Secret of the Spider Lily

Chapter 1 - Distant Family

A young girl sat at a small desk, a small lamp shining over an open book. The girl had her snow white pulled up in a tight bun to keep her hair out of her face. Parts of her bangs hung out, but it didn't bother her that much. The book was written in another language, but the girl knew it well, since her aunt had taught it to her. Her aunt had been the previous guardian of the Blue Spider Lily, but unfortunately passed away a few years prior. Luckily she learned the entire language before her aunt's passing. As the girl read the same book for what seemed to be the 20th time, the information was still interesting to learn.

She finished skimming through the book once more before closing it and turning off her desk lamp. She exited her room, and walked out to the patio where her twin sister Kori and her mother were training. Kori didn't really need to be training since she was a Hashira, but liked to touch up her breathing form from time to time.

The girl sat on the bench, watching Kori and her mother practice, her heart heavy, wishing she could've' been a demon slayer, rather than a guardian. She got snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her mother saying her name.

"Yuki? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, but looked down towards the ground, "Just had some things on my mind, and wanted some fresh air"

Kori and her mother looked at each other, before Kori went to sit down next to her twin sister. She took in a steady breath before looking at Yuki, "You're thinking about being a demon slayer again, aren't you?"

Yuki sighed before looking down at the ground, her eyes filled with longing.

"It's that obvious, huh?"

"How is it not Yuki? Every day, you study in your room, but always come out to watch me train. I can see how bad you want it, but you know it's against the family code."

"I know it is, but I hate being trapped in this house, locked away reading all day. Yeah the information is interesting, but I can't help but feel like something is missing from my life"

Yuki and Kori's mother watched the whole conversation, but soon walked over to kneel in front of Yuki, "I know things may seem boring right now, but believe me when I say, that being a demon slayer isn't easy. It's a lot of intense training, and your life is constantly in danger. Do you really want to live like that, Yuki?"

Yuki looked into her mother's eyes, seeing the worry laced in them, and something in Yuki's heart broke. She knew it was dangerous, but she couldn't help but wish for something different, "Anything would be better than being in my room reading the same books over and over again. I don't care if my life is on the line or not, because I'd be fighting for an amazing cause. Is that so hard to understand?!" She asked, her voice now becoming shaky and filled with anger.

"I understand what you're saying Yuki" Kori spoke, her voice still calm, "But there are demons out there beyond normal demonic strength. You've seen how bad I've been injured from one of those attacks"

"Even though you got hurt, you're still alive. That's all that matters! You're also a Hashira, so you don't go down without a fight"

"Even as a Hashira, I stand very close to death's door every day. Even if we didn't live this life, I wouldn't want you to become a demon slayer, because I'd be too worried about you"

"I worry about you every day Kori! That's why I want to be a demon slayer, so I can help you!" she shouted, tears now falling from her eyes. "All I want to do is help you Kori... but I know I can't... I can't break the family code..."

Kori and their mother both sat there in silence, trying to figure out what to say to calm Yuki down. Before either of them could say anything, Kori's crow came and landed on Kori;s shoulder. Kori listened intently to the crow, then standing up with a sad smile on her face, "That's my cue. I have another mission to go on."

"I'll go get your father so you can say goodbye"

"Thanks Mom," Kori said with a bright smile. Once their mother went inside, Lori turned back to Yuki, before wrapping her in a tight hug. "Please Yuki, keep yourself safe. I don't know what I would do if you got hurt."

Yuki's eyes widened in shock, but hugged her sister back just as tight, tears falling onto Kori's haori. "Ok Kori. I'll be safe. But please be safe yourself. I don;t want my other half to be gone."

"Don't worry Yuki. I promise to be safe."

Their parents came outside, hugging Kori goodbye, wishing her a safe journey. Kori waved her family goodbye, before following her crow off into the distance.

Yuki waved Kori goodbye until she was no longer in view, but she couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling. She brushed it off, before heading back inside. As she walked past her mother, she felt a hand gently rest on her shoulder. "Yuki, I know you're worried about her, but have more faith in her. She'll be fine"

"I know Mom," she spoke with sadness and worry to her tone, "But I can't help but feel something isn't right. I do have faith in Kori, but something else feels wrong. I just don't know what it is" Before her mother could say anything else, she walked back inside, locking herself in her room, looking at all of the journals on the shelf. She still had a feeling something was off, so she moved the books into a secret compartment she had built into the bookcase, and locked them away. She didn't know if her hunch was correct, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

Her parents had come back inside, listening to her move things around. They sat down at the table, both looking at Yuki's door. "Do you think she'll be ok?" her mother asked, her eyes still glued to the door.

"I believe she'll be alright. She just needs to embrace her role as guardian."

"Still, I can;t help but feel she feels isolated from the rest of us."

"Maybe we should have dinner as a family tomorrow night. Just the three of us. Maybe she'll feel like she belongs with us then."

Her mother smiled, before nodding, "I'll have to head to the market tomorrow to get ingredients then. We don't have very much here right now."

"I'll come with you. Yuki might want to have some time to herself tomorrow morning before we all have dinner."

The following day, Yuki's parents left for the market, returning a few hours later and started to prepare for their dinner. The smell from the food was enticing, and Yuki opened her door, looking into the kitchen, seeing both her parents holding plates in their hands. They looked up, and gestured for her to come grab food. Her mother handed her a plate, and they all proceeded to sit at the table.

They ended up talking for hours on end, and Yuki started to open up, having a great time with her parents. They talked into the late hours of the night, and eventually decided to start cleaning up their dishes. As they washed their dishes in the sink, a knock at the door caught them all by surprise.

Her parents looked at each other, before her mother spoke up, "Were you expecting guests honey?"

"No, I wasn't. It was just supposed to be the three of us tonight. I'll go answer the door to see who it is, and what they need"

Her father went to the door, opening it to be greeted by a man in a nice looking black and white suit. The man kept his face hidden by a brimmed hat, but Yuki had a sickening feeling about the man.

"Hello sir. Is there something we can he-" He got interrupted mid sentence, when the mysterious man impaled his arm through the father's abdomen.

"Dad!'" Yuki screamed as she started to run towards him to help.

"Stop!" Her mother shouted, "You need to run!"

"What about Dad?!"

"He's already dead! Run, and get to someplace safe! I'll try to hold this demon off!"

"D-Demon...?" Yuki asked, her voice now shaking.

The man ripped his arm out of the father's stomach, watching as his body crumpled to the floor. Yuki looked at the man standing over her father's dead body, but the only thing she saw was the deep red glow coming from his eyes. The glare sent a frozen shiver down her spine, that ended up freezing her in place.