Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. This story is a translation of another fanfic of mine. I hope you like it!
Sanemi could barely contain his bad mood. He had been like this since the day of Kagaya Ubuyashiki's funeral. But instead of taking it out on people, he dedicated himself to relentless training with his sword.
He looked at the cloudy sky and grumbled. It would start raining anytime now, and he'd have to find shelter from the rain. He sheathed his sword and looked towards the mansion he was in. The Mansion of Wind. His place of residence due to his position as a Pillar.
It was too large considering he was the only one living there. He usually avoided that place, even though he didn't want to seem ungrateful to Kagaya, it was too much for him. Accustomed to living in a small house, he couldn't stand being there longer than necessary.
He pushed those thoughts aside, redirecting them to what happened at the funeral. He had expected anything but to see his younger brother there. He had worked so hard to keep Genya away from the Corps. When he left him in the care of one of his uncles, he thought he had it sorted and that his brother would live a happy life. But he didn't anticipate him being able to follow in his footsteps.
He clenched his teeth. He had to do something. Anything to make sure they expelled the kid. All he knew was that he was Himejima's successor. Barely anything, he needed to find out more in the hope of discovering something useful.
And he always had the option of causing him a chronic injury. Accidentally, of course. He would manage. What had Himejima been thinking when he accepted him as a successor!?
He brought his right hand to his chin, needing to think calmly about what to do. Right at that moment, it started raining heavily without any warning, and before he could run to the house, he was completely soaked.
He took refuge in the house and frowned. The floor beneath his feet was getting wet, and he'd have to clean it later, but changing clothes before catching a cold was more important right now.
The last time something like this happened, Shinobu had scolded him for not taking care of his health. That woman could be terrifying when she wanted to. And he promised himself not to make her angry like that again.
He went to the bathroom, leaving a trail of water behind him. He took off his clothes once he was there and dried himself with one of the towels available. He looked at himself in the mirror, contemplating the new scars he had. No one came out unscathed from the battle against the Upper Moon.
That reminded him of Tomioka's words. What he struggled with the most was knowing that he was right. They weren't strong enough to defeat one of the most powerful demons.
All he could do was train until he collapsed from exhaustion. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. If he chose a successor right now, after everything that had happened, no one would object. He grinned with a macabre smile; he knew how to deal with Genya.
He got dressed again, putting on more comfortable clothes once he was dry, and left the bathroom, feeling much better.
Sumiko was smiling while she was reading the letters she had received. Her master's birthday was approaching, and with the help of Senjuro and the girls from the Butterfly Mansion, they had been preparing a surprise party for him.
Now it was her turn to come up with a believable excuse to convince Kyojuro to go there. Thanks to Senjuro, she had a slight idea of what to say; she just hoped it would work.
She looked up when she heard footsteps and, seeing that it was Rengoku approaching her, she carefully folded the letter and stood up.
"You're up quite early today," Kyojuro noted, stopping in front of her and curiously looking at the folded paper.
"The crow woke me up," she said, grabbing the letter and stowing it away. "Kanao wrote to me. Apparently, Kocho has discovered something from analyzing Nezuko's blood."
"I didn't know she was doing that," Kyojuro commented, slightly furrowing his brow. It was strange that Shinobu hadn't informed him, especially if it concerned Nezuko.
"I asked her to do it before we left," Sumiko improvised. "And she promised to let me know if she found anything."
"But her successor informed you," the Flame Pillar pointed out, serious.
Sumiko shrugged, hiding her nervousness. Kyojuro sighed; it wasn't that important after all. The main thing was that they had been in contact.
"She's asking us to come to the Butterfly Mansion to discuss it in person," the young woman explained.
"Well, then we should go," Kyojuro muttered. Sumiko had to suppress the sigh of relief that almost escaped her. Rengoku didn't seem entirely convinced, and she didn't want to make him doubt even more.
"I'll go get ready, Rengoku," she said, walking towards the room she used in her master's house.
"You can call me Kyojuro," he commented, turning to look at her. Sumiko, surprised, stopped and looked at him. "We've known each other for over three years," the Flame Pillar pointed out. Since he addressed her by her first name, it was only fair that she did the same.
"But isn't that disrespectful?" she asked. Even though she had been promoted, Rengoku was still her superior in the Demon Slayer Corps.
"I insist. It's fine; I'm the one asking you, right?"
"Well, yes..." Sumiko murmured, giving in to his request. This seemed to genuinely please Kyojuro, as he smiled from ear to ear. Sumiko tried to return the gesture, although it didn't come across as sincerely as she would have liked. "I'm going to put on my uniform," she said. She had worn a pajama that Kyojuro had given her to sleep in. It had belonged to his mother, and as expected, it was a bit big on her.
"I'll be waiting."
Kyojuro knocked on the door again, puzzled that no one had come to open it. He and Sumiko had just arrived at the Butterfly Mansion.
"That's odd..."
"Why don't we go through the courtyard?" Sumiko suggested nonchalantly.
"We don't have much choice."
The two of them headed in that direction. Sumiko tried to stay behind her master, which caused Kyojuro to look at her with a certain strangeness, confused by her behavior. But before he could ask about it, they reached the courtyard, and the Flame Pillar saw everyone who lived there gathered. They were all smiling, and the place was specially decorated for a party.
There were tables filled with dishes of food. Kyojuro could even spot several plates of his favorite food, roasted sweet potatoes, but he didn't have time to fully process what was happening.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" everyone present shouted. Senjuro, holding a chocolate cake with lit candles, approached him.
Kyojuro turned and looked at his pupil. Sumiko smiled sweetly upon realizing his confusion.
"We wanted to surprise you," she explained.
"Thank you," Kyojuro said, and without realizing it, he started to silently cry. Senjuro stopped in front of him and looked at him with concern.
"What's wrong, big brother?" he asked, not understanding. Had they made a mistake in preparing all of this secretly?
"Nothing, it's nothing," Kyojuro muttered, wiping away his tears. He couldn't even remember the last time he had celebrated his birthday like this, with so many people present. And he felt happy, very happy in that moment.
Senjuro lifted the cake a bit, and Kyojuro, understanding what he wanted, blew out the candles, extinguishing them all.
"Thank you," Kyojuro said as everyone gathered around. Shinobu smiled a little and looked at him.
"The idea was Senjuro's and Mitsuri's," the Insect Pillar said. Kyojuro looked up and gazed at his former student.
He shivered a bit at the patch covering her eye. But for the sake of everyone, he had to act like nothing was wrong.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed. "I didn't expect this. We came because Sumiko..."
"I asked her to tell you that," the Insect Pillar interrupted. "I knew something like that would be enough to get you here."
Kyojuro quickly turned and looked at Sumiko. She offered an apologetic smile, understanding what was going through his mind.
"It was the only thing we could think of, and I couldn't spoil the surprise, could I?" she justified. "Not with all the effort they were putting into it."
Kyojuro nodded. He smiled and approached the tables to have something to eat. He intended to enjoy the party to the fullest.
Amane read the letter that the Wind Pillar had sent to her son. Sanemi was requesting to take charge of Genya Shinazugawa and make him his successor. When she finished reading, she set the letter aside and looked at her son Kiriya.
"And what have you thought about?" she asked. "Are you going to accept or not?"
"What should I do?"
"Genya is a special case, and it's better for him to be under someone's guidance," she advised.
Kiriya nodded, not questioning his mother's words at any moment. He immediately began writing a response. Amane sighed a bit; she could understand that her son trusted her, but blindly following her advice without considering other options wasn't the right approach.
"You shouldn't just listen to me without question," she admonished. "What do you want to do?"
"Well..." Kiriya paused, thinking about what to say. "They are siblings, aren't they?"
"Yes, and?"
"Well, if anyone can help Genya, it's Sanemi, right?"
Amane nodded, more satisfied. For a moment, she feared her son would repeat the same reasoning she had.
"You need to get used to this. Not all decisions you'll make will be so easy."
"I know," the boy muttered, looking away. "I'll tell him yes."
"Don't forget to explain Genya's condition."
Kiriya nodded, and after picking up the pen, he dipped the tip in ink and started writing.
Sanemi smiled, satisfied. He was reading the letter the new leader had sent him, and just as he had expected, they had agreed. Genya would now become his successor. His smile faded as he continued reading. He furrowed his brow slightly, understanding the seriousness of what was being conveyed to him.
"I see..." he murmured. There was only one thing he could do in that case. But first, he needed to go to the Butterfly Mansion.
In a couple of weeks, Genya had to be there for Kocho to conduct an examination. As they explained, it was something the boy had to do periodically.
He clicked his tongue; that meant he wouldn't have as much freedom as he would have liked. But it wasn't impossible; he just needed to figure out how. One thing was clear to him, though. Someone with such an ability couldn't be human.
He closed his eyes for a moment. Himejima should have taken care of it back then. If only he had known sooner... The important thing was that he would. He would have the courage that apparently Kocho and Himejima lacked.
With that in mind, he set off for the Butterfly Mansion.
Kyojuro read the letter attentively that had arrived for him. They had just been assigned a rather important mission. Strange deaths had been occurring on one of the country's trains. And the number of victims, including several demon slayers, had already exceeded forty.
The Pillar furrowed his brow; such a high death toll could be the work of one of the Moons. Although that didn't matter, such an act couldn't go unpunished.
He fastened his sword to his belt and waited for Sumiko. The girl had gone to fetch her sister. If they left now, they would reach the station in less than an hour, but they would have to take one of the trains to get to the scene.
Sumiko arrived at that moment, carrying the basket with her sister on her back.
"Are we leaving now?" she asked, and Kyojuro nodded.
"Have you ever ridden a train before?" he asked, curious.
"No, what's that?"
Kyojuro, who had been about to open the door to the house, stopped. He looked at her as he processed her words. He then remembered that she came from a poor family. As she had told him before, she had never left her village until her family was murdered, so it made sense that she didn't know what a train was.
"You'll see when we get there," he opted to say. "Don't worry."
Sumiko nodded and tried to smile. She had never seen a train before, and she felt somewhat nervous. She tried to imagine what it would be like. Maybe it was similar to a cart, but more modern. The only thing she knew was that it was used for traveling. She didn't know how to feel about it; she liked having the opportunity to learn and experience so much, but the fact that it had to come at the expense of her family's lives...
Kyojuro didn't notice what his pupil was thinking, more focused on briefing her about the mission. And Sumiko forced herself to pay attention to what he was saying.
"If it has killed so many people, it must be a powerful demon, right?" she asked when her master finished speaking.
"That's right, it's possibly one of the Moons."
Sumiko swallowed hard upon hearing that, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. She tasted a bitter flavor in her mouth. Her expression must have betrayed what she was feeling, as Kyojuro placed his right hand on her shoulder to get her attention.
"Don't worry, Sumiko. Everything will be fine."
"Of course..." she murmured, trying to trust his words.
Sumiko looked, impressed, at the train. She stood there with her mouth open and wide-eyed, observing that, in her eyes, titan of metal. Kyojuro, by her side, tried not to laugh at her reaction.
"We should go buy the tickets," he said when he felt like laughing had subsided a bit.
"Tickets?"
"Of course, we need them to be able to travel. Wait for me here for a moment, I'll be right back."
Sumiko nodded, and Kyojuro left her alone. She then noticed that the people at the station were staring at her. But she soon realized that their gazes weren't directed at her, but at her katana.
However, before she could say anything or explain herself, one of the police officers patrolling the area, alerted by a traveler, approached to see what was happening.
The officer, as soon as he noticed her uniform, tensed up and quickened his pace towards her. Sumiko considered taking out her identification and introducing herself, but it seemed it wouldn't be necessary, as the policeman immediately saluted her with a military gesture. She felt somewhat uncomfortable with so much attention, but returned the salute.
"Officer, that's the girl I was telling you about," said the passerby who had called him over. The officer looked at him, serious.
"It's alright, she's permitted to carry weapons," he confirmed.
The man, still suspicious, examined Sumiko, but didn't say anything; he simply nodded.
"Is there a problem?" Kyojuro asked, just having arrived with the two tickets and noticing the group of people gathered there.
"No, there's no problem," Sumiko said as the police officer repeated the same salute, this time to Kyojuro, who returned it quite naturally.
"We should get on the train, or we'll miss it," Kyojuro said, focusing his attention on his successor. Sumiko nodded and followed him onto the train.
She looked around in awe at the train car and the seats, observing everything closely as they moved forward. They stopped at some available seats, and Kyojuro sat down. Seeing that Sumiko remained standing, he smiled a bit, amused.
"Sit next to me," he instructed, and she immediately obeyed. "We'll get off at the last station," Kyojuro began to explain. "Then we'll take another train, the Infinite Train, where the deaths have occurred."
"Do trains have names?" Sumiko asked, confused.
Kyojuro couldn't hold back anymore and burst into laughter, amused. The girl looked away, embarrassed; she didn't think her question had been that absurd.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the Flame Pillar apologized, wiping the tears from his eyes. "And no, they usually don't have names. But the Infinite Train was the first one built in Japan."
"Oh, I didn't know," the girl admitted and looked out the window as the train started moving, interested in the scenery.
Kyojuro closed his eyes, feeling relaxed. They still had a few hours to go, and resting a bit wouldn't be a bad idea.
Zenitsu was trying to muster patience with Inosuke. The crow had assigned them a mission on the Infinite Train. The only positive aspect of it all was that he would see Sumiko again. Although they kept up to date through the letters they exchanged, he preferred seeing her and spending some time with her, even if it meant killing another demon.
But he couldn't say the same about having to endure Inosuke. Not only was he excessively loud, but he was also trying to charge at the train as if it were another enemy.
"Will you just stand still for once?!" Zenitsu shouted, grabbing Inosuke by the brown pelts hanging from his waist and pulling him back. "Aren't you ashamed?! Everyone's watching us!"
"I didn't ask for your opinion, Chinitsu!" Inosuke retorted, grumbling. "I just want to fight that monster!" he yelled, pointing at the train.
"Look, Inosuke, that's a train. And if we don't hurry, it'll leave without us," Zenitsu explained. "And if it leaves without us, we won't see Sumiko."
Miraculously, the mention of Sumiko made Inosuke stop resisting and behave. He followed Zenitsu in silence to buy the tickets and even got on the train without protesting.
"Now we just need to find them," the blonde said, satisfied. Inosuke nodded and, holding onto his friend's haori with his left hand, followed him.
They walked through the train cars, trying to catch a glimpse of the Flame Pillar's distinctive hair. It took them about four or five cars to reach where they were. But finally, they found them and approached quickly.
They sat down in front of them, although Zenitsu, who had to sit near the basket where Nezuko was, eyed her with some suspicion. The sounds she emitted still made him nervous.
"Hello!" Sumiko greeted, smiling, happy to see them. "How are you?"
"Good, and you?" Zenitsu asked, shifting his gaze from the basket and focusing on his friend.
"Good too."
"What brings you here?" Rengoku asked.
"They asked us to come as reinforcement," Zenitsu explained, trying not to scold Inosuke, who had taken one of Sumiko's bentos and, lacking manners, was eating with his hands eagerly. The blonde wondered how he hadn't choked yet.
"I see!"
The conversation was interrupted when the conductor appeared and checked their tickets, making sure everything was in order. Zenitsu and Sumiko watched the man with concern, but didn't comment until he walked away.
"That man sounded very sad," the boy remarked. It wasn't the first time he had heard that sound. It was the one that accompanied those who had lost loved ones and couldn't overcome it.
"It's none of our business!" Kyojuro exclaimed immediately.
"I know, it's just that I feel sorry for him."
At that moment, the train started moving, and the four fell silent. Nezuko took advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention to them and climbed out of the basket, sitting close to her sister. Smiling a bit, she took Sumiko's left hand and looked out the window.
"Did you sleep well?" the elder of the two asked, looking at her.
"Yes, but I was getting a bit uncomfortable in there."
Kyojuro glanced at her out of the corner of his eye but didn't object to her being outside the basket.
See you soon with the next chapter! Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!