~𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘳~ // 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘻𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

- 𝕏𝕏𝕏𝕀: In the Flesh -

Disclaimer: the following chapter contains extreme spoilers for the finale of Demon Slayer. Please read at your own expense.

It was dark out, and the wind had a cool nip in the air, signalling the end of summer. You and Sanemi were walking in silence. You held his hand, swinging it back and forth with each step. He had been training with Tomioka right before, but Tanjiro interfered without knowing it was simply training. To be fair, if he hadn't had stepped in they likely would've torn each other apart- even their wooden training swords broke.

"What's with that kid?!" Sanemi hissed.

"He was just trying to be kind, Sanemi..." You soothed, squeezing his hand comfortingly.

"That brat is totally nuts!" He snapped.

You sighed in defeat. "He isn't a brat, Sanemi, he's very sweet."

He stopped suddenly, and dropped your hand, snatching something from a patch of reeds. Blood dripped from his hand, slimy goo slithering out as well.

He turned to you and opened his palm, a crushed eyeball falling freely from it. A number was written on it, but it disintegrated before you had the chance to read it.

Sanemi jumped when a crow called out, one hand pushing you behind him, and the other on the hilt of his sword. "EMERGENCY SUMMONS! EMERGENCY SUMMONS!" The crow flapped it's wings urgently.

"AN ATTACK ON UBUYASHIKI MANSION! AN ATTACK ON UBUYASHIKI MANSION!"

Your body was in motion before you could even fully process what that meant. Hot on Sanemi's heels, you weaved and ducked between trees and branches. Fear chilled your heart, but not because you were scare for yourself.

Even from the distance you were at, the sound of a massive explosion was recognizable. The trees bent in the aftershock, and and the plume of smoke that was produced rose in the sky. The rancid aroma of burning hair and skin made you want to throw up.

You continued to run, one hand over your mouth to prevent the bubbling vomit in the back of your throat from spewing. The sensitive skin in your mouth burned with stomach acid until tears stung your eyes. It was awful. Please, tell me that isn't the Master...

You stopped, stumbling forward before catching yourself. The burning body of something stood, groaning in pain. It screamed out Ubuyashiki's name, and it's skin crawled to reattach itself together and heal.

Within seconds, the person's body was pieced together. Torn apart again by sudden piercing spikes that sprung from the ground, he was getting more furious by the moment.

It was a blood demon art, though, by the look on the thing ahead of you's face, it wasn't his own.

Another demon fell to her knees into his arms. Sweat fell freely from her, and she grit her teeth into a crooked smile.

"TAMAYO!" The male demon screamed on anger, still held in place by her blood demon art. The ruins of the Master's mansion were on fire, releasing thick blankets of smoke into the dark night sky.

Too much was happening at once. Hot ashes fluttered in the air, the smell of smoke and charred dead bodies burned your nose. Your throat felt raspy, perhaps from anger, or perhaps from the smoke. Your knuckles were white; one hand was clenched so tightly, your nails left deep cuts that trickled blood.

Your other hand had already drawn your sword. Your joints ached with tension, resentment flaring hot through your body.

The flurry of hasty thoughts that raced through your mind made it impossible to think straight. You felt dizzy. You forced yourself to swallow more vomit down and gasped for air, sucking in ash in the process. You coughed, gasping for more air, and coughed again.