Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. This story is a translation of another fanfic of mine. I hope you like it!
Kyojuro ran quickly up the mountain, as he ascended he felt the presence of a demon more clearly. He quickened his pace, as some people in the village had told him that a family lived in that area.
He arrived at a clearing and saw two girls. One was lying on the ground, holding an axe with both hands horizontally trying to protect herself while the other, placed on top of her, was biting the handle with force. A demon, no doubt, thought Kyojuro.
Without thinking twice, he unsheathed his katana and tried to decapitate that being, but before he could do so, the girl underneath moved the other out of the way, protecting her.
That didn't surprise the young man too much, it was a fairly common scenario, and it wasn't the first time he had encountered a human protecting a demon because they were a family member or a beloved person. Unfortunately, some of those times the person had ended up being devoured by the demon they had tried to protect.
The demon girl noticed him and bared her teeth, tense and with her gaze fixed on his weapon. At least she had stopped paying attention to the other girl.
"She's my little sister!" shouted the other girl, still trying to hold her down but hardly able to do so. The axe lay on the snowy ground, and neither of them paid any attention to it.
Kyojuro was about to respond when he felt the presence of another demon. Another one emerged from the trees, and after assessing the situation, perhaps thinking he would have time to try a bite, he launched himself at the human.
That was when the unexpected happened. The girl was protected by the young demon, who, with a precise kick, decapitated the newcomer and positioned herself in front of her sister, protecting her. Although her gaze was fixed on the newcomer, she occasionally glanced at the demon hunter, undoubtedly considering him another threat she had to deal with.
Coming out of his surprise as quickly as he could, Kyojuro hurried to finish off the life of that demon using his katana. After that, he turned and looked at the other two, it was the first time he had seen something like that and he wasn't sure how he should proceed.
He took a step towards them and received growls in response. He stopped immediately, it was obvious that getting closer would only cause problems. He hesitated for a moment, but ended up putting his weapon away, although he kept his hand on the handle.
That seemed to be the right choice, as the two relaxed somewhat, although they remained alert.
"My name is Kyojuro Rengoku," he introduced himself, smiling a little to calm them down. Normally he would have spoken more energetically, but it didn't seem appropriate at the moment.
"I'm Sumiko Kamado," said the taller girl. She was a young woman of medium height, with jet-black hair tied in a ponytail and wearing hanafuda earrings. She had a red scar on her forehead on the left side. Her eyes were also dark, almost black.
"She's my sister, Nezuko." The girl hesitated for a moment before continuing to speak. "I-I guess you're a demon slayer." She felt pretty stupid saying that, but she wanted to confirm it. In those moments she felt like she was living a nightmare and wished, even though deep down she knew that all of this was the new horrific reality, to wake up and continue living as before. Just like she had been doing the day before...
Kyojuro nodded enthusiastically and the girl gathered her courage to continue speaking. "Do you know if there is any way to make my sister human again?"
"It's not possible," the man replied immediately. "I've never heard of anything like that."
He didn't feel too good crushing those hopes, but holding onto those things was the worst thing she could do. She wouldn't get anywhere with that, and the sooner she accepted it, the better for her.
"Oh..." Sumiko murmured, discouraged. "Thank you anyway, Rengoku."
Sumiko stopped again in front of her house. The smell of blood was unbearable, but she had to do it, she had to bury her family. Kyojuro, who had been by her side, didn't hesitate and crossed the threshold of the door and began examining the bodies without saying anything.
It was a small house, and it was clear that those who had lived there did not have many resources. The walls and floor were made of wood, but in some places, you could see that a board was missing. Although Kyojuro couldn't be sure if that wasn't the result of the massacre that had occurred there.
Blood stained the walls, and the hunter swore that there were a few splatters on the ceiling, but with the dim light coming in from outside, the daytime sky was completely overcast, so it wasn't something he could determine precisely.
Nezuko approached her sister, sensing her distress, and in response, she tried to pull her away from there, grabbing her right hand and pulling her away from the door. That seemed to make her react, at least, although Kyojuro noticed that her movements were clumsy and that at times, the girl's gaze became lost, as if she wasn't completely there.
"I'm going to get a shovel," Sumiko said then, pulling the hunter out of his thoughts, turning her gaze towards Rengoku, and hurrying off to the small shed where they kept their tools.
Kyojuro frowned, not seeing any bite marks on the bodies or parts torn off. He shuddered and glanced sideways at the two sisters as they walked away. He felt responsible. If he had arrived earlier... He had failed as a Pillar. How could he be proud of his position if he couldn't do something as simple as this?
He shook his head; it wasn't the time to think about that. He made a gesture, and seconds later, a crow perched on his shoulder and looked imperturbable at the macabre scene.
"Kaname. I need you to tell the boss everything that happened here." Kyojuro trusted that he would know how to proceed in this unusual situation.
The bird immediately took flight, leaving the place, and the man, ending that improvised examination, carefully closed the eyes of the unfortunate victims as a sign of respect, and left the house, intending to help Sumiko, who was digging in the back under the watchful eye of her sister.
"Do you have any sheets?" Kyojuro asked as he approached, catching the young woman off guard as she had not heard him coming.
"Yes...in the closet in the entrance of the house," Sumiko replied as she continued to dig, with sweat on her forehead showing the enormous effort she was making.
The man nodded, though he still did not like the idea of leaving a civilian alone with a demon, so he did his best to leave them alone for as little time as possible. He took the sheets from where she had indicated, wrapped the bodies, and returned as soon as possible.
He found Sumiko sitting on the ground, hugging her knees. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and she sobbed. Nezuko tensed up when she saw the man, although Kyojuro did not sense any murderous intent from her, the distrust and suspicion were more than evident.
"Everything is ready. Do you want me to help you dig?" he asked, offering his help. Sumiko looked up, wiped her tears, and stood up.
"No...it's not necessary, but thank you anyway," the girl murmured, shaking off the dirt from her light blue kimono.
Nezuko watched in silence as the other two buried the bodies of their family. As minutes passed, the demon became increasingly aware of her surroundings and what had happened. It was as if the fog that had blocked her mind until then had finally started to dissipate.
Memories slowly returned to her mind. That man. Her family. Blood. Pain. Her gaze stopped on her sister, her only family, Nezuko realized at that moment.
She approached her and looked suspiciously at the man. He had a bizarre look, with that hair the color of fire and those piercing red eyes. The demon's gaze stopped at the sheathed katana he carried at his waist. Her instinct told her that the weapon was extremely dangerous.
"How can one become a demon hunter?" Her older sister's question caught her off guard. Rengoku also seemed surprised by that, although he soon responded.
"You would have to be accepted by an instructor and then pass the Final Selection test," explained Kyojuro, looking serious. It was not an easy test, the percentage of candidates who passed it rarely reached fifty percent.
"Where can I find an instructor?" Sumiko wanted to know. Kyojuro looked at her carefully, he could see the determination in her gaze, something he quite liked. People like that had always been to his liking.
Perhaps, he would finally find someone who could be his successor. Kyojuro couldn't help but have that thought, he had been looking for someone like that for a year now. He was possibly having too much hope, it remained to be seen if that girl was up to the task, but at least, she had the right spirit for it.
"My father used to be an instructor, but..." Rengoku couldn't continue speaking. Many bitter memories came to his mind, but when he saw that Sumiko looked worried, he forced himself to continue speaking. "He is not in a condition to teach right now, so, if it's okay with you, I can instruct you," he offered, again showing a broad smile.
"Thank you very much!" exclaimed Sumiko, making a brief bow, grateful for being given an opportunity.
"Demons disintegrate if exposed to sunlight, so you must be careful with that," he informed her.
That information made the girl go pale, who looked alarmed towards the cloudy sky. The sun was still covered, she checked with relief.
"It's best to travel only at night," Rengoku told them seriously.
"I have a basket that Nezuko might be able to fit into," Sumiko remembered then. It was the one she used to carry coal to the village, perhaps it could serve. "I'll go get it now."
Sumiko ran off and left the hunter and his sister alone.
"Why are you helping us?" the demon asked, speaking for the first time.
"It's my job as a demon hunter!" Kyojuro responded without even thinking.
His response must not have satisfied Nezuko at all, who growled something, but said nothing more, as Sumiko returned at that moment, carrying the basket on her back.
She left it in front of Nezuko, who stared at the object seriously. It was humiliating, having to travel in that way, although she understood that, given her current situation, she had no other choice.
She got inside and tried to sit down, it was very uncomfortable, she could barely move and it didn't even fit well. She noticed her sister's worried gaze and, in an attempt to reassure her, she shrank her body until she was the size of a five-year-old, so that she could fit without any problem.
"So you can shrink," Kyojuro commented, with some interest.
"Yes".
Sumiko leaned against the trunk of a tree, ignoring how long she had been running. However, keeping up with her companion's pace was practically impossible. To make matters worse, night had already fallen, making it difficult to see. She had lost count of the number of times she stumbled over a root and fell.
Nezuko, who had been running alongside her, stopped and helped her up. She looked at the figure in the distance and, without giving Sumiko time to react, picked up the other girl on her back and increased her body size.
Sumiko let out a cry of surprise as her sister began to run. Nezuko was much faster than she had expected, but although they managed to cut some distance with respect to Rengoku, it still wasn't enough to catch up to him.
They were like this for about an hour until they arrived at a house with a strange symbol on one of its doors. It looked like some kind of flower, although Sumiko had never seen one like it. Seeing that they were not going to run anymore, or so it seemed, Nezuko carefully lowered her down.
"We should stop and eat something!" he exclaimed as he knocked on the door and waited for it to open.
"Is this your house?" asked Sumiko curiously, assuming that was the reason they were stopping there, but Kyojuro vehemently denied it.
"No, I'll explain later," he said, seeing an elderly man open the door and let them in right away.
"It is an honor to receive your visit, Flame Pillar," said the man and led them to a room. "How may I assist you?"
"We would like to rest here for a while," said Kyojuro. "And, if possible, new clothes for the two of them."
The man nodded and left right away, closing the sliding door and leaving the three of them alone. Sumiko curiously observed the room, it seemed huge, and all the space made her feel a little overwhelmed, used to smaller spaces.
"The houses that have a mark like the one you saw," Kyojuro began to explain. "Belong to people who have been saved by demon hunters and, as a gesture of gratitude, they help the Demon Slayer Corps, usually by offering shelter and healing wounds if necessary."
Sumiko nodded and listened attentively to everything he was telling her about the military organization. She was determined to be part of it, convinced that this was the only way to find the person responsible for her family's deaths and make them pay for everything.
"Are you sure you want to join?" Kyojuro asked, and she nodded, not giving the young man time to finish speaking, but it didn't seem to bother him, as he smiled a little. "Then I will do my best to train you and prepare you for the Final Selection."
The conversation was interrupted when the door opened and the host of the house entered carrying a wooden box. He bowed to Kyojuro and prepared to leave right away without saying a word, but Kyojuro had something else to ask.
"My companions would like to bathe, if possible."
The two girls looked at him in silence, and Sumiko smelled something in the air. To tell the truth, they didn't smell too good. Nezuko had a deep scent of blood and her pink kimono was dirty in several places, although the blood had taken on a brownish hue, characteristic of dry blood. She stank quite a bit of sweat, so yes, it would be good to refresh and get rid of all that.
"Of course, follow me, please," the man said, and the two sisters obeyed right away.
Kyojuro approached the window and looked out at the cloudy sky, hoping his crow would return soon with orders from the master.
He felt a sense of unease when he saw the silhouette of a bird approaching, so he stepped back and allowed the bird to enter. Feeling a lump in his throat, he removed the paper that was tied to its leg and unfolded it to read it.
"Dear Kyojuro:
I received your last letter, and I believe that if Nezuko Kamado has been able to maintain consciousness in that way, it is a sign that something has started to change. Sumiko Kamado has my approval to appear in due time at the Final Selection. However, if the situation arises where Nezuko Kamado feeds on a human, both her sister and you will have to accept the consequences.
I wish you the best of luck.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki."
Kyojuro relaxed upon learning that they had received approval. It was the most important step, but with the rest of the Pillars, it was not going to be so easy, and perhaps that was the topic they would discuss at the next meeting, which was still a couple of months away.
Was he doing the right thing by risking so much? He was still not sure, but he was clear that the older sister had potential. He sighed a bit. He still didn't understand what had led him to spare the life of that demon girl, but he hoped it was worth it.
Nezuko dried herself with a towel, feeling better now with her body and hair clean. It almost seemed like what had happened just two days ago was nothing but a nightmare, but she only had to look at her older sister and see the sadness and pain hidden in her eyes now to know that it had been very real.
She gritted her teeth a little, still not used to having such sharp fangs, so in doing so, she ended up hurting her lower lip, although not enough to draw blood.
This time, she would make sure not to let her older sister bear all the weight alone. She would show her that she could count on her. She wouldn't allow Sumiko to fight alone, not now that she had the opportunity to help her.
"What do you think of Rengoku?" the demon asked, serious.
Sumiko, who had been busy getting dressed, stopped for a moment and looked at her. "He seems like a kind person," she said, at least that was what the scent the hunter gave off indicated. "He wants to help us."
The demon nodded, that was what she had expected from her sister.
"Nezuko, I promise I'll find out who did this to you," Sumiko's tone had become serious, almost solemn. "And I'll make them pay."
A little surprised by that change, unusual coming from someone as kind as Sumiko, Nezuko nodded.
The two left the room when they finished getting dressed and returned to the room where Kyojuro was sitting on the floor with his eyes closed, but as soon as they entered, he opened his eyes and looked at them. He smiled a little.
"Now they'll bring us something to eat," Kyojuro said happily.
"I... to be honest, I'm not hungry," Sumiko admitted. Her stomach was closed and she didn't feel able to taste a single bite.
"You have to eat!" the man scolded her right away, though without abandoning his almost perpetual good humor. "You can't train on an empty stomach!"
Sumiko sighed and nodded, he was right. If she wanted to be stronger, she couldn't neglect that, so she would make an effort to eat, even if it was just a little. But nothing prepared her for the more than twenty dishes they were given.
There was everything from ramen to tonkatsu, tempura, onigiri... Neither Nezuko nor she had ever seen so much food together in their entire lives, and the older of the two had to admit that it looked excellent and smelled delicious. Although, seeing the grimace of displeasure that her little sister put on, she stopped.
"Are you okay, Nezuko?" she asked, worried, thinking she was feeling unwell.
"I... excuse me, I'm going to lie down," the other girl said, tense, opening one of the futons they had been given and lying down with her back to them. Barely a few seconds later, she was deeply asleep.
"Delicious!" Kyojuro exclaimed at that moment, who, while that was happening, had begun to eat the food. Resigned, Sumiko followed suit, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and tried something from the nearest plate, some onigiri. "It's delicious!" Rengoku continued to shout praises for the food.
Rengoku sighed, he didn't want to waste any more time than necessary, doing so would mean neglecting his duties even more, something that as a Pillar, he couldn't allow himself, it would be a shame.
After ten minutes and without much success, they decided to put Nezuko, who was still sleeping, in the basket.
"We can't delay any longer," said Kyojuro seriously, "As the Pillar of Flames, it is my duty to patrol this territory."
"Pillar of Flames?" asked Sumiko, confused.
"One of the highest ranks among demon slayers," Kyojuro quickly explained as he sheathed his sword. "I have to make sure there are no demons in this entire region."
The girl nodded and put the basket on her back. Kyojuro smiled a little and the two of them left after thanking their hosts for their hospitality.
Sumiko wiped the sweat off her forehead. She had been training with a wooden sword since sunset, an exercise assigned to her by Kyojuro which she made sure to strictly follow. By the end of the night, she was supposed to have completed a total of one thousand thrusts. Despite training under the supervision of Rengoku for two months, she still hadn't completely adjusted to the nocturnal schedule.
At first, it had seemed impossible. In fact, she still couldn't surpass one hundred thrusts, but her physique had improved during those months. It also served to distract her from her current situation. Since the day they had arrived at that house, Nezuko hadn't woken up again. It was as if she had fallen into a coma from which she couldn't wake up.
Kyojuro approached her. "You're too tense. You have to relax your shoulders a bit," he instructed.
She nodded and resumed her practice. Her hands hurt, and although she had never had delicate hands, they were now covered in calluses and small scratches.
"That's better!" exclaimed Rengoku, stepping back a bit. "But you're not breathing as I've taught you."
Sumiko shuddered. She still couldn't get used to it. She couldn't maintain it for too long without feeling pain in her chest and ribs. She tried to obey and suppressed the grimace of pain while continuing to wield the wooden sword.
"I'll be having a meeting with the other Pillars soon," Kyojuro said, correcting his apprentice's posture again. He had been thinking about it and didn't think it was right to continue keeping Nezuko Kamado's existence a secret. "I've written to my brother, and while I'm away, you'll be staying at my family's residence. When you're done, we'll leave for there."
Sumiko didn't say anything. She was completely focused on maintaining what her teacher had called the "Total Concentration Breathing," which was not an easy task, but apparently one of the fundamentals for becoming a demon hunter.
Rengoku approached the basket and opened it, sighing a bit when he saw that Nezuko was still asleep. She didn't react to any external stimuli, and the demon hunter didn't understand why.
"For now, she's fine," Rengoku said. He didn't want to arrive too late at his house. The less commotion he caused with his arrival, the better. His father's reaction could be unpredictable, and although he didn't like to admit it, lately he preferred to avoid it, and his visits had become less frequent. "I want to get to my house as soon as possible. We don't have much left, a few hours of walking, and we'll have arrived."
Sumiko nodded and hurriedly collected everything, putting the basket where her sister was on her back, while Rengoku waited patiently. He had previously informed his brother Senjuro, so he expected him to be waiting for them, awake.
Hours later, in the early morning, they finally arrived at Rengoku's house and Sumiko stopped, observing the large residence. It was huge, almost five times the size of her own, she thought, feeling a little intimidated, but followed the man inside.
She blinked as she entered the house and was momentarily blinded by the light on in the entrance. When her eyes adjusted, she examined the foyer and, imitating Kyojuro, took off her sandals to be more comfortable. That's when she noticed the young boy looking at them from the hallway.
It was obvious he was Rengoku's younger brother, they were identical, but it was clear he was younger.
"Senjuro," Kyojuro said, smiling as he approached the boy. "This is my pupil, Sumiko Kamado." He turned to look at the girl. "Kamado, this is my younger brother, Senjuro Rengoku."
The boy nodded, eager to meet her, since his brother had talked about her in his last letters. "You must be tired from the journey," he commented. "I've prepared a room for her... Will you be staying the night, Kyojuro?" he asked, and the older brother sensed the slight hope in his voice, but he declined.
"I still have things to do, I'm sorry, Senjuro."
Thanks to her sharp sense of smell, Sumiko immediately sensed the disappointment emanating from Senjuro, but refrained from commenting on it. She didn't want to give the impression of being intrusive.
"Oh, well, then," the young man commented, forcing a smile, although the insincerity of it was obvious.
The three of them said their goodbyes and Sumiko and Senjuro watched as Kyojuro walked away.
"Come, I'll take you to your room, Kamado," Senjuro murmured respectfully, quickly turning around and walking down the hallway.
The girl followed him immediately, biting her tongue not to comment on the previous exchange. Something was obviously not right, but she didn't dare say anything, even in the absence of her teacher.
They stopped in front of a sliding door and entered. Sumiko observed it, it was a room with wooden floors and white stone walls. It was barely furnished, the only furniture in the room was a small wardrobe. There were two futons on the floor, and Sumiko approached and placed the basket she was carrying next to one of them.
"Thank you so much... Senjuro," she murmured, although she quickly corrected herself. "Can I call you that?"
The boy nodded and withdrew, closing the door behind him. The girl opened the basket and carefully took out Nezuko and laid her on one of the futons. She was still the same, sleeping.
"Please... I don't want to lose you too," the young woman murmured, beginning to cry silently. She was dead worried, this wasn't normal, and she didn't know what to do.
Kyojuro silently entered the cobblestone courtyard. He had finally arrived at the patron's residence, though it had taken him longer than usual. He felt somewhat relieved to see that there were still pillars missing.
With his usual wide smile, he approached to greet them.
"Hello, Kocho, Uzui!" he exclaimed upon reaching them. Both returned the greeting, though with less enthusiasm than he. "How are things?"
"Very well," responded Kocho kindly. "I have finally found an apprentice."
The two men exchanged a glance. It was not the first time that the Insect Pillar had found a successor, but...
"I'm very happy for you!" exclaimed Kyojuro, still happy for her.
This made Tengen Uzui raise his right eyebrow, mentally wondering how long that would last. Unlike the others, he did not search so insistently for someone to learn his breathing technique and succeed him as a Pillar, but he could understand their motivations.
"How is your father?" he asked, attempting to change the subject. Although, judging by Kyojuro's expression, it was not the best idea.
"The same as always," the man admitted, suppressing a sigh at the thought of his father. "But I'm sure he'll be able to recover!"
Tengen refrained from responding to that, but none of the Pillars, except Kyojuro himself, believed that anything like that would happen. The sooner Kyojuro stopped lying to himself like that, the better, but that was something he had to realize on his own.
Mitsuri Kanroji tried not to tremble, finally she had succeeded, becoming one of the Pillars was a great honor.
She glanced at her new companions and her eyes stopped for a moment on the Flame Pillar, Kyojuro Rengoku. It was difficult to guess what he was thinking with his solemn expression, but the girl was convinced that her former master was proud of her.
After that, she observed the other Pillars. She had to admit that the five of them exuded an intimidating aura befitting their position in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Although, if anyone stood out in that regard, it was undoubtedly the Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa. He was a young man with almost white blond hair, his face full of scars. Thanks to his bare chest, Mitsuri could glimpse the presence of yet another scar. He almost seemed to be proudly displaying them, and Mitsuri couldn't help but envy his bravery. She could never bring herself to boast about something like that.
The group only had one woman, Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Pillar. She was a petite woman with dark hair and eyes, her hair tied up in a bun secured with an indigo butterfly-shaped hairpin. Over the standard demon hunter uniform of black jacket and pants, she wore a white haori that simulated the pattern of butterfly wings, with pink and turquoise tones at the sleeves. She had painted her lips, giving her a rather beautiful and feminine appearance.
If the previous two stood out for their terrifying appearance and beauty, the Sound Pillar, Tengen Uzui, did so for his eccentric appearance. Like the other two, he was young, a man in his early twenties. He had white hair tied up in a small ponytail. On his forehead, he wore a white headband decorated with what Mitsuri thought were three large white gemstones and three smaller ones. His eyes were red and penetrating, with a series of red lines on his left eye, ending in large and small dots. It was undoubtedly a quite peculiar way of wearing makeup.
The Water Pillar, Giyuu Tomioka, on the other hand, did not stand out too much. He was a young man with blue eyes and black hair tied up in a ponytail. The only thing that really stood out about him was his expression, completely devoid of emotions, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Over the standard demon hunter uniform, he wore a two-colored haori, with the right half being red and the left side having geometric patterns of green, yellow, and orange.
Lastly, there was the Rock Pillar, Gyomei Himejima. A true giant who easily stood over two meters tall. He had short black hair and a horizontal scar on his forehead. His eyes were milky in color. He was blind, but that did not seem to be an impediment for him to perform his duties as a Pillar. He wore a large necklace of red beads around his neck and held smaller prayer beads in his hands. Mitsuri thought he seemed quite religious, seeing the Buddhist inscriptions that the man had on his green haori.
What happened next caught her off guard. As soon as the pattern arrived, a man with short black hair, the six Pillars kneeled and looked down in a sign of respect, something she imitated with clumsiness.
The boss watched those gathered there with a smile. He was always happy to hold these meetings and have the opportunity to see them. He looked with interest at Mitsuri Kanroji. A rather talented young woman, he thought, to become a Pillar in less than a year, as well as invent a new breathing style, were no small feats.
"Good morning, my dear Pillars," he greeted cheerfully.
"We are glad to see that you are in good health, my boss!" Rengoku responded, with poorly concealed enthusiasm.
"Mitsuri Kanroji," said the boss, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, making her look at him, "will you now serve the Demon Slayer Corps as the Pillar of Love?"
"Yes!" exclaimed the young woman, looking ahead immediately.
Ubuyashiki nodded happily. He would have liked to celebrate the new appointment properly, but with the current situation with the demons, it was not something they could afford, the Pillars couldn't waste more time than strictly necessary.
He decided to go to the matter that worried him the most at the moment, it was time to reveal the existence of Nezuko Kamado to the rest of the Pillars, he thought.
"There is something I must tell you," he began to say. "I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you this, but it was necessary."
"You don't need to apologize, boss," Uzui responded immediately, seriously. Everyone noticed that, for some reason, Rengoku was getting a bit tense.
"Two months ago, Kyojuro found a newly converted demon capable of resisting hunger," announced Ubuyashiki.
After that statement in the garden, a deathly silence reigned as the Pillars' eyes were fixed on Rengoku, incredulous at this.
"And she still hasn't devoured any humans!" Kyojuro declared, looking at his leader. "Although she's been asleep this whole time!"
"Wait a minute!" Sanemi shouted angrily. "What's this about you sparing the life of one of those despicable demons?"
Kyojuro didn't have time to respond to that, as his companion grabbed him by the jacket, with a clear intention to punch him, which the other easily blocked.
Before the situation could escalate further, Ubuyashiki restored order "I did it. After reading her letter, I authorized him to keep her alive," he explained.
"I don't understand, boss," protested Uzui. "Demons are unscrupulous creatures that only think about devouring humans."
"That, although it is the usual case, is not always true," confessed Kagaya. "Nezuko Kamado is not the first demon who can survive without eating humans."
"Has this happened before, then?" asked Giyuu Tomioka.
"Right now, there are two demons that are out of Muzan's reach and that don't eat humans," Kagaya recounted.
Shinobu Kocho looked at the boss seriously. Since when did he know that and why did he keep it quiet? That was something they all wondered, although none with the same desperation as the Insect Pillar. If her sister, when she was alive, had known that...she gritted her teeth as she felt the anger flooding her in waves and tried to suppress it as best she could.
"Two months ago, as we suspect, Muzan Kibutsuji personally came to kill all the members of the Kamado family," Ubuyashiki related. "Only two survived, Nezuko, who was turned into a demon, and the eldest daughter, Sumiko, who was absent at the time."
"The bodies were intact!" Rengoku added, trying to defend his decision even more. " Not a single bite on all five bodies!"
"Are you completely sure of that, Rengoku?" Kocho asked, serious.
"Completely!"
"And what do you want us to do, boss?" Sanemi asked irritably. "Look the other way?"
"I would like you to give him a chance," the man acknowledged. "We still have to find out why he attacked that family. And I believe that keeping the two survivors alive will give us the answers we seek over time."
"If that is your wish, my boss, I will respect it," Kanroji then intervened, serious. She trusted Ubuyashiki's judgment.
Little by little, although reluctantly, the other four were forced to give in to this.
See you soon with the next chapter! Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!