Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. This story is a translation of another fanfic of mine. I hope you like it!
Sumiko stopped in front of her sister's room. She had waited for her teacher to be busy with Senjuro so she could go in. She wanted, at the very least, to thank Nezuko for saving her life. She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it, but to no avail. The door was locked.
She muttered a curse under her breath. Kocho wasn't there, so either Aoi or Kanao must have the key to enter. If she was lucky, Aoi would have it, but if the key was in Kanao's hands, she could forget about getting inside.
She sighed, was she going to have to sneak in? She was already taking a big risk, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to anger Rengoku. Reluctantly, she stepped away from the door and slowly, with obvious reluctance, walked away.
She could try to convince him to let her join the missions now. She hoped he would allow that, after all, she was starting to miss Nezuko. She sighed again. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see Muichiro when she turned the corner and nearly bumped into him. But the boy skillfully avoided her, stepping aside.
"You should be careful where you're going," scolded the Mist Pillar.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the girl quickly apologized, embarrassed. Muichiro nodded and watched her walk away quickly.
He was getting bored there, doing nothing. Muichiro was only at the Butterfly Mansion because he wanted to wait for the group of Pillars to return. The Mist Pillar wanted to know what it was like to face an Upper Moon. It was better to be prepared in case she encountered one of those demons in the future. So, as long as he wasn't assigned a mission, he would stay there. The demon slayers in Hokkaido could manage without him for a couple of weeks.
For now, he was killing time by wandering aimlessly around the place. Should he ask Rengoku to train with him? It wouldn't be a bad idea. With that in mind, the boy began to look for the Flame Pillar.
Rengoku listened, smiling as usual. Muichiro had found him in the garden, accompanied by his brother.
"Some training wouldn't hurt," the adult commented. He had never sparred with any of his fellow Pillars before. Not for lack of desire, but with the lifestyle they led, it was difficult to find themselves in such situations. "Follow me, we'll go to the training room," he continued speaking, the smile never leaving his face.
Senjuro, perhaps due to their previous encounter, watched him warily, though he didn't dare to express his discontent. Muichiro glanced sideways at the other Pillar. If Rengoku hadn't been present, he would have called out the boy for that behavior. But he didn't want to earn the enmity or disapproval of one of his comrades.
Rengoku looked at his brother, but before he could say anything, Senjuro spoke up. "It's fine, brother. I can use this opportunity to catch up on my notes."
"Oh, really, it's no problem?" the elder one asked, doubtful. Senjuro downplayed it and forced a smile.
"Don't worry," he insisted. "See you later. Good luck with your training."
"Thanks!"
"Shall we go now?" Muichiro asked, not bothering to respond to Senjuro's words.
"Yes, of course," Kyojuro replied, turning around and entering the house, followed by the Mist Pillar.
It took them a couple of minutes to reach the training room. As soon as they entered, they saw that it was already occupied. Kanao and Sumiko were practicing their reflexes with a game of tag. However, upon hearing the sound of the door opening, both turned to look at them, automatically stopping.
"Good morning, Rengoku, Tokito," greeted Sumiko, nodding her head slightly. Kanao quickly imitated the gesture.
"Good morning!" Rengoku exclaimed enthusiastically. "I see you two have also gotten up early today."
"We were already finished," Kanao muttered softly, barely audible. Sumiko looked at her, not understanding why she was lying. "In fact, we were about to leave, right, Sumiko?"
"Of course," the other girl responded, playing along with Kanao. Rengoku frowned slightly, but nodded.
"Well then, see you later," Muichiro interjected, barely affected by the situation. And the two girls left.
Rengoku went to the cabinet in the room and opened it. He took out two wooden swords and, turning around, threw one to Muichiro without prior warning. The boy caught it effortlessly.
Both of them took their positions, and Rengoku, taking the initiative, charged at him, forcing Muichiro to block the strike with his sword.
Giyuu advanced running in the rear, along with the others, alert for any strange noises. It was pitch dark night, and the demons would be roaming freely.
Kocho was by his side, serious, also keeping an eye on their surroundings. Giyuu glanced at her. They moved swiftly. Sanemi led the way, with Himejima on the right flank and Mitsuri on the left.
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it, Giyuu?" Kocho commented.
"Well, it's getting hotter each time," the man admitted. The temperature was pleasant, although they still needed to dress warmly. Shinobu nodded, and before Sanemi could reprimand them, she returned her attention to their surroundings.
Thanks to the information provided by various crows, they were able not only to confirm that their enemy was indeed the Upper Moon One but also to maintain control of its whereabouts. They precisely decided where to intercept it, considering its movement pattern.
"We're almost there. Don't get distracted," Gyomei kindly admonished them.
"We have to stop it," Mitsuri interjected. Every time the crow informed them of another fallen wisteria house, the woman's mood became gloomier. "We can't allow it to keep doing this."
"We know, Kanroji," Giyuu said.
"We'll make sure that bastard pays for what he has done," Sanemi assured, a dark smile forming on his face. He didn't intend to show any mercy to that bastard. He glanced at his comrades. He couldn't ask for a better team for this, he thought. No matter how much he disliked Tomioka, he couldn't deny that, in his own way, he was exceptional. He also trusted Shinobu and Himejima. Although he wasn't sure if Kanroji would measure up.
"Thank you," Mitsuri replied seriously.
At that moment, they emerged from the forest and saw, about two hundred meters away, a Western-style house with the mark of the wisteria house.
"We've arrived," Shinobu commented, her right hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
"It's less than half an hour until dawn," the Love Pillar informed them after checking her watch.
When they were less than five meters from the house, they saw a demon emerging from it. It was a tall male with black hair tied in a ponytail that reached almost to his hips. He wore a violet and black kimono and black pants. But what caught the Pillars' attention the most was the katana he wielded in his right hand. It was a nichirin sword with a fleshy-colored blade that had eyes along its entire length.
"Oh, shit!" Sanemi exclaimed involuntarily.
The five Pillars unsheathed their weapons, attracting the demon's attention with the sound. And as they did so, the humans could see his unusually pale face and the three pairs of eyes he had. Two of those eyes, the ones in the center, bore the kanji of the Upper Moon One.
"You're all Pillars, right?" the demon asked, sounding quite satisfied.
"And why should you care?!" Sanemi shouted in response, charging at him, attempting to strike his neck. But he was easily repelled by the demon, who simply moved his sword horizontally, releasing crescent-shaped attacks. The Wind Pillar cursed and threw himself to the ground, narrowly evading the attack, while the rest had to step aside to avoid it.
Sanemi, trying to take advantage of his position, aimed to slash the demon's legs, but Kokushibo jumped backward, avoiding it. Giyuu and Himejima joined the fight at that moment and, together with Sanemi, charged at the demon.
Sumiko, in an attempt to distract Kanao, ended up organizing an impromptu picnic in the garden of the Butterfly Mansion. With the help of Shinobu's three assistants and Aoi, she tried cooking new dishes. Although the chicken teriyaki ended up overcooked much to her dismay, at least it didn't burn.
And there they were, sitting on a dark blue picnic blanket that Sumiko had borrowed from the kitchen. Although Kanao barely took a bite and seemed quite distracted, she nodded occasionally to what the other girl was saying. She didn't even notice when Sumiko fell silent.
Sumiko quietly ate her food, occasionally glancing at her friend, trying to find the right words to comfort Kanao. But she couldn't think of anything beyond the typical words of encouragement. Should she suggest that they train? No, perhaps it wasn't a good idea, Sumiko thought.
She had to come up with something, escape, although it sounded quite tempting, it wasn't the best option. She glanced sideways at Kanao. The other girl still hadn't touched her food and seemed lost in thought. Sumiko sighed slightly and looked straight ahead.
"I'm sure they will come back," Sumiko finally said, choosing those words. They were Pillars, they had to come back alive.
"Kanae never came back," Kanao muttered so quietly that the other girl had difficulty hearing her.
"Kanae?" Sumiko asked, confused.
"Shinobu's older sister," her friend clarified. "She faced the Second Upper Moon and never returned."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know..."
"None of us like to talk about it."
After saying that, Kanao fell silent again, sitting next to Sumiko, who was slightly startled when she felt the other girl rest her head on her left shoulder.
Mitsuri jumped back, barely avoiding the demon's attack. The situation didn't look good for them. Himejima was lying on the ground, and from the distance, the woman wasn't sure if he was breathing or not. Sanemi had several cuts on his chest, and although he had stopped the bleeding, the wounds seemed quite deep. Giyuu had lost his dominant arm when he tried to protect Shinobu, who, at least, was more or less intact. Her haori was torn at the left shoulder and stained with blood, and she had wounds on her face. The Love Pillar had worse luck; she had lost her right eye several minutes ago.
They were not in a condition to fight like this. Shinobu's poison, although it could stop him for several seconds, was not potent enough to kill an Upper Moon.
Mitsuri glanced at Shinobu and Giyuu. He was unconscious, and the woman, with effort, taking advantage of Sanemi's fighting, had propped the Water Pillar against a tree trunk, keeping him away from the battle.
Mitsuri took a breath and also launched herself into the fight, even though she couldn't calculate distances well at the moment, she had to keep going.
"I expected more from the Pillars," mocked the demon, easily blocking Mitsuri's attack and letting Sanemi's weapon blade sink into his left arm, almost severing it.
Sanemi grunted between his teeth but tried not to succumb to the provocation. He could see behind the enemy that the sun was beginning to rise, and he couldn't help but smile victoriously. They had, finally, victory within reach. They just had to prevent the demon from escaping. The Wind Pillar refused to allow that battle to be in vain, not when they had the chance to eliminate the second most powerful demon.
He glanced at his companions; now he could only count on the help of the two women and prayed to every divinity he knew that it would be enough.
"Kocho, Kanroji! LET'S GO!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. The two women nodded and immediately launched into the attack.
"Breath of the Moon," muttered the demon, preparing to defend himself. He had time given the distance between the three humans. "Fourteenth form, Catastrophe. Crescent Moon," he said, and after spinning around himself three hundred and sixty degrees, half-moon blasts emerged in all directions.
Shinobu cursed and jumped to dodge it, although she paled when she realized something. By doing that, she had left Giyuu completely unprotected.
"W-Water Breathing, Eleventh Form," she heard her companion say, and knowing what that movement meant, she felt somewhat relieved, aware of what had happened before. Although it couldn't nullify the entire impact, it could diminish its power enough so that it wouldn't be lethal.
Mitsuri screamed at that moment. Due to having only vision in one eye, she couldn't dodge properly. Sanemi, on the other hand, had no trouble evading the blasts.
The demon, realizing that it was dawn, took advantage of it to flee. Sanemi, who noticed it immediately, tried to chase him, but Shinobu's voice stopped him.
"Shinazugawa," the woman called him. "I need your help with the wounded."
The man gritted his teeth and was about to protest until he had a chance to pay real attention to Mitsuri and Tomioka's condition. He became aware of the devastation the battle had caused. The house was completely destroyed, and several trees in the forest had been cut down and fallen to the ground.
But that didn't matter now; what he had to do was assist his comrades. He approached Shinobu and knelt near her. Shinobu was examining Mitsuri's eye. Although her face revealed nothing, Sanemi knew there was no solution. The woman would never regain her sight.
"Bandage Giyuu's wounds, please," the Insect Pillar requested, looking at him for a couple of seconds before returning her attention to the other woman.
"I can do it myself," Tomioka protested immediately, searching in Shinobu's bag for bandages.
"Giyuu," the tone of the Insect Pillar's voice became sharp. "In your current state, you can't."
Without warning and with no delicacy, Sanemi took the bandages from him, removed his haori, and after unbuttoning and removing the top of his uniform, he began to bandage him, completely ignoring the other Pillar's protests. When he finished, he put the jacket back on him and looked at Shinobu.
"I hope this will help. You know I have no bloody idea about these things."
"Now I'll bandage you," Shinobu said, taking the roll of bandages from his right hand. Sanemi rolled his eyes and took off his jacket, allowing the woman to work. "The kakushi will be here soon," she told him.
Muichiro was waiting at the entrance of the Butterfly Mansion along with the others. Shinobu's crow had arrived earlier to inform them that the Pillars were returning from their mission. However, when they asked about their condition, the animal evaded having to answer and flew away.
And there they were, waiting for the five of them to arrive. The first to arrive was a group of eight members of the Demon Slayer Corps, carrying a large stretcher. On it, covered with a blanket, was a body.
Rengoku widened his eyes upon seeing that and clenched his fists. He averted his gaze and closed his eyes. Muichiro, on the other hand, showed no reaction. The six girls looked at each other, concerned, knowing what had happened but unsure of what to say. They didn't have much time to think, as the others arrived at that moment.
Sanemi had his chest completely bandaged. Mitsuri had bandages covering her right eye, while Shinobu had some band-aids covering parts of her face and wasn't wearing her haori. Giyuu followed behind her, with bandages covering his right shoulder and part of his chest.
Kyojuro approached with large strides, and Shinobu, with a defeated expression, shook her head. "We were overwhelmed, Rengoku," the woman confessed.
"The important thing is that you managed to come back."
At that moment, Kanao rushed forward, crying and embraced Shinobu, who held her tightly.
"You're alive, Shinobu," the young girl murmured repeatedly, crying tears of relief.
Aoi and the three maids also approached and, when Kanao let go, they hugged Shinobu as well.
Shinobu sighed and looked at her companions. "Can we talk inside?" she requested. "Although I provided first aid and they were seen by a doctor later, I need to re-examine their injuries."
"Of course, let's go," Aoi said immediately, adopting a more professional tone, glancing at the three injured Pillars.
The first thing Shinobu did as soon as she arrived at the infirmary was to dismiss the others, leaving only Aoi and herself with the injured.
Sanemi accompanied Mitsuri, strangely silent, to one of the stretchers. Giyuu, stubborn as usual, stayed close to Shinobu, looking around visibly uncomfortable.
"My wound isn't that serious. I cauterized it, remember?" Giyuu said, furrowing his brow slightly. Shinobu ignored him, focusing instead on removing the bandages from Mitsuri's eye and carefully examining it. Aoi, uncomfortable with such a severe injury, tried to distract herself by checking Shinazugawa's wounds.
"Sit on the stretcher, Giyuu," Shinobu ordered without turning around. Giyuu let out a sigh and eventually complied. He sat down and stared at the wall.
Aoi critically inspected Sanemi's stitched chest wounds and asked, "What happened, Kocho?" She could do nothing more than check for any signs of infection; it was obvious that they had already been attended to by a doctor.
"I already said it, we weren't prepared," Shinobu confessed. "We thought that being five would be no problem, but clearly it wasn't." She stepped away from Mitsuri at that moment and said, "You can get off now, Kanroji. But remember, you'll remain under observation for a good while."
"But..." Mitsuri abruptly fell silent upon seeing the warning gaze from Shinobu. She averted her eyes, intimidated.
"That wound is not a minor matter, Kanroji," Shinobu admonished. "In fact, none of your wounds are."
"I can continue with my work without any issues," Shinazugawa argued. What did it matter if he had more scars on his chest? He had never hidden those battle wounds.
Shinobu, who was removing Giyuu's bandages, didn't respond. She knew that her words would fall on deaf ears with Shinazugawa. It wasn't, and wouldn't be, the last time they had that conversation, and it always ended the same way.
"Be careful. We've already lost Uzui, and now Himejima. Don't let your downfall be your own stupidity," Giyuu commented as Shinobu examined his amputated limb, making sure it hadn't gotten infected.
"What did you say!?"
"He's right, you know?" Shinobu intervened, noticing that Aoi took the opportunity to leave now that she was finished. "Aoi, please ask Rengoku and Tokito to come," she told the young woman before she could reach the door. Aoi turned, looked at her, nodded, and quickly left.
Shinobu sat on one of the empty stretchers. The mission had been a complete failure. Not only had they lost Himejima, but it would take a long time for Giyuu and Kanroji to recover.
"Aoi told us you wanted to speak with us," Rengoku said as he entered the infirmary, followed by Tokito. They must have been nearby, given how quickly they arrived.
"What happened?" Muichiro asked, carefully observing the state of his comrades.
"We were overwhelmed," Tomioka reluctantly admitted. "We didn't expect a demon to use a breathing style."
"What did you just say?" Kyojuro asked, thinking he had misheard.
"He used a breathing style," Mitsuri confirmed, her voice trembling slightly. "I had never heard of the Breath of the Moon."
Kyojuro, who remembered that name from the Flame Pillars' notebooks, widened his eyes. Muichiro remained silent, pondering what he had just heard.
"We were lucky that dawn broke shortly after," Giyuu continued.
"What we need is a new plan!" Sanemi shouted angrily. "We'll talk to the leader and reorganize!"
"We have to become stronger if we want any chance," Tomioka contradicted him. "It's evident that our current level isn't enough."
"Regardless, we need to inform the leader," Shinobu said seriously.
See you soon with the next chapter! Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!