A demon slayer story

Chapter 15: A baby Hungry Demon

I whipped my head to the side, sword held in front of me.

A chesty chuckle from the corner, my head whipped to where it was coming from.And there she was, a 6'0 demon with long fangs and tattered hair."Jesus" I whispered to myself.

Before I could even adjust to the dark, the demon had lunged at me, pinning my to the floor and trying to claw at my face while I held her up with my feet."I am not in the mood for this today!"I muttered to myself, kicking her off and climbing to my feet with my sword in hand.

I swung at her neck, narrowly missing and slashing her collarbone."Ah, you wretched bitch!"
I swung again, this time aiming a little lower to immobilise her for a moment or two.I hit her ankle, making her let out a wail.

And she wasn't there.I looked around in circles, confused.She had slipped back into the darkness that my eyes had yet to adjust to.

And then I felt it.My air left my lungs, chest tight and something awfully heavy around my neck.I grabbed at the Demon's arm, scratching and trying to force air into my lungs.
With my tight clutch on my sword, I thrusted my arm over my shoulder with the little breath I had left.By a stroke of luck, I managed to amputate the demon's arm and restore my breath.
I took a deep inhale, adjusting my grip on the sword "Water breathing, First form:Water surface slash!"I yelled, swinging my sword horizontally towards the demons neck.

Miss

I straightened up, only then realising...it had disappeared again.

"waaaaah!Waaaaah!"

Anyone in their right mind would know a babies cries anywhere!I kept towards one of the many doors in the hallway, swinging each one open with a swift jab.Nothing.Panicked, I began to rush, kicking the doors more fiercely and poking my head inside to try locate the cries.

As the baby's screams got louder, so did the maniacal laughter of the deranged demon.
And then, it's stopped.The screams died out.Then, and only then, did I find the correct door to find...

Oh dear

One of the most gruesome scenes known to man.Im not sure if I could have even called what I saw a baby anymore, her blood splattered up the walls and guts spilling out of the cradle onto the floor.
I ignored my emotions momentarily, locating the demon and swinging my final attack."Water breathing, Third form:Flowing dance"I muttered to myself, swinging my sword in an abnormal shape to ever so luckily decapitate the demon.

I waited a few moments, looking into the demons eyes while she died.And there I saw something, something I hadn't seen in a demon before.Remorse?Surely not, all demons are evil, aren't they?
"Just...wanted my revenge...for them killing all my babies"
My eyes widened in something even I was surprised with.Sympathy.How could I, a girl who had been trained to see demons as evil doers and no good, see sympathy in the very same creature that massacred my family two years prior?

But I was not mistaken, what I saw in this demons eyes truly was sorrow and despair.I think a part of me forgot that demons were once people too...People who went through great tragedy's that turned them into what they have become.

I leaned down beside the demons, holding her hand just like Tanjiro had at the final selection as I spoke."Rest easy" I managed to whisper.
And soon she was gone, she had evaporated into nothingness and I was left alone, alone with...the baby.

I turned my attention towards the crib, softening my gaze at the sight of the poor deceased infant.What a shame, maybe she could have lived to be a nice young lady.
I inched towards the crib, looming over it.
This is sick, who watches a dead child?!And yet all I could do was watch.I didn't have the heart to move her, it wouldn't be fair to take her from her guardian whoever it may be even if she is no longer alive."I'm sorry, sweet child.I wish I could have came sooner..."I whispered.It wasn't my fault, deep down I knew that this baby was destined to die whether I were here or not but I couldn't shake the feeling of responsibility, responsibility from a mere stranger 4km away where I should have been, had that deranged demon not massacred everyone I held dear.4km away, from where I could have been watching the sunset and rise with Nari and Suske tucked beneath arm, while mom baked us cookies.4km away, from where Isamu had manned the farm for two whole years after the Fumikage household passed and the only survivor ran away to join a secret society of Demon Slayers.

I missed home.I missed how the grass felt between my toes and the soft summer air me and Nari used to plant flowers in, even the autumn when me and Suske would step on fallen leaves and in the winter when we would make snowmen.My thoughts were dragged from blissful family memories by a scream from behind me."OUR BABY!"A female voice shrieked and raced beside me."What happened!?Did you do this?!"
How do you explain to a grieving parent that a demon teared their baby to shreds and left you looming over the corpse like you were caught red handed?
I hesitated for a moment before shaking my head,"No Ma'am, I'm part of the team that was sent to investigate the disappearance of all the infants recently, I only just arrived moments before you"
It hurt to lie, but what other chance did I have of convincing this lady I hadn't murdered her child?

She broke down in tears, nuzzling her face into my haori to sob.I rested my hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly.