Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. This story is a translation of another fanfic of mine. I hope you like it!
Nezuko listened quietly and seriously as her sister Sumiko explained the mission they had just been assigned. Sumiko had come to fetch her from her room at the Butterfly Mansion, and was now asking if Nezuko was going to accompany them. Nezuko didn't respond and just looked at Sumiko in silence. Sumiko bit her lip nervously and looked away, interpreting Nezuko's silence as a response. She headed towards the door, not seeing the frown on Nezuko's face as she watched her, even angrier than before.
"And that's it? You're not even going to try to convince me to go?" Nezuko spoke with disdain and resentment in her voice. "What's the matter? Kanao is going to accompany you, isn't she?"
"And what if she is?" Sumiko retorted, already tired of it all, but with her friend's words still fresh in her mind.
As expected, her words only made the situation worse. Nezuko clenched her fists and her face turned red with anger. She huffed loudly and her gaze perfectly conveyed the anger she was feeling.
"I didn't think you could be so selfish, Sumiko."
"What did you just say?" the elder sister asked, thinking she had misheard, turning to look at Nezuko.
"I said you're acting like a real selfish person," Nezuko repeated firmly.
"For wanting to socialize with people my own age?!" Sumiko half-shouted, and Nezuko looked at her sister in surprise for the first time.
"What's wrong with that?!" Nezuko shouted back, quickly recovering. "You prefer them over me!"
The door to the room opened before Sumiko could respond to that, and Rengoku came in. He looked quite serious, which was unusual for him. His lips were tightly pressed together and his brow was slightly furrowed.
"We should leave now, Sumiko. We can't afford to be any later," he said, glancing at Nezuko out of the corner of his eye.
"Yes, I'm sorry, Rengoku. I didn't mean to take so long." Sumiko hurried out of the room, her head down, avoiding eye contact with her sister and their master.
Nezuko walked towards the basket that Sumiko had left by the bed when she entered, but the man's voice stopped her.
"It's better for you to stay here this time," Kyojuro said, and the demon spun around at lightning speed. The Flame Pillar's gaze, if possible, had become more serious.
"No, I'm going with you."
"I wasn't asking for your opinion, it's an order," the Flame Pillar replied.
"I'm not going to leave my sister alone," Nezuko refused to back down and shrank to fit inside the basket. She got in and looked at Kyojuro. "I'm not going to lose her too."
But instead of approaching to pick up the basket, Kyojuro turned around to leave, completely ignoring Nezuko, who was calling out to him, irritated. The girl, seeing no other option, rushed out of the basket, but before she could even take a step towards the adult, Rengoku had opened the door, allowing some sunlight to bathe the room.
Nezuko jumped back, hissing in annoyance and baring her teeth at the sight of the sunlight. And Rengoku took advantage of that to leave, close the door, and leave the girl there. He also ignored Nezuko's screaming demands from the other side of the door for the Flame Pillar to come back and get her.
But Kyojuro left without a second thought, leaving the girl behind.
Sumiko was waiting for her master at the entrance. Kyojuro approached her, serious. He had heard the discussion between the two sisters from the beginning and wanted to talk to his pupil about it.
"And Nezuko?" the young girl asked immediately, noticing that Kyojuro wasn't carrying the basket.
"She's staying here. It's better for her not to come with us," he replied.
"Oh," murmured Sumiko, not knowing what to say.
Kyojuro stopped next to her and looked at her, still maintaining his serious expression. "Is this the first time she's told you something like that?"
Sumiko, who had been about to open the door to leave, stopped abruptly and after a few seconds, shook her head.
"I see," murmured Kyojuro, somewhat dryly. All the times that Nezuko had insisted on becoming stronger during their first missions came flooding back to his mind. Even then, her behavior had been worrying. It was clear that her behavior had escalated. Perhaps it was his fault for not addressing it when he had the chance.
"What should I do?" the young girl asked, hoping for some advice from the adult. Kyojuro looked ahead, thoughtful.
"I don't think you've done anything wrong," he began, and before adding anything else, he opened the door. "I think the problem lies with your sister."
The two went outside. Sumiko was serious, her brow furrowed, pondering Kyojuro's words. "But I can't just do nothing."
"Demons are especially obsessive creatures," commented Kyojuro as he closed the door, turned around, and looked at the girl. He didn't need to say more, it was clear what he was implying. That Sumiko was the object of Nezuko's obsession.
Sumiko opened her mouth, trying to find an argument to deny it, but nothing came to mind. She closed her mouth, surrendering to the evidence.
"I'll talk to Shinobu about it when we return from the mission," Kyojuro told her. She would know better than him how to handle something like this. Or so he hoped.
Sumiko didn't say anything else and began to walk, her gaze fixed on her crow, which flew through the sky, indicating the path they should take. Kyojuro sighed a bit and followed her, feeling that things were only going to get worse.
But they couldn't stop thinking about it now. The mission they had on their hands was much more important. The lives of innocent people were at stake.
They both picked up the pace, and the crow, responding immediately, began to fly faster. They had to reach a wisteria house before nightfall. If they kept a good pace, it would take them five days to reach their destination.
"But for now, it's best not to dwell on it", advised Kyojuro a while later.
"I don't know if I can," the young woman admitted.
"You have to try," said Kyojuro, serious, glancing at her.
"I'll try," she promised, though she didn't sound convinced at all and Kyojuro noticed it right away. But he didn't comment on it, as he could understand, to some extent, how the young woman was feeling.
Neither of them said anything else. They paid more attention to the crow, making sure not to lose sight of it, as they had just entered a dense coniferous forest and the leaves of the trees barely allowed them to see the bird.
They also had to watch the ground to avoid the branches of the trees and the rocks on the path. Kyojuro, being the fastest, led the way and Sumiko did her best not to lose sight of him completely.
Zenitsu stopped in front of the house, where the symbol of a wisteria flower was engraved on the door. He noticed three crows perched on a nearby tree, staring at him. He sighed a little, not surprised to be the last one to arrive. At least he had made it before nightfall, he thought, relieved.
With some resignation, he approached the door and knocked on the wood several times. He waited a couple of minutes and an old woman opened it. The woman observed his uniform and nodded.
"It's a pleasure to receive you, hunter," murmured the woman, stepping aside. She was an elderly woman, with white hair tied in a bun, wearing a kimono and a dull gray obi, and needing the help of a cane to walk.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality," the boy replied respectfully. He entered and followed the hostess through the house until they stopped at a door.
"They're waiting for you here," said the woman, stepping back a little.
Zenitsu nodded and, when she left, he opened the door and entered. Thanks to his keen hearing, he already knew that Inosuke, Rengoku, and Sumiko were there.
"Hello!" he greeted, smiling a little, happy to see them well.
"Monitsu!" exclaimed Inosuke, who until then had been trying to get Rengoku to accept his challenge.
"My name is Zenitsu!" immediately replied the blond-haired youth. Although he soon forgot about that, something more important caught his attention. He could hear a certain sadness in Sumiko's voice, and he didn't see her sister anywhere.
"Well, we're all here now!" Rengoku intervened, taking charge at once. "We'll spend the night here and leave at dawn."
"I have a question," Zenitsu confessed. "Is Nezuko not going to accompany us this time?" He found it strange, given how close the two sisters were. Something very serious must have happened to Nezuko for her not to be there.
"No, we won't need her help this time," evasively replied the Flame Pillar, not wanting to give any further explanation. Zenitsu nodded, immediately noticing how Sumiko's tone became even sadder.
"We don't need any demon's help!" exclaimed Inosuke energetically.
"Will you shut up?" Zenitsu yelled. "How can you be so insensitive?"
Sumiko laughed a little at that, although everyone present noticed the lack of energy behind it. It almost seemed forced. And that wasn't typical of her.
"I'm glad to see you all well," the girl said, trying to calm them down.
"Of course, I'm fine!" said Inosuke. "Those demons can't beat me!"
"I asked earlier to bring us something for dinner," Kyojuro said. "We'll have dinner and go to sleep."
"Okay," Sumiko agreed, trying to smile a little more sincerely, although it was harder than she expected. She had almost said she wasn't hungry, but if she had, she would have only worried the rest. And that was the last thing she wanted. From the smell of the three, it was clear that they had already been worried enough.
Dinner was an eventful affair. By Kyojuro's request, they were given enough food to feed over twenty people, and Inosuke, seeing how much the Flame Pillar was eating, took it as a challenge and tried to eat faster and more than the adult, often trying to steal food from Zenitsu and Sumiko's plates.
And now, when everyone was trying to sleep, he couldn't stop complaining, practically screaming that his stomach hurts.
"Will you shut up already?!" Zenitsu shouted, completely losing his patience with his companion. "You deserve it for being such a glutton!"
"You shut up, you cretin!"
"You two have a lot of energy for how late it is," Rengoku commented, sitting up a little and giving both young men a reproachful look. "But now it's time to sleep."
"I'm sorry," Zenitsu apologized immediately, ashamed of his behavior. He turned his back to Inosuke and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. The boy with the boar's head was about to protest, but when he saw the look that the Flame Pillar was giving him, he held back and imitated the blond.
Rengoku lay back down, and like the rest, tried to fall asleep. A while later, the only one still awake was Sumiko. She tossed and turned in bed, trying to fall asleep, but no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to.
She stared at the wooden ceiling, in silence, with her eyes open. She had tried everything and nothing worked. Her mind wouldn't let her rest, she was worried about what had happened with her sister hours before. And she still hadn't forgotten what Rengoku had said to her.
She closed her eyes and tried again, telling herself she had to succeed. If she didn't get a good night's sleep, she would be exhausted the next day.
The first one to wake up the next day was Rengoku. The adult smiled a little and, without the slightest remorse, walked towards the window and pulled back the curtains, allowing sunlight to illuminate the room. The three young people immediately began to protest, finding the light that was shining on them annoying.
"Come on! Wake up, all three of you!" Rengoku said, smiling slightly at their reactions.
Sumiko sat up and rubbed her eyes. She had managed to get a few hours of sleep, although she had spent part of the night awake. She hoped it wouldn't show too much, but with the way Kyojuro was looking at her, she wasn't so sure. And she was grateful that he didn't say anything about it.
Zenitsu and Inosuke, somewhat reluctantly, got up and yawned, still feeling a bit sleepy.
"We still have a long way to go," Kyojuro told them. "We'll have breakfast and then leave quickly."
He left the three of them alone, saying that he was going to see if the owner of the house was awake. Sumiko picked up the butterfly-shaped hairpin and, involuntarily, thought of Kanao and wondered what the other girl was doing at that moment.
She didn't notice that Zenitsu was looking at her intently, with a certain surprise. The boy had noticed the change in the sound of the girl's breathing and the increase in her heart rate. It was something he recognized perfectly well; Zenitsu had encountered people with that same sound before.
"If it's okay with you, I'll go into the bathroom first to wash up," the girl said. The two boys nodded and Sumiko left, leaving them alone.
"I don't waste time with that stuff!" Inosuke exclaimed proudly. Zenitsu raised an eyebrow and looked at him, not understanding.
"What do you mean?"
"Washing up is stupid, don't you think, Monitsu?"
"For the last time, my name is Zenitsu! And what you just said is disgusting!" the blonde boy cried out indignantly. "Don't tell me you don't wash up!?"
"Of course not!" Inosuke replied.
"You're a pig! A slob!" Zenitsu couldn't believe it, how could someone be so unhygienic?
Inosuke looked at him without understanding. He felt insulted, but he didn't see anything wrong with not washing himself, what was the problem? But before he could ask, the door opened and Rengoku entered.
"Is something wrong?" the man asked. He had heard their screams from the hallway.
"What's wrong with not washing yourself?" Inosuke wanted to know. Zenitsu, upon hearing that question, began to express his incredulity at how ignorant Inosuke was, in a low voice.
"Well, apart from not being clean and smelling bad, you can catch diseases more easily," Rengoku answered, without any hesitation. He had learned the latter thanks to Shinobu, who always made sure to wash her hands before attending to her patients and kept her medical equipment in impeccable condition.
"Do I smell bad?" Inosuke asked, confused, looking at the two. He lifted his right arm and started sniffing his armpit. He didn't smell anything strange, so he didn't understand why Zenitsu was complaining so much.
"You stink!" Zenitsu exclaimed, without any hesitation. He hadn't wanted to say it before, out of politeness, but he wasn't going to stay quiet any longer.
"A good bath would do you good," Rengoku, though more delicate than the young man, was honest.
"And how do you do that?" Inosuke asked.
The arrival of Sumiko at that moment was a blessing for Zenitsu, who, in order not to answer that, took the opportunity to leave to wash himself, but, to his misfortune, Inosuke went with him, demanding that he explain how to take a bath.
Rengoku looked at his student, smiling slightly. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.
"Somewhat," the young woman admitted. Resting, even for a few hours, had done her good and cleared her mind a little.
"I'm glad to hear that," Rengoku nodded and looked at her.
"I'm sorry I worried you, Rengoku."
"How could I not worry about the well-being of my student?" he asked. It was natural. After all, both of them were his responsibility.
"Well, seen like that..." the girl murmured, unsure.
"Excuse me," the old woman said from the door, holding two plates that seemed quite heavy, filled with food that she handed over to them with some difficulty.
Sumiko and Kyojuro left them on a nearby table and, without a second thought, followed the woman to the kitchen to help carry the rest of the plates.
Shinobu looked at Nezuko with surprise. She had entered her room intending to change the bed sheets and had not expected to almost run into the young girl.
"It seems like Rengoku forgot to tell me about this," she commented, forcing a smile. "What a forgetful mind he has, don't you think, Nezuko?"
"He left me here on purpose," Nezuko responded, sounding defensive. Shinobu observed her reaction with curiosity, taking note of everything.
"Still, I'm surprised that your sister didn't protest, considering how close you two are..." Perhaps she was pushing too hard, but Shinobu wanted to see Nezuko's reaction to that.
Nezuko clenched her teeth, angry at the mention of Sumiko. She bit her tongue with some anger, hurting herself in the process. "Me too," the young girl replied, serious.
Shinobu, without saying anything else, began to remove the bed sheets, under the watchful gaze of the demon. She had already seen what she wanted to, although she had hoped that Nezuko's reaction would have been different.
"I'll let the others know you're here," said the Insect Pillar, carrying the three sheets.
"No need, I'm not moving from here," Nezuko replied. She didn't feel like seeing the others at the moment. She didn't intend to pretend to be friendly with them, especially not Kanao. After all, it was all her fault.
"Still, don't you think it's better that they know?" Shinobu insisted gently.
"No, I really don't care," Nezuko said, climbing onto the bed and sitting with her legs pulled up to her chest. She didn't even pay attention to Shinobu leaving her alone.
Had they left her behind because she wasn't stronger? She didn't understand. Sumiko had promised so many things, and so far, she hadn't fulfilled any of them. And now, on top of that, she left her there.
Nezuko couldn't deny that since her older sister joined the Corps, she had become stronger. But she, despite being a demon, hadn't changed at all. She didn't even have one of those blood techniques.
Maybe, just maybe, if she managed to develop one, they would let her accompany them on the next mission. But how could she get one? The fast route was to feed on humans, although that would be counterproductive. It would put Sumiko in a bad position and, at the moment, they didn't need more enemies.
She had to think it over carefully. But she wasn't going to sit idle any longer, it was clear that she had to do something and fast. She wasn't going to allow something like what happened that day to happen again.
What if Sumiko ended up injured because she didn't go with them?
Sumiko repressed a scream of pain when one of the blades that the demon had thrown at her sank into her shoulder.
It was proving more difficult than expected to get close enough to decapitate him. Although they had managed to evacuate the people in the area, thanks to the quick reaction of Rengoku and the police, the demon was indiscriminately throwing sharp objects that he was able to extract from his skin.
The demon, who had yellowish skin, had his torso bare, wearing only pants. In theory, it shouldn't have been too difficult for them to defeat him. But the problem was his ability.
She gritted her teeth, angry. In itself, it wasn't a powerful blood technique, but they spent more time dodging than attacking. And none of the three seemed fast enough to avoid everything with ease, and the demon, on more than one occasion, had aimed at vital points.
Zenitsu had wounds on his legs and Inosuke, although he had been luckier, had some superficial wounds on his abdomen. But other than that, they were relatively intact.
The young woman focused and began to run, at the same time as Zenitsu, towards the demon. They dodged the daggers he threw at them and finally managed to get close enough. The demon, judging by his expression of terror, must have realized he was in danger.
"Breath of Flames, First Form!" exclaimed the girl, brandishing her sword.
"Breath of Lightning, First Form," said Zenitsu.
Both charged at their enemy at the same time, but it was the boy who, thanks to the type of breathing he used, faster than the flames, arrived first and managed to decapitate the demon with a sharp blow.
The demon's head rolled a little on the ground several meters until it stopped. And soon, the entire body of the creature turned to ash, leaving only the pants he had worn.
Inosuke, who had stood still doing nothing, watched his two companions impressed. He had not even been able to attack properly and the blonde, whom Inosuke considered the weakest, was able to kill the demon very quickly.
"You are worthy of being my subordinates!" exclaimed Inosuke, and the other two, not understanding what he was talking about, looked at him confused.
"What is he talking about now?" asked Zenitsu, turning and looking at Sumiko, who, not knowing what to say, just shrugged while the boar-headed boy laughed, proud of his idea.
"Well done!" Rengoku, who was finally back from evacuating the people, smiled, satisfied to see that they had been able to kill that demon. "The injured are already being taken care of, so you have nothing to worry about."
"Thank goodness," Sumiko muttered in relief. Before they arrived, the demon had injured a considerable number of passersby, but at least there were no fatalities to mourn.
"Well..." Zenitsu couldn't help but sound somewhat disappointed. The success of the mission meant that they would go their separate ways again. "One thing, what do you think if, from now on, we write letters to each other?" It was the best way to stay in touch.
Sumiko, to the relief of the blonde, accepted immediately. Inosuke, on the other hand, although he didn't refuse, made it seem like he was granting an honor to Zenitsu, although, for that time, the young man decided to let it pass.
Aoi, who had just finished training the final form of Water Breathing with Giyuu, trembled slightly as she listened to what her crow, a female named Hinata, was telling her.
Finally, the moment she had been both fearing and longing for had arrived. Her first mission after a long time. Giyuu, who had been by her side listening as well, turned to her and watched her intently, making the young woman even more nervous.
"You should go and inform Shinobu," advised the Water Pillar. "Let her know that we're leaving."
Aoi was intrigued by the way he spoke and it piqued her curiosity. "Are you going to accompany me, Tomioka?"
"I don't see why not. After all, your mission is in my territory."
Aoi nodded, it made sense if she thought about it. "Thank you very much," she said in return, and quickly went to look for Kocho.
She entered the house and, out of habit, went to check if Kocho was in her office. However, the door to the room was open and there was no trace of the woman. Aoi frowned slightly, surprised, Kocho usually was there at this time. But, seeing no other choice, she went to see if, by chance, she was in the training room with Kanao or with Hinatsuru and Makio.
But she had no luck, although Kanao was there, practicing with her sword, along with Hinatsuru and Makio, there were still no signs of her teacher. Somewhat puzzled, she approached the other girls.
"Kanao, do you know where Kocho is?" Aoi asked. "I've been looking for her for a while now and I can't seem to find her."
Hinatsuru and Makio, though they didn't say anything, looked at Aoi with some curiosity. Although the first one soon smiled.
Kanao lowered her wooden sword and looked at Aoi. "She went to look for you in the courtyard just now, haven't you crossed paths with her?"
"If I had seen her, I wouldn't be asking you," Aoi pointed out, trying, and miserably failing, to hide her irritation at the absurdity of Kanao's question.
"I suppose so," Kanao, as usual, didn't seem to have given it too much importance. Lately, Aoi had noticed that her friend's head was in the clouds.
"Well, I'm going to look for her, I won't interrupt you anymore, Kanao, thank you," Aoi said hurriedly, and without waiting for the other girl's response, she left.
She returned to where she had left Tomioka waiting for her and saw Kocho talking to him as soon as she came out. She couldn't see the woman's face, as she was facing away from her, but they seemed to be discussing something quite serious.
She would have wished to go unnoticed, but Tomioka had already noticed her presence.
"Here she is, Shinobu," he said, alerting the woman to her presence. Shinobu turned and smiled a little when she saw her.
"Giyuu has already informed me about the mission assigned to you," the woman commented, approaching her. "Good luck, Aoi, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it."
At that moment, Aoi was able to muster a trembling smile. She was finally officially joining the fieldwork.
"Thank you so much, Kocho. For everything, for taking me in here and allowing me to learn some medicine," Aoi said. She owed a lot to that woman, and in those moments, she was more aware of that than ever.
"Aoi..., is it true that you're leaving?" someone asked from inside the house. As the three turned, they saw the three little girls who attended to Shinobu, Naho, Sumi, and Kiyo, peeking slightly.
Aoi's expression softened upon hearing the question, and walking slowly, she approached the three. When she stood in front of them, she extended her arms and they, crying, threw themselves onto the young woman, hugging her tightly.
While Shinobu looked at the scene somewhat touched by this display of affection, Giyuu seemed quite uncomfortable, as he had averted his gaze and seemed to find the wisteria trees in the garden very interesting at the moment.
"Yes, I've finally been assigned a mission," Aoi finally replied, managing to make the little ones cry even harder. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to me," the girl assured them, wiping her tears with a handkerchief she had in her right pants pocket.
"Do you promise?" Sumi asked, sobbing. Aoi nodded, serious.
"I promise, before you know it, I'll be back here. You'll see."
That seemed to calm them down somewhat, and they reluctantly let go of the elder.
"Have you told Kanao and the others?" Kiyo wanted to know at that moment, somewhat calmer.
"No, actually, I haven't," Aoi admitted. She had been in the same room as them, but she had been so focused on finding Kocho that she had forgotten to tell them. "I'll be right back!" she exclaimed before running back into the house, heading towards the training room.
Shinobu laughed a little at seeing that. It was all quite amusing to her, and she didn't hold back. Although it didn't take her long to calm down.
"Please take care of her, Giyuu," she said seriously, looking at her companion.
"Don't worry, Shinobu," Tomioka assured her. Taking care of those of lower rank was, after all, part of his duties as a Pillar.
"I feel more at ease knowing that she's with you."
"You overestimate me," Giyuu said seriously. He wasn't as good as she was making him out to be. He looked away, uncomfortable, in truth, he didn't know how to feel. It had been a long time since someone had trusted him in that way.
Shinobu opened her eyes wide, surprised to hear that. "I don't think so," declared the woman firmly. "I've seen you in combat, remember?"
Giyuu, perhaps thrown off by his companion's confidence, didn't know how to respond to that. And the look Shinobu was giving him didn't allow for any replies. Her attitude was truly bewildering to him.
He was grateful for it, but he still didn't understand the reason for it all. But internally, he wished it wouldn't end. It made him feel like he wasn't hated, something he had come to believe from the attitudes of Iguro and Shinazugawa.
"We should go," Giyuu said instead. Shinobu nodded and stepped back. She accompanied both of them to the exit of the place, and didn't return to the house until they were out of sight.
See you soon with the next chapter! Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!