Chapter Text
Today was meant to be special. So special in fact, that it was going to be the start of the rest of their lives together. A box on her lap, perfectly gift wrapped, wanting to be opened, but in the exchange itself… She felt like she didn’t want to open it. From the rear view mirror above, a woman with lightly hazel eyes hissed softly and crossed her arms over her chest. “Look! I’m sorry it turned out like this, okay. W—We would have told you sooner, you know, if you would have jus—”
“So you’re saying it’s my fault?” The young woman in the back seat, gripping tight to her gift box responds. Casting her own darken brown eyes up at the one looking at her, dangerously. Hissing, she turned away and leaned out the window. The dark haired female in the front seat grumble slurs.
“This was never your fault (Nickname). Can’t we just—I mean you said you are open to another partner. Ciero is your sister… isn’t that the better partner? Someone you know and understand?”
“You’re fucking with me, right?” The woman called (Nickname), barks. “Every which way when I wanted to bring in a partner, you gave me the ‘I’ll be jealous if you bring in a partner’ when I told you how open I was to it. But you!” She points an excusing finger at him. “You have brought in girl after girl! None of which had any fucking interest in me! They only wanted you until you didn’t want them—then suddenly I mattered and they hated me, because I had you!”
“You’re being unreasonable! This works out for you both!”
“Shut the fuck up Ciero! First of all! I am not having sex with my kid sister! Second, you have been pushing ever since I told you of my sexual preferences! When you knew nothing about it, William! Third! You propose to me not even two months ago and said you wanted to start a family! And now you tell me, on my god given birthday that you’re seeing my sister and you hope I understand!”
“We can all be together! That’s the point!”
“No! The fucking point here is that you want all attention on you! That’s why you have been manipulating the situation in your favor! I’m done with talking to either of you.” She look down at the box again. She didn’t want this. Rolling down the window, she tossed the whole box out and William slammed on the brakes.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?!”
“Probably am! Dealing with you two.” She says, unbuckling herself and throwing open the door. “Thanks for the fucking ride.”
As she got out, Ciero followed in suit, though she went to find the present. Taking out her phone, she made a quick call to someone else, and already on the verge of tears. “Will, I don’t see it.” The younger sibling called. Looking between both of them, he opted out of chasing his girlfriend, for searching for the box. Looking up at the moon, she exhaled a shaky breath, one bead after another creating fine lanes down her cheeks. She didn’t want either of them to see her cry. It wouldn’t be fair to her.
Not as if her life had been glamorous. Working as a music teacher through the week, to make some kind of living. Though her weekends were usually spent gaming with friends. How is it even the nerdiest bunch of people, fall into the arms of drama. Not exactly first world problems, but it certainly felt like it. For a half hour, Ciero and William searched the darkness for the gift she threw out; it was rather comical, and as much as she needed to smile. At the moment, she just couldn’t. A honk got her attention and she reached a hand up, brushing her eyes dry.
“Honey! Are you okay?” A woman got out the car and quickly carried over to her. A weak smile on her lips, she turned and was immediately embraced by the much bigger woman.
“Markie… S-Sorry to call you out like this.”
“No! Don’t be. I couldn’t get here fast enough. Oh, my poor sweet (Nickname).” She says, smoothing down the woman’s hair with both her big hands. One of her raiding friends and neighbor from childhood. Markie, short for Markaria; had always impressed (Nickname) with her strength. She had always been bigger than most females, but she used that to her advantage and hone her natural strength. Even as they grew older, parted ways and rekindled friendship again, through raiding, Markie never changed in the slightest. Outside of her height and well tone body. Personal training was her calling. “You have things at his house, don’t you?”
“I did move in with him. I—I’ll get it later. Can we just go home?”
“Come on honey, don’t worry about anything else. Oh, but here.” She happily reached into her pocket and fished out something poorly wrapped in thin decorative paper. “Happy Birthday!”
She reached up and quickly unwrapped it, almost squeaking at the pretty earrings inside. “I mean, their not the same ones we looked at back in that foreign shop. But their pretty close. Right?”
“There so…” She took one into her hand and touched the smooth, glossy coat of the silver earring. Markie took the other one and reached over to (Nickname)’s ear, working it through the hole in her ear lobe. Putting the second one in, she push back her (Colored) hair and tucked it messily behind her ears. “W—How does it look?” She asked, her cheeks lightly flushed. She wasn’t sure if she were tearing up due to happiness, or still reeling over the situation with her sister and—well, ex-boyfriend now.
Markie reached a hand out and caressed her cheek, the smaller woman locking eyes with Markie’s gray ones. “You know you’re beautiful. And these earrings will turn so many heads, you know blue is your color. Right?” She winks; her own cheeks enflamed. Looking down, (Nickname) giggled a weak chuckle and reach a finger to touch the rectangular shaped earring.
“These are pretty unique though.”
“Mhm! Guy who sold them called them flower card earrings. Based off some ancient Japanese card game. I’ll be honest, I didn’t really engage the story, I just thought they would look amazing on you. And I was right.” She laughs a haughty one. Though as (Nickname) was ready to speak back, she realized.. Ciero and William were quiet. “What’s wrong (Nickname)?”
“Nothing… Just, where is—where did they go?” The two women looked back, William’s car still running but neither of them were in it. Things had become far too quiet.
“What does it matter? They can get back. Come on, don’t let them ruin your birthday more.”
“Even when you’re right. I can’t leave my stupid sister out here—him, sure.” (Nickname) shook her head. “Mom and Dad will lose their minds if she doesn’t go home. Already hate that I let some man, they can’t stand, take me from them. Come on, at the very least. Can we just find her.”
Markie huffed and followed. The two women never really liked each other; mostly because Ciero was pretty loud about what she didn’t like. Love vocalizing her family’s beliefs and disgust for anything that wasn’t considered… heterosexual. To imagine what would have been said if they knew their own daughter, not only had been friends with a lesbian body builder of a woman, but the fact she also stood in the middle and loved both sexes equally. One of the reasons Ciero was just about everywhere (Nickname) had gone, hung around her friends and more.
Taking her boyfriend, was truly kicking over the bucket at this point. She couldn’t stomach this selfishness for silence anymore. While she was no Cinderella; there was a limit to what she could take. The two of them were off the road and ducking through the thicket, calling out to them. “Ciero? William?”
“Hey, we’re only looking for your sister.”
“Yeah, but if either one of them hears their name, someone is bound to come running, right?”
“Hm, fair point. Hey! Half pint! Come out already.” She called, the dark bushes shiver and rustle. Probably scared some of the creatures away. Stepping through, (Nickname) slipped down a short slide. “Whoa! Are you okay?!”
“Y—Yeah, just missed my footing.” She says, suddenly shivering at the howl of the wind.
‘It cannot be…’
“What can’t be?” (Nickname) looked back up at Markie, who gazed at her friend, making it down at her side.
“I didn’t say anything honey.”
“Then who—”
A scream in the distant made them both jump. She knew that high pitched scream better than anyone. Her sister, still screaming and seeming to be getting further away. “Stay here!”
“Markie! No! Wait!”
The first woman charged off, (Nickname) following suit, but stopped when it felt like something coiled her right arm. “I found them! I found them” A child like voice sinisterly giggle, the coil tighten and she whimpering out in pain. She couldn’t see it, until her blood began to seep through her skin and coat the fish-line like strings. Frantic, she scratched at the intangible line, in fear of losing her whole hand. Her arm was pulled skyward, the bind squeezing tighter and slicing deeper through, she too cried out in pain.
“S—Stop! Please. Someone help!” (Nickname) whined, still trying to get the bind off. This unnatural force was pulling her off the ground, and she had been terrified. “Markie! Markie!”
“(Nickname)!” Markie called, her big arm wrapping around her body. With the elevated woman pulled down, the pain intensified. “What the hell! Let her go!”
Reaching up, the woman sought a snare, but it had almost been as though nothing was holding her. “Kill the wearer of the Hanafuda earrings! Kill the wearer of the Hanafuda earrings!”
“W—What?” Both Markie and (Nickname) gasp. The bigger woman stopped swiping at the air and instead reached for (Nickname)’s earrings. Getting one, she did her best to take it off without ripping her lobe. “M—Markie stop!”
One in hand and suddenly she was sent across the expanse of the dark woods. Without any restraints holding the string back, she had been snatched out of sight, Markie knocked out against a dented tree; Ciero’s screams had stopped and even William had been silent. For a time, the strangeness of the blacken woods had stopped, would their be a proper explanation for it, no one would dare believe it. Only a puddle of blood to lay claims to possible ideas of what may have happened to them.
Where—what had even happened? A birthday mistake, turning into some thing out of a bad scary movie. Reaching her hand to her wounded arm, (Nickname) felt the blood but no wound. What’s happened? Pushing up, she looked around and only seen the light through the trees. Wasn’t it dark? How long had she been out for? “The road should be that way. Markie? Ciero? William?” She called out, pushing herself up to stand, she slowly dragged herself across the forest floor, her fingers reaching up and brushing down her face. “What even happened tonight—besides the fucking cheating?” She groan. Reaching up to touch Markie’s earrings, she discovered something… entirely amiss. “Huh? HUH?!”
Her ears seemed to be missing, what happened?! Reaching around, she tried to find her phone and realized, she hadn’t even been wearing clothes.
“Oh my god!” She wrapped her arms around her body and suddenly a wild, fluffy tail curled around her as well. “Aaah!” She jumped and reached back to grab it. Causing herself pain. There was no way in hell this had been happening?! Opening her mouth, for a moment, nothing came out. That is until she reached up to rest her hands over her head, in panic. And she felt it. The remaining flower card earring, attached to… “No… no, no no no!” She pulled at the one and finding an identical and like that, her poor mentality snapped, faster than a vinyl disc. (Nickname) screamed, her feet moving faster than her own thought process, which was impressive, as she had the endurance of a sleepy puppy most days.
“What was that?” A man tilling his field questioned, looking towards the line where the trees began. Out of the forest, the naked woman rushed, not even knowing where she had been going or why. Though as soon as the sun hit her, she stopped and finally gazed about the surrounding area. With her hands still covering her newly acquired ears, those pretty (Eye Color) eyes of her were blown wide. This wasn’t the road where she got out at… that wasn’t the forest she and the others were just in. She was alone. She was naked. She seemed to have undergone some kind of strange hyper induced nightmare. “A—Are you alright miss?” The very flushed field worker asked, coming closer; gulping at the sight of her nude body.
“No!!! No! No I’m not! I—I need help! I don’t know what’s happening to me! Please I—Where am I?! Where are my clothes?! What happened to my body?!” She took her hands off her ears and the furry appendages stood up. This suddenly made him back down. No way he was seeing this right. A demon in the day time?! Were they evolving?!
“A—A demon! Monster! Help!!!” He turned on his straw sandals and ran away as fast as he could. That wasn’t the reaction she hoped for, but given the circumstance, she did not blame him. Of course she really needed to find clothes right now. Figuring her appearance would have to come after. The woman’s very left ear flicks, the earring attached seemed so weightless now; but it was they had picked up voices from the are a full of people. Where there had been people, there would be clothing.
Picking up her feet, she quickly skirted herself across the dirt road, not even taking into account that she was much faster than before. (Nickname) kept on until she reached what was likely, an old village. Did she get kidnapped? How the hell did she end up in… what could only be described as the older era of Japan—specifically the Taisho Era. There was no way she’d let herself be seen, in this condition… especially after the way that man panicked at the sight of her. Slipping into a narrow path, she scurried through the dirty road and into someone’s back yard. Carefully she scanned the surrounding area, seeing small children rush pass, kicking a ball or even throwing rocks at one another. This wasn’t going to be easy.
“Not like anyone is just going to leave clothes laying around.” She hissed and suddenly startled by a light shout. Turning, she saw a rather young woman quaking in fear, in her doorway. ‘Shit… not good.’ there wasn’t any way she was making it across this unknown plain, without something to cover her. It’s already dangerous enough as is for a woman anywhere. But naked?! That’s an invitation she wasn’t presenting to anyone. “I’m so sorry.” She remarks and rush for the lady in the door. As the space between them closed in an instant, she attempted to scream out in complete terror. (Nickname) and the unknown woman was knocked back into the small hut and she quickly closed it with her foot.
“Listen to me! I’m not going to hurt you, okay. Please. I just need clothes and I will get away from here. You will never see me again.”
As panicked as she had been, the woman only agreed with a frantic nod and quickly her eyes shifted to someone else. (Nickname)’s ear met the sound to her right and turned to see an older man holding a box over his head, ready to strike her. But locking with her (Unusual Colored) eyes, he practically went weak in the body. As if the instance around them stopped and then he finally threw his box at her. It hurt, but nothing to bad when he struck her in the side of the head. Getting off the other woman, she charged away, going towards the back room and finding a black haori coat on the bed. Snatching it, she fled through a small wooden window, when the screaming man came back.
The stealth mission failed, she stood in view of other people, panicked and confused; mutterings and more panicked voices, parents snatching their children away and now rocks being flung at her. “Get out of here!” A nasally, frighten man says, throwing another rock at her. Following in suit, more villagers continue to pelt her with whatever they could throw. Wasn’t the smartest idea to hang around. Not as if she had a choice anyway. Pulling the cloth on, she darted away with a few villagers following, to be sure that the strange woman was far away; their people safe from harm.
“That plan was a bust… Shit, but where am I?! Why am I…?!” She reached up and touched her head again. Feeling the large, rather fluffy appendages on top her head, she still couldn’t believe what the hell she had been touching. The tail, right above her bare ass had swayed. Was she enjoying it? Well it did feel nice. Like touching a dog’s ear. “What am I doing?! Stop it (Nickname)!” She halted herself and looked around. There were no landmarks, barely any people. Just roads, water, small trenches with grass growing along the sides. “H—How did I get here? Where even is here?” She whines, grabbing hold of her stolen haori jacket and closed it around herself. Thankfully, for a man’s size, this fit her well, as it was way bigger than her slim form, her medium breast size… Though that can’t really be said for the tail.
She still needed shoes, something to cover her ears. Because there was no way she was going into another village and getting another incident. Reaching her hand up, her long fingers raked down and between them she eyed the near sparkling of her rather radiant platinum blonde hair. Yeah, that wasn’t going to draw attention. Exhaling softly, she walked on again with hope of finding a familiar face. There hadn’t been any sign of Markie. Ciero or William. Her phone was gone, and she was stranded, with the sun closing in on sunset. Feeling her stomach growl, she finally thought about food, among everything that had been happening here. It had been a few hours since her last meal, granted she wasn’t dying of hunger, but what could she do. Not as if she knew how to forage and there was no takeout spot.
“At least, I should get somewhere I can lay my head.” She remarked and sighted some little abode with the thicket of the woods she entered. If this was a bad dream, perhaps she had to just sleep it off, like Dorothy and wake back up, right there with Markie. Yeah, this is a bad dream—all of it.
The sun had gone down and the night life was loud, seemed to be a slight colder where she had been but it also didn’t help she was half dressed as is. Facing the door, she rested, but did not find any means to sleep. This was far too unfamiliar to her. Another few hours had gone by and she hadn’t a clue what time it was. But drowsiness was winning over her. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to push it out, not even the pangs of hunger were keeping her awake enough. Where she should have been a sobbing, blubbering mess about being lost like this. It wasn’t the first time she was lost somewhere. Not with the life she had. Remaining calm, was what she needed to do. Otherwise she would never get back home.
A scratch on the wall made her jump. Looking towards the side, her ear turned in the direction of a low hiss. Someone was closing in. “Knock knock… little human.” The male’s voice got her attention, then another scratch on the front wall, a shadow now looming over the paper door itself. ‘Fuck whose bright idea was paper doors?!’ She crawled towards a corner, her hands brushing over and trying to find anything to protect herself. Without effort, the door was kicked inside and crashed into the wall across the small space. What the hell was happening?! From the door, two large arms reached in and used the inner part of the doorway to propel inside. It wasn’t even human, whatever it had been. Tall, ugly, gray sickly flesh. Big greenish yellow eyes and veins formed to meet down his forehead. Through his twisted grin, she glean rows of slightly yellow and sharp shark like fangs; he could probably chew through bone. “Mmm! It smells so good in here. Little human…?”
(Nickname) was visibly shaken by the sight of him, this wasn’t anything like some stranger searching for her. No, this was an actual monster, sniffing the air and moaning as if he happily inhaling pure pleasure through his nose. As he drew closer, he finally took notice to her, as it was where the fresh smell of human flesh had come from. But… This was just another demon. Had she been hiding the human?
“Hey! Pretty little dog, where is the human I smell?”
“W—What?” She swallowed, looking pass him and at the door. If she could make a break for it, this would be a perfect chance to do just that.
“HEY! I’m talking to you mutt! Where is the human?! You are them, didn’t you. Greedy bitch?!”
“A—Ate?! Why would I—?”
“Hu? Are you newly turned… Poor thing, you’re so lost—But… mm, you smell like a human.” He brought himself closer. Stooping before her, she could make out the scars along his body, the pungent scent of sweat, dirt and blood. Not to mention the odor off his breath. Reaching a hand over, he gripped one of her ears and pulled it forward, the woman crying out in pain. “What are you? Don’t matter. Anyone smelling this good is worth eating. Human or demon.”
“D—Demon? I-I’m not a demon.”
“Yeah?! Then that makes you dinner.” He opens his mouth to take a bite, only for her to twist her body around and kick her bare feet into his rather hard body. The same way he came in, the demon went out at break neck speed. There was no time to wait. Getting herself up, (Nickname) scrambled out the door and took off into the deep woods. Already panting, she made it a good distance away. Problem was, her pursuer was still just as close.
“Fuck! Where can I go?!” She leapt up, the very second the frightening demon tossed a literal boulder her way. Hanging onto a branch, she scurried the rest of the way up and jumped to the next. “Okay! Okay! Nimble! I-I can work with this!”
This was quite the crash course to learning about this… new body of hers. Strength, speed, balance. Right now she felt like a monkey, but at least she would get away. The demon realized where she was and began smashing into trees, wanting to knock each one down and catch her.
“Get down here! You sneaky bitch! Working up my appetite like this and I’ll have to eat you and another village. Just to get my energy up again.” He growls and knocks over another tree, she only just managed to escape it. This wasn’t easy. Had it not been for her adrenaline, she’d already be digested.
“I need help! Someone… Help me…” She cried out, suddenly struggling to hold onto her tree, When did he get to that one? She left him about three behind. It wasn’t as if she had been a cat, even with her digging her claws into the bark, she lost her grip and free fall from the tree. Landing on the forest bed floor, she groaned out in agony, but surprisingly didn’t break anything. Her leg was grabbed and she, pulled up by her very ankle; hung upside down like meat on a hook.
“Ah! Finally! I’m going to enjoy eating you. Strange, never saw myself eating one of my own, but you smell to good to let get away.” He pulled her closer, rolling his long tongue from his mouth and tracing it over a laceration that begun to heal. He shivered and howled out. “Oh! Oh yeah! Ripe! I don’t know what kind of human you are. But this will be good.”
‘You’re going to die. Save yourself already’
(Nickname), in a panic, squirmed and upon flexing her claws, did a set of three white lanes were sent towards him and sliced the demon in an angled cut. In pain, she was set free once dropped.
‘Good girl, now run.’
Not even questioning the voice chittering at her, she got up and attempted to run, only to slam into another body. What was with everyone being in her way. “Wait!” She covered her head with her arms, but whatever she had been expecting never came. The shrill cries of the demon dying was all she heard and turned enough to see the white haired man cut down the beast with his dual blades.
“Now how do I even begin to explain this one?” He asked, though she wasn’t sure if she had been meant to answer him. The man turned and faced her; strange look this one had. Between the jaunty way he wore his headband or the strange tattoo on his face. Following a wide smile, he twisted his weapons in hand, quite the flashy trick before pointing the very edge towards (Nickname), who was in fear once again. “You’re a demon, aren’t you? You’ll go the same way as he did.”
“But I’m not!” She shouts back, lowering her hands from her head. “I—I don’t know how—or what is going on. P—Please! Hear me out.” She shouts. This being the only other person she had met for miles, who wasn’t throwing objects at her. She need someone on her side, that wasn’t going to kill her. “I have no idea where I am! Or why I am here! Frankly this isn’t even what I actually look like! But this is what I look like here! I’m terrified and hungry and sleepy! Everyone keeps calling me a demon! What the fuck is going on here?!” She barks at him, her ears falling down, the weightless earring shifting with it; now this! This was a familiar artifact,
“That earring. Where did you get it?”
“My—It was a gift f-from a friend.”
“You are a liar. Only one set exists! Who are you?”
“I am nothing of the sort!”
“You’re a demon! Yet you have that earring, where is young Kamado?”
“Kama—what? I don’t even know where the hell I am?! I have been screaming in terror for the last few minutes and threaten by everything that can and will cross my path. No one will hear me or help me.” She press her hands to her face, feeling ready to cry. “I’m hungry and tired and filthy! I just want to go home!”
The man watched with an unaffected look. Should he believe this demon? What purpose would she have for lying, less it were to get close enough to kill him. No, this one seemed way too pathetic to even try and attack him. Not to mention she wasn’t even dressed properly to defend herself from harm. Stooping down, she drew back a bit more the moment she lowered her hands from her flushed face, fresh tears wetting her cheeks on the way down. “What is your name, little demon?”
“Not demon.” She sniffled. “I’m human. M—My name is (Full Name). I—(Nickname) is good enough.” She squeeze her fingers around her stolen haori coat. The man tilted his head and kept a close look at those glazed (Eye Color) eyes. Searching for the lie. But it didn’t seem as though she was trying to work the angle.
“You are a demon. No human looks like you.” He reached out and prodded her forehead with two fingers. She squeezed her eyes tight and grumps at him. “But maybe there is something to your unique situation.” A grin stretched up his face and he pushed himself to stand up. “While there is no proper explanation for this, I think it best if you come with me. Little puppy.”
“W—Why?”
“Because you’re going to explain yourself to my superior. If you’re the naked woman running around the country side the word on the wind carried; I am sure taking you in will put everyone at ease.”
“W—Wait, are you arresting me?!” She gasped. Was she being arrested? She didn’t hurt anyone. Sure, scared the shit out of people and stole clothes, but it couldn’t have been but so bad, right? What did she honestly have to lose though? She was lost and he wasn’t killing her, yet. At best, or worst… At least she would be away from trouble like that demon again. “I don’t even know your name.” She says, curling her tail around her thigh. With his big thumb, he pressed it into his chest and quickly introduced himself.
“Uzui Tengen! That shouldn’t surprise you, when a Demon Slayer hunts your kind.”
“A demon what?” She tilts her head, a finger prodding her chin considerably. What is a demon slayer, other than the obvious, given what he had done. One of her ears flick and still she couldn’t figure out what that had all been about. “Okay, not going to ask anymore. Wait! Uzui Tengen? Is Tengen your first name?” She looked up at him, the man crossed his sizable arms and nod. That was plainly obvious. In most situation, a formality in Japan, the last name often was first and the first name last. “W—where… exactly is this place?”
“The woods.” He says, not really into the game of twenty questions.
“N—No, I mean. Are we in—what country is this?”
“Hm? You must really be confused. Japan little puppy. The western side of Tokyo, to be exact.”
“The Wes—TOKYO?!” She looked around, now jumping to her feet. No way that was right! Everything seemed so old, as if the structures of the modern world had yet to be established. She was just in the woods only a few hours ago; dealing with the dregs of her cheating boyfriend and lying sister. What happened to Markie? The it hit her. Frighten, she turned enough and looked back at Tengen; her (Eye Color) eyes wet with tears, face white as a sheet. “W—What year… Is it?”
“Year? 19XX… What does that matter?”
“Oh my god…” (Nickname) reached up and gripped her hair. “O-Oh my god! Oh my god! What the hell happened to me?! Markie!!! Markie! Ciero!!! William!!! Someone help me please!” She screamed and in step with her, Tengen grappled the spiraling woman and held her in place. Alright, so there might have been more to this demon that what had been let on.
“Either relax or I will kill you here, demon. I don’t want to say I believe your hokey story. But there is something different about you. The way you talk, your whole reaction.” Tengen tries to calm her down. “But if you want help, screaming into nothing won’t help you. Complete opposite.” His patience worked in his favor, she finally stopped crying and resolved to drooling and crying over his arm. “Listen, this make no sense to me either but nothing will get done standing here. So, for now, you’re coming as my prisoner. It’s simply easier that way, as I said before. Demon Slayers. Not exactly a getaway.”
She lifted her head, the soft of her silvery hair falling along her sweat covered face. That isn’t exactly sounding like a good move but what did she have to lose? Stranded and aimless or on trial at this… Demon Slayer gathering. (Nickname) nodded, good she was getting it. Though even he had wondered if this were even slightly a decent idea. Demons didn’t belong there. Were they going to just start taking in wayward demons now? No… The Kamado girl was an exception for a reason. But, perhaps there was something to be gained. Especially if this demon was the one running around in the day. Was she one of his? Did Muzan know about this demon? It wouldn’t be viable to leave it where he could reach. Not if that mean furthering the goals he had.
“We’re going, okay?” He slowly let her go and she stood before him, looking up at the taller man. With a small nod, the demon woman understood and he briefly felt some reprieve. She closed her haori again and used the sleeve to wipe her nose and mouth; it was like he was dealing with a child. Oh! He sheathed his Nichirin blades and held out a hand to her. “Take it and keep up.” He offered and for a moment (Nickname) looked at his large hand, it was the first bit of kindness she gotten. Pushing it away now would be stupid. Reaching her hand out, her sleeve fell down her wrist and her hand slid into his with a bit of hesitance, but he held it tight. With a big grin, she was pulled along with him. Though they wouldn’t even make it ten steps, before impatience got the better of the Hashira.
“Tengen?”
“Let’s pick up the pace. Hold on, little puppy!”
She was quickly collected in his arms, the moment he turned back. Arm at the back of her knees and the other pressed firm against her back, the Demon Slayer quickly took off, she barely squeaking out a sound. They would reach his headquarters by daybreak.