Chapter Text
Yushiro scowled as he and his travelling companions walked through the crowded streets of Asakusa. It was difficult to stay close to Tamayo-sama when there were so many humans squeezing through. What's wrong with these people anyway, why would someone willingly pack themselves into the cities like sardines when there’s so much space in the rural areas?
The demon turned towards the only human of their group.
"Is this really necessary?" He asked, his irritation evident. Pale blue eyes gazed back at him, seemingly undisturbed by the human traffic.
"It is what Lady Tamayo wanted." She replied simply. Yuichiro huffed in annoyance.
"You could have gotten the blood sample like you did in the past!" He scolded.
"I have left the Demon Slayer Corps, and so my contact person to reach this demon was lost too." The former slayer replied smoothly. "If we want a blood sample, we will have to reach out to them directly."
"And you are so certain that they are here?" Yushiro asked sceptically. The lady continued to scan the crowd with her large pale blue eyes, focused on her task.
"Yes." She replied softly but confidently. Yuichiro folded his arms and grumbled under his breath.
"This better be worth it…" he muttered. Beside him, Tamayo frowned.
"Yushiro, be kind." She chided. The mint-haired demon straightened up immediately.
"Yes, Tamayo-sama! I apologise!" He backtracked quickly.
The trio stood amidst the crowded streets, watching people file past them. It was not long till they heard shouting a distance away.
"Kibutsuji Muzan! I won't let you get away! No matter where you run to, I will pursue you till the end of hell itself! I will remove that head of yours with my blade!"
As they approached the ruckus, they saw a teenage boy who wore a green chequered haori over his Demon Slayer uniform struggling to pin down a man. Or rather, a man who was freshly turned into a demon.
Helpless dismay washed over his features as the youth fought a losing war against the police, who thought that the man was simply drunk and causing public disturbance. He pleaded with them not to pull him away from the demon, for a normal human would not be able to hold him down, but the police, oblivious to his predicament, threatened to hit him. Tamayo stepped forward to intervene, while her human companion stepped back. Yushiro raised an eyebrow at the former slayer.
"What, you're not coming with Tamayo-sama ?" He asked in disbelief. The woman turned away and continued walking.
"He is a slayer. I cannot let him see me." She explained. "I will guard from a distance. If there are no issues, I'll meet you guys at home."
"What kind of-" Yushiro began his lecture, but stopped mid-sentence as he saw Tamayo stepping closer to the commotion. He hastily turned back towards his master.
"Tamayo-sama! It's not safe!" He warned.
The demon doctor did not reply to him. Instead, she pulled on the sleeves of her elaborate, floral kimono, exposed her arm, and raked a clawed hand through it, drawing blood.
Blood Bewitchment: Scent of Illusory Blood, Visual Dream.
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Tanjiro's mind was racing at a mile an hour, trying to comprehend what Tamayo was telling him.
She and Yushiro do not need to eat humans to live. Only human blood is enough. He felt some hope swell up in his chest.
"Tamayo-san, is there a way to turn a demon back into a human?" He asked earnestly.
Tamayo regarded the youth before her with compassionate eyes.
"Right now, there isn't. But I have a drug which could break demons from Kibutsuji Muzan's control. They will remain demons, but they would not be influenced by Kibutsuji Muzan's will, just like myself and Yuichiro." Tamayo explained. "It was the best I could do with the resources that I have on hand."
Tanjiro went into deep thoughts. The idea of breaking Nezuko from Kibutsuji Muzan's influence sounded good, but in the first palace, Nezuko was never aggressive, nor did she crave for any human blood. Taking the drug would mean little difference for her.
"Thank you for the kind offer, Tamayo-san. But what I had in mind was to turn Nezuko back into a human. She cannot continue living the life of a demon, even if she does not eat humans." He replied. "What would you need to develop a cure for demons?"
Tamayo's lavender eyes widened in surprise, taken aback by the youth's ambitious goals. But she quickly regained her composure.
"I need a large amount of demon blood to further our research. The higher the concentration of Kibutsuji Muzan's blood in them, the better." She said. "I have a companion who is trying to help, but the Twelve Kizukis are hard to find."
"The Twelve Kizukis?"
"Kibutsuji Muzan's twelve strongest demons." Tamayo explained patiently. Yushiro huffed in annoyance.
"You Demon Slayers had a productive time in the past few years, but you guys are just clearing out the low hanging fruits. The Twelve Kizukis are the ones who serve directly under Kibutsuji Muzan." He explained.
"So if I collect the blood of the Twelve Kizukis for your research, it would help you formulate a cure ?" Tanjiro clarified. Tamayo nodded.
"Yes. But Tanjiro-san, the Twelve Kizukis are very powerful. Even the Hashiras struggle against them." She said, her voice laced with concern. "Even so, are you willing to help?"
Tanjiro turned to look at his sister, his gaze loving. "If that is my only choice, then I would do it. If Tamayo-san is able to find a cure with the blood of the Twelve Kizukis…then it would not be just Nezuko; the lives of many more people will be saved too, right?"
Tamayo's expression turned from a look of surprise to gentle warmth. The child before her is selfless and courageous. How she wished there were more of such humans in this world. She was glad she made the decision to reach out to him and his sister directly.
"Yes." She replied with a fond smile.
**********
The leaves rustled, swaying gently to the winds which caressed rows of trees that stood in a moonlit night.
Two dark figures stealthily crept in the dark, their malicious intent radiating off in waves. Their demon lord had generously given them tremendous power, and they were in for a good hunt tonight.
One of the demons was a male youth with very short black hair, greyish skin, and wore an olive green kimono with a dark brown haori over it. He was kneeling on the ground with his eyes closed. He moved his palms just above the ground in a sweeping motion, using them to scan the ground like a detector of sorts. The eyes embedded in his palms picked up subtle imprints on the ground, invisible to the naked eye, and he smiled to himself. Beside him, a teenage girl of similar age and short black hair bounced a temari handball in her hands, grinning malevolently.
"Did you see it?" The girl asked.
"I see it. Footprints." The man replied with an affirmation. The girl chuckled.
"How are we going to kill them?" She contemplated aloud. Her partner-in-crime stood up, his eyes still closed, relying on the eyes on his hands to see instead.
"Well, of course we are going to slaughter them as cruelly as possible." He sneered.
The two demons prowled closer to their target; a tall brick wall which appeared to be someone's private property. The youth reached forward with his palms outstretched and walked through it easily, revealing the wall as what it truly was: a mere illusion, casted by a demon. His partner smirked at the cheap trick and followed her partner-in-crime, eager to see what lies beyond the fake wall.
She entered the wall and came out on the other side, stepping into a large, empty garden with a mansion standing regally in the middle. She gave a predatory grin and held up one of her handballs, ready to attack.
Just as she took another step forward, her line of vision tilted. She came to a standstill, confused about what was going on. But her vision continued to tilt and fall lower, lower, until it was upside down and she was looking up from the ground.
Her eyes snapped wide open in realisation as she stared at a dark figure wielding what looked like a double-bladed naginata. Pale blue eyes stared back calculatively, glinting in the moonlight.
This human had beheaded her before she even realised it. There was no pain at all. The demon's body, now headless, collapsed in a heap beside her.
"What…who are you?!" The demon demanded. "How did you-" her yellow eyes widened further in shock as she took in the prone form of her partner, who was similarly lying on the ground with his head detached from his body. He began crumbling into dust.
"No…this can't be…who are you?" She asked, uncertainty and fear laced in her voice as she too, began to disintegrate. Pale blue eyes continued staring down at her impassively.
"No one of importance," came the reply.
This cannot be. She had just gotten her new powers from her lord. She could not have been so easily defeated. Susamaru shrieked in fear and anger, her body clawing at the black hakama pants of the human in futile before she fully combusted into ashes, her remains carried away by the gentle winds of the night.
**********
Tanjiro looked up from his conversation with Tamayo.
"What was that sound?" He asked. Yushiro scoffed.
"What sound?" The demon returned the question. "Don't imagine things."
Tamayo smiled serenely at Tanjiro, unbothered by what he thought he heard.
"It's nothing important." She assured him. Tanjiro nodded and they continued with their conversation, blissfully unaware of the one-sided fight which unfolded outside the mansion.
After Tamayo informed him about the procedure of collecting blood samples from the demons he slain, she requested for a sample of Nezuko's blood. Tanjiro agreed readily, and after she was done, they left the mansion as quietly as they came. Yushiro waited till they were way out of earshot before speaking in the direction of a door leading to a room on the far right.
"What was that? So much for being discreet. The whole world and their grandmother could hear you." He scolded. A voice replied from behind the door.
"It's not my fault that the demon screamed bloody murder before she died."
"Is everything okay?" Tamayo asked worriedly. The door opened and out stepped a young lady with large pale blue eyes, dressed nondescriptly in shades of black and greys.
"I have taken care of the attackers for now, but we must leave at once. Kibutsuji Muzan will know of your location through his demons." The lady said calmly, but there was a tone of urgency in her voice. Tamayo nodded at her human companion and regarded both her and Yushiro.
"I understand. Let us leave at once."
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