𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

三

𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐄𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 ー 残酷な意図

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞
⎡ 𝑫𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 ⎦

꧁꧂

Once again when the moon had risen and the sun had gone down, (Y/N) and Kenji bid Tamayo and Yushiro goodbye, promising that they would be back before the sun rose.

Trekking through the snow, their hands woven tightly together, the two demons traveled to the town from the night before in search of food, feeling quite guilty about it since the townspeople were now fearing for their lives almost every single hour. While the humans were starting to slowly understand that the attacks on their town only happened at night, they still weren't sure if what stalked them also prowled around during the day as well.

"Kenji-san..." (Y/N) glanced up towards him, his red gaze locking with hers. "What did you and Tamayo-sama talk about last night?"

"Huh?"

"You two were whispering to one another and kept glancing at me..."

"Oh..." he sighed, scratching the back of his neck as he contemplated what to tell her, not wanting to accidentally insult her by saying she was going crazy. "Well... Tamayo-sama and I talked about you... and... how you're faring."

"Oh..." she muttered in reply, flicking her (E/C) gaze around the dark forest.

They think I'm going crazy.

I am going crazy.

Digging her sharpened nails into the palm of her hand—the one that wasn't gripping onto Kenji's—(Y/N) tried to push the reality of situation out of her mind. Her attention was thankfully diverted when the sounds of the bustling town reached ear shot, soon enough the bright lights of the square filling her sight as well. Chatter could be heard from the people that spilled along the streets, some with cautious looks of apprehension and others with lack of care. It was quite different from the smaller towns that they had been to where as soon as one person was attacked, all boarded up their windows and refused to take a step outside the moment that sky started fading to dark.

Therefore, it was easier like this.

Since Kenji couldn't blend into the crowd as easily as (Y/N) could—save for the sharp claws and the almost tear-like black lines running down from both her eyes to rest just before the middle of her cheek—he stuck to the shadows while she walked around, looking for anyone who was susceptible enough to knock unconscious and feed on their blood.

It wasn't long before she zoomed in on a target: a young man who looked to be highly drunk.

While she wasn't too fond of having to resort to such tactics, she put up a flirty persona that the man easily fell for and led him into one of the nearby alleyways, swiftly catching him in the neck and watching as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, passed out. Murmuring out an apology, she took a hold of his arm and started drinking as much of the blood as she thought she could take. Once more, she stood and looked for another human for Kenji to feast on, this time it being a woman around the same age as the man.

Just as she was about to approach this woman, a sudden chill surrounded her and made her freeze.

What... is this?

This impending sense of dread... I've never felt it before...

Is it...

Almost immediately, (Y/N) jumped away from the unconscious human woman just as something came crashing down on the exact spot where she had been crouching down just a moment ago, powerful gusts of wind escaping from the attack and making her almost lose her footing. As the dust cleared, her eyes widened when they caught sight of who was standing there, the sword the man gripped in his hand gleaming in the overhead light dangerously.

It's a Demon Slayer!

A Hashira!

The man before her was tall and muscular with messy white hair that fell over one part of his face and large, pale purple eyes. He had scars decorating both his face and his body that was further shown by the way he had unbuttoned the Demon Slayer Corps uniform to show his chest. What made (Y/N) shiver even more was the crazed look that crossed his expression.

"I've wondered about what kind of demon I'd find here," he spoke in a menacing tone, his grip on the hilt of his weapon tightening.

(Y/N) took an unsteady step back.

Flicking his eyes down to the unconscious woman that was laying slumped against the wall, the rise and fall of her chest along with bloody teeth marks on her arm visible, the swordsman could only let out a scoff, as he growled, "So... you're the type of demon that likes to eat humans alive, huh?" He once again raised his sword as hatred seeped from every fiber of his being, continuing, "You fucking monster."

Dodging his attacks was quickly draining the energy that (Y/N) had obtained not only mere minutes ago, her mind screaming at her to just kill the man already.

But she couldn't.

She was too weak, and she didn't want to.

Even if he wanted to kill her, even if he hated her—all demons—she couldn't bring herself to raise her hands against him. Racing away from his every attack and parry, she tried to find Kenji in the crowd of humans that quickly parted once seeing what was happening, gasps and frantic shouts escaping past their lips when they came whirling past.

In an instant, the sword slashed through her leg, and in an instant, she fell to the ground.

The Hashira laughed.

"How pathetic and weak you are, demon."

꧁꧂

【 大正の秘密 | 𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐇Ō 𝐄𝐑𝐀 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒 】

► (Y/N) and Kenji follow Tamayo and Yushiro wherever they go, meaning they don't stay in one place for very long

► The Hashira (Y/N) encountered has been tracking both her and Kenji for a long time

► Since (Y/N)'s appearance as a demon is similar to what it was as a human, she is able to blend in more easily in human society, but not by much

꧁꧂