A Cook, A Doctor, and A Ghost + A Swordsman

Mimic

"Huh, huh, finally we've been able to escape that ghost." Zenitsu breath a sigh of relief before catching his breath.

"Hey! What's your problem! I almost had him you bastards!" Inosuke doesn't feel satisfied with just slash, he sees that ghost pick up his own head without any care. Even though that thing is not a demon, if he kills it, he will become stronger!

"Are you insane?! That thing is something else! One wrong step and we're possibly dead! I don't want to get cursed by that thing!" Zenitsu scolds him.

Tanjiro nodded, agreeing with Zenitsu. That thing is not a demon, it's a real ghost. He guess that rumor is right after all. The ghost didn't chase them anymore, is the ghost  can only be in a certain area or something?

He worried about his friend and the ghost. Even though he shouldn't, he still think about the ghost. Ghosts usually manifests when they have an unfinished business, like Makomo and Sabito. According to the villagers, Hanekichi helped them by catching thieves and slashers across the village. 

Hanekichi let himself be decapitated without any hesitation and fear of death, means that he wanted to show to them that he can't be killed. Hanekichi wanted them to know who are  they fighting. He looks to be carefree. But a the same time, Tanjiro felt like he's in front of a giant beast because of the aura Hanekichi's radiating off.

"Should we go back?" Tanjiro asked for both of his friend's opinion.

"Like hell I will! I want to go home!" Zenitsu is done with that cemetery, he don't want to get cursed or haunted again.

"Hell yeah! I will show that ghost the strength of Hashibira Inosuke-sama! Hahaha!" Inosuke obnoxiously laughed. The scene when Brook caught his head back scares him for a bit, but now he determined to defeat that ghost.

"Please! Please! Let's go back to the town, please! I'm begging you!" Zenitsu grovel at Tanjiro's leg. Crying his feelings out.

Tanjiro don't want to see his friend in this condition, so he accepts Zenitsu's request and goes back to the village. Zenitsu is very happy to go back while Inosuke is left unsatisfied. He needs to choose what's best for his friends, and he did. He will protect their backs even if it means in the face of death himself.(Got it?)

They went back to the village in the midnight. The street looks empty and quiet. Stars decorating the skies, the moon that shines bright. The place is a bit scary, and a bit comforting. The silence engulfs this town and the only thing that is heard is the trio's footsteps. The trio walks as they've noticed, someone is eyeing them.

"Hey you've noticed it, right?" Zenitsu starts shaking again. He hears the sounds of flesh eaten being eaten and slurping, he can't bear it.

"I did, I can smell them from here..." Tanjiro and Zenitsu whispers behind Inosuke's back. Tanjiro stay on guard while Zenitsu is ready to bravely run away. Inosuke just being Inosuke as always. 

Seriously? First is ghost, and then demons? Scary! Someone save me! That is what Zenitsu is thinking right now. He don't even know why he's here, he wonders how someone like him pass the Final Selection. He thinks that he's lucky because no demons attacked him in the forest but in reality, he created a one-sided massacre in the night of the exam. Just by hit-and-run the demons that stand in his way.

His knees are trembling like an unstable building that can collapse with a single push of a wind. Zenitsu starts biting his nails like a wood chipper. Even a single whisper could scare him right now.

They walk alongside the street and that place stung Tanjiro's nose the most. He drew his sword at the same time as Inosuke. Inosuke didn't know what's happening, but his feral instinct tells him that something isn't right. Zenitsu panicked, he hears the sound keep getting closer and closer He hides behind those two friend of his.

Inosuke felt as something is watching him with a malicious intent. There's one thing to him that is standing out right now, and that is a small jizou at the end of the street. He dashed to it, his gut say so after all.

"Eight Form, Explosive Rush!"

Inosuke is going for a powerful thrust using Explosive Rush. The jizou statue disappeared, his hunch was right. The jizou statue is behind him, he took the initiative to attack first. The jizou statue grow a huge arm and clashed against his blade.

"Tch, and here I thought I can have a meal without any disturbance, I'm really an idiot." The jizou speaks.

"Wahaha! You think that you can hide from the King of The Mountain? Today is the day of your demise!" Tanjiro wanted to join him, but Inosuke raise his hand. He got this shitty demon.

"Tanjiro! I forbid you from interfering this fight! I want a proper match with him, so don't bothers us!" Inosuke warns Tanjiro, he didn't want anyone to bug his fight.

"Who said I am alone?" The demon laughed.

Out of nowhere, a huge Buddha statue appear targeting Zenitsu. Zenitsu can't move, his body won't move even though he wanted to run so bad. His fear got the best of him. The Buddha mimic demon open his gigantic mouth, intending to swallow Zenitsu whole.

"Water Breathing: Eight From, Waterfall Basin!"

Tanjiro jumps at saves Zenitsu in the nick of time, preventing Zenitsu from becoming a demon food. He's angry, these demons mimic themselves into surrounding objects and hunts their prey without getting seen. What's more horrifying is that they mimic into something that people wouldn't expect them to be. 

Tanjiro draw his sword against the demon, alongside Inosuke. They leaned on each other's backs to protect each other's backs more effectively. Zenitsu goes into hiding, he won't be find by those guys. At least for now.

Adrenaline pumping in their veins, sweats dripping down Tanjiro's hard-rock forehead. Inosuke looks like he's going on a rampage to adrenaline.

"Let's do this, Inosuke!"

"Don't order me around, Ponjiro!"

Thus, the battle begins.

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