Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. This story is a translation of another fanfic of mine. I hope you like it!
Kazumi got on the train, serious and quite tense. Hidden in her clothes, she carried a very sharp awl, a gift from Enmu to properly destroy the soul cores of her victims.
A task that, despite knowing how horrible it was, she kept doing. She didn't want to find out what Enmu would do to her if she refused. He would probably kill her, and if she was completely honest with herself, Kazumi didn't want to die. Anyone in her situation would have done the same, right?
She glanced at the passengers who were already sitting in the train seats. She had to look for a specific passenger. Even if the only clue the demon had given her was that he was wearing a dark buttoned jacket with a kanji on the back and pants of the same color. That and he would be carrying a hidden sword.
She swallowed nervously, remembering the latter, even though Enmu had assured her that, being a civilian, the man wouldn't wield that weapon against her, the girl wasn't completely sure.
No one paid attention to her, most of the passengers were busy chatting with each other or looking out the window and saying goodbye to those who accompanied them to the station.
But it didn't seem like the person she had to eliminate was in that car. She didn't even know why they had to go after someone like that, although she didn't have the courage to ask why.
With that in mind, she moved to the next car and discreetly watched those who were there. But nothing, the person she was looking for wasn't there either. So, with no other choice, she crossed over to the third car, hoping to be lucky at last.
She noticed that at that moment, there were already several people asleep, undoubtedly already under Enmu's power, and for a moment, Kazumi wondered what it would feel like to be like that. They seemed so relaxed...
As if they weren't aware of what was really happening, but for that night, they would be spared. Kazumi finally located the person she was looking for and had to contain a sigh of relief when she saw that he was already asleep.
He was a young man who, from his appearance, couldn't have been more than twenty years old. He had long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. He slept peacefully, unaware of the fate that would soon befall him.
As she had done on previous occasions, she sat in front of her victim and pulled out the rope hidden in her obi. Enmu had also warned her that some people who wore that uniform were able to feel bad intentions, so she had to be careful.
She first tied the rope to her right wrist and, once she made sure the knot was secure, she repeated the same procedure with the right wrist of the man.
She sat back in the opposite seat and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep, following the instructions Enmu had given her the first time she did this.
Yoshikage looked around confused, how and when had he gotten there? The last thing he remembered was getting on the train, going to one of the cars, and sitting down. But now, without any rational explanation, he was back in front of the small house where he had grown up.
The snow fell heavily and the wind that howled at that moment ruffled his hair. One of the snowflakes landed in his hand and the young hunter shuddered at the contact. It seemed real, he confirmed, but that still didn't explain anything.
He wasn't going to find answers to everything by standing still in front of the house, he thought, and although he wasn't sure it was a good idea, he went in.
Everything was just as he remembered it. A large square wooden table with one leg slightly shorter than the rest, which made it limp, and the seven chairs around it.
The fireplace they used in winter to keep warm was in its usual corner. And a wicker basket from which several small logs protruded was to his left.
In front of the fireplace was a red carpet, which stood out on the wooden floor. The walls of the house, white in color, reflected their age and were worn.
He tensed involuntarily when he heard someone talking from the door. He had recognized the voice perfectly, but it couldn't be. He turned, fearing what he was going to find.
His mother, who had been murdered by a demon almost a decade ago, was there. He paled at the sight of her, she looked exactly as he remembered her. She wore the usual brown kimono, held with a red obi.
Long black hair, tied in a somewhat messy bun. Blue eyes, which stood out on her face, always overflowing with kindness. She smiled sweetly as she approached him.
Unconsciously, Yoshikage began to sob strongly, and forgetting all his hardships since that tragic event, he quickly moved towards his mother and hugged her while continuing to cry and the woman murmured gentle words of comfort and, with a white handkerchief, wiped the tears that fell from his eyes.
"What's wrong?" the woman asked, concerned. It was not normal for her son to lose it that way. The times she had seen him cry had been rare.
The young man was unable to say anything, the words stuck in his throat, he was only able to cry as if he were a small child. But eventually, the tears stopped falling and he felt calmer.
"Are you feeling better now, Yoshikage?" his mother asked, smiling a little, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yes, I don't know what happened," he murmured, embarrassed. If his older brother had seen him, he would have teased him for being a crybaby. And he was already a grown man, he couldn't keep doing those things.
"It's okay." Ayane, his mother, didn't seem worried about it anymore, which he appreciated, he didn't like to make his mother feel bad. "What I was going to ask you was if you wanted to accompany me to the village to buy some things. I have to take care of several things and I don't think I'll be able to do it alone with all the weight."
"Of course!"
"Great, thank you very much, son! Oh, and before I forget, go and tell Akira to come with us," Ayane asked. "He must be in the workshop, as always, you know that when he starts working he loses track of time."
Yoshikage nodded and, not wanting to keep his mother waiting too long, ran towards the small shed that was a few meters to the left of the house.
Kazumi ran through the snowy landscape, she had to hurry and find the limit of the dream. Although the young man was currently busy spending time with her family, nothing assured her that it would last forever. And she preferred not to take unnecessary risks.
She looked around, hoping she wasn't too far away. The snowstorm that had broken out was making her search too difficult, she could barely see what was in front of her. Even her breath came out as steam.
She clenched her right hand around the sharp awl she held until her knuckles turned white. She had to be close, she told herself, while with her free hand, she tried to feel for the edge.
On other occasions, she had stumbled into the barrier because she wasn't paying attention. It didn't hurt her, but it was still embarrassing. She smiled with obvious relief when her hand touched something solid.
As in previous occasions, she couldn't see what she was touching, but she was unable to advance. Knowing that she had finally arrived, she raised the awl and, with the skill of someone who had done it many times before, began to tear that thin membrane until she created a space large enough to pass through to the core area without any problems.
As soon as she entered, she opened her eyes wide, surprised at the beauty of the landscape that lay before her. A green meadow that seemed to have no end. There was an unheard-of peace and calmness in that place. She smiled a little, suddenly feeling very relaxed, but she shook her head almost immediately, freeing herself from the spell that the place exerted on her.
She had to find the core and destroy it, she reminded herself as she began to walk through the meadow. It took her a couple of minutes to find what she was looking for. In the center of the meadow was the core, a large white orb, but the girl, not intimidated by its size, decisively plunged the awl into it and began to tear it apart.
As the gap grew larger and larger, the place around her began to crumble, as if it were just an illusion, but Kazumi was certain that, like on previous occasions, Enmu would take her out of there before her life was truly in danger. And he did so, like the previous times.
Kazumi opened her eyes abruptly and sat up quickly. This was something that always happened to her when she returned to reality - she always woke up startled and dizzy. Her heart was beating faster than normal and, something that was starting to worry her, it took her longer than usual to realize that she was back.
She didn't know what caused it, Enmu had never warned her of any side effects from entering other people's dreams. But if she concentrated hard enough, she could still feel the touch of snow on her body and the sensation of cold. And, like the previous times, she convinced herself that it was normal, something fleeting, and that she would soon feel better.
She untied the rope from her wrist and did the same with the young man's. She tucked the rope back under her obi and, without looking back, left the carriage. Her task was done - whatever Enmu wanted to do with that person was not her concern.
She wouldn't get on that train again until the demon indicated it, but until then, she would continue selling newspapers as usual.
Enmu smiled with satisfaction, everything was going smoothly. Better than he had expected at first. Although that hunter could have been a problem, thanks to the girl he had one less thing to worry about.
The Lower Moon One had not foreseen that a member of the Corps would use the same train as him. But now he could savor the flesh of one of those disgusting humans and he was dying to do so. Just thinking about it made his mouth water.
Of all the humans he had had the opportunity to eat during his fifty years as a demon, demon hunters were without a doubt a real delicacy. Their blood was delicious and their meat, the best.
He took on a human form, making sure he looked like just another person, and calmly headed to the carriage where the young man, still sitting, looked ahead with empty, almost dead eyes.
He didn't know how long he could do this without attracting the attention of other hunters, but he planned to make the most of it. Although, as long as he continued with this modus operandi, he shouldn't have any problems. His blood technique left his victims incapacitated and using that human girl kept him hidden. With all that, even one of those annoying Pillars would fall easily.
He smiled at the thought, if normal hunters tasted that exquisite, what would the meat of one of them taste like? But he was not a suicide, before he had to face one of the Pillars, he had to be stronger. Which meant he had to keep feeding. He had no hurry, in fact, the longer he ensured he went unnoticed, the better.
He arrived at the carriage and, slowly, approached the hunter. He smiled victoriously as he saw his condition. That human had lost his soul and was nothing but a puppet.
"Follow me," he ordered, and the human got up and obeyed. The two men left the train and walked out of the station, without any of the passers-by paying the slightest attention to them.
That was something that never ceased to impress Enmu, how little attention they paid to others. Over the years, humans became more and more selfish, which he found particularly amusing, and he wondered to what extent they would be able to carry that attitude.
He took the human to an empty and dark alleyway, where the light from the nearby street lamps barely reached. He stopped and looked at his victim. That night he had earned himself a feast, the demon said to himself, as he closed in and, removing his false human appearance, buried his teeth in the hunter's neck, easily severing the carotid artery.
Rui stretched a bit and looked around, smiling slightly. The rest of his family were still sleeping, resting after having eaten a group of humans who had the misfortune of passing by their new hiding place.
He licked his lips a bit, thinking about how satiated he felt. They had killed a total of ten humans without any difficulty, and then they all enjoyed the meal. And Rui was becoming increasingly convinced that leaving Mount Natagumo was a good decision.
Although he didn't know how long they could stay there before hunters were sent after them. But it didn't matter, they would defend themselves. Rui wouldn't allow anyone to harm his family.
As the strongest member, it was his obligation to protect them. It was something he had understood almost from the moment he started taking in demons who needed help, even if at the beginning he did that just for fun.
The only condition he had put was that they had to physically resemble him, making the whole family thing more realistic and believable, which pleased the boy greatly.
He smiled a bit and looked out the window. He felt that things were changing, although he didn't yet know how to interpret the fact that his lord had provided them with more blood. Muzan never did anything without a weighty reason behind it. That was something Rui was very clear about. And almost since his creation, the demon king had never paid attention to the Lower Moons.
He shook his head a bit, frustrated, and furrowed his brow. No, it wasn't his place to question Muzan's decisions. His only function was to fulfill his will. Everything else was secondary.
"Rui, what are you doing up?" he heard his mother ask. He turned and saw that the woman was sitting on the blanket she used as an improvised bed. "It's almost dawn, you shouldn't be there, at the window."
"I'm coming," the younger one assured her, and to reassure her, he moved away from there and approached the area where the rest were sleeping. His mother worried a lot about those things. When he returned with the rest, he felt, through the mental and emotional bond that united them all, how the woman felt more relaxed.
"Sometimes I think you trust yourself too much, Rui," the woman commented mentally, knowing that the boy could hear her perfectly.
"You worry too much," he replied. He wasn't stupid, he knew very well how to take care of himself.
The demon sighed a bit, Rui was too stubborn about those things, and it was difficult to reason with him sometimes. Surrendering, recognizing that it was a lost battle, she left the topic. She settled back on the blanket and closed her eyes.
For now, demon hunters didn't know about their existence, so as long as that was the case, they could relax. Besides, in case things got complicated, they had Rui to protect them. Being a Lower Moon, dealing with ordinary hunters was not a problem for him.
Rui noticed the exact moment when she fell asleep and sat up again. He was having trouble sleeping, he had been tossing and turning for several nights about something. He believed that to ensure greater protection for his family, it was necessary to ascend within the Moons. Although his position as the Fifth Lower Moon wasn't bad, the higher he ascended, the more powerful he would be.
Perhaps if he tried hard enough, he could become one of the Six Upper Moons, but for that, he needed to eat more humans and strengthen himself. While he pondered all of that, he looked seriously at the other demons. It would be worth it if it ensured they lived.
His tension increased when he felt it was dawning, but all the windows had been covered so that sunlight wouldn't enter the house. It was uncomfortable and unpleasant, and they wouldn't be able to move until nightfall.
With nothing better to do, he lay down on his makeshift cot, though he kept his eyes open and alert. At least until sleep gradually overtook him and he ended up falling asleep with his family.
The first demon to wake up, as soon as the sun was down, was one of the older sisters. She sat up and stretched a bit, her muscles were somewhat stiff after spending so many hours sleeping, but with her healing ability, the discomfort disappeared soon.
Her stomach growled a bit. Demons, after a hearty meal, could go days without feeling the need to eat again. But it had been over a week since their last meal, so it was natural to be hungry again.
She approached Rui and started shaking his shoulder, not too roughly, but not delicately either, until the other demon finally opened his eyes.
"Shall we go hunting?" she asked, not even giving Rui a chance to sit up.
"Are you already hungry?" The boy rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up completely, and stood up.
"Yes, aren't you?"
"A little bit," Rui acknowledged, and with the help of his sister, they woke up the remaining six members of the family. "Ayane and I are going to go hunting," Rui announced, serious, and the other demons nodded.
"Be careful," the mother said, as she was worried again. Rui rolled his eyes a bit, somewhat irritated by that, but refrained from commenting. After all, thanks to the bond that united the eight of them, they could all clearly feel it.
"You don't have to worry so much, mother," Ayane intervened, conciliatory, trying to calm the situation. "We know how to take care of ourselves well, and we won't take too long."
The woman nodded, and along with the rest, watched as the two quickly went down the hill towards the village that was a couple of kilometers away from their hideout.
She was aware that Rui, in part, was right, but she believed that her concern was more than justified. And that, so far, they had been fortunate not to encounter particularly strong hunters. But she feared the moment when one of the Pillars would find them.
The chances of surviving an encounter with one of the strongest hunters of the Corps were almost nil. Something that only the Upper Moons and their lord could do.
"We are being careful, I don't think they will send the Pillars after us," Kai commented mentally, he was one of their brothers, trying to calm her. He was, by appearance, the youngest in the group. Although, in reality, he had been one of the first to join that family.
His appearance, like everyone else's, was that of an exceptionally pale person, with some red marks on his face. His eyes were the color of mahogany, and he had short hair, cut in a bowl style. He wore a white kimono and, unlike the rest of the family, he wore brown sandals.
"I hope it stays that way," she replied, in her mind. She had been feeling that something bad was going to happen for a while, but she couldn't quite understand what it was, and unconsciously attributed it to the fear that the Pillars inspired in her.
See you soon with the next chapter! Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!