メモリ||Memory ~Demon Slayer||

二十三

First Blade

イントロアーク

グレーとゴールド

~

色は自然の感情です

~

↪"Are we ready?"

After bidding Kaigaku and Jigoro goodbye, I headed to Mt. Hinode to meet up with Tadashi and Kyogai.

"I have a base for slayers." I said, standing before them with the ruins behind me and the moon in the sky. "But I do not have one for demons."

The ruins had long since become inhabitable, but they were visibly still there. By the time the moon was at it's highest, the forest had already been disturbed.

Just as expected, there was a rush of footsteps and and noise coming from three different directions, approaching the ruins of Mt. Hinode. I smiled knowingly. The first group came from the west, the second, the north, and the final one, the south.

"Is a new life worth the fall of a king?" I called out.

Tadashi and Kyogai were a little tense, but I couldn't help but smirk as the three groups approached.

"Not if the sun fails to rise again."

Daki was flanking Douma, while Rui was shadowing Akaza. Tadashi smiled welcomingly as Tamayo and Yushiro arrived, followed closely by-

My eyes widened as my smirk dropped.

Hantengu.

Kyogai was sitting up, spine straight, a slightly nervous smile on his face, and Hantengu acknowledged him with a nod in his direction.

"Lady Tamayo." I called out, letting my face fall impassively for a short second. "Welcome."

Despite her usual elegance, she was visibly tense and obviously nervous about being around all these high-ranking demons. Yushiro was scowling, despite the slightly nudge Tamayo gave him.

She bowed her head at me, and I could see the fear in her eyes when I caught them.

"Tamayo?" Douma giggled, smirking at the said woman. "As in, the traitor Tamayo? Quite a dangerous place for you to be right about now~"

"Douma." I called warningly. "Leave her be."

He whirled his smile at me, and I could see genuine joy in it.

"(Y/n)-chaaaaan!"

He sounds so much like Zenitsu-

I didn't even get to finish that thought before he slammed into me, arms wrapping around my nearly teenage form and smothering me.

"I missed you (Y/n)-chan!"

"Yes, hello, it's been a while." I sighed, patting his head as he snuggled into me.

"Get off of her, you're a grown man!" Tadashi cried, yanking on the Upper Moon.

I could see some of the demons wince, as if they expected Tadashi's head to come flying off in a split second, but Douma just turned to him and hugged him too.

"Look at you Tadashi! All grown up!" Douma said, patting the boys head affectionately. "Remember that time you bit me?"

"Want me to do it again?" Tadashi deadpanned.

"Enough you two." I said sternly. "We have work to do."

Douma obeyed, releasing Tadashi who came to flank me, scowling at the older demon. Gyutaro and Daki were shooting Hantengu nervous gazes, as was Rui. But Kyogai seemed utterly terrified now that Akaza and Douma were here, the strongest of the strong.