_______
1ST POV
_______
.
.
"You sure you don't want me to drop you off?"
Tanjiro shook his head, sweat dropping, "Thank you, Colith-san but It is truly not necessary. I want to know how long it will take for me to get there." he apologized.
I pouted, not that he could see, and crossed my arms before letting out a resigned sigh. Urokodaki and I stood on the doorstep, watching the boy jog a few meters away before halting. He waved at us then resumed his run, clad in a similar haori as the former water pillar and Kitsune mask.
"You're going after him, aren't you?" the old man said after a beat.
"Yep!" I grinned, jumping into the air to trail the kid. "See ya!" I waved. He returned the wave with a sigh, watching me silently blast off after Tanjiro.
Seppen was next to me in a jiffy and we made sure not to get too close so he couldn't spot us. Seriously, his nose was too sharp for his own good.
Why was I following him? After all, he did get there without problem and passed the exam with flying colors in the anime. Actually, I wasn't just going after him. I had some stuff to do such as keeping the casualties low during the final selection. Now hear me out, not everyone was fit to become a slayer, and I knew that Kagaya was aware of it.
So instead of letting potential recruits die foolishly because they bit off more than they can chew, there was a change to the rules. Anyone with fatal injuries or those at death's door will be rescued- by me -and will, therefore, not become slayers. They'll have to restart their formation and try again the following year.
So, yeah. I've sent clones to the last selections and saved a lot, and I say A LOT of people.
Kokushibo didn't particularly react to this outcome even though he was aware of it. Then again, Muzan's control on him seemed to have thoroughly faded away from his system considering he could now say his name without repercussions.
Colith-1, discount MJ-0.
We arrived at Mount Fujikasane before sunset, proof that Tanjiro's additional training kinda paid off. Having Kokushibo spar with him on some occasions definitely improved his reflexes. Granted that dodging was all he could do against the demon, Koku-kun was ruthless.
He never brought up the earrings again, still, I encouraged him to try and open up about them. Koku-kun was of those who still remembered their past, as rare as they were. So he didn't react strongly to the news of Tanjiro being a descendant of Yorichii's closest friend, which would explain the earrings.
He wasn't one to bring up his past a lot though, as tragic as it was, and I wasn't either. Not that it prevented some mishap on my part. I had a big mouth and would end up sometimes blurting things I wasn't supposed to know, not that he questioned how the hell I knew it. He was aware of what I was after I finally decided to tell him when I was sure that Muzan wouldn't get wind of it. Needed that surprise factor even though him still not realizing that I snatched his most loyal servant was mind-blowing.
There were a lot of people this year too. Even saw a few I saved last year and they seemed more determined to succeed this time. Good for them. I remained hidden, looking around to find if anyone from the main cast was missing.
'I suppose some of them have yet to come.'
Tanjiro was currently trying to interact with the others, being the newbie he was, he most likely was fishing for information. I smiled before my gaze found a speck of yellow entering the meeting place. A very familiar and frightened speck of yellow might I add.
'That's Zenitsu for you.'
He was, well, shivering his timbers and looked anything but happy to be here, which was fair. Pre-developed Zenitsu was a pain in the ass to deal with, considering his clinginess and more than dramatic reactions. Still, he was sweet, if not just misunderstood, even in his own weird way. His senpai however... Yeah, a very unlikable creature this one. He was among those who passed last year without trouble.
His head snapped in my general direction, sweat rolling down his face as he stared intently at where I was.
'Damn, his hearing is no joke.' I stayed still, canceling any sound coming from me. 'Didn't think I'd use the anti-Uzui so soon. The fucker almost always catches me. Then again, they have good hearing so that's a given.'
I watched him frown, unable to further pinpoint my location before getting distracted by something. I resumed my observations.
Kanao had been among those who got here first and had that aloof air surrounding her that prevented anyone from approaching. Her aura didn't reflect any emotion besides some kind of quiescence a normal human being shouldn't be able to achieve.
'These guys really have no idea what a therapist is? This child clearly needs therapy!... Like 99% of the cast actually.' I sweat dropped.
Perhaps I should have made a conscious effort to meet them besides fooling around. I mean, stumbling across Genya and Senjuro had been a total fluke! And the circumstances of the meetings were, kinda absurd. The former nearly had his eyes gouged out by some hey Arnold lookin' ass demon while the latter almost got kidnapped.
How on earth they survived these encounters in canon is beyond me.
Speaking of Genya, the kid looked less haggard and a little more muscled than his anime counterpart, though that might be because the exam had yet to begin. Last I saw him, he was with Gyomei, punching trees like nobody's business while the giant played a flute. So I calmly dipped before they could detect my presence but still left some food 'cause I was like that.
But anyhow, it's nice to see how less aggressive he's become. With proper guidance, even the most troublesome kid can mellow, if not a little.
Inosuke...well, he was around, probably terrorizing whoever glanced his way.
I stayed hidden until everyone left for the exam before appearing in front of the twins, the only ones remaining.
"Yo !"
"Oba-san!" They both squealed, immediately recovering from the initial shock of my appearance before crashing into my awaiting arms. They had taken to calling me auntie, a prospect that, you would've guessed, melted my heart.
"Heya, punkins'!" I chuckled, hugging them before straightening up. "It's been a while, aye?"
"Hm!" Kanata smiled.
"Yes, thank you for visiting us!" Kiriya replied with a grin. I patted their head, earning little giggles from them.
"Don't mention it. So it's your turn this year huh, how are the others? Are your parents doing well?" I asked, glancing around.
"Father is doing very well!" Kiriya began, "And mother-" A nudge from his sister cut him off. They shared a quick look, eyes gleaming with something akin to excitement before looking up at me.
I quirked a brow, not that they could see, "What?" they both shook their heads and started giggling. My eyes narrowed "Oh? So that's how you want to play it heh?" I said, placing Koku's box on the ground. The kids started slowly backing away, knowing what was coming, "Well then, you better start running because Big Mom is here and is gonna eatcha! GRAAAH!"
Squealing, they scattered just as I lifted my arms dramatically and started chasing them while cackling menacingly.
I met Kanata, Kuina, and Kiriya on my second visit. They weren't wary of my sudden appearance in their house, having most likely heard of me via their sisters and parents. And it seemed, just like Nichika and Hinaki, they appreciated my gifts, considering that they all wandered around with their plushies, even during serious situations. It was sweet. They seemed happier since Kagaya could go on and about without assistance.
To the onlookers, the kids still looked creepy as hell, though that was just their appearance, their auras on the other hand were wild. Then again, I'm the only one who could see that.
While reading the manga, I always wondered where the kids stayed during the exam, because waiting a whole ass week at the foot of the mountain for children was impossible and outright irresponsible. Turns out that a Wisteria house was located somewhere near, and that's where they stayed, which made sense.
Speaking of the exam, my clones had already rescued more than twenty candidates, and that was just on the second day.
There were ten clones in total and three of them were tasked to keep a close eye on the main cast. I knew they'd survive this easily, but I wasn't taking any chances with the few changes my presence brought. That butterfly effect ain't catching me lacking any day. Nope.
Tanjiro fought the hand demon and, somehow still got his head wound, although that's mainly due to him narrowly dodging a strike from the restless demon. The agitation was due to the fact that the grotesque creature had been unable to consume humans for two years straight which, well, would make any demon go apeshit.
The battle became one-sided as soon as he started bragging about killing Tengu gramps' students. Tanjiro didn't even give him time to blink that his head was already separated from his body and rapidly disintegrating.
Well sheesh. I think we created a monster.
Although the demons were much more aggressive than usual, by the end of the seven days, fifteen people, including the main cast, had passed. Not a lot in my opinion but hey, that's better than just five. I dropped the kids off two hours before dawn and took off to the air after giving them snacks to watch the ceremony. Everything was going relatively well, everyone received their crows-sparrow in Zenitsu's case- and were now choosing an ore.
The sudden urge to bring chaos to these unaware souls took hold of me.
Just as Tanjiro was reaching for one, the smell of grilled meat reached his nostrils, making him pause and glance behind him in confusion.
"BARBECUE! BARBECUE! Who wants some barbecue?" I called, standing behind a food stand I spawned for no reason while wearing a ridiculous apron and a chef hat.
The silence was so loud as they all stared at me in bewilderment, entirely missing the siblings' attempts to not crack up.
"This must've been hard, but no worries, here's some food to cheer you up!" I said, shoving plates of fuming rotisserie in their hands. They were too flabbergasted to react properly. Even Kanao looked speechless. "Don't forget to eat slowly otherwise you'll puke!" I advised before popping in front of a startled Inosuke. "Here you go."
Pig assault™ looked back and forth between me and the plate, utterly puzzled.
"Bon appétit! And congratulations !" I said cheerfully, making a peace sign before vanishing from the clearing in a puff of smoke, food stand included.
"...W-was that Taiyo-shin...?" Zenitsu uttered, breaking the silence.
"What was he doing here?"
"Was that really him?! Holy shit! He's real!"
"Should we eat...?"
"This guy doesn't seem to mind." someone pointed towards Inosuke who was inhaling the food. Seeing this, most of them started eating, appalling Zenitsu.
"IS NOBODY GOING TO QUESTION WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" He received shrugs in response.
Tanjiro sweet dropped, watching everyone marvel at the food then started eating. After all, he was quite famished.
__________
"So, did everyone eat?" he looked up for a moment, trying to remember before hesitantly nodding, "Even the butterfly girl?"
He hummed, "I think she flipped a coin then passed her plate to someone else after it landed," he said, making me sigh in disappointment. "is everything alright, Colith-san?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it," I waved a hand, "How was the exam anyway? How many demons did you kill?"
He held his hand to count with a little frown, "Around twenty if I'm correct." I whistled, impressed.
I patted his head, "That's a lot! Good job!" I praised before halting when he didn't return the cheer. "What's wrong? Are you hungry?" I made a bento filled with fatsia sprouts appear and offered it to him. He thanked me, no longer surprised by my powers as he was two years ago.
"It's just that I can't help but think they were once human too, and must've gone through a lot..." he confessed, "Though, that doesn't erase all their wrongdoings, and the suffering they caused to people but..."
"You feel bad for them." he winced.
"Is that bad...?" I shook my head.
"You're kind. Not everyone is as forgiving as you, however, that doesn't mean you're excusing their actions, so it's not a bad thing to feel sympathy. It reminds me of my Ma actually, though she was harsher." I chuckled, "Just don't be so naive as to think that everyone has some good in them. Some people are just evil by nature, don't be fooled."
He stared at me in awe before nodding, surprised I didn't berate him like Tengu gramps always does on this topic.
"Perhaps you'll meet more demons like Nezuko, as rare as they are in the future. Who knows?" He tilted his head, puzzled by my cryptics words. I changed the subject before he could inquire.
We arrived around the afternoon, the old man wasn't home, probably doing some errands, assuming Tanjiro wouldn't be back until late at night. After taking a bath and tending to the few injuries-mostly bruises and the head wound, he promptly passed out like a light, entirely missing Tengu gramps arrival and Nezuko's awakening thirty minutes after.
So imagine his surprise when, upon waking up, he was met with wide gleaming pink eyes staring right into his soul.
"Ne-NEZUKO!"
He immediately burst into tears and scrambled up to hug her tightly. Two years of constant worry left him in waves at the sight of her. The demon girl returned the embrace, a little confused by her older brother's reaction before making a pleasant hum. Me and Tengu gramps watched the interaction and if tears flowed from the bottom of his mask, I pretended not to notice.
__________
"I accept, Colith-san!"
"Hm?" I looked down and found Tanjiro under the tree I was on, "What's up kid? Accept what?" I quirked a brow.
The fifteen years old nervously twiddled his thumbs for a moment before looking up at me, determined, "I-I accept your proposal about Nezuko!"
It took my brain a solid 10 seconds before my eyes lit up. I closed the manga I was reading and popped right in front of him, startling Tanjiro who yelped.
"I wasn't expecting you to change your mind! I thought you declined since you never mentioned it again after she woke up," I made the book poof away and held my hips, "So what gives? And no, no need to apologize." I flicked his forehead, stopping him from doing just that.
He realized that he may not always be near his sister during fights and his future opponents might use that against him. It would be best if she could defend herself, considering that Kokushibo smelled stronger and less bloodthirsty than during their first meeting, so if Nezuko could become stronger without ever attacking humans in a desperate time...
"I may not be around if she ever loses control not that I think it'll happen, I trust Nezuko, but things can change during a fight, and I would never forgive myself if she was to harm others..." he lowered his head, eyebrows creased, "So that's why-"
"I get it, no need to ramble." I pinched his cheek, "I'm glad you took the time to think about it seriously, especially if she stumbles upon a Marechi."
"Mare...chis?"
"They're humans with very special blood that attracts demons. They make them much more aggressive and bloodthirsty. Those at the final selection were nothing compared to a demon who smelled a marechi. Even Koku-kun had some trouble controlling himself when there was one around, though that was before we met. He merely sneers in their presence."
He gulped, visibly disturbed, "I-I see..., that's good to know..."
"Mah, don't worry! Now come on, let's tell gramps!"
By the time the sun set and the night settled, we entered the forest. Big wide pink eyes stared at me innocently as I stood in front of their owner. Tengu gramps decided to come with us, out of curiosity or concern for Nezuko, I don't know but he was here. Kokushibo remained in his box, not really interested in the matter while Tanjiro looked nervous but confident.
I explained to them how demons reacted to my blood beforehand, which is why we were in the woods to not destroy Tengu Gramps' home. Nezuko glanced back and forth between the vial and me, utterly confused. Tanjiro did try to tell her what was gonna happen, but the kid had some trouble with his words since he was still unfamiliar with the procedure.
"Are you certain it is safe?"
I waved the old man's concerns off, assuring him that it'll be fine. "Of course. I'll just have to monitor her like I've done with Koku-kun, which means that I'll be with you guys on your journey. Hope that's not an issue, Tanji?"
"Not at all!" the boy replied.
I wouldn't interfere with most of his future battles though, he needed them all to grow stronger. The additional training with Kokushibo made him stronger than his cannon counterpart, and hopefully, that will apply to Nezuko. Speaking of Nezuko...
The girl downed the content of the vial and we all tensed when her body froze. Expecting an outburst of some sort, we were utterly bewildered when the girl simply blinked then looked at us with those same...innocent eyes-
"Alright, that's...odd?" I hummed, circling the demon child for any signs of changement. Even her aura felt the same...? Not bloodthirsty at least.
Tanjiro approached, sniffing the air before stating that Nezuko was calm, happy even. He didn't smell any aggression from his sister or any kind of negative emotion which puzzled me. This is the first time a demon doesn't react to my blood!
"It doesn't seems to have worked." Tengu gramps stated, watching the scene with folded arms.
I held my chin in thought before getting an idea, "Hold on," I fetched another vial of blood and told Tanjiro to back away.
"What is this?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Marechi blood," How I got this you ask? Contrary to popular belief, Marechis weren't as rare as you might think. Proof is, I stumbled upon a couple during my travels and a majority just lived in populated areas, making it nearly impossible for demons who favored isolated areas to hunt them.
'No wonder Muzan prefers to hide among them.' I shook my head then popped the lid off before moving it under her nose. Nezuko stared at me.
No reaction.
"Welp, good news is, Nezuko won't ever attack anyone, so you can rest assured." I put it away then blinked when I felt arms wrap around my waist and looked down. A warm smile spread on my face, "Dunno why but it worked but at least there won't be any risk of losing control."
"This must have something to do with the fact that young Nezuko has yet to consume human flesh." The old man said, making me pause and consider.
"Ah, That...actually makes sense." I hummed, lifting the girl to my hip after she shrank. "I guess that's taken care of," I said before a mischievous grin came across my face. "The first to arrive is in charge of preparing dinner!" I vanished with a giggling Nezuko before Tengu gramps could react properly. I will cook tonight!
__________
"Hm."
"..."
"Hm?"
"...?"
"Hm! Hm!"
"...!"
I tried to stifle a laugh but the noise caught the two demons' attention which made them both look at me. Nezuko was sitting in front of Kokushibo, mimicking his posture and seemingly trying to get a reaction from him-which she succeeded at! He tilted his head!-by having a staring match with him.
(art by me)
"Having fun?" I teased. Kokushibo's eyes narrowed slightly while Nezuko beamed. She straightened up and proceeded to waddle towards me.
The two met three days after Nezuko's awakening after I literally dragged him out of his box. Naturally, she was apprehensive at first since he was, well, a freaking upper moon, but calmed down when Tanjiro explained the situation. He didn't show any disdain towards her so I count that as a win! Although he found her circumstances to be quite odd since he had yet to hear about a demon refusing to eat flesh without my direct meddling.
Today was the day Tanjiro received his sword and by the noise outside, Haganezuka was probably throwing a fit. I left the demons to their own devices after giving them both head pats-much to Koku-kun's dismay though I know he loves it- and walked out. I quirked a brow after I slid the door open which garnered the three males' attention.
"A black sword? That's sick."
Haganezuka's aura spiked in surprise and was probably gawking behind that mask. After all, I only wore a kimono top and a hakama. I gave him a polite smile.
"You must be Tanji's swordsmith. Thank you for your service. It is a very beautiful sword."
He quickly recovered "O-o-of course it is! I made it!" He preened. I was about to add another compliment when he got right into my face, making me lean back a little. I felt a murderous aura spike behind me but ignored it. "Though I must ask, you're not from here are you? What an odd skin color! Are you a foreigner? Your voice sounds familiar though. Have we met before?"
Welp, at least he was bold and straight to the point.
'That's what happens when you share food with strangers. Not that he's a stranger to speak of.'
It's dumb really. I was on one of my food discovery sprees right at the beginning of my 'trip' and got wind of a particular store that specializes in sweets in a town whose name I forgot. Curious as I was, I entered the store and started buying things to try later. My eyes fell on the last plate of Mitarashi Dango and when I was about to order it, I felt a bone-crushing grip on my shoulder. Turns out, it was Haganezuka who had been eying that particular plate the whole time I was there and didn't appreciate the fact that I was about to take it. Long story short, I ordered it, took one stick since that's all I needed to be able to recreate it, and offered the plate to him just as he was about to go apeshit.
It seems as though that event marked him enough to remember my voice even after all this time. I heard Tengu gramps sigh while Tanjiro gawked at the scene. I slightly pushed him away while keeping an amicable smile.
"That would be because we shared some Mitarashi Dango." No point in hiding it anymore. He halted, likely processing what I just said.
"THAT WAS YOU?!" He shrieked, aghast. "THE KIND DANGO STRANGER!"
I blinked, "...The what?"
"CAW CAW! CAWWMADO TANJIRO, HERE ARE YOUR ORDERS!" everyone turned to the crow who barreled in, curious. Surprise, in Tanjiro's case. Seppen didn't speak, so he wasn't expecting his crow to suddenly talk.
Once the bird was done transmitting the orders, I beckoned him to land on my outstretched arm, which he did out of pure curiosity. I brought forth some seeds and offered them to him. Matsuemon cawed happily and started pecking like nobody's business.
Apparently, Haganezuka had not made the connection between Taiyo-shin and the 'Kind dango stranger'. However, it seems he didn't care upon learning that I was Taiyo-shin. He didn't see any point in entertaining the rumors since, in his quotes "I'm a busy man!", so it mostly flew over his head. All that mattered was that I shared his favorite food with him, which, well, was a big deal to him and ultimately good in his books. He left a while later, elated after receiving a box full of sweets from me and promised to return the favor tenfold.
I think I just got Haganezuka in the bag.
Oh well.
I turned to Tanjiro, "First mission, heh? Mind if I tag along?"
__________