Dream Eater | Demon Slayer

Baku

"It's hard to see, at first glance, whether you're a sword wielder or a gambler..."

●○●○●

Tanjiro Komado, he sighs as all he sees are nothing but thick fog. His back aching, his legs about to give out, he really need to sit down. The land down him and his friends and extremely steep. Almost ninety degree, one miss step, a landslide. Zenitsu and Inosuke are also taking extra care in walking, the rocky and slippery hill they are on are simply dangerous.

Inosuke really wants to conquer nature, but this he must confess that the nature won. He wished nothing other than a place to rest and tempura. Zenitsu couldn't whine, he knows whining won't do any good and will only make him more tired than he already is. He really wanted to sit, his legs shaking and his breathing shallow.

His eyes flicker from left to right, searching for any possible help. Without noticing, the trio kept on walking to the now more stable ground. They didn't notice yet that the ground beneath has become less steep and more muddy, More stable and less hostile.

Zenitsu feels like he's going to faint. there's an undeniable coldness creeping through his neck. His palm sweaty, he vision starting to blue, and he can feel his lips drying out.

"Tan... jirou," he manage to mutter softly, before hitting the ground. He doesn't feel anything despite landing on his head not-so-softly.

His friends instinctively turns around, finding Agatsuma on the verge of sleeping.

●○●○●

Zenitsu lightly stirred up, his head feels heavy and his stomach growling for attention. Tho feeling horrible inside, he feels warm and soft outside. He slowly able to process his vision, an unfamiliar ceiling starting to form.

Ceiling?

He shot up, immediately feeling a pang of headache. He looked around finding Inosuke and Tanjiro sleeping soundly and safely in futons. He himself, seems to be laying on a futon. He has lots and lots of questions, but before anyone can answer them, his heart skipped a beat.

His ears suddenly flooded with what he calls the beat of a demon. Tho it's a very strange one. It's like someone bangs on a drum, but instead of creating a tense atmosphere, it only soothes him. He is sure it's not a human he heard, but it's too 'nice' to be a demon either.

"You've woken,"

His head snapped to the direction of the noise. A young man, with unusual eyes. His yukata lazily wrapped around, and his hair messy. The man took a huff from his kiseru, blowing the smoke out. He seemed very good-looking despite the lack of lighting.

"W-who, are... you?!" Zenitsu only realized now that he is in sleeping wear and his weapons are no where within reach. With nothing to defend himself, he tried to bullshit his way out.

"Relax..." the man said as he crossed his arm, "come with me, your food is getting cold." He calmly stated before disappearing to the other room.

Zenitsu thought, for Tanjiro and Inosuke to be sleeping this soundly, that man can be trusted then. And he wield no weapon, and he seems human. He groggily got up, and left with the man.

He is still skeptical, but he had no choice to complu since he is extremly hungry.

He waste no time devouring the food served, ignoring the mysterious man in front of him drinking tea.

The man kept staring at him, no lie but, zenitsu is getting extremely comfortable.

"What's your name?" The man finally asked, after minutes of rudely staring.

"A-agatsuma Zenitsu..." he swallows his food.

"Right, im so stupid, please eat first. I'm [M/n]." He stated before disappearing again to the back room.

[M/n] came back with his kiseru, just as Zenitsu finished his meal. The man sat crossed leg across him, staring again. He suddenly gestures zenitsu to inch closer, which he does. Just as the lightning user about to question the man's intentions, he got a strong flick in the forehead. He sat straight agape, not because it hurts, nor because he's surprised, but because of how light his head became.

"You've got a lot of nightmares there, i wonder how you even sleep so peacefully..." the man scoffed before blowing on his smoke. He sat back and continues to smoke.

Zenitsu became awfully skeptical of the man in front of him. The more he listens to [M/n]'s beats, the more he realize how closely it resembles a demon. But so far, [M/n] had done nothing too suspicious. 

●○●○●

Tanjiro woke up, smiling and refreshed. He just had the most amazing dream he had ever woken into. So peaceful and wonderful, he wished he never woke up. He stretched before getting up, he saw the crate in which nezuko should've been are wide open, and inosuke beside him are oddly missing. Zenitsu however, are having the most peaceful sleep in his life. He was smiling, in his sleep. Tanjiro smiled before going out to the main room.

Tanjiro was needless to say, happy to see nezuko getting along with [M/n] so well to the point of her laying on [M/n]'s lap.

"Thank you for everything," tanjiro smiles as he sat across the male.

"Don't mention it, you're a demon slayer, right? Uh-huh, think of this as the payment for your work." He stated, before huffing out a big puff of smoke.

"Uh,"

The grown male takes a whiff from his smoke, and blowing it out as he talks, "Just [M/n] is fine, last name dont matter to me" he explained.

Tanjiro could smell something metallic, almost like blood. But he was sure it's not blood, more like a rusting sword. He looks at [M/n], secretly smelling him from afar, and the more he does, the more he became aware of how strange this... stranger is.

"Excuse me... [M/n]... are you maybe,"

"A demon? Mhmm, i am" he cuts of, calmly blowing off the smoke.

Tanjiro is surprised, this demon doesn't seem to have killed anyone. But he doesn't seem demon too if that make sense.

"Hmm... don't worry," he hums while smirking at the water and fire breathing user, "I haven't killed anyone since three hundred years ago,"

"S-since..?!"

The demon smirks again, knowing all to well tanjiro is completely defenseless.

"Relax, it was an accident, I didn't eat him too.." he continues to blow on his kiseru.

"I had nothing to do with Muzan, you can rest assured."

The once dark and suffocating atmosphere seems to have lighten up.

Like Tamayo, [M/n] doesn't seem to be under the influence of the demon king.

"I am [L/n] [M/n], or children likes to call me, Baku. Call my name and I'd come, no matter where you are." He finally puts down his now empty kiseru, "My job is to eat nightmares, that is why, my goal right now is to eat the nightmares of many people,

Kibutsuji Muzan" he smirks.