The night was peaceful, and Nezuko walked alongside her brother. The boy was only taking his time due to still being tired. "Nii-chan, If the ramble of that lower moon was right, then Muzan doesn’t have any lower demons left. We just have to aim for the uppermoons now." He nodded, keeping up the pace.
"I can smell the nearest city, we should be there soon."It is her turn to nod, smiling at his back. "We need to go visit Tamayo-san soon. We’re running short on supplies." She briefly speeds up, ending by his side. He turns his head to look at her, a serene smile on his face.
She takes his hand, and a hand goes through her hair.
When they entered the city, they immediately put on their hats. The smell of wisteria lingered in the air, and so did the smell of a demon hunter’s uniform. However, that wasn’t the only smell hanging in the air.
"Nii-chan..."He gripped his sword, teeth clenching underneath his mask."I know. He is here." His hand went looking for something in his pockets, Nezuko tilting her head in a show of curiosity."We have to lay low. So long as we are here, it’s a game of hide and seek."He helps his sister with wearing the mask, covering the lower half of her face with no issue. A green mask with a vine pattern, and two red slash marks. Good thing, I bought it."And, no matter what, we can not afford to be found.
He hid his sword away from prying eyes, before taking her hands and leading her through the crowd. They walked silently until a weight crashed into them, having them look down. They didn’t budge, only blinked at the form of a little girl. The child started falling, and help from Tanijro had her back on her feet.
The older boy crouches to her height, trying to look as nice as possible."Hi there. You look lost, do you need any help?"The girl doesn’t speak, but she nods looking wary."Do you know where you live?" She shook her head, looking as if she was about to run. He frowned, worry about her.
"Found you."The two demons freeze.
Dread and panic filled their minds as they looked up from the child, to the source of a very familiar voice. Red slitted eyes settle on them, a predatory smile on it’s face. Tanijro stand back up straight, staring at the man to put it lightly. Blood red eyes meets plum red and Sakura pink ones.
"What did I tell you about talking to strangers?"
"They were helping me though."His hand draws closer to his sword, thinking of the best form that won’t harm the girl."Is that so? My apologies then young man."His hand outstretches in an awaiting hand shake, a smirk to his tone.
Tanijro easily sees the threat, the trap and the challenge. The threat; I will have you killed in an instant, if you draw out that sword. The trap; Shake my hand, and have yourself inject a dangerous amount of blood. The challenge; Entertain me by finding a way to avoid shaking this hand boy.
Take his hand. I have a plan.
He drop his hand and shakes it while looking at him straight in the eyes, the pain of something piercing his hand flares, but his other hand is grabbed and he is pulled away. "Sorry, but we are going to be late!"
Nezuko runs as she feels the blood in her brother travelling around. She goes into an alleyway only to run back out as two people are making out. 'Get a room! There is litterally a hotel at the end of the road!'She had wanted to screams, but her panting brother was the issue. They find refuge in the outer skirts of the city, and Nezuko sits him down as she unwarps the bandage of his hand.
She narrows her eyes at what she sees. An eye.
A disgusting eye in the middle of her brother’s palm, looking around every often. "Sorry, nii-chan. This is going hurt."She takes out her knife, and the smell of wisteria has his heart slow down.
She raises her knife, before stabbing his hand. He groans, the poison in his veins having him twitch. She leaves it there, taking the stitching kit out before removing it. The needle stabs the skin, going in it smoothly. She keeps going until her brother’s hand is completely closed. Nezuko, looks up at her brother, and she sees how sleepy he looks.
She cups his face, pressing their forehheads together. "Go to sleep. It’s my turn to protect you."
The protest about to leave his mouth dies as he dozes off. Nezuko represses a giggle, before her eyes turn cold. Her pupils dilate, and her fangs grow bigger. Her claws starts gathering heat, and she tightens the hold on her knife. "Are you going to watch us for long?"She stands up, and turns to Muzan.
"Letting your brother recover, is the least I can do for being so rude, back there."Nezuko is already throwing a kick, but it’s dodged. She punches, and is grazed by his own when she ducks. She jumps back when a shift in the air tells her he is growing more limbs.
"I was expecting more from a demon who has been resisting my influence for two years, and six months now. This is quite disappointing."She snarls, pulling the mask off. "Don’t worry, I’m just getting started."
She jumps at him, when he dodges she rotates her knife and starts swinging. He dodges effortlessly, and Nezuko uses the distraction to jump at him again. Her veins pulse, as she bites into his neck. Her legs wraps around him, and her claws digs into fabric and skin.
"Show me your worth, little girl."She is thrown off, but her claws dig into concrete to slow herself down. She spits out the chunk of flesh, and wipes the blood off her mouth.
She growls, full on animalistic. Her hand digs into the knife, and blood is drawn out. She starts running back at him, and she throws him the knife. She uses the short amount of time she has from the distraction to stab him with one of her hand. The other is behind his neck, crushing it.
The man smiles, sadistic and amused. "Not bad."She is thrown on the floor, and something stabs her, she pulls it, cutting it off as she backs off. She looks at her arm, and she grows angry at the eye there. She stabs it, having it disappear for good.
She grows in size as she glares holes into him. Vines starts spreading on her body, but she is already running at him. Lightning breathing, lightning bounce.
She jumps around him, changing directions every time to attack him at a new angle. She catches him from behind, and stabs him in the neck. She starts feeling irritation growing in him. So when she punched much harder than before, she isn’t suprised.
She is terrified when he holds her brother by the neck, and claws dig into skin. She doesn’t let him finish talking, she runs and grabs her brother’s sword, throwing it into his head. She jumps and pulls the sword down, but when she pushes a twitching Tanijro away, a hand grabs her leg.
"Enough."
She screams at the blood sent in her body, and claws at his face as her throat is grabbed. Her brother is brought closer as well.
Blood.
Too much blood.
She bites her tongue, spitting blood on his arm
Ignite!
His screams starts, and Nezuko is let go of. She falls, and wheezes but she forces herself up, grabbing all their stuffs. She pulls her brother close to her chest, and starts running.
A note she recognizes as a one coming from a biwa has her jump, avoiding the door that would have trapped them in a room full of demons. She squeezes Tanjiro tighter, earning her a squirm.
She enters the forest, and she starts using trees as a way to get away. She looks around frantically, and sees a way to hide as the form of a cave. She jumps to the top of it, kicking it before falling and entering the small space.
When the earth collapses, blocking the way out, she sighs before groaning as all her movements had the blood go faster through her. She starts drooling, but she wipes it away. "Nii-chan..."She turns to him, outstretching her hand. "Must.....protect...Nii...-chan..."
She passes out but her body is caught by her brother. "No, I must protect you."
Tanjiro wakes up in a dark place, he being the only source of light. "Tanjiro-nii."He looks at Hanako, who is smiling widely. "What are you waiting for? Get up."It’s only then he realizes he was sitting on the floor. "It hurts."Is his answer. He wasn’t giving excuses, he was just talking without thinking.
"Does it? Why don’t you let mom take a look?"He stares into the face of the woman who gave him birth. He smiles sadly, the tears not yet falling."You can’t, you’re dead."
"Heee? What is Nii-chan saying? It doesn’t make sense!"He stares into Takeo’s face, a single tear sliding down his cheek."You all died that night. I was the only one who survived."Shigeru is now infront of him frowning. "Stop lying Nii-chan! You’re bad at it!"
"I’m not lying. You all died."
"You are forgetting something Tanjiro-nii. You are so forgetful."His smallest sibling is smiling at him now, Rokuta opening his arms wide.
"Am i?"Somebody lift his face, and he stares into his father’s eyes."What about you’re sister, Tanjiro?"
"My sister..."Nezuko is the one holding his face up now, human before her features changes. "What about me, Nii-chan?"
"Nezuko!"His eyes snap open, and he immediately spots her thanks to her voice. "Must...protect...Nii...-chan..!"He catches her before she hits the ground, tears falling down his face. "No, I must protect you."