Archive of Our Own ^beta

3rd POV

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"You've got to be kidding me..."

Once more, Colith found herself unceremoniously dumped in a forest. "What is it with you people and forests?" she grumbled, massaging her sore behind. "And it's freaking snowing!" Swiftly, she jumped from the snow-covered ground, landing on a tree branch and encased herself in her aura to keep warm after realizing she only wore pajamas.

"Oh ! It's been a while hasn't it?"

She groaned as soon as she recognized that annoying voice. It was the dipshit messenger from before—

"HEY! Don't call me dipshit! That's rude! You're hurting my feelings!" The oh-so familiar voice pouted childishly.

"What on earth is happening?!" she thought angrily. "I thought I was supposed to be in AOT! What is the meaning of this?!" She crossed her arms and grumbled curses at the messenger.

"Aw! Don't shoot the messenger, it's not my fault they dumped you in demon slayer," the voice quipped.

Colith choked on her spit, quickly yelling, "WHAT?! DEMON SLAYER??"

"Yep, you heard right. The Higher-ups thought it'd be interesting to put you there," the voice replied with sass.

"Wait? But I haven't finished what I was doing in AOT! What the hell??! What about my beans!?—"

"JEEZ! LOWER YOUR VOICE! Damn! Relax! You're still in the AOT Realm," the voice snaps, interrupting Colith's panic. "You're like a clone of yourself, except you retain all your powers and yadda yadda yadda," it huffed."This version of you exists only for this realm, so you can do whatever you want, just like last time. So, please stop whining. They ain't paying me enough for this crap..."

The woman blinked a few times, processing the information. "So... if I understand correctly, I'm like some kind of clone with the same op powers, but this time in Demon Slayer?"

"That's pretty much it, yeah," the voice confirmed.

"Huh... okay. What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Colith still had some difficulty grasping her predicament, but she decided to set it aside for later contemplation.

"Like before, you just need to entertain the higher-ups. Since it's one of their favorite franchises, and you're one of their favorite souls, they decided to place you in both franchises, so they can watch your two versions wreak havoc on the plots or something," it lazily explained.

"...Okay?" she replied, still a bit unsure. "I suppose I understand... huh.."

"GREAT! SAVES ME A LOT OF TIME!" it happily chirps. "And before you ask, yes, you will automatically understand and speak Japanese, you can create your own breath if you want, and you'll probably gain a harem."

Colith stared blankly into space. "I don't want a harem." she frowned.

"it's up to you honestly." the voice said easily.

"Oookay...? Where am I in the timeline?" Colith asked, her shoulders slumped. She was aware that she wouldn't be able to return to her beans, so she decided to make the most of her time here, even though she already missed them—Mikasa, Armin, Eren, AND LEVI—

The voice sighed and reassured her, "Don't worry, at the end of the main story, you'll have a choice to stay or go back to the AOT realm, so don't give me that depressed look." It sympathetically added, catching the woman's attention

"Really?!" Colith's features relaxed, a relieved look crossing her face, and her lips formed a smile.

"Yes, yes," the voice chuckles. "Now, about the timeline, you're the day after Muzan attacks the Kamado family. Since it's a crucial moment for the beginning of the story, you cannot mess with it, unfortunately."

Colith clicked her tongue, disappointed she couldn't interfere. 'Guess that's gonna happen next time I see him,' she nodded, determined to give Muzan a scare when the opportunity arises.

"Alright! I wish you good luck on your journey, Lith. It's fun to watch your adventures up there," the voice chuckled and hastily departed before Colith could insult their mom.

She scowled, feeling frustrated. "Great, another stunt from the higher-ups, and I still have no clue who they are."

She looked at her appearance. 'Huh, being in pijis in this weather ain't a good idea, even though I don't feel cold right now. It'd be stupid if someone stumbled upon me wearing revealing clothes like these and asked if I was a hooker. I'd punch their throat.'

With a snap of her fingers, a mustard-colored kimono top, paired with a black hakama and a stunning red haori adorned with golden flower patterns appeared. Completing her look was the Akatsuki straw hat.

'Gotta look good while weebing,' she chuckled.

As she glanced down at her feet, she paused, pondering what to wear. "Hm... Ah yeah, boots!" And just like that, Japanese winter straw boots materialized, completing her ensemble. Voilà!

"Alrighty then, gotta find the Kamados... Or what's left of them... Hum?" Colith notices a figure in the distance, hanafuda earrings jiggling, an empty basket, and a black and green checkered Haori. She deadpans at the sky.

"Y'all motherfuckers did this on purpose, didn't you?"

She heard faint laughter in her head, but brushed it off.

She wondered if she should take her 14-year-old form again, despite being 25; she decided to go for it. Changing shapes wasn't weird, especially with demons shifting's abilities. With a sigh, she reverted back to her 14-year-old self, ready to face the challenges ahead.

"Yippie... fuck, puberty," she quickly shoved the thought away before approaching the figure who was scaling, probably heading home. Her face cringed. 'They choose the worst timing, I swear...'

Before she could say 'oop,' however, the boy's head quickly whipped while sniffing in her direction, surprising them both.

'Aah yes, his sense of smell, of course,' she mentally face-palmed.

---

His mind raced as he observed her. He had never seen anyone quite like her in his short life. Her dark skin was adorned with freckles, and a long scar ran from her forehead to her left cheek, partially covering her eye. Her eyes held a captivating shade of gold, their odd gleam fascinating him for reasons unknown. Her hair was a new sight to him, resembling cotton; he wondered how they would feel if he touched them. And her lips... He immediately blushed as he realized he was lingering a little too long on her lips.

'Wh-wh-what...' he stammered, quickly shaking his head as his attention was captured by a gentle voice.

"Ano, excuse me, young man, but where am I..." she chuckled awkwardly, "could you help me, please?" Her voice was delightful, with a cute accent that added to her charm.

'What's going on?' he wondered, feeling perplexed. It was the first time something like this had happened to him. 'Is this her doing...?'

Stuttering, he hastily replied, his cheeks slightly warm, "Wa-what happened?" The whole situation left him flustered and curious about the intriguing stranger before him.

She looked down, her voice filled with apology, "Sorry... I, my situation is pretty complicated..." she scratched her cheek, feeling uneasy. "I'm not from here, as you may have guessed, and I have nowhere to go..." She heard the boy sniff slightly.

'She's... telling the truth,' he thought, his eyes snapping open as he looked at the stranger.

Feeling empathetic and being a sweetheart, the boy blurted the first thing that came to his mind. "Y-You could come with me! My family and I live close by-" he flushed, stumbling over his words, "I hum... I mean if that is okay with you..." He suggested, trying to be helpful. Unaware of the grief that flashed through her eyes, he hoped his offer would provide some comfort to her uncertain situation.

Stammering, the burgundy-haired boy, Kamado Tanjiro, finally replied, "M-my name is Kamado Tanjiro, nice to meet you." He politely bowed, his Hanafuda earrings jiggling from the movement.

"Tobe Colith! Nice to meet you!" a grin formed on her features as she extended a hand to the confused boy. "Oh yeah, this is how we greet each other where I come from, sorry, it's just a habit I got." She quickly corrected herself by performing a bow, adapting to the local customs.

Tanjiro watched her in awe, truly impressed by how well she wore Japanese clothes and her proficiency in the language. 'Maybe she was born here...?' he wondered. He started leading the way to his house, with Colith following closely behind. "So, um... Tobe-san—"

"You can call me Colith, I don't mind," she lazily waved a hand, to which he quickly flushed.

"Wh- what?! Are you sure it's appropriate...? We just met..." his face turned shades darker, and his heart started thumping faster, flustered by the thought of addressing her casually.

"Huh?" she blinked, momentarily puzzled before realizing what he meant. "OOOH, of course, I think I know where you're getting at, but don't worry, it doesn't bother me," she reassured him, softly chuckling. "Plus, you seem like a nice kid, so yeah, go ahead!" Her warm smile eased his nervousness, and he felt a bit more at ease conversing with her.

Tanjiro stared with a blush, feeling his heart race as he nervously stated, "Uh... Then you can call me T-tanjiro too!" He anxiously waited for the girl's reaction.

"Sweet! Tanjiro!" She happily exclaimed, and poor Tanjiro almost fainted when he heard his name being said so cheerfully by her. He couldn't help but feel a strange mix of embarrassment and excitement.

The moment was quickly interrupted when he began sniffing something odd. "It smells like blood...!" His eyes widened, and a sense of urgency overcame him as he started following the smell. It was coming from his house!

The woman turned girl watched as his figure disappeared, and not a moment later, a distraught cry echoed in the distance. Colith's expression turned grim, and she massaged her temples.

'oh, Boi..' she sighed before quickly following after him.

---

EDITED

1st POV

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As soon as I arrived at the Kamado household, my heart sank, overwhelmed by a deep sense of heaviness and sorrow.

'S hit..'

As I braced myself for the inevitable sight, it still hurt to see Tanjiro slide down the front door, his face etched with shock and horror at what lay inside. Having faced the mangled corpses left behind by Titans in my previous experiences, I had grown somewhat accustomed to the gruesome scenes. Nonetheless, the current scene, while relatively cleaner than what Titans had wrought, was still heartbreaking. The sight of baby Rokuta's lifeless body stirred an overwhelming wave of emotions within me.

'Even if I didn't know them, the bastard still MURDERED a TODDLER .'

My eyes began glowing with a piercing gold hue, fueled by pure rage. Poor Tanjiro flinched when he sensed the livid emotion behind him, and he turned to look at me with wide, shocked eyes.

'She's... mad? W-what is this presence?! It's suffocating...!' Before Tanjiro could pass out from the sheer pressure of my wrath, I immediately subdued the anger and asked, trying to regain control of my emotions.

"Are there any survivors..?" I inquired, struggling to keep my tone calm and composed. God, I need to control my anger; this poor boy just lost everything.

Said boy snapped out of his shock and quickly checked for their vitals as tears streamed down his cheeks. He managed to mutter weakly, "Only Nezuko..." before gently placing the girl on his back. Then, he turned to me and hastily declared that he "was going to find a doctor," before swiftly running down the path we had come from, leaving me standing there, still grappling with my emotions.

Sighing heavily, I turned to face the house, my fist held tight in frustration. "Suppose I should do some cleaning in advance," I muttered to myself and approached the gruesome scene.

Just looking at the blood bath made me cringe mentally, imagining the horror of it being Ma and my sisters. How would I handle such a devastating loss? The answer was clear: I wouldn't be able to.

My gaze fell on the tiny, unmoving body lying in the snow, and a pang of sorrow washed over me. If only I could have arrived here earlier, maybe I could have prevented this tragedy. I looked up to the sky, my middle finger raised in defiance.

"Y'all are a bunch of assholes, you know that?" I growled, venting my anger and frustration to the heavens, knowing that my words would fall on deaf ears.

After clicking my tongue, I got to work.

As I gazed at the Kamados' remains, preserved by the cold or perhaps some unknown force, I couldn't help but notice how peaceful they appeared, as if they were merely asleep. But the reality was stark, with blood and weak signs of resistance telling a different, heart-wrenching story.

The sight of children, none older than 10, lying lifeless beside their mother's body filled me with an overwhelming desire to punch Muzan in the dick.

"Remind me to do just that the moment I see him," I muttered, my frustration evident. While I didn't particularly hate the man, in that moment, I was strongly tempted to confront him.

With a snap of my fingers, all signs of blood vanished in a swoosh. The house was now devoid of the dreadful liquid, as if it had never been there in the first place. The entryway, once stained with blood, now appeared pristine. The sliding doors were back in place, and the futon was neatly rolled up in a corner, giving the place an air of normalcy, despite the tragedy that had unfolded within its walls. It almost seemed welcoming, except for the lifeless bodies still lying there. I grimaced at the sight but felt a strong sense of responsibility to treat them with the respect they deserved. I took a moment to apologize for not arriving sooner, knowing that it was the least I could do to honor their memory.

Preferring not to handle the bodies myself— I called upon the titans to bury them back in the forest, as some of them no longer resembled humans— Using my telekinesis, I gently lifted and laid the bodies side by side, arranging them in order from late Kie to baby Rokuta. Each of them was carefully covered with a white sheet, offering a semblance of dignity in their final resting place.

Back in my home country, where the majority followed the Muslim faith, there were customary rituals for purifying the deceased. The body would be cleansed of any impurities, and cotton would be placed in the nostrils, mouth, and ears. Then, the deceased would be dressed in layers of white cloth. Depending on the family's wishes, the body could be perfumed and wrapped in a white veil, akin to a mummy, before being laid to rest. It was a personal decision whether to cover the person entirely or leave some skin visible.

However, in this foreign land, I didn't want to impose our traditions on the Kamados. Instead, I respectfully removed all traces of blood from their clothes and skin. I wanted to make it easier for Tanjiro to handle the burial without the constant reminder of blood scent plaguing his senses.

'Poor boy...' I thought.

With my task complete, I whispered a little prayer, "May Allah welcome you in heaven..." for the deceased, before gently closing the door with a sense of relief.

The gentle touch of winter's cold wind caressed my clothes, and faint whispers of gratitude seemed to reach my ears, but I couldn't be certain.

"Now to find Tanjiro..." I closed my eyes, focusing on the task ahead, which wasn't challenging considering that no humans lived near those parts of the mountain. Aside from little animals, I eventually came across three distinct human-shaped auras.

As I surveyed them, distinct characteristics stood out in each of them, revealing their identities in this unfamiliar place.

The first aura emitted a warmth akin to the gentle rays of the sun, exuding a sense of tranquility. It was clear that the person was deeply unconscious. Tanjiro.

The second aura, tinted in a vibrant pink hue, emanated an intense and fierce energy, accompanied by demonic nuances. It could only be Nezuko.

Lastly, the third aura exuded a surprising yet determined current of blue water, marking the presence of none other than Gi— GIYUU!!

With my previous glumness forgotten, excitement surged through me as I teleported near the spot where I sensed their presence. To my surprise, I arrived just in time to witness Giyuu knocking Nezuko out, and her body gently landed next to her brother in the soft snow. A quiet but impressed whistle escaped my lips as I observed the scene.

'Wooow, it's quite impressive seeing it for myself,' I marveled at Giyuu's prowess and skill in handling the situation.

As the thought passed through my mind, a swift katana appeared before me, almost succeeding in beheading me had I not swiftly ducked in the nick of time.

'Not that it could've killed me, trust me, but-'

A choked sound escaped my mouth as I leaped backward, my hat nearly tumbling off my head. My focus shifted to the wide-eyed Giyuu, who was now staring at me in astonishment, clearly taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

"HEY, WHAT THE HELL, DUDE!" I shrieked in bewilderment. 'Did Sadboi.exe try to end me?! Seriously?! BUT I AIN'T NO DEMON!' "What was that about?! I didn't do anything, man!" The swordsman maintained his fighting stance, gripping his katana firmly.

Despite the tension, I almost snorted at the puzzled look on his face. Almost.

"Who are you?" His voice was barely audible but still reached my ears. 'She has sharp instincts... She easily dodged...' he observed, clearly surprised by my quick reflexes.

A scandalized gasp escaped my lips as I couldn't believe what had just transpired.

"YOU! Who are you?!" I pointed an accusatory finger at him, almost reenacting a version of the Spider-Man meme, without his assistance though. "You can't just try to kill someone and then, oh? I dunno? Ask their names as if nothing happened!" I fumed.

He remained silent, his gaze fixed on me, unmoving. I narrowed my eyes.

'You're lucky you're one of my favorites, or I'd whoop yo handsome ass,' I sighed. "Whatever, I ain't got no time for this. What happened to them?" I gestured towards the two siblings lying in the snow, feeling a chill just by looking at them, causing me to shiver slightly.

Giyuu glanced between the siblings and me, keeping his mouth shut, frustratingly refusing to answer. He resumed his staring, leaving me exasperated by his silence and lack of cooperation.

My eye twitched in annoyance. 'Boi, I know you're socially inept, but seriously, that's IMPOLITE.'

With a huff, I attempted to approach the two Kamados, but the man stood in front of me, blocking my path.

"What?" I scowled and looked up at him, my 14-year-old form feeling tiny compared to his. Despite the situation, I couldn't resist shamelessly looking him up and down, admiring his appearance. 'But damn, he's cute.' I couldn't help but think, before a frown crossed my face as I realized what was going on. 'Not now, hormones!' I mentally scolded myself, trying to push aside any distractions and focus on the more pressing matters at hand.

Giyuu's eyebrows furrowed at my sudden change of behavior. He seemed perplexed, wondering why I had shifted from anger to smiling like an idiot and giggling while watching him. Was I mocking him? Did he have something on his face that I found amusing? He briefly considered wiping his face, but then refocused on the urgent situation at hand.

"It's dangerous," he asserted firmly, drawing my attention back to the matter at hand.

"Huh?" I blinked, momentarily distracted by my own thoughts. 'OH MY GAD, HE'S SO BEAUTIFU-' I mentally paused, realizing that my thoughts were not appropriate for the situation. I quickly composed myself and focused on his words.

"The girl," he pointed towards Nezuko, and I followed his gaze, "She's a demon. She may be able to recognize her brother, but I doubt she won't attack you the moment you get near." He finished his explanation, awkwardly putting some distance between us.

As I processed Giyuu's concern for my safety, my eyes softened immediately.

'Oh... I see, he didn't want me in danger.'

A soft smile tugged at my lips, realizing that Giyuu was a sweet and misunderstood soul. "Thanks for the advice, dude. I'll keep that in mind," I expressed gratefully, offering him my kindest smile, which caused a faint blush to appear on his cheeks.

Wait a second - BLUSHED?!

Trying to ignore the surprising discovery, I watched him nod stiffly and approached the demon girl, carefully wrapping the pale purple haori around her and placing the famous bamboo muzzle on her mouth.

'Where the hell did he even get them?' I wondered, impressed with his precaution.

Satisfied with his task, he straightened up and walked over to a nearby tree, leaning against it. Despite his stoic demeanor, I couldn't help but notice his subtle reaction to my smile, making me wonder what lay behind those calm eyes of his.

Shrugging, I followed his example and leaned against the tree beside him. Even though his face showed nothing, I could sense his discomfort from our proximity, evident in his stiff shoulders.

An uncomfortable silence settled in between us. The dark-haired man avoided looking at me, and it seemed like he was doing everything to escape the interaction. Meanwhile, I played with my hat, not minding the silence one bit. Despite the chilly weather, I didn't feel the cold, thanks to my active powers that kept me warm. Back home in Mali, it never snowed due to being under the Sahara desert, where temperatures could reach up to 50 degrees Celsius for "shits and giggles." So, I was more accustomed to the scorching heat than the cold climate—

"I'm sorry," Giyuu apologized, his voice filled with awkwardness and regret.

My head swirled toward Giyuu's direction, displaying a puzzled expression on my features. Noticing my confusion, he continued, "For attacking you. I didn't expect you to appear so suddenly." He finally looked at me, revealing his feelings of guilt and remorse. "I thought you were the demon who attacked them, so I reacted."

Giyuu seemed genuinely ashamed of himself for mistaking me as a threat and attacking me, considering his duty was to slay demons, not harm innocent people.

"Aaw!" A light chuckle escaped me, interrupting his somber mood. "It's fine! Stop sulking, man! I ain't mad at you—it's not the first time someone tries to kill me," I mumbled too quickly for Giyuu to fully comprehend. "I just got spooked when I saw a wild katana heading my way, but look," I pointed to myself, "no harm's done!" I threw him a cheerful grin, reminiscent of Luffy's 'shishishi' expression— I think I just did that. Bref.

Giyuu's cheeks flushed a light pink.

'OK, I definitely wasn't hallucinating back there— what the fuck, Higher-Ups?! This is too easy. I ain't that pretty.'

He quickly nodded, averting his gaze. "...Your Japanese is good...for a foreigner..." He used the word 外人 (Gaijin), which I knew referred to foreigners in Japan. Though I'm not Japanese, I was aware that I stood out with my dark skin.

I expected some startlement or disgust at my appearance, considering I was in ancient Japan where people weren't used to seeing someone like me. However, to my surprise, Giyuu didn't display any wild reactions. I assumed his experiences as a demon slayer had exposed him to various unusual beings, making my appearance less of a shock for him.

I concluded my thoughts, only to register his words a moment later, leaving me in awe that THE Tomioka Giyuu had complimented me.

I couldn't contain my excitement and immediately started bouncing in place, feeling giddy and overjoyed. 'He complimented me, he complimented me!'

"Thank you very much, Hashira-san!!" I beamed with a wide smile, but Giyuu continued to look straight forward, his cheeks warmed by a faint blush.

"T-Tomioka Giyuu.." he blurted out. "My name is Tomioka Giyuu... Not 'Hashira-san'..." His response was filled with surprise, unsure how to react to me knowing his title. He might have assumed I was familiar with demon slayers, although it was quite rare for someone outside the organization to know about it.

I giggle because of his efforts to have some semblance of a conversation.

"Tobe Colith!" I was about to extend my hand for a handshake but quickly realized the cultural difference and bowed instead, and to my surprise, he mimicked the gesture as well. "Nice to meet you, Tomioka-san!" I added with a friendly smile.

However, before I could continue, a sudden gasp from Tanjiro caught both our attention. Giyuu seemed relieved to be saved from the awkward conversation.

Tanjiro gripped Nezuko's clothes tightly as if scared to lose her. He blinked away the tears, trying to regain his composure. Seizing the opportunity, Giyuu changed the subject, his face returning to its neutral expression. "Are you awake?" he inquired, giving Tanjiro a chance to focus on something other than his emotions.

'No, he's asleep, dumbass.'

Tanjiro's breath halted at the man's voice, and he looked up so fast that I heard his neck crack from where I was. Ouch.

His eyes widened in utter panic as he quickly wrapped Nezuko in a protective hold, still scared that waterboi would attempt something again. I couldn't help but snort at the Hashira's slight hurt look.

'Hey, you did this to yourself, man,' I thought, though it seemed to catch Tanjiro's attention as he now looked back and forth between Giyuu and me in confusion.

"Go to the foot of Mount Sagiri, to an old man named Urokodaki Sakonji," Giyuu instructed. The boy blinked, completely puzzled, but he listened to the Hashira's words carefully. "Tell him that Tomioka Giyuu sent you." Waterboi straightened up, facing the boy. "Luckily, the sky is covered by clouds today, never expose your sister to the sun," he added. He was about to excuse himself, but I caught his wrist, which halted him in his tracks in surprise.

The swordsman's breath caught in his throat when my golden hues peered curiously at his midnight blue eyes. His cheeks slightly reddened from the sudden eye contact, and he seemed unsure of how to react.

"Before you depart, Tomioka-San, where does the Final Selection take place exactly, and how many times a year?" I inquired.

"It takes place at Fujikasane mountain once a year," came the quick reply from Giyuu.

Smiling, I nodded and then released the poor fellow's wrist, who immediately hightailed the hell away from us. The way his alarmed aura exited my sensing ranges, which were nothing to scoff at, astonished me. Well damn, Hashiras sure were fast.

Bro likely never had this kind of conversation with a girl in his life, and Shinobu didn't count since she liked bullying him. Bruh.

A moment passed as we both stared at the spot the Hashira previously stood. Then, I turned toward a stunned Tanjiro and asked, "You alright?" Walking toward him and his sister, I noticed he was still shaken from the earlier events, making his attempt to stand rather weak. His knees gave up, and he fell forward with a startled yelp. Smooth like a snake, I caught his waist, preventing him from kissing the snow.

"Looks like it's a no then." I chuckled, enjoying the comically wide-eyed expression on his face as his cheeks flushed to match his hair color.

"Hu...wh- Colith-san?!" he stuttered, trying to find his words. I laughed and playfully flicked his forehead, surprised by the hardness of it. I quickly helped him stand upright this time.

"You should grab your sister; I'm getting cold just by looking at her like that." The boy froze for a moment, then quickly did as I suggested, cradling his sleeping sister protectively. He straightened up, still looking at me with curiosity and uncertainty. I gave him a reassuring nod and motioned for him to lead the way.

As we walked, grief made itself painfully evident in his eyes, his once bright spirit now clouded with sorrow. His lips quivered, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to spill. Feeling a surge of compassion, I gently patted his head, offering what little comfort I could. His startled reaction quickly turned into a grateful expression as he glanced at me with tear-filled eyes. He weakly uttered a thank you, and we continued our trek to the cottage, each step heavy with the weight of his loss.

Ten minutes later, we finally arrived in front of the house. Tanjiro stilled, his fist clenched tightly in anguish. He released a shaky breath, trying to muster the courage to face what awaited him inside. Slowly, he approached the house, his hands trembling as he reached for the sliding front door.

Nezuko had woken up and was now standing beside me, which surprised me since she had never seen me before. I couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't attacking, but I didn't have time to dwell on it as Tanjiro managed to slide the door open. His eyes widened to the size of saucers at the sight that greeted him.

"Wha.."

I perked up from my staring contest with Nezuko, feeling a bit guilty for intruding at such a time. "Ah... I took the liberty of cleaning up while you were away," I said, scratching my cheek sheepishly. "I hope it wasn't rude of me to intrude, but I wanted to spare you more pain." My voice trailed off into a hushed tone, and I gave him a sad smile, trying to offer some comfort in this difficult moment.

As Tanjiro slowly turned toward me, tears streaming down his face, he immediately performed a dogeza, his forehead landing heavily on the ground as he released broken sobs.

"T-thank you... Colith-san... Thank you." The sight of his bloodied family had clearly been too much for him to bear, and having this stranger spare him from the atrocious sight made him feel immensely grateful. The smell of blood had lessened too, providing some relief. Nezuko, sensing her brother's emotions, perked up and went to copy him, executing a dogeza as well.

I gaped like a dumbass because 'YOOOOO TANJIRO CHILL.' and sent them an awkward look. 'Pretty sure Nezuko ain't aware of what she's doing, and it's adorable-' "N-no need t-to!!!" I waved my hands wildly, highly embarrassed, and approached them. "Please stand up...!!" I stammered, trying to convey that they didn't need to bow before me.

After a battle to convince sunshine Boi that it was nothing, that no, I don't need anything, and no, Tanjiro, I don't want money, please stop smashing your forehead on the ground Jeez— he quickly got to work. He adamantly refused further help from me since, and I quote: "you've done enough for us already," so I stood in the back with Nezuko, who was now looking at me with her dot-like eyes.

She was wearing her iconic outfit while gripping my arm like a koala. Her innocent and adorable gesture made my heart melt, and I couldn't help but smile down at her.

"What the heck are you doing, baby?" I stroked her head affectionately as she 'Hm-ed' through her muzzle, reaching for my cheek to poke it with her tiny finger. I cooed like a doting mom in front of a baby, which she was to me right now, and pulled her into a tight hug while squealing with delight. Tanjiro looked up from the graves he was currently burying and saw me glomping his baby sister as though my life depended on it.

'???'

With his task completed and a heavy heart, Tanjiro swallowed the lump in his throat as he gazed at the graves. He slowly approached us, and as he got closer, he couldn't help but sweat drop when he heard me baby talking to the demon girl. It was an unexpected and amusing sight amidst the sorrowful atmosphere.

"Are... Aren't you scared...?" He asked a bit unsure since he didn't believe in demons until today...unfortunately.

Nezuko and I exchanged a quick glance, my arms still wrapped protectively around her in a hug.

"Hah?"

He fidgeted in his spot while looking between us.

"Nezuko...Aren't you afraid of her? She could eat you...since she's a...demon..." He finished lamely, looking at his feet as he waited for my reply.

"Huh, not really, no," I replied with a playful smile, looking down at the adorable creature in my arms. I couldn't resist booping her nose affectionately, earning a surprised expression from Tanjiro. "She's absolutely adorable," I continued, my voice filled with genuine affection for Nezuko. "And trust me, she's not the type to eat anyone."

Tanjiro blinked in astonishment, clearly puzzled by my carefree attitude despite the circumstances. "You're not afraid of her at all?" he asked incredulously.

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Nah." I glanced back at Nezuko, who seemed to enjoy the attention, her muzzle hinting at a smile. "Plus, I have a strong feeling that she's not a threat to me or anyone else."

Tanjiro's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, trying to comprehend the situation. "But... she's a demon," he protested weakly.

I chuckled lightly, "Yeah, I know. But sometimes, appearances can be deceiving. I've seen enough to believe in the good in people... or demons." I patted Nezuko's head gently, reinforcing my trust in her.

After a prayer to his family, both Kamados turned to look at me, their hands held together.

"...I suppose this is where we part ways..." The boy said weakly, tightening his grip around Nezuko's hand. "I'm sorry...that our meeting went this way and troubled you with our problems. I suppose you won't be able to stay with us..." He looked at the graves with pain in his eyes before focusing back on me. "I'll show you the way to the village so you can find help!" he bowed deeply, Nezuko doing the same. "We are grateful for what you did today, and I hope to meet you again in the future—"

"Tanjiro." I interrupted him, which made him flinch in surprise, his hanafuda earrings jolting through the motion. "What did I ask waterboi before he ran off?" I crossed my arms, waiting for the gears in his brain to start turning.

'Wa-waterboi?' "A-about the f-final selection..?" he said, still bowing, though it sounded more like a question than the answer. It only took him 10 seconds to understand where I was going with that, and, oh boy, the speed at which he straightened up almost made me step back. "You want to become a Demon Slayer?!"

'He said the thing~' I chuckled inwardly at his reaction but maintained a composed exterior. Nezuko just copied him while looking between us curiously.

"It's the idea, pal," I said, ruffling his burgundy strands of hair. He blushed at the contact of my hand on his scalp. "To become a Demon Slayer, we need a master to teach and guide us to the exam site." It was partly true, but I added a bit of playful exaggeration. I could go on my own, as I only needed to survive 7 days and nights on Fujikasane mountain to become one. But he didn't need to know that, and I was looking forward to meeting Tengu gramps.

"It means that..." His eyes, once devoid of light due to grief, slightly brightened as he looked at my grinning face.

"Yep, I'm tagging along! Only if you're okay with it, though." I said, scratching my cheek. The boy immediately brightened up, letting out a "Yes, of course, thank you!" and started wildly bowing, much to my dismay and concern. The concern was replaced by coos when Nezuko clasped my right hand in hers and decided not to let go.

With that said, we set on our way to Mount Sagiri.

---

EDITED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1ST POV
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I was currently in a little cave watching Nezuko morph into a little diglett. She had dug a hole and was now positioned inside in hope of staying as far away from the sun as possible.

After walking a bit and noticing that we couldn't progress with Nezuko out, Tanjiro and I, mostly Tanjiro since I already knew what was to happen, concluded that we had to do something about it. So we separated. He went to find a basket while I was in charge of keepin' an eye on the little demon. I could've brought one up with my powers but meh, lazy. Plus I want to spend time with Nezuko. However, I had not taken something into account.

'doushio asore doushio'

That's the thing when you can't have a conversation with a demon unable to speak, you start thinking about random things.

A sigh left my lips while glancing outside in case Tanjiro decides to pop out of a bush. In the anime, they never mentioned how long he took to retrieve the basket, so I find myself waiting with the restless demon. He's been gone for 10 minutes now and I feel like bringing my phone out- you know what? Imma just do tha-

Something tugs on my haori and I look down only to be met with pink wide eyes staring right back at me. Nezuko.

"What is it, honey ?" I crouch down to her level since only her head was out of the hole and proceeded to kindly pat her scalp.

She answers with a "hm!" of happiness before quickly pointing at the hole with one finger.

"Yes, that's a nice hole you dug there, good job!"

I smile tenderly at her. She shakes her head and tugs again with insistence, pointing at me, then at the spot in the hole beside her.

I 'O' with my mouth, understanding what she meant. "Oh, you want me to come inside too?"

"Hmpf-mh!" She quickly nods, still tugging on my clothes.

"But Nezuko, I'm not a demon...?" and that's where I realize that I ain't human either. I mean not anymore.

'must be the reason why Giyuu almost offed me and why Tanjiro keeps sniffing with a confused look when near me..'

I facepalm to Nezuko's confusion. "Of course..." after placing my hat on the ground next to the hole, I get near the demon child who in the meantime made room for me before slipping into the hole next to her.

She had unconsciously shrunk a little in size to allow me to fit and almost immediately clung to me like a Koala on a branch to my amusement. "Wow, it's pretty cool here. I understand why you're here now."

The feeling of my hand on her scalp makes the demon child sigh out in glee.

"so what do we do now?" I am rewarded by a cute dot-like stare, I hum. " what about a song, ne? Would you like that?"

Nezuko's eyes crease in an eye smile. "HMF!"

"Alright alright!" racking my brain for any ideas, I finally got one. "what about some Steven universe, hm ?"

Obviously, she had no idea what Steven universe was and therefore couldn't reply to me. Not that she could with her bamboo muzzle. Clearing my throat a bit, I begin singing the intro in English.

"If you're evil and you're on the rise
You can count on the four of us taking you down

Nezuko's eyes brighten up in curiosity at the foreign tune. She didn't recognize it nor the language but it sounded nice and happy! what was I singing??

'Cause we're good and evil never beats us
We'll win the fight and then go out for pizzas

My voice was pleasant to her ears. It reminds Nezuko of her mother whose voice rang like soft bells... It was soothing.

We are the Crystal Gems

We'll always save the day

And if you think we can't

We'll always find a way

I feel the demon child curl up at my side, becoming smaller. So I took this opportunity to put her on my lap, arms wrapped around her in an embrace as I sang.

That's why the people of this world believe in

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven!"

....

After a few more songs, Nezuko's lack of movement almost freaked the fuck out of me until light snores reached my ears. I took a look at her closed eyes and indeed, the little one was asleep on me.

Huh.

Stroking her hair affectionately, I readjust her properly so she was comfortable. The little demon released a sigh of ease wrapped comfortably in my arms which put a fond smile on my lips. My eyes begin feeling heavy as well, while a silent yawn escaped my mouth. I hadn't taken a break since I got here, so a nap seemed welcome. I should probably keep the habit to reset my body.

"Guess it won't hurt hm..." resting my head on Nezuko's, I fell into a light dreamless sleep knowing that Tanjiro would be here when I woke up.

.

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3RD POV
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It had been a while since Tanjiro and Colith-san separated, the young boy had brought an old basket from a kind farmer who insisted for him to have it for free since it was damaged but Tanjiro had none of it! He wasn't an opportunist! His parents raised him well, so he good naturally paid for it to the farmer's dismay.

He was now on his way back to the cave where the foreigner and his baby sister were. He felt his heart pick up the pace at the thought of the dark-skinned girl, cheeks flushing a bit. She appeared so suddenly and didn't turn her back on them despite their situation which would've made many turn the other way. Her smell was, if he had to say..off, which was why she immediately caught his attention in the forest. She didn't possess the same scent as other humans do, nor did she appear to be a demon since she could stand under the sun so it left him...confused.

"Tomioka-san said to never let Nezuko near the sun...What would happen if she got exposed to it?" He shivers, "I'd rather not think about it."

His thoughts returned to the straw hat-wearing stranger.

'Where is she from exactly? Who is she? Why is her skin so dark?'

Tanjiro wasn't that informed about the outside world and outsiders besides his family as they never got to travel outside the village. Their knowledge of the changes their country experienced was low, if not absent and his family only focused on selling coal and odd jobs to prevail. They lived in the mountains, and their interactions with others solely focused on the village below which is situated in the countryside, thus their exposure to foreigners was rare if not nonexistent. He heard some traveling merchants speak about eupopi..eupean and Ame...Ameki...rican?? Hum... Western people, who seemed to have different cultures, come in and out of the country but he had never seen one. Maybe Colith was one of them? She's the first foreigner he has ever seen after all, were they all like her?

'Why was she enraged at the discovery of my...of the killing?'

It puzzled him, to say the least until a horrifying realization cut his breath short, his pace faltering.

'Was she...was she also a victim of this demon.?' His heart sank at the thought, sympathizing with the girl. 'Perhaps she was on his trail and stumbled upon us...that must be it.'

He concluded with a sorrowful expression. How many lives have been lost at the hands of this demon in particular...? How many watched in despair their loved one turn into a mindless beast..? Did they even survive to begin with? He was lucky that Nezuko had enough willpower to recognize him and even that was a miracle the heavens bestowed upon them. Thinking of those who didn't have that chance made bile rise in Tanjiro's throat...Just the thought of someone devouring their own kin was enough to make him waver in his steps. Why was this happening? How could someone inflict this on innocent people? What had they done to deserve this? Past sins? They were so lucky to have lived till now with creatures like these freely roaming around...

The small cave appeared in the distance which made him shove those thoughts as far away in his mind as possible and hastened his steps with, a basket, and bamboo sticks in his hands. He quickly wiped his face. It wouldn't be good to show up there with tears on his face-

'I hope I didn't make them wait..!'

Arriving at the entrance and after putting the newly bought stuff on the ground, Tanjiro turned to look inside with one of his signature good-hearted smiles.

"I'm back, To-Colith-San, Nezuko! Sorry for making you both wai-"

However, his stomach twisted in worry when his eyes finally adjusted and only caught sight of Colith's straw hat on the ground with no trace of the girls inside.

"Huh?! C-Colith-San! Nezuko ?! They're not here!!" he begin to panic, mind racing with far-fetched scenarios as fear took hold of him only to freeze upon seeing a dark-skinned hand shot out of the ground, surprising the boy as it danced in a lazy wave.

"We're here, Tanjiro~" came a slightly drowsy voice. The boy flushed when he recognized the owner of the voice. It was C-Colith-San!

'She said my name again...' he blinked quickly.

"Nezuko dragged me in here with her.."

Said demon's head popped out along Colith's as she blinked slowly, sleep still present in her eyes with a scowl before she acknowledged her big brother standing in the sun like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Hmf!" she greets him happily.

"So we took a nap." Colith continues, gently shoving the demon's head with hers. Tanjiro stares at them in amazement at how fast both girls bonded. "not a big fan of the sun, huh Nezuko?"

"hm-hm!" she nods, eyes narrowed in distaste at the sight of the exterior where Tanjiro stood.

"Yeah, what she said."

The older girl head pats the demon child and went to get out of the hole. Well...she tried to, but Nezuko adamantly refused by tightly wrapping her arms, having regained her normal size, around Colith's waist.

"Wesh..?"

She looks down at Nezuko with a puzzled look then at a taken aback Tanjiro who was busy gaping like a fish before sighing dramatically. "ooh no~ my free will, it's broken~! Seems like I cannot escape my fate for I am trapped by this adorable child~."

Tanjiro let out a small laugh at the theatrics.

"a-are you okay with it Colith-San...?"

"Yeah," She waves at him, "She's baby, so I ain't complaining~," A yawn halt her words "Do what you have to do, we'll wait here." with that said, Colith disappears into the hole with Nezuko in tow.

Tanjiro shook his head, amused. His heart felt light for some reason "Alright, I'll be quick!" And he quickly got to work.

A few minutes later, he returned with the repaired basket in hand. His approaching footsteps caught both girls' attention who looked up from their hand-clapping game Colith had begun teaching Nezuko to pass time. The demon child was surprisingly taking it quickly, enjoying the new unfamiliar game.

"I fixed the basket so we can travel by day." He puts it in front of Nezuko who blinks innocently. "Can you get in there? I will carry you," he says softly.

Nezuko glances at her new friend who shrugs easily, before returning her attention to the burgundy-haired teen. They stared at each other, Tanjiro squirming under her long stare to Colith's growing amusement while Nezuko didn't budge. The teen sent a pleading look toward the cocoa-skinned girl who only gave him a toothy grin in response. Not helpful at all.

'b-but Colith-san!'

'your sister, your problem.' she was so enjoying this.

Tanjiro's shoulders sag at the smell of pure amusement coming from the foreign girl who chooses to remain a spectator to his dismay. The boy breathed out a small sigh before entering his big brother mode. Colith leans forward in interest, having never witnessed such things despite having two older sisters. They didn't live together for long due to family problems but that's beside the point!

"You. Going in. The basket.."

A snort from the gold-eyed girl makes Tanjiro's cheeks redden in embarrassment but the teen keeps up with the baby talk which ends up being pretty effective because Nezuko hoisted herself up with a soft huff and went headfirst into the basket, upper body inside. For a second Colith could've sworn she saw Nezuko' shoulders shake with laughter but couldn't be sure. Tanjiro gapes at the scene with a bewildered expression. He hadn't taken the height difference into account.

"She did what you said bruh, don't look at her like that." Colith laughs while she too hoisted up and placed herself in front of the desperate boy, Nezuko's body horizontally separating them, as she removes the dirt accumulated in the hole from her clothes.

Tanjiro smiles fondly, recalling a time when the demon in front of him was not higher than their mother's knees. His smile fades a little at the memory of the woman but an idea pops in his mind at the image of a small Nezuko, shifting his expression into one of realization.

'It's about damn time.' Colith watches the boy's shift of expression because lo and behold, Tanjiro just had the greatest idea of mankind! 'SMOL NEZUKO!!'

"Nezuko, you're an adult's size right now, right? can you reverse that and make yourself tiny?" The boy's tone held some excitement.

Nezuko didn't react one bit.

Colith's giggles make Tanjiro's ears turn red. Was she doing this on purpose? He began patting her back in a playful manner "Tiny, Nezuko, make yourself tiny!" the please was left unsaid.

Nezuko, feeling pity for her older sibling obliged to the latter's relief. He was beginning to wonder if she couldn't understand him anymore or if she was annoyed by something, which wasn't the case. She simply concluded that being a little mischievous would amuse the kind girl so she tried and It worked because she was rewarded by amused laughs.

Nezuko lifted herself in the basket, legs in the air to the surprise of Tanjiro before shrinking to a more childlike size. A second passed before her head popped out, barely passing the basket. Colith immediately squealed, startling both Kamados who looked at her with wide innocent eyes.

"SHE'S SO FREAKING CUTE!!! LOOK AT HER, TANJIRO, SHE'S TINY!!" she gushes, swaying left and right with a joyful expression. "SHE MUST BE PROTECTED!! Oh god, I can die for you, you now I will die for you? Because I ain't gonna let anything happen to you bubey!!" aaaand she glomps SMOL Nezuko, who of course returns the embrace.

She was so warm... Nezuko's eyes close in mirth, basking in the girl's comfortable embrace. Demons were creatures of the night who naturally feared the sun, therefore anything related to it should've made the demon scramble as far away as possible from it. But this girl...no Mother's embrace felt so warm, so welcoming that Nezuko felt like little moths to a flame, wishing to bask in its warmth forever even though it eventually led them to their demise...

The burgundy-haired boy chuckles at the vision of pure innocent bliss on his sister's face, somehow understanding her giddy feelings through her scent. She smelled happier around the foreigner and Tanjiro couldn't be glad enough for it. Nezuko's smell was so lost, so confused that it hurt the boy to some extent, unable to come up with a way to comfort her properly. He would never forget her anguished cries, whines of agony as she fought to restrain herself from doing something, he's certain, all demons had to face. Now she seems at ease, calm even. He's glad that Colith choose to tag along even if she was technically a stranger, but...she makes Nezuko happy, hence him too.

"I know right? She did a good job!" He reaches to head pat the demon who leans in the brotherly touch. "now we'll be able to go and get there early !"

Agreeing, Colith got up, putting an end to the hug- to Nezuko's dismay- and stretched. Letting a sigh of pleasure escape her lips when her bones made little 'pop!' sounds, she went to retrieve her hat and put it on her head, long white fabric strands unevenly fluttering to the gentle wind as she marches out of the cave, not before placing a gentle peck on Nezuko's forehead, which earned her a delighted "HM!" from the demon child.

Tanjiro smiled pleasantly before hurrying to wrap the basket containing Nezuko with a thick cloth -that Colith had discreetly thickened with her powers- before resuming their journey.

---

_______

1ST POV
_______

.

.

The trip went without a hitch at first with Tanjiro and I having small talks, he was particularly curious about me which is a given since I was the first foreigner he had ever seen in his short existence.

"Well kiddo, I came from earth but not your earth because, y'see, you're from a manga/anime in my world, and oh I died and woke up in another manga by the way with man-eating naked giants called titans, as some freakin Goddess with OP powers nonetheless and turns out I'm just some version, sturdy clone, whatever, of myself"- obviously I didn't say that. I'm dumb, not stupid. What do you mean that's the same thing? God the chaos and mental breakdown it would've caused poor Tanjiro would've rivaled one of Zenitsu's and I haven't met the screaming Pikachu yet!

Though I almost laughed like a maniac with his attempts to pronounce 'Africa' and snorted when he only managed a meek 'Afurika' after three tries in a heavy Japanese accent. I even felt Nezuko's growing amusement from the basket as he tried his best, poor kid. the demon child was enjoying this as much as I was. Tanjiro then begin asking questions like "what's it like in 'Afurika", his words, not mine, "where is it? Is it far from japan?" and was utterly shocked to learn that first, Africa is a whole' new' continent and indeed, Africa was pretty far from Japan. Like really really far. This is where he blurted out "what about your family?" before realizing what he said and profusely apologized for being insensitive to my utter confusion.

After managing to reassure forehead that it's okay to be curious, that no Tanjiro I'm not...hurt? And wtf kid stop bowing, you'll make Nezuko dizzy! We went on with basic questions like "what's your favorite color?" and so on to which I answered to the best of my abilities without telling too much. It'll all come in due time.

The kid said he to be fond of fatsia sprouts or whatever the hell that was and promised to cook some for me to try one day. I chortled and said I'd introduce him to some of my country specialties too and the beaming smile I received almost made me blind. No wonder he has sun breathing, the kid IS a ray of sunshine. He then babbled about finding a cure for Nezuko which was received by a determined "HM!" from his charge. I smiled softly.

'and you will..'

Tanjiro was both confused and flustered when I ruffled his hair.

---

We were now in front of a mother and her kid who were both gaping at my appearance yet again. Nothing new since on our way here, people in rice fields tended to stop what they were doing to just stare at me in pure surprise, having never seen anyone like yours truly in their lives, shock, wonder, and even fear? Like bruh? They reminded me of that Mike wazowski-Sulley meme tho.

The kid in all his childlike glory kept staring at me with wide eyes, bright with curiosity. Seeing a person of color for the first time must've blown his little mind for sure, the same as his mother. She seemed gentle if a bit curious as well, brown eyes shifting to look at me now and then as she spoke with Tanjiro while I stood leaning against a tree, hat on with folded arms. She, however, surprises us both by not making comments on it and for that, I was grateful because, god, explaining that yes that's my natural skin tone, no I didn't bath in mud wtf and of course, I speak Japanese was exhausting..!

Being stared at like some freak was beginning to irritate me to say, Tanjiro, this sweetheart obviously noticed and understood why I withdrew from any talks and pretended to be deaf with those we met on the way. The lady then reluctantly indicates the way to Mount Sagiri, saying that we had to cross a mountain to get there. Her reluctance was justified because nightfall approached rapidly, and she was fearing to let two children (lol) endanger themselves in the woods.

"Are you sure it's safe to go? The sun is setting and you seem well charged, it's dangerous." her tone soft and motherly, filled with concern.

"we'll be careful ma'am! Thank you very much." the boy bows, grateful for the help. He did not know of those parts of the countryside, having never exited the confine of his village. I straighten up and mimic sunshine boi without uttering a single word, not really in the mood to speak.

'should've worn a mask or something. Ooh, I could totally go for an Anbu mask! NO- Tobi's lollipop mask... Hehehe god I'm such a weeb.'

My gesture seems to surprise her even more, if her light gasp is anything to go by, thinking that I was unaware of their customs.

'A lot of anime binging does that to us weebs lmao.'

A small smile lifts my lips upward when the kid gasps in awe before shrinking at the light scolding he received from the woman.

Tanjiro looks in my direction, waiting for me to catch up before resuming our way to the mountain under the setting sun of winter. We hardly made a few steps forward when the lady calls :

"Many people are disappearing lately. Please don't get lost!" creepy but thanks for the warning ma'am!

Of course, she felt responsible for our safety and she'd be right if it was anyone else but I AM HER-eeeh I sent her a small smile while Tanjiro, this sweetheart, waved widely.

A little far from her hears, I start softly "Ain't you scared Tanjiro? I mean, things could get messy in the blink of an eye if we're not careful, plus we don't have weapons." my hands were behind my head as I surveyed our surroundings, eying the setting sun with a soft smile. It was quite beautiful. Ufotable's art style was stunning. I still didn't get the time to look at myself in the mirror. Did I retain the same features or did they change? Bruh I hope not, I was hot.

Not receiving an answer from the usually fast to reply boi, I whirl my head toward him and catch his eyes on me which startled him out of his daze. Apparently he was watching me for a while hence his flaring cheeks and ashamed aura. Oh boi.

"What is it? Do I have something on my face ?"

"n-not at all! I was just...hum.." he shrunk on himself, ashamed for getting caught staring. But...How could he not? The setting sun gave my skin tone an ethereal glow, that added with the serene look in my gold eyes made me look like something from another realm, something almost....godlike. It was so mesmerizing that he almost went back at it. Oh no! Was he staring again? How embarrassing!

He blushed and my thoughts turned frantic.

'Ok Hol'up.

I've been silent about this the whole time but this ain't gonna do! It's freaking weird!! I dunno whatever bullshit the HU smoked up there if they thought that including a 13-year-old to my Harem was a good idea because it ain't!! I ain't blind to the flustered aura around Tanjiro every time I talk to him and we've known each other for what? TWO DAYS.

WHAT THE HECK.

Ouh it better be because I'm the first foreigner AND black girl he's ever seen before I hit the ceiling.

Better break it to him while I can that I ain't no normal 14-year-old-why did I even switch to this form again?! Oh yeah, to seem less threatening 'cause I was like, a 6'0 tall, well-built African woman who would've surely scared him shitless. I was aware that Japaneses tended to have small frames so I shrunk too! Though I was still taller than him by a few inches that's beside the point! What kind of reasoning is this, past me?! I thought it would be a good idea to befriend him that way, not freaking have him crush on me at first sight!!! WHAT AM I? HISOKA? OH HELL TO THE NO.

And didn't Kagaya, like, marry at 13?! WHAT THE FUCK JAPAN.'

Tanjiro, smelling my growing discomfort tentatively placed a hand on my shoulder. The contact jolts me from weird-ass scenarios.

"A-Are you okay...?"

A little scratching sound from the basket, signals Nezuko's attention being picked too.

"OH erm yeah, I'm good."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes kiddo, now shoo, it's my turn to ask questions. How old are both you and Nezuko anyway?" I use this opportunity to ask, already knowing the answer.

The elder Kamado looks perplexed. My scent is frustrated, but by what? Did he make me uncomfortable with his stare? Tanjiro kicks himself, of course, I was. How didn't he notice the hint of annoyance whenever new people stared at me for too long? How tactless...

"I'm so-"

"Nah nah nah, why are you even apologizing?"

"I made you uncomfortable. Sorry for not taking your feelings into account, I won't do it again!"

"Ayo kid-"

"Please forgive me!"

"TANJIRO MY BOY!" the teen startle as I grab his shoulders so he can stop bowing again. "Please it's alright, chill! I'm not mad at you or anything!"

The boy flushes "o-oh, are you-"

"Yep! Now answer the damn question please!" I release him and resume walking with him scrambling to catch up. "how old are you two?"

The boy perks up in interest, glumness forgotten "...Oh erm Nezuko's 12 and I am 13. What about you, if I may ask Colith-San?" he couldn't help himself.

I smile, feeling a little mischievous "I'll let you guess."

Tanjiro's brows furrow, forehead gleaming at the rays of the sun as he turns to look at me properly. "I'd say... 14 or 15?"

My smile widens, evolving into a toothy grin "Wrong~ I'm 25!"

---

Night fell, which allowed Nezuko out of the basket. A few hours of walk later found us nearing a temple where I knew shit would go down, but fear not for imma protect these two! Tanjiro was still shocked by my age to the point where he kept looking between the path and me with wide eyes. The funniest part tho was that he could smell the truth behind my words which made it ten times funnier. His expression was so hilarious that I almost faceplanted on the ground after slipping on a rock.

Karma for being an ass, I know, but it was too funny!

We finally got to the rocky uneven stairs, surrounded by plants. Tanjiro held his little sister's hand, a sight that nearly melted my heart!

'They're so cute gahdam!' I coo mentally as the burgundy-haired boy's eyes caught sight of the place which seemed old. Time hasn't been nice to it but you could see that people did their best to maintain it for living purposes.

"A shelter!" the boy turns to me, a clear sign of exhaustion in his eyes "The lights are on, there must be someone there. Is it okay if we rest there, Colith-San? You're not too exhausted?" But before I could answer, he freezes, nose sniffing something.

'oh boi oh man ouh.'

"The scent of blood..! The roads are steep, someone must've hurt themselves.!" the boy starts running toward the structure, eyes filled with worry. He was still holding Nezuko's hand who was simply going with the flow, with me in tow.

'Hurt, hurt... I'd say dead as hell but ight.'

"Huh kid, I don't think you should-"

He slid the door open without hesitation.

"-open the door..."

Sunshine boy slid the door open like he owned the place though I'm sure the situation's urgency and his bleeding heart made him forget manners.

"A-Are you ok-"

Tanjiro gasps in shock at the bloody sight greeting him. His bamboo basket fell on the floor as disgusting munching and bone-cracking sounds resonated in the blood-bathed room.

Nezuko stiffens.

'oh boi'.

"what the hell do you want?" the Demon's head turns slowly toward us, sharp teeth in the open. Its hair was a dark green while its skin was a sickly grey with green stripes around both biceps, wrists, and ankles. It wore a traditional sleeveless blue cardigan covered in the blood of its victims. I frown. It was so damn ugly. "This is my territory, I won't let anyone loot my hunting ground, ya ear?" it snarls directly at Nezuko, whose eyes slit as she starts drooling at the sight of food.

"Huh?" it was now licking its bloodied fingers.

I grimace. 'ew... Even titans have more manners than this...thing.'

"Y'all smell weird. you wouldn't be humans, would you?"

It stood slowly, leaking an ominous aura, really pitiful compared to what I use habitually but enough to freeze inexperienced humans, and faced the two siblings. One was too shocked to react while the other's gaze remained on the bodies scattered inside which was starting to concern me.

With my presence concealed, the demon was unaware of a third party, aka me. I watched the scene through a hole in the paper door next to Nezuko. So really it could only see the two Kamados, plus it seemed entirely focused on the shaky boy.

Tanjiro and the demon had a staredown, as tension rose quickly. They seemed to wait for something to break it when the candle illuminating the room suddenly extinguished and the demon threw itself on him, hand ready to cut his throat which, ironically, is what happens to it since Tanjiro manages to somehow, react in time and slice its throat with the hatchet he had actually brought with him.

 Oh, so he had a weapon, das cool.

My attention remained however on Nezuko but I kept an eye on the situation. The amount of drool coming from her mouth is astonishing. I reach for her hand which was held tightly in a fist, just in case she couldn't restrain herself.

'come on baby, you can do it!'

I envelop her in a soothing aura like I would whenever one of my beans had a nightmare. It seems to do the job since her shoulders relax a little but her eyes remain stuck on the bodies. I turn to look at the situation behind and remove my hat, letting it hang on my back.

The demon boasted about its healing powers, 'amateur, I can do better than that and jumped on the boy who didn't see him move, too fast for his human eye to follow which was my cue to move.

'Oh hell naw.'

Before the vile creature could further tighten its grip on sunshine boi's throat, my fist came crashing on his side so hard that the asshole violently flew onto a tree which creased, groaning at the impact before the bark cracked. The tree crashed to the ground making dust fly around. Birds took off from the loud noise, dispersing in panic.

"Ah, shit, didn't mean to put that much force in it." I mutter with a wince 'Poor tree, Hashirama wouldn't be happy'

"Wh-?!" the demon wheezes in shock on the ground, side destroyed and bleeding profusely by the power of the punch. 'Wh- What the fuck was that?!' its lungs tighten as it gasps for air.

Tanjiro who had his eyes closed tight the whole time opened them, gasping and greedily gulping air since his airways got freed suddenly. Poor boy must've thought it was his end, eh sorry! He looks at the dust and fallen tree in shock, only hearing the demon gasp for air. 'w-what..?' his panicked burgundy eyes then shift to me when I ask:

"You okay? Sorry for not reacting sooner, I was worried about Nezuko." I say looking down at him with a sheepish grin.

"H-h-how did-" he coughs a little, still struggling to regain his breath. I pat his back to help ".. Wha...t just ha..ppen..ed?"

I was about to answer but movement in our front caught my attention which caused me to glance forward, watching the demon struggle to stand as it curses loudly, its left side completely fucked.

'Dayum'

I could see its insides, guts spilling on the ground with disgusting 'squashes' from where I was. Tanjiro follows my gaze and gasps in horror at the sight and nearly gagged.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT? " it screeches as it somehow manages to regain its footing, blood spilling from its mouth, wide eyes enraged. "WHO THE HELL DID-" its vision clears as it finally takes in my presence which caused it to furrow its brows in confusion. "A foreigner? What the fuck are you doing here? You smell weird! What are you?!" it sneers "Did you do this?! I'll kill yo-"

I tune him out, not fazed the slightest by whatever threats it was sprouting, preferring to check Tanjiro for any injuries like the responsible adult I was supposed to be.

The boy is visibly stunned by the situation currently happening. Me ignoring a demon in order to see if he was okay. That would've made him blush if only he didn't catch the demon rushing at me, teeth bared in rage for being ignored.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!!"

"COLITH-SAN" poor boy yells in fright, thinking that I was about to get killed by this...Thing, only for Nezuko to rush at it, veins largely visible around her face as she kicks the demon's head with enough power to separate it from its body which went barreling, as it released an outraged yell, right into the tree behind the fallen one.

'NEZUKO-CHAAAAN~!'

I saw her snap out of it at forehead's distraught cry. 'guess some things never change..' and almost guffawed at Tanjiro's horrified face after witnessing his baby sister being so brutal.

The creature's body landed on the ground, motionless. Aware that it was a ruse to let our guard down, I kept an eye on it.

"hmf.." Nezuko grunts, a look of pure annoyance on her face, which made the scene 10 times more funnier.

"Bravo Nezuko!" I praise her. This caught her attention which succinctly snaps her out of her bad mood as she came to me with a skip to her steps for head pats which I gladly provided while uttering "yoshyoshyoshyoshyosh" like cioccolata from Jojo. Tanjiro watches us with poorly concealed bewilderment all the long with a sweatdrop.

Convinced that we were distracted enough, the body shifts, slowly reaching for Tanjiro who wasn't looking before it was kicked away by the demon girl.

I whistle.

"YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!" Came the angry roar of the head. "I knew I smelled a demon! But what a weird smell! What is a demon even doing with a human, huh?!" his hateful glare shifts to me, "And you!! What the hell are you and what's with that skin?! I can't even tell your presence!!", it growls like an animal.

This picks Tanjiro's interest. He didn't know how I did it but I managed to gravely damage the demon with bare hands while he only succeeded in scratching its throat, when he had a weapon.

"None of your damn business, bitch.", I casually reply, cleaning my ear with my little finger as I glance at the night sky with no intention of answering.

'M-MEAN!!' Tanjiro screams in his head.

This pisses it off so much that its mangled body rushes at me with vengeance. I sigh unimpressed, about to beat the shit of it but Nezuko beats me to it as she went to protect me, 'Shit-' only for the headless body to send the girl waltzing into the woods

"NEZUKO!!" Tanjiro and I shout. I quickly sent a blow in retaliation sending the thing flying in the same direction as the girl, the head screaming in pain at the hit.

"Tanjiro, take care of the head! I'll help Nezuko!" and left, not giving him time to answer.

Once in the woods, I immediately search around only to feel a weak nasty demonic aura oozing 200 meters further in the distance.

"Found you." I sneer and rush to it. Once in front, I caught sight of the thing laying in a bloodied mess, arms and knees bent in the wrong way, and stop to observe it with raised brows. Aside from the gory display, it appears that the demon's body had trouble healing from the wounds I inflicted. Its left side from torso to hip wasn't healing the slightest and even appears to deteriorate the more time passed.

'interesting...'

And it truly was.

_______

3RD POV
_______

.

.

It seems as though the head finally realized that its body was a lost cause because the punches the foreigner inflicted on it felt like being cut by nichirin blades.

'Why the hell is this happening?!'

It was currently stuck on the tree, green hair tangled onto Tanjiro's hatchet while arms came out of its head. A truly absurd vision.

Tanjiro had successfully immobilized the demon and was currently running toward his sister and Colith-san's scent. 'I Must Hurry!!'

"NEZUKO !! COLITH-SAN !!" He calls, hoping to be heard by the two girls, woman in Colith-san's case, feet crushing leaves as he goes. He was panting, thoughts set on finding them that he almost missed the rustling sound coming from a nearby bush on his left. His heart almost misses a beat in fright, thinking that something dangerous was lurking behind, until the familiar scent of lilac entered his nostrils, stopping him in his tracks.

"HM-hm !" a woozy Nezuko pops out, stumbling in her steps like a newborn fawn but all in all, fine. Tanjiro immediately rushes to her in worry, checking for any injuries, and is grateful when he finds none.

"I'm glad you're okay!" he hugs her with all his might, relieved that she's okay, which the girl eagerly returns with a soft hum. The boy then leaned back, looking around with a puzzled look. "Have you seen Colith-san?" his brows furrow in worry before recalling that Nezuko couldn't talk. Gee...

However, it appears that the girl understood since she got up and begin running in the direction of the warm presence she was now familiar with and liked.

Tanjiro's head shot up "Eh?! Nezuko?!" before following the girl after almost losing his footing. They quickly arrived only to see the dark-skinned woman standing, looking at her fist in wonder while the headless body rapidly turned to ashes leaving only its clothes on the now ashen ground. Tanjiro stares completely awestruck at the sight while Colith's golden gaze shifts to meet the two Kamados'.

"Oh, Tanjiro, Nezuko, fancy seeing you here." She casually grins which makes Tanjiro sweatdrop.

"Colith-san! How did you do that?!" He points at the pile of ashes at the woman's feet.

She blinks, looking down then answers, "I punched him very, very hard." which was in itself...true.

Poor boy couldn't believe what she said even when her scent remained completely truthful. Before he could open his mouth to add something else, Colith opens her arms wide, facing Nezuko who tilts her head in question.

"Make yourself tiny, honey, I'll carry you" she cooed in a motherly tone.

Nezuko perks up, doing exactly that. Colith immediately squeals before scooping the demon in her arms like a mother to a child. She then turns to Tanjiro who was watching the whole thing in silence with raised brows.

" 'Kay, let's go." holding Nezuko like a baby she begins walking back to the temple while humming soothing tunes.

Tanjiro chuckles quietly, 'Colith-san is so strange...' he shakes his head, tired by everything that happened so far before hurrying to follow them.

---

Crow noises in the distance followed by the dark and ominous atmosphere of the night were a bit too much for the burgundy-haired boy whose life was almost cut short if it wasn't thanks to the foreigner and his sister's aid. The trio had walked back to the temple, now standing in front of the knocked-out head of the demon. It had fallen unconscious when its body died under Colith's fists.

The now unsure burgundy-haired boy held a knife, hesitation flowing through him at the thought of ending a life, even that of a vile creature like a murderous demon.

Eyes wide open and panting heavily from the sudden onslaught of anxiety, the boy tightens his grip around the knife as he was on the verge of a panic attack. His posture was stiff, sweat dripping profusely from his little figure as he shook like a leaf during a storm. Colith having seen his condition through the anime frowns a little then taps his shoulder to catch his attention, which causes a small yelp of fright to escape him, his knife nearly toppling to the ground.

"Calm down, Tanjiro."

He blinks, regaining partially his senses at the soothing voice then turns to look at her with eyes still wide, completely lost in his doubts. He was...too forgiving.

"I know it's hard to take a life, but you have to make a choice," she smiles solemnly. "It's either them or you, the slightest bit of hesitation against them can sign your death warrant. There's no known cure for their situation right now but the least you can do now is free them from their curse by killing them." The boy was stunned by her words, having kept rapt attention through the speech. "By the way, a normal knife won't do shit."

'S-SWEAR WORD!!' He pales at her casual use of profanities.

Colith patted his back with an encouraging smile before scooping a swaying Nezuko in her arms. The demon child was showing signs of exhaustion, approaching her sleeping phase rapidly.

"Oh yeah! Sir, you can come out now!" She says, looking at specific a tree behind them where a surprised Urokodaki appeared. Tanjiro gasps at the newcomer. In his panic, he hadn't heard nor felt the masked man's presence at all.

"How...?" A gruff voice came from the Tengu mask. Colith shrugs nonchalantly.

"Luck maybe?" she chuckles, "Now if you'll excuse me~", and zoom inside the temple with a dozing Nezuko in her arms, leaving the two bewildered males behind.

A little silence followed suit as they both stared in the direction where she disappeared before Urokodaki directed his gaze toward the boy his previous pupil wrote about, who had found a big rock in the meantime. Was he going to use it to kill the head? The old man watched as the boy, despite the girl's words was still stuck in place, anxiety, and pity radiating from him.

'Even in front of a demon, his kindness remains present. He feels pity towards them.' he pauses slightly, smelling continuous hesitation oozing out of him. 'Giyuu...this boy won't get anywhere.'

Aware that Tanjiro will take a long moment to act, the old man turned to the shelter, set to bury the corpses in the meantime. As he approached the door, however, the previous scent of blood had completely disappeared, surprising him greatly.

'What is the meaning of this..?'

Even his highly trained nose failed to find any scent of the coppery liquid as if nothing happened here in the first place. As he leans forward to peek inside, his eyes widen at the sight of the place devoid of the red liquid while the demon's victims lay on the ground, covered by a white cloth. His masked head turns to the foreigner Giyuu had written about in his letter.

'This girl...was she the one who did this...?' He watches her dozing off, holding a sleeping demon in her arms. The old man furrows his brows behind the mask. 'Her scent is off...it lacks what makes one human, but...is neither that of a demon...what is she..?'

Said girl's head bopped forward, jolting her awake. She blinks slowly, eyes shifting leisurely toward the man's direction who stayed still when gold met wooden black.

"Oh, hi again, I took the freedom to clean up to make it easier for you." she scratches her cheek sheepishly, mindful of the little demon in her arms. "Do you need help burying them?"

The old man was stunned by her actions and was a tad bit grateful for it since the smell of blood could be extremely bothersome for anyone with a good nose. He shook his head, indicating his refusal for further help then went to take the bodies to bury them by himself.

Colith hums in thought. She knew that hiding her [Mother of All] status will be complicated with people like Tengu gramps who have incredible good senses.

'Meh, let's be honest for once. It's not like I can die or something.'

.

.

_______

1ST POV
_______

.

.

Tengu gramps said his speech to forehead, which I had tuned out, having already heard it once. I did nothing to stop him from bitch slapping Tanjiro tho, which was funny honestly 'cause old people ain't got no chill lmao, besides sunshine needed that wake-up call anyway. Some demons didn't deserve pity, at least those whose backstories weren't shown.

With a still snoozing Nezuko back in her safely wrapped basket, We were now running to Tengu gramps' house. I had volunteered to carry her but Tanjiro refused, saying that it was his job and that I had done enough for them with a determined smile.

Shrugging, I went jogging next to the old man whose footsteps were indeed soundless! Damn was he using chakra?! Cause that's the only explanation I got here or that's just how experienced he was. Huh. Anyhow, I tried doing small talks tho.

"So...You were the former water Hashira?" I ask the old man, not winded from running for an hour like poor Tanjiro whose wheezing sounds could be heard behind. This run was nothing compared to what I did back at the training corps so my stamina was alright.

Tengu gramps didn't seem surprised by the question though, as he nods with a grunt, not voicing his response.

Not feeling offended, I went on. "How does it feel to wield a katana? Honestly, I'd rather use my fists!" I pump them up in the air with a grin to the old man's slight amusement if the flicker in his aura is anything to go by.

"You...do not seem European, where do you come from?" he inquires, masked face turning to me to my surprise since he hadn't uttered a single word since we began running.

My lips curl up in a fond smile "Mali, it's a country faaar from here. I dunno how they got me here, but here I am." I patted my chest, the strawhat's white fabric strands fluttering in the wind as I run.

"They?" His tone held some curiosity as my mood soured.

"Some bastards who didn't ask for my opinion first dumped me in a forest," I growl as Tengu gramps' aura flickers with surprise by my colorful vocabulary and the fact that I was...telling the truth? "Anyway! Are we there yet?" I grin at him, irritation forgotten.

He looks back forward, "No." and the conversation was over.

'Damn grandpa, no need to be blunt like that.'

Not wanting to further bother him, I slowed down to sunshine's pitiful pace.

"I told ya to let me carry her, idiot" I chastises with a snicker.

He only wheezes in response.

---

"Hah...Hah... Is-Is that enough for you to recognize me as worthy...?" Poor boi was on all fourth, wheezing like someone with covid-19 to the point where I instinctively stayed 2 meters away from him.

'lmao, wait for it Tanji'

I was casually leaning against a nearby tree, watching them interact with slight interest, waiting for the old man to drop the bomb.

"The test begins now." Tengu gramps removes the cloth covering his head, showcasing short grey hair and wrinkles from the uncovered sides of his face. Wonder what he looks like or is he gonna pull us a Kakashi one day by disguising himself as a harmless civilian grandpa who needs help with chores in the village we passed 20 minutes ago? That would be sick. "We'll climb the mountain."

Tanjiro gasps in sheer horror while I guffaw in the back without remorse. He did that to himself.

"Told ya to let me carry her but no, you refused! You wouldn't be this exhausted if you listened!" My cackling worsened when he looked at me like someone struck by lightning. Tengu gramps turned to us with an unreadable look, not that I could see it given the mask.

"C-Colith-san!"

"Bruh don't 'Colith-san' me, I warned you!"

He released a pitiful cry from his position

Wiping a tear of mirth, I turned to the silent old man. "Anyway, am I included too?" I ask him with eagerness. Will he train me too? Not that I plan on becoming a slayer like Tanjiro, maybe a partnership with the demon slayer corp? Yeah, that will do.

"Yes." In came the curt reply.

"Sweet!" I jumped from my spot, landing next to a gaping Tanjiro. "ALL RIGHT SUNSHINE! TUCK NEZUKO IN! I WANNA SEE WHAT TENGU GRAMPS HAS IN STORE FOR YOU!!"

'Tengu gramps?/s-sunshine?!?'

The two males thought at the same time before the elder shook his head, not questioning me. After Tanjiro did what I asked, the both of us followed the old man as he began the trek to the mountain without looking behind to know if we were following or not while the sun gradually disappeared in the distance, leaving room for dusk. It took us 20 minutes of climbing and the oxygen beginning to get scarce- If Tanjiro's wheezing getting worse was any indication, to know that we were at a decent altitude.

"This place kinda spooky.." I mumble, looking around, the forest having darkened considerably as thick mist covers the ground and the surrounding foliage, making it hard for anyone to walk around without stumbling on a root or two. Yes, saved sunshine boi from kissing the ground many times by gripping his scarf, mindful to not strangle him. Tengu gramps only shook his head wearily all the long. Though, with the unlimited powers at my disposal, I had developed my eyesight enough to see in the dark with no problems. Thank you sneaking around at night back in camp!

Tanjiro chuckles nervously at my statement while Tengu gramps halts, stopping us both in our tracks as we watch him turn to look at us. The exhausted boi weakly straightens up at attention while I roll my eyes in fondness. He was too polite for his own good.

"You'll have to go down to my house. I will not wait for dawn this time." He turns to me, guessing my intentions. "and you, young girl, are forbidden from aiding him."

I blink at the 'young girl' part then pout, crossing my arms. "..Alright. " He nods, sparing us a glance before disappearing into the mist.

"Wa-what?!" a wide-eyed Tanjiro looks at the old man's previous spot in disbelief before turning to me and repeating the process once more, probably wondering how an old man could do this.

"ya heard him, I won't be able to help you, sorry."

He blushes a little at my concern "It-it's okay! It's my mission to prove that I can become a slayer too! And... it shouldn't be difficult to go back before dawn, right ?" he held his fists, determination overpowering the previous exhaustion.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, tengu gramps said it was a test for a reason." I emphasize the word 'test'. As funny as it would be to watch Tanjiro getting annihilated by Tengu gramps' more than questioning traps, maybe a little warning wouldn't hurt. Not that he'd be able to avoid them all. Poor kid

"Huh?"

"Just, be careful where you step at, ight?" I grin and ruffle his hair. Allah, bet they don't even have shampoo here so how the fuck are their hair so soft?! The amount of time I spent to make mine look remotely decent back then made me jealous! But now I can change hairstyles as I wish, though the short dreadlocks are a favo-

"C-Colith-san..?"

"Hm? Oh yeah the test, sorry, guess I'll go then! Babye kid! And don't die out here!"

Before he could respond, I warped back at the house's front door, feeling Tanjiro's startled aura spike back in the mountain.

Oops.

I removed my boots, aware that it's impolite to walk around with dirty shoes in someone else home, -Ma would have my head if I did- and stepped into the room where Tanjiro put Nezuko.

Bruh wasn't gonna go running around with Tengu gramps' wild traps everywhere. A lil more and I'd think he was trying to murder his students. Though I suppose that's a way to deter those who didn't realize what they were signing up for.

Once inside, I glance down at the sleeping child and smile before frowning, wondering if I should remove the bamboo muzzle altogether. Shrugging, I went to do just that.

'What's the point of it anyway? She's gonna stay asleep for 2 years and Tanjiro's boutta freak out when he realizes huh.'

Crouching down to her level after putting my straw hat against the wall, I successfully undo it, placing it next to her pillow before stroking her scalp, her face softening at the touch as she exhales a peaceful sigh.

'Sleep well baby, you'll need it.'

After pecking her forehead and tucking her in properly, I walked out, sliding the door shut just for the front door to slide open, revelating a bewildered Tengu gramps.

"How did you...?" he points behind him then back to me before freezing. "What are you exactly?" Ah, the million-yen question! How am I calm you ask? I decided that being truthful this time was the best option with superhumans like them.

Though my shoulders shook a little with laughter as his usually collected aura now flowed with confusion and slight wariness. I mean, I can't fault him, poor gramps had no idea what he brought in his house and a demon was already enough, now me? An anomaly neither human nor demon. What was I indeed?

I chuckle calmly. "Actually, it's more complicated than that since I wasn't always this way before.." I casually started to his surprise.

'didn't think I'd say the truth? Well, it's y'all's fault for having fucked up good senses.'

"But you want me to explain anyway, right gramps- can I call you gramps? Oh, and could you please tell me where the futons are?" I face him, re-arranging my outfit before giving him a beaming grin, waiting for him to answer.

Not knowing how to process this new information, the old man points toward another room. I nod in thanks and went to ready one for Tanjiro and put it next to Nezuko's, Allah knew how exhausted he's gonna be once he gets here. I prepare the third one for me, a little farther from the Kamado siblings. Once done, I went to the living room and sat criss-cross applesauce on the floor. Sitting in seiza ain't for me, that shit hurts and I'm a foreigner so tengu gramps won't fault me now, will he? And indeed he stayed silent as he went to mechanically prepare dinner with me wondering if I should offer help or not...

'Hm...'

Wishing to make a nice impression though, I went to help him with cooking but he declined politely.

'Ight'

So here I was now, sitting back leaning against the wooden wall, thinking about my beans and my real family back home...fuck I crave their affection...I think I need a hug now.

'Or should I just pull my phone out and see if Fa' finally got the ovaries to get kids? Wouldn't stop pestering me to date someone bruh, husbandos set my standards too high smh...' *sigh*

I unintentionally let sadness take hold of me, Tengu gramps briefly turning his masked face towards my sulking form. Once done preparing dinner, he sat down in proper seiza and beckoned me closer before handing me a filled-up bowl of... fish cake Oden and a pair of chopsticks which pulled me out of my thoughts.

'Damn, did I really spend all this time sulking? Bitch stop.'

"You...look unhappy, child, are you alright?" Wow, it's been 2 hours since he hadn't said a single word, noice.

"ah sorry...just thinking about my family...I kinda miss them." I scratch my cheek out of habit, gingerly accepting the bowl with a grateful smile. It was the first time I had Japanese pot-au-feu! And the smell, goodness gracious, it smells so freaking delicious that it woke my inner Luffy up if the loud growlings in my stomach were anything to go by! And I don't feel ashamed about it! When tummy hungy, tummy screamin'! Although I no longer needed food to live but honestly. Food.

The old man shook his head in amusement with the way I eyed the bowl like it was a gift sent from the Gods and it is, as Sasha says! I ask if there was pork in it then digs in after a barely uttered 'Itadakimasu' when he confirms that there wasn't any albeit with a tilt of the head before I explained that I was forbidden from consuming It by my religion. He nods in understanding, digging in as well without giving me a chance to see what was under his mask- HOW THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING THAT ANYWAY?? Freakin' anime logic...

We eat in relatively peaceful silence, me restraining myself from swaying left and right in joy while Tengu gramps eats at a more leisurely pace, a little startled that I knew how to use chopsticks without a problem. Foreigners tended to make a fuss over 'proper' silverware to his knowledge so that was a pleasant surprise. He nods to me, showing that I had his attention and that I could begin talking.

Swallowing a carrot, knowing it was time to open that can of worms now, I begin my explanation.

"So basically, gramps, I'm some kind of...goddess." Simple, blunt, and above all: the truth.

Tengu gramps halts his motion, chopsticks holding a piece of konnyaku halfway from his bowl, attention solely focused on my figure as he searches for any signs of deception.

After a minute though, with me fidgeting a little like I was in front of Ma, "you're...saying the truth..."

I smile, shoulders sagging in relief. " Yes, it's a bit complicated because I'm not originally from here..."

With that, I begin explaining my situation while omitting certain things like my death, him and everyone here being part of a manga/anime series- though I spoke eagerly of my beans- and obviously, the Higher-ups. Dunno, I didn't feel like mentioning them. With the knowledge that he must've seen things beyond humans comprehension- He wasn't a Hashira for naught- I found it unnecessary to sugarcoat my words about me being from another realm, that I knew a lot of things, and that I most of all wasn't an enemy, though his aura flared in shock at those words. I mean... I'd be shook too. The old man remained attentive as I spoke without halting me one even when I felt his desire to raise a question at a few points.

Once done with my tale, a silence took place with me waiting for him to ask questions as I kept quiet, my bowl long since empty.

 

Although this was a lot to take, Tengu gramps took the time to think about it. Just for the heck of it, I tap a finger on the wood floor, making our empty bowls clean themselves before one got filled with leftovers, saving some for when sunshine arrives. Tengu gramps didn't even react to the display, probably having seen his fair share of Blood demon art to even show surprise.

'must be why he took it rather well'

"I believe you."

I jolt at that, eyebrows raised and blinking quickly.

"...You do?"

"Yes, you do not seem to possess Ill intentions, although I have a feeling you omitted some...things" my shoulders tense as I felt the pointed look from his mask. "but I shall not ask about it if you did not deem them necessary to mention. Still, I have to ask, what is your purpose here?"

At that, I straighten up. What was my purpose huh?

'A harem-Nah sis ain't gonna say that, come on'

"My purpose...maybe going everywhere the wind carries me? Going with the flow of things and seeing what happens. I do not have a specific goal in mind, except maybe..." A glance toward the door where Nezuko was sleeping makes my lips curl up in a soft smile, the demon child having woken my mother hen instincts up. " ...help these two achieve what they're seeking, and perhaps assist the corps if I run into a slayer. Actually yes, I'll do just that! See it as a partnership of sort!"

Tengu gramps' aura flickers with genuine wonder. "You wish to help us?" his gruff voice though remains neutral.

"Why yes of course! I can help diminish casualties by being a powerful ally and I've already done it once, so yeah, let's go for it!" I grin at his bewilderment. Since I couldn't see his face, I based myself on the aura around him as It appears that he's unaware of possessing one, by the way, his emotions and intentions were easily noticeable to me or it would've been hard to discern his emotions if he knew how to dull them. The KNY universe still got people with broken senses like him so I shouldn't dwell on it.

'pretty useful ability ya know.'

Turning serious, "I have a request, gramps."

The old man nods, still stunned by the revelations but listening. This made me heave out a breath before asking.

"Could you write a letter to the Demon slayer corps saying that I wish to meet their leader, please? Though it won't be necessary for you to specify what I am because I wish to speak of it myself once I get there." I make a respectful bow to the old man's slight surprise. "Also...getting there's gonna be a problem since I've never been to Japan before so...is it possible to have a guide? I mean, heard y'all got those weird birds called Kasugai crows that can speak so yeah..." I awkwardly chuckle at the end, looking away while massaging my nape.

Tengu gramps nods in understanding. "Of course, that won't be an issue Tobe-sama."

I choke on my spit, coughing loudly before whipping my head to him with big ol' wide eyes so fast that the old man jolted for the first time in surprise. HA!

"P-please no need for the honorifics!!" my hands start doing frantic movements, my face flushing in embarrassment. "As I-I said earlier, I was human before, so I don't need those, really!" I hold my face with both hands "Subhanallah, this is so weird. J-just call me Colith, please! " A nervous laugh escapes me while a blush was visible on my skin.

'I AIN'T READY FOR THE GODDESS BULLSHIT APPARENTLY.'

Sweatdropping,  Tengu gramps nodded once again. "As you wish, Colith-san."

With a relieved sigh, shoulders slumping back in place because DAMN! THEY BETTER NOT START THIS IF I REVEAL MYSELF AGAIN, I went on with a laugh, hands going back to my knees.

"Splendid! Now that it's out of the picture, do you...have any questions regarding my abilities? OH! I found out I could kill demons with my fists! Dunno how it happened tho but it's pretty cool!" I excitedly started rambling while the old man sweatdropped more, wondering if I was indeed what I declared to be.

'Is she truly a Goddess..? She acts more like a child than a powerful being....'

Seeing that there were still hours before dawn, the old man willingly listened to my anecdotes while he wrote the letter and even finished as I spoke of that time when I adopted my beans which was the moment when I revealed my real age to him. Grandpa didn't even twitch, having had his share of surprises tonight, though he asked why I kept this appearance.

"Didn't want to scare Tanjiro with my height" I had responded.

Two hours later and the door slid open by a miserable and bloody Tanjiro who was panting like someone who just exited a tough battle.

In short, he looked like shit.

That reminded me of those times when I'd walk home from school after P.E, and that wasn't a pleasant memory. at. all.

"I...I did..it.." He muttered before collapsing on the ground, passed out from exhaustion. Tengu gramps and I glanced at each other before I broke the silence.

"I guess you got yourself a new student, Gramps! Congratulations!" I laugh as I stood up and then went to scoop the boy in my arms bridal style before walking into the room occupied by Nezuko to tuck him in. I was tempted to wake him up so he could bathe but took pity on him and instead tapped his forehead, clearing him of any filth and wounds, as he now wore proper sleepwear which was a light blue yukata.

"Bet he's gonna freak out when he wakes up and finds himself in a yukata." cue my obnoxious cackles.

In the dimly lit washitsu sat Tengu gramps who had heard everything. He sighs as if holding the weariness of the world.

'I'm too old for this...'

And he truly was.

---

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1ST POV
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Two weeks passed soon after Tengu Gramps sent the letter detailing my request to the Ubuyashiki estate using his kasugai crow. We waited for an answer, though I have no idea how he worded everything I told him. Did he reveal what I was or did he just write about a potential ally?

 

Anyway, I shrugged it off. I was currently in Tanjiro's new room keeping an eye on the demon child's sleeping form while fumbling with my phone out of boredom.

Speaking of her, ever since our arrival, Nezuko fell into her long-needed sleep, as if she knew it was her cue to do so as Tanjiro's training had begun. Speaking of him, he went into a full-blown panic on the third day when Nezuko still laid unmoving and I had to spend the night reassuring him that she was okay, that it was her way to replenish energy instead of devouring humans like other demons. The boy, not knowing what to do, and truly uninformed, took my words at face value, or scent value? Though he looked crestfallen every time his eyes fell on her each night as he wrote in his journal, but was glad of that solution rather than Nezuko attacking an innocent in a fit of hunger. It pained him but he kept up to focus more on training to become a slayer.

As intriguing as Tanjiro's training sounds, I had already seen it happen once and wasn't interested in watching Tengu gramps beat the living daylight out of him again, so I stayed put in the cabin with Nezuko most of the time. Sure I sneaked a peek or two when the old man began explaining their breathing technique and even tried it in private only to find myself wheezing on the floor like a gasoil engine starting up.

Damn this shit was hard.

Though tengu gramps was more focused on the Kamado- as he should- but still had time to spare when the boy was busy parkouring and avoiding traps here and there to answer some of my questions on total concentration breathing which wasn't an ability I could mimic off the bat with my imagination like ODM skills were to be learned. So when I asked if he could teach me how to do it even when we both knew I won't probably need it, he was surprised but did not object. He did ask however why when I declined to learn swordsmanship and simply answered "To pass time" which wasn't a lie.

There were only the three of us here— not counting Nezuko and the ghosts I haven't still seen— plus Tanjiro would be too exhausted to keep a conversation with me whilst the demon child blissfully snoozed in her futon, so yeah. I was bored. Not to mention that Tengu gramps was a man of few words. Sure, learning how to wield a katana sounds fun but I'm more of the 'punch it till you make it' than the blade-wielding type, besides I knew how to use swords given my 3 years of titan training though that wouldn't be useful here, plus I don't lack resource given the plethora of abilities at my disposal. And...I didn't feel like being chased by their swordsmiths.

So yeah, after a week of explanation, breathing exercises, and continuously getting my stomach punched because 'I keep breathing wrong', I slowly, but surely was on my way to learning it after managing it correctly one time, and damn, I immediately felt the change! I could feel the way oxygen flowed to enhance my muscles to the point where my vision was clearer than usual. It lasted for 5 seconds before I lost it. I was so surprised that I reverted to French with a "Putain..." And gawked at the old man who was surprised as well because I succeeded after a WEEK though that was maybe because of the training I went through at camp. Yeah, I had no time to be a couch potato in aot.

The punches lessened 3 days after the initial success, though Tanjiro cried in shock when he saw me getting gut-punched the first time around. Tengu gramps was a ruthless bastard, but his training methods were effective enough that a dumbass like me managed it. So yeah. Success! Now in case I, somehow, grab some nichirin bullshit, I'll see what color it'll take! Hope it's gold, it's my theme.

A knock on the front door caught my attention. I was too focused on the video I was watching to have noticed the new presence in front of the cabin which made me frown.

"Visitors?" I mumble absentmindedly.

Had Tengu gramps received people in the anime? Probably, they didn't linger on his life that much. Instead, they focused on Tanjiro's training arc even if that was briefly overlooked with him resuming some events that happened, though two years is quite long so they had to rush for the plot to go back on track instead of getting more information on the old man's life.

Anyway, the door. I focused on the aura behind it, attempting to discern their identities, and honestly, by the way Pillars were known to be busy with duties, I doubt that's Giyuu. Besides the presence felt nothing like calm water and was by far weaker than a pillar like him. It felt more normal with nothing interesting to note aside from a subtle earthy feel and some uncertainty. Sure the person behind the door wasn't near pillar level, they were strong enough to handle current Tanjiro.

The second set of knocking had me on my feet, putting the phone in my red dashiki dress pocket,

Before making my way to the front door, quietly closing Tanjiro's bedroom door so as to not disturb Nezuko, not that anything would wake her up. The person, a woman if I base myself on the shape of her aura as I got closer was shifting uncomfortably with nervousness.

'Wonder who that could be.'

Before I could open the door, a thought paused me in my tracks.

'Maybe I should cover myself this time...' Yup, comments on my complexion every time I accompany Tengu gramps to the village had gotten on my nerves. He and Tanjiro were okay since they dismissed it immediately after I introduced myself, plus Tanjiro was just curious but remained respectful. Strangers, on the other hand, had no such qualm about asking weird-ass questions, particularly those with loose mouths made me want to hurt them so freaking much!

Anyway, cover!

I knew I could shapeshift into anything but changing my complexion just to avoid weird looks was out of the window! I love my melanin thank you very much! And if someone has a problem with it, I'll beat them up.

With the usual snap, I knew it ain't necessary but Joséphine l'ange gardien, a dark hooded cloak with a gold sun on the chest area, clouds patterns on the sleeves and brims was long enough to cover my entire figure, a gold kimono top underneath with bandages on my neck and arms, dark-colored gloves on both hands and the iconic swirly lollipop orange mask with two eyeholes this time covered my face so no one could see my skin..huhuhu. That was followed by an ebony hakama where my phone now resides and white stockings. I put on the black sandals I've been wearing for a while 'cause getas kinda hurts, then finally slid the door open.

'Whoever that is ain't gonna see a black person today'

Apparently, abruptly sliding a door open when the person behind is about to knock is enough to scare them shitless if the loud 'eep' is anything to go by. My eyebrows rose to my hairline at the sight of the spooked girl in front of me. Black head covering followed by a black and white mask concealing the nose and the mouth leaving only the eyes to view, along with a black version of the regular demon slayer uniform consisting of a gakuran jacket and hakama pants— a Kakushi whose eyes widened at my sight.

"Can I help you?"

The Kakushi was startled at being suddenly addressed by the weird masked person-Me.

"U-U-Urokodaki-sama?"

I tilt my head to the side. "Gramps? he's not here, do you need something?"

She looks hesitant, aura flickering with uncertainty but quickly regains her composure, plastering a more professional demeanor as she straightens up. "Hai! I was  sent to deliver a letter to former water Hashira, Urokodaki-sama!" She exclaims.

I blink, 'well, that's a surprise. Is it about me?' With a nod, "I see, come along then, he's at the training grounds right now and I assume you've never been there." I begin walking up to the forest toward Tengu Gramps and Tanjiro's auras, one flowing like a vast current of water and the other emitting heat reminding me of the warm summer sun.

The Kakushi scurries to follow but remains a little distance behind me.

"You look nervous, is my mask scaring you?"

She stiffens at my voice, eyes blown wide at suddenly being addressed. What? Did she think I wouldn't talk to her? Yeah sure I tend to do just that-introvert moments-but it's been a while since I spoke with someone else.

The kakushi stutters a bit, searching her words "n-n-not at all! I was...simply surprised. Sorry!"

I hum, "that so? I see." a silence "why are you so nervous though? I can feel your nerves without looking. Is there a problem?" I turn to look at her smaller frame. My 14-year-old form (1m58) wasn't that tall, but it was taller than her if only for a few inches (1m50)

"a-a problem?! Of course not!—" she abruptly stops, hands on the spot where her mouth was supposed to be with wide horrified charcoal eyes when she realized that her voice grew in volume at the end. I simply wave a hand dismissively, showing that I wasn't bothered which makes her relax a little and apologize profusely to my dismay. "it's just that...i-it is my first time meeting an honorable former Hashira!"

"Oh...a fan then" I nod, looking at her in amusement before resuming our walk. She scrambles to keep up with an awkward chuckle. She was definitely new to this.

"Y-You could say that, though I have been meaning to ask, hum...?"

Should I say my name? Hm...meh fuck it. "Colith."

"Colith-san...? Never heard that name before..." She mutters before resuming with a curious tone. "A-Are you Urokodaki-sama's student? It must be an honor to learn under such a legendary swordsman." She sighs in bliss, clasping her hands together, "To say that he was the current Water Hashira's master...how lucky!"

'that much...?'

"Sorry to disappoint but I'm just passing through."  I shook my head, "I didn't get your name earlier, or are kakushis supposed to remain anonymous?" I turn to look at her inquisitively which causes her to tilt her head, seeming to think of something before nodding.

"It is, but since you are an acquaintance of Urokodaki-sama, it's not a problem! My name is Enoki, but I dislike mushrooms, nice to meet you." She dips her head in a little bow as I chuckle and mimic her.

"I see, same here! Oh— Gramps!" Enoki startles in surprise as I call for the old man whose masked face turns toward our approaching figures. We had entered the clearing while talking and It seemed like he recognized me even with the new get-up, though his aura flowed with curiosity at the sudden change, "Oh yeah, I'm done with people always gawking at me, that's why I'm wearing this!" Enoki releases a faint confused "Huh" at this.

He stayed silent for a second then grunted in acceptance before looking toward the Kakushi who hid behind me. "Who is this?"

Her aura spiked in surprise and jumped through multiple emotions from nerves, fear, eagerness, and delight at the same time from suddenly being addressed that it was concerning. Guess I should help her then.

"Oh, this is—"

"O-OYAKATA-SAMA--uh I mean--letter! Oh no! Uh—" she squeaks, surprising Tengu gramps, and I. We exchange a glance then look back at the petite woman whose outburst stopped Tanjiro mid-swing, his puzzled eyes traveling to the commotion.

It took her a few seconds to continue after an internal scolding for her slip up, though I applaud the effort even if she stuttered "I-I have been tasked to d-deliver a l-letter from Oyakata-sama, u-u-Urokodaki-sama!" She clumsily fumbles with her pockets, retrieving an envelope with a wisteria crest she quickly presents to the old man in a deep bow, "I-IT’S AN HONOUR TO M-MEET YOU!"

Wow.

I watch in amusement as Tengu gramps gingerly accepts the letter with a gruff 'Thank you', likely used to this kind of behavior from his years as a pillar. However, this seemed to be the coup de grace because Enoki's body froze then tilted to the side as she literally passed out.

"EGH?!" Tanjiro and I cried in surprise as I quickly caught her before she could meet the ground. "what the hell ?!"

"I-is she okay?! " Tanjiro rushed to us in concern, sweat dripping from his young face from earlier training while Tengu gramps sighed in response.

"One of those huh?" He mutters as he opens the envelope, unperturbed by the turn of events that confused us.

"Eh?" we say at the same time.

"What do you mean by that?" The boy blinks before doing a double-take at me. "Whoa! Who are you?" He jolts in shock as if seeing me for the first time.

"Use your nose, Tanji," I say with an eye roll, placing the girl's head on my lap, mindful of her privacy. I ignore his cry of 'C-Colith-san' after sniffing the air to instead address the old man, "When you say 'one of those', you mean the fanatic type? This ain't the first time you've dealt with something similar I suppose?"

His mask briefly turns to me then refocuses on the letter with a head shake. "no."

A snort escapes me at the thought of a young embarrassed Tengu gramps surrounded by a bunch of passed-out kakushis. This is too funny!

"w-what should we do about her? And why are you dressed like that, Colith-San?"

"eh, don't worry, she'll eventually wake up. As for the second question," I startle him by suddenly whipping my masked face toward him while mimicking waves with my arms, "to look cool~"

Tanjiro blinks like a lost puppy, "...Cool?"

"yeah."

He stares at my mask before tapping his fist in his hand like he got an epiphany, "OH I understand! it's because you dislike being stared at, is that it?"

"Well, yea—"

"I see..." we both jolt at the elder's voice, glancing at him curiously while a little shift from Enoki made me briefly look down at her.

"See what?" I inquire, feeling that it was about me for some reason, "is this about the meeting?"

"meeting..?" Tanjiro mumbles, not knowing what we're talking about.

"Yes, Oyakata-sama has agreed to meet you."

Oh?

"Well finally! Was wondering if they refused when they sent your crow back with no answer! So! How do I get there? Where's my guide?"  Tengu gramps points toward my lap, where Enoki's head rested. "Ah." this...was to be expected. "why not use a crow instead? It would've been easier."

"It is best if you ask her yourself, she's waking up." he turned to Tanjiro who flinched, "And you, who told you to stop? Demons are not going to slay themselves! 1000 more swings!"

the teen squeaked a "H-HAI!" and clumsily got up.

As Tanjiro went to resume his tor—training, the Kakushi groaned as she regained consciousness. I was about to make that Skyrim joke but refrained from it because she wouldn't understand. Trust me, I tried it on sunshine boi and he just answered me positively with a blush. Enoki was, naturally embarrassed for her reaction and profusely apologized, though Tengu gramps didn't mind.

"I-i have been sent to bring an important guest to Oyakata-sama as well. However, as a safety measure, they must be blindfolded." She presents us with a blindfold. "Hence my presence here instead of a crow, sir." She looks at the two of us, mostly me since she was intimidated by the former pillar.

"Oh, so you'll piggyback me there, I see." I nod with crossed arms. Makes sense, knowing they can’t afford to put Kagaya in danger by showing the estate's way to anyone, it's safer that way. I could warp there but without a feel of their aura, it's impossible. Also, I haven't been there yet, and watching the anime didn't count!

"Yes that's—"  She does a double-take, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, "EH?! IT'S YOU?!"

I chuckle while playfully gesturing around, "Yeah? I mean d'you see anyone else here?"

On cue she started freaking out again to my dismay, greatly apologizing for apparently 'Disrespecting' me which I quickly brushed off with a sweat drop because, God damn, THAT MUCH?! Anyway, I managed to calm her down before she could pass out again. I could feel Tengu gramps growing amusement through his aura at the scene while Tanjiro was wheezing in the background.

Anyhow, after that, I suggested she rest a little over tea before going because the travel here must've been exhausting. She tried to politely decline the offer, saying that it wasn't important but I had none of it! So after kissing (on the cheek, you menace) a red-faced Tanjiro goodbye, sitting over tea for an hour with a jittery Enoki, pecking Nezuko's forehead, and hugging Tengu gramps who surprisingly accepted the gesture 'HOLY SHI—' with Enoki flipping out in the background— God I think this is going to happen a lot—we began our journey to the estate.

"So how long before we get there?" I inquire as we walk farther from the cabin.

"Erm, the Ubuyashiki estate is at two days walk from here. W-we will stop for the night at the closest Wisteria house then continue the next day and that is when you will have to put the blindfold on, Colith-Sama. " she dutifully answered.

I groan, "please, you don't have to 'sama' me you know? Just call me Colith!"

"E-eh, but you're an important guest—"

"now now you had no problem with it an hour ago!"

"That's because I didn't know you were my mission at the time!!" She shrieks before quickly covering her mouth in mortification. "I'm so—"

"ight none of that," I stop walking and whirl to her while shaking my finger like the momma I am. "Listen Enoki, I ain't no noble, princess, or some shit, so no need to use honorifics like these with me, alright? Don't worry about disrespecting me, just treat me like any other human being, would you? And don't be afraid to speak your mind around me, I won't mind, 'Kay?"

Enoki seemed extremely surprised by my words to the point where her arms fell to her sides as she dumbly nodded with wide eyes before muttering.

"...'princess'?"

"huh?"

"You're a woman...?"

We stared at each other blankly— well she eyed my mask eyeholes— before I processed what she said and startled her by bursting out laughing. I didn’t see that one coming! Enoki seemed so lost that it made me choke at some point.

"OH sh— I think I almost died—" I managed to say from my hunched-up position.

"A-are you alright..?!" she was rapidly patting my back in concern. "w-what's so funny...?"

I waved a hand in a calming manner after calming down. "sorry sorry, phew...you thought I was a man?"

Enoki blinks rapidly, dumbstruck by the situation. "y-your outfit and your voice made me think that you were m-male, so I assumed... I’m sorry." she quickly bowed in apology to which I sighed.

I can't fault her about that one, my regular voice isn't high pitched soft, and sweet compared to hers and probably other females here since I ain't trying to act cute and meek daily. Sure, can shift between mezzo and soprano when singing but continuously speaking like honey wasn't my jam. Though I understood where she was coming from if she never met any female with a deeper voice before, which seem very likely.

'So that's why Tanjiro was confused, huh...neat.' This could be useful if I want to mess with people in the future. Heh.

"it's okay don't worry, that's good to know actually," I say with both hands on my hips after straightening upward.

"Eh? How so?" gosh why are their voices so high?!

I chuckle, "Oh nothing. Anyway, which way to the Wisteria House again?" I start stretching out of nowhere.

Enoki tilts her head to the side in question while giving me a puzzled look, "Hum...south-east from here, why if I may ask Colith-sam—san?"  Oooh, progress!

"East...East...oh yeah!" I nod because I was shit with directions then whirl toward her with open arms, "Alright come here, I'll carry you."

She blinks slowly, trying to process what I just said with a "what." before squealing in surprise as I scoop her off her feet in a bridal carry. She blushes profusely, looking at me with wide panicked eyes, "w-w-what are you—"

A mischievous grin stretch my lips upward, not that she could see then I chirp in a sing-song tone, "Aaaaalright! Hold on tight! Don't want ya slipping out of my grasp now, would ya?"

Before she could react to what I said, the ground cracked under me as I leaped into the sky and propelled us southeast at breakneck speed dbz style.  I think Enoki's vocal cords didn't survive the trip.

---

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1ST POV
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We flew for about 20 minutes until I caught sight of our destination, which wasn't that difficult to spot even for a directionally challenged person like me since it was surrounded by wisteria trees. Enoki ended up passing out from shock over the whole flying thing which, honestly, was to be expected. But come on, didn't feel like walking all day when I'm used to cars, busses, motorcycles, and horses in Aot's case as means of travel, also, the faster I meet Kagaya, the better!

Anyway after safely landing with a still passed out Enoki— ight I should apologize for this one when she wakes up—, the door abruptly opened, revealing a middle-aged dark-haired woman who startled the shit outta me because I released an undignified screech.

'how tf?! It's like she knew I was there!'

We stared at each other for a long time though Enoki and I must've been quite the scene, a cloaked masked person carrying an unconscious Kakushi in their arms wasn't something you'd witness every day so yeah. After releasing an awkward cough to put a stop to the staring contest, I politely asked if it was okay to enter to which she easily agreed with a gentle smile after recognizing the girl's uniform. Oh well.

Once inside, I took the time to marvel at their courtyard as we walked to the resting place, though the woman—Chieko, she had introduced herself— informed me that other slayers were currently recovering in neighboring bedrooms. That was interesting to know on the spot but after a quick scan of their auras, I came to the conclusion that they weren't particularly strong which made me pout a little. Would've loved to meet a pillar or something. My Canon babies weren't slayers yet so I was counting on the pillars but whatever, I'll meet them in due time Insh'Allah!

An hour n half later, Enoki woke up in a futon provided by Chieko, and wondered where she was for a while before freaking out— damn she was rivaling Zenitsu at this point— over the flying thing which was a given, though I struggled to explain it to her until I said 'Fuck it' and spilled the beans over the Goddess shit before she could assume that I was a demon undercover. It wasn't like I planned to hide it either. They lived in a world with demons and superhumans so a Goddess wasn't much, right? Right...? Apparently not.

If she had trouble calling me Colith-san before then it became worse after this 'cause she started bowing— like the pure titans, uuurgh— and it took me an additional hour to stop her from repeatedly smashing her head on the tatami floor.

After many attempts, I somehow managed to make her promise to keep it to herself which she easily —I'm still stunned about it—agreed to since I'm, in her quote 'the first person to genuinely be nice' with her which low-key had me worried a bit?

Chieko brought us lunch with a polite smile before vanishing wherever she came from and I waited after Enoki took the first bite to pull the hood and lollipop mask off, and the choking sound I got was kinda worth it. She unsurprisingly had never seen a person of color before and I was comfortable enough to tell her more about us.

I gotta say she took it rather well compared to the Goddess bullshit which was understandable. After chatting a little bit, we hit the road after saying goodbye to Chieko who was nice enough to pack us bento boxes in case we get hungry halfway to which I enthusiastically yelled 'THANK YOU!!', she was nice. After that, I put the blindfold OVER my mask for shits and giggles and made myself lighter for Enoki's sake and we were off to the Ubuyashiki estate with the girl piggybacking me.

I'm happy to say that I made a new friend in Enoki and found out that she was actually 16 and recently became a Kakushi after her Nichirin blade failed to change color, like most kakushis apparently. Sad but she confessed that she was glad for it because demons scared the shit out of her and she liked the idea of living a looong life which was good enough motivation. As she ran, we exchanged stories about ourselves on the way and I whistled in amazement after she told me that she was from a household of 12 kids with her being the 5th and two of them being slayers as well, tsuchinotos to be exact even if I had no idea what the hell that meant until she explained the ranking system to me. What? I only knew Mizunoto, Kanoe, and Hashiras. Excuse me for forgetting but I watched this episode a long time ago. Unless I pull out my phone to re-watch the anime and definitely read the manga again and the Wiki, I'll forget a few things, but let's not think about this, for now, Enoki was talking about her 1-year-old baby brother...Colith loves babies.

---

"...So I said 'who the hell d'you think you are to call Min' a girl?! Say it again I dare you!' Then they said 'pchh, Girlie! He'd have better chances selling his ass to some per—' I didn't let him finish as I decked him hard in the jaw that he flew and crashed in the hay 20 meters away and got found unconscious with two or three missing teeth, I don't remember. " I babble, "I mean, violence is never the answer but it was so worth it even if I got kitchen duties for 3 months in the end though I think 3 months was kinda excessive over a punch. Wonder why. Tch, no one insults my baby and thinks they'll be sa– what? Why are you tapping my arm–what is it?" I question, clueless.

"We are here!" She says, gripping my tights so I don't involuntarily fall— it happened two or three times and I ain't proud of it— while panting slightly after running 7 hours straight without a pause which honestly baffled me.

I had suggested a break to eat after 3 hours but she refused, saying that it was alright because as Kakushis, they were used to long distances travel with injured slayers with no time to pause in case of demons still lurking around or delivering items too heavy for the crows to carry to some high ranked slayers. Kakushis aren't much help in fights but are useful when it comes to assistance, which is why they admire and respect the Pillars so much, wanting to be of any use possible to them. That was good and all, but I managed to make her eat, even if it was only for a 10 minutes pause, plus I gave her mine since there was pork in it. Bummer, it smelled good.

"hm? That's why you stopped running five minutes ago?" I got off of her, stretching my legs a bit after not using them for a while as the perfume of wisteria entered my nostrils. "Can I remove the blindfold?" which was kinda useless to ask since I stretched my aura around to get a feel of the place. See it like [Kenbunshoku Haki] but with a few pluses since I'm able to pinpoint anything around me, even non-living things such as buildings, though it's easier with wildlife. That meant I could've 'seen' the way here, but I didn’t think about it at the time, plus I was busy rambling about my beans. Anyway was it nighttime? Considering we left the other place around 11 AM, it's probably the case.

"Not yet," she grabs my gloved hand which startles me a little, having been focused on the set of different auras further in front of us. One particularly grabbed my attention by its weaker purple and weakening state, degrading at a slow pace, proof of an apparent disease in their system— Kagaya perhaps. "we must receive permission to enter first since they weren't expecting us so soon, then you'll be able to remove it. Thank kami-sama we arrived before nightfall...", she shuddered. So I was right.

I shrug casually, "You're the boss." and by the way her aura warmed, she was blushing at my response. Enoki chuckles a bit before pulling me with her, mindful to walk slowly even if it was kinda useless since I can 'see' around just fine, so walking with an impaired vision wasn't that big of a deal. Sure I ain't no Gyomei—Gosh I hope I meet him...smexy tower— I mean- I can manage.

After knocking on the door, a fairly strong aura, stronger than Enoki's at least, answered it before spiking in surprise at our sight. The person, a guard I presume, let us in after Enoki explained her mission's details and I finally got to remove the blindfold, and damn, this place is beautiful! As I glanced around, another guard- who wore a different version of the demon slayer uniform, went inside to notify them of our arrival. That is, unfortunately, where Enoki had to return to the kakushi's quarters which were located somewhere further in the estate since her mission was complete. It saddened me a bit because we became friends and all, though I promised to send letters once I grab a crow or something. The hug that followed wasn't dramatic. Nuh-uh. Nope. The guard watched our exchange in bewilderment though, probably thinking 'what the heck is going on?'. Once she was gone, I exhaled before whirling around only to freeze upon seeing the little persons in front of me.

'What the—'

"Greetings, Tobe-sama." The two white-haired children said at the same time, their robotic tone successfully creeping me out.

"Huh?"

"it's an honor to welcome you to the Ubuyashiki Estate," They proceeded to bow respectfully before straightening up, a polite smile marring their doll-like features which was an eerie view to witness on children.

"If you will please follow us." With that, they synchronously turned to walk inside, with me dumbly following them after removing my shoes.

"Wait, hold on— how old are you?"

"6."  the one on the left, who sported a red ribbon on the right side of her head while the other a yellow one, answers in a detached tone. They both glanced up at me with blank plum colored-eyes. Their reactions or lack thereof made me frown in disapproval.

'ight that won't do at all!'

The twins halted in their tracks and turned to look at me with the same blank looks when I stopped following them, though their light purple auras flowed with curiosity, which reassured me a little bit. They still had emotions, thank God!

Crouching down to their level, I began in a friendly tone, "what's your names, kiddos?"

I never got their names from the anime, given that they appeared, like, once or something. Maybe I missed it. Plus I only remembered Kiriya since he was, well a he and had dark hair, contrary to his sisters— weren't there another set of twins? Dang Kagay—

The twins seemed taken aback by the tone I employed. Huh, nobody's treated them like kids? Well, I will.

Red ribbon  cooled her features and introduced herself, "I am Ubuyashiki Hinaki,"

"Ubuyashiki Nichika," yellow followed up.

An uneasy feeling seized me up for some reason, though I couldn't remember exactly why.

'Yep! Definitely gonna re-read the manga!'

That left aside, I cheerfully clapped my hands together, displaying a friendly front since the kids couldn't see my face, therefore, my smile though I'm amazed that they didn't shy away from the mask.

"Well nice to meet you both!"  stunned, the kids went to bow again but I shook my head, stopping them from doing so "Alright, no need for that. Anyway, what's your favorite animal? That's if you even like animals, anyhow, do you?" I hum.

This was not a question the twins were prepared for apparently. Nichika, unsure of what to do briefly glances at her sister for help, to which Hinaki nods slowly as if saying that it was okay to reply while I patiently waited for their response. I found their interaction adorable, it shows that despite being twins,  Hinaki seemed to be the older one, if Nichika seeking her for guidance was anything to go by. The twins then hesitantly informed me that they were fonds of cats, though were confused by the question.

I grinned, "cats you say? That's interesting because...tada !"  two cat plushies, one red, the other yellow puffed into existence in my hands. The action startled the children by the way their eyes widened in awe, having not seen that one coming. This shift of expression made me smile. Yuss!

"Whoa...!"

"This is..."

"...for you!" I chirp, offering them the plushies. The twins blinked in surprise, not sure if they should accept it or not, despite their amethyst-colored aura saying otherwise. I sigh. "Take it easy, kids. I know you've got duties to fulfill, but, don't forget to be children, ne?" I say softly.

They timidly ended up accepting, gifting me with hesitant but genuine smiles that melted my heart.

'My job here is done.'

"Oyakata-sama will meet you shortly," the twins announced in sync, performing a light bow as they held their respective plushies to their chests. The sight was too pure for my heart to handle, causing me to victory dance mentally because their auras now screamed content, a big contrast to the earlier placidity. "Thank you for the present, Colith-sama, we will be sure to cherish it." Hinaki voiced, her sister nodding along with poorly concealed excitement.

"Aye, no need to be so formal kids, just call me Colith, okay?" I lightly pat their head, mindful to not inadvertently disturb their bob cut. "Now shoo, go have fun."

Nichika lets out a small giggle while Hinaki smiles, a blush easily noticeable on their face, though, the younger twin squirmed in place, her aura flowing with uncertainty, as if wanting to say something, which I naturally noticed.

"What is it, little one? Do you need something?" I tilt my head to the side, Hinaki looks at her sister who glanced down with a blush while pressing the yellow cat to her chest.

"I-is C-Colith-sama...a woman..?"

"Nichika..!" her sister squeaks in alarm before blinking in surprise when instead of being offended, I chuckled and patted their heads.

"Impressive! How did you know?"

"Eh..? Hum that's because y-you're nice...like mother...!" The little girl exclaimed then flushed, her doll-like mask long forgotten. "M-my apologies.."

'I'm nice like mother? Heh, that's funny.' "No need to apologize, you're spot on! But hey, could you keep it a secret, ne? I'd like to surprise someone, otherwise, it won't work."

Nichika's eyes brighten, secrets? She likes secrets! "Hum! I promise!"

I smiled once more, patting their heads fondly. They thanked me one last time before excusing themselves, the small pitter-patter of their footsteps disappearing in the hallway while I stood there, exhaling softly.

'hope they'll be alright! I miss my beans.'

Smiling, I whirled and then slid the door open, stepping leisurely in only for my eyes to widen in surprise.

"Gah damn, wish I was rich back there" I mumble, sliding the rice door shut while further stepping into the washitsu. At least I knew what that's called, anyway the place looked pretty cozy in my opinion. "so that's where Kagaya's going to meet me."

There was a brown table in the middle with three seats in total, one facing the two. Why three, I had no idea but I decided to snoop around for a bit before settling on the sole one on the left, who knows if I'm going to meet someone else.

I inhaled softly, there was a vague wisteria perfume lingering in the air, surely coming from outside since there's an opening giving access to the exterior where some wisteria trees stood in the little yard.

Dunno how they do it, but constantly being surrounded by those trees ain't tiring? I mean, yeah, it’s a good demon repellent and all, but all this purple doesn’t just get boring at some point? Even the girls' kimonos were purple for fucks sake! Ight jk, there’s plenty of colors around too, but the first thing you see when you get here is, bam, purple! Ain't purple for bad guys? NOW That I think about it, why can't they just, I dunno distribute those wonky wisteria bags to people? Like maybe, go to every village around, or start a business and gain money by selling it even if it's not much. Sure, a lot of people don't actually believe in demon's existence though by possessing one of those, they might get something like a 50 percent chance of survival and that's a lot more than say, sitting there like a dumbass waiting for your impending doom. It won't probably work against powerful demons but it's still a nuisance for them and if you're vindictive enough, you can shove the entire thing in their jaw just to spite them. OH OH, WHY NOT USE WISTERIA AS A PERFUME?! Was perfume even frequent at this ti—

"Good evening."

"Sup"

I pause 'Wait a minute—' and slowly turn to the door only to freeze upon seeing amused purple and stunned plum.

Oh.

Kagaya stood at the doorway with a relaxed smile, the disease has taken hold of his left eye and forehead, on its way to the other, though his right eye seemed functional enough for him to see my frozen form. Next to him was a white-haired woman, here for him to lean onto, his wife and if I guess right, Hinaki and Nichika's mother by their close resemblance.

Did I just 'sup' him?! Shi—

I quickly scramble to my feet, doing an awkward salute, before realizing that it wasn't how things worked here "ah cra— I mean, hello! Sorry for intruding! Thank you for having me here." I said quickly as I bowed.

It got silent for a second. 'Did I blow this up? Damn—' light chuckles interrupted my growing panic, "???" compelling me to straighten up only to see smiling faces. Oh.

"I see that Urokodaki-san was indeed correct. You seem a lot more energetic than I thought" he smiled "Please have a sit, there is no need to feel nervous."  He and his wife walked further in. Going for the seats as well.

'The fuck— what did Tengu gramps say 'bout me—' " Ha- hum yes of course. Sorry for the outburst, I wasn't focused." I slightly dipped my head in apology before doing as told. He sat in front of me with his wife's help, the disease has done too much to his body for him to do things by himself. Poor lad.

Kagaya only nodded in understanding before directing a tender 'thank you' to his wife who mirrored him with a soft smile of her own, showcasing their affection for each other. Their auras sway in tandem with adoration.

'Bruh, I want that.'  I gaze as his wife who I still didn't know the name of stood up, bowed with the grace befitting a woman of her standing before announcing that she'd be back with tea, and excused herself, leaving Kagaya and I alone.

A silence took place and It didn't take a genius to understand that I had no idea what to say. Stiff as a board and feeling kinda uncomfortable in that seiza, I started. "so..hum...that's your wife? She's really pretty. Good jo— I mean hum yeah...sorry" I cringed.

Kagaya chuckled, "No offense taken. I can tell that you don't seem comfortable, please sit as you see fit." He eye smiled.

I blinked for a few seconds then released an awkward laugh, massaging my nape like those blend anime main characters. 'Busted' though I didn't wait and moved into a crisscross applesauce position, sighing in relief as my legs no longer suffered. "Thanks, I'm still not used to this."

He nodded. "I see, Urokodaki-san informed me that you weren't from here though I must admit that your Japanese sounds good ." Bruh I cheated. "I believe I have yet to introduce myself, I am Ubuyashiki Kagaya, 97th leader of the demon slayer corp, pleased to finally meet you, Colith-san." he lightly bent his head in a polite bow I mirrored. "May I know where you're from exactly?"  

"Oh huh—" I debated whether or not to show my face before shrugging mentally. "I suppose I should remove this then..." I muttered, reaching for my hood.

Kagaya remained patient as he quietly observed me with his remaining functioning eye, curious as to why I deemed it important enough to cover myself entirely, though the swirly orange mask was...interesting? Urokodaki hadn't found it necessary to describe me in the letter, going straight to the point about a possible alliance, so he was left curious to know who might've picked the former pillar's interest, something rare coming from him. 

I lowered the hood, allowing my locks into view before reaching for the mask that I removed, placing it next to me before smiling. "I'm from Mali, a country situated in West Africa. Sorry for keeping the mask on, I had my reasons."

I was expecting surprise, shock, or disgust— who knows, humans— but what I didn't expect however was...concern? Ayo—

"Is everything alright?"

"Eh?"

"Pardon me, I did not wish to stir painful memories with this question." He immediately apologized, confusing me further, "It is just...that I heard awful things on how they treat dark-skinned people..." For the first time in my life did I see Kagaya actually look pissed.

"Eh?"

"For centuries, we've been battling demons in order to protect humanity yet...some find it acceptable to degrade a good part of us." His face went from cold anger to grim in a split second "I am aware this may come from nowhere but are you okay?... I am truly sorry that you find it necessary to cover yourself in order to navigate through our land—"

"Waitwaitwait! I think there's a misunderstanding" I held my hands in defense, chuckling nervously. Ayo that caught me off guard. "I ain't no Ex-slave or something ' god no."

I watched as Kagaya blinked in confusion, seemingly lost. I shouldn't be surprised he thought of that after seeing me. What fucked up shit did I miss from history class... Damn, I knew being black was a parkour to hell around those times, I mean...Demon slayer's taking place in...wait.

"Hold on, what year are we in?"

This question surprised him even more, though he responded, "1912...?"

'Dang His voice's so smooth!—I mean no wonder he reacted that way' I nod, "I guess I get where you're coming from then." He didn't seem to understand so I took this opportunity to reveal what I was, retelling the same things I told Tengu gramps two weeks ago. Kagaya's lavender eye seemed to widen the more I spoke, which was to be expected, though he didn't interrupt or call bullshit through the whole talk. Maybe 'cause he has absolute trust in his men's words, a former pillar nonetheless, who knows what Tengu gramps wrote in that letter? Plus using telekinesis on the furniture must've backed up my claims.

His wife came back with tea halfway through my explanations and gasped once her eyes fell on me. And like her husband before her, expressed concern for my well-being which I immediately brushed off with a laugh. I mean it was sweet but so surreal. Turns out Africans, mostly those brought by Americans over the years were, yeh, slaves.

Yup.

Humanity in all its glory. Splendid.

That put aside, had to beg them not to call me 'Colith-sama' tho, Allah what the hell's wrong with them and politesses !? In the end, we came to an agreement that I'll assist any slayers I cross paths with, and let them speculate about my identity. He asked why I wanted to remain anonymous and I just revealed that it was for trolling purposes. They did not understand what trolling meant, heh. Though I explained that it'd be safer that way so demons don't get wind of our alliance and decide to go into full hiding. It was already difficult to find them as it is, so to add a new threat other than slayers would only push them to be more cautious, therefore difficult for them to eradicate. Me? Psht, had it in the bag.

Since Tanjiro wasn't a slayer yet, they didn't know that demons like Nezuko were a thing. Or maybe they did? Wasn't he in contact with Tamayo? Oh boi pretty lady— anyway, better let the story go as it should and mind my own business for the next two years. Couldn't risk changing important things regarding Tanjiro's growth. If I stumble upon any demons the kid slew in the anime, I'll just nope it and walk away. Kid needs that character development ight, dun wanna risk it.

We had just finished eating dinner— they took into account my reticence to eat pork, thanks Tengu gramps!—when I got an idea.

"so hum, Kagaya, about that illness of yours, it's related to the big bad guy, right?" through our discussion, I asked If It was okay to call them by their first name, him and his wife Amane, since truth to be told, I ain't used to the whole -sama bullshit, plus I'm his elder since he's what, 21? So yeah, they were okay with it.

"How do you..." he blinked before a resigned smile came across his face. "Yes, it is. Unless we defeat him, the curse will continue to be inflicted upon our family. This...is the price to pay...for birthing the progenitor." as he spoke, it was subtle but Amane's countenance faltered for a few seconds before going back to normal. Poor woman.

I hummed, removing my gloves, "do you mind if I try something real quick? I might be able to do something about it." 

Kagaya jolted a little bit and looked at his wife who up to this point had been listening patiently before refocusing on me.

"you can?"

"hm-hm, assuming it has something to do with MJ's, maybe I can...." I leaned forward, reaching for his forehead with my right hand before halting. "may I?" I glanced at his wife who seemed startled by the attention. She nodded with a small smile. Haha, I ain't touching nobody's lover without asking first.

I had taken the time to further analyze him, so you can imagine my surprise when I found some red demonic particle feeding on his life force, degrading his health. No wonder they can't do anything about it, even though I almost overlooked it. Muzan's a Ubuyashiki, therefore has a blood bond with them which turns to be poison for anyone related to him that isn't a demon. Unless that bitch dies, they'll continue to suffer, so yeah. That's a good enough motivation to unalive him.

My hand came resting on the purple part of his forehead. He didn't even flinch at the contact, having lost the sense of touch at this spot. I had noticed that my energy, aura, whatever- was harmful to demons as shown in the fight— *cough* slaughter *cough*— back in the shelter. Obviously punching Kagaya was not an option so If I use [instant heal] on him, which was just a fancy way for my aura to mend things, something might happen right?

"Alright, you might feel weird but lemme just..." my eyes and palm suddenly glowed as I activated it, hearing Amane gasp in surprise at the display.

I remember using it a lot during Trost attack on soldiers who were on death's doors, even regrew some limbs out of nowhere before erasing the memory so they don't freak out. Less to say, it's OP as fuck. Better than the shifter regeneration anyway.

I focused back on Kagaya and noticed that the purple mark was receding at an alarming speed until disappearing completely, proof that my aura was a good demon repellent. Gotta be careful with Nezuko. However, a tiny bit of the curse still remained alive in his core, which made me frown. It was insignificant but it was still there, as if something kept it alive, refusing to disappear completely. What the tarnation— Tried to erase it once more with [instant Heal], adding more energy but none can't do, shit lingered like a parasite. This led me to the conclusion that until Muzan decides to walk into the sun one day, the curse won't fully disappear. What I managed to do was just reset it to a dormant state. Dejected, I brought my hand back with a sigh.

"I'm sorry but until we kill him, a bit of the curse will remain. Thankfully, I managed to reset it to a dormant state I encircled with my aura to be safe which will if I'm correct block its growth, Enabling you to live normally for as long as I'm ali..." I think they didn't hear me because when I opened my eyes to see their reaction, I was met with the sight of a shell-shocked Kagaya and Amane, "Guys..?"

I watched as he blinked, stared at his hands, opened, and closed his fists, realizing there was no strain on his muscles anymore before startling as we both heard hiccups coming from his left. Oh shi-

"Kagaya-sama...your eyes..." Amane's hand slowly reached for her husband's face, caressing the now white skin of his forehead as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her husband's eyes...his face...he looked so much healthier that the sight brought her into tears.

He didn't even have time to blink when she immediately caught him in an embrace, forgetting manners, sobbing quietly on his chest. Kagaya's aura flowed with many emotions, going from shock to confusion before settling for relief as he embraced his wife in return, whispering softly to her to calm down.

'Dang I still want that'

I just...sat there awkwardly, waiting for them to eventually notice me which I regretted immediately because Amane suddenly whipped her head to me—which scared the shit outta me ngl—and began bowing to me, repeatedly thanking me for the blessing I bestowed upon them which, as you may already know, flustered the heck out of me! Kagaya joined in by conveying his gratitude as well, still shaken over the fact that he was, somewhat cured even if I quickly pointed out the little problem he still had, it was still astonishing to return to a normal state.

"I...I cannot thank you enough for this, Colith. Please accept our offer to house you for as long as you wish. The demon slayer corps, no, the Ubuyashiki family is forever indebted to you."

"Aye, I said it wasn't that big of a deal..!" I sheepishly scratched my cheek, "plus I kinda wasn't able to entirely cure you..."

Kagaya shook his head, "no, this is definitely enough as it is." His tone still held disbelief in it before both husband and wife smiled brightly.

"If there is anything you wish of us to do, please do tell, we will provide it to the best of our abilities." Amane suggested.

I paused at that. 'Do I need something...?'  Right now, I had no idea where to go, sure I could start wandering around, using my sensing abilities to find towns and villages, plus demons had that distinct aura that made it easier to locate them. Yet, the idea of sightseeing an ancient Japan was titillating my tourists' instincts. A light bulb went on in my head.

"Hum, what about a crow? Is it okay to lend me one? Of course, just the time for me to find myself around then I'll return it as soon as poss—"

I didn't even have the time to finish the sentence that they wholeheartedly agreed.

Oh well.

Guess they're my friends now.

---

 

________

1ST POV
________

.

.

"Are you sure you don't wish to stay for a few more days? There's plenty of rooms available for you." Amane inquired softly, as she stood next to her husband at the estate entrance, to the guards' and some kakushis' shock.

'Why are Oyakata-sama and Amane-sama outside in this weather?!' Their eyes then shifted to me. 'WHO IS THAT?!'

Ignoring the stares, I shook my head, still sporting the mask and the cloak, entirely concealing my figure, "Nah, I'm good, don't wanna impose! Plus I must go and tell Tengu gramps the news asap before I start my journey!" I heard several gasps and choking sounds coming from the people.

"in this case, we will provide you with a guide, the time that we find a suitable kasugai crow for your future travels." Kagaya spoke, his voice smoother than usual. Dang the curse had done a number on him, he looks much more healthier now than yesterday, able to stand with no one's help.

I made a sound, "it's okay, I'll manage! Can't I have a regular crow tho?" I jolt as they both shook their head.

"No this is the least we can do after what you've done for us. Your kasugai crow will meet you in three days at Mount Sagiri, please wait until then." Kagaya dipped his head, his wife mirroring him, getting various reactions from some bystanders. Man, that's annoying lmao.

I shrugged, "sure thing! Then off I shall go. Take care guys!"

"DID HE JUST CALL THEM 'GU—" someone screeched before being silenced. Dayum, whoever that was must be a hardcore follower. Sheesh.

The three of us sweatdropped as we watched a bunch of Kakushis restrain another one before Amane turned to me with a warm smile, ignoring the commotion as though that was a common occurrence. Guess it was.

"Thank you for the gifts, Nichika and Hinaki were really happy though if I must inquire, how did you know they loved cats?" the woman slightly tilted her head to the side.

I hummed, then did a peace sign, "I asked them of course!" they seemed taken aback but I continued, "Also don't be too hard on them ight? I've got kids too so I know how much pressure can do to them. I'm aware they're heiresses and all, that the context you're living in isn't that simple to handle but, try doing parents-children activities, dunno. OH yeah, Here..." I made more plushies pop out of thin air, heard something crash on the ground, and briefly glanced to see a passed-out Kakushis being dragged away, before giving them to the two. "I dunno what your other children like, but this is for them!" this time it was a purple puppy just to stay in the theme for Kiriya and two pastel yellow/pink rabbits for the second set of twins!

At this point, they didn't even question how I knew about the three but they easily accepted them with grateful smiles.

"Do not hesitate to come back as much as you wish, the Ubuyashiki family will always welcome you with open arms." to my horror, Kagaya and his wife performed a deep bow, an immense show of respect and gratitude toward me. Least to say those eavesdropping and I freaked out ight. After telling them that it wasn't necessary, I went to take my leave.

"Ah and don't forget about the thing I told you!" I finished, waved one last time then brought two fingers to my mask forehead, instant transmission-ing away, leaving stunned people behind.

The couple stared at the spot I was previously standing in for a while whilst not paying attention to those freaking out before Amane turned to her husband with a sweatdrop. "How come we've never thought of massively handing those charms to every village?"

At that, Kagaya blinked for a few seconds before a chuckle broke out of his lips, "I...have no idea either, dear." he shook his head, "Although I find myself optimistic about our victory. I am sure we will be the generation who will finally put an end to Muzan's reign of terror once and for all, allowing those who offered their lives for our cause to finally rest in peace."  He looked up, his hair swaying from the gentle breeze of winter. Amane watched her husband tenderly.

"I'm glad...that our prayers were finally answered."  She reached for his hand, squeezing it gently, receiving a squeeze from him that still left her stunned over the fact that he could now reciprocate a grip with ease. "I'm glad that you're okay, Kagaya-kun. I'm glad to be your wife."

Kagaya's cheeks lightly flushed, though his wife carried on with a contemplative look. "How are we to explain your sudden recovery? Colith-san wishes to remain anonymous. What should we tell them ?"

" A friend..." his hand went to his now functional eye, wistfully hovering in front of it. " A friend stopped by...."

 

"I'M BA—ACK" I didn't get time to finish my sentence when I received a blow to the temple which was followed by a snap, "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"C-COLITH-SAN?! KAMI-SAMA ARE YOU HURT?!" Tanjiro shrieked in horror, quickly dropping his katana...or what was left of it like it was fire as he rushed to see if I was okay.

"not really, just surprised gosh," I mumbled, massaging the throbbing spot. Thank Allah, I was tough enough to sustain the damage, otherwise, it was bye-bye to my head. First Giyuu, now Tanjiro. I'm beginning to see a pattern here haha.

Tanjiro let out a relieved sigh after noticing that I was unharmed. That is until he did a double-take on me, "EEEH?! HOW DID YOU GET HERE?!" he screeched in alarm, finally realizing that I just appeared out of thin air.

"instant transmission."

"isutan...?"

I chuckled at his attempt before waving my hand lazily. "Don't bother kiddo! Anyway, you keeping up? The training isn't too hard on you?" I ruffled his head, removing the mask to grin down at him.

The boy's cheeks flushed at the sight of my face, "a-ah y-yes ! It isn't easy but I won't give up!" he made a guts pose as he held a determined look. I smiled.

"I know you won't. After all, It's just the beginning and I'm sure you'll become a great slayer in no time!" the boy seemed to brighten at my support. "Also...", He hummed as I pointed to the broken sword on the ground with a sweat drop, "didn't Tengu gramps say he'd snap your bones if you ever damaged a sword...?"

The teen froze, a horrified expression morphed on his face as he slowly looked toward the katana he was previously using and proceeded to screech in fright.

Chuckling, I decided to save him on this one since I was the one who led to the broken sword, thus repairing it with a snap. Tanjiro didn't even question how I did it, profusely thanking me for avoiding a beating since we both knew how serious Tengu gramps was with his threats. Trust me, that old man is ruthless.

Eventually, Tengu gramps found out since the boy couldn't lie to save his life, his guilty scent an obvious giveaway when the old man came to check on him. In the end, he got to train twice as hard for punishment while I sheepishly stood at the side. Well, that'll make him stronger I guess?

---

That night I recounted everything that happened over dinner— this time I got to cook since I wanted them to taste my food. Least to say, they loved it which boosted my ego. Tengu gramps was understanding of my decision since I was literally a sitting duck while Tanjiro expressed some sadness, though he couldn't blame me for wanting to explore while he trained. Who knew how long it'll take for him to finish his training? Besides with Nezuko asleep, I clearly had no one to talk with so he could understand my desire to go.

To cheer him up, I promised to send him letters every two weeks which was enough to get a smile out of him. He was such a ray of sunshine!

Three days eventually passed, and true to Kagaya's words, something tapped on the window of the washizu Tengu gramps and I were in. At the time, we exchanged a look, more like me staring at his mask while wondering what was outside since it was, night? Tanjiro was fast asleep in his room, exhausted as usual so he missed the loud gasp I released after opening the window. I was expecting some random bird or some shit, seeing as crows were apparently not suitable for someone like me—their words, not mine— but how surprised was I when my eyes landed on a beautiful snowy white owl! It even had golden eyes like me!

"LE GASP! YOU'RE SO BEAUTIFUL!" I gushed happily as I outstretched my arm for it to land, which it gracefully did to my surprise. "Do you have a name?" I asked eagerly.

The bird stared at me intensely for a moment before showing me its talon where a small note was neatly tied to it. I made an O with my mouth.

'Maybe only crows can speak, I guess,' I concluded, remembering Zenitsu's Chuntaro, even though Tanjiro seemed to understand the bird. Humming, I gently untied the note and read.

.

.

Good evening Colith, thank you for waiting for us to find you a suitable bird. As you can see, it is a snowy owl. Although she does not possess the gift of speech like crows, she is fast and stealthy, a great companion for your travels be it daytime or night-time. She can guide you to any place you wish as she is familiar with every town and village. Just ask away.

Also, she does not possess a name, we thought it better for you to bestow her with a name of your choosing.

Again, thank you for everything.

Best Regards, Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
.

.

I whistle, "so you don't have a name yet? Do you want me to name you?" I direct my gaze back to the bird. She, since it was a she apparently, tilted her head to the side and then bopped it softly. Oh, so she can indeed understand me, neat!

"What is it?" Tengu gramps asked from his spot on the floor where carving tools were scattered around him. He had been carving masks for the past days, was it Tanjiro's? I turned to him with a big smile, showing the owl in the process.

"My guide! Isn't she beautiful? Never thought they'd send me an owl of all things!" I caress her head with my index finger, she leans into the touch with a soft coo. Ouh, what an affectionate bird, "Though I need a name for her, but my naming skills are atrocious. Do you mind helping me out, please?"

The old man seemed to think for a second as he observed the owl. "Seppen." he stated finally.

I deadpanned, "Snowflake? Really?"

He grunted, "I never said I was good with those either." Gathered his tools then stood up to walk to his room after uttering a quiet 'Goodnight', leaving me alone with the bird.

I sighed, "Old people I swear," I shook my head then turned to the bird with a soft smile. "is that good with you? Seppen. Now that I think of it, it's pretty cute! Do you like it?" the owl responded by flapping its wings in eagerness while producing coos, making my smile widen. "Seppen it is then!" I giggled.

Back home, people tended to fear owls since there was a saying that they would gouge unaware people's eyes out if they stayed late outside. Of course, as the gullible kid I was, I believed it and thus was never seen out of the house after 7 PM in fear of...well, losing my eyes. And the fact that our house had a lot of trees, therefore making it easier for flying things to reproduce didn't help anything since I'd hear any kind of screeches late at night. So yeah, I was afraid of owls. Unlike now as I'm literally talking to one!

 

'oooh! I'm so excited to start my journey now! Who knows what I'll discover?'

And thus the next day found me standing at the house entrance, ready to depart.

"Well, this is it! Take care gramps, Tanjiro, see you soon!" I waved wildly, acting like an actual 14-year-old despite my age. Eh, I should probably return to the appropriate age. Don't want to stay like this forever. With a last wave, I went to turn around, my mask in hand about to go when I heard Tengu gramps call for me.

"Colith."

Curious, I turned to him with a questioning look only to yelp in surprise as he tossed something I clumsily caught.

 

"Take this with you." he crossed his arms afterward.

"Huh?" I blinked at his words then looked down only to gasp upon discovering what he just tossed, my eyes widened.

It was a black kitsune mask with gold eyes and what surprised me the most was that it greatly resembled my titan form, [Mother]! I do remember showing him drawings of her, never thought he'd take it into account!

"I've noticed that you seemed to particularly affectionate masks, so I carved one for your future travels," he said.

So this is what he has been carving for the past week! And here I was thinking he was making Tanjiro's, never thought he'd go through such lengths just to give me this! My view blurred suddenly as tears welled up in my eyes, touched by the gift. I never thought he'd make this for me...! I ain't even his student for Rose's sake!

'Alright, that's it!'

The two males jolted when I rushed to them, catching them in a hug.

"thank you! It's so beautiful! I'll wear it till my death!" I bawled dramatically. Tengu gramps sighed wearily though he didn't push me away and instead patted my back while sunshine stuttered in surprise, meekly trying to calm me down.

 

After thanking him one last time, I departed with a joyful grin as I wiped leftover tears, still emotional over the gift. It was the first time I received something from an elder actually, having never gotten to know my grandparents but enough of that!

"Seppen!" I called for the owl. She shot out of a tree, having been silently waiting for me. I had taken the time to introduce her to Tanjiro so he wouldn't freak out the moment I'd decide to send him a letter! She hovered in circles above me in question as I put the new mask on, making the old one disappear in the meantime. No Tobi for a while I guess. "I wanna see a beautiful temple! Can you lead me to one? And don't bother going slowly, I'll easily catch up!" I informed cheerfully, already planning some sightseeing and other places to visit! Of course, using Google was of importance since I didn't know most towns' names for now.

Nodding with a purpose, she took off toward a random direction, her wings flapping silently, gliding with ease and grace as I easily kept up, and thus began my journey in an ancient Japan! Who knows what I'll discover...?

---

[1 year and 8 months before canon.]

It's been 4 months since I began my journey and sure enough, things were pretty chill! I got to see plenty of places, ranging from traditional Temples to modern towns. By 'modern' i mean 1912 modern of course. It was pretty cool to discover that mix between the two since things were slowly on their way to modernization, knowing it began during the late 1800 with new means of transportation like steam trains, cars weren't a thing yet, though early models were introduced in the capital so that was that. In short, it had that old western-ish vibe while still keeping that ancient touch proper to japan which gave the Taisho period a certain charm. However I was more intrigued by the traditional aspects of the country so I didn't dwell on the 'new' things, therefore, exclusively kept my visits to the less modernized parts of the country. There was this particular house that seemed really familiar to me that was situated in a clearing, itself located in a mountain. Dunno why but it gave off mount paozu vibes.

Moving on, I didn't cross paths with any known characters which, in the end, seemed really unlikely since I had no idea where they were at the time, plus It wasn't like I was actively searching for them either, too busy acting like a tourist to hunt demons. Though that didn't mean that I didn't stumble upon some demons, or...more like them trying to ambush me, mistaking me for an easy target to feast on since I would sometimes travel at night. Don't look at me like that, walking at night, surrounded by nature was kind of satisfying, and it reminded me of my nighty strolls in the forest back in aot so I couldn't help it. Yeah, powers make you cocky enough to do things you usually wouldn't do. Anyway, It usually went like this:

—"so give me one good reason why I shouldn't obliterate your ass right there and be done with this shit." I uttered jadedly, kicking a pebble away as I stood in front of random demon #12 who had the audacity to interrupt my peaceful walk. I would've been nicer if my man didn't look like an amalgamation between a lizard and a cockroach. A mix I loathed with passion. Bro be lookin like one of my old CE2(5th grade) doodles like damn! It was as if Muzan didn't give a flying fuck about their appearance. Poor them.

"PEH! YOU?! BEAT ME?!" I stared blankly as it proceeded to ugly laugh, "Don't make me laugh! Unless you're a demon slayer, I have nothing to fear from a punny little human like you!" it boasted, licking its lips with barely restrained hunger as he eyed me up. Berk. "Almost mistook you as one of us, though, who knows what kind of abilities I'll get from eating you? You must be some rare human..!" it exclaimed. "I might even become a lower moon who knows..!"

I snorted, "You..? A lower moon? Yeh, there's no chance."

The demon stared blankly at me before fuming, "WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! YOU MASKED FREAK! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TALK DOWN ON ME, HUH?! YOU PATHETIC HUMAN! I'LL EAT YOU—"

"Alright, I'm not dealing with this..." Unimpressed and not really in the mood to discuss, I walked past him, ignoring him on purpose, continuing my way like he wasn't there.

Naturally, this offended the demon so much that he tried attacking me in a fit of rage for being ignored, and again naturally, he was rewarded with an effortless backhanded punch that sent him hurling to who knows where, head probably blasted off, dunno, wasn't invested. Whoever it was, It probably died, didn't feel like checking.—

So yeah, It was like this almost every time I decided I wanted a stroll in the night. Can't a woman have her night walks? Dang! Anyway, Seppen had been a great help throughout my travels as she guided me to more interesting spots, and true to Kagaya's words she really did know around which eased my worries about getting lost. Speaking of him, we kept contact, and apparently his 'recovery' had caused a great uproar in the corps to the point where it eventually reached the pillars' ears. Kakushis were apparently gossips. Who knew. Sweet Enoki, who I also kept in contact with, refused to disclose my identity to anyone. Least to say, she woke up the next day with a mountain of taiyaki in her room. Yeh, rewarding her for being a good friend although some of her comrades asked how she got those, knowing she was damn broke. Heh.

Back to the topic, apparently, there was a meeting last month. Didn't get a lot of details but I read that some of them were interested in meeting the mystery 'friend' aka me. Oh well. It wasn't like I didn't want to. The only pillar's aura I'm familiar with is Giyuu, granted I met him on day one by plot convenience, unless I crash their next meeting, there was next to no chance of me crossing paths with any of them, that is unless the autho— anyway!

 

Ah yes, returned to my adult form after the first month. Yeah Nah. Mood swings and wild hormones were a no-go for me. Wasn't about to go through that for the third time. Anyhow, today I was particularly interested in trying hot springs. I dunno, after watching animes where characters tend to relax in them...well I wanted to try too y'know? Just to know how it feels! Of course goings to public ones was out of the window for obvious reasons, plus I wasn't particularly inclined to be naked around strangers, even women.

"Seppen!"

I looked around for her. I had grown attached to this ball of feather, who had been a great help all the long. Always made sure to give her mice as rewards every time I got to the right place.

She looked from her previous stalking of whatever creature she heard in the tree line and landed on my outstretched arm, cooing curiously.  Smiling, I asked if she was familiar with any natural hot springs in the region and requested if she could lead me to one. Being a bird, she didn't question why I didn't just go to towns known for their onsen and simply bopped her head in affirmative. Dang, this bird is better than a GPS! No wonder they're used as guides so often.

---

Night was on the horizon as Seppen successfully lead me to my destination. Somehow, the place looked untouched by humans. No wonder it is, would've had trouble getting here if I was normal either, knowing just how inaccessible this place was, wouldn't be surprised if no one discovered this spot yet. Had to jump from tree to tree branches, naruto style, just to get here.

I glanced around while sending a burst of aura to scan the perimeter to see if anyone was around. Aside from the owl and I and some rodents, nothing seemed out of place which was good enough. With the certitude of no humans around, I thanked Seppen with a reward and watched as she flew away, probably to do owl things the time I situate myself.

"Alright!" I turned to the water, scanning it to see if anything weird was inside as steam rose from it, checking the temperature after removing my gloves, and yup! It was nice enough to dive into it. After one last check of my surroundings, I disregarded my clothes, folding them neatly and placing them on a rock not far from the water, gently placing the mask atop while making a water bucket, a wooden stool, and soap pop into existence that I quickly used to wash myself. Apparently, it was frowned upon to enter a hot spring with grim, soap, and dirt on the body. Didn't need to anger old Japanese spirits by violating this rule, alright. Once clean, slowly and surely, I gingerly slipped into the water, blissfully sighing the moment my body was submerged up to my neck.

"This is it...I'll die here." I exhaled as I leaned on a rock behind me, its warmth successfully taming this beast into a house pet.

Truth be told, I underestimated how satisfying it would be to bathe in a hot spring. Gosh and here I was running around when this was a thing! Dang I regret not trying it sooner but hey better late than never! I could spend the rest of my life here! Which...would be a long time. Huh.

From that point on, the sky began to dim, darkening my surroundings the more I relaxed and changed spots ever so often. The moon being the only light source present pushed me to somehow refine my vision, though that was for naught as I kept my eyes closed, lounging in the water. Relishing in its warmth, uncaring of how long I spent inside. I eventually dove into my thoughts, planning next spots to visit, and things to buy— discovered I had access to my house. Well. A version of my house seeing as I didn't cross paths with the other Colith. Had to make a door appear to go inside tho. So it was funny to spawn a door in the middle of nowhere. Heh.

Two years was a long time to wait before canon settles in. I had nothing better to do, after all, this wasn't my story. I was no protagonist, just an intruder brought here to satisfy whatever's up there's curiosity. As a Muslim, I was convinced of a paradise's existence, heaven, hell, who knows where I would have landed?—heaven—So to suddenly find myself thrown from fictional universe to another was not something I was expecting after death. Perhaps it is a reward from Allah? After all, everyone portrays paradise as a place. Maybe it was a reward of some sort? Eh. What the hell am I babbling about. The excess steam must be messing with my brain.

Back to the storyline, I could start collecting blood for Tamayo? Yeah, that'd make things easier for the siblings, knowing that I was shit with chemistry—JESSICA— there was no way of me finding the cure by myself. Sure I could attempt the thing I did with Kagaya unless that was only possible for him, seeing as he was still human, therefore didn't risk getting obliterated by me.

I wistfully brushed my hand over my collarbone, while humming random tunes that eventually evolved into me softly singing openings.

 

"Dan Dan Kokoro hikareteku
Sono mabushii egao ni
Hatenai yami kara tobidasou Hold my hand..."
.
.
.
"kimi o matta
boku wa matta
togirenai ashita mo sugiteitte
tachitomatte furikaette
tomedonai kyou o nagekiatta..."
.
.
.
"Hikari no naka de yureteru
Omae no hohoemi
Ashioto dake wo nokoshite
Yami ni kieru SHIRUETTO

Mitasare habataki
Megami ga senaka mukete...... Ima

Dakara kyou yori asu yori ai ga hoshii
Yume yori aisuru kimi ga hoshii subete ga..."

.

.

So on and so forth. Pretty sure I spent like an hour singing. It was calming in itself. The sound of crickets, coupled with the almost magical atmosphere provided by Ufotable’s art style, made me want to just...close my eyes and let myself be drifted away by the flow of things. You know, this lulling feeling when you spend too much time in water and your body just..starts doing that rocking motion. Yeah.

.

 

.

I've seen enough anime to know that intrusion while girls were in their most vulnerable states, that is, naked in hot springs was the moment when someone, usually the pervert or the main character finds himself stumbling upon them. So color me surprised...or not when I heard a twig snap. I stopped singing.

'honestly, this is too cliché at this point.'

Clicking my tongue in irritation, and truthfully affronted that something or someone had the gal to interrupt my well deserved me time, I snapped my eyes open and angled my head to the general provenance of the noise, ready to scare off whatever was there only to be met with three sets of eyes.

"..."

This must be a joke.

---

_______

1ST POV
_______

.

.

I stared blankly.

What do I say. I spoke too fast. A little more and I would've thought that it was too good to be true. Four months of me wandering around without, at least, encountering any important characters to the point where I grew complacent about the likelihood of any random encounter off-Canon.

And now, here I am in a hot spring, in the middle of nowhere, at night, in my Eve outfit, staring at three pairs of eyes that could only belong to one man- demon in this case.

Purple and black bee-hive kimono shirt and black hakama pants tied with a white belt...they call uwa-obi I think. A rather tall and muscular frame followed by black hair with red tips kept in a ponytail. Kokushibo, Upper Moon 1, the second most powerful demon just behind Muzan, had just intruded my bath like in those cliché anime moments that It was ridiculous. And here I was naked, having a staring contest with him like it was perfectly normal.

"Are those eyes of yours seeing the same thing or can you look into different directions at once?" wow Colith, you just met an upper moon, a threat to humanity, and that's the first thing you ask?

This seemed to bring him back to earth, as if...He had been in a daze of sort. The fuck-

The demon blinked which was kind of unsettling since he had six eyes before his gazes all focused on me at once. He didn't say anything as he observed me for a while as if trying to understand how on earth he got here.

I tilted my head to the side, blinking slowly, unafraid that he could see me since rocks were in front of my figure and it wasn't like I'd suddenly stand and flash him so I was chill. I was...pretty curious as to what he was gonna do. Would he attack me? That seemed unlikely but it wasn't impossible, he was a demon after all. If that was Douma who stumbled upon me though, that rainbow-eyed cockroach would've done so without hesitation! Tch!

Moving on, I didn't know much about Kokushibo to be frank, only some basic stuff like him being resentful of his brother or some shit and being the Mist Hashira ancestor. Wonder what he's thinking about though. Has he ever seen someone like me before? It could be, knowing how long he lived, but there's a possibility of him not? Who knows? so...why isn't he saying anything?

"Hey, are you alright?" I decided to ask, finding the silence a bit awkward.

The demon stared. "You...what is a human doing here? Who are you?" Ah!

I blinked quickly, not having expected him to speak, and goodness gracious his voice-though I rapidly kept my composure. "You, who are you. I'm not the one intruding on someone else's bath that I know."

His eyes shifted to the folded clothes and thankfully the mask was placed sideways so he couldn't see what it looked like. I didn't plan for any of the main cast to see my appearance yet. A yawn, due to the coziness of the water broke through my lips, getting the demon's attention back to me.

"You do not seem afraid...do you not know what I am?" He wasn't oozing aggressiveness, his aura was more...puzzled than anything else so I wasn't on guard.

"If I had to guess, a demon obviously." I scoffed leaning on the rocks to stare right back at him. "an eye candy one at that." I mumble in the end.

Kokushibo seemed to try and decipher what was just said to him and just settled on a plain, "What."

"Oh, nothing." I laid my head on my folded arms, admiring his features. Not gonna lie but he was handsome. "so what brings you there, mister demon?" I nearly chuckled when his moon-like aura shimmered with confusion and uncertainty, though I must applaud the deadpan! He must've not expected to stumble upon such a strange human I guess. One unafraid of him at that.

"You are...odd." he uttered blankly, his posture relaxing just a tad bit as he noticed the lack of weapons, probably assuming that I was no demon slayer, thus didn't need to be wary. Not that he needed to in the first place. No humans could even think of defeating him. He wasn't upper moon one for naught.

"I know right? People told me." I smiled, "I'm Lith by the way, nice to meet you I guess...?" He didn't bother introducing himself. Bummer, though I came to a realization and promptly perked up, "Ah, don't tell me you wanted to use the hot spring too?! My bad, I'll get out...!"

The speed at which he closed his eyes and swiveled his head to the side as I pretended to pull myself out of the water almost made me cackle! So he was a gentleman!

"...What is the meaning of this?"

"OH, I wanted to see if you were a pervert! Turns out you're not!" I chuckled jocosely.

This seemed to annoy him, reminding him of a certain rainbow-eyed demon. Being compared to him made him slightly irate though he refused to look my way. "You...must not understand the situation you're in at the moment. Tell me, woman, do you not fear death?"

I thought for a second before shrugging, "Meh, not really. If you wanted you could just kill me like nobody's business but seeing as you're not, you must be a pretty decent person. Plus you're pretty handsome!" I shamefully revealed with a shit-eating grin plastered on my face.

I think he wasn't expecting such forwardness because his aura spiked in surprise. The demon didn't say anything before turning around and walking away. My eyes bulged out at his sudden departure.

'Did I scare him off?!'

I scrambled out to follow before remembering that I was butt naked and promptly made a simple yukata-egh, it's green- whatever, appear and quickly scurried after him, "AH WAIT UP!" my man was already a fair distance away, though I easily caught up with little hisses since I was barefooted, "freaking rocks-did I scare you? My bad?"

Kokushibo paused in his tracks, "How...did you get here so fast...?" his eyes then fell on my slightly damp yukata which seemed to further puzzle him while my eyes quickly flickered to the hand he had on the hilt of his sword. Was he debating whether or not to kill me? It was subtle but I noticed how his grip slightly tightened around it - holy shit, eyes- though I opted for the oblivious act as I skipped in front of him with an innocent smile while shrugging at his question, 'unaware' of his sudden caution.

"Hmm...that's not important, you still didn't tell me your name though! Whoa! Are those tattoos?" I took a step closer to look, "They're neat! And upon closer look, are those kanjis in your eyes? Whaa... I can't read it! What does it mean?" had to tiptoes a bit while squinting since he was a head taller. Honestly stunned that he hasn't smoked me yet! Ain't he known for his no-nonsense attitude?

[art by me]

The demon slightly leaned back but didn't back away with a small but noticeable frown "What are you doing?"

 

"admiring, You're quite beautiful." I eye smiled genuinely.

His eyes narrowed, "I...do not appreciate being made fun of, woman."

"I'm telling the truth man, you're attractive. I'm not going to lie about this." I scoffed like it was obvious then tilted my head to the side. We stared at each other, my relaxed posture and behavior must've been quite a shock to him. Was he used to his victims usually screeching their heads off whenever he was around? Well, not today. "so why aren't you killing me yet?" I decided to inquire, quite curious about it.

A beat of silence passed as he scrutinized me. His gaze shifted from my eyes to the rest of my features. What was he thinking about? "Your smell...it is quite...different from regular humans..." he finally settled for that.

That wasn't the first time a demon told me this, though I played the oblivious card by scrunching my nose up as if it was the first time I was told this. "huh, so I'm alive and kicking because I'm...intriguing?"

A frown came across his face but he nodded slightly nonetheless. He couldn't understand but...something was...odd with me. The demon couldn't determine what exactly but he was certain that...I was no human being... He is sure he has never seen such...eyes before, not even among his kind. They were quite...ethereal, a heavenly gold even that reminds him of...the glistening sun. Although he highly loathed the mere mention of it-for reasons mostly known by him- this, he strangely found...appealing as they seemed to glow with life and purpose like there's no tomorrow. They somehow...gave him a sudden sense of...safety and ease...something he's sure he's...ever experienced before. What was going on? What exactly was I?

He didn't feel That Man's blood flowing through me so it left him quite... perplexed about what I could be. Should he...eliminate me? Would I become...a hindrance, a risk to that man's plan? Yet, I seemed...rather harmless at the moment. Were his worries for naught in the end...?

He was brought back to earth when he felt his hand being clasped by warm far darker ones.

"how cold..." I marveled as I delicately held his palm open, his fingers lacking those long nails usually seen on other demons, brushing soft fingers on the few calluses and scars, a testimony of all his years perfecting swordsmanship, uncaring if that might push him to attack me, signing my death warrant but hey, it wasn't every day that I meet an upper moon! Plus it was drastically different from Nezuko's palm since she retained some of her humanity, thus making it warmer, unlike him whose hand was dead cold!

His yellow sets of eyes were lost in thought as he let me fumble with his palm to my surprise but I wasn't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.

The touch was so...

'...warm..'

The demon thought before halting, stunned by his own train of thoughts,

' what'.

Unaware of his thoughts, I concluded with a smile, "hm... I see why you wanna use the onsen. You should go, I'm done with it!", releasing his grasp as I didn't wanna push it and proceeded to head back toward the spring only to yelp in surprise as I felt a strong grip on my wrist which stopped my march. I glanced up at him, puzzled. The grip was quite firm yet not enough to literally rip my hand off which would've been sweet if I was a regular human, therefore weak, though he must think of me as one so I didn't see fit to point it out.

"...You...What are you exactly..?" His tone was low as he carefully observed me, trying to decipher what I was and why I wasn't afraid of him. Didn't I know what demons were? Wasn't I aware of their cruelty? It was foolish of me to blindly trust that he wouldn't simply deceive then kill me, after all, nothing except mere curiosity and this strange presence of mine was what stopped him from beheading me the moment we met eyes.

I thought over it for a second before shrugging, "no clue!"

"...Do you not...value your own life?"

"of course I do! You think I'm weak or something?" I laughed. This didn't seem to amuse the demon as he blankly stared at me like I was dumb. I sweatdropped, "A-Anyway ! It's not like I could stop you from killing me, you seem strong! I'd rather go with a bang than cry for mercy, ya feel?!" I grinned cheekily then placed a hand atop his with a coy smile, water dripping down my face from the earlier bath. "plus I wouldn't mind dying at the hands of such a charming man. By the way, I love your eyes, they're gorgeous!"

Was I in a flirty mood? Yeh. Was I ashamed of it? Absolutely not. I chuckled, unfortunately missing the barely noticeable reddening of his ears as I whirled to go back.

He didn't move to follow and instead watched me take a few steps forward before halting, a loud gasp leaving my lips as if I just got an epiphany, "Ah I know!" I exclaimed, whirling to him about to announce what I just 'discovered' only to be interrupted by a wet cough.

'Huh?'

I watched in confusion as Kokushibo's eyes seemed to widen, seeing something I couldn't which left me wondering why he was staring at my belly. Another cough sounded and I realized that it was coming from me. 'the fuck...' I brought a hand to my mouth only to see blood on my fingers before glancing down.

"What the fu-"

The sound of ripped flesh resounded as whatever was impaling my belly retracted its arm, resulting in my legs giving up, sending me tumbling to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut short.

"kekeke...foolish human..."

A demon with chameleon-looking features, somewhat reminding me of Meleoron from HxH but with long silky dark hair instead gradually appeared out of nowhere after using some sort of invisible ability, his blood demon art perhaps? He stood over me with a wicked grin, my blood covering his arm as he stood admiring my bleeding form.

"How stupid can one be to think of walking alone at night and weaponless at that! hehehehe!" he laughs, crouching down to my level to squint as I panted and held my stomach in a desperate attempt to stop the blood, "Oh a foreigner no less? I have never tasted any..." he uttered, licking some blood off his fingers before pausing once his tongue met the liquid, eyes widening in pure delight. Uh oh.

"W-WHAT SCRUMPTIOUS BLOOD!! HOW LUCKY! GYAHAHA!! A MARECHI! AN UNKNOWN ONE AT THAT!" he threw his head back in a hysterical cackle, eyes crazed over with lust, probably thinking of the amount of power he might obtain after consuming me. That is...if the looming six-eyed demon behind allowed him. Ouh he didn't seem happy. Yep.

He was violently ripped out of his power-crazed thoughts as his body was flung to a bunch of trees, smashing them in the process, "GHAARG-!!" some of his limbs were ripped apart by the force of the impacts. The demon finally skids to a stop 500 meters away, landing face-first with a cry, confused by his predicament. One moment he was in front of his soon-to-be meal, and the next he was a mess of bloody limbs.

"WHAT THE-"

he coughed blood as he tried to straighten up, his body slowly regenerating, still floored over the situation. "What just happened?! Who the fuck did this?!" he snarled, promising vengeance to whoever had the guts to crash his meal! He got up and started looking around in search of the culprit before he perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps coming from his left. He roared, "BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU THROW-" only to falter once he realized who he just insulted.

Kokushibo didn't utter a single word and slowly drew his sword out as he approached the petrified demon who at this point had forgotten his previous wrath and was now trembling profusely like a wet kitten.

'W-W-WHAT IS A KIZUKI DOING HERE?!' he noticed the Kanji, adding more to his horror 'U-UPPER M-MOON O-O-ONE?!'

The demon immediately realized what he might have done to provoke the ire of the swordsman because the bloodlust oozing his way was too real and just too much for him to handle to the point where he did a dogeza, forehand plunged into the ground, too frightened to even think of crossing the much more imposing demon's gaze. It was common knowledge that demons were territorial creatures and wouldn't take lightly any intrusion from another one in said territory, be it accidental or not, this would lead to clashes of powers between the two parties. So what kind of shit luck does one has to have to stumble upon a freaking kizuki?! An upper moon no less! They were as rare as that man's blue spider lily for kami's sake!!

"Stand." the voice...kami, it sent chills through his spine, though he quickly did so, too terrified to further anger the six-eyed demon.

'm-maybe I-I will get through t-this if I plead...? That's it! I'll offer him the foreigner...! WHAT AM I SAYING! THAT WAS PROBABLY HIS PREY TO BEGIN WITH, YOU FUCKTAR-!' he tried to lift his head, thinking that his plan might work only for his vision to be sliced in four. 'huh?' he didn't even get time to finish his thoughts that one moment his head was on his shoulders the next it was rolling on the ground, sliced in four pieces.

'Eh..?'

What was left of his body collapsed into pieces on the ground and started turning into ashes before disappearing altogether.

Did he just get slain...? J-just like that?! He didn't even see him move! Him, Sakkaku, who was confident in his power and even almost defeated a wind hashira 96 years ago easily defeated just like that?! The massive gap in power was truly...frightening.

'so this is the power of an Upper moon...terrifying' were the demon's last thought as he vanished from existence with his clothes the only proof of his previous presence.

Kokushibo didn't even bother using his breathing style on such weakling and simply executed quick slashes, though there seemed to be some kind of...animosity behind them. Figures. The demon then sheathed his sword before heading back to where I was laying with an unspoken sense of urgency.

"Oh...you came back for me...? Thanks..." I rasped. The demon stared, an unreadable look in his eyes as he approached my figure. Now that we both knew that I was some kind of ma...whatever, would he eat me? Weird...

"You're dying."

"...Yeah...no shit, honey!" A weak chuckle followed by another cough escaped my lips as Kokushibo crouched to my level. I felt his heavy gaze studying me as if debating whether or not to end my suffering before his eyes fell on the gaping hole in my stomach. "Hey, what's with that...face? Gonna...miss me?"

He didn't bother reacting to the last question, "...you humans are so fragile, it's sickening." he says plainly, eliciting a snort from me.

"heh...don't...act as if you weren't one before.." I glanced up at the sky, missing the contemplative look that briefly flashed through his eyes. "Why...did you come back anyway...? Wanna watch me croak or sum..? Not that I would mind-"

"Become a demon."

"...huh?"

Kokushibo scratched his arm without a flinch, blood dripping out of the self-inflicted wound, and then proceeded to bring it near my mouth to my horror.

"Oï Oï Oï, what's the idea...?"

"You will survive if you accept this...if that man deigns you worthy enough, you will become a demon and no longer suffer from limitations brought to you by your humanity. I am...merely showing you mercy by offering." he stated, demonic blood drops coming in contact with my cheek. A little frown came across his face as I weakly pushed his arm away while chuckling.

"don't bother with this...i'm good."

His frown deepened, "...You'd rather choose death over life?" his confusion intensified as I shook my head before staring right back at him with a soft smile.

"Life...is worth living even it comes to an...end one day or another. It is...ephemeral and that's..its beauty. Becoming a demon would only prolong the inevitable..." Kokushibo watched as my eyes slowly glazed over, my grip on his arm weakening significantly. "...say...I still don't...know your name..."

Seeing as life seemed to vanish from my eyes, the demon finally conceded,"....Kokushibo." though he didn't shove my hand away and held it instead.

"Koku...shibo, huh...I don't know...what it means but..." I smiled one last time, "it's really a nice name, I must admit that it really suits you!" and proceeded to sit up like nothing happened, "phew...and here I thought I might never learn your name!"

The demon blinked slowly, still crouched to my level. "...What."

"hm? Oh don't look at me like that, You wouldn't tell me your name, so had to find a way to get you to spit it out!" the demon was left...speechless. he watched me crack my neck until his eyes focused on my stomach before shifting to my unbothered face.

"What is the meaning of this?"

I made a sound then looked to my stomach where steam was flowing out, whilst the bleeding stopped. I made an O with my mouth, "Oh yeah, that's why I screamed 'ah I know' earlier, wanted to show you this. " I casually motion to the wound beginning to close off. "I was actually gonna ask you to cut my arm off or something, didn't expect to get donut'ed but I guess that it's the results that count!" I chuckled, thinking of the donut gang. Whilst it was no laughing matter, I couldn't help but snicker at the thought of joining all these characters who got donu-

"You tricked me." I snapped out of my thoughts.

"now now, I wouldn't call it that, see it like an impromptu...surprise..? Ayo no need to grip your sword like that haha!"

For the first time, Kokushibo showed signs of shock and wariness. He couldn't believe it. Wasn't I just dying earlier? This leads him to one conclusion.

"You're...not human.." his eyes narrowed. The percentage of him attacking me was now quickly raising but his intrigue kept him from acting on it. Oblivious to his burning stare, I proceeded to get up, brushing some leaves from my back and hair, grumbling once realizing that the bath was basically useless since I was now covered in blood, though to my credit, it began evaporating. Kokushibo mirrors me minus the whole leaves stuff while he observed the whole process. "What are you? This...this is unlike anything I've ever seen before..."

Cocking my head to the side, I hummed as the steam stopped emitting, an indication of the healing's end. He followed its path until its disappearance in the air before focusing back on me with a squint.

I didn't feel like saying too much since he might end up informing Muzan. Who knows what that bitch might do just to find me or it could lead to a major modification in the story, granted I didn't know where he was at the moment, but the thought of a new threat might push him to go into hiding once more as he did after Tanjiro found him. Hmmm...that would be problematic.

Acting with nonchalance, I decided to evade the question. "Hum...that's not important, anyway I'll have to get out of those, oh yeah, the onsen is yours." I whirled to him, purposely avoiding answering him.

Before the upper moon could further press me for answers, he halted as I got in front of him. His hand instantly found his sword, ready to cut me down only to halt when he felt something soft and warm press the corner of his lips and stiffened. His three sets of eyes widened.

I pulled back, "it was nice meeting you, Koku-kun, hope to see you one day! Or night...heh" I smirked, tapped his shoulder amicably then dipped the hell away before he could think of unaliving me for real by using instant transmission, leaving a dumbstruck demon standing in the woods.

The upper moon stood there for a while, dazed before he blinked quickly to regain his sense and looked around for me only to see nothing. My presence had vanished completely, even the blood on the floor was no longer there. He stood, rooted on his spot with a frown then appeared near the hot spring where he found me earlier only to see nothing. The place now looked untouched, there was no trace of my presence here, and even the folded clothes had disappeared as though I had never been here in the first place.

'...what...just happened...'

This led kokushibo to believe that maybe...the encounter never happened, that he could've imagined it. Yes...it could be a possibility but...

For the first time in centuries...the upper moon found himself...lost.

He didn't know what to think of this situation. I didn't seem like a threat at all but somehow...his instincts were telling him to be cautious. There was definitely something to be wary of, yet, he couldn't precisely explain why as I didn't, outright show any animosity toward him, therefore wasn't considered a threat.

There was no explanation coming to his mind about what just occurred. He slowly brought his fingers near his mouth, a slight red tint, as small as it was appeared on his pale skin.

He wondered, still feeling the warmth of my lips near his mouth. Could I have been some sort of...

'...Yokai?'

The demon frowned as he felt something wet near his lips, he brought a finger to wipe it and discovered that it was...

'Blood...?' Here goes the Yokai explanation.

He observed it, it must've been from the-

"..." It is best if he does not bring this up. However, a thought entered his mind.

"A MARECHI! AN UNKNOWN ONE AT THAT!"

He brought the bloody finger to his nose.

'No particular smell... it's just...blood.' He concluded. This further confused him as it smelled nothing like the usual marechi blood so what on earth was the demon yapping abou-

The moment his tongue came in contact with the red liquid, his eyes comically widened. This...this was unlike anything he's ever tasted...! It...it was...

Veins bulged instantly around his face while an uncharacteristic thirst for blood took over him as drool escaped his mouth where sharp teeth were bared in hunger, the menacing aura radiating from him caused every animal in the vicinity to scatter in fright as far away as possible. Though, the demon quickly snapped back into reality. The previous feeling vanished as soon as it came, leaving a quite flustered and disorientated upper moon.

A sense of deep shame took hold of him due to his loss of control. That was...quite unlike him to lose focus this way over blood. He stood there for a while, observing the scenery as he pondered over what the hell just happened. This...wasn't good.

He uttered a quiet, "Nakime." and as soon as the name left his lips, he disappeared from the woods, instantly re-appearing in a traditional-looking room in an unknown location, debating whether or not to inform That man of what just transpired.

Using the hot springs would be left to another time then...

Whoever I was...he needed to keep an eye out for me.

'Lith...'

.

.

Meanwhile, I was flying the fuck away with a startled Seppen in my arms and a little vial of blood, unaware of what I just caused. Only God knew how I managed to snatch this-

---

[art by me]

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1ST POV
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I can't believe it.

Upper moon one.

 

I GOT THE BLOOD YO- I don't even know what pushed me to pull something like this and I knew for a fact that I was the kind to think my plans through and through before acting on them. So WHY oh WHY did I smooch a DEMON!? well not really smooch but COME ON. I can't believe I did that. I knew I could be unpredictable but LORD.

Granted that it was the only way for me to snatch some blood without seeming like a threat at the moment because, Allah, those demons ain't joking especially Koku- oh boi I called him 'Koku-kun'-. DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BE SO EFFECTIVE THO. Ah crap, that's embarrassing.

Seppen was quietly observing me frantically pacing back and forth for a while now, wondering what had me so worked up before snapping her head toward something, probably some bug, ignoring my predicament. The sun was beginning to rise, the previously darkened night gave way to a new day which made it unlikely for any demon to come out as rays of sun started filtering through the trees. Unless they were dumb enough not to book it-We were currently in a clearing, kilometers away from the hot springs, far enough from where I assumed Kokushibo still was because there is no way imma be able to face him after the stunt I pulled.

"Alright, calm down. There's no need to freak out." I inhaled then exhaled a few times before truly calming down. Well, what's done is done I guess, can't take it back. A hand came resting on my belly with a grimace.

If I hadn't had the reflex to suppress my pain receptors all the time, It would've been horrifyingly painful! This is the second time I got impaled for Allah's sake!

'It better not become a recurrent thing or I'll lose my shit!'

I scowled.

It wasn't the first time that I got lethally hurt.

'Though, I've got a vague feeling of getting beheaded by a tall handsome dude...or whoever that was. Meh, probably dreamt of it.'

Scowling, I brought the vial currently in my hand to my eye and observed it closely for a few seconds with a small grimace. Dang, this shit could really turn anyone into a demon? Well shit, better keep it away from people then.

The way I obtained it was quite simple, not that anyone other than me would've managed such feat, but I may or may not have...created it and used the opportunity of him being stunned by the ki-peck that was a peck- to fill it to the brim since his arm wound was still kinda bleeding-wonder why he didn't instantly heal it though. I don't know how I thought of this on the spot but I guess it was to avoid a confrontation that would've complicated things. Didn't wanna fight him even if winning was definitely in the bag. Not to brag but being OP had definitely a thing to do with it.

I sighed, making it disappear somewhere in my house in the fridge preferably to keep it until the time comes or when I cross paths with Tamayo, which seemed unlikely at this rate since hiding was her specialty. Oh to be a protagonist! Everything would converge around you and conveniently be placed on your path just to make your life of Shonen hero a bit more interesting and easier to follow. Oh yeah, could start investigating at Asakusa, I've been there once or twice before just to buy a few kimonos/yukatas and curiosities that I stored in my room. But thinking of it now, it might not be a good idea unless I ask Kagaya. The demon woman might relocate and not meet sunshine when needed if I just randomly approached her and her little simp. Plus, I could cross paths with discount Michael Jackson which would be sick but ight, don't wanna change things too much or the timeline might go haywire.

Welp wasn't expecting to get an upper moon's blood this fast! One closest to Muzan in power no less! But hey, no can do.

Speaking of blood, Meleoron-whatever, he's probably dead. Dayum Kokushibo chill- said something about mine. I racked my brain trying to remember what 'marechi' meant, and fished out my phone to check on the wiki only to groan in exasperation.

Marechi or rare blood are usually seen as blessings for demons since their blood was 100x more scrumptious than normal blood for them. Although my situation... doesn't seem to correlate with what the wiki says. It is said that a mere cut is enough to make any demons in the vicinity go apeshit and lose focus the moment they get a whiff of it.

I frowned.

In my case, most of the time, they would show confusion about my scent, even mistaking me for a demon because of how weird as hell my smell apparently was in comparison to regular humans. Or those with good enough senses-like Kokushibo for instance-will immediately sense that something was wrong but wouldn't be able to pinpoint what. It is said that marechi blood had a distinct scent and would immediately attract demons in search of power and exposure to it will probably stun the demon enough, as shown by Sanemi, who uses it as a distraction to easily slay powerful demons since his blood was far stronger, rare and appetizing than the regular marechis. Hence his scars, but I digress.

What I don't understand here is why nothing happened when I was, well, donut'ed. They should've reacted the moment I got a hole through my stomach, right? I mean, I bleed quite profusely. Shouldn't that have been enough to make them go ape-

-The demon licked the blood off of his fingers then paused, eyes going wide-

Ah.

That explains it.

It seems like my blood is a little...different. The smell seems to be, well, what you'd expect of normal blood but once they ingest it, it must be when they realize that I'm some kind of marechi as shown by Meleoron earlier. Must have something to do with my status then, not that I complain but I'll just be more cautious and adopt a sturdier body rivaling dbz characters to avoid damage next time. Sounds good enough. Yep. The wiki doesn't say much about Marechis as it wasn't seen frequently in the Manga.

'Guess it's time to start experimenting. Yay me. It'll keep me busy anyway, the time the story goes back on track. At least it' s better than sleeping the two years away, no offense Nezuko.'

I conclude while wiping my mouth still covered with the red liquid that I hastened to evaporate before stretching my back, a lil bit tired by the previous events.

'This explains why he went bonkers upon tasting my blood. Fantastic.'

I decided to get out of the yukata before anyone could see me 'cause I'm pretty sure there's a village nearby and put on concealing attires once more. Cloak, kimono top, hakama, bandages. You know, the usual, plus the mask Tengu gramps got for me. A soft smile graced my lips at the sight of it. It was carved with utmost care and professionalism that my heart swelled with fondness. Do I have to say that I consider him my grandpa? I guess so. I gently put it on, not wanting to damage it of any sort with my strength because lord, I'm a menace.

'Wonder if I can shift. Gotta try it when no one's around.'

It's far more difficult to find a place to shift nowadays since there were humans like, everywhere and the transformation wasn't soundless either which would immediately be noticed. Didn't wanna scare them into believing that there are other monsters besides demons and might end up mistaking me as some kind of Gashadokuro.

You know those ginormous man-eating skeletons or some shit. People were easily afraid these days which was...kind of a given knowing how easy it is to kick the bucket here.

That would be hilarious though. Heh.

---

_______

3RD POV
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[1 year before canon]

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.

Throughout the year 1913, there were rumors...about a tall masked and cloaked individual going around the country, helping any villages they set foot in by eliminating threats, be it humans, bandits, criminals, and whatnot or supernatural beings, unknown by many, demons. He, because whoever met him instantly assumed that he was male due to the height was always seen sporting a dark kitsune mask with yellow eyes and golden markings along with a long dark cloak that made it nearly impossible for anyone to try and guess his appearance. However, despite the attire, it was said that he was quite...generous with every person he crossed paths with and wouldn't hesitate to lend a hand to those seeking help, going from the mere errand to paying the most unfortunate people's debts off without demanding anything in return. No one knew who he was or why he did it but his appearance was always followed by good fortune and luck.

Over time, those saved by him, usually victims of prejudices and even demons attacks, ended up labeling him [TAIYO-SHIN] 太陽神 (Sun God) because of the sun always present on his signature cloak, making it easy for anyone to identify him. Although some tried to unmask him on several occasions when they thought he wasn't on guard only to find themselves tied up on a tree with a strange...doodle of the...

...male genitalia on their forehead...

Be it hired bandits, demons, or even some...pesky slayers, there was no discrimination on who received it.

This was apparently a frightening punishment because the doodle was extremely, no, nearly impossible to remove, unless the victims fulfilled a hundred good deeds in the span of a month, otherwise it will permanently remain. Least to say that the attempts quickly lessened every time he was seen strolling around town.

Eventually, the rumors soon reached the ears of several important characters who at this point had only one desire, to discover who this...'Taiyo-shin'-who didn't seem to belong to any sides- could be as he was never seen wearing the demon slayer garb nor used anything related to them, therefore made him an unpredictable foe/ally?

Regarding the members of the demon-slayers corps, some began patrolling more often in hope of one-day crossing paths with him and maybe try to rally him to their cause, whilst ignoring the fact that their leader, Oyakata-sama, and some like Enoki and Urokodaki were aware of 'his' identity. However, every time he was spotted somewhere, he would quickly disappear before anyone from the corps could try and make contact with him, as if deliberately playing a game of cat and mouse with them. Though it was known at this point that he would be seen aiding inexperienced slayers overcome powerful and dangerous demons and would shortly disappear before any experienced if not a pillar could get to the scene.

This 'Taiyo-shin' was truly an enigma to many to the point of getting a specific individual's attention.

.

 

.

[Infinity castle- Time -??]

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.

A sharp but melodious buzz of a biwa echoed into space and was shortly followed by the appearance of numerous powerful beings who seemed rather...confounded by the sudden summon. After all, summons in the infinity castle of every upper moon were of an extremely rare occurrence compared to the lower moons who were weaker, therefore were prone to change every 10 years or less, unlike the upper moons who remained the same for centuries and were rarely seen gathered together. Rare case being the defeat of one of them for instance could've been a motive which apparently was not the case at the moment since all the numbers ranging from six to two were present. Only Upper moon one was nowhere to be seen, though it was common for him to hide his presence which could explain the lack of him standing among his peers.

"Ah! Guys, long time no see! How have you been?" a rather cheerful voice, irksome to some, resounded the moment everyone found their bearings. The owner of the voice, a pale golden blond-haired demon with a bloodstain atop his head and his most noticeable features, rainbow-colored eyes on which the Kanjis upper and two were imprinted grinned at the sight of those around him. His bubbliness, a big contrast to the staid atmosphere rang through the air, though it wouldn't take any clever person to notice how jive his words sounded. "After all it's been..." he hummed, tapping a bloodied finger on his cheek, it seemed like he was in the middle of a 'meal' before getting summoned, though he didn't seem particularly bothered by the interruption "...years since we've seen each other!" He settled for that, not bothering to wipe the blood off his lips.

[UPPER MOON: TWO]
DOUMA

"A-actually...it-it's b-been...112 years s-since our l-last gathering..." in came the meek voice of a rather frail-looking demon whose most notable features were the large bump on his forehead, the horns, and his very thin skeletal frame.

[UPPER MOON: FOUR]
HANTENGU

He immediately flinched with an "EEK!" the moment he got everyone's attention on him and proceeded to quickly scramble away and hide behind a big colorful ceramic pot from which a quite...grotesque looking demon seemed to be growing out of it. Grotesque by the two large green mouths situated where the eyes are commonly found, whilst said eyes were located vertically, one in the middle of his forehead with the Kanji for upper, the other in the open-bottom mouth on which the Kanji for five were engraved while his body was armless with infant-like arms lining his back.

[UPPER MOON: FIVE]
GYOKKO

"Hyo Hyo! It has indeed been a long time, Douma-dono!" said demon choose to ignore the one currently cowering behind him and decided to greet the rainbow-eyed demon with enthusiasm, his figure wiggling with each word pronounced. "Have you found any utility to the pots I gifted you?"

Douma perks up, "yes, actually I did, Gyokko-dono!" they then dissolved into small talks about the apparent use of human heads as substitutes for plants, delighting the abstract-looking demon, though the others ignored the duo.

"Hmpf, I can't believe such unappealing creatures are placed right in front of me!" a female-looking demon, garbed into oiran attire with Upper and six imprinted in her lime green eyes muttered while glaring at the cowering demon who flinched, then at the grotesque demon- going by the name Gyokko-who choose not to acknowledge her comment, too busy discussing art ideas to care.

[UPPER MOON: SIX]
DAKI

 

She then turned her attention toward a pink-haired demon. Her attitude doing a complete 180. "Akaza-kun! You're as beautiful as always!" She smiled coyly, rather glad to see the male.

The demon in mention briefly sent her a small nod, "Daki." acknowledging her presence before turning to the biwa demon to the oiran's slight annoyance for being overshadowed by her.

[UPPER MOON: THREE]
AKAZA

"Is master here?" the biwa demon responded with a shake of the head. He seemed displeased, though he went on, "What about Upper Moon one, is he here?" although, before he could get a response, an arm was slung around his shoulders.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't my best buddy, Akaza-dono! Still refusing to eat women I see! You know you might actually surpass me if you did, haha!"

"Move your arm."

"Huh? Now come on I'm just teasing you, aren't we best fri-" the lower part of his face was immediately ripped off by a punch. There was a beat of silence, though the damage quickly healed. "Whoaa! Did you get stronger? That was quite the punch!"

The pink-haired demon was now seething, veins grew on his forehead as he slowly looked toward Douma which got a pitiful 'eep' from the frail-looking demon, his pure unadulterated hatred for the blond showing. Before things could escalate further, the biwa demon spoke.

"Upper moon one was the first to arrive. He has been here the whole time."

[ BIWA DEMON ]
NAKIME

They all visibly jolted and quickly looked around and true to her words, said demon was sitting in a proper seiza, alone in a room feet away from them.

"I...am here." he uttered quietly. He seemed rather...well, by upper moon standards at least. Though they wouldn't be able to tell as he wasn't one to show interest in them by actively interacting with any of them. "Muzan-Sama has arrived."

[UPPER MOON: ONE]
KOKUSHIBO

Everyone immediately kneeled prostrate before the demon king who could be seen sitting upside down on a chesterfield reading a book, though none of them, except Douma, dared to look up. It seemed like he had been here for a while now.

[DEMON KING]
MUZAN KIBUTSUJI

The male wore lavish clothes proper to the era, hair combed neatly for a man of his standing as he turned a page from his book, not bothering to interrupt his reading in order to address them properly. "it has come to my notice that there seems to be quite a disturbance going on lately." he said plainly.

The upper moons were tempted to exchange looks of confusion, wondering what might have pushed their master into summoning them all after all these years, let alone when none of them seemed to have perished, though they refrained from asking as he went on.

"Especially going by the name of... 'Taiyo-shin'" his grip on the book slightly tightened, partially damaging it at the reminder of the sun or anything remotely related to it. The mere mention of it evokes an almost primitive disgust in him.

"Ah! I heard of him!" Douma exclaimed, raising a hand as if he were in a classroom, seemingly unaware of his master's fool mood, "I mean, one of my followers spoke of him! Though I find myself quite annoyed that he's growing into popularity among humans recently! I might lose some followers because of him!" he ended with a pout, supposedly upset over the matter.

The Oiran perked up, on her forehead a third eye with the Kanji six and yellow sclera was watching the exchange, signaling the presence of her brother.

[UPPER MOON: SIX]
G YUTARO

"It's been for a while but I heard by some slayers that he apparently was not part of the corps as seen by his constant avoidance of them. Even hashiras seems to have trouble locating him." she informed dutifully. Thanks to her posing as an Oiran, she had quite the hands-on information and everything going on at night, knowing that some humans tended to have loose mouths around women, and after many cups of sake, be it politics and rich merchants, staying updated was an easy achievement for her and slayers weren't exempt from it. A deep blush colored her cheeks due to having her master's attention on her. "Unfortunately, I don't know much as he never set foot in the red light district, my apologies, Muzan-sama." she bowed deeply.

"Indeed, what Daki-chan said! I've heard that he kills demons too, so that must mean that he's at least powerful enough to take them on! And here I thought only demon slayers were nuisances. Does Muzan-sama wishes for us to get rid of him?" Douma informed giddily. If he could get rid of that pest, he wouldn't have to slaughter his followers trying to seek this 'Taiyo-shin' out. He felt quite...insulted that they would try and do so when he was here trying to help them! Truly insulting! Though Douma was just pretending to care and was simply looking for a reason to murder people.

"Hm, that's...interesting." he hummed, closing his eyes to ponder. "It seems that only Douma and Daki are aware of the situation. What of you lots? Nothing to add? Useless." he sneered in the end toward the others, causing them to lower their head in shame while the two in mention glowed in exhilaration, well one of them in this case, the other was just pretending to show happiness.

Although they all briefly heard about the rumors, some of them did not really pay attention to it at the time. It seems like they should've, though, this was quite...strange. Usually, Muzan-Sama tended to be discontent with everything, so for him to only show slight crankiness instead of his typical conniption which would end up in a blood bath puzzled them, though they wisely kept these thoughts to themselves.

Speaking of the devil, slitted plum eyes snapped open. "Find him. Once you do, offer him the possibility to turn into a demon, and if he refuses or opposes resistance, kill him. I do not want him on the demon slayers' side, am I clear? Something quite...strange seems to have happened to the Ubuyashikis but I do not know what," he mutters to himself in the end, veins bulging suddenly around his face, showcasing his displeasure, though, it quickly receded. "No matter, just find him. I'll offer blood to whoever manages to bring him on our side." he finishes dismissively.

They all responded in unison. "Understood!" relieved that their lord didn't seem particularly displeased with them, though the unspoken relief was for short notice.

"What of the 'blue spider lily'?"

'shit.'

For the first time since their creation, the upper moons all felt an immense sense of kinship in front of danger.

---

After Muzan was done nagging them about their inability to find one simple flower over the years, he dismissed himself, leaving the upper moons to their own devices. He had better things to do than supervise them. He could leave that to Kokushibo. Although...there was something quite strange going on with the upper moon that he couldn't define, he choose not to dwell on it and returned to whatever activities he had been doing prior to the meeting.

Once their master took his leave, Daki was quickly approached by the blond.

"Daki-chan! How's my little protégé doing? And Gyutaro? It seems like we're the only one able to meet Muzan-sama's expectations nowadays! Don't you think?" Douma chirped, unknowingly sending spikes through the others' chests. Or perhaps was it done on purpose? Who knows. "Let's team up! I'm sure we'll easily find this...erm...Taiyo-shin, yes!" The blond went to hug the female who jolted in surprise at the sudden call of her name.

The eye on her forehead narrowed in suspicion for a second before disappearing completely, deciding to let his sibling deal with the annoying demon.

"EGH! ! Let go of me you freak!" the Oiran bellowed, breaking out of the prestigious character for a more bratty attitude, repeatedly slapping and scratching the blond across the face while sneering. Douma released peals of laughter, unfazed by the assault on his face as he held the thrashing woman in his arms.

Speaking of face, a vicious punch blew the upper part of his head, sending it to who knows where. The infinity castle was a hassle to comprehend even for them. Only Nakime knew every nook and cranny of the place, having spent a major part of her existence inside. Douma released Daki in surprise.

"You're noisy, you nuisance." Akaza spat in distaste. He was already pissed off by the blond's comment and mere presence so he had little to no patience for him. He turned to a thankful Daki with an aloof look while the blond dramatically whined about how poorly his 'Best friend' treats him, regenerating as fast as he got hit. "What do you know about this Taiyo-shin? Is he strong?"

Hantengu and Gyokko's attentions were picked too, quite curious about the matter, though the former remained rooted in his spot quivering, not wanting to approach his peers in fear of getting hit by Akaza.

"Indeed! I was not expecting Muzan-sama to show this much interest to the point of summoning us for it!" Gyokko added in, swaying as he spoke. "And to think that I devoured a human who wouldn't stop yapping about him just a mere week ago! How unfortunate!"

"Ah~ I got information too! Do you wanna hear it?" Douma sang. They paid him no mind, turning to the Oiran in expectation. Rude.

Daki blinked before adopting a superior look. "Hmpf! Why should I tell you weirdos?! You heard it! Muzan-Sama promised blood to whoever finds him! I don't know why I should help you! Sucks to be you!"

"Tsk, damn selfish brat." Gyokko muttered, returning to his pot in disinterest, wondering why he thought he'd get anything from this stupid child while Akaza's eye twitched but remained silent.

An irk mark grew on Daki's face, having heard the comment. "What did you call me?! You stinky piece of rotten fish! Ugly!" She insulted, rudely pointing toward the pot. "And you dare call this art? Disgusting, just like you!"

There was a beat as everyone stared at the pot in silence until an infuriated Gyokko sprang out of it, glowering, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU HARLOT?! I'LL KILL YOU!" the little hands lining his back all clenched tight in anger.

Daki being none the wiser bared her teeth in defiance, flower patterns emerging on her face while she took a stance, the pink obi around her intricate kimono springing to life to imitate spider legs, sharp and ready to cut anything on its way.

"Mah mah! Gyokko-dono, there is no need to be upset!" Douma attempted to placate things by placing himself between the rankled demons with an easy-going smile, hands held in a pacifying manner, "Daki-chan is but a child, she doesn't know better, you should know that, right? Our role as superior beings is to give leeway to those lower than us, not scold them over trivial things, right Aka—"

His head was instantly cut off by a flash of pink. It bounced on the tatami mat once or twice with a yelp then rolled to a stop next to a horrified Hantengu who nearly passed out in fright. "EEK! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING 'CHILD'?!" Daki's shrill voice echoed.

"Daki—"

"SHUT UP ONI-CHAN! THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" She spat in their mental link, earning a mental eye roll from Gyutaro.

Akaza watched with barely concealed satisfaction the headless body clumsily scamper to its head, feeling vindictive all of a sudden.

"Daki." an unnerving silence fell over the entire castle as everyone froze the moment they heard his voice. They momentarily forgot that he was still here. Daki didn't move...no, she refused to move as her eyes were blown wide in fright.

"O-oni-chan...!"

"OH, now you need me? Don't bring me into this, you idiot!"

"But—"

Her breath hitched as her eyes slowly shifted to the side only to be met with purple. The little colors she had drained off of her face. Upper moon one stood right next to her, staring at her with his unnerving set of eyes, his tall frame scaring the wits out of her while a hand was placed atop his sword. Despite not knowing much about him and only seeing him once, it was known that he didn't take lightly those disrupting hierarchy and would immediately reprimand them in the worse way possible. And even...execute them.

Tears involuntarily welled up in lime green eyes in dread at the thought of what might happen to her, expecting to be mercilessly cut into pieces the moment she opens her mouth. She couldn't run, he'll easily catch up! WHY WASN'T THIS STUPID  ONI-CHAN OF HERS SAYING ANYTHING?! Daki nearly fainted the moment he opened his mouth to speak.

"...Do you mind...telling me what...he looks like...?"

Silence.

"...'h-he'..?" Daki squeaked in incomprehension, barely keeping herself from passing out in fright.

"Taiyo-shin..." The swordsman clarified pithily.

Baffled, everyone stared at the strongest with wide eyes. Douma halted from placing his head back to stare at him, slack-jawed. Even the usually unperturbed Nakime showed interest in the situation. Despite her living as long as the master, she had never witnessed Kokushibo-sama not react to a disturbance, let alone not reprimand the cause of it. So it was quite shocking to see that he didn't immediately discipline the troublemaker. Something....wasn't right.

Still shaken, the Oiran immediately blurted the information requested, fearing that he might decide to wipe her from the face of the earth in one strike and keep her brother instead if she didn't do so. She even described what the target looked like from what she had heard from the humans visiting her house while posing as Warabihime. The target wore a long hooded cloak, usually dark with suns on the front and back, and a distinct black kitsune mask with a golden sun on the forehead followed by markings of the same color. She further added that he was 6ft precisely and could be found wandering everywhere at any time, be it night or day which is what made it quite difficult to locate him. He could sometimes be seen carrying a large rectangular box. No one ever bothered to question what was inside.

In her terror, she involuntarily informed everyone, the others noted.

 

The swordsman pondered for a few seconds then nodded in gratitude, further shocking them all. He appeared next to the Biwa demon with great swiftness that made Daki nearly stumble, realizing that she unknowingly saved herself from embarrassment and certainly death since he would've easily disposed of her if she went to book it. They watched him exchange a few words with Nakime before vanishing altogether after the latter used her biwa, sending him to who knows where leaving incredulous demons staring at the spot he previously occupied.

Douma blinked before chuckling heartily, having placed his head back. "Well, that was anticlimactic. This is the first time I see Kokushibo-dono not berate a kouhai! He must've finally applied my advice! I'm glad!" the blond cheered, clapping his hands, "Aren't you a lucky one, Daki-chan? You just dodged a bullet!"

He turned to the woman only to hum in surprise as he watched her collapse on the ground with tears streaming down her face. She shortly proceeded to wail. Loudly. "I...I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DIE..! ONI-CHAN..!"

Gyokko showed signs of irritation at the noise and returned to hover above his pot, grumbling in dissatisfaction while Hantengu shakily lowered the hands he had on his head in protection to instead plug his ears from the noise Daki was making. Akaza watched with mild annoyance the blond try to comfort the noisy woman, failing miserably while a pale greyish arm grew out of the Oiran's nape which then went to pat her head. Probably Gyutaro trying to comfort his sister. The strange scene put aside, the tattooed demon's attention was drawn to Nakime.

"What did Upper moon one say?" he inquired. This got everyone's attention. Daki momentarily stopped crying to listen, though there were still hiccups now and then.

Nakime brought the bachi* near the strings of her biwa. "To send you back."

Before anyone could react, a buzz resounded and everyone was sent back to where they were prior to the meeting. Nakime wasn't dealing with them any longer than necessary and they were quite...troublesome and noisy, which she found...unpleasant. She enjoyed her silence and isolation thank you very much. Ruby lips stretched slightly in a small smile when she was greeted by silence, the sound of her biwa echoing softly through the entire castle as she played tunes of her own making. Waiting for her master's next orders...

---

_______

3RD POV
_______

.

.

Hokuro Yasu

Sounds of lumbering footsteps followed by shallow, heaving breathing caused by numerous wounds rang through the forest. A wounded navy-haired young man clad in a damaged demon slayer uniform was maneuvering in the forest. Body pierced by strange arrows that seemed to suck in his blood the more he moved, weakening him exponentially. His grip on his nichirin sword waned with each step he took as he moved around the forest, trying his best to escape the one currently chasing him while more of those...arrows whizzed past him almost tauntingly. Could this even be considered a chase? He was slow, painfully slow, and punctured from everywhere. He doesn't even know how he's alive right now with all these arrows that made each step feel like hell.

This truly wasn't his day. Dammit!

To top it off, his kasugai crow got shot down by one of those arrows, killing it immediately the moment he arrived on the scene before it could fly to safety. It seemed like the demon was aware of the birds' importance for slayers, hence why it took it down first, probably to anger the slayer as well. And it worked. Like an idiot, Yasu rushed to the demon, anger clouding his mind, promising vengeance without analyzing his opponent's abilities which had been a rookie mistake he normally wouldn't do.

But could you blame him? He had this bird for years and had grown fond of it. This lapse of judgment was what made him underestimate the demon's cunningness which now resulted in him running for his life with a cackling demon on his trail who was probably toying with him at this point.

"run run little deer~ run and entertain me~" a feminine voice echoed meters behind him as two more arrows whizzed past him, causing him to stumble in a way to avoid them. However-

"...shit..!" Yasu cursed, tripping over a rock, landing heavily on the ground with a painful grunt which caused some of the arrows to deepen in his flesh. He tried to get up but it was for naught as the blood loss seemed to have taken a toll on him, his wounds making it difficult for him to get up.

'Come on, move move!'

He kept cursing himself as he desperately tried to move while the demon got closer and closer to his location.

"Ah? Tired already? Such a shame, I was expecting a sturdier prey this time~ Are slayers becoming weak nowadays? " he heard the demon drawl, dissatisfied as she gracefully landed on the ground. She had been chasing him by jumping from tree to tree while he 'ran' for his life.

She was garbed into a Kyudo outfit, on her back were those strange blood-sucking arrows while she held a neatly carved bone bow. Her skin was of a pale shade of green with arrow markings tattooed, short pine-colored hair with a horn in the middle of her forehead while her eyes were pupilless orange sclera.

The demon stood looming over him, disappointment oozing out of her due to the premature nature of the chase. "Couldn't you put more effort into this? How disappointing." she sighed then took a few steps, stopping to look down on him as he panted, coughing blood. "How pathetic, and you call yourself a slayer? You're the most idiotic one I've ever met! At least the others were smart enough to think before attacking."

Yasu craned his neck with difficulty and threw a vicious glare toward his tormentor. "Damn you...just end me already!" he spat.

An amused smirk stretched her lips upward as she crouched to his level, condescendence lacing her tone "Oh? Can't handle the truth? Now, why should I listen to you? It's funnier to watch you squirm in agony anyway!" She chuckled, plucking an arrow out of his back, eliciting a cry of pain from the male. "And your blood...doesn't seem tasty at all hum~" she says, licking the tip of the metal before gagging. "Yup, taste like dirt, not appetizing at all, what a waste."

Yasu's eyes narrowed in anger, though it was mostly directed toward himself than the demon currently insulting him. If only he had been more careful he wouldn't be in this situation! He knew death was in the job description but he never thought he would find his end in such...humiliating way! Pathetic indeed! He even let his crow die! What would his brother think of him? And he called himself tsuchi-

"Oi Oi Oi, don't start daydreaming now, it's rude!" She huffed in displeasure, slapping him harshly on the head, earning an "ACK..!" from the wounded slayer. She then grabbed his hair and proceeded to forcefully shake his head. "how dare you ignore me huh? Unacceptable!" She sneered. "You should be begging for your life now so I can squash your hopes up! Come on! Beg!"

Instead of giving her what she expected, Yasu threw her a withering glare. "Go fuck yourself!" he snarled. He was too mad to be scared at this point.

The demon's eye twitched, "You little..." she growled, aiming with the arrow in her hand, no longer feeling entertained by the pesky slayer. "You're wasting my time."

"And...you're an eyesore to my existence!" Yasu shot back without missing a beat despite his injuries.

Numerous irk marks appeared on the seething demon's face. That's it. She was about to fire only to pause as her pointy ears picked up a far away voice approaching their location. It suspiciously sounded like...singing?

"....ick of it. Into the thick of it. Into the thick of it. UGH"

'what is this language?!' / 'is that... English ?'

"we're tramping through the bush, on and on we push!"

Both Yasu and the demon exchanged confused looks but were brought back by the sound of rustling bushes and watched with barely concealed incredulity a rather...tall figure clad in a dark cloak come out of it.

"into the thick of it!"

the figure exclaimed then stopped, seeming to realize that he had an audience and slowly turned his masked head to look at the two currently observing him. There was a beat as everyone stared at each other before the figure whistled as he got a grab of the situation. Looking back and forth between the two. "Am I interrupting something?"

Yasu, despite being on death's door, broke out of his daze to shout at the newcomer. He couldn't exactly see the person due to how far he was. "Idiot! Can't you see that it's a demon?! Ru-" He was interrupted by a kick on the face that almost knocked him out.

The masked person winced.

'S-shit! Because of me, an innocent is going to die...!' he cursed himself, trying to stay awake.

The demon turned to the newcomer with an elated grin, ignoring the nearly dead slayer at her feet. "Well well well, aren't you an unlucky human? And here I thought things would remain boring! But for a new prey to come to me by itself? How lucky!" She giggled, stomping on the slayer's arm to get his attention. He cried in pain, feeling something snap. "Oi look! Another prey! Isn't that fantastic? If you had done your job properly, maybe this person wouldn't have stumbled upon the great me! Hahaha, useless!" She mocked, turning to the figure who simply stood there watching while adjusting the...box he was carrying. The demon hummed, now curious about it. What was in it?

The masked person noticed the demon's stare and got an idea. He proceeded to gently place the box on the ground before leaning on it, and...waited. Waiting for what, who knows?

"What are you doing, human? You heard him right? Shouldn't you be running for your life?" The demon tilted her head to the side, a hand on her hip, surprised by the person's lack of reaction to her presence. She analyzed his outfit, kitsune mask, and a long cloak. No katana in sight so that wasn't a demon slayer, she could relax then. It was a simple idiotic human who probably doesn't realize the danger he was in. Oh well. Makes things easier for her.

"OH well, I must've crossed paths with you guys for a reason, not gonna waste an opportunity to experiment." he hummed, placing a gloved hand atop the rectangular wooden box.

The demon showed signs of confusion, not expecting this answer, "...Experiment?"

"yeah, also do you mind removing your foot from this poor guy? He doesn't look okay." he pointed a gloved finger toward Yasu who was doing his best to stay conscious.

Yasu gritted his teeth in despair, 'please run...!' still on the ground, injured.

He wouldn't mind if it was only him dying tonight, but with the knowledge of another life on the stake, he couldn't help but feel frustrated for his inability to kill this demon. His vision was starting to blur as the remaining energy he had burnt out at a fast pace because of the arrows sucking his blood.

"Do you hear yourself?" the demon laughed quite in disbelief. Was this human for real? "You know I will kill you right?" to prove her point, she aimed her bow and arrow at the masked person, ready to shoot.

The cloaked figure shrugged, uncaring about the threat to his life as he casually held his chin with both hands on the box. "You can try." he executed a strange knocking pattern on the box.

"Blood Demon Art: Life Draining Arrows!"

She exclaimed immediately shooting consecutive arrows at breakneck speed a normal human wouldn't be able to dodge, heck even a well-trained slayer like Yasu couldn't. Her lips twitched in a vicious grin, witnessing the human's lack of self-preservation. He didn't even try to move. Foolish human.

Yasu's eyes widened in horror though he couldn't see exactly what was happening, he recognized the attack's name and proceeded to shout for the person to dodge, but it was too late as the arrows closed in on their unmoving target, ready to pierce him...only for the box's door to slam open with great force.

One moment they were expecting a punctured person, in Yasu's case, the stranger's grunts or cry of pain since his vision was crap, but he heard none of that. The arrows never hit home since the person was...unarmed and very much alive, casually leaning on the box while all the arrows were on the ground, cut into pieces and shortly, turning into ashes as if cut by a...nichirin blade?

There was a beat as the demon stared between the cloaked figure, the now open box from which she, for some reason, couldn't discern the interior of, and what was left of her...arrows. "What."

what just happened.

"pfft-"

She snapped out of her daze to stare at the human, blinking quickly "Are you mocking me...?"

"Oh please, I would nev-HEH"

Veins appeared on her face as a pissed-off look distorted her features into a snarl the moment she heard the cloaked person chortle. Despite not seeing his face, she could already imagine what kind of face he was making. He was definitely mocking her!

Yasu could do nothing but watch the fuzzy green blob materialize an innumerable number of arrows out of her flesh she immediately shot at an inhumane rapid succession, all whizzing with great speed toward the amused person, this time aiming to kill, only for the same result to occur, befuddling the demon who gasped in shock.

"W-WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?! HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" She screeched. She prided herself in her aiming! So this couldn't be-

"Heh. Wouldn't you wanna know? Weren't ya supposed to kill me?" the figure mocked once more, fingers lazily tapping the box as a hand held his chin, infuriating the demon who sent him a withering glare.

Truthfully angered for being made fun of, she barred her teeth, ready to lunge at the person and teach him a lesson only to freeze upon seeing something come out of the box. Her pupilless eyes comically widened in fright once she saw the new presence grow and tower over her.

"Im..impossible...!" her voice was barely above a whisper as her body began to quiver in fright, utterly terrified by the new presence. W-WHAT WAS A D-DEMON DOING WITH A HUMAN?! W-WHY HIM?!

Yasu didn't understand why his arrogant opponent was now backing away and freaking out like a cowering animal. his vision red and blurry made it difficult for him to take on the scene completely as he could only see a blob of colors moving before him which pushed him to focus more on his hearing. The next thing he knew, quick slashing sounds echoed, too quick in fact that he would've missed them if not for him focusing everything on his hearing and the blood-curdling shriek that followed made him flinch.

Huh?

He was startled when the demon's head landed right in front of him with a loud thud, scaring him enough to release a yelp.

"W-WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?! WHY ME?! I JUST WANTED A GOOD HUNT DAMMIT! THIS IS NOT FAIR! DAAAD-" her cries were cut short as her mouth turned into ashes along with the rest of her head as she disappeared.

What? Was the demon slain? By who? Did another slayer arrive to finish the job? Thank go-

"Ah, and here I thought you wouldn't come out! Thanks!"

He heard the figure chirp. It sounded vaguely feminine...? But he couldn't be so sure since the voice was unlike anything he's ever heard before. He...she...whatever seemed to be talking with someone but Yasu couldn't see. He was starting to lose consciousness, his breath ragged as his eyes got heavier with fatigue.

"What? Don't look at me like that now, I know I could've handled things but I wanted to see if you'd protect me! Does that mean that you like me? Aw, don't be shy- Oi don't ignore me! Hm, what is it? What are you looking at-Oh!" the figure seemed to realize something as a gasp was heard. "Holy shit, totally forgot about you! Please hang on dude!" hastened footsteps approached Yasu's body but he couldn't move. Everything hurts.

Ah, he was bleeding...quite profusely at that now that the arrows were no longer piercing him. Was it the end for him? Heh, how pitiful...

He heard the person getting closer to his position. He was tempted to tell him not to bother since it was too late for him.

Sleeping...sleeping sounds...nice. Nobody would mind...if he closed his eyes just for a bit...right?

The young man missed the figure's glowing outstretched hand coming toward him as he closed his eyes for what he thought would be the last ti-

---

"..su..!"

...huh...?

"..Ya...!"

This...this voice...

"...lease...wake..up!"

...wake...up? What do you mean, wasn't he dead? What the-

He felt something repeatedly poke his head, it was quite annoying but he could deal with it. That is until the thing nearly poked his eye out, startling him into jolting up. His eyes snapped open which was shortly followed by a gasp as he sat up.

"Where-"

"Oh my god! Miho is so glad that Yasu is okay!" his face was suddenly assaulted by feathers as a voice loudly cawed in relief, "Thank god thank God thank god-"

"...Miho?" the young man asked in disbelief, recognizing the owner of the voice. It was his kasugai crow! "Miho!" he cried in shock and proceeded to hug the bird who squawked in surprise. He didn't expect to see the bird in the afterlife but damn was he glad to see her! "I can't believe it, did we really die? I'm so sorry! I should've been more careful!"

"Huh? 'Die'? Yasu's alive, idiot!"

"Alive...?" He muttered in shock. That wasn't...wait. He remembers being sent to investigate a nearby village where there was a rumor about a demon lurking around, terrorizing its inhabitants. Being a freshly promoted tsuchinoe, he easily took the mission, confident in his abilities. However, once there, his crow was taken down by an arrow, which enraged him to no end, and pushed him to foolishly lunge to avenge his companion only to suffer the same fate. So how on earth was he okay?

Yasu finally took in his surroundings and discovered that it was almost the break of dawn and that he was still in the forest which must've meant that he lost...consciousness for a few hours at most. The big question now was HOW THE HELL WAS HE OKAY?! WASN'T HE LIKE, DYING EARLIER?! Aside from the fact that he was no longer injured, which puzzled the heck out of him, he-

"Savior!" his crow chirped happily, interrupting his thoughts.

"Savior?" Yasu muttered in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"A mysterious person appeared and healed Miho before Miho could die! He saved Yasu too, that's why Yasu got no injuries! Savior! Savior!"

"Now come on that's not possiACK-"

"it is! How do you explain your state, you dummy! Dummy!" the bird shouted, rudely poking him on the cheek to his dismay.

Yasu sighed. Miho was right. He couldn't explain it but he was really alive and breathing. It was as if he never went to the mission, to begin with. If not for the damaged uniform, he would've believed that he hallucinated everything, but the pain of seeing his companion hurt and being pierced was too vivid and real...to have been imagined. He didn't know who this 'mysterious person' was, how they healed him and his crow but he was glad. Maybe it was a spirit? Maybe the gods were merciful enough to give him a second chance to live and he would be a fool to not use it to get stronger. Tonight was a sign for him to push himself harder. He can't let something like this happen again. He nearly died for kami's sake because of his stupidity! What would his siblings think of this? They'll probably chew him out for his recklessness which was kinda...deserved.

The slayer finally decided to get up, still a bit disoriented but okay, and grabbed his sword he promptly sheathed. He wasn't sure if the mysterious guy and the cloaked figure were the same person, though it was confirmed by his crow that it was the case so he hummed in wonder.

"Was he the one who killed the demon?" Yasu had asked as he walked toward the path to the village while his crow glided toward him, energetic as always. He didn't catch everything but he remembers the demon's head in front of him and hell, it seemed terrified. Who could inspire this much fear into a demon though?

"No!"

"No? Then who?"

"it was a swordsman! Really powerful! But Miho didn't see it clearly! Too fast!"

This left a really confused Yasu to ponder on the events. That was so...weird. Maybe he'll ask his siblings if they heard about a cloaked figure traveling at night as well...

---

"IDIOT!"

"ACK!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE- WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO RECKLESS?! ARE YOU DUMBER THAN I THOUGHT?!"

"I said I was sorry!" Yasu whined, massaging his throbbing head with a pout. "You didn't have to smack me this hard.."

"Yeah. 'sorry' WON'T ERASE THE FACT THAT YOU NEARLY DIED! WHAT WOULD KIYOSHI THINK?! THE KID LOOKS UP TO YOU, WHAT WOULD HE SAY?! HUH?! AND I WILL SMACK YOU HOWEVER I WANT, I'M THE OLDER SIBLING, DAMN IT. "

"Just by 5 minutes.."

"SHUT THAT MOUTH OF YOURS YOU BRAT."

Yasu sighed through his nose as he watched his brother nag him, he knew this was deserved. He almost died yesterday if it wasn't for this 'savior' who rescued him and Miho, out of nowhere, otherwise, he'd been long gone. Speaking of the bird, he threw a subtle glare toward her, alas it wasn't subtle enough since his twin noticed and proceeded to harshly bonk his head once again.

"Oh don't glare at Miho like that! She did a great job telling me what happened since Mister didn't find it necessary to tell me!"

"just fucking calm down, Suya! I'm alive, end of the story!"

Hokuro Suya

Suya's eye twitched "Alive thanks to this 'savior' of yours, otherwise, you'd be dead, six feet under!" he fumed, patting the unapologetic bird's little head. "I can't believe you have such a dumb owner."

"idiot!" Miho chirped from her spot on Suya's shoulder.

"idiot indeed." Suya confirmed with a nod, irritating his kneeling brother who let out an offended "Oi" in response. They were currently in a Wisteria house Yasu found on his way where his brother was conveniently resting after a mission which, contrary to his, went swiftly, aside from a broken arm on its way to heal. He had watched in horror his crow glide and literally throw him under the chart as she literally told everything to Suya which infuriated his brother, leading him to now. After they were told to kindly keep the noise down since they were apparently bothering other slayers, the twins found themselves in front of their dinner, garbed into the house's signature purple-colored yukatas.

"So, remember what this 'savior' looks like? So we can find him and thank him for saving your sorry ass." Suya inquired, still a bit mad over his brother's recklessness though he couldn't be more glad and relieved for his twin's survival. Being demon slayers wasn't ideal when you wished for a long life with a wife and couple of kids but they needed to protect their younger siblings from these monsters. They had already lost their dad a year ago.

"No," Yasu shook his head, munching on his fish. "couldn't see a damn thing though Miho told me that he wore a cloak and a mask, that's all I know." he revealed before pausing at his brother's gaping face with a frown, chopsticks halfway in his mouth. "What?"

"no way..."

"What? What is it?"

"I can't believe- Tell me, was he wearing a kitsune mask?" Suya leaned in, eyes sparkling all of a sudden which weirded his brother out who leaned back.

"uh...yeah? What of it?"

"What of it- YASU TAIYO-SHIN JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE! HOW LUCKY"

"Kami-Keep it down, would you?! And who's this 'Taiyo-shin' you're yapping about?" Yasu hissed, finding his brother's sudden 180 strange as hell.

Suya deadpanned, wondering if his brother was a lost cause. "are you serious?" after only getting a confused look in response, Suya sighed and ultimately informed his brother of this sun god, his enthusiasm returning halfway through the discussion.

"You have no idea how many people are after him! Even the pillars are seeking him out without success!" Suya informed.

Yasu pondered on it for a while as silence settled. He glanced up at his brother "Say, Suya,"

"Hm?"

"you said he's mostly seen wandering alone right?"

Suya cocked his head to the side in question. "Yeah, what of it?"

"I was wondering, did anyone notice a swordsman accompanying him?"

"a 'swordsman'? Not to my knowledge, why?"

Yasu proceeded to explain what his crow told him a day prior, confusing Suya.

"Hm, from what I heard he travels alone, never heard of a swordsman accompanying him, however, he was recently seen carrying a box sometimes. That's all I'm aware of. He's slippery as a snake! No one knows what he's up to. Did Miho see what the swordsman looked like?"

"No, he was too fast for her to see and disappeared along with him."

Suya finished his meal with pursed lips and a hand holding his chin as a thoughtful expression took hold of his features. "Well, not much is known about him so it might've been a one-time thing who knows." he shrugged "Though, words out that he might actually be a god in disguise and you know what, I'm inclined to believe it since you're here alive and kicking." he grinned.

Yasu blinked before shrugging "Huh, maybe it's a demon pretending to be a god? Wouldn't be that far-fetched." he mumbled, skeptical about it.

"impossible," Suya shook his head adamantly, " he's also seen outside under the sun. There's no way for him to be a demon."

"how do you explain the cloak then?"

"privacy? Anyway why on earth would he help us if he was a demon? Use that brain of yours for kami's sake!"

Yasu glanced at him blankly then he squinted. "Why are you defending him anyway? Could it be that you caught feelings for him too? Really you should fix that u-"

Suya's grip on his chopsticks tightened suddenly. "DON'T BRING MY LOVE LIFE INTO THIS, YOU IMBECILE"

"AH! SO I'M RIGHT THEN!"

"SHUT UP! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS."

"WITH YOUR BROKEN ARM?"

"OH DON'T PLAY WITH ME YOU LITTLE-"

The shoji door slid harshly, interrupting the bickering duo who both snapped their head toward the intruder only to blanch at the sight of the livid person currently glaring at them. They quickly scrambled to their feet, disregarding their dinner, both sweating profusely in dread.

Veins were visible on the person's scarred face who seemed at this point rightfully pissed off. It seemed like his sleep had somehow been disrupted if his puffy eyes were any indication. "You bozos better SHUT THE FUCK UP before I give you both a real reason to be here, got it?" He threatened, pale purple eyes narrowing viciously on the twins who flinched then immediately bowed in apology.

"H-Hai! Shinazugawa-sama!" they both exclaimed in unison.

 

[WIND PILLAR]
Shinazugawa Sanemi.

Sanemi clicked his tongue, "The old lady told you to shut it earlier, didn't she? Are you two deaf, or do you want me to beat some sense into you?!" he snarled. His grip on the door partially damaged it. He briefly glanced at it before returning his gaze to the duo. He'll apologize later to the owners but as of now, he was boiling.

The twins apologized once again, truly terrified for having angered the wind pillar of all people! Talk about shitluck! Yasu didn't just escape death only to be killed by the crazy guy! The white-haired male sniffed before slamming the door shut, presumably walking away, leaving the shaken duo to their own devices.

"..." Yasu stood there, dumbly watching the door as he straightened up along with his twin. "May I ask, oh dear brother, why you didn't see fit to inform me of the presence of the Wind pillar?" he asked suddenly.

"I forgot."

"You forgot."

"yeah."

"Huh. Do you mind telling me why you're blushing then?"

"That's none of your fucking business!" Suya snapped out of his daze, hissing with slightly red cheeks, eliciting a snort out of his brother he smacked afterward. "anyway, don't question me, if Taiyo-shin was truly an enemy you wouldn't be here being a fu-"

The door slid open once again, startling the duo who both stiffened at the sight of the same pillar who was now looking at them with a contemplative frown. Dear kami what did they do now.

"How much do you know about him?" Sanemi marched inside as he scrutinized the two with a squint, his scarred torso visible for the world to see and boy did Suya struggle not to peek and maintained a respectful attitude, otherwise, he'd risk getting mauled by the pillar but could you blame him?!

" 'Him?'" Yasu parroted since his brother seemed to be struggling to talk.

"This 'Taiyo-shin' you idiot." Sanemi grunted, folding his arms. "Heard you mention him earlier, now spill."

Before Yasu could open his mouth to respond, his brother beat him to it by dragging the younger twin in front of him as if presenting Yasu to a bunch of people. "My brother actually had a run-in with him during his last mission yesterday, hashira-Sama!"

This seemed to pick his attention as a grin slowly formed on his face, intimidating the duo all of a sudden. The atmosphere immediately shifted as both siblings tensed when they met the wind pilar's gaze. Uh oh.

"Well then, tell me more about it."

---

[Taiyo-shin]

1st POV

.

.

So much for not changing the timeline. Remember when I said I wanted to experiment with my blood and all the jazz? Well, I kinda did and what I concluded was that my blood was hella weird.

You see, I stumbled upon several demons on my journey, well by 'stumble' I mean me actively chasing the nearest nasty aura in the vicinity to experiment on. Y'know, the usual. Anyway, what bugged me the most was that every time I encountered one, it was always the same spiel as "strange human blah blah blah, you're weird yadda yadda yadda, DON'T FUCK WITH ME-" same routine. This made me conclude that,

One: my scent was still puzzling them, which was well known- by me.

And two: they don't go crazy even if I have an open wound despite being labeled as marechi which I could not comprehend for the love of Allah above!

Trust me, it was a bit awkward when I deliberately cut my hand off, expecting a bamboozled demon only to have the bastard stare at me in disbelief with an underlying tone of...concern for my mental health. That motherfu-

In short, nothing hinted at the possibility of me being a marechi and I was about to let go of that issue, apologize to the demon and go on my merry way when I remembered what happened to the meleoron-looking ass dude and immediately whipped my bloody arm like a wet towel, resulting in blood spreading on the demon's face. The target being his mouth.

I can only say one thing.

It went south real fast.

That bitch immediately tried to chomp me down with a speed that would've put the flash to shame, eyes crazed over in bloodlust and hunger while drool flowed out of his mouth like a rabid animal. And that, ladies and gentlemen, cemented my suspicions on being a marechi ight. Satisfied, I punted him to oblivion, glad that my theories were right, and continued on my way.

This, well that was the experiment part. It was all fun and game until I crossed paths with Kokushibo. Again. Yeah. I'm sure anyone with enough brain cells already had caught up on that earlier.

This happened approximately two months after the onsen incident-

 

 

'At this point, I'm wondering if fate isn't just messing with me or if the higher-ups had a hand in this-which I'm convinced it's the case at this point but anyway-'

Thankfully this time I was wearing the cloak, so there was no way he could recognize me, right. Right? Well, I was mistaken. The demon stared at me for a good long time which kinda creeped me out, to be honest, and when I tried to take my leave, you know, like a normal person would when meeting a demon, he followed me. Like, really.

At first, I was like "Sir do you need help?" playing the oblivious card, you know? But that six-eyed motherfucker just kept watching me like I was some snack or something-which I am alright-that is until he muttered one thing that made me pause in my tracks.

"Lith."

'Ah crap'-

That, yes, that was less than ideal. Least to say, I did not like the fact that he easily recognized me, though I still tried to salvage the situation the best I could.

"me? Lith? Who's Lith? You must be mistaken, mister demon! Haha!"

I never said I was good at it.

"...Your...scent is still the same."

My laughter died down in my throat as I tripped. Ah yes, that. Who was I fooling? My dumbass forgot to conceal my presence which ended up being a big mistake since I was confident in not meeting anyone of importance tonight and I somehow forgot how keen their senses were. Figures.

Eventually, I dropped the act since it was, well useless at this point and decided to ask him why he was here, why he wasn't attacking me or doing any demon-related stuff that is, you know trying to eat me since he was literally an upper moon and nothing could stop him from it, That is until he blurted out a:

"I wish...to serve you."

Alright, I was not expecting that one and I'm sure he knew it because there was a silence as I stared at him for a good amount of time before I walked to a conveniently placed boulder-with him still following me-, sat on it, and pondered. Hard. Kokushibo just watched me all the long.

"I'm not sure if I heard you correctly, could you repeat that?" I had asked, my mask still on my face.

The fact that he didn't even hesitate baffled me honestly. "I wish to serve you."

"Oh my god, he's serious." I murmured in disbelief. "Why? Why all of a sudden? We've seen each other, like, once? So where is this coming from?"

The demon frowned and answered that he did not know which of course didn't make sense! Why was he following me? Why was he so...docile all of a sudden? That wasn't normal!

Suspicious, because who wouldn't be, I squinted, not that he could see and searched his aura for any hidden motives and color me surprised when I found nothing that could hint at deception! His aura was sincere if not patient which stunned me. Truly confused at this point, I asked if something strange happened. To my surprise, the male frowned as if recalling something then said that I had something to do with it. Well first, rude, I'm an angel, and second What on earth was he implying with this?! I pressed for more answers but the male didn't elaborate further to my growing frustration.

"Alright, I don't know what's going on but imma, y'know, go that way." I pointed in a random direction. He followed the way I was pointing at then his eyes shifted back to me. "You, well, you go wherever you...came from, ight? So huh...See ya?" with that said, I went to resume my walk, still musing over what the hell just happened only to look behind me and see the male following me.

I paused, he mimicked me. "...Why are you still following me?"

He didn't respond and just stood there, staring. Not wanting to deal with this any longer, I started running to nowhere in particular and sent a brief look behind only to choke in fright when his resting b face greeted me. HE WAS CHASING ME!

Naturally, I upped the speed, thinking that I'll easily outrun him whatsoever, but that was underestimating upper moon one's speed. He effortlessly kept up! Dang! This lasted for a good two hours, a game of cat and mouse began with me running around in order to escape him which kinda reminded me of Haganezuka chasing Tanjiro minus the whole "I'LL KILL YOU!!" thing which was like, unsettling as fuck! I'd rather be chased by someone cursing me to no end than the silent type! At least I knew how far they were from me!

Halfway through the chase, I had an idea and cursed myself for not using it earlier and promptly concealed everything that could lead to detecting my presence, and scent and immediately found a hiding spot in a cave. After a while, I poked my head out, sure that he wouldn't find me for a while as I didn't hear nor felt anything in the vicinity. I sighed in relief and somehow lowered my guard, happy but a bit overwhelmed by what just occurred only to turn around and be met with six glowing dead fish eyes staring right back at me in boredom. Least to say, the undignified screech that ensued wasn't one of my proudest moments.

.
.
.

Turns out the guy could no longer eat humans. How did I get this information? I begged him of course, but he wouldn't speak, let alone leave me alone so I had to do something about it. Figures. In short, it was actually my fault. How? I didn't know until that bishonen revealed having consumed some of my blood by accident which, once again didn't make fucking sense!

I had asked how that was possible since I couldn't for the love of Allah remember how the fuck that happened at the time. The demon's cheeks slightly flushed as he stared at me, though it was almost unnoticeable as he opened his mouth and said the following:

"When...you kissed me."

Hm. Yep. The avalanche of embarrassment I immediately felt was inevitable and I stuttered for a whole minute before apologizing for the inconvenience.

We were still in the cave with me trying to wrap up the situation around my head while the demon sat in a seiza, patiently waiting for my decision. I didn't know what to do at this point but looking back at the situation, I had started comparing the pros and cons of actually having an upper moon at my side.

Cons: disturbance of the timeline, knowledge of future events in jeopardy, different endings either good or bad.

Yet

Pros: lesser deaths, survival of certain key characters, lesser deaths, Kaigaku remains human therefore Jigoro survives, still lesser deaths, probably pissing Muzan off in the process, and more importantly, having my very own demon companion.

...

I will not lie, but the idea of having my very own demon was really tempting but no! I shouldn't let cute things get the better of me! Though...

"if you can fit in this box, I'll think about it...!"

I had made a box, similar to Nezuko's but with darker colored wood, appear in a poof of smoke. The display didn't seem to have surprised the demon though his eyes had shifted between me and the box in silence.

Now, with his stern and strict attitude, there was absolutely no way for Kokushibo to indulge in my request! Ha! What was he gonna do? Disregard his pride for me? There was no wa-

He shrank with no hesitation whatsoever and waddled inside before blinking up at me with six big gleaming eyes.

(art by me)

"..."

WELP, that was settled-

 

---

Yes, I'm a sucker for cute things! Also, the fact that Kokushibo wouldn't leave my side was pretty unnerving! Before the whole box incident that settled our...companionship, I had tried once again to dip once the sun rose since demons and sun...you get the memo and promptly jogged out of the cave at the first ray of sunshine. Sure I could teleport somewhere, but I'd have to locate Seppen first otherwise she'll panic-yes it happened once and it made me feel so bad that I wept and repeatedly apologized to the bird- regardless I was out of the cave, confident that I would get rid of the guy and turned to look toward him only to nearly have a heart attack as I saw him get up to follow me. I quickly slammed into him before his foot could meet the sunlight and unceremoniously crashed further into the cave with me straddling him while wildly scolding the demon! crazy guy almost killed himself just to follow me!

Otherwise yeah, ever since that day we've been traveling together and it was pretty peaceful, to be frank. Of course, I learned more about his situation and discovered that after tasting my blood once and going through the, well, berserk process, he could no longer eat humans. Not that their tastes disgusted him, no, he just couldn't after tasting my blood which had confused me at the time. Turns out turning demons berserk wasn't its only purpose, I could tame them sometimes after ingestion.

How long after? I dunno, perhaps it depends on the amount of blood, I had theorized. If it's just a drop, they'll take two or three weeks before trying to seek me out. Although I heavily based myself on Kokushibo's case since he was the only demon that survived after any encounter with me. He was the only unintentional subject I got to observe so far so I couldn't be sure. Well, that was...fantastic I guess?

Either way, I had Kokushibo with me so that's that.

Regardless, the Kanjis in his eyes were present so he was still an upper moon. Either Muzan wasn't aware that his strongest demon changed sides or he maybe knows and wants to keep face to not attract the demon slayer corps' attention.

Huh.

Gotta tell Kagaya someday. Dunno how he'll take the news but there's no way imma kill Kokushibo any soon. I guess it's better to have him with me than let him continue on his killing spree, though I kept the time to feed him using vials of my blood and he seemed to greatly appreciate it if the crease of his eyes each time I gave him some was any indication. I had taken the idea from Tamayo who didn't need to devour innocents to prevail. Also, it was to keep him awake most of the time. Yeh, starving demons will automatically fall asleep to recuperate after a long time without food, and I loath the idea of watching someone starve when I know I have food at my disposal, be it humans or in this case demons. Plus, he seemed to get stronger each time I gave him some though it wasn't every day. I learned that Kokushibo could go around a month without food since he's been accustomed to being a demon for four centuries and didn't react to hunger the same way weaker demons did. Well, that was good to know.

I wondered about doing the same with Nezuko once she woke up. I wasn't human so that wouldn't count as Nezuko eating humans, right? Also, it'll immediately stop her from losing control, at least that's what I hoped huh... Gotta wait and bring that idea to Tanjiro first. Speaking of which, the boy had sent me a letter a month ago to let me know that Tengu gramps had basically left him to his own devices and with a...boulder to cut in half. So he was at this point in the story...

It was funny since I could feel his confusion through the letter, though I did nothing to help except tell him to, well, breathe. Better let Sabito and Makomo do their job, it went well in the anime, hopefully, I'll get a glance of them. Yet before that would happen since it wouldn't be for another five months, I had shown up with heights he could use in the meantime and redo his training with the additional difficulty before the ghosts' appearance. The box I was carrying had been a surprise to the boy, yet he couldn't pinpoint what was inside and thought it was just a normal box.

Heh.

Now allow me to explain how nose wasn't able to find out about a litteral Upper moon.

The box in which I've been carrying Kokushibo for the past 7 months was kind of like a pocket dimension leading to a traditional-looking room made only for him to access so he didn't have to come out that often. See it as my room. I need to spawn a door to access my house, so I thought about making the same thing for the demon so he wouldn't feel cramped inside and experience any wild shit I might do while running around.

Also, to let him know when his presence is needed, we established a knocking pattern that will signify for him to come out. This basically was so he wouldn't be detected by demon slayers let alone those with good senses will never know I'm carrying an upper moon until I summon him. So yeah, it was for safety purposes and because I didn't want them to know about us yet because they could potentially inform Muzan even if it might be unintentional. Needed that surprise effect you see!

So yeah, I still had 11 months before the beginning of canon while we kept traveling around. I can certainly say that during those months, my relationship with Kokushibo strangely improved. Aside from the kissing incident in the beginning, nothing weird happened between us ever since and I even got to introduce Seppen to him who kept her distance from him in the beginning for obvious reasons. Regardless, she'd land on his shoulder now and then since he would give her mice if he found some, so he was good in her books. They would even team up since the Demon's been around for a while and therefore knew almost every regions of the country. If that wasn't useful!

Occasionally through my stroll, he'd even get out of the box and stride next to me for no reason and would adopt his human appearance every time we reach a random village. Still, around those times I would change my mask and cloak and even shape shift into a child, elderly or even some random animal so people wouldn't be able to identify me and therefore report my presence. I wasn't dumb. After all the bullshit I've been doing lately, I knew they came to acknowledge my presence at some point. Not that it bothered me, twas fun trolling people while helping around.

This only happens when Kokushibo's out though, which didn't happen that often since the guy wasn't that fond of humans. I mean I can relate. Speaking of him, he didn't show that much surprise to my powers and I had debated whether or not to tell him before deciding against it. The manga said that Muzan could read their minds, that is unless they no longer have the curse like Tamayo. Though, that didn't stop me from putting a mental block-with his permission- just in case.

Otherwise, everything was fine and dandy during these past few months.

.

.

.

This occurred during a random night where in his rare moments of socialization, Kokushibo was out of the box. We were strolling through the forest as usual while exchanging small talks, though that reassembled more a one-sided conversation since Kokushibo was a man of few words, therefore would simply nod or grunt in response. Not that it bothered me in the first place. It had been a while since I had someone to talk to! Moving on, I was on a spiel about some random Manga I read ages ago which I took the time to explain the plot to the demon who seemed mildly interested in it when, in the middle of the talk, a shoji door suddenly appeared out of nowhere underneath him, causing Kokushibo to fall through it once it slid open. It was followed by the echoes of the buzz of what I think was a biwa as it disappeared, which left a flabbergasted moi alone in the middle of the woods, gaping at his previous spot like an idiot.

"Holy Crap."

That had been soooo close, man. Thank god I didn't grasp his hand this time as I began doing so for no reason months ago, because I would've surely dropped with him since it looked like he just got summoned by Muzan. Least to say, I was shook. Frazzled by the situation, I decided to wait by sitting on the box while dangling my feet in boredom. I could distinctly feel his aura which meant that I could have followed him if I wished, though I refrained from it since I wasn't an idiot. Plus, who knows what they're on about? Approximatively an hour later, the same Shoji door popped up in the air from which Kokushibo fell out and gracefully landed on the ground before it disappeared, all still followed by the same buzz.

A small silence took place as the demon frowned then looked around before his gazes all fell on me sitting at the side of the road and promptly approached me with what looked like relief adorning his features. I had raised an eyebrow at this before brushing it off and getting off of the box.

"So, what's going on?" I had asked lightly, not expecting an answer from him until he shocked me as he recounted everything about how he was in a meeting with all the upper moons and that man. Not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting him to actually tell me, still doubting his sudden shift of loyalty but that...that definitely convinced me that he was genuine. A fuzzy and warm feeling swelled in me at that thought and I surprised him with a hug. Kokushibo had stiffened, still not used to physical contact even after all these months of companionship, though he didn't push me away until I was done. After that, we resumed our stroll to nowhere in particular with me now in a good mood while the demon remained silent.

"Taiyo-shin huh...?" he said after a long moment of silence.

"uh, yeah, dunno where they found that nickname but I kinda like it." I nodded.

"Are...you not aware...that they've mistaken you as a male...?"

He was greeted by my mask as I turned to glance at him while securing the box on my back like a backpack.

"So? It's not like it's the first time that it happened. Not that I mind it in the first place." I shrugged, waiting for further comments.

When none came, I focused back on the road while humming little tunes. Minutes passed as I was on my 4th song when I heard the demon's voice again.

"...You have...a beautiful...voice." Kokushibo uttered quietly.

I froze, my heart almost missing a beat before a bashful feeling took over me as I waved a hand while squealing a "Oh you!" and decided to grasp his hand. He stiffened a bit but let me do as I pleased as I carried on with the humming while swinging our hands back and forth like children. Though I'm pretty sure Kokushibo just rolled with it.

It's funny because that's supposedly one of the reasons why Kokushibo stumbled upon me in the Onsen. Heard me sing from the bottom of the mountain like damn. Good ears I see. Then again, demon. Great senses. Heh. I ain't planning on becoming a singer, yet, it's still an ego booster to hear compliments about my singing skills!

Kokushibo ended up returning in his box at the break of dawn while I called for Seppen to lead me to a nearby town.

__________

 

 

[Taiyo-shin]

(some random drawing 'cause I felt like it)

 

3RD POV

.

 

.

[10 months before Canon]

.

.

The sound of metal repeatedly slicing through the air resounded in the clearing. They were accompanied by the imperturbed sound made by the waterfall while a young boy gasped and panted from the repetitive movements he's been doing for the past hours. His body was stiff, every muscle aching in pain, though his convictions and willpower were enough for him to completely dedicate himself to his training. He knew he needed to be strong enough to survive the final selection, otherwise, he would never be able to join the corps!

The friction of his clothes against the still-fresh wounds on his body made him flinch a little, causing him to lose focus mid-swing. He grumbled, tempted to remove the bandages on his shoulders but decided against it. That masked freak, despite being a pain in the ass was right. He couldn't risk getting an infection that would cause a fever that would render him unable to train! And that won't do at all! He absolutely needed to become a demon slayer so he could finally find his brother. Sure he knew Nemi was strong, really strong since he was a pillar but...he needed to apologize.

The teenager stood there for a while, lost in thoughts as a little frown adorned his features. He just hoped he hadn't said those words back then. Maybe...maybe Nemi wouldn't despise him so much.

His thoughts then returned to the masked freak he met a week ago. He scowled. He knew who that was. Taiyo-shin the sun god, or the insufferable asshole for short. He couldn't for the love of himself understand why people worshipped that guy. He was annoying! Sure he saved him from getting mauled to death by a demon the other night but that didn't mean he had the right to boss him around! Who does he think he is?!

Genya spat on the ground and walked to a nearby tree trunk the pest had cut and placed for him to use. Why did he care anyway? It's not like Genya knew him, heck he would remember if he met someone as eccentric as him before. And what had he meant by "try eating them" Why on earth would he eat demons?! Sure he wasn't that great at using swords but that didn't mean that he would start eating demons! Because first, that's disgusting, and second who knows what'll happen to him?! And why was he even entertaining that idea?! Rah!

The rustling of bushes caused him to react almost immediately and throw a rock, full force, toward the spot. Whatever that was would be knocked out or hurt by it for sure. His grip on his slightly tattered sword tightened as he waited. Why didn't he hear a cry of pain or a thud? He squinted, trying to see what that was only to pause upon hearing a voice.

"Heya Genya-boy! What kind of greeting is that? Trying to kill someone?" the ban of his existence said while waving the previously thrown rock in his gloved hand as he walked out of the bush. "though I must say that you got a good aim! Ever thought of using a gun?"

Genya's eye twitched before he turned away and sat back on the trunk, set on ignoring the newcomer. The masked freak didn't mind the cold welcome and skipped toward the boy.

"Aw, still gonna ignore me? That's not nice kid!" the person admonished while waving a finger like a disappointed parent.

"Piss off."

"hm," there was a little pause before the cloaked figure shrugged and placed the box he always carried next to him. It was mid-day which means lunch. The person brought what looked like to be packed bento boxes from seemingly nowhere and sat next to the cranky teenager who scooted away. "and here I thought that you were hungry! I'm sad to see that it might not be the case..."

As if on cue, the scarred boy's stomach grumbled furiously, though he adamantly refused to look toward the smug pest despite the embarrassed blush on his face. He just knew the asshole had a smug grin under the mask. He just knew!

"OH? Could it be that you're hungry?"

"..."

"Genyaaaaa~"

"How the fuck do you even know my name?! I never told you!" the boy snapped, irritation oozing out of him before a yelp left his lips as he was met with a piece of cucumber in front of his face.

"God intuition, now say 'Ah'!"

"Back off you creep! I can fucking eat myself!" he angrily snatched the chopsticks and bento from the person's gloved hands then begrudgingly began eating. He wasn't about to turn down food even though it came from an annoying person like the masked freak. He wouldn't admit it but that guy sure knew how to cook...huh.

"so, how's your training?" the masked freak voiced suddenly. He didn't seem to be eating since none of the other boxes were open.

"None of your business." Genya didn't care, he just wanted him gone and out of his sight.

"Hm, I see, I see, have you thought about what I told you last time?"

An irk mark grew on the boy's forehead. "I'm not eating demons okay?! That's fucking disgusting, what is wrong with you??"

"Hey hey, that's just another solution ya know?" Taiyo-shin defended, both hands held in surrender "What if you can't use breathing techniques? That might come in handy, don't you think?"

The boy didn't say anything for a while before resuming his meal with a huff. He knew about the breathing techniques and couldn't for the life of him get a hang of them yet. It wasn't as though he wasn't trying, he just couldn't which left him in a state of continuous frustration. He didn't know why his body refused to cooperate and let him use it! Though that didn't mean he'll give up so soon! He'll just have to push himself harder, even if that meant destroying himself. He must join the corps!

"Here"

The boy blinked in surprise at the sight in front of him.

"Wa-watermelons...?" he dumbly voiced.

"Yeah, do you want some? I bought it on the way here. Thought you'd like it."

For a moment, the boy stared blankly, nearly forgetting to act in character. People tended to avoid him because of his scowling face, assuming he was always up to no good, so he really didn't expect Taiyo-shin to show kindness out of nowhere. Genya was now torn between gladly accepting his favorite food and acting snarky to push him away. He went for the former though, because watermelons and gingerly accepted the slices with slightly warm cheeks.

As he bit into the fruit, Genya jolted in surprise when he felt a hand on his scalp. He quickly blinked then turned toward the masked freak with wide baffled eyes, too stunned to react accordingly.

"You're a good kid, Genya," he uttered softly. "You'll make a great demon slayer. Whatever goal you have, I am sure that you will succeed in achieving it! I believe in you."

The teen nearly dropped his food on the ground. He wasn't expecting such kind words all of a sudden to the point of freezing for what felt like a minute or two before a blush coated his features. However, he quickly regained his composure and abruptly slapped the hand away.

"d-don't do that! W-what the fuck is wrong with you?! Don't be all buddy-buddy with me, I'm not your friend, got it?!" he inwardly cursed himself for the stutter before glaring. He couldn't understand why he liked patting his head! "just leave me alone!"

He was rewarded by an amused chuckle that was quickly followed by a guffaw when Taiyo-shin noticed the redness of his face, which irritated Genya who started spouting profanities a 15-year-old shouldn't be familiar with. After 30 minutes or so, the masked guy finally departed, promising to visit sometimes before the final selection or some shit, leaving a grumbling Genya alone in the clearing who shortly resumed his training with a huff.

His eyes fell on the mountain of watermelons behind the trunk. He sweat dropped at the sight before shaking his head wearily, his cheeks dusted pink. Genya didn't even question how he did it. Sighing, he wondered why the guy would bother continuing to check on him even after Genya kept acting rudely toward him. Then again Taiyo-shin was weird as hell.

Regardless, there's one thing that puzzled the teen, why would Taiyo-shin tell him to specifically seek the Stone pillar out?

Genya stood there for a while before brushing that thought off.

A week later he somehow ran into the Stone pillar.

Talk about convenient.

---

[9 months before canon]

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.

There aren't enough words to describe how Sanemi felt at the moment. It's been 2 months since he's been running around, searching for that damn sun god that it's beginning to make him harbor some kind of hatred for the guy! Sure, he hasn't given up on his duties in order to devote himself entirely to the search but it was starting to annoy him! With the two fuckers testimonies, He was convinced that he would easily find that masked nuisance only to come up with nothing for two entire months which greatly infuriated him. Now, why was he so set on finding that guy?

First, so Uzui would finally shut the fuck up because that lofty bastard kept bragging about managing to spot the fucker one night before he disappeared, which had been more than everyone combined managed to do so far which was getting on his nerves. And two, it was to kind of satisfy his own curiosity. Needless to say, it immediately evolved into a competition among the pillars to the point where even Gyomei joined. He wasn't passing the opportunity of free Ohagis!

Anyway, today was one of those days where he could be seen patrolling his assigned territory in search of any demonic activities to release all the cumulated anger he's been carrying for a while. It was easy to notice how the bastards were getting scarcer. Either way, they must've finally figured out that they were in his territory and choose to behave with more caution than necessary, or they're all dead, courtesy of himself. Tss.

Sanemi stops in his tracks when he caught sight of his crow, Sorai gliding in his direction. The bird landed on his shoulder and promptly informed him that he too had no leads concerning the masked guy either which made the pillar heave out a sigh. He scratched the bird's neck. It made happy noises before flying off once again, now more motivated to help its owner at all costs.

He resumed his patrol until night fell where demons were likely to be out and about. Sanemi sniffed. Maybe he'll get a few kills before returning to his estate...

A resounding explosion resembling a clash of thunder echoed in the distance, effectively causing the entire forest area to vibrate. Sanemi staggered to his feet from the sudden tremor before regaining his composure and swiftly unsheathed his sword, ready to fight. That...was unexpected. He waited for a few seconds before clicking his tongue and deciding to go and see what might have caused this because as far as he's concerned, this never happened before! As he ran, he threw a quick glance at the sky and was surprised to see how clear it was. That was weird. A blast of this magnitude should've been quickly followed by a storm but that wasn't the case. Sanemi frowned. Something wasn't right. He has yet to face a demon who used electricity...maybe the cocky bastard was unaware of whose territory he was in? Then again the demons all died before they could tell the tale so it might as well be the case.

A vicious grin morphed onto his face as he upped the speed. Sanemi couldn't contain the excitement welling up inside of him at the thought of ridding the world of another demon tonight! He swiftly arrived at a remote area where he stopped at the edge of a cliff and blinked once, then twice before his eyes bugged out.

Now...Of course, he knew that rumors about people witnessing Gashadokuros had been going on lately, though Sanemi had not shown any speck of interest in them because they were ridiculous to him, besides he was too focused on ridding the world of demons to care about those silly stories people tended to make to scare their brats into staying inside past sunset. It honestly baffled him how they still choose not to acknowledge demons who were a real threat to their damn lives and instead choose to fear freaking ginormous man-eating skeletons!

To be honest, Sanemi didn't believe in those kinds of stories and sure, it could've been the same thing with demons if he wasn't fighting them already on a regular basis.

Here in the ravine stood what seemed to be a hunched-over giant.

 

Sanemi nearly dropped his katana in bewilderment.

He quickly hid behind a tree. As his heart was throbbing, an overwhelming sense of panic washed away the eagerness that fueled him. And when the thing's eyes shifted toward his position, a cold shiver went down his spine. Fear now took over common sense and fighting experience, triggering the most primal instinct of flight or fight

'WHAT IN KAMI'S NAME IS THAT?!'

He tried his best to smother any sound coming out of his mouth in hope of not alerting it but, this was fucking bullshit!! What the hell was going on and what the fuck was this thing?! This creature was unlike anything he's ever seen before! Granted that he's already fought demons bigger than him in the past, doesn't mean that he ever expected anything like that!

He managed to regain his composure enough to think clearly.

Should he attack it? Tss, he's sure that the thing saw him so might as well go on with it. Sanemi's grip tightened fiercely around his katana as he thought of numerous ways to engage the giant. After approximately 10 seconds of reflection, the male came up with a plan and smirked. The moment he went to peek at the creature, he nearly choked.

'It's not here!?'

And true to his words, the ravine was now devoid of the creature which was enough to alarm the wind pillar. HOW COULD A THING THIS BIG VANISH IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE WITHOUT MAKING ANY SOUND?!

Now he wasn't expecting that.

And he was highly alert.

---

[7 months before canon]

 

. 

 

. 

"There you go, sir! Have a great day!" the clerk smiles while handing a box of delicacies to the tall cloaked customer in front of her.

"thank you!" the person answered cheerily as he grabbed the box with his gloved hands. He paid then quickly walked out of the store while humming before the woman could realize what he-

"Ah, sir, I think you made a mistake! This is far more than-" she looked up to see that the client was no longer there. She faltered, about to run to the door to call for the stranger but got stopped by her employer's soft and welcoming voice.

"It's no use, Tomo-chan." an elderly woman appeared next to her, "That was Taiyo-shin right? You won't catch him, he must've already disappeared as we speak." she says calmly.

"Huh...? But that's impossible...!" She glanced outside with wide eyes and true to the woman's words, the tall figure was nowhere to be seen which shocked her. How could someone disappear so quickly?!

The old woman chuckles, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't stress yourself, dear. he's been known to do such things wherever he goes. Now how much did he leave this time?"

'T-this time?!' she looked down at the pouch and counted before freezing in shock. "f-five..."

"five what?" the woman cocked her head to the side, adjusting the glasses on her face.

The girl shakingly glanced up to meet her employer's intrigued's eyes. " f-five hundred t-thousand..."

They both stared at each other in silence before the employer's eyes bugged out in utter shock.

"EH?!"

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.

.

Taiyo-shin, or rather, Colith's cloaked form could be seen peacefully strolling further in the street, receiving enthusiastic greetings from most of the locals to which she'd nod with a simple "Yo" as she walked. Pretty sure she heard some of them fawn in the back but didn't bother to check. She adjusted the dark wooden box she was carrying, noting how light it was, an indication that the demon was currently in his room at the moment.

'Either sleeping...or training..'

The prime advantage of being able to bend reality to one's will is that creating pocket dimensions was an easy feat for her. Also, to make sure that the demon doesn't unalive himself out of boredom- which was very unlikely but one never knows- she created a yard big enough for him to practice his swordsmanship, even if she was the one who brought that up. Kokushibo just rolled with it, actually liking the prospect of training.

Anyway, she walked for some time while looking around and upon not finding any suitable spot to eat without a crowd of people staring at her like hawks, being the unpredictable little shit she was, she said 'fuck it' and appeared on the roof of a random building. A sudden action that startled the hell out of the people that had been watching her walk around for the past 30 minutes or so. Then again it was to be expected with her newfound fame. Honestly, She hadn't even meant to kill that demon the first time she came here but the thing had been so freaking annoying...! Urgh!

She ignored the little ruckus she left behind and gently placed Koku's box next to her before settling down to eat while staring at the scenery.

Huh? How was she eating with her mask on you ask?

Tsk Tsk, bold of you to assume that she didn't take the time to learn that sacred technique! That's right folks! Eating with the mask on! Sure it was mostly to mess with others' minds. Plus it was surprisingly not that difficult to learn. Sure she was nowhere near Tengu gramps and several other masked characters' mastery of that specific skill which was, to this day, still beyond anyone's understanding but hey, she could do it too now! Somehow.

Moving on, the town was quite peaceful, compared to the last time she was here that is. Yeah, getting rid of a mole demon would leave any nearby town in peace with how much chaos the demon had caused. Sure, she may or may not have used the mokuton to rebuild most of the damaged house in broad daylight, in front of the whole town then dipped before any of the townspeople could blink.

"Heh.." her shoulders shook a little as she recalled the scene. She bit into a piece of chicken yakitori and almost let out a moan. 'Damn, I should seriously learn own to cook that one...!' she swayed blissfully.

While eating, her sharp eyes easily caught sight of golden and red hair in the distance. Such extravagant hair could only belong to one specific loud-mouthed pillar she and she's sure, all the fandom was fond of.

Of course, she knew that the corps had been after her for quite some time, although she did not give it much thought. Kagaya, that sweetheart, had asked if that wasn't bothering her to which she replied that it was more or less a way for her to assess her evading skills. She didn't mention that it was actually funny to mess with them but shh, you didn't hear that from her!

Also, every time she entered a town or village, a group of slayers usually appeared within the same hour to seek her out. Then again, Taiyo-shin was easily spotted. She even ran into some pillars like Uzui and Sanemi even though the latter had been a stroke of luck. Speaking of that one, she cringed a little. She hadn't meant to be seen in titan form by one of the main cast so fast! Though Kokushibo was an exception but moving on- who knows what happened after that 'cause she didn't stay to find out since she immediately dipped by warping away into the middle of the ocean. In titan form.

Yep.

That was embarrassing.

Anyway, in short, she wasn't all surprised to see another pillar in the same city even if this time it took longer than usual but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

'welp, time to go.'

She'd rather avoid any confrontation with that one because knowing her luck, he might be able to track her down with how relentless he was. She quickly inhaled the rest of the food and discarded the boxes before getting up to stretch. After that, she grabbed koku's box, secured it, and was ready to dip until she noticed something weird as she glanced toward the red and yellow speck exiting the village.

She squinted, now why was he walking away? Curious, she decided to hop toward him while remaining at a safe distance from what she had assumed to be Kyojuro Rengoku. She suddenly stopped in her tracks on a roof and upon closer look, she let out a soft "Oh".

This definitely was a Rengoku for sure, but one younger and smaller than the current flame pillar.

Somehow, her guts told her to follow him.

---

Times were rough for those who had chosen the path of crime. The bandits and outlaws were finding it increasingly difficult to do their jobs, although most of the time it was due to the Government's determination to lower the crime rate in order to give the country a secure image. Although this prompted all of them to increase their vigilance recently, things still did not look good for them especially ever since a year ago.

Despite that, they still continued on their path, wishing to live without obligation and regulations, to enjoy causing pain and suffering whenever they go, and to simply amass wealth for the rest of their lives. Yes! Thriving on others' livelihood! Who cares if killing was in the job description? Who cares if they were doing heinous acts? Even though that masked bastard made their job 100x more difficult they'll find a way to get rid of him someday...!

Regardless, the day had started without a lot of fuss, though a few fights broke out due to a snatched sake bottle the leader, Kazuki easily solved with a glare that quickly made the troublemakers freeze in fear, horrified at the prospect of a ruthless beat down from their chief. The man had been antsy for the past few months, then again it was to be expected when they currently were a quarter of what they originally were before, and that was because of one single guy!

"BOSS! WE FOUND SOMETHING!" One of his goons rushed to their hideouts with a big dumb grin, sweating from running.

"Ah?! Are you stupid?! Do you want them to find us with all this shouting?! I TOLD YOU TO STOP DOING THAT, DUMBASS!"

None of them dared to point out that he too was screaming.

"m-my bad...!" the goon faltered, though it was forgotten the moment his boss acknowledged his previous words, seemingly over it.

"What do you want? It better be useful or I'll fucking smash that ugly mug of yours, ya hear?" Kazuki threatened.

"H-Hai!" he quickly but this time at a lower pitch informed his boss of their finding, a piece of information that somehow intrigued the man to the point of making him get up from his sitting position.

"It better be good, or you know what's coming," he said darkly, following behind his distressed henchman. They soon arrived on an unused dirt path, stumbling upon two more of his goons who suspiciously looked tipsy, he had priorly tasked with scouting the area. Although what he wasn't expecting to see was a frightened tied up kid in their clutches. "What is this?"

Needless to say, he was pissed.

Before the one who led him here could explain, Kazuki harshly grabbed his collar in a vice grip, "You made me walk all this way just for a fucking kid?! Do you want to die?!" he hissed.

"W-wait b-boss! L-let me explain..! W-We thought that with clothes like this, he must come from a rich family...!" seeing that his boss perked up, he shakily went on, "And maybe...we c-can use him to make lot of cash...?"

At the mention of money, Kazuki let go of the man who unceremoniously tumbled to the ground before eyeing the kid who flinched upon meeting sharp dark eyes. "hm..." True to his subordinate's words, the kid did look like he came from a wealthy house. Moreover, he had unique features. They might even make a lot by selling him to some pervert afterwards. "is that so? What's your name boy?"

Kazuki could easily feel the terror oozing out of him yet, he remained silent. Not in a good mood, the man closed on the boy and hit him. The force of the blow was enough to send the boy tumbling on the ground, though to their surprise, he didn't make a sound, not even a yelp.

One of Kazuki's henchmen pointed it out.

"I'm talking to you brat! What's your name?" He roughly grabbed the boy's hair and started shaking it, "Don't tell me you're mute and deaf?! Who'd want a deaf brat on their hands, worthless little-"

His sentence was cut short by the sound of something hitting the ground. Kazuki's eye twitched, ready to chew his men out for daring to interrupt him only to pause upon seeing all of them on the ground while a cloaked figure stood nonchalantly beside them.

"what-"

"Yo!"

His blood ran cold. This...this was the motherfucker who made their life hell! The one responsible for their band's decline in number...!

"Taiyo-shin..!" he couldn't help but growl in furry, his grip tightening on the kid's scalp who flinched in pain.

The masked guy's gloved hand fell to his side."yeah yeah, whatever you say but that's not why I'm here. Hand me the kid."

A silence following that statement fell on the instant during which both sides eyed each other without a sound.

"Eh..?" for the first time, the boy voiced in bewilderment, gold and red irises blinking quickly in surprise. Wha-

"Ah?! And why would I do that, you bastard?" Kazuki quickly regained his composure and glared.

"just shut up and hand him to me."

A vein throbbed vividly on the man's forehead but before he could do any rash decision, he contemplated the masked freak's words and then paused. He briefly glanced back and forth between the two before an idea formed in his head. Without warning, Kazuki unsheathed the knife on his hip and brought it near the kid's throat in a swift motion that indicated his mastery with short blades. He watched with glee as the tall asshole flinched.

Oh...?

A wicked grin slowly etched itself on his lips.

'You weren't expecting that huh? Asshole.'

The boy shook in fright the moment he felt the cold metal near his throat, yet he didn't move in fear that the unstable man might slice his throat and end his life prematurely.

Convinced that he had the upper hand now, Kazuki barred his teeth viciously while slowly rising to his feet with the hostage. He knew that he had no chance of winning against the bastard, yet, this might be his chance to get rid of him.

Before Kazuki could open his mouth to shout his conditions, his hands were empty and he was now in writhing pain on the floor, holding his stomach tightly as he gasped for air, suddenly breathless and dizzy.

 

'Wha-'

"Mh...this is quite problematic."

He jolted in surprise upon hearing Taiyo-shin's voice right above him. What just happened?! He didnt see anything! Didn't he have an advantage just now?! And why was he so breathless?! His eyes somehow managed to find the hostage who looked as bewildered as him on the ground.

"What should I do with them kid?"

"h-huh?"

"They were after you if I'm not mistaken, plus they hit you and planned to use you to rob your house. What do you want me to do to them?" Taiyo-shin asked as his mask slightly turned to the boy. "would you like me to get rid of them...? "

The bone-chilling sensation of the presence of a ruthless predator nearby covered the whole area which was enough to make Kazuki quiver in dread.

What...? Was he going to die...? His life was in the hands of the brat he attacked?! Crap, that means that he wasn't mute and deaf after all! This must be a joke right?! Shit, he's going to die. There's no way he was surviving that if the brat decides to be vindictive.

He glanced at the shaken kid, about to try and persuade him to spare his life when-

"Or I can simply take them to the police station!" Taiyo-shin chirped as though he didn't just offer to murder people in cold blood. The bloodlust vanished instantly allowing them to breathe properly. "The choice is yours!"

There was a silence before the shrimp finally found his voice and shakily responded, "T-the second o-option...!"

"Ight."

Kazuki released a sigh of relief, glad that his life was no longer in danger.

 

"Could you close your eyes for a bit please?" Taiyo-shin asked the kid who paused at the question before obeying. "Open them only when I say so, okay?"

Hesitant, the kid nodded, eyes closed with a confused frown.

'Close his eyes...? What for?'

A confusion Kazuki shared as well. Unfortunately for him, he was too slow to notice a gloved fist descending upon his face like a meteor.

---

COLITH

19 YEARS Old.

25-27 YEARS OLD

3rd POV

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.

"Hai! You can open them now!"

Senjuro shakily did as he was told. He stood there still tied up, watching Taiyo-shin bind his unconscious assailants together with a rope that appeared out of nowhere, and couldn’t help but wince upon seeing the leader's bloody swollen face. The man had taken a beat down so severe that he passed out. Senjuro had been so horrified that he quivered, though he was glad that Taiyo-shin was considerate enough to spare him from witnessing...that. Regardless, it didn't prevent him from wincing whenever punching sounds reached his ears. He thought for a second that Taiyo-shin had killed the man until he heard a husky wheeze coming from the unconscious bandit, indicating that he was alive... If barely.

Afterward, Taiyo-shin turned to him which made him flinch. The masked man instructed Senjuro to keep an eye on the men. Not understanding what he meant, Senjuro gathered enough confidence to ask what he was about to do but deflated when the man was nowhere to be seen.

"Hum..." Bewildered, he huffed softly.

Just as he was about to look around, Taiyo-shin reappeared with a heap of unconscious bandits which made him stumble in surprise. He proceeded to rapidly tie them up before stretching. It seemed like he went to gather the rest of the group to turn them in. Well, that was...good?

'How is that possible...? I know big brother's fast and all, but this is beyond fast...!' Senjuro thought, recalling the times his brother would dash to town to buy their father's— "Ah!" he squeaked, face paling in horror. Oh no!

"Hm? What is it?" Taiyo-shin turned to him in question before gasping. "Oh shoot!" he started approaching him, mistaking Senjuro's look of distress for discomfort but paused when the kid involuntarily took a step back. Taiyo-shin held his hands in surrender before pointing at the ropes. "Relax kid, I'm just gonna free you from these. Looks very uncomfortable to me."

The boy blinked and then slowly nodded. He hadn't meant to back away from his savior but he couldn't help but feel slightly wary.

Taiyo-shin swiftly cut the ropes, freeing Senjuro who hesitantly thanked him, though before the words left his lips—

"That's some nasty bruise you've got here. Do you mind if I heal it?"

"Heal...? You can heal?" Senjuro parroted in confusion. How is that...

Taiyo-shin nodded, gently lifting a hand to the boy's right cheek. A warm feeling suddenly enveloped Senjuro, causing him to release a soft sigh of ease. The bruise immediately vanished, leaving behind his usual fair skin.

Gasping softly, Senjuro blinked quickly as his eyes met the kitsune mask.

"Here, done! that wasn't so bad now was it?" Taiyo-shin said as he leaned back, fists on his hips.

Senjuro touched his face, noting how it didn't hurt anymore. "How...?" he looked up at Taiyo-shin in awe.

The man chuckled, "Magic~! Now let's bring these scumbags to the police!" he said, walking up to one of the men and proceeded to kick his shin. "Oi! wake up ya jerkface! Unless you want me to drag you all the way to town, you better get off your ass! Up up!"

Senjuro sweat dropped at the sudden shift of tone.

He heard some of the men groan as they regained consciousness and realized their predicaments and as much as he was nice, Senjuro did not feel sympathy toward them.

Afterward, they began the walk back to town. As they strode, Senjuro couldn't stop himself from stealing glances at the masked man. He wondered why Taiyo-shin gave him the choice to...well, kill or let them live. If he had answered otherwise...would have Taiyo-shin really killed them? He shuddered at the thought.

 

 

"You've been oddly quiet for a while, you okay?"

Senjuro jolted in surprise. He peered at the masked man who was looking at him before quickly glancing down nervously. "no hum... It's nothing important." he said, slowly redirecting his attention to the group of gloomy men following them. He gulped at the sight of the crude doodles on each of their forehead. "A-are...aren't you worried that they might attack us...?" they might be restrained but Senjuro couldn't help but worry.

"heh, they can try, I'll punch them in the liver again." To back his words, Taiyo-shin held his fist, an action that made the men flinch in terror.

"oh..."

There was a short silence only perturbed by the sounds of their footsteps as they advanced through the woods. Senjuro was fiddling nervously with his fingers, something Taiyo-shin eventually noticed. He tilted his head to the side as he tugged the rope bound to the prisoners, forcing them to advance. "You sure you're okay? You can tell me if there's anything bothering you." he said softly.

The boy bit his lip, a little frown adorning his face, though he remained quiet.

Taiyo-shin just watched him. "Is it because of what happened earlier?"  Senjuro flinched. "Don't worry, I wasn't really serious about it." he chuckled, causing a bewildered look to flash across Senjuro's face.

"R-Really?"

"Yup just wanted to know what you'd answer, and I gotta say that you're truly a good kid!" He ruffled Senjuro's hair with a laugh.

The kid blushed at the praise. Besides his brother and Kanroji-nee, Senjuro never received compliments from others. Then again it wasn't as if he knew a lot of people, to begin with. Even Iguro-nii would show indifference towards him, not that it was bad, that was just how Iguro-nii was.

"Now that I think about it, earlier you were freaking out about something, what was it?"

Senjuro jumped then rubbed the back of his head with a sweatdrop. "Oh Hum, I had been sent to...buy sake but..." he trailed off, looking to the side.

Taiyo-shin nodded in understanding. "I assume these bozos stole it from you and downed it? Which explains why they reeked of alcohol when I arrived." Senjuro could hear the disgust in his voice.

"Yes," he said softly, shoulders sagging in dejection.

"Welp! We'll just buy some when we get there! Simple!"

Senjuro's head snapped to the man in surprise "eh..? But I no longer have the money to—"

"Don't fret, I'll handle it!" Taiyo-shin proceeded to give the kid a thumbs up, "And, isn't it convenient that these guys here got nice bounties on their head? Right guys?" the prisoners all flinched when Taiyo-shin suddenly glanced at them like an owl, sending shivers down their spine. There was even a whimper in the mix.

Senjuro quickly shook his head in horror. "I-it's not necessary, sir! I'll figure it out! Please keep the money!"

"Nonsense! Now come on, we're almost there!"

"w-wait!"

Taiyo-shin promptly ignored his pleas and cheerfully dragged the powerless bandits toward the town while laughing.  It goes without saying that this was probably the weirdest thing Senjuro had ever experienced.

.
.
.

After bringing the bandits to the nearest police station and almost not getting the leader's bounty because the man was nearly unrecognizable, Taiyo-shin decided to escort Senjuro back to his house. Despite his weak protests, the masked man grabbed him and ran away from the townspeople after buying a giant sake gourd taller than Senjuro himself. The boy could only helplessly sigh as they exited the town and found themselves on their way to his house.

"You know sir, I don't think it was necessary to give me all this..." he sweat dropped as he eyed his bag now filled with money. What was he supposed to do with this...? Despite saying that it was unnecessary, his savior had none of it and instantly shoved the pouch to him the moment they stepped out of town.

"Nah, consider it pocket money. You can do whatever you want with it, I don't need it anyway." Taiyo-shin waved a hand dismissively and then brightened up. "Now that we're rid of these guys, what's your name?" the masked man glanced down at him as he easily held the giant gourd with one hand.

Senjuro paused, realizing that he had forgotten to introduce himself. He quickly stopped to bow in shame, "I-I apologize...! How impolite of me for not introducing myself! M-my name is Rengoku Senjuro, nice to meet you!"

"Mah don't sweat it. I figured you were related to that Hashira guy so it's okay." Taiyo-shin said casually while waving a hand and resumed his walk. The kid straightened up sharply.

"Huh? You k-know of my brother?" surprised, he asked as he fell into pace with the man.

Taiyo-shin chuckled, "Of course, I've seen him from afar, real nice guy by the way, although a bit loud. You look like a mini version of him. You planning on becoming a slayer too?"

That's right, his brother often spoke of Taiyo-shin and how he always couldn't seem to spot him whenever he arrived in a village where the masked man's presence was priorly reported. He didn't know the specifics as to why the corps was after him, something about a bet and a promise of a year of free sweet potatoes or something, he's not sure. Senjuro rubbed the back of his head, a sad glint in his eyes "Yeah..."

"You don't seem convinced." Taiyo-shin pointed out which made Senjuro glance down as a dejected laugh left his lips.

"I...I don't think I'll ever reach my brother's talent." he said softly.

"Why not? From what I gathered, wasn't your father like, a former Hashira or something? Isn't he training you?"

"How did you...?"

"That's not important." Taiyo-shin looked around in search of a place to sit down and found a conveniently placed tree trunk near the road. He proceeded to walk toward it to sit on after placing the box and the gourd on the ground. He patted next to him. "Come on now, tell me more about it."

The boy just stood there for a while then complied out of politeness and curiosity. It was the first time since someone other than family showed interest in him.

"Now, what is it about you never reaching your brother's talent?" the masked man inquired gently.

The boy looked down at his lap in sorrow, "it's just..." he hesitated, not wanting to bother his savior with his pitiful issues. He nearly jumped upon feeling a comforting hand on his scalp.

"It's okay, take your time."

Senjuro glanced at him for a moment, somehow glad that the man wasn't pressing him for answers, and instead showed patience towards his indecisiveness. It was...relieving.

After managing to still his resolve, the boy began his tale. He spoke of his shortcomings, his lack of talent with the sword, and his inability to change his nichirin's blade color, an indication of his inabilities despite his wish to help around. He felt hopeless. The fear of being unable to meet his family's expectations despite Kyojuro-nii-sama's support and the constant dismissal from his father only increased the feeling of despondency.

Taiyo-shin listened patiently, giving him the occasion to let his feelings out. He would even inquire once or twice, which would push the boy to speak more.

The more he spoke, the more Senjuro felt as though a weight was slowly being lifted from his young shoulders. Being able to share his worries with someone other than his brother felt quite great. Even though Senjuro knew nothing of the masked man, something told him that he could trust and open up to him.

"I did not want to waste your time but, thank you...for listening to me..." Senjuro finally said, feeling somewhat better after letting all these bottled-up thoughts that had been plaguing his mind for years out.

"Nah, don't mention it."

He shook his head, a small smile forming, "No, truly, this is more than enough. Thank you." he said, lifting his head to properly thank Taiyo-shin only to pause upon meeting a pair of gold eyes. "Eh...?"

"hm, hm I see. Well, no problem kiddo! Good to see that you managed to get it out of your system! Oh oh- I got an idea! Hm? What? Speechless? Wondering why I removed my mask? No particular reason honestly, plus you're such a nice kid, and it's best if I show you now than later. Oh, by the way, the name's Colith though you can call me Colith-nee if you want, but shhh, don't tell anyone!"

Senjuro just stared, mouth wide open in astonishment.

.
.
.

It was his first time seeing a black person in the flesh other than those vaguely mentioned in his books. And Senjuro was utterly speechless as he stared at what he had assumed to be a man for the past hours.

Needless to say, he wasn't expecting Taiyo-shin to be a tall dark-skinned woman.

He immediately flushed in mortification upon realizing that he had been referring to her as 'sir' from the beginning even though Colith-nee, yeah, the woman insisted—told him she didn't mind. At first, he was absolutely flabbergasted by her appearance, having never met a black person before, but Colith-nee didn't seem at all put off by his reaction. It was as though she had been expecting it and the woman was nice enough to tell him more about herself upon him inquiring though she made him promise to keep it to himself. At first, he wondered why she hid herself behind a mask, but after putting two and two together, he realized that many wouldn't be as open-minded and nice as he was and would probably treat her differently.

So with a determined nod, he promised. After all, she had saved him, healed and even bought his father sake, even though he was growing worried about his father's drinking spree. Upon arriving in front of the gates of his home, he gulped, feeling nervous at the thought of entering, given that he took longer than usual to run his father's errands until he felt a hand on his scalp. He peered up at a kitsune mask. Colith-nee had put it back shortly after they resumed the journey to the Fire estate. He could see why people mistook her as male now. With the mask and her deeper voice for a woman, it was difficult to guess her gender, given that she was the tallest woman he's ever met, added to that, mannerisms drastically different from those the women he's seen so far exhibited, he could understand the confusion.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Sen-chan! You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. I'm sure you'll pull through, no matter the hardships! You aren't a Rengoku for naught. Regardless, leave this to me." Colith-nee said, jabbing a gloved thumb into her chest. The smile could be heard in her voice as she spoke.

Senjuro looked at her in awe and admiration while feeling a sense of relief washing all over him. He nodded.

With resolve, they entered the estate.

He hadn't thought that she'd wish to meet his father after he told her about him and was expecting her to just drop him off and go on her merry way. Still, her presence by his side brought him a sense of comfort and safety, as crazy as it may seem. They swiftly arrived in front of his father's quarters. Somehow, he could feel the man's grouchy mood, probably due to his delay from behind the door.

Feeling a bit nervous, he was about to tell Colith-nee to wait for him to announce their arrival when—

"GREETINGS FUCKFACE!" Colith-nee slid the door open with a resounding *SMACK*.

Senjuro's felt his soul leave his body.

 

---

 

It was in the middle of a meeting that a while owl intruded suddenly, causing Iguro to halt his report as all eyes followed the white feathered creature silently circling the courtyard with various reactions. Before anyone could mutter an inquiry, they tensed when it neared their master but quickly calmed down as it graciously landed on his outstretched arm. They watched with barely concealed wonder as their master's eyes lit up, lips further curling up in a bright smile as the bird held its talon where a white note was attached.

"My apologies, I seem to have received an important missive. I hope it does not bother you if I see what this is about, Iguro-kun."

"Of course not, Oyakata-sama," the snake pillar's answer was curt but polite.

Respectfully, the pillars all waited until Oyakata-sama was done. The man let out a soft chuckle as he read the letter. He sent the owl away after affectionately scratching its neck and promising to reward it next time. The meeting resumed shortly after the brief interruption, though most of the pillars couldn't help but wonder what that was all about.

"That owl...I think i've seen it before."

"Hm?" Kyojuro sharply whirled to Uzui with a quizzical look as they all exited the courtyard, "What do you mean?"

The sound pillar hummed thoughtfully, garnering his comrades' attention as well, even Giyuu who awkwardly stopped to listen. Gyomei had to stop Muichiro from wandering away since the poor boy wasn't paying attention.

"OH OH! It was so pretty! Oyakata-sama seemed so pleased when it appeared!" Mitsuri gushed with a blush. "I wonder what was on that letter to put such a beautiful smile on Oyakata-sama's face like that!"

"Umu! That owl was indeed beautiful! Like a snowflake falling from the sky !"

"Ah!" Uzui's fist landed in his palm, realization lacing his tone, "Taiyo-shin!"

Immediately, everyone was onto him for information. Even Muichiro.

"Tch What? What about him? Why is it always you who finds clues about the bastard anyway huh?"

"Oh shush, Shinazugawa-kun! No need to get your fundoshi in a twist because of the obvious! I'm just better at this than you all!" He boasted, striking a pose.

"Will you tell us what that owl has to do with Taiyo-shin, Uzui-san?" Shinobu chimes in with a sigh while Kyojuro held Sanemi back from lunging at the taller man, though he sneered, receiving a weary shake of the head from Gyomei.

"Hmpf! Since no one here's competent enough like yours truly, this magnificent being here will be generous and share this little finding out of pure competitive spirit! And because you suck."

"Uzui-san."

"Alright alright! I've seen it glide a couple of times whenever Taiyo-shin's around. At first, I didn't think much of it until today. I'm certain it's the same owl given its sound."

A gasp was heard, "Which means—"

"Oi Oi Oi, Mitsuri-chan don't steal my spotlight! To put it simply, it was his bird. Oyakata-sama just received a letter from Taiyo-shin."

Every pillar tensed at the revelation, realizing that what they were after was actually closer than they thought. However—

"And as we've agreed, Oyakata-sama's off limits so don't even think of fishing information from him since that'll be considered cheating and you'll be out of the competition!" he exclaimed dramatically, "Anyhow Kyojuro-kun, off we go!"

With that, he grabbed the flame pillar by the back of his haori's collar. Rengoku let out a startled 'Hm?!' from the manhandling as he was dragged to their joint mission, leaving confused comrades loitering behind.

"Hm! I didn’t expect you to share this crucial clue with us, Tengen-san! Wouldn’t it have been better for you to keep that advantage? Although I commend you for the aid! I was beginning to wonder if I'll ever cross paths with him!"

"Not at all! I have faith in my abilities, and I’m sure that even with this little boost, I’ll be the one who finds him in the end! It'll make things far more interesting!" he exclaimed, causing peals of laughter to erupt from his companion.

"I see you're as confident as ever, Tengen-san! Do not fret for I'll gladly prove myself to be a great challenge in return!"

"See?! That's why you're my favorite! You've got the spirit!"

They exchanged a few more words as they strode while keeping an eye out on their surroundings. A peaceful silence took place as their discussion subsided.

"So, I've been meaning to ask, how's your father?" Tengen began, peering down at Kyojuro from the corner of his eye.

The subject was a delicate matter.

Whenever he asked, Kyojuro would plaster a big smile and enthusiastically inform him that his father was doing well and just needed more time to himself, that he'll eventually come around one of these days before moving on as though nothing was wrong. And that even though Tengen could distinctly perceive the distressed sound emitting from him whenever it was brought up. It pained him just thinking about it, such a fine swordsman lost to grief, then again he could understand. Just the thought of losing one of his wives was enough to make him distraught.

The sound pillar halted suddenly when instead of troubled vibrations, an echo of utter bewilderment and hope—that was new— found his ears, causing him to sharply glance at Kyojuro who was sporting an expression reflecting the sound he was emitting. Kyojuro quickly shook his head before replying as if he himself didn't believe was he was about to say.

"Father has... I'd say, been acting strange...?"

"Strange? How so?"

"Well...,"

.
.

He had just returned from a mission and was on his way to announcing his return when he crossed paths with his father. Kyojuro had halted and straightened up as his shoulders tensed. He had opened his mouth to greet his father, "Hello fa—"

"Kyojuro, every day from now on, you'll join me and your brother in the backyard for practice. We will resume your training." the man said curtly then walked past him, leaving a frozen Kyojuro in the middle of the corridor to process the situation.

"eh?"

.
.

"Senjuro won't tell me what has brought such a sudden change to him, and father doesn't seem to wish to talk about it either." he explained before a genuine smile bloomed on his lips, the fiery notes buzzing in delight, " I must admit that it is a welcomed change! He hasn't touched a single drop of sake in the last two months! I am proud hahaha!"

Tengen whistled, undoubtedly caught off guard.

'Looks like that bastard Shinjuro finally got his act together. I recall he had forsaken his sons' training before, causing them to train without guidance. Heh. Kyojuro will definitely become a monster, that’s for sure!'

"THIS IS TRULY FLAMBOYANT!"

 

"Hm?!"

 

---

 

It is in the middle of crafting something that a knock echoes through the silent house. Urokodaki paused his activity to look toward the door in wonder. It wasn't quite often that people visited him, not that most of his acquaintances were still alive to do so, and it couldn't be Tanjiro either since the young boy had merely left two hours ago to train.

After taking a short whiff, halting when he failed to identify the person behind the door for they lacked any scent, the elderly shook his head, having nevertheless guessed who it was despite the obvious lack of smell. With a huff, he resumed his task like nothing happened.

"Come in," he said gruffly.

The door slid open revealing a tall cloaked figure with a familiar kitsune mask. "Osu! Tengu gramps, how's it going?"

"Colith." he greeted without glancing at her. "I am doing well, thank you."

The woman hummed as she removed her hood, letting loose mid-length dark brown locs before lifting the mask which revealed a smiling face. She toes off her sandals then waltz into the washitsu as if owning the place while glancing around before pausing once she caught sight of what he was crafting.

Her eyes twinkled, "Oh, what's this?" she approached the old man to peek at his project.

"You seem to already know." was Urokodaki's curt reply.

Colith purses her lips in amusement as she sits on the floor before placing next to her a nearly identical box to the one the former Pillar was currently crafting.

"What brings you here? It isn't surely about Tanjiro since you didn't immediately rush to him like usual."

"Heh, do I need an excuse to visit my favorite grandpa?" Urokodaki lifted his head to level her with a blank stare. Colith snorted, "Alright alright," her gloved hand gently brushed against the dark wooden box. She smiled although it looked a bit strained. If the old man noticed, he didn't mention it. "I've been debating how to announce this to you guys for a while and finally found the courage to do so today which is why I'm here!"

"You've found yourself a demon, I take it." Urokodaki grunted causing her to twitch.

"Yeeeess, something like that. Man, you weren't supposed to guess so quickly tho." she mumbled. The elder simply gestured to both boxes, implying that he knew exactly what they were for since he was crafting one for the demon child in the hopes of her awakening one day. If...she wakes up that is. Her sudden slumber worried the old man despite having barely interacted with her aside from making sure that everything was alright. Colith rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

He shook his head, "What I wish to know however is why? I do not recall you having any family member who has undergone the transformation considering that you aren't from here. In addition, I am unable to distinguish any demonic presence coming from the box which leaves me wondering how such a thing is possible." Urokodaki's mask turned to her in question. "Do you really have a demon in there?"

Colith perked up, "actually yes!" she nodded, "I did something so you guys can't guess what's inside! Makes traveling and interacting with slayers far more easier. Plus I wouldn't imagine what would happen if someone with good senses figured that I've been transporting a demon all this time." she groaned, "Yeah no, I'll go without that. "

He nodded, "Why choose to tell me now then?"

"Well firstly because you're already familiar with the same situation, Tanjiro, Nezuko all the jazz, and secondly because I wish for you to be the first to know." she smiled, "I have yet to inform Kagaya about it even though I'm sure he wouldn't see any objection toward it. It's just that...I felt like you should be the first to know,"

Despite the mask hiding his expressions, Urokodaki felt a warm feeling of fondness swell at those words.

"And also because I sorta made this one switch sides but I'll explain later," she chuckled while waving a hand, "do you mind?"

The elderly sighed and then placed his tools next to him. He nodded. "By all means, go ahead."

"Alright! By the way, don't be fooled by his appearance! He's a real softie! Well, with me at least but don't worry, he no longer eats humans so he's harmless unless attacked." she explained lightly, executing a strange knocking pattern on the box which made the elder wonder what she was doing.

As soon as its door showed signs of opening, Urokodaki found himself at the other side of the room with a katana in hand, ready for battle. The sudden powerful presence was unlike anything he's ever felt before. And the smell...this was no ordinary demon!

There was a beat of silence before Colith let out a baffled whistle, "Damn grandpa, I know you're retired and stuff but damn!" she blinked. She hadn't even seen him move! Let alone saw him grab a katana! Then again, former Pillar, plus she wasn't focused. Colith glanced at the silent demon beside her. "come on koku, shrink before the old man has a heart attack. And stop glaring at him!" she admonished.

The demon huffed then did as he was told while staring at the former hashira with no emotion whatsoever. Fortunately, the windows were closed, preventing the light from entering. Colith barely refrained from squealing before snatching the tiny creature in her arms, much to his dismay. She then placed him on her lap before leveling the old man with an awkward stare. She cleared her throat, making the old man's mask slightly move toward her.

"So...this is Kokushibo, formerly known as Tsugikuni Michikatsu. And, Koku-kun, this is Sakonji Urokodaki, former water Hashira, and my beloved grandpa. " she introduced after a long awkward silence.

"He is an Upper-moon." the old man stated the obvious, still far from relaxed. Having a demon child in his house is one thing, but an upper moon? Preposterous! He never imagined his first encounter with an upper moon, one no less, would be like this. It was so...unexpected and outright ridiculous. None of the Lower moons he faced couldn't come close to the sheer power exuding from this one.

"Yes...which is why I wanted to inform you first and see your...reaction." he could hear the hesitation in her tone as she scratched her cheek sheepishly.

Urokodaki sighed.

He eyed the demon warily, noting how the heavy pressure he felt earlier seemed to have receded to one of a mere demon. Urokodaki was no fool. Where the young kamado's scent was pure and untainted by the fact that she had yet to attack humans, this one's held centuries of bloodshed. The elderly wondered how on earth she managed to tame such a monster before remembering something.

With her bubbly nature and boundless energy, he often had trouble recalling her true nature.

A Goddess.

He still couldn't fathom such possibilities, although now he truly understood. No human could ever think of achieving such feats.

Only instincts honed by decades of experience caused him to react this way. His first reaction was to cut him down, yet given the number in this Kokushibo's eyes, upper moon one, Urokodaki, despite years of being a Hashira knew he had no chance against him.

The woman beckoned him to sit so she could begin her tale, and he did, albeit grudgingly. Kami knows no one in their right mind would even dare to linger even a second in the presence of such a monster.

She explained her wanderings, experiences, how she met the demon, and more importantly, how she discovered her ability to...tame them in some way. Urokodaki's not sure how high his eyebrows went up as she spoke, though she warned that Kokushibo was the only success so far, given that she did not want an army of demons trailing her.

Before long, she was done and waited for him to speak.

"If I understand correctly, you hope to achieve the same result with young Nezuko, is that right?"

"Only if Tanjiro's okay with it though," she hummed, happily tousling the demon's hair who had yet to make a comment. Although that seemed very unlikely seeing as all his eyes were closed in bliss and was therefore not interested in the conversation.

Urokodaki found the sight both fascinating and disturbing.

"Plus it'll help with the spell and prevent her from ever losing control in the future, so yeah! If It works with Koku-kun who's an Upper moon, I'm sure Nezuko'll be fine! Mah, don't look at me like that gramps! I'm not human so it won't actually destroy Tanjiro's oath!" she winked cheekily." The final selection is in 2 months if I’m not mistaken, so we’ll just have to wait until then and hopefully, Tanjiro will agree."

"She has been asleep for almost two years now, how are you so sure that she will awaken in time?" he asked, "And final selection? Tanjiro has yet to overcome the test. I am not sending him this time either. He isn't ready."

A smirk appeared on her face, "oh she will, trust me on that, Nezuko will definitely wake up on time!" she nodded, confidence lacing her tone, "As for Tanjiro, let's just say that you will be up for a surprise, gramps!" she snickered.

Urokodaki gave her a dubious grunt while shaking his head at her antics. He folded his arms before sparing Kokushibo a glance, noticing the lack of animosity other demons usually exuded beside Nezuko. Though the young Kamado was an exception.

And Tsugikuni? That name was famili—

The front door abruptly slid open, revealing a disheveled Tanjiro whose eyes were blown wide in panic. He was panting, seemingly breathless from rushing from the training ground.

"D-d-demon...! I..smelled...one! I—" He managed to voice as his hands tightened around his worn-down katana.

 

---

 

He was Sparing with Sabito when his nose took in a foreign smell before suddenly freezing in shock upon recognizing what it was. The demonic scent was...monstrous and he couldn't help but tremble in dread. A demon had appeared. A powerful one at that! Although he had only faced one demon, the difference in power was appalling. Whatever that thing was, Tanjiro should keep his distance from it, no, he should run the hell away from it!

But then his breath caught in his throat. Because that thing was in Urokodaki's house. With a defenseless Nezuko there. Nezuko! His stomach sank and lurched with terror and a distressed scream threatened to slip past his lips.

Tanjiro threw caution to the wind as he immediately dashed to the house, too troubled to hear Sabito and Makomo's concerned cries to 'wait' as he disappeared from the clearing. And even when the presence subdued itself, Tanjiro still sped up because his baby sister and sensei were in danger and he wouldn't forgive himself if he let it happen again.

Not this time! He wouldn't be late this time...!

 

---

 

"h-huh..? W-what..?" the boy eloquently croaked.

"Aye, Tanji-kun !" He startled when his frantic gaze found the woman, entirely missing the demon on her lap.  Cheerfully, Colith waved a hand. "we were just talking about you! Come sit, come sit! There's someone I want to introduce you to—"

"These earrings..."

They all jumped at Kokushibo's voice and promptly snapped their attention to him as he grew in size, towering over all of them. Tanjiro jolted in shock and stumbled a little upon finally seeing the demon and faltered. Breath catching in his lungs. He fell on his butt, his katana clattering on the floor as primal fear took hold of him entirely at the fearsome sight before him.

The demon's gazes never left the earrings as he approached the boy, yellow eyes narrowing on them in an attempt to recall where he had seen them perhaps.

"You—"

"Koku-kun," The demon stilled, slowly looking down. Colith was in front of him, separating him from the boy, a hand pressing his chest to stop his advance. "You're gonna burn yourself. Step back." a frown was visible on her face as she pushed him back from the sunlight.

Urokodaki hadn't even seen her move.

They held gazes for a while until the demon relented after whatever exchange they had came to a close. A slight look of displeasure flashed through his eyes before a veil of neutrality covered them once more. The demon returned to his spot next to the box, sitting in a perfect seiza with blank eyes, though he retained his height.

The woman's lips pursed in a pout before she shook her head and redirected her attention to the boy. Poor Tanjiro was on the ground, trembling like a leaf which prompted her to give him a reassuring smile, offering him a helping hand.

"Don't worry, Tanji, he's with me, he won't hurt a fly unless I say so. Come on, up up." she urged gently, grabbing his arm and easily hoisting him up.

Tanjiro staggered a bit as she led him back inside though he kept stealing wary glances at the demon who remained silent but watchful. He shuddered when six yellow orbs fell onto him, more importantly, his earrings. He hesitantly took place next to Urokodaki then carefully greeted Kokushibo with a meek tone the demon returned with a silent nod when Colith elbowed him to 'be nice.'

Tanjiro was utterly befuddled at the sight and Urokodaki couldn't fault the boy for he felt the same way.

With that, Colith casually explained the situation. Successfully placating Tanjiro who appeared more understanding as she spoke and less apprehensive toward the demon seeing as Kokushibo was mostly passive. Though he was utterly baffled by the situation in itself! She can tame demons?! Kami!

"...and you think it'll work on Nezuko?"

"Yeah, but don't worry it won't break your promise since I'm not human. Plus it's just drinking blood from time to time, so that won't count as her eating humans. And who knows, she'll get strong enough to defend herself against enemies."

"I don't know..."

"Look at Koku-kun, sure he's been going out there killing and devouring people for centuries, though that's mostly 'cause of that big bad jackass but a drop of my blood was enough to put a stop to that! Now he's more like a cranky grandpa—ow ow ow ow! Stap! I get it, I get it! You're the strongest and the most handsome demon in the whole universe! Now stop pinching me!" she rubbed her cheek, squinting menacingly at the demon when he retracted his hand and sat silently with a face devoid of emotion. Although a faint smell of pride and satisfaction seeped out of him.

Urokodaki observed the scene with barely hidden disbelief while Tanjiro was outright gawking with wide bewildered eyes.

Kami, he was too old for this.

"Point is," Colith carried on, "think of it as a precaution in case things go wrong." her gaze softened as she folded her arms. "But you don't have to accept if that bothers you! Just tell me if you change your mind! Just wanna help."

Huffing, Urokodaki got up to put his things away. It was almost done anyway. Fortunately, tanjiro was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice the half-finished box. As he returned from his room, still alert as ever at Kokushibo's—unbelievable how he hadn't noticed such a presence all these times. Then again. Colith—sight, he heard a hum from Tanjiro as the boy locked gaze with the woman. Long burgundy strands fell off his shoulders as he nodded.

"I... I'll think about it, Colith-san. I am grateful for your consideration." he bowed deeply.

"Maa, no need for that kiddo, just let me know when you're okay with it." she grinned lazily, casually leaning on the demon's shoulder to the two males' astonishment.

With that they changed the subject, Colith asking about Tanjiro's training, prompting the boy to talk about it. Surprisingly, Kokushibo shared a few of his inputs, as scarce as they were, which in turn picked Urokodaki's curiosity seeing as the demon had remained fairly silent unless when the woman turned to him for help regarding the boy's routine.

This day couldn't be quainter, the elderly thought.

The following month, Tanjiro sliced the boulder.

---

 

1st POV

 

.

.

 

"You sure you don't want me to drop you off?"

Tanjiro shook his head, sweat dropping, "Thank you, Colith-san but It is truly not necessary. I want to know how long it will take for me to get there." he apologized.

I pouted, not that he could see, and crossed my arms before letting out a resigned sigh. Urokodaki and I stood on the doorstep, watching the boy jog a few meters away before halting. He waved at us then resumed his run, clad in a similar haori as the former water pillar and Kitsune mask.

"You're going after him, aren't you?" the old man said after a beat.

"Yep!" I grinned, jumping into the air to trail the kid. "See ya!" I waved. He returned the wave with a sigh, watching me silently blast off after Tanjiro.

Seppen was next to me in a jiffy and we made sure not to get too close so he couldn't spot us. Seriously, his nose was too sharp for his own good.

Why was I following him? After all, he did get there without problem and passed the exam with flying colors in the anime. Actually, I wasn't just going after him. I had some stuff to do such as keeping the casualties low during the final selection. Now hear me out, not everyone was fit to become a slayer, and I knew that Kagaya was aware of it.

So instead of letting potential recruits die foolishly because they bit off more than they can chew, there was a change to the rules. Anyone with fatal injuries or those at death's door will be rescued— by me —and will, therefore, not become slayers. They'll have to restart their formation and try again the following year.

So, yeah. I've sent clones to the last selections and saved a lot, and I say A LOT of people.

Kokushibo didn't particularly react to this outcome even though he was aware of it. Then again, Muzan's control on him seemed to have thoroughly faded away from his system considering he could now say his name without repercussions.

Colith-1, discount MJ-0.

We arrived at Mount Fujikasane before sunset, proof that Tanjiro's additional training kinda paid off. Having Kokushibo spar with him on some occasions definitely improved his reflexes. Granted that dodging was all he could do against the demon, Koku-kun was ruthless.

He never brought up the earrings again, still, I encouraged him to try and open up about them. Koku-kun was of those who still remembered their past, as rare as they were. So he didn't react strongly to the news of Tanjiro being a descendant of Yorichii's closest friend, which would explain the earrings.

He wasn't one to bring up his past a lot though, as tragic as it was, and I wasn't either. Not that it prevented some mishap on my part. I had a big mouth and would end up sometimes blurting things I wasn't supposed to know, not that he questioned how the hell I knew it. He was aware of what I was after I finally decided to tell him when I was sure that Muzan wouldn't get wind of it. Needed that surprise factor even though him still not realizing that I snatched his most loyal servant was mind-blowing.

There were a lot of people this year too. Even saw a few I saved last year and they seemed more determined to succeed this time. Good for them. I remained hidden, looking around to find if anyone from the main cast was missing.

'I suppose some of them have yet to come.'

Tanjiro was currently trying to interact with the others, being the newbie he was, he most likely was fishing for information. I smiled before my gaze found a speck of yellow entering the meeting place. A very familiar and frightened speck of yellow might I add.

'That's Zenitsu for you.'

He was, well, shivering his timbers and looked anything but happy to be here, which was fair. Pre-developed Zenitsu was a pain in the ass to deal with, considering his clinginess and more than dramatic reactions. Still, he was sweet, if not just misunderstood, even in his own weird way. His senpai however... Yeah, a very unlikable creature this one. He was among those who passed last year without trouble.

His head snapped in my general direction, sweat rolling down his face as he stared intently at where I was.

'Damn, his hearing is no joke.' I stayed still, canceling any sound coming from me. 'Didn't think I'd use the anti-Uzui so soon. The fucker almost always catches me. Then again, they have good hearing so that's a given.'

I watched him frown, unable to further pinpoint my location before getting distracted by something. I resumed my observations.

Kanao had been among those who got here first and had that aloof air surrounding her that prevented anyone from approaching. Her aura didn't reflect any emotion besides some kind of quiescence a normal human being shouldn't be able to achieve.

'These guys really have no idea what a therapist is? This child clearly needs therapy!... Like 99% of the cast actually.' I sweat dropped.

Perhaps I should have made a conscious effort to meet them besides fooling around. I mean, stumbling across Genya and Senjuro had been a total fluke! And the circumstances of the meetings were, kinda absurd. The former nearly had his eyes gouged out by some hey Arnold lookin' ass demon while the latter almost got kidnapped.

How on earth they survived these encounters in canon is beyond me.

Speaking of Genya, the kid looked less haggard and a little more muscled than his anime counterpart, though that might be because the exam had yet to begin. Last I saw him, he was with Gyomei, punching trees like nobody's business while the giant played a flute. So I calmly dipped before they could detect my presence but still left some food 'cause I was like that.

But anyhow, it's nice to see how less aggressive he's become. With proper guidance, even the most troublesome kid can mellow, if not a little.

Inosuke...well, he was around, probably terrorizing whoever glanced his way.

I stayed hidden until everyone left for the exam before appearing in front of the twins, the only ones remaining.

"Yo !"

"Oba-san!" They both squealed, immediately recovering from the initial shock of my appearance before crashing into my awaiting arms. They had taken to calling me auntie, a prospect that, you would've guessed, melted my heart.

"Heya, punkins'!" I chuckled, hugging them before straightening up. "It's been a while, aye?"

"Hm!" Kanata smiled.

"Yes, thank you for visiting us!" Kiriya replied with a grin. I patted their head, earning little giggles from them.

"Don't mention it. So it's your turn this year huh, how are the others? Are your parents doing well?" I asked, glancing around.

"Father is doing very well!" Kiriya began, "And mother—" A nudge from his sister cut him off. They shared a quick look, eyes gleaming with something akin to excitement before looking up at me.

I quirked a brow, not that they could see, "What?" they both shook their heads and started giggling. My eyes narrowed "Oh? So that's how you want to play it heh?" I said, placing Koku's box on the ground. The kids started slowly backing away, knowing what was coming, "Well then, you better start running because Big Mom is here and is gonna eatcha! GRAAAH!"

Squealing, they scattered just as I lifted my arms dramatically and started chasing them while cackling menacingly.

I met Kanata, Kuina, and Kiriya on my second visit. They weren't wary of my sudden appearance in their house, having most likely heard of me via their sisters and parents. And it seemed, just like Nichika and Hinaki, they appreciated my gifts, considering that they all wandered around with their plushies, even during serious situations. It was sweet. They seemed happier since Kagaya could go on and about without assistance.

To the onlookers, the kids still looked creepy as hell, though that was just their appearance, their auras on the other hand were wild. Then again, I'm the only one who could see that.

While reading the manga, I always wondered where the kids stayed during the exam, because waiting a whole ass week at the foot of the mountain for children was impossible and outright irresponsible. Turns out that a Wisteria house was located somewhere near, and that's where they stayed, which made sense.

Speaking of the exam, my clones had already rescued more than twenty candidates, and that was just on the second day.

There were ten clones in total and three of them were tasked to keep a close eye on the main cast. I knew they'd survive this easily, but I wasn't taking any chances with the few changes my presence brought. That butterfly effect ain't catching me lacking any day. Nope.

Tanjiro fought the hand demon and, somehow still got his head wound, although that's mainly due to him narrowly dodging a strike from the restless demon. The agitation was due to the fact that the grotesque creature had been unable to consume humans for two years straight which, well, would make any demon go apeshit.

The battle became one-sided as soon as he started bragging about killing Tengu gramps' students. Tanjiro didn’t even give him time to blink that his head was already separated from his body and rapidly disintegrating.

Well sheesh. I think we created a monster.

Although the demons were much more aggressive than usual, by the end of the seven days, fifteen people, including the main cast, had passed. Not a lot in my opinion but hey, that's better than just five. I dropped the kids off two hours before dawn and took off to the air after giving them snacks to watch the ceremony. Everything was going relatively well, everyone received their crows—sparrow in Zenitsu's case— and were now choosing an ore.

The sudden urge to bring chaos to these unaware souls took hold of me.

Just as Tanjiro was reaching for one, the smell of grilled meat reached his nostrils, making him pause and glance behind him in confusion.

"BARBECUE! BARBECUE! Who wants some barbecue?" I called, standing behind a food stand I spawned for no reason while wearing a ridiculous apron and a chef hat.

The silence was so loud as they all stared at me in bewilderment, entirely missing the siblings' attempts to not crack up.

"This must've been hard, but no worries, here's some food to cheer you up!" I said, shoving plates of fuming rotisserie in their hands. They were too flabbergasted to react properly. Even Kanao looked speechless. "Don't forget to eat slowly otherwise you'll puke!" I advised before popping in front of a startled Inosuke. "Here you go."

Pig assault™ looked back and forth between me and the plate, utterly puzzled.

"Bon appétit! And congratulations !" I said cheerfully, making a peace sign before vanishing from the clearing in a puff of smoke, food stand included.

"...W-was that Taiyo-shin...?" Zenitsu uttered, breaking the silence.

"What was he doing here?"

"Was that really him?! Holy shit! He's real!"

"Should we eat...?"

"This guy doesn't seem to mind." someone pointed towards Inosuke who was inhaling the food. Seeing this, most of them started eating, appalling Zenitsu.

"IS NOBODY GOING TO QUESTION WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" He received shrugs in response.

Tanjiro sweet dropped, watching everyone marvel at the food then started eating. After all, he was quite famished.

 

---

 

"So, did everyone eat?" he looked up for a moment, trying to remember before hesitantly nodding, "Even the butterfly girl?"

He hummed, "I think she flipped a coin then passed her plate to someone else after it landed," he said, making me sigh in disappointment. "is everything alright, Colith-san?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," I waved a hand, "How was the exam anyway? How many demons did you kill?"

He held his hand to count with a little frown, "Around twenty if I'm correct." I whistled, impressed.

I patted his head, "That's a lot! Good job!" I praised before halting when he didn't return the cheer. "What's wrong? Are you hungry?" I made a bento filled with fatsia sprouts appear and offered it to him. He thanked me, no longer surprised by my powers as he was two years ago.

"It's just that I can't help but think they were once human too, and must've gone through a lot..." he confessed, "Though, that doesn't erase all their wrongdoings, and the suffering they caused to people but..."

"You feel bad for them." he winced.

"Is that bad...?" I shook my head.

"You're kind. Not everyone is as forgiving as you, however, that doesn’t mean you’re excusing their actions, so it’s not a bad thing to feel sympathy. It reminds me of my Ma actually, though she was harsher." I chuckled, "Just don't be so naive as to think that everyone has some good in them. Some people are just evil by nature, don't be fooled."

He stared at me in awe before nodding, surprised I didn't berate him like Tengu gramps always does on this topic.

"Perhaps you'll meet more demons like Nezuko, as rare as they are in the future. Who knows?" He tilted his head, puzzled by my cryptics words. I changed the subject before he could inquire.

We arrived around the afternoon, the old man wasn't home, probably doing some errands, assuming Tanjiro wouldn't be back until late at night. After taking a bath and tending to the few injuries—mostly bruises and the head wound, he promptly passed out like a light, entirely missing Tengu gramps arrival and Nezuko's awakening thirty minutes after.

So imagine his surprise when, upon waking up, he was met with wide gleaming pink eyes staring right into his soul.

"Ne—NEZUKO!"

He immediately burst into tears and scrambled up to hug her tightly. Two years of constant worry left him in waves at the sight of her. The demon girl returned the embrace, a little confused by her older brother's reaction before making a pleasant hum. Me and Tengu gramps watched the interaction and if tears flowed from the bottom of his mask, I pretended not to notice. 

 

---

 

"I accept, Colith-san!"

"Hm?" I looked down and found Tanjiro under the tree I was on, "What's up kid? Accept what?" I quirked a brow.

The fifteen years old nervously twiddled his thumbs for a moment before looking up at me, determined, "I—I accept your proposal about Nezuko!"

It took my brain a solid 10 seconds before my eyes lit up. I closed the manga I was reading and popped right in front of him, startling Tanjiro who yelped.

"I wasn't expecting you to change your mind! I thought you declined since you never mentioned it again after she woke up," I made the book poof away and held my hips, "So what gives? And no, no need to apologize." I flicked his forehead, stopping him from doing just that.

He realized that he may not always be near his sister during fights and his future opponents might use that against him. It would be best if she could defend herself, considering that Kokushibo smelled stronger and less bloodthirsty than during their first meeting, so if Nezuko could become stronger without ever attacking humans in a desperate time...

"I may not be around if she ever loses control not that I think it'll happen, I trust Nezuko, but things can change during a fight, and I would never forgive myself if she was to harm others..." he lowered his head, eyebrows creased, "So that's why—"

"I get it, no need to ramble." I pinched his cheek, "I'm glad you  took the time to think about it seriously, especially if she stumbles upon a Marechi."

"Mare...chis?"

"They’re humans with very special blood that attracts demons. They make them much more aggressive and bloodthirsty. Those at the final selection were nothing compared to a demon who smelled a marechi. Even Koku-kun had some trouble controlling himself when there was one around, though that was before we met. He merely sneers in their presence."

He gulped, visibly disturbed, "I-I see..., that's good to know..."

"Mah, don't worry! Now come on, let's tell gramps!"

By the time the sun set and the night settled, we entered the forest. Big wide pink eyes stared at me innocently as I stood in front of their owner. Tengu gramps decided to come with us, out of curiosity or concern for Nezuko, I don’t know but he was here. Kokushibo remained in his box, not really interested in the matter while Tanjiro looked nervous but confident.

I explained to them how demons reacted to my blood beforehand, which is why we were in the woods to not destroy Tengu Gramps' home. Nezuko glanced back and forth between the vial and me, utterly confused. Tanjiro did try to tell her what was gonna happen, but the kid had some trouble with his words since he was still unfamiliar with the procedure.

"Are you certain it is safe?"

I waved the old man's concerns off, assuring him that it'll be fine. "Of course. I'll just have to monitor her like I've done with Koku-kun, which means that I'll be with you guys on your journey. Hope that's not an issue, Tanji?"

"Not at all!" the boy replied.

I wouldn't interfere with most of his future battles though, he needed them all to grow stronger. The additional training with Kokushibo made him stronger than his cannon counterpart, and hopefully, that will apply to Nezuko. Speaking of Nezuko...

The girl downed the content of the vial and we all tensed when her body froze. Expecting an outburst of some sort, we were utterly bewildered when the girl simply blinked then looked at us with those same...innocent eyes—

"Alright, that's...odd?" I hummed, circling the demon child for any signs of changement. Even her aura felt the same...? Not bloodthirsty at least.

Tanjiro approached, sniffing the air before stating that Nezuko was calm, happy even. He didn't smell any aggression from his sister or any kind of negative emotion which puzzled me. This is the first time a demon doesn't react to my blood!

"It doesn't seems to have worked." Tengu gramps stated, watching the scene with folded arms.

I held my chin in thought before getting an idea, "Hold on," I fetched another vial of blood and told Tanjiro to back away.

"What is this?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Marechi blood," How I got this you ask? Contrary to popular belief, Marechis weren't as rare as you might think. Proof is, I stumbled upon a couple during my travels and a majority just lived in populated areas, making it nearly impossible for demons who favored isolated areas to hunt them.

'No wonder Muzan prefers to hide among them.' I shook my head then popped the lid off before moving it under her nose. Nezuko stared at me.

No reaction.

"Welp, good news is, Nezuko won't ever attack anyone, so you can rest assured." I put it away then blinked when I felt arms wrap around my waist and looked down. A warm smile spread on my face, "Dunno why but it worked but at least there won’t be any risk of losing control."

"This must have something to do with the fact that young Nezuko has yet to consume human flesh." The old man said, making me pause and consider.

"Ah, That...actually makes sense." I hummed, lifting the girl to my hip after she shrank. "I guess that's taken care of," I said before a mischievous grin came across my face. "The first to arrive is in charge of preparing dinner!" I vanished with a giggling Nezuko before Tengu gramps could react properly. I will cook tonight!

 

---

 

"Hm."

"..."

"Hm?"

"...?"

"Hm! Hm!"

"...!"

I tried to stifle a laugh but the noise caught the two demons' attention which made them both look at me. Nezuko was sitting in front of Kokushibo, mimicking his posture and seemingly trying to get a reaction from him—which she succeeded at! He tilted his head!—by having a staring match with him.

(art by me)

"Having fun?" I teased. Kokushibo's eyes narrowed slightly while Nezuko beamed. She straightened up and proceeded to waddle towards me.

The two met three days after Nezuko's awakening after I literally dragged him out of his box. Naturally, she was apprehensive at first since he was, well, a freaking upper moon, but calmed down when Tanjiro explained the situation. He didn't show any disdain towards her so I count that as a win! Although he found her circumstances to be quite odd since he had yet to hear about a demon refusing to eat flesh without my direct meddling.

Today was the day Tanjiro received his sword and by the noise outside, Haganezuka was probably throwing a fit. I left the demons to their own devices after giving them both head pats—much to Koku-kun's dismay though I know he loves it— and walked out. I quirked a brow after I slid the door open which garnered the three males' attention.

"A black sword? That's sick."

Haganezuka's aura spiked in surprise and was probably gawking behind that mask. After all, I only wore a kimono top and a hakama. I gave him a polite smile.

"You must be Tanji's swordsmith. Thank you for your service. It is a very beautiful sword."

He quickly recovered "O-o-of course it is! I made it!" He preened. I was about to add another compliment when he got right into my face, making me lean back a little. I felt a murderous aura spike behind me but ignored it. "Though I must ask, you're not from here are you? What an odd skin color! Are you a foreigner? Your voice sounds familiar though. Have we met before?"

Welp, at least he was bold and straight to the point.

'That's what happens when you share food with strangers. Not that he's a stranger to speak of.'

It's dumb really. I was on one of my food discovery sprees right at the beginning of my 'trip' and got wind of a particular store that specializes in sweets in a town whose name I forgot. Curious as I was, I entered the store and started buying things to try later. My eyes fell on the last plate of Mitarashi Dango and when I was about to order it, I felt a bone-crushing grip on my shoulder. Turns out, it was Haganezuka who had been eying that particular plate the whole time I was there and didn't appreciate the fact that I was about to take it. Long story short, I ordered it, took one stick since that's all I needed to be able to recreate it, and offered the plate to him just as he was about to go apeshit.

It seems as though that event marked him enough to remember my voice even after all this time. I heard Tengu gramps sigh while Tanjiro gawked at the scene. I slightly pushed him away while keeping an amicable smile. 

"That would be because we shared some Mitarashi Dango." No point in hiding it anymore. He halted, likely processing what I just said.

"THAT WAS YOU?!" He shrieked, aghast. "THE KIND DANGO STRANGER!"

I blinked, "...The what?"

"CAW CAW! CAWWMADO TANJIRO, HERE ARE YOUR ORDERS!" everyone turned to the crow who barreled in, curious. Surprise, in Tanjiro's case. Seppen didn't speak, so he wasn't expecting his crow to suddenly talk.

Once the bird was done transmitting the orders, I beckoned him to land on my outstretched arm, which he did out of pure curiosity. I brought forth some seeds and offered them to him. Matsuemon cawed happily and started pecking like nobody's business.

Apparently, Haganezuka had not made the connection between Taiyo-shin and the 'Kind dango stranger'. However, it seems he didn't care upon learning that I was Taiyo-shin. He didn't see any point in entertaining the rumors since, in his quotes "I'm a busy man!", so it mostly flew over his head. All that mattered was that I shared his favorite food with him, which, well, was a big deal to him and ultimately good in his books. He left a while later, elated after receiving a box full of sweets from me and promised to return the favor tenfold.

I think I just got Haganezuka in the bag.

Oh well.

I turned to Tanjiro, "First mission, heh? Mind if I tag along?"

 

---

3rd  POV

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She was...odd.

For all that he had lived, he hadn't expected to stumble upon her.

In the initial days following the encounter, a subtle yet profound transformation started to take root within him. It was as though a veil had been lifted, dispelling an illusion that once shrouded his mind, leaving behind apathy and anger. With each passing moment, the fabric of his old perceptions began to unravel, making way for a fresh perspective to take hold.

The doubts had reared their ugly head again.

As his allegiance teetered on the edge of uncertainty, he found himself questioning why he remained in the service of this man. One facet of his being, the ruthless and power-hungry creature within, clamored for dominion and control. Yet, a suppressed part of him, dormant for centuries and silenced by the passage of time, now emerged in hushed whispers: fear.

This unsettling emotion, long banished from his consciousness, crept back into his heart, reminding him of vulnerabilities he had long sought to bury.

The grip of mortality's terror, the dread of becoming an insignificant specter, and the haunting apprehension of inadequacy and weakness all resurfaced with a vengeance. These primal fears rekindled the old insecurities and deep-seated resentments that had plagued him for years, driving him to a state of self-obliteration. In his relentless pursuit of power, he had forsaken his own humanity, morphing into the very thing he had vowed to vanquish. All in a desperate bid to surpass the one he loathed beyond measure.

As though emerging from a prolonged nightmare, he suddenly awakened to the harsh reality of his actions. The weight of his deeds finally came crashing down upon him, and he could no longer ignore the truth.

The weight of his sins bore heavily upon his soul, a burden he could no longer ignore. As he remembered all the destruction he had wrought, a gnawing sense of regret clawed at his heart.

For him, power and dominance were the true measures of greatness, but now, the faces of those he had harmed, the innocent lives he had shattered came to the forefront, tearing away at the facade of the cold-hearted creature he had become.

For four centuries, a relentless cycle of bloodshed defined his existence, all under the sway of that man's influence.

His heart was burdened with shame..

In the quiet moments of introspection, he found himself grappling with the choices that led him down this dark path. He realized that he had allowed anger and bitterness to consume him, blinding him to the beauty of compassion and empathy.

He... What had he become?

.
.
.

The once compelling scent of blood now held no allure, and the very idea of consuming human flesh filled him with repulsion.

The desire to feast on humans had completely vanished from within him.

.
.
.

This Lith, she had orchestrated this transformation within him, forcing him to confront the person he had evolved into. Now, he felt an undeniable urge to seek her out and confront her...

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As peculiar as her attire may have been, he recognized her instantly. At that very moment, an inexplicable transformation washed over him, altering the essence of his being. He could no longer lay claim to the person he once was, for in her presence, something profound had shifted within him, forever changing the landscape of his emotions.

Though he was fully aware that offense or irritation should have been his immediate response, a strange sensation overcame him the moment he experienced that familiar and comforting presence once more. Like the delicate alignment of puzzle pieces, something clicked within him, and an unexpected yearning surfaced, urging him not to let go of that soothing aura.

"I wish...to serve you."

---

In the midst of confusion, she found herself shivering from the cold. Clutching something small and icy in her arms, she couldn't comprehend her surroundings or why the scent of blood was strangely alluring. The blend of emotions left her feeling not just cold and confused but also with an unexpected sensation of hunger.

.
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Having found her prey, a relentless hunger consumed her. The insatiable urge to devour it overwhelmed her senses, yet an unsettling feeling gnawed at her conscience. The prey resisted vehemently, pleading and shouting words she couldn't comprehend.

Nonetheless, the pangs of hunger pushed her forward, causing her to grow and become more potent, determined to fulfill her voracious appetite. The internal struggle between her desire to feed and the faint echoes of empathy continued as she sought to sate her ravenous craving.

Her growth seemed unstoppable as she loomed over her supposed prey, on the verge of indulging her unyielding hunger. But then, at the last moment, she discerned the words being spoken.

"It" wasn't a prey; a sudden realization struck her core. She recognized him. It was Tanjiro - someone she knew, someone she cared for deeply. In that moment of clarity, the truth emerged: he was not a prey to be devoured. The veil of hunger lifted, and the identity of her "prey" became evident.

Her name was Nezuko.

A wave of emotions surged within her, and she couldn't contain her sorrow. Tears flowed as she wept for the potential darkness she had almost succumbed to, now grateful that she didn't lose herself entirely.

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Her memories were hazy at best, but a seething anger enveloped her. A sharp pain throbbed within—danger, danger!—intensifying her fury.

The desire to retaliate burned fiercely, yet she felt overpowered—DANGER!—her opponent was stronger.

Escape seemed like the only option, but then the unthinkable occurred—Tanjiro, her beloved big brother, suffered an injury.

Amidst the cold confusion and relentless hunger, witnessing her brother in pain ignited an overwhelming rage—a crimson haze clouded her vision.

In a surge of emotions, she lashed out, launching a fierce attack. The turbulent mix of adrenaline and determination drove her forward, fueled by her need to protect Tanjiro at all costs.

.
.
.

Nezuko's confusion began to subside, and the chill that had gripped her faded away. Enveloped in the comforting embrace of warm arms, she felt a sense of peace.

Gently humming, [Mother] held her close, dispelling both the cold and the confusion. The nurturing warmth of [Mother]'s embrace brought a profound feeling of security.

With the reassurance of [Mother]'s love, Nezuko found solace and a newfound sense of safety. Knowing that her big brother was also out of harm's way, a serene smile graced her lips as she drifted into a peaceful slumber.

---

She felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude, a depth of thankfulness that was hard to put into words. The need to express her appreciation was undeniable; she resolved to convey it the next time their paths crossed. However, merely sending a letter to convey her immense gratitude felt inadequate given the magnitude of the action. The idea of meeting in person through a letter was dismissed outright – it simply wouldn't do. Someone as esteemed as Colith-san deserved the utmost respect.

Curiosity tugged at her though, particularly about the enigmatic box she had heard Colith-san now carried. As questions swirled in her mind, she was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice.

"What's on your mind, Enoki-chan?" Goto-senpai's question jolted her out of her reverie.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, caught off guard before quickly recovering, "Apologies, Goto-senpai, I got lost in thoughts."

The kakushi's stern expression softened slightly. "Maintaining your focus is essential. Distractions are a luxury we can't afford in our line of work," he reminded.

"H-Hai!" Enoki nodded earnestly, redoubling her commitment to the task at hand.

---

Preparing to embark on his first mission, Tanjiro's heart fluttered with nervous anticipation. Yet, oddly enough, the sensation of fear was conspicuously absent. His recent sparring sessions with Tsugikuni-san had undoubtedly contributed to this newfound fortitude. The daunting prospect of confronting demons on the first night of the final selection had initially filled him with trepidation. However, the moment he faced his very first demon, the dynamics shifted dramatically.

As he instinctively swung his blade and separated the creature's head from its body, a startling realization dawned upon him – the task at hand might not be as insurmountable as he had once thought. Even when he found himself locked in a fierce battle against the hand demon, a mere moment of inattention resulted in the injury on his forehead. Despite this setback, he still managed to swiftly vanquish the monstrous foe, an accomplishment that fueled his growing confidence and determination.

However, this newfound confidence didn't translate to underestimating his future opponents. Tanjiro wasn't foolish enough to believe he held invincible power. The rigorous sparring sessions with Tsugikuni-san had certainly honed his reflexes, but he remained well aware of his journey's unfinished nature.

—He wondered why Colith-san had encouraged him to practice the Hinokami Kagura several months ago, and more intriguingly, how she had even come to know of its existence.—

He acknowledged his need for continuous growth, a realization that was deeply ingrained within him. Tsugikuni-san's reputation as one of the most formidable slayers of the Sengoku era had shocked him, a testament to the immense skill he possessed. Though the details of Tsugikuni-san's transformation into a demon remained elusive to him, Tanjiro understood the vast chasm that lay between him and the likes of Kibutsuji Muzan. This understanding was particularly reinforced by the revelation of the twelve Kizukis from which Tsugikuni-san had reigned as the most powerful for centuries until now.

He continued to marvel at how on earth Colith-san had achieved the remarkable task of subduing such a powerhouse, and he was glad that he wouldn't have to face him. Fortunately, Nezuko seemed to like him enough not to consider him an enemy, which was reassuring.

Their journey towards his first mission commenced not long after the crow's timely arrival.

His master had bestowed upon him a box, reminiscent of the one Colith-san usually carried. This gesture stirred deep emotions within him, prompting tears of gratitude that were almost overwhelming. His heart swelled even further when Colith-san offered to make the box more comfortable for Nezuko. The gesture's sincerity resonated with him, leading him to swiftly accept despite not being able to comprehend how she achieved such a thing.

"I'll just create a pocket dimension so she won't be affected by your future fights. It's bound to get rocky, don't want to cause her motion sickness now, do ya?"

Her words resonated with him, revealing a perspective he had yet to consider. Once more, he found himself deeply appreciative of her insightful approach. Without delay, he committed the knocking pattern to memory, a code to beckon Nezuko should the need arise. —Little did he know that Nezuko would be able to sense any impending danger directed at him and will spring into action at a moment's notice.

"Have you said goodbye to your friends?"

 

He gradually comprehended that the spirits of his master's past disciples had collectively chosen to keep their distance from Colith-san.

 

"Not everyone will readily accept connections with demons. Nezuko's clean hands will attract allies naturally, so there's no need to be concerned. Now, when it comes to Koku-kun, well, you're already aware of the situation. I won't force them to accept him, but I'm not leaving his side either. It's fine if they choose not to cross paths," she had said.

 

Sabito and Makomo were the sole exceptions, seemingly impervious to her presence, yet they consciously refrained from interacting too much with her. While this realization had initially weighed on his heart, he had to acknowledge the truth in her perspective.

Becoming a slayer while maintaining ties with demons is undoubtedly a recipe for controversy, yet he'd rather die than forsake his sister. While he remains uncertain about the intricacies of the connection between Colith-san and Tsugikuni-san, their powerful bond is unmistakable.

"No, by the time I came back, they had departed. It seems they found closure and were able to move on," he said with a gentle smile tinged with a hint of melancholy. "I'm glad," he added softly.

Colith-san emitted a soft hum of agreement, her hand offering a reassuring touch upon his shoulder before she gently withdrew it.

As they strolled along, guided by the crow whose name he had come to know as Matsuemon, a sense of nostalgia washed over him. This journey bore a semblance to their first trip two years ago, and despite the grim circumstances at the time, it ignited a comforting warmth within him.

The town they were headed towards appeared closer than he had estimated, and after a four-hour walk, they found themselves arriving at their destination.

Upon catching wind of the rumors surrounding the distressed and haggard young man, Tanjiro approached him and initiated a conversation to glean more information. Positioned atop the rooftops, Colith-san opted to remain an observer, allowing the situation to unfold. She had made it clear that she wouldn't meddle with his missions, a stance he appreciated since he wanted to improve by himself. Nonetheless, her insinuation of potential intervention if matters took a chaotic turn resonated deeply with him, stirring a sense of comfort.

A faint trace of a demonic scent lingered, but it wasn't until nightfall that the odor suddenly grew stronger, indicating the imminent presence of a demon. Tanjiro sprang into action.

---

"Where would you place him in terms of rank?" Colith inquired, observing as Tanjiro swiftly dispatched the swamp demon before turning his attention to the rescued civilians.

"Kanoe. If he had used the Sun Breathing right from the start, I'd say he'd belong to Hinoto or Hinoe at his current level."

"I see."

"..."

"..."

A drawn-out, exasperated sigh pierced the air, "With Water Breathing, 4th rank. With Sun Breathing, maybe 7th or 8th."

"Well damn, no need to rub it in. We all know you're the smartest. Only Allah knows where on earth you got that from." she clicked her tongue, her mask concealing the stink eye directed at her replica. #1 merely responded with an amused snort before dissipating into thin air, the memories of her task returning to the masked woman in a flash.

Swiftly regaining her composure, she appeared beside Tanjiro, causing the civilian to widen his eyes dramatically at her sudden appearance.

"Well, looks like things are all settled, amirite?" she chirped merrily, clapping her hands together with a bright demeanor. Tanjiro offered a nervous laugh while the man, whose name she hadn't bothered to retain despite hearing it earlier in the day, stared at her in astonishment. "Perhaps you should escort this young lady back to her home before rumors start implicating you in these vanishings," she advised, before seizing a flustered Tanjiro by the back of his haori. "Now come along, Tanji-kun, it's time for some rest."

"But—"

"Oh, by the way, drop by your in-laws' place to deliver this," she added nonchalantly, tossing him an object he barely managed to catch. The sight of it caused his breath to hitch, his emotions welling up.

As he looked up, ready to respond, both figures had already vanished, leaving the bewildered man to gaze at the empty space they once occupied.

"...Was that Taiyo-shin...?"

---

"Colith-san...?"

"Hmm?"

"Shouldn't we have offered more comfort? I mean, Kazumi-san just lost his fiancée, so..." Tanjiro's voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Ah, that's his name," she hummed thoughtfully. "Nah, no need for that. He'll be fine," she replied casually, prompting Tanjiro to cast a disbelieving look her way.

"How can you be so certain?!"

"I just am. And by the way, great job back there, Tanji! You handled it smoothly!" she praised messing with his scalp.

Tanjiro could only stare in a mix of shock and astonishment.

---

A disheveled Kazumi hesitantly ventured to his former in-laws' home to deliver the news that the one responsible for their daughter's demise was no longer a threat.

But what awaited him was a stunning surprise: the sound of crying and an otherworldly scene. An unconscious Satoko being cradled in her parents' arms.
.
.
.
Miraculously, all the victims of the swamp demon reappeared that night, even those who had been missing for years.

---

"Kaw, kaw! The next destination is Asakusa—"

"No, he needs to rest first."

"Kaw?! But the mission—"

"Not now, it's nap time!"

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"Nope!"

.

.

1st POV

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Bringing people back to life.

Yeah.

The process wasn't as complex as it might sound when you have the ability to bend reality to your will. In a world where spirits, especially those with unresolved matters, often linger in the realm of the living, the task becomes more manageable than it appears. I just had to essentially establish contact, inquire about their desire to return, and then work my magic if they say yes.

Sure, there are multiple ways to achieve this, but I opted for simplicity: conjuring a new body, infusing it with the respective soul, and there you go. Yes, there are alternative methods, but as mentioned, I chose the straightforward route since it barely affects my stamina.

The spark of this idea ignited a few months back when I visited a village plagued by an unusually high infant mortality rate. The absence of children was starkly noticeable. It didn't take a genius to conclude that a demon was behind this, targeting children aged 0 to 12. The maternal instincts within me surged, fueled by the sight of young spirits trailing after distraught families and aging kin.

Naturally, I took swift action to eliminate the demon. However, I came up against a wall.

Resurrection.

I was already aware that it wasn't beyond my capabilities, given my divine status, but the mere thought of it seemed to solidify the transformation I had undergone – that of a Goddess. A concept that, even now as I reflect on it, evokes a sense of trepidation within me.

Resurrection was the one thing I absolutely refused to meddle with, whether due to my upbringing or... I dunno. Perhaps, a part of me still clung to that image of this awkward little weeb, content to remain in her corner, out of people's way.

I suppose I harbored a fear of losing that part of me, until an unmistakable sensation of gentle tugs on my clothes caught my notice and I looked down.

My mind was made.

Altering people's memories was alarmingly easy, albeit time-consuming – a total of an hour when pooling the efforts of various clones. It wasn't an ability I was fond of, but I'd rather use that than cause people to start a religion on my behalf. I wasn't dealing with a cult and I refuse to partake in this insanity.

Nope.

—And if I caught wind of any rumors concerning a supposed 'Sun God' shrine, I made the conscious choice to mind my fucking business.—

To address the households that had suffered the loss of younger members due to the demon's rampage which lasted over two generations, I resurrected older versions of said members. Still had no clue how it all went unnoticed by the demon slayers corps, then again, the village was remote, to begin with.

At this point, you might be curious about why I haven't revived Tanjiro's family. It's a valid question. While it's true that some spirits have transitioned beyond my reach, having completed the cycle of reincarnation, there is a way to summon them back. It involves invoking their names and knowing what they look like, but yeah, no, I'd rather not. They've embarked on a new chapter in their existence, and I'd prefer not to disrupt their journey.

Was this the case for the Kamados?

Nah.

There were all here, alright. The problem? Because, yes, there was a problem, I just physically couldn't. Last time I tried, my head blew up.

Ight, let me explain, my initial attempt ended up being an epic flop – quite a surprise, to be honest. So I took a stab at other options: [Resurrection potions, various spells] , [Arise] , [Life Return] , [Edo Tensei] , even giving [Tenseiga] a whirl. And you won't believe it, but I even considered going all-out with the freaking [Dragon Balls]. But, well, that seemed to push my limits a tad too far, because the next thing I knew, my head went 'POP!'.

After a round of sincere apologies to an understandably horrified audience, Takeo – bless his quick recovery – pointed out something that hadn't initially caught my attention: the sudden appearance of a piece of paper right after the spectacle. Intrigued, I picked it up and blinked in astonishment.

The moment I made contact with the paper, a chilling shiver ran down my spine, and I didn't need much time to figure out who was behind it.

—Not Yet.—

Short, simple, and straight to the point.

Needless to say, I got the memo loud and clear.

---

Apart from that blatantly ominous warning, it became evident that resurrecting the Kamado family was not something that would happen anytime soon. Although I'm somewhat bewildered, especially since this encounter essentially marked my first interaction with an entity other than that Dipshit messenger.

Not concerning at all.

Suppressing the nearly overpowering shudder that threatened to seize me, we arrived in Asakusa, the place where shit was about to hit the fan. As anticipated, Tanjiro, the quintessential country bumpkin, appeared completely overwhelmed by the urban chaos, the cacophony of activity, and the medley of scents that instantly bombarded his sensitive nose. Feeling rather benevolent, I steered him towards a certain Udon stand – one I had frequented during my visit to the city last year. Toyo, the bald vendor, a true master of his craft, was behind the counter. I swiftly ordered two bowls, engaging in conversation with the man while Tanjiro took a moment to regain his composure on a nearby bench with Nezuko's box beside him.

The girl had been holed up in there all day, and a quick assessment on my part revealed that she was in the midst of some serious snoozing, as if it were her full-time job. Despite the fact that she no longer required sleep to rejuvenate her energy, she seemed perfectly content to indulge in the act, which honestly, mood.

Now, you might wonder why I wasn't swarmed by a throng of people hot on my heels. After all, I had been journeying alongside Tanjiro all day, passing through villages and towns that were surely by now acquainted with the presence of Taiyo-shin. The reason for this absence of attention is deceptively simple.

I employed a rather basic trick, you see: a [Notice me not] spell. The premise is straightforward– it prompts individuals to disregard my existence. The method proves quite efficient, I must admit. However, individuals with heightened senses can effortlessly detect that there's something off, prompting Uzui to catch on multiple times. That's when I came up with the Anti-Uzui, a countermeasure, heavily inspired by the [Calm calm fruit] or for the purists, [Nagi Nagi no MI] that successfully thwarted his awareness.

Swiftly intercepting the bowl before it could meet an unfortunate end on the ground – truly a crime to know how Tanjiro destroyed perfectly delectable food in canon. Although his behavior could be excused, given the unexpected appearance of his family's murderer, or at least the unmistakable trace of his scent. Without sparing a moment, Tanjiro disappeared, leaving me with two Udon bowls in hand.

"What's gotten into this young lad, racing around as if his life depends on it? He nearly spoiled my masterpiece!" Toyo grumbled.

"Don't hold it against him, he must've had an emergency, he's actually a very sweet kid! " I interjected, placing the bowls on his stand, mine empty.

"Pah! You saved the bowl, that's a feat in itself!" he huffed before breaking into a grin. "Nevertheless, it's a privilege to always have you as my patron!" he exclaimed with a touch of genuine enthusiasm.

Toyo was among those who pledged to safeguard the mystery around Taiyo-shin, stubbornly withholding any details from those who inquired. His unyielding devotion likely stemmed from the fact that I happened to be one of his most valued patrons, because, his food was honestly delicious!

I directed a good natured smile toward him and slipped my mask back in place. By now, Tanjiro must be already confronting Muzan, and his longer locks – a result of my mild persuasion, though he wasn't that difficult to convince – could potentially trigger a more impulsive reaction from the demon even though they were nowhere near the length of Yoriichi's.

Executing the knocking pattern, the door of my box creaked open ajar, revealing six pairs of wide eyes fixated on me inquisitively.

"Looks like our big bad man decided to finally grace us with his presence. Tanji-kun rushed off to confront him. Want to join me in giving him a little scare?" I inquired playfully.

Mini Kokushibo's unblinking gaze met mine before he shook his head in refusal. "No."

Concealing my slight disappointment behind my mask, I replied, "I see. Just wanted to let you know." I noted his grunt of acknowledgement. "I'll leave you here with Nezuko. Feel free to come out if you want. Just remember to use your human form – we wouldn't want a repeat of the Tsurui incident, now would we?" I teased, tone knowing.

Kokushibo responded with a level stare before returning to his training. I couldn't help but chuckle softly. With Toyo's watchful presence, no one would dare attempt thievery right under his nose. The man had an aura that could be downright terrifying when necessary. Offering a gentle pat to both boxes, I swiftly made my way towards the unendingly and distinctly malevolent aura that could only belong to our discount Michael Jackson.

.

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3rd POV

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He seethed with uncontainable rage. The audacity of this inconsequential insect to lay hands on him! This wretched being dared to adorn those accursed earrings. How dare he evoke this repugnant sensation that lay dormant in his recollections, yet pulsated vividly within every cell of his being. Who had the gall to utter his name with such vehement hatred, venom dripping from every syllable, sending involuntary shudders coursing down his spine?

How. Dare. He—

"Oi! What's your deal, man?! Watch where you're going!" The irate voice sliced through his thoughts, demanding his attention.

He glanced up, his eyes meeting those of three humans – two males and one female. His careless trajectory had led him to collide with the smallest among them. "My apologies," he offered curtly, the intention to resume his path clear in his gaze. However, the smallest of the trio remained unrelenting, seizing his shoulder in an attempt to hold his attention.

His jaw clenched, sensing the unmistakable signs of inebriation emanating from the trio. He wanted nothing to do with such individuals. Just as he was preparing to once again leave, the man's careless remark pierced the air.

"You look like you're half dead or something!"

An icy rage surged within him. How dare this... His fist balled, the urge to erase this contemptible insect from existence surging through him. The momentum of his strike was nearly irreversible, poised to collide with the oblivious fool's face—

"Woah there, calm down buddy!"

Suddenly, a gloved hand appeared, intercepting his clenched fist a hair's breadth from the man's face. Stunned, he remained immobile as he sensed an arm encircle his shoulder, its presence foreign and unexpected. Something didn't quite add up. There was an underlying unease within him, for he hadn't detected the presence of this individual whatsoever. And judging by the reaction of the humans present, it seemed they were just as oblivious to it as he was.

With measured deliberation, he pivoted his head, his gaze locking onto a black Kitsune mask.

"Please excuse my friend over here, he's had a very difficult day! Don't hold it against him, would ya? " the stranger's voice carried an air of friendliness as he spoke. With a genial motion, the mysterious figure flung a pouch towards the man who managed to clumsily catch it, "Consider this a token of apology!"

After examining the pouch's contents, the man – blissfully unaware that he had narrowly escaped death – mumbled his thanks before hastily departing with his companions. The group's departure left him alone with the enigmatic stranger, who took the opportunity to caution them about their drinking habits.

"Can't deny they were quite the rambunctious bunch, right?" The stranger's laughter resonated, punctuated by a good-natured pat on his shoulder. "Sheesh, drunk people can be such a handful at times! Everything intact, I hope?"

He found himself frowning slightly as the stranger initiated an inspection for injuries. Yet, a tempered restraint held him back from acting impulsively. Instead, he raised his hand in a gesture to halt the probing.

"That's not necessary," he asserted, his crimson eyes narrowing marginally before his features eased into a polite smile. "I believe I could have managed without your assistance. Still, your concern is not lost on me. If I may inquire, what brings Taiyo-shin to Asakusa?"

"Ah, you figured it out? Geez, you're one smart cookie aren't ya!" the stranger laughed. Muzan remained unmoved by the act, "Also, can't let Kibutsuji Muzan murder some random civilians out of spite while I'm here—"

With an almost unnatural grace, the masked individual gracefully evaded a strike that would have severed his head from his shoulders before swiftly creating some distance between them.

The demon's lips curled into a snarl, poised to resume his offensive, but his action halted as the stranger's outstretched hand compelled him to pause.

"Hold it! I'm not here to fight!"

"You know of me."

"Well! Hanafuda boy wasn't exactly discreet about it. Everybody and their grandma probably know by now."

"I would strongly suggest you temper your choice of words when addressing me," Muzan retorted, his tone laced with a potent venom that matched his expression.

"Yeah sure whatever. I'm actually here to make a deal with ya." Taiyo-shin said, folding his arms confidently.

A deal? His eyebrow arched with skepticism. "Pray tell, what compels me to indulge in this negotiation? What prevents me from merely erasing you from existence?"

"Getting punched in the dick for example."

His surprise was palpable as he blinked, completely caught off guard. "Excuse me?"

"See, I promised to myself that if I ever see you one day I'd punch you in the dick. Why? 'cause you deserve it," Taiyo-shin huffed offhandedly.

Muzan stared, his astonishment reaching unprecedented levels; never before had anyone dared to voice such audacious words in his presence. Before he could regain his composure, the masked figure went on.

"But anyway, that's just a detail, here's the deal: Don't go after Hanafuda boy, and I won't bother you."

He scoffed, a mixture of disbelief and indignation painting his features. As a glint of cruel amusement crossed his eyes, a touch of condescension played on his lips. "Is that it?" he pondered aloud, a dangerous intensity flashing through his eyes. Veins pulsed menacingly across his face, a visual testament to his simmering hostility. "Pray, enlighten me. What dire consequences shall I face should I opt to decline?" he questioned, his tone laced with derision.

A heavy silence descended, followed by the sound of a weary exhale.

Out of nowhere, an immense weight seemed to clamp down on him, and a jolt of shock rippled through him as he realized, with a growing sense of horror, that his most determined efforts were now futile in the face of paralysis. The masked figure appeared before him, a scene that unfolded in slow-motion as Taiyo-shin's gloved hand coiled menacingly around his throat.

"I shall strip you of everything you hold dear."

Those simple words reverberated through him, a seismic force that shattered his very core. A torrent of pure terror, more intense than any sensation he had ever encountered, seized him as his gaze locked onto the intricate wooden mask. It was akin to the searing touch of the sun clenching around his neck, while an overwhelming sense of dread caused all five brains to trigger an instinctual fight-or-flight response within him.

Just as he was on the brink of descending into a nightmarish abyss, the crushing pressure dissipated, and along with it, Taiyo-shin vanished into thin air.

Muzan's hand shot up to his throat in an instant, his eyes widening in a mix of shock and terror, too overwhelmed to grasp the fact that he once again held complete command over his own movements.

The grip of fear loosened, replaced by an unwavering surge of rage.

---

"What do we got here?"

"?!" The demon boy standing alongside Tanjiro leaped in surprise, while Tanjiro, who had grown accustomed to such occurrences, merely blinked. "Who—"

"Ah, a new addition to the demon buddy list, huh? Taiyo-shin's the name, but you can call me Lith. Nice to meet ya!"

Yushiro's stared.

"WHAT?!"

---

[ OMAKE]

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.

"Alright, you better pop out right now, or so help me I'll personally drag you out and give you a piece of my mind! Seriously, I've got no time for this nonsense!" I grumbled, coming to an exasperated halt.

I had embarked on a leisurely stroll, and for the most part of the morning, everything was just peachy. Until, of course, that mysterious tailing sensation decided to rear its pesky head again. First time, I brushed it off, assuming whatever it was had zero nefarious intentions. It wasn't human, nor was it demon, especially since the sun was doing its daytime thing. I figured, no biggie, and continued on my merry way. But lo and behold, it's been a whopping ten days of this charade, and let me tell you, my patience wears thinner than Luffy's attention span.

I pivoted, squinting at the surrounding foliage and waited. Minutes ticked by, feeling like hours, until a semi-transparent figure finally materialized.

My brain promptly stopped.

"..."

"..."

Yoriichi Tsugikuni stared right back at me.

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. 

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"So you've been following him for four centuries ?"

A nod.

"Huh, that explains it. Must've been quite rough, buddy."

Another nod, albeit solemn.

"So... Wanna talk to him?"

Cue the enthusiastic nodding.

 

Okay.

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.
.

"Absolutely not."

"Aw, come on, Koku-kun! The guy's been in your corner for, like, centuries. The least you could do is toss out a 'hello'!"

"I refuse."

"Pretty please? He's your brother, for crying out loud! You gotta show him some basic courtesy, right?"

Kokushibo remained as immovable as a statue. I let out a disapproving click of my tongue, narrowing my eyes.

"Listen, if you keep this up and refuse to say a word to him, I'm cutting off all headpats from my end. And you know I don't joke around when it comes to headpatting."

Never in my life have I seen a man cave in so quickly.

.
.
.

With a contented smile that bordered on serene, Yoriichi departed. Kokushibo observed his departure, a shadow of melancholy flickering in his eyes as he tightly held onto the flute I had repaired a few months back.

"See? That wasn't too hard, was it? Seems like things got smoothed out," I remarked, giving his back a comforting pat. The demon emitted a subtle hum in response.

Though I have no clue what transpired between them, Koku-kun seemed more relaxed these days, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

---

 

3rd POV

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Tamayo found herself in a state of bewilderment she hadn't experienced in years. A young boy, despite clearly being a demon slayer, had shown compassion towards a newly transformed demon and tried to assist him. This unexpected act prompted her to intervene, although she knew revealing herself would attract unwanted attention, especially after the boy openly shouted her tormentor's name.

Initially expecting Yushiro to bring only the boy as per her request, she was taken aback by the presence of another, particularly unfamiliar figure in her modest dwelling. Taiyo-shin, the enigmatic individual who had recently emerged, remained shrouded in mystery, enough to warrant Tamayo's caution.

"Good evening, ma'am! Apologies for the intrusion, but I heard you wanted to meet my boy," the figure greeted her, causing her to blink, momentarily taken aback by the sight before her. "Oh, him? He tried to gouge my eyes out when I mentioned tagging along-quite the pesky one. I had to resort to some unconventional methods to prevent a messy situation. Apologies."

They bowed slightly, holding a struggling Yushiro with taped mouth and bound by ropes. Tamayo sweatdropped, comprehending the situation. She nodded, prompting the masked individual to unbind him.

"Tamayo-sama! This brute of a man manhandled me! I'll ensure he gets kicked out!"

"Yushiro-kun, please, address them respectfully; they are our guests."

"OF COURSE, TAMAYO-SAMA!"

She was not expecting Taiyo-shin to immediately offer help regarding the unfortunate couple. Intrigued by their rumored feats, she let them examine the woman she had been attending to. Surprise crossed her features upon witnessing the human woman's immediate recovery right after they placed a gloved hand on her forehead.

Now, Tamayo had seen a lot of things, but this was unlike anything she's ever witnessed before. Though, she reserved her questions for later, she guided them to the living room for better accommodation.

Healing powers were uncommon, especially among demons whose sole purpose was to wreak havoc and cause tragedies. Muzan had no need for such merciful abilities, so it ruled out the possibility of Taiyo-shin being a demon.

They were unlike anything she had encountered before. In stark contrast to the human slayer Kamado Tanjiro, who had been an unexpected and amicable surprise, Taiyo-shin proved challenging to understand. The mysterious aura surrounding them, coupled with the box they carried, added an unsettling dimension. Questions lingered-were they also traveling with a demon?

Attentively listening to Tanjiro's tale, where he introduced his younger sibling, Kamado Nezuko, Tamayo also observed the interaction between the demon child and Taiyo-shin. It was apparent the child had grown attached, even going so far as to shrink down and sit on their lap, seeking affectionate gestures. The sight was perplexing, reminiscent of a mother attending to her child. It offered a subtle clue about Taiyo-shin's gender, although Tamayo refrained from vocalizing any assumptions.

Her reverie was abruptly interrupted when Tanjiro inquired about the possibility of finding a cure.

Thankfully, there existed a solution, albeit a perilous one, requiring the blood of a demon close to the power level of Kibutsuji Muzan.

"Oh, I believe I can help with that," Taiyo-shin suddenly interjected, having remained silent the whole time during the conversation. "If it's blood you require, he might be of help."

Tanjiro's expression transformed from dejected to hopeful in an instant as he grasped the implication.

"He?" Tamayo was slightly perplexed and observed as Taiyo-shin knocked on the box.

A sudden surge of terror gripped her, freezing her muscles, stifling her breath. Beside her, Yushiro was frozen, unable to move a muscle as the presence in the box suddenly materialized. She could only watch in silent horror as the demon made its appearance. Instantly, she recognized him, and it seemed he recognized her too, as three pairs of eyes locked onto hers, delving deep into her soul.

"Oh, it's just you, the fugitive," he stated simply.

Yushiro sprung into action within moments of recovering from his shock. "How dare you bring this monster into Tamayo-Sama's home! I knew it! It was all a plot! These people were sent to kill us!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, little guy, he's on our side!" Taiyo-shin reassured, though they remained rooted in place with little Nezuko still in their lap. Tanjiro, on the other hand, stepped forward.

"Tsugikuni-san is an ally! Please, don't worry!" he exclaimed anxiously.

Little Nezuko let out a firm hum of agreement.

"An ally?!" Yushiro, still skeptical, gritted his teeth. "Do you really expect us to believe that? The kanji in his eyes say otherwise!" He tensed as the demon's gaze briefly shifted to him.

Taiyo-shin grunted and snapped their fingers, causing the kanji in Upper Moon One's eyes to vanish instantly. "They're just for show. Koku-kun no longer has any ties with disc-uh, I mean, Muzan. I made sure of that."

"Even so, this is unforgivable-"

"Yushiro-kun," Tamayo interjected firmly, cutting him off. He looked at her with confusion before relenting upon seeing the look in her eyes.

A part of her felt a twinge of relief as she observed the demon with a mix of apprehension and intrigue. His presence, though imposing, lacked the raw viciousness and hatred she still remembered from encounters with Kibutsuji. The masked individual had indeed spoken the truth. Somehow, an Upper Moon, one of the strongest demons ever created by the progenitor, stood before her in her guest room. The question now lingered: how was this possible? Never in a million years would she have imagined such a scenario! This was unprecedented, a development beyond all expectation!

"I care not for your head, for I no longer serve Muzan," Tsugikuni-san declared, causing her to tense. "But if it is blood you require," he outstretched an arm, locking eyes with her, "I shall provide it, as per my master's request."

Tamayo blinked, taken aback.

"Oi, oi, oi, I told you to stop calling me that! It's so weird!" Taiyo-shin interjected suddenly, appearing flustered.

"But you are my master," Tsugikuni-san insisted with a frown.

"Hm-hn!"

"Not you too Nezuko!"

She could only observe the odd interaction, left bewildered and at a loss for words. A sudden tremor shook the entire structure, and it became evident they were under attack as a massive explosion destroyed a chunk of the mansion. Strangely, none of them were injured.

As the dust settled, shock gripped her as she saw their attackers.

"I guess he's asking for a punch in the dick," Taiyo-shin muttered, prompting her to gaze at them in surprise.

"Pardon?"

"Tanji-kun, think you can handle this one?" they asked casually, gesturing toward a white-haired demon in a red kimono. The boy nodded, appearing apprehensive yet prepared. "Good. Nezuko shouldn't have trouble with those two," they added, pointing at a pair of demons. One held temari balls while the other, seemingly blind, managed to glare in their direction. The demon child grew in size, indicating her understanding. "As for-" they paused upon realizing the former Upper Moon had already moved, "And he's off. Oh well."

As Taiyo-shin's headed out, they could only gawk in utter disbelief.

.

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1st POV

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.

Four lower moons and the same two demons. Well, damn, I guess Muzan was really pissed. Ruffling the big bad guy's feathers sure had an impact on the current situation.

Arms crossed, I neutrally eyed the dissolving remains of lower moons two, three, and six. Koku-kun didn't even give them a chance-how ruthless. With a hum, my gaze traveled to Tanjiro's ongoing fight, which... wasn't much of a fight all things considered. I didn't particularly try to remember all their names, but my brain immediately identified this one as Mukago, lower moon four. Why? She was often used in fanfics, though not so much, but it still left enough of an impression for me to recall her name.

The others though? My brain straight-up refused to commit them to memory. Sure, I guess one of them was the source of the earthquake, but that's about it. Koku-kun wasn't patient enough to let them fully unleash their Blood Demon Art. A shame, since I was kinda curious about it. Fortunately though, Mukago, the only lower moon left, had figured out her tactical disadvantages and attempted to sprout even more demonic plant thingies to ensnare Tanjiro.

She wasn't the strongest, per se. But her Blood Demon Art was definitely dangerous, especially for someone like Tanjiro, who relied heavily on his sense of smell in combat. And well, that wasn't exactly helpful in this situation. The spores her plants released were a big no-no for any slayer worth their salt.

Breathing techniques required, well, breathing. With the air saturated with likely poisonous spores, using those techniques was out of the question. And the more you moved, the more you felt the need for fresh air creeping up on you, leaving you with the options of either running away or hoping to Allah for a stronger slayer nearby to lend a hand.

"No wonder she's number four," I remarked casually. She probably planted those things around small villages, wiping out the entire population and consuming them. That's likely how she climbed the ranks, since she didn't seem like the fighting type. Next to me, Koku-kun frowned in distaste.

"Cowardly tactics," he scoffed.

"But effective. Tanjiro's struggling, despite his stronger physique."

"My pupil will prevail," he asserted confidently.

This brought a smile to my face. Ignoring the baffled looks from Tamayo and Yushiro, I reached over to pat the demon's head before focusing on the ongoing battle. Nezuko had already incapacitated the arrow demon with burns, leaving his arms charred and useless, unable to assist Susamaru-ha! That name I remember.

It had been five minutes since Tanjiro last took a breath, and things weren't looking good for him. Tamayo urged us to aid him, but neither Koku-kun nor I moved, maintaining our faith in his abilities.

Suddenly, Tanjiro sprinted towards a nearby tree and leaped into the air, reaching astonishing heights. It seemed he had finally figured it out.

"[Water Breathing: Second Form, Water Wheel!]" he exclaimed as he descended upon his opponent, cleanly slicing her in half and bringing an end to the fight.

At the same time, a crash echoed from another direction, followed by the sound of Nezuko's heavy breathing as she proudly made her way towards us. We all turned to look where she had come from and hissed slightly at the sight of the charred bodies strewn on the ground. Despite their condition, the occasional twitch indicated they were still alive. Koku-kun moved to finish them off, but I gestured for him to hold on. After patting Nezuko, I approached the duo and crouched down to get a better view.

"What's he up to?" I heard Yushiro ask before realizing he had directed the question to Kokushibo. He edged away, shielding Tamayo with a hiss, though the ancient samurai paid it no mind.

"Now, what to do with you two?" I mused aloud, briefly observing them. A hoarse but defiant groan was the only response I received. Sheesh, Nezuko really did a number on them-who would've thought? She only suffered from a broken leg, which she easily healed before jumping back into the fray. Their healing process was definitely slower, despite their little power boost from Discount. Yeah, the guy didn't take too kindly to my little threat and decided to literally pump them full of blood. Even the lower moons.

Oh well.

Fishing out two vials, I casually poured the contents into their mouths, watching as they began convulsing. With a flick of my wrist, I bound them with ropes that would dissolve once the process was complete, a task that shouldn't take more than a day. Twirling a finger, I caused them to float and follow me as I headed back.

Well, that was certainly a spur-of-the-moment decision, but hey, who cares?

A wet cough caught our attention, drawing our gazes to a struggling Tanjiro. His face was rapidly losing colors as he coughed up blood and swayed. Red spots were rapidly appearing on his skin. It appeared he had inadvertently inhaled the spores. Nezuko rushed to him in worry, while I sighed and made my way over to heal him. It sure was a bad match up from the get go, but I'm proud of him for besting his opponent nonetheless. With Tanjiro's condition stabilized and a grateful Kamado, we turned to our stunned audience.

I surveyed the damaged mansion with a wince. Sure, I could have easily repaired it, but it seemed Tamayo would have relocated regardless, especially after the recent events. Four lower moons plus two strong ones? Yeah, I'd be packing my bags too.

"Oh, by the way, I may or may not have had a little chat with Muzan on my way here and threatened him a Lil bit, " I revealed casually. Everyone turned to me with wide eyes.

"Threaten Kibutsuji...?" Tamayo said, sounding incredulous yet with a hint of admiration that made me smirk without even realizing it.

Yushiro lost it immediately, scolding me for even suggesting putting Tamayo-sama in danger, but quickly changed his tune when Tamayo gave him a disapproving glance.

He promptly apologized.

Tamayo then asked about the bound demons, curious about my plans for them, and honestly, I had no clue. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. We headed back indoors. Dawn was approaching, maybe an hour away, so we relocated to their basement. That's where the demoness announced their decision to move elsewhere, a smart choice. It was then that I decided to ditch my mask and hood, opting to introduce myself properly.

"People have taken to calling me Taiyo-shin, but I prefer Tobe Colith. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I've been lending a hand to the Ubuyashiki for the past two years, but I've heard about your unwavering dedication in the fight against Kibutsuji Muzan," I said, offering a slight bow. "You've shown remarkable resilience. If you'd allow me, I'd be honored to join forces with you all in this noble cause." I grinned warmly and motioned towards the bound demons. "As for these two, I was thinking of entrusting them to your care, as a sort of added security measure, if that's agreeable to you."

That seemed to snap them out of their initial shock at seeing my face. Tamayo was the first to bounce back, wisely choosing to say nothing about my appearance, for which I was grateful. She handled it with the same nonchalance as Tengu Gramps, but then again, she's witnessed a lot in her long life. Yushiro, on the other hand, well, he was completely bamboozled. I'm pretty sure it was because I'm a woman rather than anything to do with how I looked. I'm surprised he didn't make the connection with a name like Lith though.

Heh.

She didn't suggest keeping Nezuko with her, taking into account my presence. But after I assured her that Muzan's influence over the two demons would completely dissipate within a day, Tamayo reluctantly agreed to my proposal.

We shortly left afterwards.

"You confronted Kibutsuji Muzan...?"

"Sorta, yeah, that's why I was late earlier. Figured I'd try to negotiate a little truce with him, see if he'd ease off on the whole hunting-you-down thing. But, as you saw, the attack pretty much spoke for itself," I shrugged. "Looks like he didn't quite grasp the gravity of my threats. Well, someone's about to learn the hard way!"

Tanjiro shuddered slightly at my tone, "Are you planning to go after him?"

I grinned mischievously, "Nah, I'll let him stew for a while. There's nothing quite like the element of surprise to keep an enemy on their toes. Let's leave him guessing and make him paranoid! It'll be fun to watch."

"Colith-san?"

"Yes, Tanji?"

"You're scary."

"Thanks Tanji."

As always, I convinced him to take a quick nap. Tanjiro had given up arguing long ago, which didn't sit well with his crow. Despite the slayer mentality of burning the midnight oil, I wasn't buying it. A lack of sleep can really mess you up, no matter how skilled you are. Sleep first, fight later.

Seppen decided to join us, enjoying the show.

We stumbled upon a pretty disturbing sight before too long.

There he was, the screaming Pikachu himself, latched onto a poor girl who had my immediate sympathy. Without hesitation, I stepped in and gave him a light tap on the neck, knocking him out cold. Probably not the smartest move, given who he is, but I just couldn't deal with those ear-piercing screams.

To my surprise, I didn't get attacked, not even a katana to the neck. Maybe his instincts only kick in around demons. It would explain why Zenitsu was still out cold.

Luckily, the girl was so thrown off by 'Taiyo-shin' that her anger flew out the window. Seizing the moment, I tossed her a bag of coins, nearly making her faint at its sight. After some awkward thanks, she shuffled off, leaving the three of us on the road. Concerned about the economy? Nah.

Tanjiro glanced at the snoozing Pikachu with worry, "Is he okay?" Chuntaro, or should I say, Ukogi, was perched atop his head, looking pretty relieved.

"Hm? Oh yeah, him," I crouched down, lightly patting his face, "Oï, wakey wakey, it's time for schoo. Come on, wake up."

Tanjiro sweatdropped at my blank tone and almost yelped when the blond immediatly sat up with a startled snort.

"Whe-Where am I?"

"Ah good, you're awake, Sheesh, you're worse than Sanji and that man is a certified pervert. You could've fooled me for being a relative." I drawled.

The small curious 'Sanji?' from Tanjiro was readily ignored.

Zenitsu stared blankly at me, or rather my mask, for a second.

He then proceeded to shriek.

Ya Allah, forgive me for I'm about to slap a child-

---

Naturally, Zenitsu was on high alert. But hey, who could blame him? He was basically using poor Tanjiro as a human shield.

"I can't hear anything. I can't hear anything. I can't hear-" he muttered rapidly, shaking like a leaf.

"What are you even talking about? And can you please stop hiding behind me?" Tanjiro said, sounding a bit annoyed. Ukogi chirped in agreement.

"No sound, no heartbeat, nothing!" Zenitsu exclaimed, sounding like he was on the verge of losing it. Tanjiro glanced at me, seeking an explanation.

"You know that technique I use to hide my scent from detection? Well, I'm using a variation that also cancels out any sound I make. He must have sharp ears, hearing nothing from me must be freaking him out," I clarified.

Tanjiro nodded in understanding and gently nudged Zenitsu, encouraging him to calm down.

"M-my name is Agatsuma Zenitsu," he introduced himself, still eyeing me with suspicion, "Are you...are you truly a god...?"

"Perhaps," I replied casually, making him jump. It seemed he was too intimidated to accuse me of ruining his marriage, so he mostly just stayed out of my way, hiding behind Tanjiro as we walked.

"I'm Kamado Tanjiro. You're a slayer too, right? You shouldn't be causing trouble for your sparrow, Agatsuma-san."

"Huh?"

"Ukogi," Tanjiro pointed to the tiny bird I was currently cooing at, "He says, 'Zenitsu is always like this and refuses to go to work! Whenever he sees a woman, he always goes after them and snores really loudly!'"

Zenitsu's eyes widened in horror. "W-what?! YOU SPEAK BIRD LANGUAGE?! WHO'S UKOGI?! HIS NAME IS CHUNTARO!" he shrieked, making me wince. Just as he was about to unleash another round of screams, I clapped my hands loudly.

"ALL RIGHT FOLKS! THAT'S ENOUGH! TIME TO EAT!"

I shoved two bentos into their hands, insisting they sit down and eat. Zenitsu looked thoroughly bewildered, wondering where the heck I got those bentos from, but he still accepted the food. A few seeds to bribe Matsuemon was all it took to ensure they could eat in peace. I even gave some to Ukogi, who was absolutely thrilled. As for Seppen, the only sign of her presence was the two dead mice disappearing in the blink of an eye as I tossed them into the air.

At one point, Zenitsu mustered the courage to ask what we were carrying in our boxes. Tanjiro seemed a bit uneasy, not wanting to disclose his sister's situation, while I opted for honesty. Figured it was best to rip off the bandaid right away. Zenitsu didn't take it too well and promptly freaked out. I resorted to gently karate chopping his head to calm him down.

Surprisingly effective move.

As we arrived at the house, the mood instantly shifted. I pressed on while Zenitsu had another nervous breakdown at the sound of something strange coming from the house. I ended up standing right under the first-floor window. I had previously attempted to approach the kids, but they flinched quite badly at the sight of me, so I left it to Tanjiro to handle.

No, no, I wasn't hurt. Leave me alone. *tship*

As I caught the injured guy, like most (Y/N) have done countless times before, I swiftly treated him, healing all his injuries in one go. Then, I kindly patted his back, handed him a change of clothes, and gave him a wisteria bag, insisting he keeps it with him at all times. After that, I sent the bewildered guy on his way.

Turning to my stunned audience, I shrugged. "What?"

Tanjiro was the first to blink. He shook his head, a faint smile on his lips, then turned to the kids to inquire if the man was their brother. They shook their heads. With a determined nod and a pledge to rescue their brother and any survivors, he pulled a flailing Zenitsu with him inside. The Thunder Breather didn't even have time to let out his protest; they were already gone.

My attention shifted to the kiddos, and I immediately slipped into mama mode: one, checking for any injuries; two, making sure nothing was out of place; and three, the most crucial part: feeding them. I conjured up a picnic set and two bowls of steaming beef Tonjiru, then turned to them and gently encouraged them to sit down and eat. It was a wise move, judging by the two loud growls I received in response. That seemed to do the trick, as they were no longer wary of me. Then again, I couldn't blame them; my mask did look pretty spooky with 'em big ole eyes.

No way was I gonna let these kids wander into a demon's lair on their own. In the anime, they freaked out when they heard scratching from Nezuko's box, but this time, they were chilling under a tree, munching on warm food and marveling at my so-called magic tricks with wide-eyed wonder.

Who knows how things will turn out without them this time?

Ah, man, now I'm really curious.

After reassuring Shoichi and Teruko and convincing them to get some much-needed rest-I mean, they must've been up all night, right?- I headed over to Koku-kun's box to fill him in once they dozed off.

"Watch over the kids while I'm away, okay? I won't be gone for too long anyway."

The demon grunted in agreement. I moved Nezuko's box closer to his, just in case, as Tanjiro had entrusted it to me before entering the house. Sending in a clone might've been the more sensible option, but truth be told, I was getting a bit bored. Babysitting the main character wasn't as entertaining as you'd think when you know what to expect.

What I did not expect however was to stumble upon a body.

Ah.

Ah, yes. That was a thing.

Had I been desensitized to death? Pretty much.

Gazing at the remains and then at the distressed spirit beside it, I just sighed and revived them before sending them back to the last place they were before ending up here. I did this with every corpse I encountered, tuning out the faint screams - definitely Zenitsu's, echoing around. Looks like they still managed to get separated.

I was now hovering through the corridors, the house having decided to go apeshit and rearrange itself, I had no desire to get thrown around like a piece of candy in a bag. Yeah no. After coming across yet another corpse- dammit Kyogai-I effortlessly dodged the bulldozing pigman who tried to slice me in half. I continued on my way, ignoring his outraged roars and relentless attacks that followed.

Well, hello to you too, Inosuke!

"THE HELL?! I CAN'T SENSE YOU AT ALL!" he yelled in frustration before lunging at me again. I sidestepped, sending him crashing into the room behind me just as the sound of a drum echoed through the house. He was promptly whisked away to some random area of the house, if his distant shouts of frustration and the ensuing commotion were any indication.

Welp, that happened.

I stood there for a few seconds before deciding to join Tanjiro. No bodies left to find anyway. I arrived just as Tanjiro sliced the demon's head, took a quick look at the room's state, and then glanced at Kyogai's decapitated head. He was one of those demons I felt sorry for, even though I didn't condone his actions. Well, it was ultimately Discount's fault anyway.

Just then, a thought crossed my mind, and a devious grin spread across my lips.

"Colith-san?!" Tanjiro exclaimed when he saw me emptying a vial into the demon's mouth, finally noticing me. "What are you..." he trailed off.

"No worries, Tanji, I just got an excellent idea that will most likely involve this guy over here in the future," I lightly tapped Kyogai's forehead. The demon blinked in bewilderment, the disintegration of his head stopping short, his body not so lucky. Before he could voice his confusion, he lost consciousness as I willed it. With a snap, the head vanished elsewhere.

[Kokushibo shifted a bit, sensing a light disturbance back in his abode. He did not move to check.]

He blinked and then nodded slowly in response to my ongoing chuckles.

It's kinda funny how he just rolls with whatever shenanigans I've got going on without even questioning if it's a good or bad idea. Goes to show the trust this boy has in me. *Sniff*

He didn't question why I suddenly decided to hug him out of the blue; he just returned the hug like the gentle soul he was.

"What are you up to?" I asked, tilting my head as I watched him gather all the papers scattered on the floor. He explained that he had intended to publish them on Kyogai's behalf, as a way to honor the former human's work. But since the demon was still alive-

"He's still alive, right?"

"Of course, kiddo."

-he'd just return them back to their owner as a show of good will.

What a considerate child.

Original stories weren't exactly my thing, but his writing style was pretty intriguing. Then again, I wasn't exactly that well versed in Japanese literature to make a proper judgment.

That gave me an idea though, but I'll save it for later.

After rescuing the missing child, which almost got me a kettle thrown in my face because the kid mistook me for a demon-

Again, outch.

-we stepped out of the house, encountering a rather familiar scene. To me that is. While Zenitsu had previously been guarding Nezuko's box out of kindness for Tanjiro, this time he seemed more focused on preventing Pig Assault™ from getting anywhere near Koku's box, driven more by fear than compassion, judging by his expression. The demon inside his box watched them blankly, the door slightly open. Meanwhile, the kids perked up at the sight of me but hesitated to approach, clearly intimidated by Inosuke's, well...Inosuke-ness.

"HAHA! So you've finally decided to show yourself," he exclaimed, pointing at me after rudely kicking Zenitsu aside. "You will pay for making a fool of me!"

"What is wrong with you?! Aren't you a slayer too?! Why are you attacking your own comrades?!" Tanjiro yelled.

"Comrades? I have no need for such!" he sneered, pointing one katana at us and the other at Zenitsu, who flinched. "Especially scums that protect demons!"

This only seemed to infuriate Tanjiro further. He clenched his teeth and blitzed out of sight to deliver a punch to the Japanese Mowgli while passionately lecturing about their code of conduct.

Wow. That's a sentence a never thought I'd ever formulate.

"WAAAH!!! HIS RIBS CRACKED!!" came Zenitsu's ever-helpful input as he hid behind the kids.

Just as Inosuke geared up for retaliation, I promptly put an end to this tomfoolery, preventing things from escalating further. Taking a page from Saitama's book, I karate-chopped him out of nowhere. I didn't even want to imagine what would've happened if Tanjiro went for a headbutt this time. I even felt bad for the swamp demon when he faced that headbutt; the poor thing was out cold just like that. Even Koku-kun had the good sense to dodge those during sparring. And he's a freaking upper moon.

Though it was certainly encouraged when facing a stronger and unaware opponent.

They all stared in silence at his unconscious body, then back at me.

"You'd prefer him to keep attacking you?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Thought so, yeah."

Kokushibo closed his door firmly.

---

They were taken aback when I informed them that I had already taken care of the demons' victims. Questions about the bodies did come up, with no graves in sight, that was a given, but a simple, "Don't worry about it," was enough to brush the matter aside. Zenitsu seemed even more on edge at that. Who knows why.

Grateful, Tanjiro thanked me once more before wincing slightly. He was still nursing injuries from his encounter with Kyogai, which was no surprise. Getting tossed around like a ragdoll tends to leave a mark on anyone, and while I'm no doctor, he probably had a few fractured bones. I offered to treat him, but to my surprise, the boy politely declined.

"Although I owe you everything, I can't in good conscience rely on you every time I get hurt. I must endure and persevere so that it doesn't happen again!" he had said, bowing deeply.

His words were inspiring enough that even Zenitsu momentarily toughened up and declined my aid when I offered to heal him.

These boys, I tell you.

I still ended up giving them some first aid, just to ensure they wouldn't collapse from their injuries. Inosuke eventually woke up, and when no one paid attention to his taunts, he simply trailed along as we made our way down the mountain. After dropping off the siblings near their village, and of course, gifting them each a small never-ending bottle of wisteria perfume, along with three extra bags just to be safe, we bid them farewell.

And no, I definitely didn't almost melt when the trio rushed to hug me. Shut up.

"We actually never got your name. I'm Kamado Tanjiro, what's yours?" Tanjiro began suddenly, as if he hadn't nearly rocked the boar-headed boy's shit earlier.

Even Inosuke seemed momentarily taken aback by Tanjiro's gentle tone.

"How can you be so casual after breaking his ribs?!" Zenitsu pointed out, clearly baffled. Me too, Zen, me too.

Inosuke snorted and struck a pose. "My name?! I'm Hashibira Inosuke! Don't forget it! And you," he pointed at me, "Fight me!"

Before I could reply, Tanjiro stepped in. "We're not fighting you. And you shouldn't be rude to Colith-san."

"Colith-san?"

"That's my name. I never introduced myself as 'Taiyo-shin.' to begin with. It's a foreign name for a foreigner," I explained in response to Zenitsu's question. The boy's eyes widened in realization. "They keep calling me that because of this," I gestured to my current outfit, "and I just happen to wear it more often."

"Whatever! Police! Fight me! You must be strong! I only fight strong opponents! You too, Kamaboko Gonpachiro! I'll defeat you both! Bring it on!"

"No thanks, pig boy, I'll pass. Get my name right first, and maybe we'll talk."

"I'm not Kamaboko Gonpachiro! It's Kamado Tanjiro!" Tanjiro declared. "And Hashibira Inosuke? How do you write it?" He interrupted Inosuke before he went off.

"Write? I don't know how to read or write! It was written on my waistband! An old guy told me!"

"Eh...that's sad." Zenitsu muttered in pity.

"Huh?! Who are you calling sad? Are you looking down on me, brat?! You think I'm pitiful? Wanna fight?!"

Zenitsu promptly sought shelter behind me, prompting me to instinctively pat his head in comfort, much to his surprise.

"RAAAH! STOP HIDING AND FIGHT ME, COWARD!"

"That's not a nice thing to say to your comrade! Apologize!"

I swiftly tuned them out and let Tanjiro deal with his future friends. They will eventually get along just fine.

Hopefully.

The wisteria house came into view not too long after.

---

Honestly, I'm baffled by how that old lady figured out I was a female. Hell, she even gave me a separate room for extra privacy.

But hey, I'm not complaining. A nice soak in the bath sounds perfect right now. Luckily, we've got the place to ourselves. This branch of the Wisteria family doesn't get much slayer traffic, maybe just one or two passing through in a month. Although, I've heard of higher ranking slayers showing up more frequently, even some Pillars, but even that is a rare occurrence.  Because of that, they tend to go all out, ensuring their guests have the most comfortable stay possible.

The grandma provided me some clothes before leading me to the female baths.

Ouuuh onsens! Me likey!

After a blissful bath and donning the elegant lilac colored Yukata— had to tweak it a little so it would fit— I sauntered through the corridors, savoring the sight of the setting sun. Ah, this never gets old. We did arrive unusually early, now that I think about it, but that's expected when there's no burial ceremony involved. With a gentle surge of aura, I effortlessly located their positions. It appeared they had just wrapped up their check-ups with the Doctor Hisa—yeah, that's the name of the old lady who runs the place, by the way— had brought here.

Tanjiro's typically bright aura seemed somewhat dimmed, likely a result of the shame he felt after injuring Inosuke. Zenitsu's aura, akin to a restless yellow ball of electricity, flickered with unease and periodic spikes of trepidation. Meanwhile, Inosuke's earthy aura, reminiscent of an uncharted forest, remained as untamed as expected from a wild beast, its erratic movements clashed with everything within its owner's sight.

Lovely.

The other auras swirling around the area, belonging to the few residents of the house, didn't stand out as much in comparison. While there was some elemental diversity among them, it wasn't enough to fully capture my interest. It's always fascinating to learn about different auras, but for the most part, especially among civilians, earth was the predominant one I encountered. However, demon slayers were a different story; they exhibited a much wider variety of auras. I even encountered one reminiscent of magma once. That woman had quite a unique breathing technique, to say the least. A retired slayer, a rarity in their line of work. She now ran an orphanage instead.

Putting those thoughts aside, I paused in front of their room, raising an eyebrow at the partially damaged door.

Damn. Whoever did this sure was pissed.

I had informed Hisa earlier that I would join the kiddos for dinner, so she didn't need to come fetch me. She was a kind soul, her aura soothing and warm, like a cozy fireplace on a cold winter night. Not that it ever snowed where I came from; I only experienced snow for the first time in AOT, but that's beside the point.

The three auras immediately perked up, with only one of them showing recognition. The other two were curious but completely unaware. Ah, yes, I had deactivated the anti-Uzui, allowing them to sense my presence.

Sliding the door open, I asked, "So, what's the doctor's verdict?"

Tanjiro scratched his cheek sheepishly, his hair cascading freely instead of being tied back in a ponytail. "Well... we were advised to rest for a month," he admitted, shrinking slightly under my unimpressed gaze.

"Hmm... I guess that's better than jumping into another mission while still injured. Make the most of it and get to know each other better, okay? I won't be staying for long."

Tanjiro appeared crestfallen at that.

"Maah, no need to make that face, kiddo, we'll see each other soon enough.  There are people who need help out there, so I've gotta be there for them too, ya know?" I placed Koku's box beside Nezuko's.

He blushed slightly, "O-Oh, I see..."

Gazing at the bewildered boys, "You okay, kids?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Who the hell are you?!" an unmasked Inosuke leaped to his feet, while Zenitsu's mouth clamped shut with an audible click, his eyes comically widening further.

I looked at them blankly for a moment, feeling a twinge of amusement before breaking into a grin. "Surprise!" and cue the jazz hands.

"TAIYO-SHIN IS A WOMAN?!"

---

[Art by yours truly]

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