Hii, did you miss me? :'D...I have no excuse for my lateness. Update on my life though: finished my Master's, got a raise, did another course to get yet another raise and move out with my husband, yay! Oh yeah, and we went on vacation to Canada, it was great! I practiced my French in Montreal, tarbarnak! Anyways, sorry for the long wait. I haven't forgotten about this story. I don't know how long it'll take but I'll finish it..eventually lol. Anyways, enjoy!
The next six days passed quite quickly for Kumo. Of course, her mother almost killing her for making her worry and then finding out her wound was definitely something she didn't want to go over again. Let's just say another made up story didn't work out. She didn't know why kaa-san got worked up so easily when her safety was endangered. She was a demon slayer! Her literal job was to kill demons! She still hadn't gone to her first official mission yet since she was still waiting for her katana (her uniform had arived the day before) but eventually, her life would be compromised very often. She didn't understand. She guessed only a parent would understand.
Thinking about it, shouldn't katana arrive soon?
Knock, knock
The sound startled her since she had been lost in thought inside her house. She also heard...wind chimes? Confused, she stood up and went to the front door. She was alone at the time. Her parents had gone out in a...date? She wasn't sure given her mother barely talked to her these past days and her father had to follow suit.
As she opened her door, she almost jumped when she saw a Hyottoko mask. The strange person was carrying a big bundle tied to his back and had a wooven hat with flower wind chimes hanging from it.
« My name is Haganezuka, I've come to deliver your katana" the man said with a deep voice.
"Oh! Please, come in!"
As they sat down in Kumo's house, Haganezuka took out a long wooden box and opened it in front of her. It was her sword.
"This is a Nichirin sword I forged myself. Its steel is known to absorb sunlight » he unwrapped her katana and presented it to her. « Draw it. They're also known to change color depending on the user. You've got black hair with blue ends maybe it'll turn into a deep blue. »
Kumo carefully took hold of the sword with both hands. She didn't know what to expect. Inmediately, her sword started taking a bright yellow color. She looked back at the smith, confused.
« Ahhh, damn it! »
Eh?
« I wanted bright blue! Blue! » he laid down on the floor and started tantrum moving his legs and arm in all directions « You demon slayers sometimes just don't match! »
Is he...insuting me?
« Ehm...but I'm a Thunder Breathing user. Yellow makes sence, right? » she sweatdropped at the man's antics.
« I guess...but it doesn't make it less disappointing » he sighed « Anyways, I'll get going » And with that, he left her house.
What just happened?
Kumo wondered if most people at the demon slayer corps were crazy or if it was just her attracting the weird ones. Probably both. Being honest, killing demons wasn't exactly the best job for mentally stable people.
« Kwah kwah! Mission for Sugawara Kumo! Head East to a nearby village! Some young men have died at night! Find the demon responsible and kill it! This is your first mission as a demon slayer! Kwah!» Shiro, her crow, yelled while flying around the room before landing on her shoulder.
This is it. My first mission. The girl thought nervously. She quickly went to her room and put on her uniform which consisted on a black, long-sleeved buttoned shirt with white ends on the neck and wrists. It had the kanji for Destroy on the back. It came with matching hakama pants strapped by a white belt that hugged her waist. She finished with a pair of white split-toed socks and matching Kyahans, where she tugged in the ends of her pants, and put on her sandals.
There was no one to see her off that afternoon, she didn't know if that was for the better considering her family situation but it did feel a bit lonely. She shaked her sad thoughts away and left a small note on the living room table. She had to focus. She grabbed a few onigiris, her sword and left without looking back.
The small village was a few hours away, giving her a couple hours before sunset, ones that she would use to gather some intel. What surprised her, however, was that said village was in the middle of a funeral. After asking around, it turned out to be the 4th funeral in one month.
What the hell?
She decided to walk around and try to hear anything relevant to her mission.
« Poor Natsume, it's been a month since he died. He was so young!"
"He was just about to take the civil service exam! »
« Daisuke left a baby on the way! Poor thing! »
« This village is cursed! So many of our men are dying! »
« That bastard, he deserved it. How dare he"
Oh. There. An interesting comment.
She strained her ears in order to find the source of those types comments She ended up behind a young girl, about 12 years old, who emitted angry sounds as she faced the house that was hosting the funeral.
« Excuse me, why do you dislike that dead man so much? » the small girl gasped and turned around in fear, which inmediately disappeared as she saw it was just another girl. She frowned at Kumo.
« You scared me! And who the hell are you?! » Ah, wrong approach.
« Ah, I'm a...traveller who just got here. I just happen to hear your...not-so-nice comments and got curious »
« Go mind your own business will you? » the girl spat as she turned to leave. Kumo quickly grabbed her arm and took her to a nearby alley. Last resort then.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! »
« Alright, miss. You caught me. I'm a private detective hired by one of the mourning families. Your comments sound suspicious and I need to investigate » Kumo used a serious tone with a glare. The girl visibly gulped. « All you need to do is anwer some questions"
"L-listen, I had nothing to do with Daisuke's murder. All I know is that he was a cheating bastard. He cheated on my pregnant sister, how could I not be angry at him? »
« How do you know he was murdered?" Kumo's glared hardened.
"I-I didn't do it! It just saw her with him a-and, it isn't the first time! Other cheating men have died! I've heard rumors around the village » the girl started to sweat nervously.
"And who is this her? »
« A m-mysterious woman. I had never seen her in the village before»
« And you saw her with Daisuke. What happened? »
« It happened...yesterday. I started suspecting him a while ago, though. He had stopped coming over to our house which made my sister miserable but she never complained. She's too nice for that, even if she's pregnant with his child. I saw him that evening while walking home. He was carrying a flower bouquet so I decided to follow him. They clearly weren't for nee-san" the girl clenched her fists "He went all the way to the end of the village, to the Tama River. There was someone waiting for him, it looked like a woman with very long hair. I couldn't really listen to their conversation but I saw them…hug and kiss. I couldn't watch so I turned to run away but then, I heard Daisuke's scream. I looked back but they were gone. His body was later found floating down the river »
« And you didn't tell anyone? » Kumo asked.
« I panicked, alright? Also, who would believe me?" the girl looked away with a frown "My sister's suffering enough as it is"
Interesting.
"And…scene!" Kumo changed her whole disposition to a more relaxed one "Thank you for the information! I'll solve this mystery as soon as I can! » She gave the girl a big smile.
"What the- » the younger girl got weirded out by the sudden change of personality « are you...insane or something? » she took a step back, slowly.
Ouch. I guess I deserved that.
« I don't think so...anyways, you should head back home. It's getting dark and it isn't safe » Kumo took a few steps before stopping and turning her head back at the girl « Also, I can't ask you to forgive Daisuke but try to let out your anger. Your niece or nephew will need a happy aunt, you know? » she ended with a soft smile before walking into the street.
It took her about another hour to confirm the rumors she'd gathered from the young girl earlier. Two other men that had recently died, had been unfaithful to their parners. At least that's what their former partners claimed, none of them had any evidence. Only the young girl from earlier had given her some physical description of the demon, which wasn't enough. She didn't know when it'd kill again. There had to be several couples in the village, how would she know who it'd attack? With a sigh, she entered a small tea shop to get some rest. Her head had started to hurt from all that thinking.
She sat in a small table near the counter. The place only had about two other tables occupied. It was cosy enough with very simple decoration. When the waiter came, she ordered some jasmine tea. As she waited, she couldn't help overhear a very lively conversation.
« What do you mean you want time to yourself? » A young pretty woman said with a deep scowl.
« I need time to be alone and think about...myself » a man in his thirties answered nervously.
« Ha!, there's nothing to think about. I know, Haruka. I'm not stupid. You thought I wouldn't notice you sneaking around at night to meet another woman?! Is she worth ruining 2 years of relationship, hmm? » she slammed her palm on the table « You're pathetic. I never want to see you again » after saying this with angry tears, she left the shop.
Kumo looked at the scene from afar with pity. She could hear the woman was heart-broken but she guessed it was for the best. If he cheated once, he'd probably do it again. The man, after spending some minutes in silence, quietly put some money on the table and left with bitter smile. Is he going to meet the other woman? Is it the demon? The young demon slayer decided to follow him. This was her only lead: cheating men.
The man wandered a bit through the central market for some time, he ended up buying a nice hairpin before heading towards the village's East border. As he kept walking, the darker it got. The sun was about to set and that made Kumo a bit nervous. If he was going to meet a normal person, she shouldn't have to interrupt. But if it was a demon, she had to keep him away from danger fast. As much as she disliked cheating men, she didn't believe they should die.
Bum-bum, bum-bum. Her heart-rate started to pick up. Bum-bum, bum-bum.
The man finally stopped at the entrance of a forest. Thankfully, there was a full moon that night. Making it easy to see enough of what was going on. He took out the hairpin from one of his sleeves and held it in front of him.
« Now, I just have to wait for Tamiko. I hope she likes it »
Bum-bum, bum-bum
Her heartbeat was too loud for her to hear anything at this point.
Argh, fuck it. I can't risk it.
« Oi! What are you doing? » she said loudly while walking out of her hiding spot towards the man, who had visibly stiffened and turned around « It's dangerous to be here at this time »
« Jeez, you scared the life out of me! » he said while putting a hand to his chest « I'm meeting someone for...personal business so run along, young girl. This place is more dangerous to you than me »
« Yeah, well, I'm the one carrying a sword » she showed him her katana still in her scabbard « Listen. I'm here to investigate the deaths of young men happening this last month and so far, I've got a felling you're in danger tonight »
« W-what?! Me? How am I in- » his eyes visibly widened "Are you saying, meeting Tamiko is dangerous? »
« I'm not completely sure but so far, a woman is involved in these deaths and-
« Hahaha! » the man laughed for almost a whole minute, making Kumo feel annoyed "I'm sorry but there's no way. She's the sweetest, most beautiful woman in this world! »
"I'm sure you think that but-"
« Ha-Haruka? Who's this? » a soft, timid voice said behind the man.
« Tamiko, there you are!" the man happily turned around to face a petite, frail looking woman "I don't know, just a random girl that's playing detective"
I didn't sense nor heard her. Unusual for humans.
"Sir, please stand aside. That thing isn't human." Kumo took out her sword and pointed it to the scared looking woman. I hear no heartbeat coming from her.
"Darling, are you going to let her talk to me like that? I'm scared" the demon said while taking the man's face between its hands. "Protect me…with your life. You love me, don't you?" the man leaned down with dazed eyes and kissed the demon softly on the lips.
Uh…ew?
"I won't let you hurt Tamiko, you'll have to kill me first!" he shouted while standing protectively in front of the demon "She's the love of my life!"
Well, this just got unnecessarily more complicated.
"Fine, I'll take you out first. You leave me no choice" Kumo said with a serious voice before pointing her sword at the man.
Both man and demon widened their eyes.
"W-wait, are you se-"
In a flash, Kumo ran at top speed, kicked the demon into the air to create some distance and knocked out the man by hitting the back of his neck with the hilt of her sword. She caught his body and jumped back to place him agains a tree trunk.
"How dare you?! You women are ALL the same! Taking away my men!" the demon shouted angrily while grabbing its head with a crazed look on it face. Its long hair started floating and the ends became pointed and hard, like spikes. "I won't forgive you!"
"Uhm, I think you got it wrong-
"You fucking whore. DIE!" The demon launched its spikes towards Kumo who quickly deflected them and jumped around to avoid them.
Second Form: Rice Spirit
Kumo tried to slash the demon's hair but it didn't cut. Weird.
She did a series of fast slahes that pushed the spikes about 2 metres away from her to create an opening.
First Form: Thunderclap and Flash
She got close to the demon and aimed to cut her neck but yet again, it didn't cut. It got stuck without an inch piercing through its skin. Kumo frowned, confused.
"Ha! You just noticed? For running so fast you're quite slow, aren't you?" the demon said with a wicked smile "I can harden my body so much that your silly little swords can't even cut me!" The young slayer widened her eyes out of surprise of the information…and didn't have time to notice a couple spikes that eventually stabbed her on the shoulders, pushing her with brutal force and making her roll on the round for several meters.
It hurts. Fuck.
With trembling arms Kumo stood up and looked at the demon who had gained an air of confidence. She could already feel her blood staining her shoulder and down the sleeves of her uniform. Kumo took a deep breath.
Total Concentration Breathing.
She knew she had about 10 minutes. Maybe 12 if she pushed herself to the limit. The bleeding had stopped down considerably, enough to keep fighting. Kumo had to find a weakness and defeat the demon within the time given. If not, the unconscious man and many more would die.
With regained stamina and speed, Kumo began attacking the demon from different angles. Short range, long ranged, kicks, elbow hits. Still, the demon remained untouched standing still while using its hair. Maybe if she tried to cut faster? Could she cut faster than the demon's reaction? There was only way to find out.
Third Form: Thunder Swarm
Lighting came out of Kumo's feet as she slashed the demon from all directions, aiming for different parts of its body in order to test her theory.
"Ugh!" The demon moaned in pain as it felt its left arm being cut. It wasn't strong enough to regenerate it without consuming human flesh.
"Ah, gotcha" Kumo panted while holding her sword firmly with both hands "If I'm fast enough, you won't be able to protect yourself"
"NO! Shut up!" the demon screamed in fury, attacking Kumo while running towards the sleeping man. If it consumed him, it could get stronger and defeat the annoying slayer.
"Oh no, you wont" Kumo muttered.
Fifth Form: Heat Lightning
Her lightning struck the demon catching it off-guard. She ran top speed to catch up to it.
Third Form: Thunder Swarm
« Die! » Kumo shouted as she put her whole body and strength in each slash until the final, most powerful one was aimed to her neck, slashing it quickly and smoothly.
"NOO! I don't want to die" the beheaded demon howled while crying "Why couldn't anyone love me I-" it couldn't finished its last sentence as it vanished into the air.
Kumo panted heavily as she tried to maintain her breathing technique. She calculated she had about 3 minutes left before she passed out and bled out. She had to hurry and take the man to a safe place as well. Kumo threw the man over her left shoulder, which put pressure into her stab wound, making her hiss in pain.
He'd better pay me back in his next life…or this one. Tsk.
The tired slayed ran towards the centre of the village. Jumping through roofs, until she found a quiet inn that was dimly lit at the entrance. She gently put the man down against the down and noticed her blood had stained his front robes or was it his sleeves? The edges of her vision were starting to get blurry.
"Kwah kwah! Rest at Wisteria House nearby! Rest!" her crow shouted.
The what? She was too tired to think. Everything was blurry now. Hiro became a black shadow in the sky.
"Follow! Hurry! Kwah kwah!"
Kumo started to follow Hiro in a jog but after a few hundred meters her time limit was up. She grabbed her chest in pain, coughed and heaved. Her blood started flowing at normal speed.
Hiro, the nuts I gave you better save my life now or else...was her last though before succumbing to darkness.