Change of Fate // Kyojuro Rengoku

.012

Revisiting

Emi quietly made her way out of the Butterfly Estate. The moon was now shining brightly in the night sky, as it was a clear, starry night. Wolf trotted behind her as she snuck toward the front entrance, reaching for the gate, when she heard a voice. "Where are you going?"

She quickly turned around, seeing Tanjiro with a young girl by his side. She was wearing a pink kimono and had a bamboo shoot tied around her head and resting in her mouth. Tanjiro saw Emi staring at his sister beside him, realizing they hadn't met. "Emi, this is my sister Nezuko. Nezuko, this is Emi."

Emi raised her finger to point at the young girl. "Demon..." she informed bluntly.

"Yes." Tanjiro honestly answered. "But, she's never eaten anybody. And she never will." Nezuko happily shook her head, agreeing with her brother's statement.

Emi simply shrugged her shoulders, as it was none of her business really. She turned again to go through the gate, but Tanjiro's voice stopped her once again. "Wait, Emi-san where are you going?"

The girl sighed, looking over her shoulder at the two. "Home."

"Home? But I thought Rengoku-sama offered you a place with him?" Tanjiro asked, confused. He watched as Nezuko pet the gray wolf that approached her, sniffing at her feet before happily accepting the pats.

Emi nodded her head. "Book, bow. I need them."

Now he understood. She didn't want to leave, she only wanted to get her things that still remained in her old home. "I see..." he hesitated. "Right now? Why not wait for the morning? And by yourself?" She shrugged again, turning to continue on her way, giving a short whistle so that the wolf followed her.

The girl and the dog didn't make it far before she realized they were being followed. She turned to see the two Kamado siblings trailing behind her. "Emi! We didn't want you to go by yourself, would you like some company?" Tanjiro asked as he jogged up to her, Nezuko huffing from behind him.

Emi laughed and motioned for the two to follow her. "Okay." She smiled, not minding the company of her new friends.

.・゜゜・

It was quite a trek, but finally after a while they made it to Emi's shack. The girl pushed the sheet covering the doorway aside, picking up a match stick and swiping it across the wall to light the candle on the table, illuminating the dark cabin. She began to grab a few of her things, picking up a tattered bag and throwing them in. The books that were on the table, her supplies she would use to craft things, her bow and arrows.

She wasn't paying much attention to the siblings that were standing in the doorway, as they were looking around at the sad excuse of a home. It was cold, and dark, and Tanjiro felt his heart sink seeing the pile of blankets that was likely her bed. "This...was where you lived, Emi-san?" He asked quietly. The dark haired girl nodded, still moving around gathering her things. When she was done, she slid the bag over her shoulder, as well as the holster that held her bow and arrows to be across her back.

She turned to the siblings and smiled. "Done." They nodded, and exited the building, Emi snuffing out the candle before they left.

As they made their way back to the Butterfly Estate, Tanjiro spoke up. "Hey, what's in those books anyway? If you can't read yet, why do you need them?" He politely asked, not wanting to come off rude.

Emi pulled one of the books out, flipping through the pages. She came to a specific page that showed sketches of a wisteria flower, a powdery substance, some sort of other flower, and a diagram of an arrowhead. It looked to be instructions on how to make a special arrow. Emi pointed to the arrows on her back and made an exploding motion with her hand "Boom!" She said with a smile.

Tanjiro connected the dots, grabbing one of the arrows from her back and tilting it to examine it. It seemed to have a string attached to the head that would be pulled off when she sent it flying, likely triggering the following explosion. "A recipe for exploding wisteria arrows. How did you figure this out?" She shrugged, and handed him the book to look at as well. He turned the pages, seeing there were ideas for other weapons as well, maybe she just hadn't brought them to life yet. Then, towards the back of the book, there was a different kind of sketch. It was of a man swinging a sword, flames flying all around him as his hair whipped away from his face. It was really good, and very clearly a portrait of Kyojuro Rengoku, probably drawn after the Mugen Train incident.

Tanjiro closed the book with a blush, unsure if he was meant to see the drawing. He handed the book back to the girl before they heard a rustling noise just ahead of them. The boy pushed his little sister behind him, reaching his hand for his blade. Emi reached back for her bow, stringing an arrow into place.

A tall sickly looking demon emerged from the bush, his arms reaching to his sides as his fingers curled in excitement, long jagged nails at the end. "Hmm, just in time. I was getting hungry." The demon chuckled in a gravelly voice.

Before he could even reach another foot forward, Emi let the arrow loose, and it landed directly in the center of the demons neck. He stumbled back with a groan, "Ow! You little shi-" there was a burst, blood flying amongst a puff of purple smoke as the demon's head flew off his body. The poison made quick work, causing his severed head and decapitated body to begin to dissolve away.

Emi let out a laugh, looking over to a wide eyed Tanjiro and Nezuko. "Sorry.." she said as she tried to calm her laughter. "Not funny." Nezuko let out a giggle at the girl's reaction, and the two girls started to giggle together as they continued their walk once again.

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Uhhmmm uhm uhm 600 reads?? 600?? I scream I cry thank you to anyone reading this story I really hope you guys are enjoying it 🥺