have been doing it for years, so it's normal that we're not at their level."
"Tell them that, they don't seem to care about that detail," Rui grumbled. "And don't be surprised if, once you recover, they make you participate."
"So, there you are, little brat!" Ume shouted, appearing in the hallway. Rui cursed and ran away, trying to escape from the demon slayer.
Nezuko stepped back a bit and, in an attempt to give Rui some advantage, tripped Ume. The girl, focused on catching up with Nezuko's companion, didn't notice and stumbled. If Nezuko felt satisfaction at seeing the blonde-haired girl's face hit the ground, she hid it perfectly. Ume quickly got up and gave Nezuko an angry look.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ume snapped, advancing towards her.
"What do you mean?" Nezuko asked innocently. Ume growled and glared at her.
"Brat, what rank do you have?" Ume asked, keeping calm as best she could.
"Well, Mizunoto," Nezuko admitted, serious.
"The lowest one," the other girl emphasized, smirking arrogantly. "Do you know what rank I have? Kinoe. And soon I'll be part of the Pillars."
"What are you trying to say?" Nezuko asked, annoyed. The girl furrowed her brow and was starting to get genuinely upset.
"I'm your superior. You owe me respect," Ume said with a haughty tone.
Nezuko sighed a bit. "I'm sorry," she conceded. It wasn't convenient for her to make too many enemies, even if she didn't like Ume.
Ume snorted and looked at her with arrogance. "Know your place, Mizunoto."
Nezuko gritted her teeth and watched with resentment as the other girl walked away.
"What does that conceited girl think she is?" Nezuko mentally exclaimed.
Tanjiro followed Kyojuro and Giyuu, who is the Upper Moon Two. They had left the Infinity Palace to hunt in a village located in a remote area of the Kanto region.
The boy observed Giyuu with curiosity. Despite having a human-like appearance, Giyuu's arms were covered in indigo-blue scales. The rest of the demon's skin was pale, almost white.
"We have arrived," announced Kyojuro, coming to a stop at the edge of the forest they had been traversing. Tanjiro stopped beside the other two demons and looked at the village where they intended to hunt.
Thanks to his enhanced vision, he could see it without any difficulty, even though it was a moonless night and the village lacked electric lighting. Tanjiro observed the anticipation beginning to adorn Kyojuro's face, while Giyuu maintained an indifferent expression.
"Shall we go?" Tanjiro asked, filled with anticipation.
"Yes, let's feast to our heart's content," said Kyojuro.
The three demons descended toward the human settlement, heading towards the houses on the outskirts to attract as little attention as possible.
Tanjiro was savoring the corpse of his victim, a young girl, when he heard approaching footsteps. He quickly raised his head as he didn't recognize the cadence of those steps. It wasn't Kyojuro or Giyuu who were approaching.
"It's not just one person," Tanjiro thought, serious. His nails instinctively lengthened, resembling sharp claws. "They smell like humans, there must be at least five people," Tanjiro calculated mentally.
Giyuu and Kyojuro were in the house across the street, and they should have heard it too, or at least Tanjiro hoped so. He held his breath as the footsteps stopped in front of the house. He heard the sound of something metallic, and the humans had a brief conversation.
"Hideki and I will go to that house," he heard a female voice say.
"Okay, then we'll check this one," said a deep male voice. "If you find any demons, don't forget to let us know."
"Of course!"
Tanjiro slowly moved away from the body, his heart constricted and beating frantically as he counted mentally to ten. He heard footsteps approaching, and his nervousness increased. In all the months he had been a demon, he had never encountered demon slayers before.
"What should I do? Can I confront them?" he wondered. He began to tremble, frightened. At that moment, he saw the two humans enter the house. Their gazes met. The boy immediately lunged at him, and Tanjiro barely had time to dodge. However, the human managed to cut off his right arm.
Tanjiro screamed in pain and instinctively brought his left hand to the stump. It hurt a lot, as if he had been burned again. "Again?" Tanjiro wondered, confused. He didn't understand why he felt this sense of déjà vu.
The pain faded as his arm regenerated seconds later. He looked angrily at the two humans. "What should I do? I know it's not difficult to kill a few humans, but they are demon slayers... Can I do it? No... that's not the right question, I need to know how to do it."
As long as he prevented them from cutting his neck, everything would be fine. Since dawn was still hours away, he had the advantage. He couldn't help but smile with relief when he heard the screams of the other slayers. Kyojuro and Giyuu had taken care of the others.
At that moment, he felt something warm rising in his throat, and he couldn't stop it. A ball of energy formed in his mouth and shot towards the two humans. The boy just managed to push his companion out of the way. The human girl fell to the ground, horrified, as she saw the charred remains of her comrade. The smell of burnt flesh began to fill the room. The girl covered her mouth with her left hand and turned her head, her tear-filled eyes fixed on Tanjiro. She let out a cry of fury and instinctively lunged at the demon.
Tanjiro prepared to launch the same attack again, but before he could do it, Kyojuro pierced the slayer's chest from behind with his right arm. He pulled it out shortly after, and the human collapsed lifeless on the floor.
"Are you okay, Tanjiro?" the Upper Moon Four asked, looking at the other demon with some concern.
"Yes, I took care of the other slayer," the boy muttered, glancing at the charred corpse. The smell was becoming unbearable for him. Kyojuro observed the body and smiled proudly.
"You've already discovered your Demon Blood Technique," he commented. Pride tinged his voice, and Tanjiro couldn't help but feel warmth in his chest.
"Yes, I can shoot energy balls from my mouth," the boy explained. Kyojuro approached him and, with his clean arm, embraced him.
"Not to interrupt," Giyuu said from the doorway, "but if you're done, I think it's time for us to leave."
Kyojuro let go of Tanjiro and nodded. "Although we should stop by a stream first, I'd like to clean up," the blond demon confessed.
Giyuu glanced at his bloodstained arm and rolled his eyes, annoyed.
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