A second chance

Midnight conversations and meeting...

Seven nights later

in a hidden temple in an unknown forest

Giyu gazed up at the crumbling temple with its cracked stone and decaying wooden roofs. Vines could be seen crawling up the walls, while one of the wooden roofs was clearly caved in. There was a thick coating of dust surrounding the area, and the clearing was overgrown with tall grass and weeds.

"It's... old," he eventually admits, looking up at the crescent moon.

"Yes, it has been quite a few centuries since I've been here." The dark, plum-eyed boy hums. "I should've paid more attention to them." He turned and smiled up at Giyu. "This... was known as the Sun Temple, and... a demonic friend of mine decided to merge themselves with this place..."

Giyu ignored the exasperation building up beneath his skin and instead asked, "Does that mean... this temple is... alive?"

The boy's face draws into a blank expression. "Perhaps."

An exasperated smile appears on his face. 'I am never going to get a straight answer out of him.'

'Most of the time, no, Lord Tomioka.' chirps the boy within his mind. 'You will know my name by tomorrow evening, if that's any consolation.'

In response, the 19-year-old began to grumble as the small group made their way towards the temple for shelter.

It had been seven days, or rather nights, since he and the demon boy had left the Kamado's home. The first few days were mentally exhausting, as they had to constantly find shelter before sunrise each night. Then there was the matter of the strange mark on his cheek, along with the scar on the upper right side of his forehead.

Absently, he reached up and touched the left side of his cheek before tracing a clawed finger around his left eye.

———

Three days previous

Giyu plunged his head back into the water, furiously scrubbing away at the dry blood that had been sticking to his skin for the past four days.

Four days ago, he was turned into a demon; four days ago, he was a human, a demon slayer; four days ago, a year of his life and his previous master's name were erased from his memory.

He stayed underwater for quite some time, thoughts swirling as he scrubbed away the dirt and grime that had been building up during their nighttime travels.

(It's strange being a demon; my senses are sharper, especially my instincts.) His head burst from the cold river water, and he looked towards their camp. The boy with the fawn mask was tending to a fire while Tanjiro lay sleeping next to him in a basket they managed to get from a village after their second night of traveling.

He leaned back against the river bank before looking down at his reflection, pensive.

His pale skin almost seemed to glow, with the dark blue mark on the left side of his cheek resembling a fluid-water-like design. The scar on the upper right side of his forehead, which was covered by his red-tipped black hair, was drenched in water, as were his black, curled dragon-like horns. His pointed ears moved, his heightened senses picking up on the nocturnal life surrounding them and the strange constant thrumming within his body. All the while, the Hanafuta earrings moved with the wind and briefly gave off an invisible pulse of energy.

He closed his eyes before opening and examining them. The irises are cat-like in appearance, with his right side being the same dark blue color before his transformation, while his left was completely different. It was almost same as Muzan's eyes in terms of looks. The only exception was the maroon color instead of the plum red he remembered.