Set Your Heart Ablaze

Chapter 24

"How are you feeling?" Shinobu asked as she changed Kyojuro's bandages. The shock of him suddenly waking up had finally worn off and now she was focused on taking care of his injuries.

"I feel fine, how long has it been?" The Flame Pillar asked,

"it's been a month, everyone has been worried. Especially (Y/N)" Shinobu commented, upon hearing the young woman's name, Kyojuro perked up.

"(Y/N)? Where is she?" He asked, wanting to see her again. Deep down, no matter how much he tried to deny it, Kyojuro loved (Y/N).

"She was sent on a mission shortly before you woke up, she stayed here most of the time." The Insect Pillar explained,

"that reminds me, you'll have to retire. You can't fight like this" Shinobu stated, a small frown on her face. Shinobu knew he would be upset by her statement, she was aware of how dedicated he was to his job as a Demon Slayer.

"I see..."

"You should get some more rest" the woman advised before leaving the room. Kyojuro watched her leave as he thought about everything that had happened. His encounter with Upper Moon 3, his near death experience. He was glad to have made it out alive, and now that he had, he was determined to tell (Y/N) how he felt about her.

---------------------------------------------------

"An upper moon has been spotted in the village" (Y/N)'s crow told her, the words unnerved her. It had been a while since she faced a demon of that strength, and she knew it wouldn't be easy. As she entered the village, she felt the atmosphere turn heavy. The people around her had scared looks on their faces as they whispered amongst each other.

"Excuse me" the young woman approached one of the villagers. It was a young man who appeared to be around her age.

"Oh...hello" he greeted her with a frown on her face.

"It's been a while since we've had any visitors, he continued.

"Though, I don't know if you'd want to stay here. Women have started to go missing" the male explained. His words caught (Y/N)'s attention.

"Go missing?" The woman asked, not giving away the fact that she was there for that exact reason.

"Yeah, five women have disappeared in the middle of the night. No one knows why, so I would recommend you leave." The male warned,

"well, I need a place to rest, is there somewhere nearby?" (Y/N) asked with a small smile on her face.

"Well, if you're sure, there's an inn that way" the male replied pointing down the path.

"Thank you very much" (Y/N) bowed before walking down the path, she eventually found the Inn and stepped inside. There was an older woman standing behind the counter who greeted her with a weary smile on her face.

"Welcome, do you need a room?" She asked as the demon slayer stopped in front of the counter.

"Yes, it's just for me" (Y/N) replied. With a hum, the woman wrote something down and told her which room she would be staying in.

"Oh, and be careful, women around your age have been going missing at night. You seem nice, it would be a shame if something happened to you" the older woman warned.

"Thank you, I will" (Y/N) replied before making her way to the room she had been given. She just hoped this mission would go well.