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

Eighteen

     When Akari stepped across the bridge entering Iwate Village, she wasn't really expecting to stay long. The likelihood that Tanjiro was still here was low. Even though both herself and her feathered guide had hardly paused to rest, it still took a few days to reach the small town. If she remembered correctly, her ancestor only spent a single night here before leaving soon after sunrise the next morning for Asakusa. So she decided to only spend a few hours searching. If he wasn't here, she would have Sasuke lead her to Asakusa.

Glancing off into the sky, she spotted the dark feathered bird as he landed on a rooftop nearby, its beady eyes keeping watch over her small figure. Akari sighed. It wasn't ideal by any means, but she had no idea how to get to the big city from here without the winged animal. So she would have to suck it up and let him watch from afar. Catching up to Tanjiro right now was her number one priority. If she could do that before he made it to Asakusa, she could possibly save a man in the process. Save the innocent and take it one step at a time. That was her goal right now. The last thing she wanted was to get overwhelmed thinking of what was to come. Such an outcome could render her unable to make decisions when it's most needed. She couldn't allow that to happen.

"Oh my, did you hear? Kazumi-kun rescued a young woman last night who was being abducted! He was out all night looking for his missing fiancee Satoko when he found them. The abductor dropped the girl and ran away after Kazumi-kun confronted him!" Akari paused, her head turning to look at the older woman behind a merchant's stall who was speaking. The woman she was speaking with placed a hand over her mouth to cover her shock.

"You're serious!? How brave, confronting a mass kidnapper like that! It's a shame the culprit wasn't captured, but maybe this means the rate of disappearances will slow or stop altogether?"

"We can only hope." Akari made her way over to the two conversing women. The older vendor gave her a strange look, causing the other woman to turn her gaze. Akari quickly pulled off her mask, setting it on the side of her head as she moved her hood down.

"Pardon me, I couldn't help but overhear, did you say someone chased off the abductor last night?"

"... I did, and who might you be?" The older woman looked at her skeptically. Akari gave her a disarming smile.

"Ah, my apologies. I was actually sent to track down the person committing the abductions here in Iwate and take them into custody to face punishment. This Kazumi person, do you know him?" The woman seemed to buy her story, the one buying items bidding the older vendor farewell. She nodded while turning to Akari.

"I do, the poor boy. His fiancee was taken a few nights ago so he was out last night looking for her when he found another young woman in the arms of the culprit. Thankfully he was able to rescue her, but his own fiancee was nowhere to be seen. It's heartbreaking."

"I see. Do you know where I can find Kazumi-san now? I'd like to ask him some questions about the man responsible for the abductions." The old woman nodded, her gaze turning to search down the road further into the town.

"I just saw him walk by not long ago, he was wearing a dark blue kimono and had a bruise on his face. If you go now, you might be able to catch up to him." Akari bowed and bid the woman goodbye, heading down the street to search for the young man in the dark blue outfit. Thankfully, it didn't take long to find him. The man was spacing out in front of a ceremonial kimono shop. His tearful eyes trailed over a woman's outfit on display.

"Excuse me," She said in a gentle tone, causing his gaze to shift from the items to her as she approached. "Is your name Kazumi?" He eyed her cautiously but nodded in affirmation, wiping the tears from his lashes.