Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. This story is a translation of another fanfic of mine. I hope you like it!
Aoi was watching curiously as Giyuu lit a fire to keep warm during the night. They had made as much progress as possible during the day, but as night fell, they still had a long way to go to reach a village, so they decided to stop and rest there.
The Water Pillar had taken care of fishing for dinner in a nearby stream. At the moment, taking advantage of the fire, they were roasting fish. They had skewered them through the mouth onto several sticks to handle them easily.
"I didn't know you knew how to fish," Aoi commented, trying to start a conversation.
"My master taught me," Giyuu replied briefly, turning the fish over so they would cook on the other side too.
"Your master?" Aoi repeated, not expecting that answer. And, to be honest, she was curious.
"Urokodaki," the man added, although he didn't seem very willing to go into more detail.
Aoi nodded and, after seeing Giyuu take one of the fish, she imitated him. She blew on it a little to avoid burning herself and took a small bite.
"It's really good!" the girl commented, smiling a little happily. Giyuu, on the other hand, continued to eat without saying anything.
Aoi, who already knew, thanks to Shinobu, that the Water Pillar was a man of few words, didn't give it much importance. Although, when he finished chewing, Giyuu looked at her.
"I'm glad. It's been a while since I've prepared them," he said, then continued eating as if nothing had happened.
"Oh, I see," Aoi said, not knowing exactly what to say to that. She decided to keep eating to avoid having to talk more.
Giyuu, after finishing his fish, looked at her, maintaining that characteristic unreadable expression of his. "I'll take care of the guard duty. You should take advantage of the opportunity to rest."
The man's tone didn't allow for any rebuttal, so Aoi, after leaving her red jacket on the ground and folding it a little to use as a pillow, lay down, resting her head on her garment. And she closed her eyes.
Giyuu watched her for a moment, but soon returned his attention to the fire, making sure it didn't go out.
All of this brought back memories for Giyuu. Memories that he had been running from since he was eleven years old. He looked up and gazed at the stars. Part of him wanted to keep hiding and renouncing everything. But he didn't know if, under his current circumstances, he would be allowed to do that.
He didn't regret approaching Shinobu and trying to help her with her sister's situation. What he didn't know was what had motivated him to do such a thing, especially when he had a rule of not getting involved with his fellow Demon Slayers. He had simply followed that impulse, and unexpectedly, Shinobu insisted on getting to know him better after that.
Although Giyuu had no doubt that once she knew the truth, she would choose to ignore him. And deep down, it wasn't as though he deserved any other treatment. He lowered his gaze and silently watched Aoi. He didn't even know why he had agreed to teach her the eleventh water breathing form or accompany her. It had been another impulse.
What was happening to him lately? He wasn't sure, and trying to figure it out made him dizzy. He wasn't like this, and doing things he wasn't used to was worrisome.
"Thank you," Aoi said, startling Giyuu, who had been so lost in thought that he hadn't realized she had opened her eyes.
"Why?" he asked seconds later, once he had recovered from the surprise.
"Being taught personally by a Pillar is a great honor," Aoi commented, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"I'm not like them," Giyuu repeated the words he had been saying for years. The girl, upon hearing that, furrowed her brow, confused.
"What do you mean?" the girl finally asked.
"That's what I mean," the man replied, without giving any details that shed light on his words.
Aoi held back a sigh, feeling tempted to keep asking, but doing so with someone of Tomioka's rank could seem disrespectful. And the last thing she wanted was to anger one of the Pillars.
"What rank are you?" Giyuu asked, realizing that he had never asked her that and Shinobu had not told him.
"Mizunoto," Aoi confessed, blushing a little, embarrassed, and avoiding looking at her companion.
But Giyuu showed no sign of finding that shameful, and he continued, as if nothing, speaking, "I understand," he said, encouraging the small fire. "But, I'll tell you again, you should rest a bit, or you'll be too tired tomorrow."
"And you?" Aoi asked, suppressing a yawn.
"It's not the first night I've spent awake," he commented. On one occasion, he had gone four nights without sleeping. So, staying up one night was nothing.
Rengoku and Sumiko stopped at the entrance of the Butterfly Mansion. They had finally returned from their mission. Although Kyojuro had applied first aid to the wounds she had received, it was better for her to be treated by professionals. He had offered the same to Inosuke and Zenitsu, but they insisted that going to a wisteria house would do. Normally, Kyojuro would have insisted, but he gave in almost immediately that time.
"Go straight to the infirmary," Kyojuro ordered Sumiko, adopting a serious expression. "And until I tell you otherwise, I don't want you to see your sister." Sumiko, who had not expected the last part, opened her mouth with clear intention to protest, but her superior did not allow it. "It's an order," Kyojuro added, sternly.
The girl lowered her gaze and nodded. Rengoku, visibly satisfied, advanced to the door and opened it, followed by a silent Sumiko.
Shinobu, who had been in the room closest to the entrance, looked out when she heard the door opening. She smiled a little when she saw Rengoku and Sumiko.
"How was the mission?"
"Good, it wasn't too complicated," Kyojuro responded. "But if possible, I would like you to check her shoulder. Although the wound wasn't deep, it's better if you take a look, because, well..."
"Your medical skills leave much to be desired," Shinobu completed, throwing that barb as if it were nothing. Rengoku made a face, somewhat embarrassed, but did not contradict his companion's words. He laughed nervously.
"Can I take care of it?" Kanao asked timidly. She had approached to see who it was when she heard someone arrive.
"Of course," Shinobu agreed immediately, and the two girls quickly made their way to the infirmary. Taking advantage of being alone, Shinobu turned to the Flame Pillar. "I think you forgot to tell me something before going on that mission, didn't you, Rengoku?"
"Right, I wanted to talk to you about that," the man confessed, taking advantage of the fact that she had initiated the topic.
Shinobu's expression became serious. "It's better if we discuss that in my office," she said, and without waiting to see if the man followed her, she began to walk there. Soon, as confirmation, she heard Rengoku's footsteps behind her.
When they arrived, while Shinobu sat in her chair, Kyojuro closed the door. Then he walked over to where she was and sat across from the woman.
"I thought it was best to leave her here," he confessed, bluntly.
Shinobu placed both hands on the wooden table and looked at him curiously. "And why is that?"
"Nezuko's attitude towards her sister worries me," Kyojuro continued to explain. "It borders on obsession."
Shinobu frowned, thinking about what she had just heard. "And what do you plan to do?" she asked. After all, the two girls were Kyojuro's responsibility.
"What do you think I should do?" he wanted to know. To tell the truth, he felt somewhat lost with the whole situation and wasn't sure how to handle it. He needed to know what she thought about it.
Shinobu sighed a bit. "It's a pretty delicate issue, but honestly, I don't think it's beneficial for Sumiko to stay in that situation."
"Then the best solution is to separate them," Kyojuro deduced immediately. He would do what was most beneficial for his pupil. "Thank you very much, Kocho!"
Talking to her had definitely been the best decision. He went to get up, but Shinobu's voice stopped him.
"That would only serve you temporarily, I'm afraid. You wouldn't be tackling the root of the problem," Shinobu warned him, and the man stopped abruptly.
Kyojuro settled back in the chair and looked at her. "What do you suggest?"
"You know how demons are," she said. "And I think what happened to them triggered that behavior from Nezuko. But I don't think she'll listen to reason."
"I think I was wrong," Kyojuro admitted. "I thought that, because she doesn't eat humans, she was different from the other demons."
"Rengoku..." Shinobu didn't know what to say to that. She didn't think that was entirely true, but it was obvious that her colleague regretted it. She put her right hand on his, drawing his attention. "I think, for the moment, it's best to do what you said. Keep them separated."
"But... wouldn't it be too much trouble for you to have her here?" Kyojuro asked, feeling completely lost and clinging to the only option he saw.
"No, don't worry," Shinobu lied, taking pity on him. To tell the truth, she felt sorry for someone so cheerful and positive being like this. But they had to find a solution to this problem before it got worse.
"Thank you, Kocho, I owe you one, really," Kyojuro murmured, getting up from the chair. And this time, the woman didn't stop him. She got up too, and they went to the door.
"Rengoku, what are comrades for if not to help each other?" Shinobu asked, smiling a little, although it didn't come out as sincere as she would have liked.
"Right!"
Kanao carefully removed the bandages from Sumiko's shoulder. They were in the infirmary and Sumiko was sitting on one of the beds while Kanao had brought over a chair and positioned herself in front of her to attend to her properly.
Sumiko winced in pain when Kanao finished removing the bandages and began examining the cut.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Kanao asked, looking up and observing her friend.
"A little," Sumiko admitted as the other girl began cleaning the wound with a disinfectant, carefully removing the lint that had stuck to the skin due to the bandage.
"Can you move it okay?" Kanao continued to ask, serious.
"Yes, of course," Sumiko replied, moving that arm to demonstrate. That reassured her friend quite a bit. Kanao went to a nearby cupboard and took out a roll of bandages and some scissors.
Senjuro, who had just entered, was carrying several boxes. He smiled a little when he saw the two girls, but when he noticed Sumiko's shoulder, his face reflected concern.
"What happened?" he asked, although he felt somewhat stupid as soon as he finished speaking. It was quite evident what had happened.
"Just part of the job," Sumiko tried to joke, although judging by the faces the other two were making, she wasn't very successful, so she changed her strategy. "Don't worry, it's nothing, Senjuro," she was about to add that she had been through worse, but she bit her tongue in time.
Once Kanao finished putting on the new bandage, she stepped away from Sumiko and the latter straightened her uniform, buttoning up the top part. Part of her wanted to go see how Nezuko was doing, but Rengoku's words were still fresh in her mind. And she couldn't disobey her superior, especially when he had been so clear.
"How's everything going around here?" she asked, looking at Kanao, in an attempt to distract herself.
"Fine, as always," Kanao murmured, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Senjuro, who was still placing the necessary medicine supplies back in their place, glanced at them out of the corner of his eye.
"And my brother, Sumiko?" the boy asked, intervening in the conversation.
"He's with Kocho, I think they had something important to talk about."
"Oh..." Senjuro muttered, and when he finished placing everything, he left, leaving the two girls alone again. Throughout that exchange of words, the boy had strangely remained terse.
"Is something bothering him?" Sumiko asked, puzzled. She knew Senjuro well enough to know that when he acted that way, it was because something was bothering him.
Kanao shrugged. She didn't really coincide with the boy much, despite living in the same house, each one dedicated themselves to their own things. "I don't know," she admitted.
Aoi was watching the Water Pillar curiously. They had been traveling together for days and had barely exchanged words. Tomioka only spoke when strictly necessary and never more than necessary, always getting straight to the point.
However, this did not make him an unpleasant travel companion. Aoi was not a talkative person herself and appreciated, although she hadn't said it, all of that.
"Are you tired?" Tomioka asked abruptly, stopping suddenly. Only then did Aoi realize what was happening. She had been falling behind.
"No, no," Aoi hastily responded. "I was just a bit distracted," the young woman admitted.
Giyuu nodded and, after waiting for her to catch up, they resumed their journey. This time, Aoi noticed that they were going slower.
The girl looked up at the sky for a moment. It was clear and there wasn't a single cloud. The sun was shining brightly despite how early it was. Summer was approaching, and it was already getting light very early. This allowed them to take advantage of more hours of daylight to make progress.
However, the previous day it had rained heavily, and they had barely been able to cover any ground. They had been forced to take refuge and wait for the rain to stop.
"We should arrive tonight," Giyuu commented, serious. "Are you ready?"
"Y-yes, of course," her voice trembled, but at the last moment, she managed to control it.
Giyuu looked at her in complete silence and nodded. "You'll do well," he said, trying to encourage her.
Aoi took a deep breath and tried to push away her nerves. She had been training for this, she couldn't let fear dominate her. For the people who trusted her, she had to be capable.
There was no turning back now, all she could do was take care of that demon and, once the mission was over, return home.
"Let's go, we can't waste any more time," Giyuu indicated, and they resumed their journey.
Tamayo took a small sip from the tea cup she held in her right hand. After modifying her body, the only thing she could tolerate besides blood was that drink.
She was sitting on the floor, with her knees bent. In front of her, several letters were spread out on the green tatami floor.
She had kept them in a chest for a long time. She treasured that correspondence which, four centuries ago, she had maintained with the man who was the most powerful demon hunter.
"Are you all right, Tamayo?" Yushiro looked at her, concerned, from the door. He didn't dare to enter the room.
"Yes, of course," she replied absentmindedly, reaching out and picking up one of the letters. She read it silently and was so focused on it that she didn't hear the other demon approaching and sitting in front of her, looking curiously at the sheets of paper.
"Are you sure?" Yushiro didn't know what was happening. He knew that woman well and had never seen her like this. Tamayo was not prone to feeling melancholy.
"Do you remember when I said, when we met Sumiko Kamado, that she reminded me of someone?" the woman asked, leaving the letter with the rest and collecting them with care.
"Of course I do!" Yushiro replied. Although time had passed, he remembered those two sisters perfectly.
"I'm afraid I wasn't completely honest with them," Tamayo said. The years had made her a cautious and distrustful woman. And with that other girl present, she didn't want to disclose anything. Not even to Yushiro.
The demon swallowed nervously, aware that, whatever it was, Tamayo had her reasons for not telling him. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"It happened four centuries ago," Tamayo explained, ignoring the other demon's words. "I met someone who was about to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji."
"What!?" Yushiro shouted, his eyes widening. Of all the things he had expected, that wasn't on his list.
"His name was Yoriichi Tsugikuni," the woman continued. "One of the best, if not the best, swordsman who has ever existed."
"And what happened to him?" Yushiro asked. "If he was so good, why didn't he kill Muzan?"
"He was close," Tamayo acknowledged. "But although he managed to incapacitate him with a single blow, Muzan was able to divide his body into small parts and escape."
"But what does that have to do with Sumiko?" he asked, furrowing his brow a little.
"For a long time, until his death, we exchanged letters," Tamayo, already accustomed to her companion's impatience, was not disturbed, and continued to speak. "In one of them, he told me that he had met a couple."
"Ancestors of Sumiko and Nezuko," Yushiro said, finally understanding where the matter was going. Tamayo nodded seriously.
"He gave the hanafuda earrings to the patriarch of the family," the woman revealed, looking at Yushiro. "And he taught him the breathing technique he used. The Breathing of the Sun, the most powerful and the first one to be created."
Yushiro fell silent, assimilating all these revelations, but after looking at Tamayo's expression, he realized that there were still things to be told.
"Shouldn't you tell her all this?" Yushiro asked, somewhat confused.
"This is not something that can be told by letters," Tamayo replied.
"There's more, isn't there?"
Tamayo nodded. "But I think it's better if I tell you another day."
"Thank you, still, for telling me this," said Yushiro. He had known that woman for two centuries and knew well how much it cost her to talk about her past. Although he always respected that and never made any attempt to inquire.
Pretending he had to clean the house, the boy left, leaving Tamayo alone in the room lost in her thoughts. Since her encounter with the two sisters, there was something that, no matter how hard she tried, wouldn't disappear from her mind.
She was worried about Muzan's intentions. Yes, it was clear that by killing part of the Kamado family, he had tried to make Yoriichi's legacy disappear, but why, if he had had the only two survivors in front of him, hadn't he killed them? With how powerful he was, something like that would have taken him a couple of seconds.
"What are you planning, Muzan?" the woman asked aloud to herself. And she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.
Muzan watched sternly as Nakime and Kaigaku knelt before him, their gazes fixed on the ground. He had summoned the demon to bring Kaigaku to the Infinite Fortress, but he had plans for both of them.
"Kokushibo has informed me that you have fulfilled my request," said Muzan, focusing his attention on the former demon hunter.
"Yes, my lord," agreed the young man, respectful. He heard the man approach him and stop in front of him.
"Raise your head," ordered the demon king, and Kaigaku, with some fear, obeyed. Muzan held his chin with his left hand, immobilizing his face, and brought his other hand to his left eye.
As soon as he touched it with his index finger, Kaigaku screamed in pain. He felt like Muzan was doing something there, but all he could think about was the pain he was feeling.
Muzan then stepped back, and the painful sensation began to diminish until it disappeared completely seconds later. Kaigaku was panting a little, and trembling, he brought his hand to his left eye.
"I have granted you the rank of Fourth Lower Moon," said Muzan as he approached Nakime and repeated the same procedure with her. However, unlike Kaigaku, the woman did not scream and stoically endured it. Muzan had just given her the position of Third Lower Moon.
Somewhat apart, the other three Lower Moons were watching everything. Although Enmu seemed indifferent to what was happening, Kanae and Rui frowned, obviously annoyed. Those two had obtained higher ranks than them.
"If it bothers you so much," whispered Enmu, making sure Muzan didn't hear them. "You know what to do, right?"
"There's no need to remind us," hissed Rui, looking at him angrily.
Kanae, on the other hand, paid no attention to Enmu's words, not even bothering to look at him. Her face didn't reflect what she was thinking. She just observed the two new members.
Giyuu and Aoi stopped at the foot of the mountain. According to what the girl's crow had told them, the hunters who had ventured up the mountain had disappeared and all that was left of them were partially devoured remains.
In an attempt to gather more information, they had been asking questions around the nearby town. The locals suspected that it was the work of some wild animal. A bear or perhaps a pack of wolves. And they had offered a substantial reward for anyone who could put an end to the problem before there were more victims.
"Ready?" Giyuu asked, serious, as they watched the sun go down and night began to fall.
"Yes," Aoi said. There was no turning back now. She had to be able to kill that demon or there would continue to be more innocent victims and it was up to her to put an end to that.
The two ventured into the area, starting their ascent up the mountain. They looked ahead, attentive to any unusual sounds, but for the moment, all they could hear were animals. The hooting of owls and nightjars broke the silence and accompanied them on their way.
But there was no sign of the demon, although Aoi didn't expect it to be easy either. She looked ahead, they could see thanks to the oil lamp that Giyuu held.
They had left it at the wisteria house in the village, and Aoi was grateful for it. If it hadn't been for that, they would have been completely in the dark and would not have been able to complete the mission properly. With the moon covered by clouds, they could barely see anything. They had also been given some provisions. Nothing difficult to carry.
"Are you hungry?" Tomioka wanted to know, rummaging through the black leather bag he carried. He pulled out a piece of cheese and without waiting for her response, he handed it to her.
"Thanks," Aoi muttered, taking a bite of the cheese. She smiled a little, it was her favorite, goat cheese. Giyuu nodded and looked ahead again, wanting to hurry up and finish the mission as soon as possible.
They continued to advance, mindful of their surroundings, searching for any clues that could lead them to the demon. They had also sent the crows to search from the air. The two of them alone would take too long to cover the entire mountain.
Aoi finished eating the bread and, to feel more confident, she put her right hand on the hilt of her weapon. She would do it, she would kill that demon. All the training with the Water Pillar would have been for nothing if she wasn't able to do something so simple. She had to prove to him, and not just him, but also to Kocho and Kanao that she was capable. She was sure that both women would feel more at ease once she had been able to completely overcome the fear that demons provoked in her.
"I've found a trail," Giyuu announced at that moment. He had stopped and was shining the lamp on a part of the path. Aoi approached and, upon looking at the ground, she saw the bloodstains. She swallowed and followed the man as they searched for more blood on the ground.
They continued walking in that direction, hoping to eventually come across the demon.
Aoi was trying to hold back the urge to vomit. Yes, they had been able to find the demon after walking for a long time. They had found it devouring one of its victims. And Aoi vividly remembered the reason for her fear. She glanced nervously at Giyuu, but the man remained impassive, almost as if he was used to that kind of scenario.
The good thing was that the demon was so focused on eating that it hadn't noticed their presence.
"What are you waiting for?" Giyuu asked, serious, noticing that she still hadn't moved. "Are you going to wait for it to finish and waste this opportunity?"
Aoi unsheathed her weapon, her hands trembling, but Tomioka was right, it was better to take advantage of that moment. As long as it continued to ignore them, she could kill it easily.
She took a deep breath and, without thinking further, rushed towards her enemy.
See you soon with the next chapter! Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!