Seventh Moon

Summoned

The loud noise of a Kasugai Crow roused me from my slumber. "Huh?" Muffled voices from outside my room leaked in and shook me from my still sleepy state. "I don't care if you're a hashira, you can't just barge into her room!"

Nobu? I was already sitting when my door slid open and a few rays of sunlight strayed in. Of course, I panicked and shuffled deep into my room while Nobu pushed in the hashira and hurriedly slid the door closed behind them. Of all the demon slayers I've ever met, this one – Tokito-san – is the youngest and... well, rudest yet. Hmm, maybe not rude exactly but there simply isn't any better word to describe him.

The first time we met, he told me he only came to see if it was true that a demon was known to live in our house and that they weren't allowed to kill me. He was quite odd. "Demon, Oyakata-sama requires your presence." Was all he said, expecting me to just understand it right away. "Oyakata? Isn't that the demon slayer's leader?" Nobu asked, which went in Tokito-san's ear and out the other.

"It's still daytime." I said instead, stating the obvious. Tokito-san threw something to me, "A cloak or haori should be fine, then put this on your head." Curious, I grabbed the thing and felt my blood run cold at what it was.

"A sack? Hey! You are not going to drag my obaachan somewhere and kill her!" Nobu was ready to attack Tokito-san, but he was obviously faster. With Nobu's arm twisted, thoughts swirled in my head. Would me getting Nobu away from him make things worse? And would he really kill me? Didn't he just say Oyakata-sama summoned me?

With a roll of his eyes, Tokito-san explained, "It's to cover her head so she won't burn in the sun. She hasn't killed anyone, so she won't be harmed. That was the deal they made decades ago, remember?" Letting Nobu go, he continued, "hurry up.

"Tokito-san, I appreciate you thinking about me but I don't think we'd make good progress if I can't see where we're walking. Wouldn't it be better if we travel at night?" His face, which looks impassive and blank all the time suddenly looked so serious at that. "We can't keep them waiting." He said, before sliding the door open and leaving me and Nobu in stunned silence.

After rushing to once again slide the door closed, Nobu grabbed the sack from me. "This is just disrespectful. Asking a lady to wear a sack on her head? The nerve of that boy!" I couldn't help but laugh at that. Nobu is only twenty and still acts bratty himself despite being a new father, yet he's talking as if he's a grumpy old man that hates Tokito-san's guts. "I'm sure he meant well."

"Pssh. I saw your face Y/N-chan. You got scared, too." Observant as always. "A little." Our conversation was cut short when Tokito-san barged in again, this time holding a wooden crate. "Get in this. I made sure there are no holes, so the sunlight won't get in. We'll wrap it for good measure." Now I'm starting to agree with Nobu wholeheartedly. "I don't think I'll fit." I don't understand how Tokito-san's mind works, but everyone could see that I won't be able to fit in that crate. I doubt a child could fit in it!

With a look that could speak for itself – which was screaming that I must be stupid – Tokito-san began to explain, "demons can manipulate their bodies to an extent. Change forms or sizes. I've seen it before. Y/N-san, you change your eyes pretty often." I was stumped. "Disguising my eyes was all I was taught." But could I really do that? I'm past the point of thinking anything is impossible now, only if I could do it. So, I tried.

I don't even know how to explain it. Maybe it's similar to how I change my eyes? I just picture my eyes when I was a human, as best as I can, and somehow command my... cells to move around - if that even makes sense. All I know is there are things that I could do better because I can make my body follow almost every thought. Changing my size included, apparently.