foreign / demon slayer

CHAPTER 3

"Good morning, Tomioka." I lightly bowed at him.

"Good morning, to you too." He nodded towards me as a sign of acknowledgement.

We went our separate ways, he went to do whatever, and I went to have a serious conversation with Kagaya.

I closed the shoji behind me, in case someone decided they wanted to be an eavesdropper this morning. I sat in front of him, with my head hung low.

He somehow managed to find my cheeks with his hands and softly tilted my head to look his way.

"What brings you to me with such low spirits, child?"

Why was I so afraid of telling him? I wanted to disappear on the spot... What is this feeling?

"K-Kagaya-sama..." I stuttered. Holy hell, what is happening? He was patient with me still, waiting for my response. "Yes, child?" I inhaled deeply.

"The mission in the mountains... A family had been killed by Muzan so I hid from his presence."

He smiled gingerly, his expression as calm as ever. "There is no need to be so sad about such a thing. They are in a better place now." I shook my head. "No, that's not all... There was a girl extremely close to death, she was about to cross the line of no return, and you said to save humans no matter what."

He looked in my direction with his eyebrow raised ever so slightly. People wouldn't notice it. But I notice things. "I-I..." I breathed deeply. Why am I just now realizing the weight of this action? Why was I acting on my personal opinion in the situation?

"Breathe slowly, what happened with the girl?" I kept shaking my head, holding his hands that remained on my face.

"My blood... I used my blood to turn her into a demon so she wouldn't die!" I bowed, my forehead touching the ground with fierce pressure.

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, you can behead me for my actions, you must!" My frantic ramble went on for a few seconds longer but quickly ended when he rested his hand atop my head.

"Rise, child. I will not have you executed. What you will do now is find the girl before she eats someone. I will dismiss the fact that she may or may not have eaten her dead family as they are no longer with a heartbeat. Perhaps you can train her to be like you, a brave soldier who will never stop until a goal is reached, no matter what."

I looked at him with wide eyes. "Yes Kagaya-sama! I will immediately do so!"

Just as I was getting up, he spoke. "Ah, Aki? Could you make sure the children finished their breakfast while Amane is folding sheets?"

"Of course, Kagaya-sama." And just like that, I vanished from the room, leaving the Shoji open as it was before.

♪※⁜※⁜※♪

The house's doors had been fixed? The family members appeared to be buried, so I can assume she didn't eat them. But who did all of this? It couldn't be her, could it? There must've been someone who wasn't here that night.

A sibling, perhaps?

What I can do right now is track the scent of her blood... Or I can just track the location of the blood that belongs to me, that resides within her.

I exhaled, my breath turning to frost. I closed my eyes and covered them with the palms of my hands to block out any light. This time I inhaled sharply.

There she is... What is it with this girl and Mountains? I guess I should be thankful, the population is probably lower than a town.

I started sprinting in her direction, arriving within two days, because of the demons I encountered along the way, hidden in caves and under hay bales and such, the night being much more busy. Kagaya was right, they seem to be stronger in this era.

But I'm stronger.

...

This cabin... I started to walk inside cautiously.

Holy shit. She was just sleeping? With a muzzle? How putrid, acting like a human. I guess I shall wait for her to arise.

Just as I sat next to her on the ground someone walked in. An elderly man with a mask.

"Did the corp send you to kill her?" So he's familiar with my uniform, a former hashira perhaps?

"No, I have special orders to just observe. Make sure she doesn't consume a human. Send to Kagaya-sama if you do not believe." he looked at me, then at the girl.

"I believe you. Her brother is currently training in the mountains for final selection. Her name is Nezuko Kamado, her brother is Tanjiro."

The silence was loud, but I liked this kind of loud. "Where is her brother on the mountain?"

"What is your rank?" ... I don't have a rank. Uh oh.

"Hm. Ask Kagaya-sama, he never told me, I never got the wisteria tattoo embedded into my hand due to skin conditions."

I can tell he eyed me suspiciously behind the mask.

"You carry the scent of a demon, yet you work with the corp..." He sighed heavily. "He should be on the southern side of the mountain, around the top. He just started his training recently, so I don't expect him to be back anytime soon. There are traps set up by me, don't set them off or help him."

I simply nodded my head and vanished. It didn't take me long to find the boy, Tanjiro... He looked exhausted yet determined. I decided to hide in the trees while he made his way down the hill.

I noticed something though, he seemed to know where the traps were with how he tries to avoid them, yet he can't keep up with them—that's why he's getting hit.

♪※⁜※⁜※♪

After observing the brother for a half hour, I spent the rest of the day helping the elderly man whom I now know as Sakonji Urokodaki. I was right earlier when I assumed his former position as a hashira, he was the previous water hashira before Tomioka.

We chopped wood, gathered herbs, washed garments, and sharpened blades.

While we sharpened knives, he decided to share a few things. "If you're worried about Nezuko, I've used old techniques to make her see humans as family. She's currently in a coma at the moment, we had a doctor check up on her."

Interesting...

"I don't worry. I shall only worry when it comes to the Ubuyashiki children." He faced my direction.

"Who are you, exactly? To the Ubuyashiki family, you speak of them as if you've spent their whole life with them."

"Amane-sama found me at a young age, took me in and brought others to train me until I became capable of handling myself."

He quickly cut me off. I don't like talking, I want silence.

"Yet, demons don't age. How old are you?"

"I'm... not a demon. I'm older than Kiriya-sama, that's all you need to know."

Urokodaki made soup while we waited for Tanjiro, I wouldn't eat any of course. Even if it smells good, something like me doesn't deserve to enjoy food.

Just when the sun was about to set, Tanjiro came rushing through the doorway, breath ragged and clothes dirty. His face had multiple bruises but based on my comrade's experience, they should go away easily.

He looked at me with his brows raised but quickly smiled. He has so much kindness in his heart, that most wouldn't know what to do with it.

"Hello miss! My name is Tanjirou." How polite and energetic, especially for someone who went through what he just did.

I simply nodded in his direction and looked back to Urokodaki. "Urokodaki, I trust leaving her in your hands will result in nothing unfavourable, or adverse."

I did not doubt in my mind this girl would be phenomenal in many ways. She had my blood coursing throughout her entire being.

Hm.. her brother, Tanjirou. He will pass Final Selection.

He will not die.