3. a desired desert (so long, goodbye)

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Miki's tears are warm. He thinks they're tears - there's certainly water leaking from his eyes but crying doesn't feel quite right. His father's instruction to return at the sight of danger lingers in his ears but there's a demon slayer standing on Rui's singed clothes.

Sunshine all the time makes a desert, Miki knows this, but he likes his little desert. And the demon slayers are slowly but surely snatching it from him. It's not fair, he thinks. But then again - what is fair? His family kills people for sport. For food as well - yes - but more for the fun of hearing people scream so maybe, just maybe, this is karma. (He doesn't like it much.)

"You killed him."

The other demon slayer, the oddity, says something back but there's so much anger buzzing in Miki's skull he can't quite make out the words.

"You killed him."

The oddity reaches a hand out. "You're Miki... Tamayo told me about you..."

The first demon slayer - the one on Rui's clothes - prepares his sword and points it so the rip of the blade is directly between Miki's eyes, perfect even at a distance. "Move out of the way. There's another demon to slay." The oddity reels back on his haunches despite the ever growing pain in his battered body and, with one arm over Nezuko as it always is, reaches out further to Miki as if trying to bring him closer.

'Is he... wait...what's he doing? Is he trying to protect me from the other demon slayer?'

There's another one coming, Miki can tell, and they're coming in fast - so very fast and his upset little mind is struggling to keep up.  But suddenly, the blade isn't pointed at him anymore and all Miki can think to do is run while he has the chance.

However, this new slayer, the third one now (too many to be safe) is small and delicate looking. She wears the warmest of smiles and it's terribly unnerving. Even as she brandishes her sword, she's smiling. It's a bit like Douma, Miki thinks. "Oh my!" The demon slayer lady flips herself around in the air when her attack is countered by the one in the mismatched haori. "Why would you get in my way, Tomioka?" Tomioka, as Miki now knows his name to be, is kneeling in front of the oddity and the demon girl Miki still can't quite place and it's just... bizarre. The oddity protecting the demon is understandable - they still look like family even with the marring to the boy's face - but the Hashira? "And after you told me we could never be friends with demons... I have to say, this kind of thing, is exactly why no one likes you!" How is she still smiling?

Tomioka looks a bit perturbed, and secretly Miki giggles quietly.

The lady demon slayer has an unusual blade. Rather than being one, continuous and sturdy piece of metal like most, hers has a hooked tip and a thin body, almost like it's supposed to latch onto something. 'I'd rather not be on the receiving end of that one...'

The oddity looks almost as confused as Tomioka, bloodied eyebrows furrowing in the centre.

"Now then, Tomioka, would you please move?"

"I don't... I don't think I'm disliked."

Miki inhales so hard he almost forgets to exhale, and his eyes burn with the kind of tears that only come when you laugh too hard. The pretty butterfly lady seems to be amused, as well. "Oh dear, I do... apologise. You're only just hearing about this now then? I'm sorry I didn't mean for you to find out this way!"

'What a facetious cunt.'

Pretty butterfly lady carries on like nothing happened. "Boy!"

"Y-yes ma'am?" He stutters, still a bit put out by her and the fellow in the mismatched haori's conversation, as one sided as the conversation may have been.

You've reached the end of published parts.

⏰ Last updated: May 30, 2021 ⏰

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