We'll protect each other (SabiGiyuu)

32

She ignored my question, looking around frantically as if something was about to jump out at her. "You should hide, it's nighttime. That's when the monster comes out." Her tiny hands gripped the wooden frame, yet she pulled herself farther inside.

"You don't need to worry about me, little one, I can send the monster away." My haori slid over the hilt of my sword as I pulled on it to show her the sheathed blade.

Her eyes grew wide. "You're a monster hunter!"

I laughed quietly. "No, but that's a good guess." Standing up stiffly from the squatting position, I glanced around to check my surroundings. "I'm a demon slayer."

"Can I stay with you?" Desperation shone in her eyes. "I don't want to get eaten."

"I guess that'd be alri-" Fingers grasped my haori tightly, the girl holding on like her life depended on it. "Erm- aren't your parents around here somewhere?"

She shook her head. "The monster ate them," her voice was so quiet I could barely hear her. Despite being around five or six, he head was no higher then my hip, and from what I could see she looked quite thin.

"Oh. I'm sorry." One last check to make sure she was okay, then I continued down the street.

It was silent for a few minutes, moments dragging on into eternities.

"Can I call you Gi Gi?"

I looked down at the girl, surprised to see her eyes trained on the road ahead of us, not looking at me. Assuming she was addressing me, I thought the nickname over for a moment. "Sure, you can call me that if you want."

She seemed to brighten up after that, humming a short tune and skipping ahead of me a little bit. Her long black hair was done up in a single braid down her back, and I noticed the tie was a thin white piece of cloth, a red blotch covering half of it. Briefly I wondered where she got it, and whether the blood was a design, or real.

A hissing sound behind me gave away the coming danger, and in a flash I unsheathed my blade and brought it to meet the demon's flesh in midair. It grit its teeth and rolled to the side in a crouch, glaring up at me between stray strands of hair.

The terrified girl froze like a doe before a forest fire, the demon slowly turning its head to her. A wicked grin spread over its features, stretching the corners of its mouth to the very edges of its face. Sharp, bloodstained teeth glinted in the low light, giving away that it had eaten another human that night.

"Don't you dare," I growled, brandishing my sword threateningly.

It's smile widened, and it shot towards her quicker than I could react. Quick feet struck the dirt, racing to stop the murder from unfolding. Intercepting the demon, I brought my katana down on its neck, slicing through spine and muscle like it was butter.

I watched it disintegrate for a moment before I turned and checked on the girl, crouching down in front of her so we were eye to eye.

"Hey, are you okay? Are you hurt?" I took one of her small hands in mine, squeezing gently to reassure her she was safe.

Tears welled up in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks like mini waterfalls. She sniffed, falling forward into me and wrapping her arms over my shoulders. Her head buried in the crook of my neck, I had a moment where I was unsure what I was supposed to do to comfort the child.

Finally I put my arms around her, pulling her closer and picking her up. Automatically her legs wrapped around my body, and I began to carry her back to find Sabito.

Five minutes later, he ran up to us and eyes the kid in my arms with a confused look. By now she had calmed down a smidge, but her eyes were still red and her cheeks were tearstained. "Who do we have here?" He asked.

"I don't know her name, but I saved her from a demon just a little bit ago."

"Oh. Well hi there, my name is Sabito!" He said with a small wave. "What's your name?"

The girl hesitated. "I-I'm Tsukiko."

Big timeskip (two years, all canonical deaths, Giyuu still has both arms)

No one's POV
Tsukiko ran down the stairs, nearly tripping over her feet as she raced to get outside. Grabbing her wooden katana off the couch, she confidently slammed the door open and sped out into the large garden.

Taking a quick break to say hi and good morning to her adopted dads, she gave Giyuu a hug from behind and waved goodbye to him and Sabito as she continued running.

"Someone's in a hurry today," Sabito pointed out. "What're you up to today?"

"Nezuko is going to tell me stories about Mount Natagumo soon! See you guys later!" She shouted cheerfully, pumping her  fist into the air once.

Giyuu chuckled as the young girl ran off. "She has so much energy."

His fiancé shrugged. "I remember running up and down Mount Sagiri like it was nothing, going to Kamado's house isn't that bad."

After the final battle against the demon king and his subordinates, the small family had settled into a house near the Kamado's old one, and the siblings had moved into a new house they had all built together. Tsukiko and Nezuko hit it off right away as great friends. They spent a lot of their time together with Kanao and the rest of the Kamaboko squad.

The grief from losing so many friends and loved ones during the final battle was still fresh, an aching, raw wound in each of the demon slayer's hearts. But with the help of the people around them, they were able to move on to a fresh start, one free of man-eating demons.

So the ending isn't... as good as I wanted it to be...
But it's done! This book is finally over!
Have a great rest of your day/night!