เผถโขโโโงโโ โโโงโโโขเผถ
The demon gritted her teeth, eyes wide and tight grip on her spear. All she could do was watch as ribbons, bolts of electricity and roars of thunder, waves of flames and cries of the people were all under way. She received specific orders to sit and wait, so why, when she saw the flames and the strikes, when she witnessed the scene of battle, did she feel adrenaline run through her veins.
Why did she want to join in?
This was not her role. This was not the plan, So why did she want to fight?
No, that wasn't it...she knew exactly why she wanted to fight. It was because she was made for nothing else than fighting. A part of her knew this, and yet the other half refused it completely, when it was the genuine truth.
As a child, she was never good at anything. She watched as everyone around her grew to love sports, music, art, writing, all kinds of things..all while she was left to wait and watch. It hurt her, seeing everyone but her surpass the expectations of the world.
She watched as people gave her siblings more attention, more of their time and effort, and she could do nothing but fall into a pit of jealousy. No matter how much she loved and cherished her family when times were simple, when times were happy, she could never wipe the feeling of loneliness or jealousy. she was a human, those are natural emotions to feel, but to her it felt wrong.
So, in an attempt to get attention, to get some sort of reaction from the people of the town- to finally be included with her siblings, she began causing trouble. She didn't know if it was intentional before, but now that she was looking back on it, the way she acted was completely in line with her emotions, and the facts became inexcusable.
It was only until the attack of her village, when her rage grew, her passion for murder escalated to the point she went to attack a demon, something in her snapped, and after all this time...after all this time, she knew what she was good at, what she could see that others could not.
She could see ways forward in a moment of tension, paths not many could ever consider at such an age, actions that only the foolish would be able to comprehend, words that could only fall from her lips and be completely true....she discovered her will to fight- her ability to fight.
And that realisation only grew when Akaza took her in, training her to be the best because he saw her potential- he saw her unwavering fighting spirit that could carve any child into a great warrior. He was the one that understood her natural talent for fighting from just seeing a single attack from her.
Even her abilities as a demon encourage this idea- being able to adapt and grow new and powerful skills after a single taste of someone's blood... it was all too common in the thread.
This halfing wasn't made to be a poet, or an artist, or anything else...she was made to be a warrior, crafted from birth, carved by her surroundings and finally shaped into the person she is today.
She was the guardian of the Ubuyashiki's, the defender of the swordsmith village, the lone survivor of the (L/N) guardian project, the only known person to be able to land a hit on upper moon two as a child, able to look upper moon 1 dead in the eye without fear, the warrior of the Demon Slayer Corps...the guardian of Balance.
For her to be sitting around like this- it was going against her whole nature, her entire morals, her entire being. To wait and watch was not something she was designed to do.
Her eyes widened at a sudden realisation.
She finally understood why Kagaya gave her this job. She knew he was smarter than to let lives go at risk, especially ones such as Tanjiro and his demon sister, hell- even Tengen....
He knew she would come to understand her role, her being...her entire purpose and talents. He knew that sending her on this mission would make her finally realise the truth, to be able to finally understand how she has made it so far. To be finally able to get over her fears of Muzan. To be able to finally live free from the past...
The image of Kagaya suddenly flashed in front of her eyes, lips parting as she replayed his words to her....
เผถโขโโโงโโ โโโงโโโขเผถ
'"I see." She spoke, his thumb rubbing small circles on the back of her hand. "Well, if I were to say anything about them, they seem kind. Kinder than most people, even the girl. I can't guarantee we can trust them, but that doesn't mean I won't be willing to give them a chance..." she paused, taking a breath before she spoke out once again. "Just like you did with me."
Kagaya hummed, moving to lay his other palm atop of her hand, sandwiching it with his warm touch. "I thought that would be the case." His smile widened, his eyes soft, even though they weren't fully visible to read. "In that case, I guess that means you wouldn't mind spending some more time with them, right?" He tilted his head looking up at the halfling and into her eyes as though he could fully see once again.
She blinked, her brow raising, almost hesitant to understand what he meant by that. "May I ask what you mean?" The woman inquired, Amane turning to meet her eyes on the other side of the male. She simply gave the halfling a slight smile, nodding to her form before she placed the cup beside her and turned back to watch the gardens.
He gave out a slight chuckle. Oh dear. Whenever that man chuckled, nothing good would come out of it... "Well, I was wondering if you may be able to watch over them." Before the halfling could speak up about it, he continued. "That might mean you will be joining them on missions, but maybe you could just take care of them while they're here. Maybe try to get along and understand them better?"
She pursed her lips, brows furrowing. "Kagaya, with all due respect, I doubt that role will be suited for me." She spoke out, her voice holding a hint of concern. "Not to mention, that would leave you unguarded-" The woman was interrupted as soon as the man gave her hand a comforting squeeze, his smile only widening warmly.
"I know no such person better suited for this role than you, (Y/N)." He began, taking a breath as he turned his head to look out into the gardens, not that he could look. "Not to mention, I believe it would be good for you. Amane says you haven't been getting enough rest lately." The halfling turned to look at Amane, who only gave her a side glance and a small smile.
Damnit.
"But I-"
Without warning, the man moved their conjoined hands until her palm was held to his chest, holding it directly over his heart, to which she could feel the warm thump of his chest, his smile growing emotional, a sense of longing reflected into his features. "Do you feel that, (Y/N)?" He spoke out, leaving the halfling to blink. "That is the beat of my heart, a heart that won't beat for much longer at this rate."
"Please don't say that-"
"I want you to keep theirs going." He interrupted, his hair falling over his features as he sighed, the rhythm of his heart growing slower, calmer. "That will be your new mission, from this point on." Her lips parted. "You will continue to guard this home, you will continue to be a part of this family, but I want theirs to continue on until Muzan has been crushed. Train them. Train them as you see fit. Keep them alive." He paused, a bead of sweat running down the side of her face. "I'm asking you because you are the only one who can do it. You can relate to them like no hashira. You can understand them." He sighed, rubbing this thumb against the back of her hand as he held it to his chest. He looked into the womans eyes, his empty ones reflecting all of the wonderful light of the world even though it never really reached him fully.
'Take care of them. In the future, they will need you, and maybe, you will need them.'
เผถโขโโโงโโ โโโงโโโขเผถ
"Why?" The halfling inquired, eyes softening and teeth unclenching, though the grip she held on the man's garments never faltered. The man hummed, head tilted as his palm began to stroke through her locks. "Why are you being so kind to me?- to everyone?" They heard the birds hum a sweet melody over her words, and yet she continued, even though it felt like the world wanted her to finally experience peace. "What have we done to deserve this? I've killed people. People I don't know, my family, my friends...so why do you treat me like an equal?"
"Our past doesn't represent who we are today. Especially if you've taken that step to change." The halfling flinched when his fingers focused on twirling a lock one by one, swirling it in between his fingers, just like that upper moon two did on that fateful day. I dug my face further into his chest. "You have taken more than a step. You've taken a leap, and therefore are willing to beat your past and the evil around us. Why wouldn't I treat you like an equal? Just because I was born with a high status means nothing." He slowly lowered his head until his eyebrows lay on top of her head. "At the end of the day, we are all people...halfing or not."
เผถโขโโโงโโ โโโงโโโขเผถ
She finally understood his words, not to the surface level, but on a deeper, much more insightful level that she couldn't even realise existed to begin with. He had always wanted her to move on, to focus more on the future with Tanjiro and Nezuko, than the past and present with him and the demons...
He knew this realisation would take place, and so, he set out the path just for her to follow and understand as he guided her, hand in hand every step of the way.
All of this was set up perfectly just to make sure she finally understood.
Until she finally understood everything.
She gave a small smile to herself, lips raising, almost foreign to the feeling of a smile over her features. "Kagaya...you never cease to amaze me..." She shook her head, chuckling to herself before she began to walk across the roof, at first slow, but her pace soon sped up as she strolled to the edge of the building's tiles and she narrowed her eyes at the fights that seemed to meet in the middle of the district.
A sudden light spread through the area, almost seeming like a web of flames that encapsulated the sectioned off area, right in the centre. A shockwave spread across the town, excelling past the woman. She didn't falter in the face of the shockwave that blew buildings away, striking away any type of power onto the district, all before the centre of the selected area had been destroyed, buildings falling and fires beginning to rage.
"I'll make sure to make you proud...friend."
เผถโขโโโงโโ โโโงโโโขเผถ
"Nezuko...Is my younger sister."
That's all Tanjiro could grit out, his heart racing and his whole body smeared with blood and agony, his tone soft, and his eyes wide as he stared at the Upper moon six, Gyutaro..
The demon let out a grin, his smile turning wider before he suddenly burst out with a sickening laugh, his eyes wide and his pupils thin. "So disgraceful! So disgraceful! You all are truly disgraceful!" He cried, hitting the boy on the head multiple times, but not enough to hurt him...just enough to taunt him, to make him feel helpless, powerless. "The one in that box is a relative, right?" He inquired, making the boy tense as he dragged along the sentence, his voice dangerously low. "I can tell you two are closely related, even if she is a demon." He leaned back slightly, allowing himself a better look of the helpless boy. "Is she your older or younger sister?"
Tanjiro gritted his teeth, eyes wide with fear and heart filled with pain, hearing the small cries of Zenitsu.. 'why won't he kill me?' He thought with wide eyes. His hand shook. 'My arm is numb! I have no strength whatsoever!' He gritted his teeth and his pupils shook in fear. The boy swallowed thickly before answering the demon. "Nezuko...Is my younger sister." He spoke over the roaring flames, tainting everything around them with ash and soot.
"Just as I thought. You really are a disgrace! You're not protecting your little sister one bit-"
"Neither are you."
A voice suddenly called out over the demon, his eyes widening and a look of confusion flashing past his features. "Huh?" He looked over his shoulder, following the gaze of Tanjiro, who looked past him with wide and hopeful eyes, a small mumble falling past the boy's lips.
Gyutaro turned around, though his eyes widened at what he saw, his breath hitching in his throat.
It was her..
And she put his sister in danger...
There she was, standing on the roof of the building, looking down at the demon, the tip of her spear dug into Daki's stomach, the demon's ribbons stuck beneath the woman's foot. Daki didn't know what happened, one minute, she was watching the scene of her brother and the burgundy haired boy, and the next minute, she was impaled, forced to the ground in a literal second. She couldn't even make any noise when the woman's foot pressed into her mouth, silencing her harshly.
Her eyes seemed to glow in the dead of night, and she wasn't even in her demon form, she was standing there, completely human, but blade covered in blood like she was anything other than that...like she was a true demon...worse than him, than anyone...she always had been...
"You...." Gyutaro gritted his teeth, standing to his full height and completely ignoring Tanjiro's existence. "You're the biggest disgrace of them all...!" His hands gripped at his scythes, face filled with rage, his eyes flashing to Daki every second or so. "You killed your siblings, younger and older! You're the biggest disgrace here!" He gritted out, slightly grinning at his own words.
The woman only scoffed, digging her foot deeper into Daki's mouth and forcing the girl beneath her to grunt out a cry. "Oh yeah?" She tilted her head, almost bored at the situation. "Does that mean I get an award?" She was dripping with sarcasm, brow raised as she stared down at him.
Daki clawed at the woman's feet, desperate to get away from her at all costs. It was no surprise that this woman was scared of the halfling...she murdered her student, she took her down twice, all with a single movement, she escaped her binds when she shouldn't have been able to move at all!
Gyutaro noticed his sister's struggles, the grip on his weapons tightening.
He didn't waste any more time. He launched at the woman, his blades raised as he suddenly appeared behind her. She turned, removing her weapon from Daki's stomach. She spun the weapon in her hands, moving it to block the attack. Weapons collided, sparks flying, and a small blast of air propelling their hair back from the force of the blows.
They fought a silent battle. Their faces were inches away, Gyutaro pushing his blades and (Y/N) forcing them back, a constant battle of back and forth between the two. The halflings' teeth grit, brows clenching and Gyutaro only grinned to hide his struggle.
As this happened, sudden jolts of electricity burst around Zenitsu, the rubble that was once crushing him blasted away and Zenitsu appearing above everyone else, his teeth grit and his eyes clenched shut, blood oozing from his body..
Thunder breathing, first form...
Daki stood to her feet, jumping away from the fight with her brother and the halfling, and moving to throw more pieces of cloth at him. The boy simply dodged them, landing on one of the saches and positioning his body while lightning swarmed around him.
Thunderclap and flash.
Godlike speed
Veins formed over his body and he unsheathed his sword, not even a second later, he was gliding through the air, slicing at the demon's neck while being surrounded by a giant blue and yellow thunderbolt that followed his every move throughout the night sky filled with ash and ember.
Gyutaro and (Y/N) remained motionless for a moment, all before a flash of light enveloped them. With that flash, they jumped back from each other, all before, in a moment later, jumping towards each other and meeting halfway to exchange a blow that shook the earth, flames spiralling around their bodies, the crimson light touching the duo and scarring them both with an image of pain and battle.
(Y/N) pushed her spear at him, eventually getting blocked and pushed off course by one of his blades. He then forced himself forward, striking down at her. She leaned her face to the side, hair width away from the strike landing, hardly dodging. She gritted her teeth. The woman then pressed the button on her spear, and all of a sudden, the blades sprouted from the weapon. Blood splattered as the blade sliced into the demon's side. He gritted his teeth, his eyes challenging and wide.
(Y/N) then kicked him away, pulling away. He got kicked back, his feet skidding against the ground in an attempt to regain his balance. His eyes only widened once he saw the staff launching towards him, the tip of the weapon headed straight in between his eyes. He reacted just in time, forcing it away with his own blades, throwing the weapon off course.
The halfling appeared in front of him, hand raised to punch through his skull, her eyes narrowed and her teeth grit. The demon reacted just in time, slashing at her and managing to slice her hand off, leaving her to widen her eyes. In that reaction, it gave the demon an opening to kick her away, his foot landing in her stomach.
The fabric of Daki's neck was being slowly cut by Zenitsu's sword as they dashed through the dark sky of the night with a bright lightning bolt that lit up the city like the sun.
Inosuke suddenly appeared beside Zenitsu, his swords raised overhead, blood seeping from his wounds like a fountain. "EHEHEHE YOU REALLY THINK A PUNY BLOW LIKE THAT COULD HURT INOSUKE-SAMA!?" He cried, his voice loud and confident. He slashed down at Daki's neck, joining Zenitsu in his pursuit of killing the demon.
"NII-SAN!..HELP!"
It was all so sudden when (Y/N) was suddenly forced away, the kick crashing her into the side of the building, cracking the wall. She slid down the wall, slowly standing up to recover, her hand regenerating in an instant and the blood running down her face disappearing in a blink of an eye.
Tanjiro gritted his teeth, jumping at Gyutaro with gritted teeth and a cry of pain, his blade raised over his head.
In a moment of
You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net