━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Chapter 15 ━☂

❁ཻུ۪۪ ━ ❝ Shared mission

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┊ ┊ ★⋆

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Morning soon came as the sun rose from above the small and tall mountains, casting its beautiful rays down onto the wakening town. Wiping away his sweat (Y/n) looked down at the disappearing demoness which he previously killed that was trying to go inside the town only for (Y/n) to see her from above the building that he resided in and quickly disposed of the demoness.

To his surprise, after Doma disappeared from the town three demons in total came out of nowhere, hungry and ready to tear human flesh. The demons seemed to have been waiting for Doma to leave for them to enter the wealthy town, something that (Y/n) never heard of. 

'Perhaps Sensei might have something to say about this strange behavior? Doma seemed to be rather powerful, so maybe the other demons were afraid of him for that and decided not to interfere in his territory... probably.' Taking a deep sigh (Y/n) sheathed back his sword as the demoness was now fully gone.

"May your soul find rest." (Y/n) whispered, bowing down as the last wisps of the demoness went away. Straightening his body (Y/n) turned around and walked away from the village, walking down the lonely road wishing to leave the village as soon as possible. 

'No other girls have gone missing yesterday and early today, and I've planted a few wisteria trees around the village to be able to provide some protection, so I suppose my job here is done.' Bowing down in respect to a passing Monk (Y/n) continued walking. 'Even though I wasn't able to kill that demon, Doma, I was able to kill all the other demons nearby. Right now, I should wait for my next mission-'

"Caw Caw! Katsuo (Y/n)!" Looking up towards where his familiar crow was (Y/n) smiled warmly up at it. "Sho! There you are! I was wondering where you flew off to." (Y/n) chuckled, lifting his hand to allow Sho to land on his hand. 

"Caw! Mission! Mission!" Sho informed him making (Y/n) groan. "Go ahead, Sho." (Y/n) allowed him, already dreading having to go and walk some more. 'I didn't sleep at all yesterday...' (Y/n) sighed, the evidence being the dark circles under his eyes. 

"Here are your orders! Make your way to a town to the northwest! Young girls have been vanishing there! Hunt down the demon lurking there and kill it!" Sho ordered, flapping his wings before flying on top of (Y/n) head. 

"Why is it always young girls vanishing? First, my first mission here, and now my second? If I was them I would change my gender." (Y/n) sighed, starting to form a conspiracy that a lot of demons are afraid to eat males. 

"Caw! Caw! Hurry!" Sho screeched, pecking (Y/n) forehead making (Y/n) try to cover his forehead in an attempt to protect himself. "On it, boss!" (Y/n) yelled in fear, doing a fake salute before running towards his destination as Sho directed him. 

'My second mission as a Demon Slayer! At least I survived this far!' (Y/n) thought, cheering in his head due to the accomplishment. So, he ran and ran towards his destination while morning has barely been born. 

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Humming a soft tune to himself (Y/n) carried Sho-- who has fallin' asleep-- in his arms while (Y/n) was almost near the town, all that he had to do was cross the bridge and-

"Tanjiro?" (Y/n) tilted his head, seeing the familiar hair color of his comrade. 'He's not wearing a cloud-decorated haori... maybe I got the wrong person.' (Y/n) chuckled as he arrived near the bridge and walked over it, passing by the male that he thought was his dear friend. 

"(Y/n)?" Hearing his name being called (Y/n) turned around only to spot the same face of his comrade from Final Selection. 'Ah, so I was right... I really need to work better on detecting auras.' 

"Tanjiro, it really is you! I thought that you were someone else since you weren't wearing a cloud-decorated haori!" (Y/n) smiled happily, walking in front of his friend. "How have you been?" (Y/n) asked him, noticing the new checkered haori and the box that he was carrying. 

"(Y/n)! I thought I would never see you again! I'm doing fine, thank you! How are you doing?" Tanjiro asked, also smiling happily at the sight of (Y/n). "I'm doing quite fine, thank you for your concern! Tanjiro, we have a lot to catch up on! How about we go get something to eat and chat on top of one of the buildings?" (Y/n) asked him, motioning over towards the tallest building.

"Sure! I also have a lot to tell to you as well!" Tanjiro agreed, this making (Y/n) smile widen. "Great! Now, come on! I'm really craving for some dango right now!" (Y/n) stated, grabbing Tanjiro's hand and dragging him inside the town. 

"I've never been in this town before, so please bear with me here." (Y/n) chuckled nervously, guiding Tanjiro through the calm town. "Dango! Daifuku! Wagashi! Get all that and more right here!" An old man yelled, waving around a stick stacked with dango. 

"Dango! Come on, Tanjiro!" (Y/n) exclaimed, looking over his shoulder to hurry Tanjiro as they ran towards where the stall was set up. Tanjiro looked up at (Y/n) and chuckled, finding his childish antics to be rather cute. 

"Alright, alright." Tanjiro giggled, both of them finally in front of the stall. "Now, what can I give you lovely couple?" The old man kindly asked, his eyes closed as he had a warm smile on his wrinkly face. Tanjiro and (Y/n) blushed at this, not sure what to say. "If I do remember correctly we have a 12% off discount for couples." The old man informed them, this making (Y/n) excited. 

"Ah, yes! We are a couple! We've been one for two years now, quite a long time, huh?" (Y/n) nervously chuckled, not really used to lying much. The old man nodded, "I see... well, you two look lovely together. Now, what would you two love birds like?" The old man asked them, his hands folded neatly on the table as he waited for their answer. 

"We would like two dango's, please! Oh, and Tanjiro, what would you like?" (Y/n) questioned him only to find that Tanjiro was stuttering incoherent words, his face a fiery red as his eyes became swirls. "I think he would like two wagashi's please." (Y/n) answered for him, the poor Tanjiro still not being able to snap out of his daze at the mention of being a couple with (Y/n). 

'I and (Y/n)... a couple? I feel like my face is on fire! Though, I and (Y/n) do get along rather well...' Continuing on his thought of being a good couple with (Y/n) the old man saw this, this warming his heart at such young love. 

The old man smiled, "Comin' right up!" 

After two minutes have passed the sweets were already packed and handed over to (Y/n) while Tanjiro was slightly better now, his face still warm but not as much as to worry. "That'll be ten coppers." The old man announced, (Y/n) handing him ten copper coins and bowing down to him as a thank you. 

"Have a nice day!" (Y/n) exclaimed, waving goodbye to the old man as he continued to drag Tanjiro who was thankfully cooperating with walking. Standing in front of the tallest building (Y/n) nodded and turned to look at Tanjiro. 

"Tanjiro, are you well enough to climb up, or do you need help?" (Y/n) asked him, though this time Tanjiro was well enough to answer. "I-I can climb by m-myself..." Tanjiro whispered, (Y/n) barely hearing it but understanding what he said nonetheless. 

"Okay, let's go!" (Y/n) exclaimed, climbing up the building as he quickly reached the rooftop. Putting down the wrapped sweets (Y/n) peered down and saw Tanjiro still spacing out making (Y/n) sigh. Putting down the sleeping Sho, (Y/n) climbed back down the building and picked up Tanjiro in one of his arms, and used the other one to climb up the building. 

Once on top of the rooftop (Y/n) set Tanjiro down and sat next to him, grabbing the wrapped sweets and unwrapping them. "Tanjiro, do you feel better now?" (Y/n) asked him, grabbing a dango and began eating it. This snapped Tanjiro out of his daze as he looked back over towards (Y/n) in surprise. 

"Where-? (Y/n), did you carry me here?" Tanjiro asked him who was already eating. Swallowing down the juicy dango (Y/n) nodded, "Yep, you were really light, too!" (Y/n) replied, handing Tanjiro a wagashi. "Here, that'll give you some energy." (Y/n) stated. 

Tanjiro nodded and grasped the wagashi tenderly, his gaze soft. "Thank you, (Y/n)." Tanjiro thanked him, munching on the wagashi as they stared down at the town below. "So... you're carrying your sister around now?" (Y/n) questioned, pointing at the box which held inside the adorably cut demoness that I would give my soul to marry. 

This made Tanjiro more aware of his surroundings as he forgot that they were not on a vacation but a mission. "Y-Yeah! I promised Nezuko that we'll be together, so I had to bring her with me." Tanjiro answered his question, swallowing down the wagashi. 

(Y/n) nodded as he laid down on the rooftop admiring the view of the bright, blue sky. "Must be nice having siblings. Always having a partner in crime and everything... well, I have one, but they're not my blood sibling." (Y/n) revealed, finishing his dango and going to grab the other one. 

Right when Tanjiro was going to ask him about them, (Y/n) interrupted him. "Tanjiro, look!" (Y/n) exclaimed, pointing down at a dazed-looking boy who was walking aimlessly down the road, his face shown to have hit marks as he dragged his feet. 

Looking over to where (Y/n) was pointing Tanjiro saw the dazed-looking man and smelled despair coming off of the man. 

"Oh, look, there's Kazumi."

"Poor thing, he looks so haggard."

"Because he was with Satoko when she was taken."

"Night after night... it's so creepy."

"It's so dreadful."

"When night falls, yet another young girl will be abducted!"

"Let's go!" Tanjiro yelled, falling off of the roof with the box behind his back. "Y-Yeah!" (Y/n) yelled back, grabbing Sho and quickly wrapping the other sweets back up, also jumping off of the roof and onto the ground, catching up with Tanjiro.

"Mr. Kazumi!" Tanjiro yelled out the dazed man's name, the man in return stopped walking and slowly turned around to stare at the two weirdly dressed males. "If you don't mind, I'd like to hear your story. Is that alright?" Tanjiro asked him, in the background (Y/n) was munching on the last piece of dango. 

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"This is where Satoko vanished. You two may not believe me." Kazumi stated. The quartet all stood near the walls that separated each estate from one another. "We believe you." (Y/n) reassured the male, patting his back as he was still cradling Sho. 

"We believe you, all right!" Tanjiro exclaimed, very serious about this mission. "I believe you!" Tanjiro stated once more, going down on the ground as he tried to catch the scent of any demon. "W-What is he doing?" Kazumi asked (Y/n) who just shrugged.

"Don't really know, but I think he's trying to smell for the demon's scent." (Y/n) explained, putting away the rest of his sweets inside of his obi. "Can... can you do something like that, too?" Kazumi asked him. This made (Y/n) chuckle. "Something like that, but I don't know how to use it as well as Tanjiro does with his. I never really practiced much with it so I suppose it's my fault." (Y/n) replied, Kazumi nodding in understanding. 

Looking up from where he was sniffing Tanjiro could smell red streaks faintly surrounding the street, oozing around as they swam together. 'There's still a faint trace of demon scent, but it's uneven, so to speak.' Watching as it disappeared Tanjiro's gaze hardened. 'There's something strange about this.' 

'Who are these kids anyways?' Kazumi questioned, touching the spot where Satoko's father punched him. 

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Now standing near the side of a house (Y/n) looked down at his friend as Tanjiro continued to sniff the wood. 'Tanjiro really looks like he's concentrating... I wish I could be able to do something, but me sensing aura's is completely useless here since I can't sense anything that was here a couple of hours ago.' (Y/n) sighed, feeling useless as he couldn't do anything to help his friend only to stand and watch. 

People looked down at the weird trio as Tanjiro continued to sniff the ground while Kazumi looked on the sidelines. 'Ah... Tanjiro really is awesome! Not even minding the stares that he's getting from others! Tanjiro's so cool!' (Y/n) fanboyed, sparkles surrounding his face as he looked down at Tanjiro in admiration. 

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Nightfall was soon upon them as the quartets walked down the empty street. Hours passed by the first time that they came here as Tanjiro was still trying to catch a whiff of fresh demon scent, not once losing his concentration. 

"I want you two would believe me. She really did vanish." Kazumi stated, looking at the two strangely dressed kids as they continued to walk. Both Tanjiro and (Y/n) stopped walking to face Kazumi, their expressions serious. "We believe you, Kazumi-san. After all, that's why we're here." (Y/n) reassured the male, Sho already gone from his arms and rested somewhere else. 

"Indeed, so please, believe in us as well." Tanjiro requested, his eyes stern. 

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

All three of them continued to walk down the empty and dark streets as darkness blanketed the sky, the stars barely visible as the clouds covered them from sight, the moon also not visible.

Continuing taking whiffs of air to try and track down the scent (Y/n) followed behind, observing his surroundings to make sure that nothing unexpected jumps at them. "You two are still gonna keep going?" Kazumi asked them, (Y/n) allowing Tanjiro to answer for them. "Yes." Tanjiro responded sternly, continuing sniffing the air. 

"Look how late it's gotten. I'm flattered that you two are concerned for me, but shouldn't you pick up again tomorrow and get some rest?" Kazumi questioned, this question making (Y/n) want to groan in sadness. 'More than anything, Kazumi-san. I want to rest more than anything.' (Y/n) silently cried, biting his handkerchief. 

Stopping as Tanjiro went down on the ground (Y/n) chuckled. "Those things are more active at night, you see, Kazumi-san. So, even if we wanted to, we currently can't afford to sleep as this is their active time." (Y/n) replied, anime tears going down his face as the dark circles under his eyes became more visible. 

"I've detected a new scent in this area. It's gotta be somewhere nearby." Tanjiro informed them, this making (Y/n) quickly stiffen up and place his hand near the hilt of his sword. 'I can't sense their aura anywhere! This is just sad.' (Y/n) bit his lip, already regretting not working on his senses.

"Those things..." Kneeling just like Tanjiro, Kazumi asked, "... don't tell me you two... you two seriously are..." 

Tanjiro stayed quiet as he continued to sniff the air, trying to locate the scent of the demon. "Tanjiro, it's probably on the other side-" Stopping as Tanjiro let out a loud gasp (Y/n) frowned and grasped the hilt of his sword, ready to follow Tanjiro wherever and kill the demon. 

"Let's go!" (Y/n) yelled at Kazumi, running after Tanjiro. "What's gotten into you two all of a sudden?" Kazumi asked them, watching as the two ran away towards where the demon was located. 'So fast!' 

"The scent just got stronger! The demon's at large!" Tanjiro informed (Y/n) as he nodded. "Noted!" (Y/n) replied, jumping up and following after Tanjiro as he leads them towards where the demon was. 'They jumped?' Kazumi thought, trying his best to catch up. 

'He spoke of demons... the Demon Slayer Corps... they really...' 

Jumping down on the ground harshly (Y/n) looked around the area, his senses going haywire. 'Calm down... take a deep breath... and let the gods guide you.' (Y/n) chanted in his head, remembering what Shigeru told him when he was a child and still not used to training. 

'This is it. They're here right now!' Tanjiro thought, pulling out his blade as (Y/n) did the same. Finally seeing the aura's coming towards them (Y/n) smirked, relieved that he still has some use after all. "Tanjiro, you focus on the left I focus on the right. Got it?" (Y/n) whispered at him, lowering his sword to get a better take on the human.

Tanjiro nodded, "Roger that."

'They're nowhere to be seen.' Tanjiro thought, looking over towards (Y/n) to see him looking intently at the ground, his gaze following something. Seeing this Tanjiro smiled in pride and followed (Y/n) gaze as he finally caught a small whiff of the human and demons scent. 

'But... the spot where the scent is strongest... is right here!' Plunging his sword inside the ground a black gas came out the ground. Standing near the place where (Y/n) saw Tanjiro plunge his sword (Y/n) saw someone's haori coming into the surface as (Y/n) quickly grabbed it, tugging it out of the hold of the demon on the other side as he jumped away from it, the girl safely in his arms. 

Landing on the ground (Y/n) saw the demon's outstretched hand clutching the piece of cloth in his hand tightly. Seeing the demon come out of the gooey substance (Y/n) stepped back and hid behind Tanjiro trying his best to get the girl away from the demon's view. 

'A morphed demon!' Tanjiro and (Y/n) thought at the same time. 'Sensei warned me about those! Demons who can use a special spell called the 'Blood Demon Art'! They supposedly surpass supernatural abilities.' (Y/n) remembered, the thought of his Sensei making him more determined to win. 

"Where are those girls you kidnapped?" Tanjiro demanded to know, glaring harshly at the demon. After Tanjiro said this the demon started to make a loud and horrible sound with his teeth as he ground them together. 

"I've got two more questions for you!" Tanjiro exclaimed, the gritting of teeth not stopping. 'He better stop before his teeth get severely damaged!' (Y/n) thought, wishing to cover his ears but not being able to due to carrying the unconscious girl. 

Thankfully, or not, the sound stopped once he went back inside wherever he came from, the black goo disappearing as well. 

'Now, the battle begins!' (Y/n) took a deep breath and let it out, heightening his senses as he tried to locate the demon once more. 

𑁍┊𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐑 ˎˊ˗

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ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴅᴀʏ/ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴍʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇꜱ!

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