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"Don't worry about that part. Just be out of your home by sundown." The woman spoke, her voice calm, her eyes softer as she stared at the older couple in front of her, both of them looking up at her with a gentle smile. "If you just follow the directions on the sheet, you should be able to find your way to a nearby hotel."

The old man nodded, looking down at the sheet of paper in his hands, given to him moments ago by the so-called 'Government inspector.' He and his wife had been instructed to leave their homes just before sundown so the inspector and her squad could clear out a gas leak that was suspected to burst, and was in need of repair. They would be given a hotel room for the night, provided by the team, ofcourse, the directions to that location printed on the sheet.

The same woman had gone to every house in the neighbourhood, and he caught a glance of her through the window earlier on, so this wasn't much of a surprise to him in the least. When she knocked at the door, he answered with a smile, his kind and old eyes staring into hers, which were slowly softening at the sight of him.

And so, that took them to this moment, the hues of the evening slowly coming to form, the woman's hair and haori swaying with the breese, her form touched by midas and covered with the gold of the evening hour, her eyes slowly narrowing at the sunset, hovering over the buildings and silhouetting the majority of the world around them.

The woman only sighed to herself as she turned to watch the sunset, the light reflected through her eyes. "Yes, thank you, dearie." She was snapped out of her thoughts when the old woman gently grabbed her hand and gave it a soft pat. "We will make sure to get out of the area as soon as we can, no need to worry." The older woman smiled at the halfling, her eyes kind and her touch warmer than the evening's glow.

The older man only nodded before he took his wife's hand away from the halfling and instead held it, giving it a light squeeze. "Thank you for your understanding." The halfling spoke, her eyes closing and her palm going over her heart as she gave a small bow to the couple. "Please remain safe."

And with that, the older woman gave a smile and closed the door gently, (Y/N) remaining in her bowed position until the door finally shut, and she stood back to her full height.

In the last few hours, she had gotten most of the civilians away from the area, and now, all that was left to do was wait. Upon Uzui's decision, she would only be used as support for the civilians. She was likely wanted by the demons, after all.

There was a whole mapped area which had been cleared through the halflings' work, and it was going to be her job to ensure the fighting didn't exceed past that area. She would be the one to guide the fight, supply aid to her peers (upon Ubuyashiki's order in a letter she received about an hour ago), and lower potential civilian casualties, as well as property damage.

She was basically the overseer of the upcoming battle, which was inevitable. The reason Kagaya didn't want her entering the fight directly was because he understood the stakes. He understood the demon's orders of causing as much pain to her as possible, he understood she may not be in the correct mental state, knowing she is vulnerable to links from her past...he understood every single thing.

Gyomei was correct in saying she was weak. Not physically, but mentally..she was a whole different level. She was insecure, allowing herself to be overwhelmed with rage in a fight and allowing it to cloud her judgement to the point she is in real danger.

She also understood this. Just because she found a new motivation, a new way to live, it didn't mean in the slightest she could overcome her own issues within the span of a few seconds. She was still filled with holes that needed to be filled, pieced in place to make her reach her full potential.

The main focus of the fight would be around Uzui and, potentially, the three boys that were brought with the duo, none of which the halfling had seen in a proper fight. So, she would hover around the area, guard the boundaries of the battle, guide the directions, and if the worst comes around, she would face the enemy head on and fight, capable or not.

The woman stepped away from the door, her eyes reopening before she heaved a sigh. She wanted to do more, to include herself and stop others from getting hurt and potentially killed, especially if it was against such a high rank demon. Yet, she knew she couldn't disobey orders, and she certainly knew her own boundaries, especially now, when she has finally learnt her goal, her aim as a human and a demon.

She knew herself better than anyone else, after all.

"(Y/N)!" A voice called from the distance. She turned, eyes opening to watch Uzui run to her side, brows furrowed and teeth grit.

She tilted her head, eyes suddenly hardening as she stepped towards him. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

Uzui simply nodded, giving a huff. "Yeah, the yellow haired brat is missing." At this, the woman allowed her eyes to widen, her body stepping closer to him as she balled her fists.

"What the hell do you mean, 'missing'?"

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The woman grit her teeth in thought, the sun slowly beginning to set over the buildings, her brows furrowed, eyes focused, and frame silent, her hair swaying with the soft breeze as she stared down at the buildings. She was lost in thought, her mind clouded with slight concern. What if he boy had been killed? What if he was outside the designated area?

What if he had been lost forever?

And then thought of Tanjiro crossed her mind. She knew those three boys were close, seemingly best friends, or even brothers at first glance. Then she thought about the mental tole his death would have on the brunet and the ravenette, her body crouched on the roof of the building, the light of the bustling district reflecting into her hardened gaze.

There was never nothing that went wrong on a mission, she understood that very, very well, however, something to this extent...it was deemed completely natural to the slayers these days, and yet she refused to make it a normality. A persons loss of life shouldn't have to be considered, especially with a boy, only young in age, mentally and physically young..It reminded her of herself to an extent.

Suddenly her teeth grit with annoyance, huffing out a small scoff to herself and brushing away her idle thoughts. She gripped her spear, the bottom of the weapon held against the tiled roof, its pointed blade facing the sky and her hand gripped around its body, her body still crouched on the roof.

She was stuck. She didnt know what to do. She didn't want anyone elsee to die, and yet, when theyre this far into the mission, their plan about to be put into action, the boy already likely dead...she just didnt know.

She was supposed to be strong, to be able to find a solution to most questions, and allow herself the knowledge of battle, but when it came to this, she grew stuck. Save a potentially dead boy, or stay in position and simply wait until after the fight, wait until the damage has been dealt, and the fate of the battle was decided.

She just...she didnt know.

And with that final thought, the sun had set over the horizon and the moon's peak had been reached. It stared down at her, reflecting into her eyes, stroking over her skin delicately with its chilled touch, staining the earth with a darkness both calming and alarming. It opened danger into the world, released the shadows, tainted the world with danger, and finally settled for humans and creatures alike to adapt.

Now, it was only a waiting game.

She sat, at the edges of the mapped border, simply staring out into the night, almost touching the stars, her body stained with the dimmed light below and the gentle strokes of the moon above.

She took a breath, eyes closing peacefully and heart slowly savouring the peace as she watched the last of the people below slowly begin to move to the designated location which was run by the kakushi to ensure the peoples safety.

She even caught a glance of the old couple she had seen not long ago, linked arm in arm, smiling to each other as lights of the district covered over their forms, only making their eyes shine brighter than they already were.

The halfling tilted her head down at them, eyes curious, her harsh gaze slipping into a softer- more childlike curiosity, staring down at the duo. She had never had anyone she would really consider to be that close to, someone who she would love uncontrollably, stare up at with a wide smile at their presence alone, fall in love...she didn't understand the concept of love, but she knew that was only because she had never experienced it, and if she did then she would be sure to change her mind.

How could someone stare at another like that; like they are their whole happiness- their whole life....she suddenly began to question if she would ever be able to experience it, those feelings for another...those indescribable emotions you feel when you simply talk to them, hear their voice, see they are alive in front of you...she usually wouldn't care for such things, but she hasn't thought deeper into the topic like she was doing in this moment, and it made her question..It made her think.

She had never been able to express herself very well, and if she ever did fall in love, she doubted she would be able to ever express herself. Would they throw her away? Would the love not be real if they did? And then the burning question forced itself into her mind when she least expected it...

What if they turned out like everyone else?

What if they died, all because she loved them, and Muzan targeted them specifically? What if she wasn't able to protect them in the moment and so, because of her, they died? What if they turned into a demon when she was distracted and she had to repeat her actions from the past; killing them like she did with her siblings? What if she couldn't do it? What if she couldn't kill them?

What then?

She only stared down at the couple as they walked further and further away, her body hidden by the dark of the night. But what if...she didn't have to think that way? What if they went on together until their age took them together, peacefully, calmly...

She suddenly shook her head, ridding herself of those lingering thoughts. She was just being silly at this point. She was supposed to be guarding the area, ensuring no one else dies, but here she was, thinking of silly things such as this to distract herself.

Her hardened gaze returned, lips pursing before the streets suddenly became quiet and the area had successfully been evacuated just in time, only leaving her, sitting alone on a roof, weapon ready, mind busy, heart hardened by the world around her.

She was just alone.

But...she didn't want to be alone.

She simply sucked it up, standing to her full height with a small huff, scoffing to herself silently at her own strange thoughts. Her eyes moved all over the now empty scene in front of her, silent, unmoving...

This was the calm before the storm. She knew people were going to get hurt, those three boys, Uzui, his wives, hell- even her. She knew that by the time she was done, when either victory or defeat had been decided, the scene in front of her would be reduced to destruction and ruin, perhaps even flattened.

She knew, as she looked to the moon, that its image would likely not be seen over clouds of smoke and dust, flames tainting her skin. She knew that she would not be able to stare up into the gentleness of the night when the fight truly began, she knew that she would have no excuse to remain calm when the battle made its way to the makeshift border, and she knew then, and only then, would she be able to fully face her past, stare it dead in the eye and make a decision.

She closed her eyes, gritting her teeth and hanging her head, her free hand moving to run down her face, attempting to get ahold of herself, of her thoughts, to be able to focus in a potential time of need. She let out a long sigh, grunting out a scoff at herself.

"What am I doing..." She mumbled to herself, the wind carrying her hair, the nip of the night warm against her flesh, the silence of the district almost chilling as it remained lifeless-

'BANG'

'CRASH'

She snapped her gaze up, eyes widening and breath hitching in her throat as she watched one of the buildings explode into a pile of rubble. She gritted her teeth, watching as the house crumbled to the ground. Without warning, the same pink sashes from before began spiralling around the house, almost methodically.

She took a small step forward, brows knitting. A slash cut the ribbons to pieces, a flash of electricity bursting through the area with a harsh snap of roaring thunder. It wasn't long before, on the other side of the evacuated area, red flames of a breathing technique dashed to the end of a roof, and pink sashes swirling all around the source of the flames.

It had begun.

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Taisho Secrets!

. (Y/N) has actually considered love many times before, but the thought quickly became shut down with the fear she held for Muzan and what he would do to her if he found out.

. (Y/N) actually was able to meet Kanae, Shinobu's older sister, and they got along like best friends!

. (Y/N) actually looks up to Uzui and Mitsuri, all because they were able to find a way to find peace with their situation and allow themselves to grow as a person due to their experiences.