𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝? 𝐎𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐬? ¹
"Hakuryuu-san, are you alright?" Giyuu asked as he looked at the Dragon Hashira who was walking by his side, up the snowy mountain. He watched as she slowly nodded her head in response despite how she would often rub her arms through her haori and uniform. How her teeth chattered slightly against one another due to the cold.
"You are feeling cold," Giyuu pointed out and [name] let out a sigh then, scrunching her nose up in response did she nearly sneezed if she hadn't covered her nose and tilt her head up, where the feeling of wanting to sneeze disappeared.
"Giyuu... You have been pointing out the obvious," [name] spoke out as she pointed a finger at him and he could only avert his gaze then despite the stoic expression visible on his handsome face.
"That's not very nice of you, Giyuu..." [name] pointed out and soon she watched as he tripped over his feet and landed face-first into a huge pile of snow. He looked up, towards her where she looked at him with a confused pair of pale purple eyes.
And her lips pressed harshly into a fine thin line as she tried not to laugh at him, which she quickly averted her gaze and let out a soft wheeze which he had heard. He then stood up, dusting the snow off his body and soon felt [name]'s hand against his hair.
"What a mess you are," she pointed out as she dusted the snow off his hair and he hummed in response as he looked at her. How she had slight wrinkles visible around her eyes, and how her lilac hair was tied up in a messy bun as always.
"Hakuryuu-san," he called out, realizing how [name] continued to pat him on the head as if he was a kid, and she could only smile gently then, stopping her actions did she turned to look ahead, where she could hear someone crying.
"I'm not a child, please don't treat me like one," Giyuu spoke out and [name] turned to look at him again, shaking a finger at him did her pink-tinted lips parted.
"You are a child in my eyes, Giyuu," she pointed out, and Giyuu let out a sigh then as he watched her puff her cheeks out despite her age, and he could only avert his gaze then, a small smile appearing on his face as he scratched his cheek.
"And also, I have been hearing how you are telling the other demon slayers that you dislike to talk or have a proper conversation," she added on, and Giyuu let out a sigh which [name]'s eyes widened as she reached out and pinched his cheek harshly.
"Tomioka Giyuu..." she called out, and he could only start to sweat despite how cold it was due to the fact that [name] had called his full name then.
"Does that mean you dislike it when I accompany you on your missions to have a proper conversation with you?" she asked, and Giyuu averted his gaze then.
"No..." he mumbled out. He clearly would rather speak to [name] than anybody else, given how the Dragon Hashira had taken care of him all too well when he first became an official demon slayer, where he would go on missions with her.
She would buy for him treats, especially his favourite food as well.
"You can talk," he spoke out and [name] couldn't help but smile widely then. She then gripped onto Giyuu's uniform sleeve from the back as she needed some sort of support as her leg had plunged through the deepest part of the snow, and she was afraid she might end up falling face-first into the snow like how Giyuu did earlier on.
"Tired?" he asked, only for [name] to shake her head in response and Giyuu's dark blue hues widened as [name] let out a soft chuckle then.
"Never too tired for my duties," she answered, and Giyuu swore he could have caught a glimpse of sadness that flash through her pale purple eyes. He pressed his lips into a fine thin line, helping the older Hashira through the heavy snow.
"Giyuu?" [name] called out, and she watched with a gentle smile as he disappeared from her sight. Shaking her head as she could hear which direction he had gone, and she quickly followed as well. Her pale purple eyes then widened when she ran past Giyuu, who had ended up slamming against the tree harshly and snow fell upon him.
Yet, she couldn't stop to ensure he was alright as the demon was closeby. She quickly ran through the forest, and eventually, it laid upon the demon who was pinning down, what seems to be a young boy then.
Giyuu, on the other hand, was rubbing his nose harshly as it was in pain and had turned red.
"Breath of the Dragon, Second Form: Dragon Flames," and [name] was seen charging towards the demon at a high speed while she swings her blade, taking the form of a fire dragon, where she slashed it down only to cause a huge gust of snow to whirl about.
And then she quickly hopped back when she realized something was off.
"Hakuryuu-san," Giyuu called out and [name] turned to look at him, laughing softly at how red his nose was and she turned to look at the young boy who was holding onto the demon tightly.
"He avoided your attack? Why did he save the demon?" Giyuu asked, and [name] could only watch with her pale purple eyes as her pink-tinted lips curled up into a soft smile then.
"Maybe they are siblings," she pointed out.
"Why did you protect it?" Giyuu asked, only to feel a nudge coming from [name] for he had referred to the demon as 'it'.
"Giyuu, don't be too blunt," she whispered out.
"She's my younger sister!" the boy yelled out, and [name] could only slowly breathed out as she wields her nichirin blade in her hands once more.
"That thing is your sister?" Giyuu whispered out and he then watched as the Dragon Hashira lunged forward, only to watch as the boy crouch down, hoping to protect his sister once more.
Only to realize how his sister was no longer in his arms.
He looked up and his pair of dark red eyes looked towards [name] who was holding onto his younger sister, he was just about to move to save his younger sister only to have Giyuu wielding his nichirin blade in his hand and pointed it towards him.
"Nezuko!" the boy yelled out.
"Don't move!" Giyuu yelled out as well as he grabbed hold of Nezuko from [name]'s hold.
"Our job is to kill demons. Of course, we're going to decapitate your sister," Giyuu whispered out and [name] noticed how Tanjiro's lips quivered and soon parted as he yelled out.
"Please wait! Nezuko hasn't killed anyone! At the location of our house, there was another scent that I have never smelled before! Whatever killed my family, was probably that!" and Giyuu slowly turned to look at [name] and noticed how she was just staring straight at the boy, with a gentle look on her face.
"Ah... Reminds me of Urokodaki-san," [name] pointed out as she started to remember how the former Water Hashira used to work closely with her along with the other former Hashiras. And Giyuu turned to look, noticing how [name] continued to have that gentle smile on her face.
The same. All smiles with no frowns.
"Nezuko is different, I don't know why she's acting like that! But," only to be cut off as [name] let out a soft sigh as she looked at the Water Hashira from the corner of her eyes. Only to part her pink-tinted lips once more as she spoke.
"It must be hard for you to accept the fact your younger sister has been turned into a demon. But to be turned into a demon, it is rather simple. If you bathe an open wound in demon's blood, you become a demon. This is how the man-eating demons increase their numbers," [name] spoke out only to have her pale purple eyes widened as the young boy shouted back at her.
"Nezuko hasn't eaten any people!" he yelled out.
"How dare you! Just now, it looked like you were about to be eaten!" Giyuu retorted.
"That's wrong! You can't know that for sure in my case! I wouldn't let her injure anyone. I'll turn Nezuko back into a human, I'll definitely cure her!" and Giyuu noticed how [name]'s hand that was resting on the side.
Did she just give up on trying to persuade the young boy to let go of the demon?
"Giyuu, please don't act rashly. He seems to be rather persistent in protecting his younger sister. Maybe they are different?" she asked, and Giyuu immediately shook his head in response, whereas [name]'s gentle smile continued to remain on her face.
"There is no cure. There is no way to turn a demon back into a human," Giyuu whispered out and the boy could only have his dark red eyes widened as he noticed how [name] was staring right at him, with that genuine smile still.
"Such kindness...." he thought to himself.
"I'll search for one! I'll certainly find a method, so please don't kill her!" and [name] could only allow her pink-tinted lips to part as she was about to speak, only for the boy to yell out.
"I'll also find the one who killed my family! I'll take care of everything! So please, please! PLEASE STOP!" he cried out and [name] let out a shaky breath and Giyuu took a step away from the Dragon Hashira as he tugged Nezuko along who was grunting and he brought his nichirin blade up and pointed towards Nezuko's chest.
"Please stop... Whatever you do, please don't kill my sister... I beg of you... I beg of you..." the boy got down on his knees as he placed his forehead against the snow.
"YOU CAN'T GRASP THE AUTHORITY OVER SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE AND DEATH! STOP THAT MISERABLE LOOKING SQUAT! IF YOU TRY TO PASS OFF THAT KIND OF THING, YOUR FAMILY WOULDN'T BE DEAD!" and [name] could only continue to watch the young boy sitting on his legs in the snow.
"Giyuu... Please stop," [name] called out in her gentle voice, getting a little worried then.
"Taken away? In the time that they could be taken away, you were weak and couldn't seize the initiative. Cure your sister? Search for the enemy? IT'S HIGHLY RIDICULOUS!" and [name] could only press her lips into a fine thin line.
"The meek have no power and no options! The strong will crush them in every way! Demons might know how to cure your little sister... But... No demon will respect your whining and begging! And for that matter, I don't respect you either! That's reality!"
"Why just now you were fallen upon by your sister. Do you plan to protect her like that?! Why didn't you swing your axe?! Why did you show me your back?! While failing like that, you plan to save your sister?! Is it okay if I skewer your sister right in front of you?!" and [name] could only watch as Giyuu immediately stabbed Nezuko in the chest.
"Giyuu! Stop!" she scolded as she stared in horror at what he had done. She could feel the burning desire of the younger boy who wants nothing but to ensure his younger sister's safety.
He was determined.
"STOP!" he yelled out and threw a stone right at [name], who easily stopped it with her nichirin blade. She then noticed how he started to run and she saw another oncoming stone, which she dodges, together with Giyuu as well.
"A simple attack based on emotion, you fool," Giyuu whispered out as he and [name] both lifted up their blades and used the end of the handle and slammed down onto his back at the same time.
"Giyuu, look out," [name] pointed out and that answered the question in Giyuu's mind on where the axe was. He then easily shifted his head and the axe missed him by a little.
"See, you riled up the poor boy. We could have just talked things out. But he really did think well, hiding by the tree as he threw the rock to distract us while he threw the axe up," [name] spoke out as she squats down and gently brushed away the snow that landed on the boy's head.
"He knew he couldn't beat us, Giyuu. Poor boy got taunted so harshly," and [name]'s eyes widened as she felt a kick sending her right towards a tree and she slammed against it. Wincing slightly she turned and noticed how Giyuu has kicked away as well.
"Crap!" Giyuu muttered out as he watched Nezuko heading straight for Tanjiro, and he was about to attack, only to have [name] reaching out to him and stopping him.
"Hold on, Giyuu. She is different, watch," [name] spoke out with a gentle smile on her face as she looked at Nezuko, protecting her older brother from being attacked by the Hashiras. [name] then swallowed the lump in her throat then as she felt conflicted.
"Nezuko is different. She doesn't eat people," and the memory of how someone said the same thing flowed through [name] and Giyuu's mind. There was a guy who said the same thing and was eaten. Demon in a starving condition would eat their parents or siblings.
And despite having a wound, fixing that would consume a lot of energy for Nezuko. And they noticed how Nezuko was lunging forward to Giyuu. Hitting Nezuko with the side of his hand against the side of her neck. [name] could only then walk over to where Giyuu was carving his water bottle to form a bamboo gag for the demon.
"The world is a little too cold and cruel for them, don't you think so?" [name] asked as she watched Giyuu securing the bamboo gang in between Nezuko's mouth. And she watched as Giyuu turned to look at her, with not a single expression visible on his face.
"Come on, don't be that cold to me, Giyuu," she spoke out as she reached out and grabbed his hand, and he could only let out a sigh then, a small smile appeared on his face as he looked at his mother figure.
"Is Haganezuka-san visiting you again soon?" Giyuu asked as they leaned against a tree that was nearby, with the intention of waiting for the siblings to wake up from the sudden mini battle they had engaged with them.
"Hm... Should be? I can't wait to tell him about my encounter with the siblings," [name] spoke out and Giyuu could only remain silent then.
Was this the right choice? As he and [name] were violating the Corps Rules, and anything could have happened then.
"How long do you think it's going to take for him to wake up?" [name] mumbled out and Giyuu could only shrug his shoulders in response then.
"You trust that they are different?" he asked, and [name] nodded her head. He watched from the corner of his eyes how her slightly now pale pink lips were curled up into a smile as always.
"I believe so, given how Nezuko had protected the boy earlier on instead of devouring him. And I do sense the boy does have potential in achieving his goal," [name] pointed out and laughed slightly as she turned to look at Giyuu, who could only shake his head in response.
"Are you awake?" Giyuu asked and noticed how the boy was holding onto his sister in a protective manner. [name] then smiled softly then as she walked up to the boy and squat in front of her. His dark red eyes looked into her pale purple eyes and watched as her lips parted.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Tanjiro, Kamado Tanjiro," he whispered out, and [name]'s gentle hand soon slid down and gently placed it against Tanjiro's face.
"Tanjiro, I'll be waiting for your arrival at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters," she whispered out and Tanjiro could only widen at the heavy scent of kindness radiating from [name]'s body.
"D-Demon Slayer Corps H-Headquarters?" he whispered out.
"Visit the elder named Urokodaki Sakonji living at the foot of the misty mountain. Tell him that Tomioka Giyuu sent you. Because the light isn't increasing it seems like it should be okay. Don't take your sister out under the sun," and he proceeded to turn and pull [name] along by the hand, pulling her away before a pile of snow landed on her.
♛
[name] could only stare in confusion as she looked at Hotaru who was polishing what seems to be some random lower-ranked demon slayer's blade harshly, and she wondered what was going on.
She had informed him about the mission she had gone on with Giyuu, and how cold the place was. And soon it resulted in her receiving a silent treatment from her swordsmith, which she couldn't understand.
But her pink-tinted lips continued to curl up into a smile as she was able to listen to what he was muttering to himself in his head. How she wanted to just hop onto his back and give him a hug, but she could only do the same.
Leaning against his back did she slowly closed her pale purple eyes and Hotaru felt her weight then, where he stopped his rampage and let out a sigh.
"Stupid woman, going out in such a cold weather without any proper warm clothing," he muttered out and he didn't realize how [name]'s pink-tinted lips curled up into a smile then.
𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧. 𝐎𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. ²
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➸ 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝...
1. Sometimes she could only wonder, why do people always look out for her. Was it because she was old? Or was it because she had taken care of them ever since they joined the Demon Slayer Corps?
2. He hated to admit, but he had loved her in silence then. Often getting angry quietly whenever she spoke about something that had happened during his mission, and his eyes would unconsciously look around her body to ensure she was entirely alright.