Douma's obsession - Demon Slayer fanfiction

On the run

Miri's lungs are on fire. She's been running for the last two hours, too afraid to stop and catch her breath. Her legs were getting weaker, burning with every step.

After jumping out of the window and dropping about four meters, she had twisted her ankle on the landing. At the time, her whole body had been running on pure adrenaline and fear, but now, as the tension eased, a sharp pain shot up her leg. Forced to take a break, she sinks down against a tree and takes a moment to collect her thoughts.

The sun would be setting in roughly four hours. Miri wasn't stupid. When she jumped out of the window, she was fully aware that she only had a few hours before Douma would come after her. If she wasn't safely out of the forest by then, she stood no chance because he could track her by her scent. Her only chance was to find some civilization and hide, since she had no Katana to defend herself. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back into the tree, just sitting there for a while until her breathing returned to normal.

From a distance, she can faintly hear the sound of water. Miri gets up and limps in the direction of the sound to discover a shallow river winding its way between the trees. Finally, water! She kneels beside the stream and bends down to taste the cool liquid. It was just what she needed! With her thirst quenched, she carefully dips her injured foot into the water and sighs with relief. Although her injuries healed a little faster than usual thanks to her techniques, it would certainly hurt for another two days. She rips a small piece of cloth from her uniform and ties it tightly around her ankle for support.

After replenishing some of her strength, she decides to wade downstream, hoping to cover her tracks and scent. It is much more exhausting this way and after a while the water becomes freezing cold. Miri grits her teeth when she steps on a sharp stone, but she doesn't stop. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the trees and she was still in this stupid forest, there was no time to complain. After another three hours of walking, she can make out the silhouette of a small bridge that leads across the river. There must be a village nearby. Shivering with cold, she climbs out of the water and wanders down the road in what she hopes is the right direction. Walking on a normal, level path felt so good after all the miles she had stomped through the riverbed. Gradually, the landscape around her began to change. The forest thinned out and the road widened. Finally, there were some lights in the distance that made her quicken her pace.

Weakly, she kicks open the door to the tavern. She has made it to the village! Immediately, she is enveloped in a warm atmosphere. People are chattering and the smell of food hangs in the air. Miri stumbles over to the counter. A friendly looking woman greets her. She has thick cornrows and laughter lines around her eyes. She opens her mouth and speaks to Miri, but Miri cannot understand any of the words. Still trembling, she braces herself against a table and blinks as her ears start to ring. She just stares at the woman's mouth. She is still talking, but much faster now. Then her legs give out and Miri is surrounded by darkness.

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When she blinks her eyes open again, she is laying on a bank in the back of the tavern. Her body had stopped freezing and she was wrapped in a comfy blanket. "Oh god, Miri, there you are". Miri turns her head in confusion. Did she recognize that voice? Another woman with a uniform sprinted towards her past all the people that gave her weird looks for shouting. Her hair was pink and also in thick braids which turned green at the end.

It was Mitsuri, another Hashira! She looked down at her in sorrow. "I cannot believe that I've found you here! Well to be honest, Anna here called out for me after you collapsed in front of her because you were wearing a demon slayer uniform" she explains nodding at the woman from earlier who smiled down in her direction. "You look horrible, what did you do? We've been so worried about you! After no one could find you at the fight scene we thought that demon killed you but then we found no proof whatsoever there and...." she goes on in an endless speech while Miri sits up and looks outside in alarm. "For how long was I asleep!?" she asks. It was completely dark outside.

"It took me about an hour to get here," Mitsuri responds with a shrug. "We have to go! Now, or he might find us!" Miri says nervously as she stands up and tucks at her uniform. They both stare out the window and into the darkness that looms outside. "Miri, what do you mean? Who will find us?" Mitsuri whispers a little worried. "I'll explain later, just please, trust me now and come!" Miri pleads. The village was still relatively close to where she escaped from Douma and he would most likely start looking here if he didn't find her in the forest.

Mitsuri contemplates for a second and nods. "Okay, here's the plan: I'll get us a ride. I know this guy I've traveled with a few times who will get us out of here and we'll go to Giyu. He's a few hours south from here. You make sure you pack us some food and water and we'll meet outside in about 20 minutes...". They look at each other for confirmation. Then Mitsuri rushes out again.

When Miri steps outside, her friend and a small carriage pulled by two horses are already waiting for her. A small man, about 50 years old, walks around the carriage and loads it with some sacks before turning in their direction. "'Hop aboard, ladies," he says, friendly gesturing for them to get on.

Shortly afterwards, the carriage begins to move. "Now please tell me what's going on," Mitsuri says as soon as they leave the village. Miri sighs. So much had happened. In her mind, the latest events are still flying around because she doesn't really know how to feel about them. Then she tells Mitsuri everything. About how her mission started, about her fight against Douma and how he kidnapped her, even about how they slept together. She explained what she picked up about their plans and how she escaped afterwards.

Mitsuri listened to her with wide eyes. It felt relieving to talk to someone about everything, even if Miri felt more like telling a fairy tale at some point. "And that was the last time I saw him..." she finished her story. Reliving the way Douma had looked at her in the end, with his rainbow-colored eyes full of anger, sent a sting through her chest. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn his expression also held a little....despair? But surely she must have misinterpreted it.

Why did she even care? That psycho was probably out there murdering innocent people right now, trying to find a way to get back at her. A tight embrace from Mitsuri pulls her out of her thoughts. She closes her eyes and hugs her back.

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