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islands-0f-violence · 5 months

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Kimetsu no... Isekai?

Chapter 2 [BACK] | [NEXT]

Not even falling asleep yet, there’s a commotion across the hall. I sigh heavily before sitting up and thinking. What are they doing now, come on, think of the plot… Zenitsu’s sudden war cry struck me.

Nezuko!

I scrambled out of the futon, almost tripping on my way to the door. I open the door and go to step out and stop. If they wanted me to meet Nezuko, they’d come to ask, right? I think it’d be pretty weird running up to their door and demanding to know what’s happening in there. The door barely made a sound as I slid it shut, choosing to stay inside my room. Honestly, there’s no reason for me to meet her. It’s not like I'm indefinitely here, so what difference would it make if Tanjiro told me about his sister or not?

I crawled back into the futon, getting comfortable again. It’ll happen eventually, I just have to give the story some time and try not to rush it. The story… I frown thinking about the current plot. I don’t know if I can bear seeing any favorites get slaughtered.

Bundling up in the blanket, I rolled over and shut my eyes tight. I tried to blank my mind out as empty as possible before falling asleep. I can’t stand sleeping on those thoughts now this is a reality.

( ˘▽˘)っ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

I jolted awake to the knocking at my door. Sitting up, I responded as one normally would. “Mom- Give me just a few moments-” And now processing the scene around me, I remembered my current situation. I felt my cheeks heat up at the instant response I had to whoever was knocking. There was slight laughter from the other side.

“It’s Tanjiro! I was just checking on you since you had slept in for a while.” The boy sounded nervous. I sighed and got up, neatening the futon I slept in up a bit.

Upon opening the door, Tanjiro was indeed standing there. “I’m awake, not dead. I promise. I mean, for now.”

Tanjiro gave a nervous chuckle. I frowned, realizing maybe that shouldn’t have been said. “Glad to see that! I wanted to know if you would like to join me and the others? There’s someone I’d like you to meet if that’s alright.” Nezuko! The grin that popped on my face was immediately wiped off, leaving Tanjiro confused. Thankfully, he never questioned it.

“Sure, that seems fine. I wasn’t sure anyone else would be joining us.” I follow behind him just across the hall. He opens his door and the other two are sitting around Tanjiro’s box. Tanjiro walks over to the box, pulling it away. I continued to stand there like a thirsty idiot, staring at Inosuke’s shirtless form. He seemed oblivious to the attention so that worked for me.

“Uh, (Y/N)?” I snap my head over to Tanjiro, humming in response. “I’m sorry, you seemed spaced out. I wanted you to meet my sister.” He opened the box and a small Nezuko popped out, careful as they had the door to the outside open. Ignoring Inosuke now, I squealed and flung myself in front of her. I reached out, but she backed away a bit causing me to retract my hands. I can’t forget she’s a person!

“Oh my, she’s so cute.” I gush, Zenitsu sitting beside me now nodding along.

“Isn’t she?! I couldn’t believe Tanjiro was carrying a girl this cute around with him this entire time!” Zenitsu fangirled.

“Tanj-” I turn to speak to him before a crow interrupts from Tanjiro’s lap.

“It is north! Northeast! To the north-northeast! Your next mission is in the north-northeast! Mt. Natagumo is your next stop! Leave now!” The boys’ faces were twisted with exasperation.

“I guess that’s what we’re doing next.” He shooed the bird away, getting up to get ready. Just vibing, I was watching him until he went to open his kimono. Oh-ho, OK, Tanjiro, I definitely don’t mind-

Ah, this is their room. I don’t think he would be doing this if-

“O-Oh, (Y/N)? If you don’t mind, we need to change real quick.” Tanjiro looked over and our eyes met, his face flushing slightly and I was caught red-handed. I got up with no complaints.

“D-Definitely, I’ll have to go and get ready to leave as well.” He looked like he wanted to say something, but before I could ask, Zenitsu spoke up.

“(Y/N)-san~ I’ll accompany you so that you’re not lonely!” I turned to see Nezuko back in her box and Zenitsu bouncing toward me. So, that’s why he’s after me now. How cruel to treat me as a replacement for Nezuko. He’s not even trying to hide it.

I held out my arm to stop him from tackling me. “No, thanks, I can do this myself.” I walked out and shut the door behind me before he could jump out after me. I entered my own room just moments after and changed into something familiar. I don’t have slayer uniforms as they do, and I’d feel weird just wearing what the nice lady had provided around. I looked over my outfit that I came in here and it appeared to be cleaner than what I had left it. How long did I sleep? Wait, if they’re leaving now, that means they got clearance from the doctor about their broken ribs.

How long was I asleep?

Damn, it!

I shake my head, I can’t think about this right now. Changing, I quickly tidy up the room. Since she was so nice to let me stay here, I might as well make it easy for her to clean up after me. I made sure everything was in order before I left the room and walked down the hall. The other three were already ready, standing around the entryway to the house.

“Finally! You’re slow!” Inosuke points dramatically at me. I scowl at him.

“Oh, shut it.” That seems to rile him up even more, which causes Tanjiro and Zenitsu to sigh.

“Let’s just go- No fighting!” Tanjiro exclaimed, grabbing my wrist to pull me with him. Antsy to leave much? Zenitsu’s whines could be heard as he followed us out and Inosuke continued to grumble but didn’t object. Soon, we stood at the gate, the old lady seeing us off. Once again, we had to hold Inosuke back due to a misunderstanding, but once that was settled, we were on our way. I could almost bounce up and down right now. I don’t know why, but nothing but excitement is what I feel right now. Should I really be this happy heading to Mt. Natagumo? I don’t think so, but the sudden realization that I’m isekai-ing is giving me an unbelievable high right now.

Zenitsu gives me a puzzled look. “I know you’re new here, but should you really be that excited about a mission?” This guy read me like a book. Actually, he probably heard it, rather than read it. I try to calm down. It’s not like I can say, ‘Sorry, the thought of traveling with some of my favorite characters is exhilarating.’

“Excited for a mission?” I echo. “Considering you guys are slaying demons, I suppose I shouldn’t. But this is the first time I’ll see them, so maybe I’m just anxious?” That’s a lie, I know he’s got to hear that damn lie. Tanjiro probably even smelled how fake that lie was, but neither spoke against it.

“Anxious is the right mood to be in,” Zenitsu mumbled.

From the corner of my eye, I could tell Tanjiro was eyeing me. It felt like he wanted to say something, but wasn’t. I ignored the feeling and kept going forward. Inosuke’s current rant about the competition on the mountain is helping suppress it.

( ˘▽˘)っ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

After several hours, the sun is finally setting. The conversation died down a little and the sound of our feet scuffing the dirt below us was the only thing exchanged. Not even minutes later, the sun was gone and the dark overtook us. I was so focused on getting to our next destination that I didn’t notice Zenitsu halted.

“G-Guys! I think we should stop here!” We paused and turned around, facing the yellow form on the ground. Was he shaking? I guess he really is terrified.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, blinking. I know what’s wrong, I just want to hear him say it. Ah, that was a little sadistic, huh?

“I-I’m nervous!” He began sweating profusely.

“The way he’s sitting is weird. I don’t like it.” Inosuke spoke up, pointing out the way Zenitsu cowered behind his own knees.

“WHO ARE YOU TO SAY WHO IS WEIRD?” Zenitsu shouted, astounded at the hypocrisy Inosuke spews. “There’s no way you guys don’t feel it- Don’t get these vibes?!” He points up at the mountain behind us, therefore causing us to look up at it. We stared for a moment before Tanjiro spoke up.

“Even so, we can’t just ignore it.” He looked back at the mountain, staring a bit longer.

“I told you he was weird!” Inosuke exclaimed, pointing at Zenitsu. They began to bicker again.

“God, you guys are going to give me a headache.” I rubbed my forehead. Zenitsu squealed again.

“There’s no way you’re not scared of that mountain, huh?!” Oh, now he’s attacking me? I think about the mountain and what events should transpire. Oh, yes!

“Nope.” I snap and smile at him. No one good dies and that’s all that matters. Well, I guess I can’t say anything about myself at this time, but at the thought of eventually meeting the Hashira, I wasn’t going to complain yet. “I think we’ll be fine.” He began to bawl at these words. I suppose they solidified his need to ascend Mt. Natagumo.

“Do you guys… smell that?” Tanjiro’s sudden words grabbed our attention.

“Smell? I don’t smell anything.” I say, just barely getting the words out of my mouth before Tanjiro runs off, causing Inosuke to follow.

“Oh, come on! Don’t leave us!” Zenitsu hauled himself off the ground in a pitiful fashion. I watched his show at getting up before I shook myself and ran to catch up to the other two, effectively leaving Zenitsu behind. “Not you too!” He wailed behind me.

Before long, the body of another slayer came into visage. He collapsed on the ground, his sword out to the side, as if he barely made it down. Tanjiro begins to walk up to him to check on his state.

“Pl-Please, help me! Don’t let me die here!” Upon hearing our footsteps, he looked up, tears instantly welling in his eyes. The absolutely pitiful display of this slayer in front of me made my knees a little weak. Not scared of coming here, huh? I can’t help but feel real about this situation. I step forward, reaching out.

“W-We have to-” I go to tell them about the spider strings attached to the boy, but before the words are out of my mouth, he is flung up. His sword is discarded in his panic about being pulled back into the forest.

“No-! They were on me too!” His wails died down as whatever fate he was to endure was met. I wince, just imagining the crunch of him flinging into the ground that hard. Or worse, getting impaled through a branch. We stared after him for a bit, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tanjiro shiver. He must’ve caught a whiff of the big boy of the forest here.

Ugh, spiders.

“I’m going in.” Tanjiro’s face hardens, I can tell he’s trying to gather his resolve. Inosuke shoulders his way in front of Tanjiro.

“Stay behind me like a cowering animal. I’ll go in first. This is making me hungry.” The last part was said on a guttural growl, which I’m not gonna lie, made me feel some ways. Inosuke began to run ahead and Tanjiro hesitated after him. Tanjiro and my eyes met for a brief second before he continued to run after the boar. Was he going to ask me to stay behind? I looked at Zenitsu, who was screaming about Inosuke being a showoff and nodded once. I suppose he thinks Zenitsu and I can chill out here while they head into the forest. I grin. I won’t sit tight like at the mansion this time.

I pick up the discarded sword the slayer had left. I doubt he’ll need it anymore, unfortunately. “What are you doing?!” Zenitsu almost screams. I turn slowly to look at him and just blink, not responding. He’s doing exaggerated hand signals and making weird noises to try to get an answer out of me. In return, I finally let out a smile. His face goes from concerned to confused back to concerned so fast I don’t know if I should laugh. I salute him, turn away, and begin to run off, leaving him screaming. “(Y/N)! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

I keep running, ignoring the man yelling behind me. Eventually, I can’t hear him anymore and the trees are surrounding me. The countless spiders and webs around were hard to miss, and I began to pick my way further gingerly to avoid any of them. I keep walking, but no matter how far I go, I don’t see any signs of Tanjiro or Inosuke. I didn’t think they’d be that far ahead. I should’ve gone with them as soon as they left and not fuck with Zenitsu’s mentality. I walk around for what seems like only seconds before rustling out to my side got my attention. I looked over, gripping the sword in my hands tightly.

The bushes I’m facing are shaking now, something making its way toward me. After a moment, a body emerges and a weak slayer walks up to me. I let my guard down for a moment. He’s muttering something and I walk closer to try to listen to him. “Wh-What?”

“...kill me… Please…” He sounded so tired, but he continued to limp forward. Was he limping before? I narrowed my eyes at the man before I readied my sword again, getting ready to swing. Eyeing his back carefully, I swung out over it, feeling some resistance as threads were severed. The slayer before I collapsed, groaning as he hit the ground below him. “No… use. They’ll get me… again.” His breathing is getting more labored and when I tried to roll him onto his back, he yelped out in pain. I stopped immediately, not wanting to cause any more harm than good.

“I-I’m sorry- I just thought it’d be easier to breathe-” He cut me off.

“Leave. Get out.” Through lidded eyes, he looked up at me and pleaded. “You’re… no slayer. If I can’t live… you can’t…” Coughs racked his body and blood spewed from his lips. Swallowing, I shook my head.

“I can’t leave. Not yet.” He looked defeated at that moment, the energy that he once had draining. Before I knew it, his eyes were shut and his torso was no longer expanding. I froze and looked at the body in front of me. “H-Hello…?” I spoke and then held my breath, trying to look for any signs of life.

Nothing.

I exhaled, collapsing myself to take in the situation. Did I really just witness someone’s end of life? Slapping myself, I stood and turned away. There’s no way I can let this get to me, especially since it doesn’t compare to what he went through. I began to walk away when heavy thumps and more rustling happened again. Not another.

I turned and saw the body of the slayer I just witnessed die rise again. My blood turned cold at the sight. I should’ve expected this, but seeing it happen disturbed me on a different level. Maybe I should’ve stayed with Zenitsu. Facing the marionette's body before me, I held my sword out in defense again. The head of the body cocked itself to the side like it was observing me. Oh no, please don’t do that I might cry. Swinging my blade towards it again, aiming for the threads, the body actually dodges this time and swings back. I yelp, rolling backward awkwardly to get away from it. Standing, I get ready to face it again when I notice the body was joined with other slayers. Some were dead, and some were alive.

I’m not going to get out of this easily.

Instead of facing them with my limited ability to fight, I turn and begin to run. I rip through webs and small spiders, squishing them when I found them on myself. God, I hope there’s none of those webs attached to me. Considering I haven’t been swung around like a doll yet is probably a good sign. After a few moments, I finally break through to a clearing. “Yes-!” And a sword swings itself my way. “No-!”

I jerk myself back as the blade barely misses me and land on my ass. “Stop!” I finally focus on what’s in front of me, and it’s not entirely a nice situation. I had just run in on Inosike and Tanjiro going off against a group of puppet slayers. Tanjiro had managed to pull Inosuke back before his sword made contact with me. “Can’t you see that’s (Y/N)?!” He scolded.

Inosuke just scoffed. “All I know is we were being attacked.”

“And you- What are you doing here?! I thought I asked you to stay outside the forest?!” Tanjiro pointed at me.

“What?! All you did was look at me! You never once asked me to!” Which is true, he’s been sus the entire way here!

“I- Ugh, well you should’ve known what I meant!” Is this really happening? Is the Kamado Tanjiro trying to gaslight me? I actually laughed before I could stop myself.

Standing, I dusted off my ass. “Nope, we’re not doing this. I can’t read your mind.” His face turned red and he huffed. Wow, he’s gotta be mad if he’s this defiant this early in the series. Before I could open my mouth and say anything further, Inosuke reached forward and yanked me behind him, tossing me toward Tanjiro. I grunted as I came in contact with Tanjiro, him steading both of us. I regained my sense of balance and turned towards Inosuke, ready to tell him off when I saw him run headfirst into a puppet. I swallowed the curse words I was about to say, suddenly feeling grateful.

The force with which he hit them sent them flying, getting tangled around branches. “That’s it-” Tanjiro pulled away from me, running towards another puppet, pulling off such an attack that forced them into the same position. “All we have to do is tangle them up! Then they can’t move. Maybe we can save them this way.” He and Inosuke began to run at others.

Oh shit, can I even do that? I’m not too positive. Speaking of which, in front of me now stood a puppet, she was trembling but kept swinging her sword to the pulls of her strings. Her face contorted with a newfound pain each time she was forced to move. Gritting my teeth, I readied my sword. Someone has got to put her out of her misery, whether she dies or is hanging by a tree. No matter what I choose to do, she’ll end up dead. Turning my sword to where the butt of the handle was facing out, I charged at her as fast as I could. I pushed the hilt into her sternum, pushing harder to force her into the air.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough force to wrap her around the large branches like how the other two were doing it. But, it did get her caught, just barely hanging in such a way that her body couldn’t be utilized in such a macabre manner anymore. I turned to the boys beside me, smiling in triumph at my small victory. They had already shoved several more bodies into the branches by the time I had gotten my one up. Taking a few breaths, Tanjiro met my gaze for a moment to assess whether I was clear over here. He managed to let out a half smile at me in response to my small accomplishment. Looking around once more, I realized the current situation wasn’t about to be as nice as it seemed. I let my expression falter to panic before I could mask my realization.

Realizing himself, Tanjiro turned and looked upwards at the twisted scene of bodies hanging. Inosuke barely made it to the next guy in front of him to flip into the trees when he stopped, too. The three of us were forever haunted by the sickening crunch each neck gave as the demoness controlling them finished them off. I bit my lower lip, frustrated with how Rui must’ve just gotten cross with his ‘mother.’

“Damn it! That damn thing went and killed them all!” Inosuke exclaimed, caught off guard by the sudden action. To say my stomach didn’t turn would be a lie, but it was hard to mourn when I knew it was coming. Unless we had killed the mother sooner, there was no way to save them. I was dallying about and I could’ve warned them.

Gripping my sword in self-loathing, I watched as Tanjiro approached the dead slayer slumped on the ground. He seemed to study the body for a moment, most likely trying to get a whiff of the demoness that was controlling them. After a moment, he stood.

“Let’s go.”

“No argument here.”

“Aye,” I responded.

Tanjiro breathes in before he begins to run in a chosen direction. Inosuke and I follow without complaint. Well, I have a few complaints but that’s mostly about my unhealthiness. God, I can barely keep up with running with these guys. Over my panting, I heard Tanjiro call out Inosuke’s name. He responded with a low growl. “I’ll hack his head off.” Blinking hard, I focused my vision through the dark to see what they were talking about.

Inosuke jumps and goes to land an attack on the puppet and I run into Tanjiro’s back, distracted from trying to see the monster ahead. “S-Sorry-” I push out, but Tanjiro is focused on the headless being in front of us.

“It’s got no head!” Inosuke was equally as shocked as Tanjiro, it seemed.

Shaking himself out of it, he lined up his sword with the beast. “Listen! Slice from that point in its neck and follow through all the way to its opposite hip. It’s a lot of mass, but I’m sure we can- Wait!” He explains, and once Inosuke charges ahead he’s demanding him to stop. “Don’t go alone!”

He attempts to attack it and fails. In the middle of another charge, a spider begins to wrap its threads around his limbs. “H-Huh?! I can’t move!” The monster is now dashing towards him, ready to slice through his torso.

Tanjiro and I rushed forward to help, I went behind Inosuke and cut the threads while Tanjiro stood in front and blocked the attack. I supported Inosuke’s weight as he fell back onto his feet.

“Are you OK?” I asked, looking up at him.

Like in the anime, Inosuke seems to look at the two of us with an emotion I can’t describe. If I absolutely needed to, I’d say it was embarrassment maybe? Oh, well.

“Inosuke, (Y/N). This is a tough opponent, but I’m sure if we work together we can definitely defeat him!” Tanjiro gave us his words of encouragement.

Inosuke’s morale increased 5+!

“STOP! You’re making me feel even giddier than before!” He definitely was embarrassed. I snickered. “This thing’s in my way!”

Tanjiro turned and knelt just a few feet in front of us. “Go! Jump!” The boar seemed to get the idea as he charged forward and used the box on Tanjiro’s back as a step to expunge himself into the air. Once there, he took out the monster’s arm. Tanjiro threw his leg weight backward, balancing on his head. Upon trying to swing, he begins to fall backward. I quickly jump forwards, sliding on my knees to make it in time and supporting him, keeping him up right-or should I say, upside down? I watched from my front-row seat as Tanjiro readied himself for his fourth form. Swinging, he took out the monster’s legs in a quick swipe. “Now, Inosuke!”

Not missing a beat, Inosuke came down, slashing his serrated blades exactly as Tanjiro had instructed earlier. I watched with wide eyes as he finished the monster off, slicing through like butter. The being was no more.

“You did it!” Tanjiro cheered.

“Hell yeah!” I chimed in, happy I didn’t die from a stray sword coming my way. The boar just stared, contemplating something in response. On cue, he began to charge towards Tanjiro, scooping him up and flinging him with nothing but raw, brute force into the air. I watched him fly, flailing until he caught a whiff of the demoness.

“Whew, I gotta say, that’s an 8.5/10.”

“Huh?” The boar beside me questioned, confused.

I sighed. “Don’t worry about it, I didn’t expect you to understand in the first place.” He snorted in response. I eyed his form, looking over the gashes littering his body from the fight against the puppets. “Here, let me do something about that.” I grab at the bottom of my shirt, ripping from the bottom of the seem to grab a few pieces of cloth. By the time I had grabbed what I thought I needed, I was left with a crop top. I can’t be picky about what I wear right now, I suppose.

Eying the cloth in my hands suspiciously, Inosuke took a few steps back. “Take care of what?!” What does he think, I’m a mob boss?

“Your wounds, dipshit.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him closer before he could get too far for me to reach him and catch up. He fought back, but once I got the first cloth wrapped around the gash in his arm, he stopped and let me continue. I hummed lightly while wrapping him to pass the time. I might as well get this out of the way, I’m sure Tanjiro would be concerned with this as soon as he gets back, and that’ll be less for him to do. I finished up his other arm and moved down to his torso. He flinched slightly every time I grazed the skin of his chest or back when I was tying the cloth around him, but no complaints other than that. “Perfect, I hope that helps you a bit.”

He didn’t say anything, just looked over my work in response. Feeling smug with how there were no complaints about my work, I kept an eye out for Tanjiro in the direction he was thrown. Inosuke jerking me around to face him ruined that for me. “What are you doing? Did I miss something? Ahh-!” I squeal as he grabs at the new bottom of my shirt, tearing more off. Stuttering, I tried to get him to stop. “I-Inosuke, stop- You’re going to take all of the shirt! I still want to be covered up.” I could feel my face heating up but was unable to prevent him from getting an extra few inches of cloth off my shirt. Looking down at my torso, I began to fret at how little cloth was left. At least it could be considered a shirt still.

I felt a firm hand grip my leg, causing me to look down at Inosuke kneeling before me. Before I could question him further, he began to wrap it around my calf. Bending to look, there were some minor scratches on my leg from where I had tripped earlier. It was nothing fatal and could've been done without the wrap. “There. I can do this too!” He stood, finished with his sloppy tie job. He stood there with his hands on his waist, admiring his own job.

I laughed. “Well, thank you.” Watching his form, his breathing was ragged. He’s exhausted from all of this and I’m not surprised. I haven’t done even half of what they’re doing and I feel like I can sleep for weeks. The sound of footsteps grabbed our attention, and we looked over to see Tanjiro walking up to us.

“Did you finish the demon?!” Inosuke pointed dramatically, demanding an answer.

“Yes! Of course, I did.” He looked over at Inosuke as I did, except he seemed more relaxed seeing the bandages.

“Are you doing OK, Tanjiro?” I ask, tilting my head. I know Inosuke won’t ask, so I feel like I should. “How’re your injuries?” I begin to reach out and pat his arms and torso down.

His face bloomed red as he tried to stop me. “No, I’m good. My injuries aren’t that bad. I promise.” He held my wrists now, stopping me from giving him a pat down.

“Mm, OK, I’m just making sure.” I went to pull my arms away, and he held me tighter. “Tanjiro?”

“I think, now that we have this time, you should go back down the mountain. Inosuke, you should go with her. With your injuries, you don’t need to be here and you can also make sure she gets down-” I jerk my hands out of his grasp.

“No, thank you, let’s go, Inosuke. I’m having fun.” We both dash off away from Tanjiro, giggling as he ran exasperatedly after us. I stopped at the edge of a river. “Oo, look there are stepping stones!” I point at a path crossing the river.

Inosuke makes a b-line for the path, jumping around on the rocks. While he was fucking around, Tanjiro ran out of the brush into the river clearing with us.

“There was no excuse to run like that!” He puffed his cheeks out. I turned away and poked at the river water below me.

“Sorry, I couldn’t let you coerce me and Inosuke into leaving. I had to leave before your sweet words were processed by this.” I tap my head, still not looking at him. Before I could say anything else, movement caught my eye. I snapped my gaze up and looked across the river where a pair of pale eyes met mine. “Tanjiro, Inosuke, demon.” I said calmly, not leaving her gaze.

Inosuke cries out, drawing his swords and rushing at the spider girl across the river, hopping from stone to stone with precision.

“Now, father!” She called out, giving the signal to–I never thought I’d have to describe this–a large, buff spider man. And no, not Spiderman as the marvel character. Like, this was a large buff man with the face of a spider. And yes, in real life this is absolutely terrifying to face. I’m glad to say that I’ve never had the monster fucking urge for this character.

“Who are you calling father?!” Inosuke questioned and soon went quiet as he popped up.

“Ohh, man. This guy seems messy.” I hold my sword up. Tanjiro glances over at me.

“You’re not holding that right.” I shot him a look saying ‘not the time.’ He shivered and nodded, choosing life today.

Inosuke’s body being forced back as the man landed in front of him snapped us out of our conversation. I watched as the spider girl from before watched the scene for a few moments before sliding into the trees.

“Don’t you come near my family!” The demon lunged at Inosuke again, causing him to jump backward. Inosuke had barely jumped out of distance, so taking this chance at the demon’s miscalculation, Tanjiro quickly struck down at his arm, failing to sever it despite the force behind his blow.

I glanced past them where the girl had slipped away and saw that the stone path was clear once again. I looked back at their fight and decided it wasn’t going to stay clear for long. “I’m going after the girl-” And without waiting for a response, I ran ahead, almost slipping on the wet stones.

I run forwards, searching. It’s been so long, a half an hour maybe? I’m not too sure where she is. Tanjiro only finds her and her brother because he’s literally thrown over there. “Fuck, of course, I would choose to do something nearly impossible for me. It’s not like I can smell where the Kizuki is.” I slow my pace, trying not to stray obscenely far from where Tanjiro and Inosuke are fighting.

However, I feel like if I don’t press forward, I’ll never find the spider demons. God, just thinking about it makes me think about how lucky I am. I have zero sword knowledge and I’m surviving–barely–here on Mt. Natagumo with slayers!

I took a few breaths and forced a smile. I can make it through this. So, I’ll keep going forward-

And there was no longer any ground underneath me.

In the midst of my self-encouragement, I lost focus on the landscape around me. The ground suddenly turned into a slick slope, falling out beneath me and causing me to yelp and tumble down. After several long seconds of rolling down a hill, I finally hit flat land–and a tree.

“Oof,” I grunt, catching the wind that was knocked out of me from hitting the tree so hard. I sat there for a few minutes, inhaling slowly to avoid the sharp pains in my ribcage for now. They seem to subside and I haul myself to my feet, continuing forward since I can’t climb the slope safely. I finally walked up a path. I’m so thankful because I was getting tired of the random tree roots I’d trip over. At least now I can see where I’m stepping. The tree just ahead is where I’m about to lean against to catch my breath. My ribs are killing me.

I take only a few more steps forward when I hear screaming. It’s getting louder as if it’s coming straight at me. I look around, trying to pinpoint the source when Tanjiro comes flipping in, landing an attack on the tree I was about to rest against. I stare at him, seeing my life flash before my eyes for the first time since waking up in this world.

“Whew, I stuck the landing…” He’s out of breath, shocked that he survived such a fall. Taking a deep breath, he snaps his head towards me. “(Y/N)? You made it all the way out here?!” He scrambled up, looking me over.

I nodded. “I fell most of the way, so don’t praise me yet.” I gave a dry laugh and pointed out my side. The area around my ribs is starting to bruise and with the lack of shirt because of Inosuke, it’s easy to see. He frowned and reached out, fingers trailing across my injury softly.

I swallowed at the action and went to say something when an intense scream was heard. It was feminine and there was no way it was not Rui torturing his sister. I crouched down, pulling Tanjiro with me and walking forward several feet until we got to a clearing.

Just in front of us was the spider sister, kneeling in front of Rui. Obvious blood dripped and pooled from her face. As much as I wanted to avert my gaze, I needed to watch this interaction.

“You two. What are you looking at? This isn’t a play.” We stiffened up at his call out.

“If you didn’t want anyone to watch, why do it in a public space?” I questioned.

Tanjiro looked over at me exasperatedly and then back at the spider boy. “This is… wrong! Why are you hurting her? Aren’t you on the same side?”

“‘Same side’? You don’t know anything about us. She is family, and what happens in the family stays in the family. We’re connected by a powerful bond.” I couldn’t help but laugh at this.

“‘Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'.” I mocked. This received glares from all around the room, so I coughed and shut my mouth.

“Shut it, marechi.” He glared over at me. Marechi? Jesus, fuck, there’s no way they set this to hard mode and made me a marechi upon dumping me in this world. I’m lucky this is our first encounter with a demon! “If you two insist on interfering, I’ll carve you up.” Rui held up the web in his hands threateningly.

Tanjiro shook his head. “No… This isn’t a bond of familial ties. All I smell is fear and hatred here. This isn’t a sisterly bond you share, it’s a bond out of force and submission. Nothing like that is having a true family. It’s fake, just a forgery.” Looking over at the girl on the ground, she began to cry. The absolute truth of Tanjiro’s words getting under her skin.

“What,” Rui demanded, his facade breaking and anger consuming his face. “You… You little…” He glared at us.

Looking over his shoulder, movement caught my gaze. A male slayer was making his way toward Rui with his sword drawn. I brought my hands up and tried to get his attention, drawing lines at my neck to hit at he’s gonna die if he continues with what he was doing.

“Now, it’s my time to shine… I will take down this demon…!” The boy ignored every warning. “This one looks manageable and will leave my pocket full!”

“Hold on, you don’t want to do that-” Tanjiro called out, also trying to stop him.

I could hear it before I saw it happen. The subtle squelch as threads made their way through his entire body. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, not wanting to see the chunks of meat that were falling to the ground. Thud, thud, thud… The sound was sickening, but I forced my eyes open since it was over with.

“Now, what did you just say?” Tanjiro faced Rui defensively. “I said, what did you just say?” The seething look Rui had did not fail to keep me in my spot, frozen. He still kept quiet, thinking about this situation must really have his gears going. Rui became more and more impatient with each second that passed. “Well? Explain it to me at once!”

Tanjiro’s face hardened. “Of course! I would be glad to. What you have is NOT a family bond. It’s nothing!” This only confirmed the demon's hatred in front of us more.

“Yeah, you heard him, you’re nothing but a bitch that forces people to be your family because you’re unlikeable.” Not completely true, but I figured since I’m here I might as well throw some gasoline on the fire.

The look I received from Tanjiro was well worth the massive cut I took to the leg for saying that though. “Erk-” I knelt now, pressing a hand over the fast-bleeding wound. “Worth.”

“You two… I’m not going to kill you in a single strike. However, if you take what you just said, I’ll give you a merciful death.”

“No thank you!”

“I refuse! Not on your life!” I smirked and Tanjiro readied himself for the fight. From behind Rui, I could see the sister gaping at us. Well, probably more at Tanjiro. He is defending her right to a stable family bond more so than I am. I’m just here for the show, to be honest, and these two demons are irredeemable.

They stare off for a moment before Rui finally weaves his webs to attack. “Watch out” Tanjiro shoves me away, and I roll with the inertia that gave me. However, that didn’t spare me as in seconds webs are tangled around my wrists and ankles. They tighten and blood begins to well at the threads. I let go of the sword I held, vocalizing my discomfort.

“(Y/N)!” Tanjiro calls out, watching as I’m hoisted up and hanging from a tree.

“Don’t bother with her or I’ll have her in finer slices than the slayer from earlier.” Once again, he attacked, this time at Tanjiro. He managed to dodge and create some distance between the two.

I swallowed around the thread that appeared around my neck. “Don’t worry about me Tanjiro, just focus on fighting.” Giving a slight nod, he got back into battle stance and charged at Rui.

“Water breathing, first form, water surface slash!” He brought the breath-powered sword down onto the thread before him, attempting to slice him. I wince at the sharp sound of metal breaking and Tanjiro stares wide-eyed at the now-halved sword in front of him and barely dodges the thread. He managed to survive it, but now a large cut adorned his cute face.

I watched helplessly as he struggled to get up, having trouble accepting his sword's break. His panting is audible and it’s taking everything he has to dodge all the threads Rui is throwing his way. I doubt that box with Nezuko is making anything better on him. Damn, I should’ve convinced him to let me hold her earlier. At least then he could use everything to fight instead of protect and carry her plus some.

“Are you really not going to take what you said back?” The demon asked. It’s like he expected us to beg for our lives on our knees in front of him. That’s the kind of complacency that gets you killed, people. He stands there for a moment, giving Tanjiro time to consider. After a few moments, he readies his web again. “I see, you still won’t. I’ll end this now, then.” Spreading his hands, he beckons a collection of webs above Tanjiro, closing in on him at a worrying speed.

I felt my heart racing, and I pulled against the webbing that bound me. “T-Tanjiro!” I pulled and pulled, but the webs only caused more blood to flow.

And then I blinked and Nezuko was there. I had nearly forgotten she entered this fight as well. Her muffled grunt was easily heard as she took the hit for Tanjiro. Blood splatters across the ground in front of them, mockingly in a web pattern.

“Nezuko!” Tanjiro instantly panics and picks her up, hauling her away to the sidelines. Unfortunately, they weren’t in my sight any longer and my only entertainment was the look that painted Rui’s face after witnessing that.

“That girl, she came from the box… and protected him? But I’m sure she’s one of us?” His sister observed, confused as to why a demon was fighting for a human. Glancing over at Rui, his body was overcome with convulsion. He was shaking in what looked like fear, but knowing what I do now, this satisfies me to watch him consider the situation.

“Th-That girl… Is she your sister?” He brings a shaky hand up, pointing at Nezuko. I can hear faint whimpering, and I can only assume that’s her in pain. God, why did Tanjiro have to pick such a hard place to see if it was just going to be in Rui’s line of sight anyways?

“So what if she is?!” I hear from Tanjiro. There’s a franticness in his voice I can’t place. He must be concerned about Nezuko’s injuries…

“She’s been turned into a demon… And despite that, she’s stayed with you. She even protected you! That… That is a genuine bond.” This demon is on Cloud 9, watching the way the two siblings interact. “I will have that.”

The sister looked at him with great concern. “Rui! What are you thinking? I’m your elder sister! You can’t abandon me-” She begins to plead her case, but is cut off abruptly by Rui’s threads. He swung back once and suddenly she was in 3, no 4? pieces. I swallow roughly, watching the grotesque situation. This girl is nearly as brainwashed as her ‘mother’ was. I hate that she’s got to stick to his side in order to live. “Pl-Please… don’t do this, forgive me.” Tears welled on her severed head.

He looked at her and contemplated for a few moments before responding. “Fine, if you wish to be forgiven, go kill the remainder of the humans wandering the mountainside.” Her body made its way pitifully to her head before picking it up.

“Y-Yes, brother.” She turned and began to jog away, not even bothering to reattach her head.

“You know it’s a lie. He’s just going to continue this abuse and it’ll be like you’re never forgiven.” I watched as she hesitated in her steps again before continuing, ignoring the words I said. The thread around my throat tightened and I gasped at the sudden pain. Rui never said anything, just kept his gaze on Tanjiro and Nezuko.

“(Y/N)!” Tanjiro called out, concerned about the sudden action.

“You, come out and talk to me. Just the two of us.” Rui coaxed, ignoring his exclamation. There was another silent moment and the demon took this time to continue. “What just transpired here had made me feel something I can’t explain. Such a feeling here,” he placed his hand over his chest. “And it was your family bond that caused such. You’re facing death now, and it’s inevitable. I want to give you a way out. And it involves your sister. I would like you to give her to me.” “You’re mad. That’s unnegotiable.”

Rui continued. “As of today, she is no longer your little sister and is instead mine. And for that, you get to keep your life.”

“You don’t think I’d ever agree to that, do you? Nezuko is a person, not a thing! She has her own desires and feelings like everyone else! There would be no bond with you, just a facade!”

“Oh, but there will be a bond. A bond I shall instill with terror and force. There will be no doubt she will be the perfect little sister.”

“Using fear is not the way! And until you understand that, you’ll never be satisfied!” Tanjiro bit back.

“Would you mind stopping shouting? It’s clear we don’t agree.”

Tanjiro enters my field of vision again, having discarded the box. “There’s no way I’m letting you take Nezuko!”

The demon in front of him just laughed. “Fine, let’s see how you fair against one of the 12 Kizuki.” He lifted the hair covering his left eye, revealing a number. Now, I don’t speak Japanese, but I know that it says lower 5. “In a family, everyone has a role. The parents must protect the children, the elder children must protect the younger ones, and so forth. All of this at the risk of their own lives, of course. And you play a role in it as well: to give me your sister.”

Tanjiro just stared, trying to figure out a way to kill the demon and keep everyone safe. Rui was not a fan of the effort that was being placed into defeating him.

“That look… You’re plotting, aren’t you? You should’ve just taken the deal.” Weaving quickly, he jerked Nezuko out of the place Tanjiro had placed her to rest. She was clearly shocked and could hardly move from his grasp. Tanjiro glared at the demon that held his sister against his hip now. Tanjiro began to dash towards them and Nezuko took this chance to slice at Rui’s face. In mere seconds, I watched as he pulled her above them with ease, holding her with the webbing I was cast in.

Noticing her disappearance, Tanjiro stopped after avoiding his attack. “Above you!” I shouted, but it was too late and his extended, broken sword was drenched with her blood. He looked up, eyes widening at the sight of his sister suspended in the air, trapped in the web.

“She’s been bad, so I’ll definitely have to punish her. Perhaps bleed for a while. And if that doesn’t fix her, she can stay there until the sun appears.” Rui announced his plans, further getting under Tanjiro’s skin.

“I won’t allow it!” He went after the demon again, trying to land a hit. I could only watch as he was slapped around, cut further with the web, and tossed to the side like trash. The demon seemed to enjoy playing around with him.

“Here, go ahead and cut my head off. Well, go ahead and try.” Tanjiro cautiously approached him before swinging with all of his might, the broken blade meeting Rui’s neck. Unfortunately, it didn’t sever it. “What a shame. My body is so much more durable than yours ever could be. You never had a chance against me.” I watched as he kneed Tanjiro, launching him away.

Nezuko couldn’t bear watching the battle continue and began to struggle in the webs. “No, Nezuko! Stay still!” I yelled, pleading with her to stop resisting. My words were futile as Rui tightened his hold on her, causing her to scream out in pain.

“Nezuko!”

“That must have been the first smart thing out of your mouth today.” He looked at me and I swallowed. The threads suddenly tightened around me and it took everything not to scream out as Nezuko had. He seemed to take a deep breath in, relishing the newfound blood loss. “Oh, how I can’t wait to devour you. It makes fighting this battle much more worth it. And if my new sister is obedient, she can have a taste, of course.” I spit at him, it not going anywhere near him since he was so far away. “Just be lucky I want to eat you fresh, human.”

This little banter gave Tanjiro enough time to prepare for his next move. Without warning, he leaped forward. “Water breathing, 10th form! Constant flux!” He began to cut through the threads with ease, making his way closer to Rui. The demon sensed this sudden change and decided to step up a bit.

“Ignorant fool, did you really think those threads were at max strength?” Suddenly, the webbing began to turn red and it got easier to see. Tanjiro seemed to falter for a moment before his form completely changed. I watched with wide eyes as the threads disintegrated. Rui’s movements became more and more panicked the closer Tanjiro cut. Finding a weak spot, he immediately went to take out Tanjiro, using the threads around him to stop him-

And everything went up in flames. My gaze was immediately brought to Nezuko who had reached out. She had used her own blood to set off the explosion and- yes! Tanjiro was able to land a hit on his neck!

“N-No!” Rui screamed. “This isn’t supposed to happen, the marechi-” He reached out towards me, pulling his fingers forward to jerk me over to him, and to my surprise, I stayed put. His head was sliced clean off of his shoulders. He and I stared at each other as his head flew across the clearing, the disbelief clear in his eyes.

“Haha! That’s what you get, bitch!” I cheer, happy to finally be free. Well, not for too long. I forgot how high I was. Once the threads melted away, I was left to fall from God knows how high up. I land on the side with the injured ribs and choke for a moment on the pain. Fuck. Me.

“Nezuko! (Y/N)! I won…” Tanjiro sat there and appreciated himself. I smiled and picked myself off the ground, limping towards him. Whew, that gash in my leg is not doing too well.

The victory is short-lived though. “You thought you could win that easily? Oh, I’m going to make you and your sister's lives a short, living hell.” Rui was up and walking towards us again. Or actually, does it look like he’s coming towards me? Nah, I wasn’t the one who cut his head off. “I’m going to absolutely destroy you. And I’m going to start with the marechi there. I’m going to eat your own friend in front of you and then use that power I gain from her to torture the two of you.” He laughed maniacally, attaching more threads to me.

I quickly look around for a weapon and see none, but it’s too late as I’m getting dragged toward the demon. “W-Wait, you won’t like me! I don’t taste good!�� I was now in his grasp, one of his hands in my hair pulling my head back and the other around my arm, keeping it adhered to my side.

He licked his lips, now attaching his head. “Oh, but from experience, marechi blood tastes sweeter than the finest fruit.” I shut my eyes tight, not wanting to look as he opened his mouth and began to bite down.

There was pressure, and then there wasn’t. I opened my eyes to find the demon nowhere near me, and instead, another figure stood above me. Blinking, I tried to comprehend what just happened. “I’ll take it from here.” He barely spared me a glance, but I didn’t need to see his face to know this was Giyuu Tomioka. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and slumped to my knees. I think this was the closest to death I’ve ever been.

From our spots on the ground, we watched as Giyuu faced off with Rui. My body felt shaky and weak. Crashing from adrenaline is not fun. From the corner of my eye, I saw Tanjiro slowly make his way over to Nezuko’s body.

Back to the battle, Giyuu had used a technique to destroy the threads that were in his way. The 10th, no, 11th form of water breathing. Within moments, Giyuu was behind the demon, and his head was severed once again. Except for this time, there was no way back. The battle was over. I watched as the body stumbled over to Tanjiro, collapsing beside him. In consolidation, Tanjiro reached out and placed a comforting hand on its back. Nothing was said, but I’m sure there was no need for words.

Giyuu chose this moment to disrespect people, so he walked up on what remained of the demon and looked down at Tanjiro. “It was a demon. There was no need for remorse. It had spent centuries tormenting and slaughtering people.”

Tanjiro gripped the clothing that remained. “I will never hesitate to bring my blade down on a demon that threatens humanity. That being said, I will also not disrespect their memories as you see… They were once human like me too. I don’t see demons as horrible, terrifying creatures, but more so tragic and helpless ones. They can’t help that they’re demons, and it’s sad they lose so much by becoming one.” I took this time during his explanation to make my way up and behind Giyuu. Without gaining his attention, as quickly as I could in my injured state, I hit the back of his knees, causing his weight to collapse. Before he could fall on Tanjiro, I shoved him from the side to redirect his fall.

“That's what you get for disrespecting people.” I looked down at him with a disapproving glare.

He didn’t respond, just stared back in utter shock. He looked over to the side and within a second I was back on the ground and he was over Tanjiro and Nezuko’s bodies, his blade drawn to deflect the blade of his partner who finally showed up.

I watched as the butterfly girl gracefully flipped to a stop before turning and facing us with a serene smile on her face. “Now why would you get in my way? And I thought you could never get along with demons, at least that is what you had just told me earlier. This kind of thing is why no one likes you, Tomioka.” She narrowed her eyes, her smile never leaving her face. “Now then, would you please move, Giyuu?”

“I don’t… I don’t think I’m that disliked.” He stated seriously. There was a pause where everyone had a look of shock as they processed what he said.

“Oh, my… I didn’t realize that would bother you so much. I do apologize. Especially since this is the first you’re hearing about it.” Not gonna lie, seeing this happen in front of me is hilarious. Tanjiro gave an inquisitive look towards Giyuu, but he didn’t comment on it. “Oh, boy there. That’s a demon that you’re protecting, I’m going to need you to move so you don’t get hurt.” Shinobu explained.

Tanjiro sat up, hugging Nezuko close to his chest. “No, you don’t understand! Well, you’re right about the demon part, she’s different! Nezuko is my sister! She’s my little sister…” He gripped her tight.

Shinobu’s facade broke just a bit, revealing pity. “Oh you poor thing, I’ll use a gentle toxin to kill her, don’t worry.” Her smile was back and sickeningly sweet.

“Can you guys move?” Giyuu questioned without his eyes leaving Shinobu.

It takes him a moment, but Tanjiro answers. “Y-Yes, thank you!” He scoops Nezuko up and runs off with her.

“I’mma catch a ride with them if know what I mean,” I say, chuckling nervously before I sprint off after them. It’s hard to keep up with this leg, but I can just make them out ahead of me. I’ll keep following as long as I can. I glanced back behind me to check for followers and saw nothing, easing my pace for the sake of my leg.

There’s suddenly a commotion from ahead of me and it’s hard to make out what they’re saying over my breathing. I break into a clearing with Kanao on the scene, sitting on top of Tanjiro. He’s unconscious and it looks like he just told her to run for it.

I give a salute to the girl, also breaking her poker face to display shock at the sight of me. Yeah, to be fair, if I were to see a half-naked girl covered in blood salute me and run off, I would also be confused. Sprinting ahead, I almost catch up to Nezuko when Kanao dashes in front of me, swinging out and attempting to slice her head off. I shriek before realizing she shrunk to avoid the sword. I took a deep breath and pushed forward. Kanao was getting fed up with chasing her and decided to try to end it all. Lunging forward, she almost made it to Nezuko before I tackled the little demon out of her way. I shielded her body and the slayer attempted to shove me off of her so she could get to the neck.

“No! You won’t get Nezuko!” I hugged her tighter to my chest, trying to cover her completely from Kanao’s orders.

And like an angel sent from above, a crow began to chant from above us. “I have a message from headquarters! Tanjiro, Nezuko, and (Y/N) are to be captured and brought back to headquarters!” He began to repeat the message, even including descriptions of us. I sigh and roll over, Nezuko peeking out and observing the situation. I’m way too tired to complain about me needing to go.

“If you couldn’t tell, this is Nezuko.”

“... I can.”

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