𝒟𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒? [[Inosuke Hashibira x (fem) reader]] (complete)

𝟙𝟘

You ran downhill as fast as your legs could carry you, feeling the impact of your feet hitting the ground with each step. The incline was allowing you to travel much faster, so you used this to your advantage.

Tears from the wind hitting your face and from laughing so hard streamed down your face, but you wiped them away in an instant when you reached level ground.

Wow...Tanjiro was right.

You stopped, your eyes wide. The view ahead was taking your breath away, and not in the way you would have liked.

The scene before you was dark and desolate. You tried to imagine how charming this kind of place would have been if it hadn't been struck by such tragedy. Every shop, tavern, dining area, and even homes were overcome with shadows.

You whirled around quickly to the sound of something scratching up dirt, but it was just Inosuke sliding towards you down the slope.

"Wow...do people even live here anymore?" Inosuke mumbled, having the same reaction as you had

"I know right?" You frowned "As far as I can tell, nothing is moving. Not even a single mouse. This place must be abandoned."

"It's not true." that was Tanjiro's voice coming down from the slope "There are people here. They're afraid."

"I can smell the fear everywhere...it's overwhelming. It's terrible."

Zenitsu emerged from the undergrowth of the forest behind you, looking dejected and slumped over. You wanted very badly to tease him for being last, but you decided against it. The timing was far too inappropriate.

"HA! MUZAN KISSER" Inosuke mocked Zenitsu, and you swatted at him almost instantaneously

"HEY!! WHY YOU LITTLE-" Zenitsu gritted his teeth

You jumped between them

"If you two don't knock it off, I'll kick BOTH your asses at once!!"

Inosuke and Zenitsu exchanged smug looks--you could tell they were trying not to laugh

"Yeah, sure you will" Inosuke snickered

You stomped one foot into the ground and blew hot air out of your nose, flustered and confused. "I'M SERIOUS! HOW CAN YOU BE LAUGHING AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!" watching them laugh made you want to laugh, but you knew that if you did, you wouldn't get your point across.

"It's okay, hang in there (Y/n). With all that anger packed into such a small body, you may injure yourself getting mad like that" Zenitsu patted you over the head and turned his attention to Tanjiro.

You pouted when your frustration began to fizzle out, watching them casually go on as if they didn't just bully you into submission like that.

Boys are the worst!

  ❄

"Are you sure this place is open?" You worried, biting your nails

"I don't see why it wouldn't be. It's not night time yet" Tanjiro shrugged, knocking on the front door of the establishment "Hellooo?"

No answer came

He knocked again, harder this time

The same result.

"Err...maybe they can't hear us...?" Tanjiro frowned, looking the door up and down

Inosuke came to stand between you two, examining the door "What kind of stupid ass store owner doesn't put up any signs? Who would just send for help and then close their doors when help arrives?!"

"I don't know," Tanjiro sighed "I guess we could just go door to door and see if anyone's willing to-"

The doors swung open so fast, you could've sworn the force of it caused the ground to shake

The woman who stood before you was tall, with slender features and calm ocean blue eyes. Her long black hair flowed like rivers down her back, and her eyebrows were thin with a curious arch to them. She looked young, but not young enough to be a teenager.

"Ah! Hi, we're here about the missing children?" Tanjiro spoke up, and her cold stare fell upon him.

This woman...She's so unreadable it's scary. Why does she look angry and calm at the same time?

She stared hard at him, then at everyone else. The group became visibly tense under this woman's gaze.

"What the hell are you waiting for? Get inside. NOW." She yelled

"WAAAAH YES MA'AM" Zenitsu cried, running for his life into the shop. The rest of you followed closely behind him, confused but not wanting to test this woman's patience.

She slammed the door behind you and beckoned you towards her, leading the way towards some kind of back hidden area sealed off with a bookshelf.

You all sat down in a circle on pillows, and she sat in the middle next to a lamp. Outside of the window nearest to you, you could see the sun making its way to the horizon.

"My name is Asami Takeda. You three are permitted to call me Takeda."

"It must've taken you all so long to get here, so I'm going to keep this short and straight to the point" She lowered her voice clutching something shiny tightly in her hand "I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my abilities at the end."

She cleared her throat

"I started to notice something was wrong a few months back, when my little brother Konoe went missing. At first, I was frantic--I continued to ask again and again the authorities to look for him, but they insisted that there were no leads and therefore nothing they could do."

"Instead, they told me that around the same time, a few mothers--maybe like four or five--had reported that their young children had gone missing too. Plus, they came upon two dead bodies of a mother protecting her child, but due to the large gashes in her body, they said it may have been a bear that attacked and nothing else."

"So I decided to take the investigation into my own hands. I've been seeking hints as to Konoe's whereabouts. More and more children have been going missing every night, and it's gotten to the point where people are forced to stay locked away in their homes if they hope to stay alive."

"I think I have all the pieces now, I'm this close to finding him, but I can't go alone. I've no skill in combat or tracking, I am merely a writer and I live here by myself. That is why I sent for you. because I've heard old tales of demons plaguing these lands and hunters who can kill them."

Everyone looked at each other for a long moment, holding their breaths.

Tanjiro tensed "So you think that this force that is kidnapping many children at once may be a demon?"

Takeda inhaled deeply looking up at the ceiling. Was she praying?

"I don't think it's a demon. I know that it is a demon. And I think I know its power, too."

You leaned toward her, intrigued "Its blood demon art? Please do tell"

She averted her gaze to the window on her right, which showed the last light of the day making its final glow in the sky. Nighttime was approaching fast. "On one particular night I was searching for Konoe, I heard the sound of an angelic voice. I didn't go towards it, for fear that it might kill me--but I heard it make its rounds around the town and go up into the mountains."

Takeda's eyes were watery now, her pupils shrinking as she recovered her memories

"Some nights I can hear the children crying. I can hear Konoe's voice, echoing among them. It's a horrific, ghostly sound the whistles and echoes on the wind."

"Please, I am begging you to find him. You're our last hope."