Growth and Malady

22 - Muzan

This is the first chapter with only Muzan's POV!
Yes, it is very much a filler chapter.
Be prepared for plenty of filler chapters, as I feel like it's better to drag this on for a bit longer than end it as quick as possible...

For the first few hours, Kokushibo was badgering my mind with thoughts, trying to get me to tell him where I was. I felt bad for ignoring him, but I'd let him go. He needed to do the same for me.

Then, as the night drew to a close, the voice in my head quieted, soon fading away entirely. I was either too far away to hear him, or he'd stopped persisting. I felt safe enough to return to my adult male form, the one which had become a kind of default for me. My hair was still longer than I would have liked, but no one was there to judge.

The sun peeked over the treetops, its warm light filtering through the gently rustling leaves. I took a long breath in, enjoying the fresh air that flowed into my lungs. My healthy, reliable lungs. A small chuckle escaped me. Just a couple days ago, I wouldn't have made it half the distance I'd covered in the previous night. I was far away from Kokushibo, and far from the demonslayers.

What now? Do I just keep running? If so, from what am I running? Do I focus on getting stronger? Where am I going? What if I run into any slayers?

Those were the questions that played on loop inside me, filling my head with an invisible kind of anxiety. Id already come up with answers for two of the five.

Do I focus on getting stronger?

Yes. Don't let anything kill you, now that you're finally immune to the sun.

Do I just keep running?

Keep going until you get far enough away so that no one can follow or track you.

A 'solid' plan; Avoid all human life.

Easier said than done, I thought, ducking under a low branch. There were towns dotted all over the landscape, and a few children were running through the forest, playing. The scent of humans was faint, but all around me. After a while of not having to suppress the urge, it was making me hungry.

I shook my head. I needed to keep moving; I couldn't stop now. For all I knew, a hashira could be on my tail.

As I wandered further, the human stench grew. Looking ahead, I could see that the tree line was drawing closer. I was almost out of the woods.

I laid one hand on a thick trunk, looking down into the town. My sharp eyes caught sight of many things. Vendors, elders, children, and regular adults filled the street, going about their business.

It wouldn't hurt to check the place out.

Descending the small hill, I checked myself over to make sure I looked somewhat presentable. A lightweight, white kimono and matching haori, not too awful.

I blinked in the harsh sunlight, striding into the town calmly. My appearance drew no attention to me, making me look like just another person who had nowhere in particular to be at the moment. Humans milled around the street en masse, their collective scent becoming next to overwhelming.

I need to get used to these senses again...

Coming in here was a mistake. If anything, I'm even more hungry than before.

I raised one hand to my face, pinching the bridge of my nose as I shut my eyes for a moment. Halfway opening them, I let my hand fall back to my side.

Time to go.

As I turned around to leave, a small group of kids caught my attention. Three of them were sitting, watching a fourth child demonstrate something with a swinging pendulum. They were all quite young, but it was hard to tell how old they were exactly.
The one standing had straight, short black hair and bright blue eyes.