Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I hope you like this oneshot!
The snow was falling heavily, completely covering the rocky ground of Mount Kumotori. It was a cold December morning and it had been snowing since the previous night.
A young girl with black hair was walking with difficulty in the area. Her boots sank into the snow, making progress difficult. She carried a heavy bamboo basket full of charcoal on her back. She stopped in front of a small house and exhaled a bit, causing her breath to form vapor.
"Nezuko!" A small woman had just come out of the house and was heading towards her. "Daughter, you know you don't have to go down to the village with the snow falling like this. It would be better if you stayed at home. At least until it stops."
"I'll be careful," Nezuko assured her, trying to reassure her mother. Although her mother's violet eyes continued to show concern. "I have to do it, we can't go so long without trying to sell some charcoal."
Since Tanjiro, Nezuko's older brother and Kie's firstborn son, had twisted his left ankle after a bad fall, all of these tasks fell on Nezuko. And the girl, despite having just turned twelve years old, was willing to do everything possible to help her family.
Kie smiled a little when she heard this and her features softened a bit. She drew her daughter towards her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much, Nezuko. Be careful, please," the woman begged, separating a bit. "Try to come back before nightfall, okay?"
"Don't worry, mother. I'll be back as soon as I've sold everything," Nezuko assured her, also smiling happily. "Do you want me to buy something at the village store?"
Kie put her right hand to her chin, trying to remember. "Well, if you could get some spices, I would be very grateful. The ones Hanako likes so much."
Nezuko nodded energetically. Her little sister Hanako loved ginger powder, and they had run out recently.
"I'll do it, but don't tell Hanako," Nezuko requested. "I want it to be a surprise."
Kie stroked her daughter's hair. She was smiling sweetly, happy. "I won't say anything, don't worry. Have you said goodbye to your brothers already?"
"Yes, of course."
"Be careful, Nezuko."
"I will," the girl promised, separating from her mother. "See you later, mother!"
Kie kept an eye on her until she lost sight of her completely. After that, she went back inside her house to take care of her children.
Nezuko walked through the village, tired. Her feet hurt as she had been walking for hours. She had managed to sell all the coal and was now heading back home. It had stopped snowing, so Nezuko didn't think she would have any problems getting home.
Even though it was already dark, she was confident that she would be able to find her way. After all, she had gone up and down the mountain since she was very young. She knew the route she had to follow by heart.
She had bought ginger for Hanako at a good price and some fabrics for when she needed to mend her clothes. She smiled a little, she was completely sure her family would be very happy when they found out.
With that in mind, she resumed her journey home and it only took her a couple of minutes to reach the edge of the village. There was a small wooden house there, Nezuko noticed.
A tired-looking man was leaning out the window of the house smoking a pipe. His grayish eyes fixed on Nezuko and he took the pipe out of his mouth.
"Are you going to climb the mountain at night?" he asked seriously.
"Of course. My family will be waiting for me," Nezuko replied immediately. After saying that, she continued walking, but the man kept talking, forcing the girl to stop.
"It's not safe," he warned. "If something happens to you on the way, there will be no one to help you," he pointed out. "It has snowed so much that it's not a good idea to go on at night."
Nezuko looked towards the mountain slope. To tell the truth, when she had come down to the village, the snow was up to her ankles. On more than one occasion, she had almost fallen. She sighed a little.
"You're right, Saburo," she reluctantly admitted.
"Stay the night in my house and when morning comes, you can go up without any problems," Saburo insisted.
That man was a good friend of her mother's and had offered his house to Tanjiro to sleep in on more than one occasion. So Nezuko didn't take long to accept his offer.
"Thank you very much, Saburo," the girl said, advancing towards the house. She smiled a little, relieved. The idea of resting and regaining strength, after so many hours of walking, was too tempting to let go.
The man moved away from the window and opened the door to the small house, allowing Nezuko to enter.
"You can leave the basket there," Saburo indicated, pointing to one of the corners of the small house.
The girl obeyed and, as she did so, he took out two futons from the small wardrobe he had on the right side of the house.
"You're very kind," Nezuko commented, smiling a little. But Saburo downplayed it immediately with a gesture.
"It's the least I can do after all the times your father helped me in the past."
The girl, upon hearing that, looked away sadly. Her father, Tanjuro, had died of an illness last summer. And Nezuko still missed her father's affable and calm presence.
"How is everyone?" Saburo asked. He had already finished placing the two futons on the floor. He held a small kerosene lamp in his right hand that dimly illuminated the only room in the house.
"Well, we are managing as well as we can," Nezuko admitted. " But Tanjirou twisted his ankle recently, so I had to come down."
"That boy..." murmured Saburo, shaking his head slightly. "He should be more careful."
Nezuko, who had already laid down on one of the futons, nodded.
Tanjiro woke up startled and rubbed his eyes. He sat up and looked around, trying to see what had woken him up. Then he heard it again. It was the faint sound of bells they had installed around the house. A way to be warned in case a bear or other predator approached the vicinity.
He immediately got up, scared. He lit a small lantern they had and, trying not to wake up his family, walked quietly looking for the axe they had. As he walked, he grimaced in pain. Every time he put weight on his left foot, a wave of pain ran through his body, but it was not the time to give importance to that. If it was a predator, it was his duty, as the eldest son, to protect his family.
He hobbled out of the house and, with the help of the lantern, tried to see what was happening. He quickly noticed that there was a huge bear in the area of the bells. The animal stood on its hind legs, giving it an even more threatening appearance.
Tanjiro, scared, swallowed hard and gripped the axe handle tightly. The animal's black eyes were fixed on him.
The boy took several steps back as the bear advanced towards him, easily breaking the threads that held the bells, which rang one last time before falling to the ground.
Tanjiro narrowly dodged the first swipe of the bear's paw, but due to his injury, he fell to the ground and was not so lucky with the second one. The animal's claws tore through his right leg and blood gushed out. The boy couldn't help but scream in pain.
"Tanjiro?" Kie's shout had awakened her, and the young mother was worriedly looking for her eldest son.
The woman opened her eyes wide, terrified, as she looked out the door and witnessed what was happening. The bear was violently biting one of her son's arms. Tanjiro had dropped the axe and was trying to protect his face, although the loss of blood was beginning to take its toll.
The woman's scream served to distract the bear, who lunged at her.
Kagaya quickly ascended the mountain. From where he was, he could easily smell the scent of blood that filled the air. As he climbed higher, the smell grew stronger, guiding the demon.
The man stopped a few minutes later in front of a small house. In front of it lay a young boy, lying haphazardly on the snow. One of his legs had deep scratches, and his arms looked even worse due to the bites he had suffered. But despite the severity of his injuries, the boy was still alive. His heart was still beating, although it was getting weaker and weaker.
Kagaya looked at the house. He could see from where he was that the other humans had not been so lucky. The animal that attacked them had ended their lives.
He leaned over the boy. He was unconscious, and Kagaya knew that if he left him there, he would die within minutes.
The purple-eyed man, taking pity on him, rolled up the right sleeve of his purple kimono. He placed his arm over one of the boy's wounds and, with the sharp nails of his left hand, made several scratches. Blood quickly flowed out and fell onto the boy's open wounds.
Kagaya sighed a little. He hoped that this would be enough to transform him and allow him to survive. But he couldn't leave him there either.
"Yuichiro," he called softly, as he gently picked up the boy.
An open door appeared in front of him, and Kagaya went through it, taking the boy with him.
If I see that a lot of people like this oneshot I will probably continue it. So.. Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!