My Instincts Never Lie || Demon Slayer Nezuko

26. Relief At Dawn

From where Nezuko lay on the ground with her brother, the sight of burning ashes caused her to turn around. And to her pity, she watched as Rui's bruning-away body stumbled its way toward the Kamado siblings as if it was reaching for something. By the way his hand gave one last fleeting lift as the body fell on the floor before her, she could sense the emptiness in him. The desperation and sadness was overwhelming.

    Tears welled in her eyes and Nezuko reached out to the disappearing body, glancing between Tanjiro and what was left of Rui. 'I'm sorry. I hope you feel warmth when you're reborn. I hope you find peace wherever you go.' As the last pieces of Rui flew up in the sky, Nezuko's mind lingered on the sadness.

"Don't take pity on a man-eating demon, even if they look like children. He was an ugly monster who has lived for decades." She raised her gaze, following the voice that shamelessly stepped on the fabric and up to a familiar face she had not seen in years.

But that didn't phase her at all. "No matter who it is or what they are, I will cut any demon down without question. For the innocent and anyone who has fallen victim to their terror." Nezuko gripped the kimono, staring Tomioka right in the eye. "But the pain and regret demons face, I can't just ignore that. They were once humans too, like us. He wasn't an ugly monster. Demons have an emptiness to them. They're tragic beings. So please remove your feet, Tomioka-san."

Nezuko watched as his eyes narrowed at her. Distaste was written all over his features until his gaze shifted away from her and his eyes widened as if a light bulb had just flickered on.

'That demon... He was the one from that mountain.' The image of Tanjiro's feral nature standing guard in front of Nezuko's unconscious body came back to Tomioka. And that strange day he could care less for came back to him. A weak stubborn girl who came at him with nothing but a hatchet and a demon who fought against temptation.

Before they had time to reunite, a presence similar to Tomioka, popped up on Nezuko's radar. 'Butterflies...' She thought and the next thing she knew, a demon hunter was dashing right at them. Nezuko braced for the attack, clinging to Tanjiro, only to hear the clank of swords clashing.

"Ara?" Opening one eye, she looked up to see the hunter who came to attack, spinning against the dirt and Tomioka standing guard in front of them.

'Who was that? What just happened?' She thought, staring at Shinobu and her insect patterned haori.

"Why did you stop me, Tomioka-san? You clearly said before that you won't get along with demons. What is going on?" The dainty and sweet tone of Shinobu's voice caught Nezuko's ears. She seemed petite in build like her but if she could catch Tomioka off guard, then she was someone to behold.

"You're always like this." Shinobu giggled as she continued, turning to face them with her weirdly shaped blade pointing in their direction. "That's why everyone hates you. Now Tomioka-san, please move aside."

Silence arose. "I..." Tomioka began. "I am not hated by everyone."

'Hated by everyone?' Nezuko was sure she almost choked on air, clearly dumbfounded by such a response. And by the looks of it, Shinobu was the same. What in the world was this conversation? Was it really all that important?

Nevertheless, Shinobu sighed, sympathetically saying, "Well, I'm very sorry then. It seems that you don't know people hate you. I'm such a chatterbox. Please forgive me." As if that would make things better.

'She's so blunt!' Nezuko thought, now absolutely stunned by everything that was happening. She couldn't help but look up at Tomioka, who was even more appalled than her. 'What in the world is going on right now? Am I supposed to say something? Should I say something? Today's been so long, I don't have the energy to think about this.'