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βββββββββββββββββ Chapter 18 ββ
βΫͺΫͺཻུ β β We're the same, but different
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'Did I just get taken out? Both of my other selves got taken out by those two guys!' Rage and confusion swam around the panicked demon's thoughts, his torn-off arms now faded as blood continued spewing out of his open wound. Never in a million years would he have thought he could have been defeated by someone as weak-looking as Tanjiro and (Y/n).
Tanjiro seemed too sweet and gentle to ever detach someone's arms, and (Y/n) looked too kind and soft to ever brutally murder a demon. Well, to him, it was brutal murder since the method of murder was execution. Two kids who looked like angels now had demon blood on their hands.
(Y/n) scanned the area, wary of sensing another unexpected demon to come out and bounce them when their hopes of it happening were low. 'The least I can do is keep a lookout for Tanjiro and Nezuko-chan while they're taking care of him. Though, who am I kidding? Tanjiro will sense them long before I ever could.' Shaking his head softly at the thought, a melancholy gleam crossed his eyes before he promptly pushed the feeling away.
"You give off a scent like rotten oil. It's a horrible smell!" Tanjiro abruptly shouted, his face disgusted as the tip of his sword was well close enough to the demon. Feeling sad for the demon (Y/n) placed a hand on Tanjiro's shoulder. "Tanjiro! Not everyone has a lot of time to take baths, so please, be a little more humane on the guy." (Y/n) pleaded, glancing over at the demon as a look of sympathy crossed his features.
'Is this guy stupid?' The demon thought, a look of pure disbelief on his face as he stared at the worried kid. Noticing that the demon was staring at (Y/n), Tanjiro moved to the left to block his gaze as Tanjiro's glare hardened.
"Don't even think about staring at (Y/n)!" Tanjiro spat, his face hardening as the demon's scent continued to burn his nostrils. "How many people have you killed?!" Tanjiro interrogated him in an angered tone, his handle on the sword tight.
"Listen! If women live any longer, they turn ugly and start tasting like crap! So we killed them for their own good!" The demon retorted aloud, sounding as if he was the one being falsely accused. "Please, don't lie Demon-sama. Whatever the reason why you killed those women I know it wasn't out of the pure good, so don't even try to justify your vile actions!" (Y/n) suddenly remarked, looking over at the demon as he drew his sword out.
"May only the gods have mercy on your miserable, tortured soul." (Y/n) whispered solemnly, an anguished look on his face as he looked down at the demon, the blood still obvious in his view of all the women that he murdered. 'I can see it all, Demon-sama. Your sins, your regrets, all the blood. All but a small price to pay to save this corrupted race just like the gods wished for me to do.' This thought was the only thing keeping (Y/n) going. Keeping him from turning away, as he could see everything that the demons have been doused in, even all the blood.
(Y/n) had good eyes.
Spitting at the boy's words, (Y/n) didn't flinch as his spit hit his shoes with the demon looking back up at the two, his resentment clear in his full-red eyes. "You should be thankful to us demons-" Slashing the demon across the mouth, Tanjiro looked down at the demon in bitterness, his eyes focused solely on where his mouth was.
Blood poured out in significant amounts as the demon still sat there on the ground, not being able to get up as he felt like a cornered animal. Him? Who was a demon? How pathetic.
Gasping at what Tanjiro did, (Y/n) clenched Tanjiro's shoulder lightly but sternly, his eyes disapproving as he overlooked the blood that was pouring out in considerable amounts from the mouth of the demon knowing that he wasn't able to do anything to ease the demons damages, or wounds.
"Tanjiro! Why would you do that?! At least let him speak first-"
"It wasn't because of that, (Y/n)." Tanjiro cut in, his face downcast as he gripped his sword in his hands. Tilting his head to the side (Y/n) looked at his friend in confusion, not getting what he was implying.
"Then what is it?" (Y/n) asked, thankful that he wasn't cut off like all the other times. After a brief pause, Tanjiro sighed and shook his head, turning his attention over at him, giving (Y/n) an apologetic smile. "Never mind, (Y/n)." Patting (Y/n) head affectionately, Tanjiro spoke once more. "Nevermind."
Still confused, (Y/n) let it go as he paid his attention back over at the demon. Noticing the cold eyes of the child, a chill ran up the demon's spine, backing away as (Y/n) neared where he was, his instincts telling him something was... off.
"Now," Flinching as the bright glint of a Nichirin sword flashed in his vision, his breath hitched as (Y/n) eyes narrowed down at the man. "tell us where we can find Muzan Kibutsuji... please." Not being able to not say the word "please" after asking someone for something out of habit, Tanjiro groaned in dissatisfaction as a loud smack was heard.
"I'm sorry, okay?! I just can't help it! It slipped out so easily!" (Y/n) spun around quickly with a wronged expression, obviously disappointed that he, himself, could not stop himself from saying "please" to a demon. While (Y/n) continued apologizing to Tanjiroβand with him repeatedly telling him it was alrightβeveryone ignored the quivering demon as the name continued to ring inside his thoughts.
Muzan Kibutsuji
Muzan Kibutsuji
Muzan Kibutsuji
Muzan Kibutsuji-
The figure of a man. His eyes were unseeable, but the familiar white-colored fedora showed who the man was. The man's pointed finger pressed lightly down on his lips. His lips worked in a stern line.
"Answer his question!" Tanjiro snapped, standing behind (Y/n) as said male remained on intimidating the demon with his sword. "Where is he?" (Y/n) urged him, his eyes set in a glare as a tight-lipped frown settled on his lips, his posture precise and straight as the moon seemed to make his figure look more daunting.
"Where is Muzan Kibutsuji?" (Y/n) asked once more, his tone calm yet serious, his eyes depicting such emotions as well. Looking over at his friend, Tanjiro stared in shock at how (Y/n) acted. Sure, he's seen him serious before, but never like this. 'Does this have something to do with Muzan? No! There's no way (Y/n), of all people, would want to know where he is. So why?' As Tanjiro continued questioning his friend's peculiar behavior (Y/n) thrust his sword closer to the demon, no longer hesitating on giving mercy if his question wasn't answered.
"Well? I'm waiting." (Y/n) pushed him on, his cold gaze making the demon shiver more than he already was as he sweated profusely, both the cold-gazed males making him wish to shrink back into his safe haven on where he killed so many young girls. It was his haven, though.
"I-I can't tell you." The demon finally replied, but it wasn't what both Tanjiro and (Y/n) wished to hear. Frowning further at what the demon said (Y/n) felt more restless to find out the information of the important demon's whereabouts. (Y/n) needs to find him, no matter what. No one can break a promise to a god.
"I can't tell you."
"I can't tell you."
"I can't tell you!"
Flinching at the sudden apprehension on telling them anything, (Y/n) could see his fear. It was everywhere; it was surrounding the demon's figure as it began making (Y/n) eyes water due to how stifling it made him feel. Stepping away from the demon (Y/n) could see that the demon was recalling something horrid.
"You musn't tell."
Holding the demon up with only one arm without effort, Muzan looked up at the man with a shadow being cast over his face, hiding his expression from the choking demon. Froth came out of the mouth of the demon as his eyes looked strained with blood coming out from his mouth in a stream work.
"You mustn't tell anyone about me." Lifting a finger to his lips, Muzan spoke calmly, "If you do tell anyone, I'll know right away. I'm always watching you."
The stillness of his figure. The calmness of his voice. The confidence of it his voice. The pain, the threats, the trauma.
"I can't tell you!"
"I can't tell you!"
"I can't tell you!"
"I can't tell you!"
"I can't tell you!"
'The smell of fear is strong. He's trembling all the way down to his bones!' Tanjiro thought in astonishment, not expecting this from a demon. 'Oh, just make his pain stop! Why must this be so cruel?!' (Y/n) thought in grief, his eyes blurry as his hold on his blade tightened.
"I can't tell you, alright?!" The demon suddenly screeched out, regrowing his arms as he went to attack (Y/n) only for him to already have regained his poise from earlier. "I'm sorry." With that last whisper, (Y/n) swung his sword across his neck, hacking off his head.
Soon after, his whole body dissipated as it crumpled up into small wisps and then flew into the wind, disappearing altogether. Staring at where the demon once stood (Y/n) bowed his head and prayed for the gods to take him into their arms. Standing back up (Y/n) sheathed back his sword with a tired sigh, the death of the demon making him feel slightly sorrowfully.
'No matter what my mission is, the death of such an important creature to fly away will always be something I'll never forgive myself for.' Patting the hilt of his sword, (Y/n) fixed his frazzled hair as he tried to calm down his breathing. His eyes opened wide as he surveyed the area, trying to see if that was the last of them.
"Don't worry," Placing a hand on (Y/n) shoulder, Tanjiro gave him a comforting smile. "that was the last of them." Giving him a thankful nod (Y/n) glanced back over at the passed-out girl and the perplexed boy, his eyebags visible as he looked at the scene in bewilderment.
"Once again, I failed to get any information." Tanjiro whispered, sheathing back his sword as he went to turn around only for (Y/n) to stop him. Looking at Tanjiro in the eyes (Y/n) gave him a bright, warm smile. "Don't worry, Tanjiro! We only investigated about ten, which were low-level demons, so don't give out on me and Nezuko yet." (Y/n) giggled, happy to see Tanjiro loosen up a bit at his words of optimism.
"Thanks, (Y/n)-" Widening his eyes in realization, Tanjiro quickly spun around as his panicked eyes landed on a restedβbut woundedβNezuko. "Nezuko!" Tanjiro yelled out in worry, (Y/n) seeing the cute girls state making him also panic and run over towards her, the bandages that were tucked safely inside his obi now being taken out desperately as he went to bandage her head to lessen the blood by pressing on the wound only for the hand of Tanjiro to stop him.
"(Y/n), Nezuko can heal herself, so don't worry about the bandages." Tanjiro explained to him, this making (Y/n) blush in embarrassment as he nodded obediently and moved back, letting the two have some time to themselves. "She's asleep." Tanjiro said calmly, his eyes soft as he tenderly touched his sister's head.
Smiling down gently at the scene, the words that the demon said to him earlier crossed his mind, making him shake his head frantically, though the words seemed to have spoken some wisdom to his thoughts as he couldn't get it out of his head.
'Well, it isn't true, so I shouldn't even worry about it. Yeah, I won't.' Smiling at his idea (Y/n) snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Tanjiro apologize to his sister, something that surprised him as he knew that there was nothing he had to say sorry for. Tanjiro didn't trip her or anything, so what gives?
"Sorry, I'm so sorry. Wait just a little longer, okay? I promise to turn you back into a human again!" Tanjiro promised Nezuko once more, pressing their foreheads together as a sign that his promise was genuine and sealed.
Placing a hand on Tanjiro's shoulder, (Y/n) bent down and smiled down at him. "We'll help your sister become human together. Alright?" (Y/n) asked him in a teasing voice only for him to suddenly panic as he waved around his hands in denial, not wishing for (Y/n) to get sad.
"Of course! Why would I ever not include you!" Tanjiro exclaimed, nervous as to not make (Y/n) sad by something that he might have said. Sweat dropping at his actions (Y/n) grabbed both of his hands and gave them a small squeeze. "Don't worry, Tanjiro, I didn't mean it like that!" (Y/n) explained making Tanjiro suddenly embarrassed.
"A-Ah, yeah, sorry." Chuckling at his sudden outburst (Y/n) remembered about Nezuko making him pull Tanjiro down on the ground towards Nezuko as he also reminded Tanjiro what they should worry about now.
Also remembering about his sister, Tanjiro felt awful about getting carried away and forgetting about her as he placed the carrier on the floor, softly moving Nezuko inside and closing the door tightly making sure that Nezuko wouldn't be able to fall out and burn in broad daylight.
Glancing over at Kazumi, (Y/n) tilted his head seeing as Kazumi now looked more disturbed than and petrified than he did not too long ago, though he couldn't blame him because he, too, broke down when he saw his sensei kill a live demon in front of him, though I guess it wasn't alive anymore.
Feeling pity for the traumatized boy, (Y/n) walked slowly over towards the kneeling boy with Tanjiro looking over at (Y/n) in curiosity, not sure what he was going to do. Staring down at Kazumi, (Y/n) sighed and placed a hand on the poor boy's shoulder, the passed-out girl laying on the stone walls.
"Kazumi-san?" Calling out his name (Y/n) eyes softened as the boy looked up at him to meet his gaze, the shaking eyes of Kazumi remembering himself too much of his own. Kneeling, (Y/n) gave Kazumi his best smile that he could muster, unclenching his tightened fists.
"Take a deep breath, okay? The demon is gone now, so there's now no need to worry." (Y/n) reassured him, his smile bright as his innocent eyes widened. Staring at the positive male, Kazumi's expression stayed the same, though a small scowl stretched across his lips
"I've lost my fiancee." Tears sprang out of his brown eyes as he looked down, the tears coming out in large proportions as they washed away the mud and dirt that covered his face. "How can I just relax?" Kazumi asked him, his sadness and rage consuming (Y/n) sight making him flinch back.
Trying not to frown (Y/n) continued giving him a reassuring smile, hoping that it would make the male calm down a little, but it didn't.
"Kazumi-san, no matter who you lose, you'll always have someone out there caring for you. So please, don't be defeated so easily. Live for them. No matter how much pain and hardships you may meet, survive for them." (Y/n) encouraged him, his hand still clutching gently at his shoulder. Fury consumed his thinking as all the pain and grieving that he's gone through finally broke free, making him grab onto the scruff of (Y/n) haori as he pulled him closer. Though (Y/n) didn't seem fazed, already knowing what he was going to do because of Kazumi's feelings.
"What do you know about it? A little kid like you?!" Kazumi yelled angrily, his face contorted into rage as he continued pulling (Y/n) closer to him. Even though (Y/n) was slightly hurt by the male's reaction, he couldn't blame him. That man has gone through enough that past week.
Standing beside (Y/n), Tanjiro grabbed onto Kazumi's wrist that was pulling at (Y/n) gently showing his gruff, splintered hands. Giving Kazumi a sad smile (Y/n) felt his grasp leave his haori, with Tanjiro helping to pull it away. Soon the sun rose as it gave the sky a sublime look. A few wisps of clouds strewed across the vast sky.
With the help of Tanjiro, (Y/n) got back up as the expression of Kazumi relaxed, his own pity being directed towards the two. "If you excuse us, we'll be on our way now." Tanjiro declared, holding (Y/n) hand firmly as he looked down at Kazumi calmly. Reaching into his haori, Tanjiro pulled out a small patch of cloth that seemed to have been shredded off.
"Take this." Gasping in surprise, Kazumi reached out to grab it, taking it from Tanjiro's hand as he examined it. "I hope you'll find something of Miss Satoko's in there." Tanjiro hoped, looking down as Kazumi slowly opened it while his body quivered. At the sight of the large, red bow, Kazui wept, joyous yet grieved at the memory that he received from his past love. There were also several other ornaments in there belonging to the other girls who were captured and killed. At least the last thing left from them was now in safe hands.
Painful sobs erupted from the boy as Tanjiro bowed and turned around, walking away as he carried Nezuko along with him. Staying back (Y/n) continued looking down at the grieving male, wishing to comfort him but was being held back by his gut.
'I lost no one, so I have no right to comfort him. Right now, he should be alone with the last thing of his childhood. But still...' Biting his lip (Y/n) glanced over his shoulder to see that Tanjiro still hasn't noticed that he hasn't followed along with him, and so, (Y/n) kneeled and wrapped Kazumi in a hug the best that he could; comforting, but not too suffocating. Warm like the sun, but as loving as the moon.
Kazumi's wailing became louder as he felt the comfort of the male that he scrutinized hugging him, though he didn't cry more out of an added sadness; no, it was because he knew in that instant that little child has felt more pain than he ever has. The hug told him of that, and yet (Y/n) still smiled.
"(Y/n)! Come on!" Hearing the urgent voice of Tanjiro, (Y/n) slowly backed away from the hug and looked down at the silently crying male in worry, not wishing to leave him alone so soon. "Coming, Tanjiro!" (Y/n) called back, reluctantly turning his face away from the crying male before giving him a last glance, turning back around and running as fast as he could to keep up with Tanjiro.
Once being by Tanjiro's side (Y/n) stopped running and began to calmly walk, the morning sun quickly rising.
Feeling something in his handsβother than the ornament-filled clothβKazumi glanced down only to see a small brown bag filled with what felt like to be flower petals and a small seed on the very bottom.
Looking back up at the two, Kazumi looked at them in heartache. 'So you went through the same thing, too? Is that it?' Watching as the two were not further away from his Kazumi went to call out to them only to pause, the words slightly stuck.
"I'm sorry! That was an awful thing to say! Please forgive me! I'm so sorry!" Kazumi yelled out. His words were sincere making the two turn around slowly. Waving goodbye at the male, Tanjiro turned his head to the left only to chuckle as he saw (Y/n) wave in a child-like manner, making Tanjiro's heart melt at the sight.
'His hands were heart-breaking to see. Hardened by relentless training and so thick. And the other male's eyes looked so warm and comforting, so inviting and trusting, but yet the small emotion that he allowed to share with me showed that he was suffering. Those weren't boys...'
"We're leaving the misses in your care, Kazumi-san!" (Y/n) yelled in a tireless voice, pumped up to see what the two of them would do next. With the rest of his tears slowly trailing down his cheeks, Kazumi gave a determined nod.
"All right! All right..." Kazumi said faintly, the rest of his tears now falling onto his lap.
βββ Β· γοΎβ: *.β½ .* :βοΎ. βββ
'It's not just me. How many people have you killed, tortured, and tormented? Muzan Kibutsuji, I'll never forgive you for as long as I live!' Coming to a halt as his fists clasped tight, Tanjiro glared down at the ground with the thought of Muzan hurting so many people. Oh, how he loathed that man.
Hearing that Tanjiro had stopped walking (Y/n) stopped as well and turned around, concerned over his friend. "Tanjiro, are you-"
"Caw! Caw!"
"Master! Master!"
Hearing the call of both of their birds, both Tanjiro and (Y/n) peered up as they dived and landed on their respective masters. Petting Sho, (Y/n) giggled in happiness as he saw Sho give a pleasing flap of his wings in return.
"Next up, Asakusa, Tokyo! Rumors of a demon lurking there!" The crow of Tanjiro announced loudly, landing on his shoulder as Tanjiro winced in surprise. "I'm heading to my next mission already?" Tanjiro inquired in disbelief while both Sho and (Y/n) watched.
"Oh yes, you are!" His crown replied, making (Y/n) give Tanjiro a sympathetic smile. "Well, I suppose I should accompany you as well-"
"No! Master!" Sho interrupted him, covering (Y/n) eyes with his wings making (Y/n) slightly panic. "You are to go to the small town just south of here called Chiharu! Immediately!" Sho announced, making both Tanjiro and (Y/n) sigh in disillusionment.
"Wait, hold on!"
"Yeah, just a minute!"
"No can do!"
"Hurry, master! Your time is short!"
"Please, just a minute-!"
"Just shut up and follow your Kasugai Crows!"
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Κα΄α΄ α΄ α΄ Ι’α΄α΄α΄ α΄ α΄Κ/Ι΄ΙͺΙ’Κα΄ α΄Κ Κα΄α΄ α΄κ±!
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