Demon slayer: the traveler

being hunted

"Nezuko!" Tanjiro yelled running over to his sister seeing as the snow around her was covered in blood. Hanako crept up behind him watching as he dropped down to see what she was holding only to be horrified seeing her baby brother Rokuta in her arms, but covered in claw marks and missing an eye. 

   Hanako gasped covering her mouth shaking to keep from screaming. What had done this? Why were her siblings covered in scratches?! Why did they look like they had bite marks when you got closer? What could have done this? She had never heard of a wolf mauling it's food in such a way. How did whatever it was even get close to the house?

   That was when she saw Nezuko move. Her back moved a bit as if she had been breathing in her sleep. Was she alive? How could she be when she was covered in so many scratches and so much blood?

  "A-Are they breathing?" Hanako asked softly. Tanjiro looked up at her with tearful eyes trying to think of how to tell her they were dead, and if they went inside the house most likely the rest of their family was to. 

 That was the moment what used to be Nezuko jumped up biting his shoulder blade.

 Hanako screamed watching her beloved older sister bite her oldest brother's shoulder acting like a wild animal waving her head back and forth trying to tear his meat off his bones as he struggle screaming trying to pull her off of him. Nezuko didn't seem to mind the screams as she clawed at his free arm that was trying to pull her off as his awful screams got louder. That was when Hanako took off her left shoe tossing it at her head. It was the only thing she could think to do to get her attention off her brother.

 Sure enough somehow it worked. 

 The creature that used to be her dear sister glared at her, showing her eyes were now blood red and awful black veins spreading all over her body. Her fingers had somehow extended into claws as she hissed standing up showing how much taller she was somehow now. She stuck her tongue our letting out a mouth full of her own brother's blood. Her tongue seemed to have somehow been cut into a fork tongue like a snake, and somehow she had fangs Hanako had seen once on a wolf skull Tanjiro had brought back from the village. What ever this creature was it was no longer her sister, but a predator. One staring at her.

"Hanako! Run!" Tanjiro screamed holding his shoulder. And with that she was off.

 Hanako didn't know where she was running to. All she knew was she couldn't slow down. What she had done was spin on her heels and take off, with her sister on her heels. She ran fast as she could for as long as she could, heart racing as she hear inhuman growls get louder behind her with every few feet.

 However, she had managed to shake her a few times. To be honest Hanako could tell you what she had done to escape had she been in her right mind. Yet, to be honest she had just reacted without thinking so much while running that she couldn't even tell you what root she took. All she had known is that she had run until her legs ached dodging a monster the whole time.

 Then suddenly she heard her brother's scream in a distance and then, her older sister was seemingly gone. Yet, she still ran for a few more minutes until stopping near few wild flowers under a tree. Her heart raced looking around grabbing onto the tree panting panicking. To be honest with you she hadn't even noticed she had lost her other shoe or had cut her foot on something, but someone had.

 However for that second she stood there panting looking around waiting. Yet, when what used to be her sister didn't show up again she broke down in a sob before covering her mouth.

 They were gone. Her whole family was gone! And her sister had been turned into this thing! Something that hungered for human flesh! The old Nezuko couldn't even think about hurting a fly without tearing up. And now for all Hanako knew something had turned her into that thing and made her kill their family! Something had changed her!

 Oh god-What if her mother had been turned too?! What if her other two brothers had been turned too?! Had one of them tried to kill Rokuta? Had Nezuko been changed when trying to protect him? 

 These thoughts swirled in her mind as she dropped to her knees in the bed of colorful flowers. Somehow these flowers had managed to survive the harsh winter, and survive together. However, now they survived as a form of comfort for her. Something about seeing a bit of Wisteria her father had once planted at their home in a field mixed with other flowers made her feel a bit less alone, acting as a bit of comfort.

 Yet, it was soon cut short by a growl. Hanako spun around to see bright red eyes making her screamed as she fell back getting ready to turn and run. However the second she hit the ground something held her there before she felt a sting in her neck, making her eyes pop open. The second they opened she saw her own blood spread out amongst the flowers while nails dug into her arms while a knee stayed in her back. 

Hanako let out another loud scream as she closed her eyes hoping not to see her own death as tears flowed down her cheeks. So this was it? This was all there was to life? Just finally getting a chance to see what the world outside her home was like, then dying at the hand of her oldest sister after something had changed her. How the hell was that fair?

 She was only 8! For god's sake she hadn't done much in life! All she had tried to do was help her family. That was it and now here she was, dying alone in the woods...You know when her mama had sat her down shortly after her father had died and explained everyone would die one day, Hanako kinda hoped it would be better than this. Like she had thought about her own death only once after her papa died. When she had, she was surrounded by her older family members, a husband and kids she always wished to have. It had been the way their father had died, and it was the way Hanko hoped to go out to. Being surrounded by loved ones.

 Instead here she was. Lost in the woods, getting he throat eaten by a monster while Tanjiro was most likely next. As for the loving family she had always wanted, they were nothing more than shattered dreams now. All she could hope is if she closed her eyes she would get to see her mama again. Maybe she could see her brothers again too and could apologize for all those awful things she thought, and sometimes even said, about Rokuta. Maybe she could even ask Shigeru how the walk back to the house was after he chickened out of going to the village with her.

Then for a split second the stinging on her neck had stopped. She didn't know why then she saw her mama talking with two of her brothers standing next to a man. They seemed panicked until her eyes landed on her youngest daughter. Then her mama broke out in a tearful grin holding her arms out.

"Hanako!" Her mother screamed making Hanko beam. She sounded like her old self before papa had died. then the man next to her looked over screaming the same, showing it was papa. It was here father! Her family was almost together again. Suddenly she found herself standing and rushing to them. She ran again not caring how this was possible. All she cared about was being held by her mama.

 She reached them just in time to get enveloped in a big hug from both parents and two brothers. She beamed getting showered in kisses being told how worried they were, before asking where Tanjiro, Nezuko and Takeo were. Hanako just tearful said she was scared looking at her parents explaining how she had been attacked and chased down.

"Oh baby..it's okay. You're safe now..you were very strong for living as long as you did...and we are very proud of you for saving your brother.."Her mother smiled pushing her hair back like she used to which only made her cry more.

"Oh mama I still failed! I didn't save them!"

"Hanako you saved Tanjiro! If he's not here then he is somewhere out there...I just hope he finds Taeko so he has someone...I hate to see you kids alone..it makes my heart hurt.."

"I know mama. I'm sorry I snuck out"

"..." Suddenly the arms around her were gone. Her families voices were gone.

"Mama?" Hanako asked looking around only to find her vision blackened and her arms ached. And there was something in her mouth.

 Quickly she sat up spitting out flowers as she woke up, body fully intacked as the sun hit her. As she looked around she couldn't help but wonder what had happened and where she was..

And where the hell had the snow gone?!