丨Soar丨 Kimetsu no Yaiba x OC｜

Chapter 2

The trio settled down at a wisteria house by evening.

Chizuko gaped at the bowls and plates on the chabudai, "Woah..." The smell of miso filled her nostrils as she lifted the lid, it was about two years ago when she last had soup. She then sniffed the soft, fluffy, aromatic rice, was this a dream? "What is this?" Chizuko pointed at the basket. "It is called tempura." Shinobu tied her best to keep smiling whilst her heart sank, "Let's eat before the food gets cold."

"Itadakimasu!"

Seeing how Chizuko didn't know where to start, Shinobu dipped the tempura into the sauce, "Chizuko-chan, like this." "A-ah, arigatou, Kocho-sama," Chizuko scratched her head. "Just call me Shinobu." "Hai, Shinobu-san."

"Shinobu-san?" Chizuko looked up from the meal, "Ano... you see, I... I want to ask you a question, I hope you don't mind." Shinobu nodded in encouragement, Chizuko continued, "Why do you and Shinazugawa-sama seem to breath differently? I... I mean...when Shinazugawa-sama gave me a piggyback ride, he didn't even pant. A-And when I listen carefully, the rhythm seems different."

Shinobu was startled, she noticed? "Now, Chizuko-chan, I will explain tomorrow, it's late now and we should get some rest first. Is that okay?" "Okay," Chizuko redirected her focus to the delicious delicacies on the table, unaware of Shinobu's stunned gaze.

Shinobu took a good look at the girl. She was indeed special, from her different coloured eyes of pale blue and lavender, to her smooth, wavy red hair. Chizuko-chan looks like a bit like a foreigner.

"Woah! What is that?" Chizuko marvelled at the small cubes covered with green powder, they jiggled as she poked them with her chopsticks. "That is matcha warabi mochi, a dessert," Shinobu snapped out of her daze. Chizuko squealed in delight upon putting one in her mouth, then another, and another, until she emptied the dish.

"Chizuko-chan, you can have mine too," Shinobu kindly offered. "Really? But..." "I insist," Shinobu smiled. Chizuko stuttered, "H-hai. Arigatou, Shinobu-san."

Chizuko flopped onto the warm, freshly washed futon, is this heaven? She closed her eyes, contented, I could die without regrets now. "Sleep tight, Chizuko-chan, we have a long way to go tomorrow," Shinobu tucked her in. Chizuko nodded, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

"Ne, Shinobu-san?" Chizuko smiled, "I... I want to thank you and Shinazugawa-sama for giving me a chance! A-and good night, Shinobu-san, sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams to you too, Chizuko-chan," Shinobu whispered as Chizuko fell asleep.

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Chizuko was again amazed by the breakfast, especially by salmon and tamagoyaki. It was also the first time in almost a year that she didn't have to dig for potatoes or mushrooms from empty fields.

"Chizuko-chan? Do you remember what I said about the demon slaying corps?" Shinobu asked while sipping her tea. Chizuko nodded, "You said your job... was to kill demons?"

"To put it short, yes, the demon slaying corps exist to eliminate demons that feed on humans, like the one you have encountered. Actually, there are if not hundreds or even thousands of demons roaming around, taking away lives every single night." Shinobu explained. "To fight against demons with superior physique compared to humans, we use breathing techniques and Nichirin forged weapons to eliminate demons. Like how Shinazugawa-san rescued you by slashing off the demon's head."

"Shinazugawa-san uses the breath of the wind and is the wind hashira. As for me, I am the insect hashira and a user of the breath of the insect, a breathing technique derived from the breath of flower," Shinobu smiled at the confused girl sitting across her, "It's okay if you don't understand right now. Our breathing sounds different because we use total concentration constant breathing to enhance our physical abilities as hashira."

Chizuko blinked, soaking in the vast amount of information. A few words stood out, demons fed on humans. Searing pain came from the back of Chizuko's head, her lips quivered. Fragmented memories appeared before her, as if she had opened a box buried in the deepest part of the sea.

"Grandma?" little Chizuko called, her voice echoing through the woods, "Grandma! Where are you?" Following the rustling that came from somewhere in the right, Chizuko's breath hitched. Blood, blood was everywhere. On the pebbles, on the snapped branches, on the bark, on a torn mauve obi.

No, her grandma was lost in the mountains. At least that was what Ikeda-ojiisan told her after she had fainted for three days.

"You can stay with me and some girls at the butterfly mansion..." Shinobu trailed off, noticing Chizuko who went rigid.

"Chizuko-chan?" Shinobu held onto Chizuko's arm, "Chizuko-chan, are you alright?" "I... I'm fine! It's just... Sometimes I remember something that didn't happen." Chizuko jolted, stumbling over her words, unsure of how to describe her situation to Shinobu.

"Oi! Kocho! Suzuki! Hurry up! We need to leave now!" A fuming wind hashira demanded while banging on their door, why the heck are they taking so long?!

"Okyakusama*, please stop, you are breaking the door," the owner of the wisteria house cried.

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She was at it again, Sanemi looked at Chizuko, who giggled at something Shinobu said.

"Nemi Nii-san! Genya Nii-san! Play with us!" Teiko pulled on Sanemi's sleeve. Sanemi had just came home, his back was aching from the rice he carried from the market to the restaurants. But how could he resist his brothers and sisters' puppy eyes? "Then... Tickle monster is coming!" Sanemi kicked off his shoes. His siblings shrieked and scattered around the small house. Genya followed the smaller ones, just in case they tripped. He remembered their laughter so vividly, as if they were beside him.

And that girl over there, her laugh was so much like his sister's.

Sanemi had mixed feelings. No, he didn't want to be reminded of his family at this moment. Encountering a certain someone before this month long mission had seriously pissed him off. He wasn't supposed to be there, he was supposed to be anywhere but there.

"Leave and live a good life." He wanted to say, but "I don't have a brother." came out of his mouth. His breathing was uneven, he was blinded by rage, by fear, by desperation. Didn't he understand that the corps was not a fucking game? Why was he bringing himself unnecessary suffering? Why did they have to meet each other again in this situation?

Still, he had to admit he missed them, and would gladly hold onto some sort of resemblance. They were poor, they had nothing but each other, and that was enough. He knew he couldn't turn back time, and it was meaningless to linger in the past, he had to keep going, avenging what he had lost.

"Shinazugawa-san?" Shinobu called, "We should get going again."

Sanemi nodded and stood.

*Okyakusama means customer in Japanese.