𝐓𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏

A MOTHER'S SACRIFICE.

The fierce wind blew harshly on the battlefield. It was a moonless, starless night. A weeping lady limped around to find shelter, at least for her baby. She would have not made it out alive, she knew no one could save her. Crimson drops of blood oozed from her wounds, painting the snow laying thick on the ground. She did not fear death. As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, she dealt with death daily. All she wanted was for her baby to survive.

Her comrades were dead, her husband was dead. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stumbled down the hill, losing her grip on her blade. Still, she held her baby tightly in her arms, her maternal instinct forbidding her to give up. She had to fight.

Her crow cawed aboved her and the helpless slayer flicked her gaze up to the sullen sky.

«Let her live, please! I am soon going to die, but please... I beg you to spare her life!» she sobbed, her vision blurry. Her legs had long given up and her lungs were severely injured. Breathing was impossible. It hurt, yet not as much as witnessing the death of her child.

«Tell him she is... Tell him she could be alive» she breathed out to her crow. The bird indulged her last wills, hastily flying away from the dreadful landscape laying behind it.
The slayer watched her faithful companion disappear from her sight and planted a kiss on her baby's forehead. She did not deserve to share her faith.

Still, how could she keep up with Upper Moon One?

«Forgive me, Yuki» she soothed, covering her daughter with the bloodstained blanket she had wrapped her in before taking her leave from their camp.

The wind intensified and she winced, her eyes shut to defend herself from the piercing cold. He was there. He had found her. The woman stiffened, the intimidating aura of the demon overwhelming her once again. There was nothing she could do, but accept her fate.

«Stand up» the demon coldly said, towering over her.

«I can't fight anymore. Execute me. Fulfill your duty, traitor» she blurted out, her eyes daggers on him. What was the use in keeping her thoughts for herself, when she was embracing death in less than a minute.

The demon scanned her face, his gaze trailed then down to her wounded chest and to the baby she was holding in her arms. He knew she had stopped fighting to keep her daughter safe, he had sensed the dispair in her heart as she threw some wisteria poison in his eyes. The woman had taken advantage of his temporary blindness to grab her baby and ran down the hills.

«What's her name?» he asked, unsheathing his sword.

The woman glanced down at the sleeping girl, a single tear ran down her cheek as she realized it was time for them to die. She could beg the Upper Moon to spare her child's life and she did. She sighed, gently laying her baby before her and she bowed her head down at his feet.

It was a deplorable attempt to negotiate with a demon, but she yearned to persuade him. She hoped in something better for her daughter.

«Her name is Yuki. Please, please, she is far too innocent to die... – she whispered, coughing up some blood on the snow – Save her and you can feast on my flesh» she pleaded him.

Kokushibo mulled her offer over. A human baby was nothing but a burden to bear with. Still, he could easily oblige to her request. She was dying. Whether he beheaded her or not, her wounds had already compromised her life. She had fought until the very end. She was a strong woman and the Upper Moon respected her. A valid opponent, she had been.

Further more, he could bring the child to the Paradise Cult. Tons of women could take her of her. He would have gotten rid of that baby pretty soon.

«So be it» the demon contended then, his deep voice awakening a feeling of unconditional gratitude towards her killer. The woman got on her knees, her eyes soaking in the delicate features of her beloved child for the last time, before glancing up at the demon.

She weakly smiled at him, teardrops falling from her dark eyelashes «I'm ready» she murmured.

She did not flinch, her eyes wide open as the blade cut into the flesh of her tender neck. Her head rolled down on the snow, blood spilling from the mutilated body, dyeing the snow in dark blood. Dark brown locks sprawled around her head, her glassy eyes were still sheding a few tears.

As if she was aware of it, as if she was aware of the tear in her heart, the baby started crying. How pitiful, how dramatic. She weeped in the winter storm, the demon slowly bending down to pick her up. He dusted the snow off of her tiny body and watched her blue eyes peeking at him, from her half-lidded eyes. Yuki did not seem to be scared of him. He could feel the warmth of her body seeping from the frozen blanket, fading away. She could die of frostbite. That was no place for a newborn baby.
She was a beautiful girl, just like her mother.

«I made a promise to your mother... You shall live» the Upper Moon One said, ignoring her cries. He had long forgotten about the feelings a child could give to a parent. All he wanted was to leave her to somebody's care.

In a few hours, Kokushibo knocked on the Temple. A few women let him in, not even questioning his look. They led him straight to their Master, to the leader of the Eternal Paradise Cult. Kokushibo did not feel sympathy for the other Upper Moon. He despised his fake easygoing nature, but he knew he could leave that child at his Temple.

«Kokushibo-dono, what brings you here? – Douma chimed, smoke of his water pipe surrounding him in a pale mist – Is that a child you are holding? How considerate of you not to accidentally drop it to the tatami floor!» he asserted, eyeing his visitor in curiosity.

The Upper Moon One walked over to one of the maids and handed the baby to her. The woman parted her lips, shooting a perplexed glance at the former slayer. Was she supposed to take care of it? Who was that baby?

«I saved her from a painful death... All I ask is for you to give her shelter. I cannot look after her» Kokushibo sternly said, turning his back at the Upper Moon Two to take his leave. He did not have time to deal with the baby and Douma, for what could matter.

Douma, on the other hand, chuckled in amusement and called after him «Ah, thanks fir the gift, Kokushibo-dono! What's the name of the child? She seems cute... – he noted, biting his lower lip thoughtfully – She will blossom into a beautiful woman to eat».

Nor shame, neither the faintest track of remorse filled his voice. He did not even care about the three women staring at him in horror. They were supposed to be his meal in a few.

«Her name's Yuki. – Kokushibo said – And I do not care about her future anymore».

❆

Far away from the massacre of young slayers, batting her frozen wings erratically, a crow crawed out the death of Urokodaki's son, the new hashira, and his wife. The former Water Pillar fell on his knees.

A father should never outlive his son.

The fate of his niece was uncertain, but she was most likely dead. He had lost his son. He owed him to look for their precious heir. He swore that very night that, if a chance for her to be still alive was there, he would have found her. Searching for that baby day and night was his life goal.

«I pray the Gods for Yuki to be safe» he uttered, staring blankly at the wooden wall in front of him. He could not lose her too. She was the last thing worth fighting for.