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Her eyes widened, staring at the old wooden house from afar. It's looks were once comforting and welcoming. Now all that the eldest Kamado child saw was pain. She gracefully leapt down from the tree where she had perched herself. Her soft brown hair flowing freely behind her. Resting on her knee, she bowed her head out of respect. The corpses of her very own family laid in front of her. Tears quietly fell from her skin, the frozen cold air causing her cheeks to sting. Her mother and brothers were slaughtered, along with her sisters. Everyone had been dead, all together inside of their one warmly-lit mountain home.
Blood splattered all throughout it, not a single spot seemed clean. Cussing to herself as she let out a sob, the eldest turned away. It was merely daybreak, she had assumed her brother would return from his job down at the marketplace soon. Standing up properly, the girl bowed her head once again. Memories flashed through her mind, clenching her jaw. Her hand went up to her ear, where a singular earring was. It was identical to Tanjirou's. After their father had died, he gave one earring to each other his eldest. Ever since a child, Akiko was always by her father's side. He didn't care that she was not a son, he continued the plans he had for a firstborn male.
"One day, I will not be here to protect you, my dear Aki-chan. I want you to protect our family when I am too weak. I know that you can. You are my firstborn, you are my legacy." Her fathers sweet voice run throughout the field. She was the eldest, now of age to begin training. She was going to be a swordswoman for her family name.
"Why me? Tanjirou is your first son, shouldn't he be trained as your legacy?"
"He will. He has his own destiny to fulfill as well. You are my firstborn. It does not matter weither you are my daughter or my son. If Tanjirou were meant to be my legacy, he simply were to been born first." His softening smile made her feel at home. She nodded, bowing her head to her father.
"I will do my best, Father."
Now here she sat. Daybreak made it's way through the thick trees, as Akiko payed respects to her family. Her senses snapped, hearing loud and fast footsteps from below the peak of the mountain. Looking sadly again, her hand rested on her sword's sheath as she leapt back into the trees. She hid her presence easily, as her younger brother came stumbling up the mountain.
She watched from afar as he cried. He must have smelt the blood from many meters away. She couldn't help but close her eyes with a slight smile. He has a keen scent; Softness. He had a bright heart, able to impact many with no more than a smile. Determination radiated from his very soul, she could tell his presence was strong without needing to practice. His scent was a mix of amazing traits, it made her feel warm. It pained her that he never got to meet her. All he knew was that he was the eldest.
She opened her eyes again, to find him carrying Nezuko on his back. Tilting her head, she followed them through the trees, keeping her slight difference. She wanted to do everything in her power to protect her brother. She was always told to avoid them whilst training. Her family had died because she wasn't there, she wouldn't allow this to happen to Tanjirou as well.
Nezuko had awakened, attempting to attack her older brother. Akiko was confused at first, though quickly piecing it together. She wanted to leap down and save them, however with a small smell she detected another person. Eyes trailing off into the slight difference, she saw a man running towards them. His hand at his side, ready to unsheathe his sword. Eyes widening, Akiko rushed down from the trees.
"Breath of light: First form, flash."
Within an instant, she had reached the ground. Before the man had gotten to strike, she striked his sword out of his grip. Flipping midair to land on her feet, she skidded with the momentum to soften the blow on her knees. By the time she landed, her slayer sword had returned in it's rightful spot.
Confused, her opponent had skidded away, leaping back to distance himself. Akiko didn't bother paying attention to him, but turning to Tanjirou instead. He sat there with tears in his widened eyes, trying to pin Nezuko away from him. Akiko's brown hair seemed lighter than usual due to the rising sun. A smile played her lips, eyes shimmering with sadness. "Don't let her bite or scratch you." Her eyes darted over to the bamboo around them, holding a finger up as for him to wait a moment.
"Who are you? Why did you attack me if you are obviously part of the Corps?" The man loudly asked, anger radiating from his voice. "Why stop me from slaying a demon?" He pressed, pointing his sword at the girl his age.
"One moment, please." She hummed in an angelic voice, using her sword to quickly slice a small piece of bamboo. The man's irritation only grew, obviously.
"Give me answers, or I'll kill the demon and you." He hissed, changing his stance. Akiko peered over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow. She shrugged, not bothering to reply.
The man launched, so she pounced as well. She made sure to protect Tanjirou and Nezuko, blocking multiple of the black-haired man's attacks. "You can't do that. You can't harm me." She said simply, disappearing. Before either of the men could register where she was, they noticed that Nezuko was gone. Akiko stood a few feet away, sword sheathed and Nezuko in hand. "The boy pleaded. He said she has never killed anyone, nor eaten anyone. This much is true. I followed him from the mountain top. She has just turned." She smiled warmly, a calm expression never leaving her face. "May I help you? I have to knock her out. I won't hurt her." She asked Tanjirou, who hesitated but nodded nonetheless.
"I have so many questions!"
"Who are you exactly?"
Both asked questions at the same exact time, as Akiko looked at Nezuko sympathetically and knocked her out. The teenage swordswoman brought out a piece of string, hollowing out the bamboo to put the threat through it. She gently lifted Nezuko, putting the bamboo secure into her mouth. "I'll answer your questions. I apologize for attacking you." She bowed her head, taking off the cover of her slayer uniform, placing it over Nezuko's body. The sun was coming out, so she wanted to make sure that her younger sister would be alright.
Tanjirou scurried over to Nezuko, crying still. Akiko looked down at her sympathetically. "Tanjirou," she spoke, his eyes widened as she said his name. "You already know who I am. Think hard for a moment."
And so he did. He stared at her with confusion, raking his brain for any ideas on who she could have possibly been. He looked at her uniform, cover, facial details, everything. Nothing ringed a bell. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know.." He frowned, still on his knees, tears drying against the harsh cold wind.
"Now answer me. Who are you? Why are you here?" The older man practically said as a statement, rather than a question.
Akiko turned to him with a smile, looking at Tanjirou and back to him. She moved some of her long hair out of the way, exposing the matching earring that her brother had. He audibly gasped, tears running down his face.
"I am Akiko Kamado. The eldest of the Kamado family. I am an official member of the Demon Slayer Corps. I have an unselected rank, as they have not decided how worthy I am as of now. I was sent to come back to my home by my father's teacher, whom I've stayed with ever since he passed away."
The man with black hair tilted his head, curiosity striked him. "And who is your teacher?"
"Mr. Kamado was my original teacher, as he taught me his own breathing techniques and family styles. However, my teacher now is Mr. Urokodaki. He taught me his breathing techniques."
The man nodded, looking down at the now sobbing boy on the ground. His eye twitched out of sympathy, his cold demeanor fading. "I am Giyuu Tomioka. You know Mr. Urokodaki?" He questioned, a hint of softness coming through his voice.
Akiko nodded, but turned to her sobbing brother. She knelt down, her face soft. She reached behind her ear, taking out the earring she always wore. She put it on her palm, showing it to Tanjirou. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner. I might have been able to save them. I could have protected them like father wanted me too. I'm sorry it took this for us to finally meet, little brother." Her soft smile cracked, as tears shed from her eyes. She wrapped her arms around him, fully pulling her brother into a hug. They cried together, the death of their family hitting. "I will do everything in my power to protect you and Nezuko. Although I was never around due to strict orders, I always watched in the trees. Father always said that you had your own journey," She pulled away from their hug, staring into his eyes. "Whenever I asked him why train me rather than you, he always told me,"
"It's simple. Tanjirou cannot carry my legacy, as he has his own to create."
More tears flooded from her brothers eyes. Her heart slowly broke seeing him like this. The sun had fully risen, as Akiko looked around. The basket that Tanjirou had from selling coal lay there, the lid was slightly broken. "He really did? This is a lot to take in. I never knew you existed.." He trailed off, pondering on his own.
Akiko turned to Giyuu, a small smile on her face. "I apologize once again, Giyuu-sama. You may report my actions if you so wish. However, I am going to take my brother to the only family I have left. His training is long overdue." She humbly spoke, picking up a the basket. She carefully inspected it, before deeming it worthy. Not that they had many options, however. She carefully picked Nezuko up, placing her inside of the basket. Closing the lid, she placed the cloth over it.
"How can I trust you?" Giyuu asked, tilting his head at the girl even more. "You didn't use any water breathing techniques whilst deflecting nor attacking me."
Akiko directed her attention back to Giyuu, a frown on her lips. "Although I've mastered both forms I was taught, they both still took too big of a toll on my body. Both forms were created by man for man. Since I couldn't physically handle it, I made my own form. The movements of water attacks, mixed with the breath of my father's technique. It made the blow easier on my body, so I could adapt and tweak my training to fit better. I call it the breath of light."
Giyuu nodded, still extremely curious of the female. "Very well. You risked your life for them, that is an honorable thing to do. After you assist him to Urokodaki's, come find me. If you can do that much, I would be willing to put good word in for your family name to the Hashirsa's. You seem incredibly strong, It'd be a shame if the Corps didn't utilize you more effectively." He bowed his head in return to her, respecting her greatly. She had a determined aura, softness radiating. He could tell she was incredibly strong, mentally and physically.
She nodded, thanking him. "Of course. Don't get too lonely waiting for me," She teased, white teeth shining slightly as she smiled. Tanjirou was stood up, watching their interaction though none had made sense. "Neh, Tanji-san, I have lots to explain. We have an incredibly long journey ahead. Let's go!" Akiko said with an upbeat tone, her once serious demeanor fading into her natural goofy vibe. She teenager had picked up the basket, putting it on, grasping the straps that were wrapped around her arms.
She started walking, Tanjirou immediately walking besides her. The wind picked up again, as she peered over her shoulder to wave to Tomioka-san. She smiled so genuinely, he couldn't help but smile back. After he watched the Kamado siblings disappear into the distance, Giyuu turned to the direction he was headed speeding off.
Today marked the day of an adventure for all of them. Tanjirou had lots to discover about his sister, demons, and becoming a slayer. Nezuko would surely be asleep lots now, as a substitute to eating. She would have to battle herself mentally before it'll be easy for her to be around others. Akiko? She had lots to catch up on relating her siblings, as well as meeting up with Giyuu. She had no clue how to find him, but she knew she would. One day, sooner or later.