boketto || t. kamado

interlude

I have never experienced a world in which demons did not exist. 

This is the starch difference between myself and the three boys I was currently traveling with. 

Frankly, I don't know much about the lives of Zenitsu and Inosuke before their time as demon slayers, but I know Inosuke claimed to be raised by the mountain itself and Zenitsu mentioned something about his debt. Tanjiro was the only one I knew for certain who didn't know of demons until they directly affected his life and family. But still, I was the only one that held the roots of demons so strongly in my bloodline. 

Before I was born, my mother was one of the strongest demon slayers in the corp. She traveled around and aided those in need, though was a victim herself to various injuries as well. It was only when she was pregnant with my elder brother that she put a pause on her duties, and soon retired as a Hashira to take a more passive role in the slaying, and an active one as a parent. 

Several years later, she had me. My father passed quickly after - I was never told what of. But either way, she was never one to hide her occupation from us. She often told us stories of her travels and what she had seen. She taught us the weaknesses of demons and what we should do if they ever invade our homes. 

My brother and I knew the terrors they caused and what to do before we were both 7. She wanted to protect us. 

When she had our two younger siblings, with a man I never cared for or even concerned myself with learning of, I told them the same stories she had told me. Albeit, I felt as though certain details needn't be shared. 

Out of everything I remember from my early childhood, the day before my mother left and died will forever echo the loudest. 

She was sat in the garden, kimono folded beneath her legs politely. I was standing by the bank of the koi fish pond, bare feet in the grass and tossing bits of leftover rice into the water. The colorful fish swam upward and fought each other for the bits of treat, but I just smiled and continued to feed them. Mother used to chastise me for it but gave up after a while. 

She was humming to herself behind me, ever so elegant and beautiful. Long hair flowing past her shoulders. It was down now - usually, she pinned it up to keep it from her face. She was going on a mission tomorrow, which wasn't unusual. We usually spent some time together before she left. My younger siblings were inside, either playing or taking a nap. 

"What are you singing?" I asked as I glanced toward her. Her humming paused and her gaze flickered from her lap and up toward me. She seemed... tired, I suppose. At the time, I thought nothing of it. 

Mom smiled, "It's just an old song from when I was a kid. I sing it to you and your siblings, too."

"Do you..?" I mumbled, trying to think of when I'd heard it. She sang plenty of songs to us - it must just be lost in the bank of tunes I'd learned from her. 

My aura sight was poor at the time, but I still managed to catch a glimpse of hers, and I asked, "What's wrong, Mama?"

She blinked, and then gave me a wary smile, "I asked you not to look at my aura."

Heat invaded my face and I sunk in on myself a bit at her chastising. She was right - she did ask that. But sometimes I just couldn't help myself. 

"If you must ask," She indulged me anyways, "I suppose I'm just worried."

I tilted my head with a furrowed brow, "What about?"

Mom sat quietly for a minute as if contemplating how she should state it or if she should at all. A distant glaze in her eyes made her feel a million miles away. She may be sitting right in front of me, but I don't think I'll ever truly see or understand her. Even to this day.

Finally, she said, "Your father passed, and then your brother left. It makes me worry about what could be next."

"I hope it's the end," I smiled, though didn't truly understand what she was saying. Those two events had been the most damaging to our family. The first had seemingly been a catalyst for the second. 

Mom hummed, still gazing off in concern. She then said, "There's a saying, you know. My mother used to tell it to me, so I'll say it to you."

I drifted closer to her, koi fish have forgotten, and waited until she said, "Bad things come in threes. Have you ever heard it?" I shook my head. Mom said, "It's just an old saying. Don't think about it so much."

"Okay," I mumbled. 

The next day, her crow flew back and told me she was dead. 

'Bad things come in threes'. I would forever continue to fear unfortunate events as coming in trios of 3. It became my most hated number - if you could even believe I hated a number. Because my dad died, then my brother abandoned home, and then my mother died. And left us three remaining children by our lonesome. 

I can never remember a time in which demons were not prevalent in my life. But the moment they took my mother, that ideology was solidified and I knew my life would be tied to them forever. 

Whether I became a demon slayer or not, our fates were intertwined. Forever linked and doomed to dance around each other. It was proven to me in her death and both in the events following it. I would never escape their grasp and clutches on me.

So I embraced it wholeheartedly, and with hunger. 

~~~

A short thing, to give me a break. Season 2 will continue soon.

Small recap on Y/n and her family, just in case it wasn't insanely clear;

Mother - Deceased, Demon Slayer
Father - Deceased
Elder Brother  - Whereabouts Unknown
Younger Brother (Joji) - Half Brother, Deceased
Younger Sister (Ahmya) - Half Sister, Deceased

The only reason their bein half-siblings was never mentioned is that Y/n doesn't see them any differently. It doesn't matter to her.