Chapter 4: Miyamoto

"Sleep, child~"

He could see scenes of recent carnage. Fierce fire burning through all the houses. People were screaming as they were slowly being burned alive by the ruins of their own home. He could smell the smoke of charred bodies.

Blood spattered the floor as people killed themselves against their will. There was no reason for this slaughter, but demons did it anyways in a foolish attempt to survive, or for enjoyment. Most likely both.

It was a total Armaggeddon.

Kazuki wanted to move his arms and legs, only to find out they were unresponsive. His body didn't let him perform any actions. He wanted to run, but he couldn't. He wanted to punch himself in the face to wake up from this nightmare. All for nothing. He could only move his eyes.

He scanned his surroundings.

Top.

Left.

Right.

He looked all over the place, trying to find a reason for all the bloodshed. But he knew better than anyone that killing has no moral reason, it came with one's uncontrollable desires. That was the sad reality that was forced into Kazuki.

Because of that reality, Kazuki remembered the place he was in. His eyes widened and tears started to well up.

Amakusa, one of the four main islands of Japan. While the place always had to endure harsh conditions, one couldn't deny that it was a place filled with the happiness of hardworking people who always had each other's back.

All of that happiness crumbled to the ground. All because one demon decided to show up.

"Don't wake up, child~"

That voice. That damn voice echoed all the way inside of his head. It was as seductive as it was infuriating. It needed to stop.

"It's all just a funny dream..."

Death is not fun, it serves no purpose in life, it merely ends it.

This voice wanted to sprout nonsense inside his brain.

"Do I have to come for you~?"

He blinked once and his face blanched. Two big light blue eyes stared at him directly. He could recognize that dreaded kanji that was engraved in the demon's left eye.

Lower Moon One

Why does this memory keep coming back to him? Is it really that hard to forget the past?

Stop. Stop. Stop.

"You can't run away forever Kazuki-kun~"

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"STOP!"

Waking up after a nightmare felt like hell. One had to deal with the symptoms after the experience. Kazuki's breath became shallow and ragged. His face was drenched in sweat. He felt hot all over the place.

He tried to focus by closing his eyes. He focused on the faint sound of the wind and moving roots.

He took a deep breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

He felt his heart rate getting slower. Now he could make sense of what was going on and focus thoroughly.

Why did that memory decide to haunt him again? After all this time?

Kazuki had presented symptoms of insomnia in the past, but they had calmed down as he stayed more with Tamayo. Was he starting to miss her already?

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a light tap on his knee. He looked down into it.

Chachamaru held a handkerchief in her mouth as she lightly tapped her paw on Kazuki's hand. The little kitty went through all the trouble of opening his bag to fetch what Kazuki needed the most. He smiled.

It was always good to have a reliable partner in these situations.

Kazuki grabbed the handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

Chachamaru meowed, catching the white-haired boy's attention.

"It's okay buddy, just a weird dream, that's all," Kazuki said as he patted the feline's head. She purred at his touch. He went towards his bag and grabbed a small case. He opened the case and grabbed a piece of raw chicken. "You hungry? Catch."

He threw the food up in the air. Chachamaru jumped swiftly and caught the chicken. She started to devour it.

Kazuki grinned and made a thumbs up.

"Good girl," he said as he grabbed his bag. "Come on, we should get going. We have a visitor waiting for us in the next town."

She jumped on top of Kazuki's head.

Kazuki sighed and walked forward towards the next town. It was time to have an audience with the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps.

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Urawa was very well known for its optimistic atmosphere. Every single corner of the town brimmed with life. People were working as hard as they could. They smiled and laughed without having a care in the world.

What made Urawa stand out from the rest of the towns was its huge variety of food. It had sushi, ramen, dumplings—

No! He had to focus. His contact waited for him inside of a Shinto shrine and he couldn't make him wait much longer. It was 1 P.M. He was supposed to go to the shrine at midday.

He sighed, he would have had Chachamaru guide him towards the shrine if it wasn't sleeping on top of his head.

That was until he caught a sniff of recently steamed bread to his right side.

The dumplings just came out of the pot…

The old lady by the stand seemed to notice as she waved her frail hand to Kazuki. He walked towards the stand.

"Young man, care to try out our cuisine?" she asked as she pointed towards the steaming pot.

Meat dumplings…

On second thought, his contact could wait a little bit more.

One hour passed…

With a full stomach and a clear head, Kazuki set forth to meet his contact.

Making them wait was a little rude on his part, but food was food, and he would never refuse to eat a good meal.

He sighed as he walked across town, analyzing his surroundings for any signs that indicated that there was a shrine nearby. He needed to find a torii.

A torii was a symbolic gateway that separated the sacred land and ordinary land. It was made out of wood and built with two uprights and two cross pieces. Various gateways represented different gods but Kazuki wasn't very knowledgeable in Shintoism, so he didn't pay much attention to which god the gate belonged to.

"Now… where the hell is that shrine?" Kazuki mused as he strolled around the town. He looked sideways for any signs of his objective.

It frustrated him that the letter that they sent to Tamayo contained the date of the meeting, but the details of the location were very vague.

'You will know when you see it.'

What did it mean that he would know when he saw it? He wasn't a fortune teller.

He stopped as soon as he saw the torii of the shrine. Kazuki blinked and scrubbed his eyes.

"Shit..."

Stairs. An infinite amount of stairs. Kazuki squinted as he tried his best to see what lay on top of the mountain, only for it to be shrouded by the rest of the clouds. The path was long, way too long!

So that was why no one told him about the exact place.

He sighed. Talk about Karma.

He started to climb up the stairs, step by step.

He would definitely get to the top.

Any minute now…

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A woman kneeled in front of Susanoo's altar. She had pale but healthy skin and her lustrous white hair was tied in a ponytail.

It is said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a hurricane around the world. Every single choice, every single action one takes matters as much as the actions one doesn't take.

Those words came out of her husband's mouth, Ubuyashiki Kagaya. It was considered the code of the Ubuyashiki family and the essence as to why they supported Demon Slayers across generations.

Amane picked up this principle as well. She wanted to make sure that her actions carried the same weight as her husband's in the search for strong individuals to take down Muzan.

While Miyamoto Kazuki, brother of the Ice Pillar, looked like a promising candidate to join their forces, recruiting him would prove to be a troublesome task.

Finding him proved hard enough because he was kept hidden from the corps for a long time. This was a personal request from Tamayo, the person whom the slayers had kept contact with over the past years. The reason why she kept Kazuki hidden from the corps proved to be a valid concern, as the boy seemed mentally weak when handling situations related to them.

As much as Amane hated to admit, the boy's resentment towards the corps was…not at all unreasonable. Similar cases had appeared ever since Muzan started his reign of terror, and the Demon Slayer had to bear this guilt as part of the job, as they were unable to control the terrible events that could happen within the world. They couldn't be everywhere at all times.

Amane's thoughts were interrupted as she heard sounds coming from behind. She finished her meditation as she gave one final prayer. She stood up and turned to look at the source.

It was a boy with white hair with blue strands. His eyes were light blue like the sky on a sunny day.

Amane could tell that this boy bore a strong resemblance to the Ice Pillar, so she was sure that he was Miyamoto Kazuki.

But there was something odd about him. He was panting, heavily. His clothes were drenched in sweat and his face seemed as red as a tomato. Did something happen to him on the way here?

Didn't he notice the cat that was sleeping on top of his head? It could possibly be his familiar…

The boy entered the shrine and started to quickly look around. Amane started to approach him.

"Did you purify yourself?" Amane asked calmly.

Kazuki turned to look at her. His eyebrows rose. "Purify…?"

Amane sighed and grabbed a nearby wooden bucket. She went towards the pond and started to fill it with sacred water.

Kazuki walked forwards and looked between her and the pond.

"What are you–"

Whatever sound that wanted to come out of his mouth was silenced as soon as Amane poured the entire bucket of water into Kazuki's face. She kept her stoic expression as she watched the young man cough up the water that got into his throat. The calico cat opened its eyes and shivered from the cold water. It dropped from the young man's forehead and sent a loud hiss to the woman before it started to run away.

Amane simply left the empty bucket on the floor.

Kazuki kept a deadpan face as he stared intently at the priestess. He took a long deep breath.

"…Normally, I would be angry if someone dropped a bucket full of water on me, but given that I had to climb up an innumerable amount of stairs and I was sweating like crazy, that bath was very much needed."

Amane got a towel from inside her kimono and handed it to the boy. Kazuki took it and wrapped himself with the towel.

"Pardon me, but it is part of our tradition. You must be purified before entering any Shinto Shrine," Amane stated bluntly. "I assume that you must be Miyamoto Kazuki?"

Kazuki's eyes widened and he started to slowly back away. Amane smiled. It seemed that this boy was a cautious one. A nice trait to have in demon-slaying missions.

"I never told you my name…" he muttered.

"I apologize, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ubayashaki Amane, I'm the wife of the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. My husband's health is quite poor, so he was unable to come here as requested. I'm here on his behalf," she said as she bowed politely. Kazuki eased his posture. He nodded.

"You took quite some time to get here," Amane remarked.

Kazuki looked away. "I was doing some important business..." he said as he caressed his arm. He shook his head and glared at the priestess. "Anyway, I had a bunch of questions for the leader, not you."

Amane paid no heed to the boy's rudeness and nodded. "And I will answer them to the best of my ability. Please, let us go outside, we shouldn't disturb the gods like this."

She walked towards the backyard, with Kazuki tagging along. She bathed herself in the gentle breeze of the garden. The boy felt it too as he closed his eyes and regulated his breath.

Such is the power of the garden, it allows you to clear your mind and enter into a stage of Zen.

The pleasant silence made it perfect to talk about sensitive topics.

"The message sent by Tamayo-sama told us that you wanted to speak to my husband and the Ice Pillar," Amane said as they strolled around the garden. "Unfortunately, Miyamoto Junichiro is currently on a mission, so you will have to wait for his return."

Kazuki blinked. "When will he come back?"

"That I don't know, but you can wait for him in his house. He lives in the Butterfly Estate. I can give you the address so you can meet up with him as soon as he comes back," Amane said. "Do you perhaps have a piece of paper?"

Kazuki said nothing and opened his bag. He pulled out an old journal and a pen, ripped off one page from the journal, and handed it to Amane.

"You have my thanks," she said as she started to write on the piece of paper.

She wrote all the possible details to make sure the kid didn't get lost. She handed back the paper. Kazuki took it and started to read its contents. He nodded.

"Now then, I assume you didn't come here just to ask where to find your brother. You wanted to discuss something important with my husband, right?"

Kazuki stopped walking. Amane took notice of it and stopped in her tracks.

"Yes... " Kazuki said, looking away from her. "I wanted to know what happened to the slayers that didn't come to The Island of Amakusa four years ago… when we literally begged for your help."

Amane sighed. She saw this question coming from a mile away. "Very well. Please, follow me."

She walked towards the nearby shrine of Susanoo and kneeled in front of him. Kazuki took a seat cross-legged.

"Please respect the gods, Kazuki-san." She raised her tone but kept her stoic expression. "I will not answer your questions unless you take the appropriate stance. We're not in a place where you can do whatever you want."

Kazuki growled and did what he was told. He changed his posture into the appropriate kneeling position, which was sitting on one's knees. Amane nodded.

The silence was suffocating. Neither of them spoke as Amane was busy gathering her thoughts. This topic came from Kazuki's personal issues, so she had to construct her response in a manner that wouldn't upset the boy. She wasn't sure if that would be even possible.

"…Two days before the incident, we were informed about the demon attack that occurred in Amakusa. We sent two of our Pillars to deal with it, alongside other high ranked slayers."

"It took twelve hours for the demon to find and kill everyone," Kazuki said as he clenched his fists into balls. "Yet they never arrived… why?"

"That's because a mighty enemy intercepted them. It was the Upper Moon Two," Amane explained. "Out of twenty slayers, only two people survived."

Kazuki gulped. The boy looked stunned by this piece of information, and he had a very good reason to look surprised. People that fought against Upper Moons didn't live to tell the tale, even if they were on Pillar level strength. No one had managed to defeat an Upper Moon ever since Rengoku Shigeru's victory 100 years ago.

"I'm surprised they even survived that battle…" Kazuki muttered.

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"It was a huge loss for the corps. That fateful day, we lost one of our Flower Pillar, Kocho Kanae." Amane frowned as she remembered that fateful day. The devastation. If it wasn't because of the Flame Pillar's optimism, Junichiro would have killed himself. She thanked the gods for his assistance.

Amane would have kept dwelling on those thoughts if she didn't notice how Kazuki reacted to this information. She would have thought that he would be indifferent to it, but she was mistaken.

He started to sweat bullets as he placed his palm on his forehead. Amane's eyes widened. She didn't expect that type of reaction from him.

Interesting. She had to choose her next words carefully to get the information she wanted.

She would stay in silence until the kid calmed down. No one was going to tell you concrete information when they were panicking. As the kid began to ease his posture, Amane opened her mouth.

"Excuse me… did you perhaps meet our former Pillar before?" she asked, her tone soft.

Kazuki took a deep breath and sighed. "No, I have not met her," he said as he bit his lip. "But my mother and I were supposed to meet her… as my brother's betrothed."

Amane's eyes widened. So that was it! Of course, he would know about the Ice Pillar's relationship with the former Flower Pillar. Important news like that was supposed to be shared between the family first.

"So, because the slayer fought against an Upper Moon, they weren't able to come to save everyone from my village…" Kazuki gritted his teeth as he clenched his hands in the fabric of his trousers. "Another promise was broken by unfortunate circumstances. At least that guy is still alive…"

Amane raised an eyebrow. That guy? It seemed that their brotherly relationship was sour. She hoped that they would make amends soon.

Pushing that thought aside, another issue piqued Amane's interest. The kid was not as naïve as young people tended to be. He had already experienced betrayal. Once a promise was broken, 'sorry' meant nothing.

It was understandable that he didn't trust the corps. However, that mindset would prove to be troublesome if he joined the corps.

To kill demons, one needed teamwork to be successful. Working alone was a death sentence when hunting a demon. Even the stubborn and volatile Wind Pillar understood this.

Amane needed to gain his trust.

"It was our fault for our own lack of planning. We didn't take into account that the route they were going to take was going to be linked to an Upper Moon," Amane said as she bowed abruptly. "For that, we are truly sorry."

As much as Amane desired to have Kazuki on their side, the words she spoke were the truth. They failed to save someone who asked them for help, and that would be a burden they'd have to bear.

She stayed in that position long enough to wonder why the kid hadn't said anything to her.

She raised her head to see that Kazuki was looking at her with a deadpan face.

He sighed. "Your apology will not resurrect anyone from my village."

She stood up and coughed awkwardly. "I know we can't amend our actions done in the past, so we can understand your desire to not join us. But… we could very well use someone of your caliber on our ranks. A descendant of the Sword Saint is someone that can help us greatly in our battle with the demons."

Kazuki frowned. Looks like Amane's proposal didn't seem to get to him.

"Why do people assume this? Just because my last name is 'Miyamoto' doesn't mean I'm a descendant of Musashi," he muttered as he narrowed his eyes at her. "History says that The Sword Saint only had three sons. All adopted. Not once he had a blood relative, and even if he did, there is no way it would pass centuries unnoticed. Please stop making worthless assumptions."

Miyamoto Musashi was known as one of the best swordsmen of his time. He was known as someone who didn't lose a battle once in his life thanks to his flawless strategies and prowess with the sword. A philosopher like no other.

Kazuki spoke the truth. The Sword Saint only adopted three sons and not once he had a true son. Amane knew that books of history would rarely lie, so maybe she'd just found out an interesting piece of information regarding Kazuki's hometown.

There was a shrine dedicated to Miyamoto Musashi in the islands of Amakusa. Also, the Ice Pillar and Kazuki were born in that place. Coincidence? Amane didn't think of it that way.

Musashi had made various enemies across his lifetime, so it would be understandable that if he ever had blood children, he would've kept them in secret. She asked The Ice Pillar about his ancestors as well, but even he didn't know about it. It wouldn't surprise her that Kazuki would be ignorant to this matter as well.

Even with that in mind, Amane persisted.

"Actions speak louder than words, Kazuki-san. From what I've read from the report of the slayer, Kamado Tanjiro, you are competent enough to compensate for the weakness of your breath with your strategies—as reckless as they are. Had you received any training before Tamayo-san took you in?"

Kazuki looked away. "My… brother taught me the basics on how to use a sword and five forms of his breath style, not much more than that," he said as he rubbed his arm. "But that's not enough. After my entire village got slaughtered, I had to survive in the woods for 1 year. To survive I had to learn how to hunt, climb, and run. I had to be smart about it too, as my chances to survive were… pretty slim. Next thing I knew, I was faster, stronger, and my skill with the sword had reached new heights."

Amane's gaze softened. Not only did Kazuki get his entire village slaughtered by a demon, but he also had to deal with the predators and demons that dwell in the woods… for a whole year. It was surprising that Kazuki remained in one piece.

She bit her lower lip. As much as curiosity was killing her, she would drop the subject for now. "I'm sorry to hear that, Kazuki-san."

He nodded. "It's okay, it happened a long time ago."

"Very well, then that brings me back to my original question. Would you please join the Demon Slayer Corps? I know that you resent us but—"

"Sure, I'll join."

The next words died on her tongue as soon as she heard Kazuki's answer. "Eh?"

"Like I said, I'll join."

Amane blinked. Did she hear that right? Would he join the corps? Just like that?

"…Why?"

Kazuki scratched the back of his head. "Just to be clear… I don't trust you, nor do I trust anyone inside the corps. Well, if you expected another answer, then you'll be disappointed. The reason I want to join is that I want a quiet life."

Amane raised an eyebrow. "A quiet… life?"

Now, this was odd. Most of the slayers joined the corps because they wanted to avenge their loved ones or that they wanted to save people from being killed by demons. But this kid just wanted to have a quiet life? Wouldn't it be better if he just didn't join at all?

"Looks like I need to do some explaining…" He sighed. "Listen, I live with Tamayo and Yushiro, they mean everything to me, and if I could live my entire life with them… I would do so without a second thought. Problem is, I'm unable to do that if Muzan is alive. He's always chasing after Tamayo, over and over, and we always have to run from one location to another because he keeps sending demons to us. And frankly… I'm sick of it."

So the prey got tired of being chased and it was now the one doing the chasing. It was… an odd reason to risk his life fighting demons but not at all unreasonable. Muzan would not stop until Tamayo was dead, so he either had to keep running, or face him head-on, he chose the latter.

"Well, it is good to see that you want to fight for our cause. To join us, you need to pass The Final Selection exam. We will provide you with a new blade for you to use in the test."

"My sword is fine as it is right now. I made sure to sharpen it before going out," Kazuki said, unsheathing his sword and showing it to Amane. The blade's sky blue color and golden ornaments made it a beautiful sight to behold. The kid sheathed his blade once again.

"That's good to hear. Then, if you pass the test, then you will be officially part of the Demon Slayer Corps and be able to go on missions," Amane said as she pulled out a card from under her kimono. The card explained in detail what The Final Selection was about. "Your test will be held here, in one week. You will be joining the corps starting in the lowest of our ranks… if you manage to survive the exam, that is. Until then, be sure to hone your skills to the fullest, Kazuki-san."

Kazuki nodded as he took the card. He stood up and bowed.

As the white-haired boy left, Amane couldn't help but ponder on his objective. A quiet life… just that line of thought made her chuckle a little. It seemed like an impossible dream.

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Kazuki panted as he reached the bottom of the stairs. With the dawn of the industrial age—or the Meiji period in Japan—he was surprised that inventors had yet to make a machine that carried people who found it troublesome to use stairs.

All in due time.

He perked up when he saw a small furball running at him. He narrowed his eyes.

Chachamaru hopped swiftly and closed the distance. She meowed three times. Kazuki crossed his arms. Did she think that he could understand cat language, or was she still pissed about getting drenched by Amane?

She ran off again.

"Hey, wait!"

Kazuki followed her towards the village. He stopped as he looked at where the cat guided him.

So the cat wanted to be followed. Now it made sense why she ran away from him. Chachamaru jumped back on top of his head.

He arrived at a crowded house. All of the villagers seemed to be reunited at one residence. Strange, the people of this village were very busy just moments ago. What could have happened to get them riled up?

He walked towards the commotion, shoving people aside, ignoring their complaints. He looked inside the house.

Kazuki's eyes widened as he saw the disaster. He spotted signs of strange white thread scattered across the floor. He saw charred furniture, which looked like they were burnt with a substance other than fire. He covered his nose as he smelled the scent of rotten eggs. What could be the source of the smell? He could see that there was no blood inside, so he could assume that no one got killed here.

He turned to the crowd of villagers.

"Hey, does anybody know what happened here?!" he said loud enough for him to be heard. The muttering stopped and the villagers looked at him, some of them with curiosity, others with annoyance.

"Another family disappeared yesterday. It was odd that Satoshi didn't come to work today so I went to look at his house… only to find this. Oddly enough, his wife and two children also disappeared…" a male villager said, an old man in particular. He didn't hide his fear as Kazuki watched him tremble.

"Did anyone go out to look for them?"

"Well…" The old man scratched his head. "Several people did, mostly close friends of the missing people. No one came back. Fourteen people are missing from our village… I would not be surprised if they're found dead."

Kazuki placed a hand on his chin. People disappearing from their homes and not coming back? Sounds familiar. Could it be the work of a demon? He couldn't be sure, he needed more clues to see who or what could have done this.

He had one week before his test. What better way to practice for The Final Selection than by killing demons? He could totally do this.

However, if this wasn't the work of a demon, then he wouldn't do this. That kind of work belonged to the cops.

Kazuki nodded. "Thank you for telling me."

He went to inspect the walls that were the source of the foul smell from earlier. They were charred and seemed to be covered in some kind of substance.

He grabbed his sheathe and started to poke a piece of wood with it. Kazuki could see that this substance started to drip in a very slow manner. Its viscosity was high.

No fire did this. It was the product of acid.

Kazuki's curiosity spiked and went towards the white threads he saw earlier. Kazuki grabbed a piece of wood from the wreckage and started to poke the thread.

His eyes widened. The thread got stuck in the wood like glue!

It wasn't just a normal thread; it was part of a spider web. However, nothing suggested that it was part of a demon attack. He took the piece of wood outside. If a demon took part in this, then…

The thread dissolved into dust.

Kazuki grinned. So it was indeed the work of a demon!

He could practice for The Final Selection with this. Now he just needed a way to track the monster…

He went to the villagers who surrounded the house. He tried to let his voice be known, but it got overshadowed by the endless muttering. Kazuki sighed and took a deep breath.

"Total concentration breathing…"

The echo made from Kazuki's hands startled every single soul of the crowd. The muttering quickly stopped.

He didn't use a technique, but he focused his blood flow into his arms, increasing their strength. While using breathing techniques for mundane activities such as clapping could be seen as impractical, it was necessary in this case. He needed an effective way to control the crowd.

Kazuki took a deep breath as everyone's gazes turned on him.

"So." Kazuki coughed. "You guys seem to be afraid of something… do you perhaps know what happened to the family that lived here?"

Most people shook their heads. Some of them started to hide behind the crowd.

"I've been told that these weren't the only people that disappeared," Kazuki persisted. "Whatever did this isn't human. Please give me clues to whatever did this…"

The crowd started to disperse. Some of them laughed at how ridiculous that statement sounded. Not many people knew about the existence of demons, and those who knew were probably either dead or scarred for life. Kazuki gritted his teeth, cursing himself at how bad he was when talking to people. It almost made him flat out incompetent.

"If you guys give me clues, any clues, then people won't disappear again!" Kazuki shouted. Some people perked up at what he said, others ignored him and walked away. He sighed; he didn't have the charisma of his brother to speak with so many people.

"…Are you sure you are capable of stopping whatever is causing these disappearances?"

Kazuki's eyes widened as he saw the old man that he talked with earlier approaching him. He gazed at Kazuki with a cold and calculating gaze.

Kazuki didn't say anything, he just pulled out his sheathe from under his kimono and showed it to the old man.

"Ah, so you're one of those Demon Slayers I heard of." The old man grinned, placing both hands on his hips.

Kazuki nodded. While the slayers weren't recognized by the government, it wouldn't be surprising if people heard about a thing or two about them.

The old man's expression turned serious. "There have been rumors that there is a monster lurking at Mt. Natagumo. I suspect that the people that disappeared are being taken there. It's the closest forest to our village after all."

Kazuki blinked. "You mean a demon?"

"Monsters, demons… what's the difference?" The old man sighed, his face solemn. "I ain't sure how the slayers do their thing, but if it's true that a monster lurks in there, then don't hesitate to kill it, young man. This humble village asks you that favor."

He didn't need to state the obvious. This was his job now.

"Where is this mountain?"

"Go towards the main gate and keep moving forwards, you will come across the village's wheat fields. When you arrive there, you should see the mountain from afar."

Kazuki nodded and started to walk towards the main gate.

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"We're here!"

"We know! You don't need to shout."

Junichiro let out an annoyed grunt at Kyojuro's antics. The demons that dwell in this forest must have heard his voice and would probably be on high alert.

The missions specified the word 'demons'. Plural.

It could be a spelling mistake but Kyojuro reassured him that that wasn't the case. Grammar was important when working inside the corps as any misinformation could mean the difference between life and death.

Demons working together? That would be a new but troublesome discovery. He felt eager to see what lay ahead.

However, Junichiro's confidence started to waver when Kyojuro, Kanao, and he arrived at the place where the mission was supposed to take place.

The Natagumo forest established itself to be one of the densest forests of Japan, being the place with most trees, nearly close to a million. A huge place where it was easy to get lost and trapped by your opponents. Being nighttime meant that it would be very hard to see, which meant that he had to be extra careful when entering the forest.

He didn't lose confidence because he was scared, it was because the mission would take way longer than he expected! He wanted to return home as soon as possible, drink some sake, lay down on his futon, and call it a day. But maybe this mission could be fun? He hoped that the mission went that way.

He sighed. He always hated to work overtime. He expected more leisure time for being crippled.

"Charming place we have here, definitely not creepy at all," Junichiro muttered as he stretched his left arm.

"You should stop complaining about every single mission we're going!" Kyojuro shouted as he slapped his arm on his friend's back. "It's not like you hate them anyway."

"Guys…" Kanao started to speak up, tugging her brother's haori.

Junichiro puffed his face. "I ain't complaining, I'm just wary about a mission that we know nothing about."

"Or maybe, you're just lazy."

"Guys…" Kanao spoke again, her voice low.

Junichiro glared at the Flame Pillar, whose grin started to widen every second. "You won't be making smart comments like that when a demon rips you to shreds because of the lack of prior information...'"

"Going in blind with limited information is like 90 percent of Demon Slaying missions!"

"Yeah… that's true," Junichiro said as he placed his palm on his forehead.

Kanao tossed a coin in the air. The sound of the coin gathered the attention of the two pillars.

It landed on tails.

"Something wrong Kanao-chan?" Junichiro asked, turning his gaze towards her.

Kanao remained silent, which made Junichiro raise an eyebrow. Was she thinking of something important?

"You were going to say something?" Junichiro asked again.

Kanao looked at him with a sweet smile. "No."

Junichiro sent the most deadpan stare he could muster. Of course, she wasn't going to say anything…

Kyojuro chuckled as he shook his head, "Well, we need to find the missing slayers here. If we're lucky enough, they might still be alive. Do any of you have any leads on where we should start?"

"The information about the situation in this place was very vague. They just sent us here to kill the demons—plural, mind you—and that we should look for the missing people," Junichiro said. He then grinned. "But, luckily, yours truly sent the best crow to the scouting job. So you guys can thank me if you—"

"Save it, Junichiro," Kyojuro reprimanded. "We have to move fast! Or else more people will die!"

"Can you let me finish an explanation without destroying my eardrums?" Junichiro grumbled as he dug his finger into his ear. Kyojuro motioned him to continue.

The Ice Pillar whistled. The sound echoed through the entire forest.

Kyojuro tilted his head. "You told me to not shout and your whistling can be heard throughout the entirety of Japan?"

"I thought you of all people knew when not to take me seriously…" Junichiro said as he rolled his eyes.

Kanao looked to the sides. "Nii-san, it's Sakura—"

"Yep…" Junichiro said as he raised his only arm. In an instant, a big raven landed on his arm.

This particular bird didn't have the normal features as its common brethren. Its feathers were colored in magenta and it had a small butterfly pin on its head. This was the bird that belonged to the late Flower Pillar. Now, it belonged to Junichiro. These species were the fastest types of Corvus and the hardest to tame because of their short temper.

"Sakura, what's the situation?" Junichiro asked his feathered friend.

"Demons everywhere! Demons everywhere! There are slayers currently fighting demons on east and west from here. East and west! They are losing! They are losing!" it cawed.

"Any leads on the missing people?!" Kyojuro shouted. The bird raised its head and shrieked at The Flame Pillar, which made the latter recoil back.

Junichiro held his laughter. "You know that birds have sensitive hearing. Try asking her again without shouting."

"Of course." The Flame Pillar coughed. "Any leads on the missing people?"

Sakura blinked. "An abandoned hut north from here! North from here!"

The Ice Pillar nodded. "Thank you, Sakura. Please go report this information to Ubayashiki-sama."

"Treat, Treat!"

Junichiro rolled his eyes. Kanao gave him a bunch of bread crumbs. He took them and showed them to the bird. It started to devour them.

"There you go, you glutton. Now hush!"

Satisfied, the bird flew away.

Junichiro scratched the back of his head. "Well, do you guys have any ideas?"

Kyojuro seemed the most eager to speak. "Surely! The way I see it, we have two choices. We can either go in a group and take all the threats by ourselves. This way, we can take them down effectively, but it will risk the others who need our help. The second one is to split up, which will reduce our chances of survival, but we can help each front and try to contain each threat on our own!"

"Which means that each one of us would be on our own…" Junichiro muttered. He shook his head. "I refuse to let Kanao-chan go alone. Let's go together."

Kyojuro's ever-present grin vanished as soon as he heard those words. "This again? Junichiro… Tsuyuri-chan is Kocho's star Tsugoku! Just let her go on her own for once in her life."

And lose another member of his family? Yeah, right, like he would let that happen. But Junichiro couldn't simply dismiss the Flame Pillar's remark. He was right, as much as he hated to admit.

He sighed. "Kanao, you go right. I'll catch up to you in a minute."

The Tsugoku nodded and stormed off towards the forest. It took less than ten seconds before she was out of sight.

Kyojuro whistled. "Whoa, there she goes. She's very fast don't you think?!"

"Hope you don't make me regret this…" Junichiro grumbled as he tapped his foot.

"Relax, she'll be fine! She's a very capable fighter you know?" Kyojuro said, grinning with confidence. "Besides, you didn't even hear what I said. I proposed that we should all split up and you just flat out said that you're going to catch up to her."

"I ain't slacking off if that's what you're worried about."

"I hope not, or else Ubayashiki-sama will love to hear whatever you have to say!" Kyojuro said as he let out a mischievous grin.

A chill ran down through The Ice Pillar's spine as he thought about the scolding—and punishment—that would await if he took this easy. "Y-You wouldn't, right?"

"Oh, I most certainly would!"

"T-Then we both should get to work shall we?" Junichiro chuckled as he started to sweat profusely.

"Great! You guys go right, and I'll go to the abandoned hut to check for survivors!" Kyojuro shouted as he dashed forward into battle. "Good luck Junichiro!"

As Kyojuro vanished out of sight, the Ice Pillar sighed. He was certain that he would get a headache after this mission was over. Or maybe the demons here are strong and are going to give him a good time…

He grinned at that thought. If the demons here are strong, then he would enjoy this fight to the fullest.

----------------------------------------

"Koi-Koi"

A girl could be seen laying down hanafuda cards on her wooden table. She had short white hair with short bangs and two large stripes on either side of her cheek which were very noticeable thanks to her sickly pale white skin. The most notable trait that made her stand out from humans were the two horns that were protruding from either side of her forehead and the sclera that surrounded her two grey eyes. She had a kanji sign engraved on her left eye.

Lower Moon Four

This girl was the head of one of the gambling houses of the rising yakuza criminal syndicate. While these secluded places started to dwindle after the leader of the family, Chogoro Yamamoto had passed away, another few remaining houses started to grow soon after the Meiji period ended. As the syndicate started to expand, its exploits started to become apparent. This woman abused these exploits to become one of the main heads of the gambling houses.

Her stature made her seem like a little girl at first, but those that underestimated her met their doom at the points of her teeth. She was no little girl.

Her main office was Japanese style, made with a tatami floor and sliding doors. Her office was carefully decorated with paintings of the deceased daimyo, Nobunaga Oda. It had red lanterns hanging on the ceiling. In the center of the office was a hardwood desk where the head of the house was sitting.

The girl seemed to be lost in her thoughts as she played with her cards.

The door slid open, revealing a bald man who wore a black yukata. He held a folder in his hands.

The girl's veins started to pop out of her forehead as she instinctively threw a card at the door. The man whimpered as the card grazed his cheek and blood started to pour out.

The girl relaxed her posture as she saw the trembling man.

"Oh, it's just you, Hiro." The girl sighed. "How many times should I tell you that you should knock first before entering?"

"I'm very sorry Mukago-sama, but this is important." The man bowed.

Mukago waved it off. "Tell me what you want."

Hiro raised his head as he walked towards Mukago, folder still in hand. He placed the folder on her desk.

"Look at this."

Mukago raised an eyebrow as she opened the folder. What could this folder contain that has the usually stoic Hiro so agitated? It couldn't be—

The demon widened her eyes. This couldn't be right.

She panted heavily as she skimmed through the pages of the folder.

"T-This can't be right…" Mukago said, her professional attitude breaking. "It's located inside of The Temple of Musashi? So its existence hasn't been lost forever?!"

Hiro shook his head. "We can't be sure, it's merely a myth. The contents inside of the temple are still unknown," he said. The bald man whimpered as the demoness shot him the deadliest of glares she could muster. "B-But, the quality of the soil of the land is questionable, it can't be found anywhere else in Japan! The flower is sure to be there."

Mukago took a deep breath and closed the folder. If this information was indeed true… then Muzan would be more than happy to share his blood with her.

She let out a sadistic grin and looked at his subordinate. The man recoiled at the intensity of her gaze.

"Return to Amakusa at once, look for more clues that can confirm the veracity of these texts," Mukago said, returning the folder to Hiro. "I can't return to him with mere speculations. He would kill me for it."

"Understood, Mukago-sama. Have a nice day."

The man bowed and left the office in a hurry.

Mukago giggled uncontrollably. If she managed to get The Blue Spider Lily… Muzan would become a god.

And she would definitely be able to stand at his side. She wouldn't have to fear him ever again.

"It's just a matter of time…"