The Beginning of A New Era (DKT AU)

A new visitor and some chaos

The next day, Nezuko and her friends were awakened by a quiet knock on the door. 
"Come in!" the girl called out. 

The door opened, and in walked a girl who was the spitting image of Akira. She had the same dark blue hair, green eyes, and white haori. 

"Akira!" she exclaimed, running over to his bed and kneeling beside him. "Are you okay? Is everything all right?" 
"I'm fine, nee-san, don't worry!" the boy replied with a smile. "My wounds are healing. Nothing serious." 
"Thank goodness!" the girl sighed in relief. Then she glanced around and noticed Ishiyo and Nezuko. 

"Hello, girls! I'm sorry for barging in like this—I just wanted to make sure my brother was okay!" 

Nezuko smiled. "Don't worry about it! It's understandable to be concerned for him!" 
Ishiyo merely grunted and turned away. 

"Oh, I haven’t introduced myself!" the newcomer exclaimed, smacking her forehead. "I'm Atsuko Takahashi, the Snow Hashira. Akira is my younger brother, as you’ve probably guessed!" 

Ishiyo turned to Atsuko, her face marked with surprise. 
"A Hashira?! But... how? How old are you?" 
"I'm 16!" the girl answered. "Why do you ask?" 
"You're only two years older, and you're already a Hashira!" Ishiyo muttered under her breath. "I need to train more." 

Atsuko simply smiled. 
"I'm Nezuko!" the other girl introduced herself. "And that's Ishiyo, by the way. Don't mind her—she’s usually a bit... rough—" 
"Excuse me, I’m still here?" 
"I know—" 
"Are you mocking me? What do you think you’re doing?!" 
"Calm down!" Atsuko interjected, stepping between the girls. She smiled, but there was something terrifying about it. 

Nezuko and Ishiyo fell silent. Akira looked at his sister with admiration. The girls exchanged glares for a little longer but eventually settled down and continued their conversation. 

*** 

About an hour later, Atsuko left, explaining she had work to do. She said her goodbyes to all three, quickly hugged her brother, and departed. 

"Your sister is so nice!" Nezuko remarked to Akira. 
"Isn’t she?" he beamed. "Do you have any siblings, Nezuko?" 

The girl fell silent. 
"Sorry, if it's too personal!" Akira stammered. "You don't have to answer..." 
"I had four siblings, but they were killed by a demon," Nezuko replied with feigned calmness. There was no need to mention Tanjiro—not yet. She trusted Akira, but Ishiyo was also in the room, and she probably wouldn’t react well upon learning what Nezuko's elder brother had become. 

"I'm so sorry!" Akira exclaimed, falling silent as well. Ishiyo looked at Nezuko without saying anything, though her face showed... something like sympathy? Or perhaps pity? Who knows! 

"My twin brother and younger sister were also killed by a demon," Akira murmured. 
"Your twin brother?" Ishiyo asked, surprised. "What was his name?" 
"Akihito. And my sister’s name was Mizuki," Akira answered, pain etched across his face. He didn’t want to talk or even think about it. 

Noticing his expression, Nezuko decided to change the subject. 
"And you, Ishiyo? Any siblings?" 

The other girl looked at her friend, startled. Clearly, she hadn’t expected the question to be directed at her. She quickly regained her composure and shook her head. 

Nezuko nodded, and just as she was about to ask something else, there was a loud crash, shouting, and the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. The three exchanged worried looks—what was going on? Could it be a demon? That would be bad, as they had no weapons and couldn’t fight back! Should they call for help?