Warning: There is no beta reading, we die like man.

Disclaimer: This is a crossover between Harry Potter and Kimetsu no yaiba/Demon Slayer, as such, I do not own the rights from neither of them. This story is obviously for fun, so enjoy!

Chapter 1

Nox

— - — - ϟ - — - —

"Come back here you bitch!"

A woman was seen running in a winter night.

She didn't dare to look back. She tightly held her precious cargo against her chest, tired legs hurting by the many scratches and snow freezing her bare feet.

But she didn't stop running, she continued despite her exhaustion.

They needed to get away from the monster, away from that awful hell.

She had heard of a place that they can give them sanctuary, a temple way up into the cold mountain. She didn't thought of it at first, after all she was very careful of not making any complains or misbehave to her part, always hiding her son so it could not make a sound and keep him safe from the awful people that were called her "family".

But she had made a mistake.

She had left her son unguarded and he started crying while she took a beating for burning the rice. And when her husband tried to touch him with her blood on his hand, she bit his other one hard, push him harshly against the wooden wall and flee the house.

And now she was on the run. Away from the mad man that was her ex husband.

"Almost there, almost there!" she could blurrily see in the distance bunch of colors of what she assumed was the temple, making her feet push harder into her path until she hit her body against wood.

"Sanctuary, please give us sanctuary!" she hits the door desperate, her hair almost losing their own hold and standing up little by little, hiding her swollen face as her pleas were heard around the temple, "Please! I am begging you! Help us! Please!"

Her legs gave up and hit the snow, her tears slowly falling.

She was tired, she was hurt.

She needed to hold on.

The sound of a door slide open made her almost closed eyes look up and fall into a pair of rainbows.

"Oh my! What do we have here?" The tall man took a glance at the dirty and bruised face of the woman, who was holding something tightly clasped in her arms, carefully wrapped in a blanket. "Poor little thing," he said with ease. "You must be freezing. Come in, come in!"

The man, realizing that the woman couldn't stand by herself, decided to help her up, sliding the door shut behind them. He ignored the flinch of her thin body when he grabbed her; he dragged her to the hall and ordered his followers to heal her, give her a bath, and provide her with plenty of food

Once there was no one around, he walked back to where he was going in the first place. He had hearings to begin after all.

"This way," an old lady guided her to a room full of medical beds. The view made the black haired woman freeze for a moment, "Take a seat and wait here. I'm going to get the doctor."

"A-Alright," the woman, partially blind by her injuries, go carefully to one of the beds, slowly sits down and bounced the baby in her arms.

"I'm okay..." she murmured, planting a kiss on the still sleeping boy's forehead, "We're okay..."

Kotoha let out a small breath and slowly tried to slow her tears. Her entire body hurts and she couldn't feel her feet.

She was, in some way, fine. The temple is a little bit comforting, warmer than outside where snow and that man were there. She was glad to have got away.

And her child, her sweet Inosuke, was safe at last.

"Are you okay dear?" the soft voice of the old lady from before made her jump. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. The doctor is on his way."

"Mmm.."

"My name is Himari Kamizu," the lady, Himari, softy said to the woman with a smile as a way to make her feel better. "What's your name sweetie?"

"... Kotoha.."

"Alright Kotoha, the Gracious One will want to know about your situation. You are safe here, and don't you worry about anything else, okay?"

"Okay.. Thank you.." Kotoha nodded, her eyes glued on her child. She tried to smile to the kind lady but her face was too swollen to let her do it yet. "I'm okay."

But the old woman could clearly see that she was not, it was painted all over, from the blood on her dirtied kimono to the bruises and scratches on her face. Himari wanted to cry, to smooth the poor mother and feed her entirety until she was less thin than what she could see.

She knew better thought.

Kotoha had the look of someone who would do anything to protect those dear her, even kill in cold blood. The eyes of a surviving mother whose saw and faced death and right now she and the rest of the temple were on thin ice.

She only hoped that it would not be the same case with their Gracious founder.

"E-Excuse me but, what is this place?"

"Oh! You are in the Eternal Paradise temple!" started Himari with a bright smile of total admiration. "And you don't need to worry about anything dear, you are safe with us."

That left little comfort on Kotoha, just a little bit.

Like the lady promised, the doctor arrived to see the damage on her face, disinfected the scratches, and bandaged them with professionalism around her face, saying that she needed to take a bath immediately from her feet's condition. They also made her eat some light and soft food before guiding her to clean herself.

A loud cry can be heard inside the walls of the bathroom where Kotoha had cleaning herself and doing the same with her now awaken son. Blood was long gone from her face but she was still hurt, the bandages were already placed around her face like a mummy once again while she took a firm grip on her baby. Inosuke was currently being clean by her, and he was crying for being woke up suddenly.

"Shhhh," she soothed lovingly, new tears streaming down her face by seeing her son crying, "Shhhh."

The baby slowly stopped crying and opened his large green eyes, which matched hers. He gazed up at her and whimpered a bit. Kotoha only smiled at the boy and started to wash his body carefully.

The bath was cold for her, having used it for almost her entire life saving the warmth for her son. She would do anything to provide her child the necessities that she didn't have before, food, a shelter, her love, and sole protection.

And if the intentions of this Lord were not as they seemed she will flee, return to her origins without questioning anything. For her son she would do the impossible to survive.

"It is time," she last said as she ends dressing Inosuke, covering him in a warm yellowish blanket, "Let's see how this would play up."

Long hours passed and he had finished the last of his hearings. Now, only sitting down, the door slid open to reveal the now cleaned and bandaged woman from before, wearing a clean light green kimono that revealed more of the form and curves, and in her arms was a new clear yellow blanked from a now awakened and well-kept baby. Big dark greens looked around the room.

"Ah, that kimono looks really good on you dear!" he said, closing his fan and taking in her still hidden face behind her hair as she approached to him and bowed to him, arms holding her son securely.

"Thank you for helping us sir-"

"Ah ah ah! Not sir, I don't really care about formalities," then he gasped dramatically, "Ah, where are my manners!? I'm the founder of this Eternal Paradise Cult, Douma. May I have your name darling?"

Her head was still on the floor, but lifting it up Douma had to hold himself steady on his bean bag chair.

Beside the many scratches and bandages around her, two beautiful emerald eyes grazed at him from within behind the swollen face.

"K-Kotoha…"

"What a lovely name…" he softy said before standing up.

The sound of footsteps approaching her caused her body to flinch, and she tightened her grip on her child. Her green eyes flashed with a darkness that drew the demons' curiosity further, and as he touched softly upon her swollen cheek, he used his demon ability to fix it. He was surprised when her face returned to its normal state much faster than he had intended.

But her face… she was beautiful.

Her eyes returned to their bright color in astonishment and internal curiosity of his eyes. What a quiet impression she had left on him indeed.

"There we go! Good as new," he then crouched to her level, being careful to not frighten the woman. For some reason his instincts were going off on this one detail, "Tell me Kotoha, do you have anywhere to go from here? Parents? Siblings? Friends?"

She took a deep silent, her eyes going dark for a second before the light returned from them; "My parents are dead and I am an only child. I have no home to return to."

"Oh, you poor thing, it must have been rough for you," Douma said as he petted her head, displaying empathy on his face. However, after a moment, excitement crossed his features, "Hey, I know! You should stay and live here in the temple!"

That took the woman by surprise; "A-Are you sure si- Lord Douma? I don't want to impose you-"

"Nonsense!" he shouted clapping his hands together making her jump, "You and your son are mostly welcome to stay as long as your heart desires. I heard your pleas of sanctuary and I, as the Lord, should grant you my protection."

"I… alright…we are staying… thank you so much for your kindness."

"That's what I wanted to hear! Himiko, dear, please prepare a room for Kotoha and her son, they are our new guests."

"As you wish gracious founder, please follow me miss."

With a final curious look at the man, the black haired woman went toward the door and then she was gone. Douma hummed as he returned to his bean bag chair, fanning himself with a contented smile.

Another interesting fresh meat was in his temple.

How wonderful!

The room that Himiko lead the woman and her child was a little bit disorganized, yet the follower told her that in the morning they will clean it after they went to eat breakfast in the morning.

However, Kotoha didn't mind, she told her that she would clean it herself in her way of gratitude towards Douma's kindness.

When the follower left, Kotoha finally got to relax cooing her son close to her face, a smile plasming her lips with a faint light that was coming from somewhere in the middle of the darkness.

"This will be our new home, Inosuke."

A slow move of her hand –with a sole finger glowing around the tip– was seeing by the thin lightning and an amazing display should be seeing inside those walls. Her baby only babbles as he saw the greatness of an invisible power happen around them.

A tiny pillow was soon turned into a pastel red and orange lion plushie, which landed safely in his hands as the room continued to loop and move, giggling in delight. His mother only smiled as she prepared their futon for them to sleep at last.

And with a snap of her fingers, the only light from her index go off with a quiet;

"Nox."

— - — - ϟ - — - —

.

.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

.

.

Miss The Mimo

Purveyor of Stories and Fanfiction-Maker

is proud to present

.

.

- IN NOCTEM -

.

.

Hello everyone!

I'm gladly to present you a new story idea that I had in mind for so long!

This is technically a beta version since, well, I'm struggling with the gramma (Mimo has not a flamboyant English, so mistakes are bound to happen).

I hope you like this concept though, critics -the good and the bad- are always welcome.

See you in the next chapter!