𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

The Demon Slayer Corps. Where to begin with such a mystery? It's nowhere, as well as everywhere. Recruiting and losing soldiers every minute, every second. Under the leadership of the Ubyashiki family since ancient times. Defeating one demon after another.

Sometimes it occurs like deja vu. It would feel like you've slain a certain demon before, but you know you haven't. They creep everywhere. In towns, cities, homes, dreams. Infecting everything they touched like a plague.

They feast on the weak to make themselves stronger. Resentment apart of the package once you figure out they exist. But, beware, because once you do, there is no turning back.

It's a life sentence of swinging a blade until you get eaten by the pressure.
Or retire.

A lovely life I have caught myself in, or, more like forced into. That isn't to say there aren't good parts. I was lucky enough to be found by my mentor, Kanroji Mitsuri, the love pillar of this fine establishment. She trained me to be strong.

I never had a sibling. It was my mother, father, and me in a quiet village that I miss dearly.

There isn't a day that goes by without my thoughts being consumed by swirling memories. Some things my brain likes to make up, and others are real. I can't tell the difference anymore. Too much time has passed since then.

Right.
No sibling.
Kanroji was like an older sister to me. She finished raising me into a proper adolescent, though I still have ways to go, she wishes to wash my mouth with soap sometimes. It's not my fault those demons have such bastard faces.

I shouldn't be thinking about such things while fighting, should I?

Oh well, it wasn't much of a fight anyway.

"Third form: Stem of Thorns." The words whisked away under my breath as my lungs filled with sweet air. Using plant breathing forms was like smelling the air of the morning after it rained. The plants were coated with raindrops, and the mist after the sun came out.

Oh, how I loved the mist. It was always such a pretty thing to me. So untouchable, and yet, still right there in front of me. I loved the way it felt against my hand, against my cheeks. The plain idea of mist, how it moves and always changes, intrigued me the most; simultaneously, it comforted me.

Right, the fight.

"Damn you, slayer!" The demon's decapitated head shouted.

I didn't even feel my blade go through the flesh. Was that better or worse? No clue.

"Oh, save your breath." I sliced its head into little pieces, all of them burning away. "You're lucky I didn't tell you how bad you smelt."

With how many solo missions they gave me, I had to find a way to be an amusement to myself. Being mean to immortal beings was pretty funny.

At least until a stinging pain erupted on one's back. He got me pretty good. I must be losing my touch.

My thoughts were once again interrupted, except this time, it was by an ally. Hoshi. My Kasugai Crow. Who knew a bird could have so much personality? He was bossy at times but has looked out for me ever since I was a Mizunoto. The lowest rank entering the corps.

"What is it, birdie?" I smiled as he landed on my shoulder with a soft thud. He was mostly a gentle bird, unless hungry. Then he was just an angry ball of feathers.

"Squawk!!" Rolling my eyes at his loud burst of noises, he finally got to the point. "Demon slayers, slayers! Assistance, Assistance! Northwest, Northwest!"

"Alright, you parrot. Calm down. Would you also mind spotting a Wisteria Mansion?"

Hoshi flew off at my request. And I started the direction towards whoever was needing help so deep into the woods. I don't remember a town being nearby, perhaps it was just a random attack.

Hopefully, I could get there in time. Losing another slayer wasn't something the corps currently needed. Our numbers are only in the hundreds. And a handful of them were lower ranks. My time as a Mizunoto wasn't long.

After all, I am a student of a pillar. A great one at that. Still, needing to polish up on a bunch of skills. Not too long ago I had left the butterfly mansion and got back to work, it was a months-long recovery. Kanroji was so reluctant to let me go on a mission without her.

We've both got worries. Losing too many people does that to someone. Though, that's all the more reason to be kind to everyone you come across. They've got their own little life going on. Their struggles. I'd like to think that way for eternity, but, it was slightly crumbling.

What exactly was the point of being nice? It's what led me here.

Oh well. Nothing too important to dwell on now. I'm here. Here, as in, in front of a wooden mansion. It wasn't hard to note the sound of a drum every few seconds. As I stepped inside, being cautious of what my surroundings looked like, it was eerily dark.

Until the rooms switched.

My hands instinctively went to unsheathe my sword, but there was no threat around. The room had simply swapped. Three taps on the drum, three times it would switch. An easy pattern for anyone to figure out.

Of course, the heightened senses that came with the gruesome training I went through, came in handy right now. In the room next to me, there seemed to be a racket. Breaking through the doors was easy enough, but I hadn't completely thought it through when the room shifted to the right.

There was the slayer I assumed I was supposed to be helping. He was tumbling about, trying to find his footing. Every time he landed, the room would just switch around again like a rotating cube. It would be hard to focus and get a form in. Especially since he looked like he was using water breathing.

His checkered kimono did make him stand out, along with that dark blade. I've never seen a Nichirin sword take the color black. It had to have been bad luck, as well as a show of strength. The best warriors burn out faster than the rest.

I had faith in him.

Around the room, there were claw marks. In the ceiling, floor, and walls, which kept switching. The sound of the drums kept on getting louder, which made it easy to spot where the demon was. Not only that, I sensed it the moment I stepped into this creepy mansion.

A strong demon, maybe a lower moon. No wonder Hoshi told me to come here. The demon slayer in a checkered kimono had to have been a lower rank. There was no way he was getting out of here alive without help.

Before I could even suck in a breath and aim, the room started to spin out of control. The drums were rapidly getting beat by this demon, which now sent the two of us into an endless fall.

Plant Breathing forms are reliant on its steps. If you have no sure footing, it's a bad day for the user. However, I know for sure the water-breathing forms are more adaptable.

Water bends and twists, it adapts to whatever it gets put into. That is the epitome of Water Breathing. Their users can change under any circumstance. Plant Breathing is different all the breaths are different. Plants have their environment, and the set of skills they need to survive in it. If one thing is lacking, they die. Wilting, or withering away to be forgotten.

Which is why I must polish up.

"Fourth form." It seemed the checkered demon slayer also had the same idea. I watched as he found his footing, keeping himself upright with shallow breaths. Not to mention he was injured. How impressive! For a lower rank, this boy was promising.

So, I let him continue his path. It was a gamble. This was a lower moon, or, at least was as strong as one. His eye that had the rank had been scratched. Either way, it was a strong demon. I didn't want this talented swordsman to go to waste.

As he went for the head, I went for the body.

Gruesome as it sounded, the different tones when a blade ran through flesh had always captured my interest. Without exception, each demon was different. Sometimes the sound was like nails on a chalkboard, other times it was as soothing as a lullaby. What made my brain spin was that some of the most cunning demons I've come across had the softest sounds.

Right, right, the demon.

This time it was one of those. Those soft buttery sounds. It burst throughout the room and stopped spinning as soon as the demon realized he was beaten. From the boy's blade, its head flew through the air. From mine, the limbs were cut off and blood sprayed out of the body, coating the walls in an odd way of art. It left pools of blood that would soon melt away.

I swung my blade to rid it of the dark metallic liquid before sheathing it. My eyes stayed on the demon's body for a moment, a quick sigh leaving me before I turned to check on the lower-ranked slayer.

Not only was I impressed, but also concerned. A smile covered my face as I stepped closer, "Are you alright? Those injuries don't look too friendly."

Red-colored hair, and eyes like the sun. If I weren't a demon slayer those would've been the first normal things I noticed about him. Along with those odd earrings.

He was on the floor, trying to collect himself. I suspected he had accidentally taken a larger breath in than he was supposed to and his lungs ended up causing him pain. Been there, done that.

He nodded and said, "You're so strong that attack was so quick!"

My previously polite smile turned into a genuine one. "You are one to talk.. um?"

"Kamado Tanjiro ranked Mizunoto."

"Kamado. Even as a Mizunoto, you hold a promising future. I'm L/n Y/n, it's lovely to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, miss L/n!"

I've never met someone as cheery as Kanroji. This Kamado Tanjiro might just be on par with her sunshine. It comforted me slightly. In the corps, you won't find too many with such an optimistic personality. We are all here for a reason.

Which, it surprised me even more when the Kamado boy knelt to pray for the demon. Who knew kindness did extend to even the worst of beings?

He and I were now running down the halls, attempting to find two children that came with him. They were the reason that demon was nearly crying when he died, one of them was of marechi blood. It made the kid more or less equal to a hundred humans.

Though, it wasn't these two. Once Kamado had slid open one of the doors, all sorts of objects were thrown at us. I managed to dodge a flying book, he.. did not. A light cringe, and a little laughter, spread on my face before walking into the room.

"Hey! It's just me, why are you throwing things?!" He was rubbing the red spot left by the book. Furrowing his brows.

Two small children hugged each other in the middle of said room. "Sorry! We thought you were a demon and the drum disappeared so we panicked!"

He knelt in front of the young ones and reassured them, "Good job thinking quickly. Let's get out of here."

Kamado had picked up the younger boy who had an orange kimono, I took the little girl's hand and we all made our way to the exit. These weren't the only people in the mansion, there was one more slayer who went by the name of Agatsuma Zenitsu. Though, he was nowhere to be seen.

At least, until we got outside.

The sight made my head spin for a moment. A boar beating on a human. No, I corrected myself. A human with a boar mask, beating on another human. This had to have been the weirdest thing I've seen all week.

The apparent wild beast suddenly stopped when noticing our group. Those beady eyes might just keep me up tonight. Of course, creepy demons didn't do much to me, but creepy boars? Whole other thing.

That boy that was getting hit was a slayer. An oddly colored one at that. He looked like he got struck with lightning, such brightly yellow colored hair. Especially with that haori that matched.

His voice came out weak and hoarse, "Tanjiro, You said this box was worth more than your life. So I protected it." That sweet sentence didn't last long, for the boar decided we weren't worth his attention anymore and continued his rampage of kicking the electrocuted-looking boy.

Compared to what I previously heard, this one had a raspy voice, the beast roared "C'MON LET ME SEE THE DEMON INSIDE THAT BOX DAMN IT."

A demon inside a box. That puzzled me for a moment. He means the box that the blonde boy was curled over, right? There wasn't a demonic aura coming from it. At least, I thought there wasn't.

Boy, was I in for a treat?

Glancing over at Kamado, his usual demeanor crumbled and burst into anger. His fists were balled up, and he looked just about ready to knock the lights out of that horrible taxidermy attempt of a boar.

They are Mizunoto, I wouldn't expect anything less than chaos. This as well wasn't my business. Except for that apparent demon in a box.

Before I could even finish my thoughts, I saw the checkered haori zip by. A hard punch hit the assailant boar and even from this far, I heard the cracking of bones. My hand went to cover my mouth, but not from shock, just to hide a smile.

I haven't seen anything like this. Especially since harming other slayers is against the conduct code. Which, also reminded me I could bring a reasonable punishment to the beast.

Before the two slayers were going to go at it again, my feet moved. My hand placed on Kamado's shoulder with a light tap signaling that I'd take it from here. Force wasn't going to work with whoever this guy was.

"Aren't you aware of the demon slayer code of conduct?" It may just be a habit, but I tend to get a bit ahead of myself with the lower ranks. Especially ones who act so high and mighty like this boar.

He blew steam from his nostrils, not responding, just swinging his sword. I slipped a laugh as he froze mid-attack. The boar twitched while not being able to move any of his muscles.

"You aren't supposed to harm each other. Don't try to move either, you've already got broken bones. Speaking of.." My attention was moved to the blonde slayer, "Are you okay? Nothing bad, right?" I asked while crouching next to him.

Kamado had run over after the boy I questioned started crying his eyes out. "How'd you do that?! Will he be okay?"

I blinked, not being able to respond for a moment. Their faces were full of awe as well as confusion. "You ought to get some training from Kanao. I barely used any speed! He will be just fine. All I used were pressure points to shock the muscles in place."

Whenever I watch the Kakushi walk on eggshells around the pillars it makes me wonder how it feels to them. Hopefully not as uncomfortable as this slayer was making it. He was quite literally boohooing all over me.

My glance for help shot behind me and to the red-haired swordsman. Just from his reaction, I could tell this was a regular occurrence. What an odd group I've come across.

"Get off of her, Zenitsu!"

So this crying yellow blob was Agatsuma Zenitsu? I was expecting a more put-together slayer. It makes me wonder who else they just let in here.

Agatsuma was dragged off by Kamado and thanked for protecting the box. Maybe my senses were all turned around but I couldn't see the aura of a demon; couldn't hear it. To be honest, that drove me a bit crazy. If there were a demon in there, a demon that belonged to a demon slayer. Who knows what would happen?

That goes far beyond just hurting an ally.

As the crybaby heard his praise, as well as gratitude it was almost like he was a completely different person. He stood, his eyes focused on Kamado before replying nonchalantly. "Yeah, no problem."

While the boar was knocked out cold, we went inside and gathered the bodies of the people who were killed but had not yet been eaten, to have a proper burial.

The boy named Zenitsu would help me with the bodies I found because "You're too pretty to be dealing with stuff like this, I wouldn't want any blood on a goddess like you!"

His statement was able to earn a snicker. However, the obvious flattery did get him a thank you. He was a gentleman, in his own, extremely perverted, way.

We all, minus the knocked-out boar, began to find different rocks as well as stones to place around the graves we made.

The little girl whom I helped lead out of the mansion was named Teruko. She would collect wildflowers to place, and pick out bigger stones than she could carry. Which led to also needing my assistance.

In the middle of the burial, the boar-headed slayer awoke. He charged at me like a wild beast and demanded a battle, "LET'S FIGHT!"

"You want a fight? Right now?" I couldn't resist smiling at that. "You've got reckless abandon. I can admire that."

Kamado dropped the stone in his hands, immediately stepping between the boar and me. His hand was out towards the aggressor. "Stop right there! It's one thing for you to go against a man, it's a whole other for you to go against her. You must be respectful towards ladies."

My arms crossed against my chest, the smile turning lopsided. "Let him. Although I agree, I want to see what this beast has got against a tsugoku."

The kinder of the three turned back with his head tilted. "A tsugoku?"

"A tsugoku is a student who trains under a pillar. Pillars are the highest rank in the corp."

Though the information seemed to confuse him more, he stepped aside.

Once again, the aggressor pulled out his dual swords, which I noted were oddly chipped along the blade. My own was handed off to Teruko for safekeeping. "Hold onto that please." She nodded in excitement.

The boar boy yelled, "OH, YOU THINK YOU'RE TOUGH. YOU HAVE NOTHING AGAINST THE MIGHTY INOSUKE!" He gave up on a sword as well, tossing it to the ground. And probably for the fifth time this evening, charged at me like a wild beast.

In response, I did the same. Except when we were about to meet, my feet pushed off the ground. It gained me enough height to fly over his head in an aerial form. My landing stuck with a small bounce as I watched him fall into the dirt.

Oh, this was fun.

He wasn't giving up. Coming straight back with multiple low attacks. I'd forgotten what it was like to spar with another. Particularly people who go for the killing blow no matter what.

I couldn't expect so much from a Mizunoto. The kicks I blocked from him barely made my feet skid on the dirt. Although his flexibility did impress me some, a challenge I would love to initiate.

If I had the time, of course. Right now I didn't. That injury on my back was still annoying, and Hoshi would be back with the location of the wisteria house any moment.

Once the beast made the mistake of attempting a higher attack all it took was a back walk over and a boot