Golden Rice Paddies [Kimetsu no Yaiba x Child! Reader]

A Distant River Runs Again

You both had been walking for hours without any breaks. Your feet hurt, you were still barefoot and would often step on something uncomfortable. Otokichi offered to carry you, but you refused. You didn't care anymore. You had witnessed the dead bodies of your family and buried them. Along with that, something about you has changed. The more you thought of it, the more disturbed you got. Your eyes, hair, teeth, nails, even your senses felt sharper! You held onto his hand loosely, in fear you might scratch his bony hands. Your father's haori would often drag along the ground and covered your arms entirely, proving to be quite oversized. You either would shift the piece of clothing around or try to push up the sleeves, but they would slip down anyways.

Otokichi turned the corner, going off the path and into the greenery, lifting any branches in his way. You cocked your head but followed after him. He continued to walk through the forest, getting deeper and deeper into the woods. He moved away from a branch, allowing you to go ahead of him. In front of you was a big staircase. The steps were made of stone, and there were a lot of them. You couldn't see where to steps led to, but you could guess it was a shrine. Otokichi took a step forward, his staff jingling as he went further up. You quickly followed after him.

While climbing the stairs, you couldn't help but feel confused. With so many steps, how were you not tired? It's like your body has changed. Looking around, you could guess that this place has been abandoned for some time. The stairs had cracks in it, and moss had begun to coat the surface.

"Otokichi-san! Welcome back!" A mature and feminine voice came from the top. She had long choppy black hair tied into a low ponytail that draped over her shoulder and warm brown eyes. She looked around 16-17 years old. She wore a thin wave pattern kimono that was frayed at the edges. She had a cloth tied from her shoulder that held nothing in it. She ran down the steps, completely used to them. She slowed down as she got closer, staring at your smaller form. "Ah, you brought back another one!" She smiled sweetly and crouched to your level. "My name is Nawa Sakami, it's nice to meet you!" You stared at her with large doe eyes, biting on your bottom lip before nodding. "What's your name?"

"[L-last name] [Name]..." Your small and childish voice made her swoon on the inside. You were so cute!

"Oh wow! You have some very sharp canine." She pointed out as she stared at you. You clamped your mouth shut again. "It's not a bad thing. I think they're very cute!" You flushed at the compliment. Otokichi patted your head gently, making you look up at him.

"[Name] will be staying with us." Sakami blinked before giving a sad sigh. She stopped crouching and looked at him with concern.

"They're like us right?" You peered at her, curious as to what she might mean by 'us'.

The priest gave a sad nod. Sakami quickly brightened up and grabbed your arm before she pulled you towards the top, her larger hands wrapping around yours. "Well since your staying with us, I need you to meet everyone!" She cheered. She began to go even faster, making you stumble quite a bit. You could feel Otoichi's stare on your back.

"Nawa-san, should we wait for Otokichi-san?"

"Ack! You're right!" She froze before laughing nervously, scratching the back of her nape.

"No need, I'm right here." Came a voice from behind you. You squeaked in surprise while Sakami cooed at the sound.

"You're always so fast Otokichi-san." She sighs and shakes her head with a small grin.

In front of you stood a broken-down temple. You think it was a temple anyways. It didn't look like a minka, or anything similar. But you could see doors and mats and rooms. Hmm.

Nonetheless, it was quite shabby. The wood was chipped and scattered, some parts of the roof near the edge were broken, and some parts were covered in moss and vegetation. You could hear voices from inside the shrine and quickly hid behind Sakami. She giggled at the gesture, finding it quite adorable.