The Pig, The Mask, and The Slayers [Redux]

[~Chapter 3: Mundanity~]

[~Chapter 3: Mundanity~]

Three days. He had been sitting in the same spot, with the same string tied to his wrists and ankles for three whole days. Sleeping, eating, and sitting in repeat for three long, arduous, boring, painful days. To say that Giyuu was far from happy was an understatement.

But then again, he brought this upon himself, now hadn't he? He had accepted the mission given to him by his master, and he had been the one to come to Mt. Kumitori.

At the very least he was able to keep an eye on the three Demons patrolling around the house. And he had to admit, he had been a little bit shocked to see what it was they did. He had expected the Demons to act like what he knew them to be: Murderous, cantankerous monsters who feasted upon the flesh of the living, and slaughtering the innocent.

He had half expected the other two humans to become food for the three Demons living within the house. He had also expected to be killed and eaten alongside them.

But, much to his disbelief, none of that happened.

For starters, they all ate at the same table, and they ate cooked food—usually venison with baked carrots or whatever vegetable they could find, and rice.

Each member of the house had a responsibility to uphold. Dream—his attacker—was in charge of leading that Demon Girl out on hunting missions to gather food for the household, and Tanjiro, one of the humans, was in charge of making and selling coal for other goods like medicine, seeds, and whatever he could find in town.

The one with pink skin seemed to be in charge, telling the others what to do. The de facto leader, as it were. And he was really good at his job. Everyone seemed to respect him, or at the very least tolerate him. He had a commanding, yet gentle voice, and his imposing figure was just that: imposing.

Finally, it came down to the smallest child, Hanako.

Hanako was responsible for taking care of him—feeding him, giving him water, and also taking him out back to use the bathroom when he needed to in a hastily built outhouse.

When he wasn't using the bathroom, he was sitting in the house by the ever-burning fireplace, which he found to be bizarre. How could a fire burn eternal without some sort of kindling? Or at least being tended to. And, to make things even stranger, the heat coming off of the fireplace wasn't all that hot.

Oh, sure, he would sweat, but it didn't feel hot. He had even accidentally placed his hand in the fire, and not once did he burn. As a matter of fact, all it did was heat up Giyuu's hand.

It was strange. Very strange.

But not as strange as what he'd repeatedly see throughout the day when it came to Pink Skin.

During the day, he'd watch the pink-skinned Demon walk into the sunlight and not burn at all. It shocked Giyuu at first because it shouldn't have been possible. The excuse he came up with for that Dream individual was that he was always dressed head-to-toe in clothing, so he couldn't burn in the sun because his skin was never exposed to the air.

But Pink Skin? He had no excuse. He simply sat in the sun, even basking in it like he hadn't seen it in a long time. He would disappear for hours at a time, claiming to have been working on a project. The humans and the other two Demons seemed pretty excited for the project to be finished.

He even once heard that Tanjiro boy offered to help, only for Pink Skin to decline, saying for him to conserve his energy for his coal-making and selling runs.

Although Giyuu would never admit it, a part of him was glad to witness such a cohesive familial unit, even if it was makeshift and slapdash. But, in the back of his mind, he knew that one day it would all fall apart. He knew that the Demons would eventually kill and eat the two humans.