The Descendant (A Retelling and love story of Demon Slayer)

Seventeen

Akari's footfalls were silent as she sprinted up the mountain. Sweat had started to bead on her forehead beneath her mask, her breath coming out in controlled pants as she traversed the familiar path upward. She had been running on and off for almost a week straight, only stopping to fuel her body with water, food, and the occasional one-hour nap. At first, she was making her way leisurely back at her own pace, a couple of times though, she would have to make a small detour as she would run into strangers who were often dealing with demon-related problems. She did her best to assist them quickly and be on her way when it happened, but they took far longer than she hoped and because of that she was delayed heavily. Now she was full-on racing back. Getting lost only a handful of times and having to stop to ask for directions. The thought of being late made her feel sick. If she didn't make it back in time, she didn't know what she would do. She owed so much to Sabito, the least she could do was spend time with him before he was called beyond the bridge of the afterlife.

Just a little up the hill, she spotted Urokodaki's small home, nestled along the path in the woods looking as peaceful as it was when she left. A small smile tugged at her lips, her pace quickening until she slowed to a stop in front of the building. Her breath came out in puffs as her concentration faltered. She removed her hood, her tied-up hair flowing free in the wind and moved her mask from her face to the side of her head opposite of the lilly hairpin.

"Urokodaki-sensei! Tanjiro-kun! I'm home!" She shouted, announcing her homecoming with an elated smile. It was a strange feeling for her. Admitting to herself out loud like this that she was home when in all actuality, she was nowhere near her original home. Her smile fell a little as she realized what she was feeling. She was excited to see them. Her hand came up to fist the fabric of her haori above her heart as a twinge of emotional pain rolled through her chest. She pursed her lips, reinforcing that smile again. 'What happened to my family, it's done. I'm here now. I can help.' "Sensei! Tanjiro-kun! I'm back!" She shouted one more time, making short steps to the door, gently sliding it open to peek inside.

Unfortunately, the place was dark. The hearth was doused, but a lingering warmth still emitted from its recently snuffed center. A small frown crawled its way on her face. 'He must have gone somewhere.' Softly, she removed her shoes, padding over to the door on the left.

"Ne, Tanjiro-kun, are you back from final selection yet?" She voiced aloud, but when she didn't get an answer, she sighed before a smile crept back on her face. "Nezuko-chan, I'm coming in okay." Akari was aware that the demon girl wouldn't answer, but it was polite to say regardless. She slid the door open gently. Her gaze slipped over the darkened room and her smile faltered as she took in the empty space. The futon and blankets folded neatly in the corner of the room. The small desk that Tanjiro would use to write in his journal was bare, the candle on top dry. Her heart squeezed tight. They aren't here. Her eyes widened with sudden heartwrenching realization as her breath caught in her throat.

"...I'm late..."Tears sprang to her eyes as she whirled around and sprinted out of the house, just barely remembering to put her shoes back on. With her breathing unfocused, she sprinted up the mountain as fast as she could. Completely disregarded the snap of branches across her body as she barreled through the woods, hopping over logs, rocks, and even a completely unaware rabbit that startled as she flew over it in her haste. The air chilled quickly as she made the accent in record timing, her heart beating frantically as she prayed to the gods for it not to be true. 'Please! Please no!' Her lungs squeezed in the high altitude without her total concentration breathing, but asking her to get that under control in her emotional turmoil would have been cruel. '...Sabito.' She pushed herself. '...Sabito...' She grits her teeth. 'Sabito!' Slaming through the dense foliage she could see it in the distance. 'SABITO!' Akari burst through the treeline, the boulder that Tanjiro used to train laid before her, split in half.