Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Some say reincarnation exists.

That we have met in past lives.

Now that we’re here, we reunite with people of the past.

At different times and under different circumstances.

But in the end, they are essences that reunite.

Do you think I’ll be able to be with you?

Other time? In other circumstances?

°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°

“Watch out!”, screamed Fumiko, strategically moving her fiance to the side, grabbing him by the shoulders and almost lifting him off the ground to save him from a pot that was aiming directly at his head.

CRASH!

Sounded right away and only a few people turned their heads to see what had happened.

“Are you okay?,” She asked worriedly, still holding him by the arms.

“You know, when we get married and have children, you will be the one who hunts the food and I’ll handle the house and the kids,” he commented, swaying some dust off his knees.

Fumiko laughed loudly, partly relieved and partly because she found his words hilarious. 

“Yeah, sure,” she managed to say between laughs, “Especially because you are the one who wants to have many children.”

As if nothing had happened, both continued their walk.

Suddenly, reconsidering the idea, she blushed and lowered her head, squishing her cheek at his shoulder in an embarrassed way. “Remind me how many you want to have?”

“Seven!” He answered happily while putting an arm over her shoulders, “Just imagine, I could hug one for each day of the week.”

She laughed again, touching her chest when she felt as if her heart was melting in tenderness. “I don’t think I’ll be able to bear that many children.”

Taiki narrowed his eyes, incredulous of what he just heard. “You know, for someone with an overly-human strength, you had to have at least a flaw.”

“It’s that so? And what is it?” Fumiko tilted her head, blinking multiple times confused.

“You underestimate yourself, darling. Believe me, you could fight against a bear and the bear would kneel for your forgiveness.”

Fumiko shook her head amused. This man had the skill to make her smile any way he wanted.

“You’re wrong. My super power isn’t being strong,” she stopped walking and turned so they could see each others’ eyes. “It’s to identify the people who are very valuable.”

Taiki gulped while his face turned red. “Gee… Fumiko…” He mumbled hardly, scratching his chin with his knuckles.

She giggled under her breath, satisfied with making him blush. Softly, she got close to give him a kiss on the lips, being gratefully received. After a few seconds, they slowly separated, staying some inches close.

“Hey… Not in public, people will think you’re in love with me,” he joked in a sigh, his eyes still closed, as if he was savoring the sweetness of the gesture.

“Oops… Sorry,” in response, she partially opened her eyes to admire his face.

Taiki took air spellbound.

“Well, let’s go. Let me take you home before you try to marry me,” he shrugged and took the hand of the girl with the intention of keeping walking.

She covered her mouth, in an attempt of hiding how another laugh threatened to emerge.

“But I will marry you anyway,” playing his game, she debated with endearment.

“Marry me here and now. Goodness, Fumiko-chan, have some patience.”

Unable to help it, her smile grew and she leaned her head on his shoulder. He was definitely the right man. He was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Three days from their wedding, they were used to going for a walk by afternoon, always holding hands and showing with their eyes how excited they were for the so-waited day to come. 

However, that day was even more special since, unlike other times, there was a lot of movement in the town due to the start of the winter festival. For this reason, and despite the cold, both lovers had decided to extend their routine appointment until nightfall, ready to enjoy the different surprises that the festival offered, with the beautiful starry sky above their heads and the warm joy of the people around them.

However, as they walked, Fumiko suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She had no idea what it was, but it was definitely not human. Never in her life had she felt something so terrifying and evil that she even felt her body weaken in a matter of seconds.

"Hey Fumiko," Taiki called to her, unaware of her state as he was focused on what had caught his attention. "There's a tea stall over there, don't you want- Ow!" Interrupted by a blow to his shoulder, the boy groaned in pain, instinctively rubbing where he had been hit.

The girl snapped back to reality as soon as she heard her fiancé. She didn't even bother looking for the person responsible because her priority was to check on Taiki.

“Are you okay, dear?” She asked, placing a hand on his chest.

However, the response she got was not from him, but from his essence.

Fumiko had already memorized Taiki's unique essence from head to toe, identifying him anywhere. But this time, it seemed that something was burning and darkening it.

Starting to pant for breath, Taiki dropped to the ground.

Panicked, she tried to help him, looking for some sign that would indicate what had happened to him, or at least to know what was causing it.

He was clutching his forearm, shaking with pain.

Fumiko's heart raced with terror as she felt his essence being consumed into one totally different from his own. A… Demonic .

"Taiki? Speak to me! What's going on?” Desperate, she began to move him from side to side, thinking that this is how he would react.

Instead, he wriggled free of her by pushing her away, jumping up and running away from there.

"Taiki!" Without wasting much time, she got up as fast as she could.

Fumiko ran with all her might, praying to the gods to give her what she needed to catch up with him as she shed tears. And somehow, even though he had been the first to run, she managed to spot him.

"Taiki! Stop! Let me help you! Please!”

Apparently, surprised to hear her, he stopped short, turning to face her.

Fumiko also stopped. Her breathing was irregular and she didn’t feel tired despite the path she had traveled.

"Taiki?" She asked incredulously in a small voice.

The one who had previously been her fiancé now had distorted orange eyes, with claws growing longer and longer from his fingernails.

"Taiki..." Ignoring her own bewilderment, she tried to move closer to him.

But when she took a step forward, he stepped back.

For his part, Taiki looked just as terrified, clenching his jaw as he drooled, showing long, sharp fangs.

Fumiko could feel how what was left of her lover was struggling not to explode and attack her. He was wrestling with a new part of him. A very powerful one.

"Taiki... Just... Please..."

Suddenly, Fumiko heard quick footsteps approaching.

She didn't have time to analyze exactly who was coming, because that new someone unsheathed a sword from their belt and in the blink of an eye... He cut off Taiki's head.

“NOOOO!” In a piercing cry, she ran to get closer.

Dropping to her knees, she held her fiancé's head in her trembling arms.

“I- I’m here... Lo- Look at me, okay?” She stuttered and seeking to maintain her composure as much as she could, she gently caressed her fiancé's cheek.

He seemed calm, his gaze relaxing into one she knew perfectly well as he continued to slowly disintegrate together with his body.

I love you.

She stopped shaking for a moment. She pursed her lips and then bit her tongue. Her chest felt so tight that it was unbearable. But it was the only proof that what was happening was real.

“I… Love you too,” she whispered as best she could, leaning her head down to press her forehead against his.

After a few seconds, Taiki completely disappeared.

Fumiko dropped her arms to her sides once only dust was left in her lap.

She closed her eyes and sobbed in pain. Not even the tears that ran down her cold cheeks were alleviating the deep emptiness she was feeling.

"Are you alright, miss?" The person who had just slit Taiki's throat asked.

Hearing it, all that sadness boiled into anger. She raised her face just enough to get a better view of who was speaking to her.

“Miss?” The boy insisted again, but this time with uncertainty because of the way she was looking at him.

…

He had completely lost track of Kibutsuji Muzan. He had been distracted when he noticed the presence of another lesser demon.

Frowning, he decided to give up when he noticed that the swordsman accompanying him was already starting to take time. Worried that something had happened to him, he decided to head in the same direction that he had sent the boy.

Running at full speed, he entered the forest and easily located him.

Although he was initially relieved to see him, he was quickly taken aback when he saw him fight with all his might, oddly enough, without his sword.

“What's going on here?” With his thunderous voice, he asked in confusion.

"Rengoku-san! Help!" Already black-eyed, the boy begged, still defending himself as best he could. “This woman is crazy!”

The newcomer's surprise increased when he realized that an ordinary human was beating up a kanoe-rank hunter, since she was the one holding the sword in her hands.

“I think that's enough!” He quickly stepped in, stopping the girl's arms in front of him, though to his surprise, it had taken a bit of work.

Her eyes were red as she continued to shed tears.

“Step aside! I'm going to kill him!” She yelled, struggling to get him out of the way.

For a moment, she managed to make the great Rengoku Kyojuro stumble to the side, but it wasn't enough to push him off.

Still impressed with the girl's strength, in one fluid movement, he managed to hit her on the back of the head, and although it had been accurate, it wasn't enough to knock her out.

Dizzy and barely able to see, Fumiko jerked back, dropping the sword to support her head.

“Please miss, try to calm down! We came here to help!” Kyojuro clarified, picking up the sword from the ground to hand it to the swordsman, who was trembling from his spot.

"I don't give a damn what you came for, he cut off my fiancé's head! I'm going to kill him!” Furious, the girl tried to shake off the pain as quickly as possible, clenching her fists again.

Kyojuro's eyes widened in shock upon hearing such a revelation. Instinctively, he turned to face the swordsman and the aforesaid, putting his sword away, shook his head in disappointment.

“He had already turned into a demon Rengoku-san, there was no way to save him.” He explained, looking at the girl in a mixture of fear and compassion.

Kyojuro frowned again as he nodded, immediately understanding the situation.

"I'm so sorry for what happened, miss! But it is our duty as demon sla-”

“SHUT UP!” Fumiko interrupted in a shout. "Nothing you say will make me feel better!" She raised her shoulders and lowered her head, unable to control her sobs. “He… Died…”

Accepting what had happened, she dropped to her knees, covering her face with both hands.

Both swordsmen looked at each other, not knowing what to do or what to say. Neither of them had been in a situation like this before. Although, on the other hand, Kyojuro had to admit that with all that strength, that girl had great potential to protect people.

So, taking a breath and fearing to make the situation worse, he knelt in front of the girl, clenching one fist while with his other hand, he delicately touched her head.

"Even though it's not as valuable as I'd like, I sincerely apologize."

Fumiko raised her face to see the eyes of that boy. His essence was incredibly warm and overwhelmingly comforting. He had a big heart and a strong spirit. Unintentionally, he admired it, fully respecting its essence.

But, just as she had said, her broken heart did not improve with those words.

Instead of attacking him as Kyojuro feared, she simply lowered her head again, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"For what it's worth, would you do me the honor of coming with me?"

Chapter Text

"Ummm... What- what's your name miss?" The boy in front of her asked, looking truly flustered.

Just as that swordsman boy had asked, Fumiko now found herself at home, facing an identical copy of him, but younger and with a totally different essence.

In short, while he was talking with his father, that swordsman boy had asked his younger brother to stay with her.

"Nakamura Fumiko..." She answered in a low voice, with her gaze glued to the ground.

Her chest felt empty, the circles under her eyes weighed down, and every fiber of her being was weakened.

"I- I’m Rengoku Senjuro. Ni- nice to meet you,” the boy leaned awkwardly to the ground because of how shaky he was.

In addition to the weird way he was acting, Fumiko could detect in his essence that the boy really had no idea of what to do.

Senjuro was not a fool. From the way her brother had asked him to stay with her without any explanation and judging how terrible she looked, he had immediately understood that something very bad had happened. And now, he was afraid of making the situation worse.

“Pleasure,” she whispered, not moving.

As soon as the boy raised his head, the terrible silence returned from when his brother had left them alone.

His brother?

She had no idea what his name was.

"What... What's your brother's name?" The girl suddenly asked, catching the boy off guard.

“Kyojuro. Rengoku Kyojuro,” he replied while putting on a slightly burdened face.

Unbelievable , first his brother had brought a girl he didn't know and on top of that, he hadn't presented himself to her either.

"Does- Does your family know you're here?" Quickly thinking of another topic, Senjuro squeezed the fabric of his pants a little hard in an attempt to calm down.

"You don’t need to be nervous," she asked, feeling a slight embarrassment at the way the little boy was acting before gently denying. “I'm alone… I don't really have anyone to wait for me at home.”

At least not anymore. 

Senjuro shrugged his shoulders and clenched his teeth while making a pained face. He precisely wanted to prevent something like that from happening.

"I- I see..." He stammered as best he could, biting his tongue in self-reproach. “How old are you?” Trying to mend his mistake, Senjuro preferred to evade the issue.

“I'm 17,” strangely, the very flustered essence of the boy in front of her had activated a kind of maternal instinct that prompted her to calm him down despite everything. And that raised her spirits very little. “And you?”

“I’m 11,” as if he had also noticed the small advance he had made with the girl, his nerves also calmed down a bit.

…

"That's amazing, Senjuro-kun." He suddenly heard the voice of the girl he had just brought home.

“Yeah! When I grow up, I too will become a Hashira !” His brother exclaimed excitedly.

Curious about what they were talking about, Kyojuro entered the room softly, finding Senjuro displaying his nichirin blade to the girl, as she held onto a small smile even though her eyes still held traces of sadness.

“Brother! How are you?” Senjuro greeted him cheerfully.

Still remembering what he had discussed with his father, Kyojuro lowered his head as he sat in a spot between his brother and the girl, without answering.

Seeing him, Fumiko frowned. He was very disappointed and sad.

Once again, with that protective instinct against bad feelings, she took a breath.

"Your brother was telling me about your profession, Rengoku-san." She commented softly, still smiling.

Kyojuro looked at her in surprise, how was she able to smile despite having experienced something so terrible recently?

“Is that so?” Shaking his father's words as far as he could, he tried to return to normal.

“Yeah! I also told her that one day you will become a great Hashira , like our father,” The minor complemented, smiling enormously.

Seeing Senjuro's face so proud and content warmed his heart deeply.

“Yes!” He affirmed with more energy. “That's right!”

Hearing this, Fumiko's smile grew even wider.

"Ju- just now I was going to ask you Fumiko-san," Senjuro resumed, fiddling with his fingers a bit. “How about you? What's your story?”

Seeing how comfortable the boy was beginning to feel with her, the heavyness in her heart was covered by a slight feeling of belonging. To relax even more, she began to run her fingers over her own palms.

"I am the daughter of a family of perfumers,” she spoke in a soft tone, “I have two little brothers. When I was 15, my family went on a trip... I don't remember exactly why... I only remember that they had asked me to stay to take care of the business... But they haven't come back since then. Everyone says they died but... I still haven't given up hope of seeing them again, so while I'm waiting for them, I keep selling perfumes.”

Fumiko suddenly froze as the image of her fiancé appeared in her head. She remembered with sadness how they had met and immediately, the latent memory of the dust in her hands. Losing her gaze on her palms, the girl began to shed silent tears, sobbing under her breath.

"Fu- Fumiko-san." Senjuro was quickly alarmed, abruptly snapping Fumiko out of her thoughts.

"I'm- I'm sorry." She apologized nervously, hastily wiping her cheeks. “I didn’t want to worry you.”

Kyojuro frowned in a mixture of confusion and irritation. What was he apologizing for?

"You have every right to cry, Fumiko-san." The older Rengoku declared, quickly remembering the name his brother had spoken.

She widened her eyes in pain, looking at Kyojuro in surprise. But with that new permission, in a few seconds, she simply lowered her head and closed her eyes so she wouldn't cry so hard.

As she dealt with her own feelings, Senjuro crawled very close to his brother, genuinely distraught at what was happening.

"What happened to her?" The younger asked into his ear, covering his mouth with his hand.

Kyojuro lowered his head and crossed his arms. “Her fiancé. He was transformed into a demon and the swordsman who accompanied me cut off his head.” Taking advantage of the little fuss Fumiko was making, the hunter summed up the story under his breath, loud enough for his brother to hear.

Senjuro's face turned into a shocked and pained one. Now it all made sense. He didn't even want to imagine all the hell the girl was feeling at that moment. And to think that a few moments ago she was smiling.

"And what will happen to her now?" Senjuro whispered again.

Kyojuro slightly clenched his arms as he looked at the ground, instantly becoming worried.

When the minor didn’t get a quick response, he moved away from his brother to see his face and thus analyze his reaction.

Gradually, the girl's sobs subsided.

"Fumiko-san!" The older one called loudly, scaring both his brother and the girl. "What do you plan to do now?"

She rubbed her eyes, feeling her body begin to tire.

“I want to sleep,” she confessed quietly.

"Is there any way I can convince you to stay with us?" Both she and Senjuro looked at him in bewilderment.

She frowned. They had just met, and he already wanted her to stay at his house?

"Why do you want me to stay here?" she asked, genuinely distraught.

"I feel responsible for your loss! And if you let me, I want to take care of you!”

She widened her eyes in shock. His essence didn’t lie, in truth he felt every word he had said, without hiding any intention behind them.

“No, it is not necessary,” nervously, she raised both hands in front of her chest, "I already have a house, so-"

“But you said you had no one to wait for you,” the minor debated with concern.

Not only his essence screamed it, his whole face showed it. He also wanted her to stay.

"I don't want to be a bother..." She declared defeated, as if that was her last excuse.

“Fumiko-san, the loss of a loved one is not something that can be overcome alone! Please, let us keep you company!” The older boy insisted.

She gasped, narrowly refusing. But… Something just stopped her.

She had no idea how to explain it, but Fumiko had a strange feeling of being in the right place and with the right people.

Her entire face immediately turning red, she lowered her gaze.

"I… I guess sleep wouldn't hurt."

Chapter Text

Her stay at the Rengoku residence had been longer than she expected. Much to her dismay.

She felt devastated and incredibly empty as she painfully remembered Taiki, but living through that time of mourning with the Rengoku brothers had surprisingly made it very bearable.

Thanks to them, Fumiko was able to get out of bed every morning. Not with all the energy she could have, but at least it was progress.

They tried very hard to comfort her, sheltering her, talking to her and feeding her. However, not wanting to abuse their hospitality and hating to feel like a burden to them, the only way she found to thank them was helping with house work.

It was ironic, but since she insisted on returning their support, she had unconsciously given herself a purpose, managing to cheer her up day by day.

After at least a week, she still fought the thought of staying longer, even though she felt a warm welcome and a nice sense of belonging with them. Not to mention, neither of them seemed to want to kick her out anyway.

On the other hand… She only had one problem… A small conflict over the elder Rengoku.

She didn't know how to describe it exactly but, his presence had become… Very important to her.

Between how warm, energetic and attentive he was with her... It was still hard for her to admit it but... She liked having him around.

She couldn't deny it, somehow, he was able to stir up a very determined feeling in her, one that pushed her to get ahead, no matter what.

And yes It sounded like something positive... It really was something positive and yet... That attachment she felt for him must be wrong.

It was wrong... Or at least, she clung to believing that.

And to top it off with him, she felt an unusual scent of fear. Not for her, but rather, insecurity to tell her something. It was as if he had a secret to himself, one that he wanted to tell her, but was afraid to.

Repeatedly she wanted to ask what it was about, but out of respect, she didn't. She herself was afraid of breaking that small trust that they had created in such a short time.

"Fumiko-san!" Just the person she was thinking of announced himself, "I have a new mission and I'm afraid I have to go!"

“Now?” She asked, a little puzzled. She still had a hard time understanding how his job as a demon slayer worked.

“That's right! I don’t know when I'll get back!” He explained energetically as always.

“Okay,” she answered him softly, suddenly feeling sad. She didn't want him to go. "Let me walk you out."

They walked together in silence, with Senjuro joining them last.

“Please, take care of yourself.” She bowed slowly in farewell.

“You too!” More animated than her, he bowed as well.

As Kyojuro was seen off by his younger brother, Fumiko sighed, watching her tenacious savior be gone for who knows how long.

With the younger Rengoku by her side, they both returned to the house. Suddenly, all the exhaustion caused by sadness came rushing back.

"Senjuro-kun, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some more sleep," she confessed, rubbing her eyes heavily.

“Of course! I'll go wake you up when it's time to eat, okay?”

“Better wake me up to help you,” she smiled slightly at him as she gently stroked his head. “Please?”

After seeing him blush and nod, Fumiko stammered out a laugh and finally returned to her room.

In a couple of minutes she fall asleep another bit of that morning.

…

"Fumiko-san," Senjuro whispered, gently moving the girl's shoulder. “Wake up, please.”

Fumiko shifted uncomfortably at the minor's call, getting up slowly.

"What's wrong, Senjuro-kun?" She asked as he stretched slightly.

"It's just... There's a man at the door and he asked for you." The boy explained softly, with a worried face.

Fumiko frowned, but didn't hesitate to nod before standing up completely and grooming herself a bit.

When she went out to the main entrance with Senjuro at her side, she found a man wearing a uniform very similar to the one she had seen Kyojuro wearing, with the difference that he was wearing a cloth that covered a large part of his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

“Good afternoon!” He greeted. "Are you Nakamura Fumiko?"

Confused, she simply nodded.

"I'm so sorry to introduce myself like this, but I'm here on behalf of the Demon Slayer Corps.There is a person who wants to chat with you,” the man explained.

With a slight fear in her heart, Fumiko looked for Senjuro to ask with her eyes what was going on.

"He's a kakushi, they're part of the auxiliary team," the boy explained, quickly catching her insecurity.

Fumiko returned her gaze to the man and then nodded again.

“To take you to your destination, I will have to ask you a small favor. The location is confidential, so you'll have to wear a blindfold, along with earplugs… And a cloth bag over her head,” while he spoke, the man was taking out the objects that he was naming from his bag, “I am very sorry for the inconvenience but it is by protocol.”

Fumiko's eyes widened even more terrified at the request. Did they want to kidnap her?

"It's alright Fumiko-chan," Senjuro soothed again, placing a hand on the girl's tense arm.

Trusting the boy, Fumiko swallowed to relax a bit as she shakingly took the items from the man's hand.

…

The trip had been a nuisance. It would be a very effective security measure, but she had to be honest, it was too scary. Having no idea where they were taking her, plus the fact that she was forced to cover up two important senses, made it even worse.

During the journey, they had been carrying her on their backs, but she could feel how suddenly the people carrying her changed. She counted at least 4 times that this happened. And when the dizziness and suffocation began to become unbearable, her caretaker finally stopped.

Suddenly a calming essence ran through her body.

The person who was now carrying her touched her hand and began to lower her slowly, implying that they were going to put her down.

When her feet touched the ground, she felt weak, losing her balance a bit. The same person who had helped her now held her tight so she wouldn't fall. With great care, they removed the cloth bag and earplugs.

"I'm so sorry to have brought you this way," as she listened to that silky voice, the blindfold was removed from her eyes, “But it's for security.”

Fumiko blinked several times uncomfortably, trying to get her eyes used to the light. After a couple of seconds, she fixed her gaze on the people in front of her.

Two girls, a woman and a man in the middle of them all.

Neither the man nor the woman next to her seemed to be much older than her. But what truly surprised her was the calm essence around her. She had no idea if it was because of how peaceful the new residence looked or the essence that these people transmitted.

“My name is Ubuyashiki Kagaya. I’m the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. Welcome to our home, Nakamura Fumiko,” the man greeted, his voice so calm it gently lulled the girl to sleep.

However, despite the soothing feeling, her eyes widened in surprise. Was he the one who wanted to talk to her? Did someone as important as him want to talk to someone like her?

“Thank you so much,” she returned the greeting very nervously while slightly bowing her head.

"I'm aware of what happened to you. I'm so sorry for your loss,” the man apologized, bowing his forehead to the ground along with the woman and girls.

Fumiko felt a small tingle on her neck, uncomfortable seeing the scene in front of her. She still felt dull and dry from what had happened, but the essence of true remorse and guilt that this man conveyed pierced her heart.

Flustered, Fumiko took a deep breath. "Raise your head, good man," she asked him, “I deeply appreciate your apology, but I don't want you to feel guilty about what happened. I’m aware of the burden the Demon Slayer Corps carries on their shoulders, and while I am pained by my loss, I don’t hold a grudge against your organization,” she explained.

And she meant it from the bottom of her heart since after all, she had been living with the Rengoku, a family of swordsmen for generations.

Ubuyashiki stood up gently and although his face had not shown it, in his essence there was a bit of surprise and a lot of gratitude for her words.

"Thank you, Nakamura-san," the man replied, smiling warmly. “That being said, I would like to discuss the reason for our little meeting.”

Fumiko nodded, feeling her body begin to relax. Unconsciously she had been very tense, perhaps from the stress of the trip.

“What happened to Oohashi Taiki, despite having been a tragedy, I fear that it is part of something much bigger than just that,” at the mention of her fiancé, a knot appeared in her stomach. “For years now, the Demon Slayer Corps has been fighting to find Kibutsuji Muzan, the only demon capable of turning people into demons.”

Kibutsuji Muzan, Fumiko repeated with disgust in her mind.

“That night, two of our members were on a mission to find him, but unfortunately, our most hated enemy used your fiancé as part of a distraction,” at the new information, Fumiko's heart began to beat rapidly, while a feeling of resentment was forming in her entire being. “On the other hand, I have been informed that during your moment of rage, you were able to wrest the sword from a ranged kanoe .”

Suddenly, that anger vanished in the blink of an eye as shame kicked in.

"I'm so sorry about that." She declared really sorry.

“On the contrary, there is no need to apologize,” sincerely calmed the man, "according to what I’m informed, you possess incredible strength."

That was a fact that Taiki had mentioned to her many times, but it wasn't something of pride. At least not after she had hurted a person.

“I know I'm not in a position to ask for anything from you, but from the bottom of my heart, I want to ask you to join the Demon Slayer Corps.”

Fumiko was speechless, processing everything she had just been told.

"Your natural talent can be of great help to us in protecting the innocent and putting an end to the demon Kibutsuji Muzan," seeing how stunned she was, Ubuyashiki tilted his head slightly, "I beg you to at least consider Nakamura-san's offer. And I'll understand if you don't want to.”

The emptiness and deep sadness that had been accompanying Fumiko ever since Taiki's head was cut gradually diminished, slowly being replaced by an incredible anger and thirst for revenge.

And deep within all those feelings, the thought of capacity and protection also moved a couple of fibers in her being.

"I… I'll think about it," she stated softly, staring down at her hands, to which Ubuyashiki smiled again.

"Thank you once again, Nakamura-san.”

Chapter Text

Fumiko would be lying if she said she wanted to leave the Rengoku residence.

Senjuro many times told her that it was fine if she wanted to stay, after all, while Kyojuro and his father left for missions, he was left alone at home.

She would also be lying if she said that she wasn't seriously considering becoming a demon slayer.

After the leader's proposal, Fumiko was deep in thought.

It was kind of silly, but the idea of turning down the offer seemed tempting. After all, how would she be able to become the same thing that had murdered her beloved Taiki?

But as much as she looked for another excuse to say no, she couldn't find it.

Being a slayer would mean risking her life on a daily basis, she knew that, but on the other hand, it would also mean that she could be of use to the world. It was a noble and just purpose, to use force to protect people from any kind of threat.

Somehow, that responsibility had caught her attention. She had always hoped that one day she could do something amazing with her life, and now, the opportunity had presented itself.

"Fumiko-san!" Kyojuro's voice brought her out of her thoughts. “I'm back!” He announced from the door of her room.

4 days had passed and finally, she could see his happy face again.

"Kyo- Rengoku-san! Welcome! I'm glad you're well!” She greeted him as she moved to stand up.

"Please, don't get up!" He asked as he raised both hands in front of him. “Can I come in?”

Fumiko nodded as she settled back to face the newcomer.

“Senjuro told me that you were called on behalf of the demon slayers a couple of days ago! May I know why?”

Fumiko lowered her head, quickly taking up everything she was thinking a moment ago, “Ubuyashiki Kagaya summoned me to discuss a topic with me,” she explained softly, receiving a surprised look. "He told me who was responsible for turning my fiancé into a demon."

Kyojuro nodded, listening intently.

“He also asked me to join the Demon Slayer Corps.”

Despite not looking directly at the older Rengoku, the overwhelmingly anxious and excited essence caught Fumiko's attention. She raised her face to see what was happening, only to see a special glint in Kyojuro's eyes.

"And what did you say?" He asked with a little more energy than before.

The girl stared at him strangely at his sudden behavior, but she smiled softly when she saw him that way. "That I would think about it."

Suddenly, that essence of fear that she had perceived before in the boy, was present again, lowering his spirits suddenly. It was then that Fumiko connected the dots of his behavior. He had wanted to ask her the same.

Her heart began to pound at the thought, flattered by all that belief in her.

“I’m strongly considering accepting,” she sighed suddenly when a small silence had formed between them. “I was told that I have incredible strength… And being very honest with myself, I would like to use that strength to protect the weak.”

As if it had been an explosion, suddenly the very happy and proud essence of Kyojuro was present in front of her. Although, there was also something slightly strange that she couldn't distinguish between all that joy and enthusiasm.

“I’m so happy to hear it!” The boy exclaimed forcefully, showing minimally what he was really feeling.

Not to mention the tremendous relief he was now experiencing, Kyojuro found himself feeling a strange sensation in his stomach, along with a slight oppression in his heart that made him hear its beating in his ears.

He had no idea why he had been so moved, but he wanted to convince himself that it was because of the admiration he had felt the first time he met her.

"Fumiko-chan!" The boy called happily, with a huge smile on his face and completely ignoring the formality with her. "If you agree to become a slayer, could I be your mentor?"

The girl's cheeks lit a passionate red at the proposal, feeling a burning sensation in her chest.

“Of course,” she smiled sweetly at him, something that ended up increasing the boy's heart rate.

…

"Come on, Fumiko-chan! You can do it!” Kyojuro prompted cheerfully.

Her lungs were beginning to burn from the effort she was making.

Three days had passed since Fumiko had accepted Ubuyashiki's offer, and since then, the eldest of the Rengoku had been training with her, beginning to teach her the basics to become a slayer.

From the little that she had talked to Senjuro, the Rengoku family lineage was famous for being users of the ‘Breath of Flame’ , although she really had no idea what that meant, very soon she began to practice it.

Kyojuro, despite being so young, was quite disciplined as he was the direct heir to his family's breathing technique. Since she had agreed to train with him, his main objective was to pass on all that knowledge to her, entering into a very passionate mentor role.

"Remember, focus!" He exclaimed once more, encouraged.

‘I am trying,’ Fumiko reproached in her mind, trying to keep her breathing under control.

“Could you help me?” The girl asked suddenly, exhaling hard when she felt like she was running out of oxygen. "How do you do it?"

"Do you want me to do it?" He asked his mentor to clarify if he had understood the request.

“Yes, please,” Trying to catch her breath, she pleaded lightly.

As soon as Kyojuro closed his eyes to do the exercise that he had explained to Fumiko, the girl was looking at him carefully, paying attention to even the smallest detail.

“Inflate your stomach and then your chest. Keep your shoulders relaxed,” he explained at the same time he did. “When you breathe out, do it quickly, deflating your chest first and your stomach last.”

Getting the idea, Fumiko set about imitating the moves she had seen Rengoku perform. The boy, for his part, was surprised to see how quickly she had improved, doing the exercise correctly. It didn't take long for Fumiko to run out of air again, though.

“This is very difficult!” she whined between gasps. "Am I supposed to do it all the time?"

“That's right! This way you will strengthen your body significantly!”

Fumiko nodded as she tried to resume what she had just learned, however, a suspicious essence suddenly distracted her. Not only did it feel quite negative, but it was also very powerful.

“Father! Welcome!” Kyojuro greeted, rising to his feet to bow to the newly arrived man.

"This is the girl you told me about?" The dryness with which imposed, coupled with how blatantly rude he had been to his son, had her taken aback.

Now everything made sense, the appearance of Kyojuro and Senjuro were a direct inheritance from the man who was in front of her, now looking at her with half-closed eyes, arms crossed and a tremendous face of disgust.

"I’m Nakamura Fumiko, Rengoku-sama. It's a pleasure,” trembling, she rose to her feet, bowing just as her mentor had.

“Rengoku Shinjuro, Flame Hashira.” He introduced himself seriously.

Hashira. A Pillar, in other words.

That was the rank that Senjuro had so excitedly mentioned to her.

She didn't know much yet about how the ranks within the Slayer Corps worked, but one thing was clear to her, the title indicated that he was one of the highest.

"I'm just teaching her the Total Concentration Breathing Technique, father!" Kyojuro explained proudly.

The patriarch said nothing, merely surveyed Fumiko from head to toe. He didn't need to speak to let her know that he didn't like her.

"You still have time to save your life, Nakamura," he declared suddenly after all the previous silence, "if you're smart, you'll stop training right now. Like I told Kyojuro, I don't think you're talented enough to be a slayer.”

She widened her eyes in shock, feeling the boy tense beside her and exuding an essence of embarrassment.

“With all due respect, Rengoku-sama, but I’m fine with my decision. Still, I appreciate the concern.” Trying not to sound so upset, she looked him square in the eye, blinded by anger at how he had made her mentor feel.

Shinjuro on his side was also taken aback by the girl's quick and harsh response.

"You have been warned, Nakamura." Snorting, he turned away indignantly.

Fumiko only narrowed her eyes in fury as she watched the man enter his own home.

"I'm so sorry about that, Fumiko-chan!" Her mentor nervously apologized, snapping the girl out of her thoughts. "My father wasn't like that before! Please, I beg you to forgive him!”

"Kyojuro..." She called in a low voice, really annoyed. "Never apologize for your father's actions in my presence again," she asked as he put a hand on her shoulder, “it's his problem if he wants to be bitter with me, don't let it get to you.”

The older Rengoku made a surprised face at the harsh way in which Fumiko was behaving. Though inside himself, he was relieved to hear those words.

"Besides, now I have another goal in mind," Fumiko relaxed a bit as she withdrew her hand, "prove your father he’s wrong about me."

Like that time when he had asked him to be his mentor, the older Rengoku felt his stomach turn, although this time it was the tips of his ears that burned the most.

Chapter Text

"Rengoku Shinjuro... Flame Hashira..." Fumiko repeated in disgust as she played with the water around her.

She had already been in the tub for almost 15 minutes and she just couldn't stop thinking.

Meeting his mentor's father had been quite an… Experience.

Perhaps the first thing he did was be rude to his son and then insult her, but that man's first impression, apart from his unquestionable spite, was... Confusion... Bewilderment, actually.

Yes, he had introduced himself to her very curtly but… Under his words, there was something like… Fear… Or was it anguish?

Being honest with herself, she wasn't too sure. She just had no idea how to describe it correctly. Perhaps because of the way he had said it against what his essence dictated.

You still have time to save your life... You have no talent.

Protective essence against aggressive words.

She sank further into place, blowing a couple of bubbles into the water.

In truth the man was a mystery, but she was no one to judge him, much less to get involved with him.

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"Fumiko-chan, here you go," the minor extended each plate of dinner to her, being received by her.

"Thank you very much Senjuro-kun.”

"Fumiko-chan! Tomorrow after the warm-up, I want to start teaching you the first Flame Breathing form!” His mentor announced energetically while receiving his respective dishes.

“Huh? Already?” She answered puzzled and excited at the same time, if only they had been training for a week.

”Sure! I see you ready!” He announced as he took his chopsticks. "Although, at the same time I want you to continue practicing Total Concentration Breathing! You will have to master it until you can do it even while asleep! In fact, you should be doing it right now!” He laughed lightly before starting to eat and thus, exclaimed at the top of his lungs how good the food tasted.

“Right!” She responded excitedly, almost instantly obeying and making Senjuro laugh.

She was about to start eating until she felt Shinjuro's powerful essence approaching.

“Father. Good night,” greeted Senjuro, slightly lowering his head.

She turned to look at him too, immediately freezing. When they both exchanged glances, he first looked at her surprised and then he looked annoyed. From the looks of it, he had arrived with the full intention of eating with his children, but seeing her there, he felt indignant.

"You can sit down to eat. Here I have your-”

“No,” he dryly interrupted his youngest son, without taking his eyes off the girl, "take me dinner to my room." He ordered with contempt.

And with that, he was gone, slamming the door shut.

Fumiko lowered her head and shrugged in embarrassment.

How had she not thought of it before?

She didn't have the right to be so comfortable with them, not if her father wasn't okay with it.

"Fumiko-chan?" The youngest called when he noticed how tense she looked. “Are you alright?”

"Don't take his food to his room, Senjuro-kun," she asked softly, picking up her small table as she spoke, “I'm leaving. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

The minor wanted to stop her, but she completely ignored him, quietly leaving the room.

Kyojuro, who never stopped saying ‘ tasty’ until he finished eating, was also stunned, fully understanding what had happened.

That was the first time of all the week that she would have breakfast, lunch and dinner in her room.

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She hadn’t taken it into account, but all the time she had been living in the Rengoku residence, she hadn’t run into the patriarch because of how busy the man was. Not at least until a few days ago when, apparently, he had been able to take some time to rest.

Ultimately, she had no idea how she was going to react to finding out that she was living under his roof, but with the little glimpse of that moment, she felt like an invader.

Although Senjuro seemed happy with her company and not to mention how much Kyojuro enjoyed teaching her everything he knew, that was not enough to compensate in the very least how terrible she was feeling.

She agreed that the Rengoku brothers had good intentions in taking care of her, but none of the three thought about the patriarch's opinion.

"Fumiko-chan! Can I come in?” Kyojuro asked from the doorway.

She turned to see him surprised.

"Su- Sure," she nodded nervously, quickly wiping her cheeks. “Do you want to eat with me?” She asked him strangely when she noticed the table full of dishes that he brought with him, as well as how he was beginning to settle down.

"I thought you'd never ask!" He responded cheerfully, taking his chopsticks. “ Itadakimasu! ”

“Wha-? Oh…” Her confused countenance immediately melted into a caught-off-guard smile. “That wasn't what I meant,” she shook her head, laughing slightly. “I meant: Aren't you going to eat with your family?”

“Tasty!” He exclaimed loudly.

Oh well. She would have to wait for him to finish eating before she could talk about it.

Despite not having answered her question, she closed her eyes enjoying her food and smiling gratefully.

…

“That is! You already have it!” Senjuro encouraged from his brother's side.

Breath of the flame: First form. Unknowing fire.

Fumiko brandished her sword, perfectly replicating Kyojuro's teachings.

"Incredible, Fumiko-chan!" Congratulated her very proud mentor, getting up from his place and walking towards her.

Fumiko gasped happily, just as impressed as her mentor.

"I did it," she whispered softly, incredulous that she had managed it in just a week. "I did it!" She exclaimed louder.

"That's right, Fumiko-chan! Another step forward in becoming a great slayer!” He encouraged him by putting a hand on her shoulder.

Her pride and happiness rose slightly upon hearing that.

Today was stronger than yesterday. Today she had advanced a little further so that she could avenge Taiki.

“Very good! Now I will show you the next form!”

As was the custom, Kyojuro would begin to explain the dynamics and the method of what she had to do, doing it first. She relaxed a bit, watching her mentor attentively.

And in a blink, his eyes widened in fear.

"Fumiko-chan!!" He yelled at her just before running to hug her.

After that, she heard the sound of mud breaking and felt her hair and her back get a little wet. She immediately guessed that it was sake from the strong smell of alcohol.

With her heart in complete turmoil, she grabbed her protector's shoulders and pulled him far enough away, only to find that the older Rengoku had a drenched face and a small spurt of blood running through his forehead. He groaned as he squeezed his eyes shut and she guessed the alcohol was burning him.

"Kyojuro!" She called out to him worried as she used her sleeve to clean his face as much as possible. “Are you okay?”

“Father!” Senjuro yelled in panic.

Fumiko turned a little to see the newly arrived man. From his essence, she knew immediately that he was beyond angry. And the worst thing is that it was with her.

She could tell he was drunk from how he staggered from time to time. Still, he stomped his feet as he walked towards them at high speed.

Almost at the same time, she saw Senjuro get up from his spot and face his father.

“Step aside!” Without much difficulty, he pushed the minor, knocking him to the ground.

"Senjuro!" Fumiko tried to run with the little boy and her mentor was quick to stop her.

The oldest of the Rengoku didn’t hesitate to pass the girl behind him to protect her. With the little he had seen of his father before he threw his sake bottle, he knew that he had every intention of hurting Fumiko.

“Father! What is it?” Kyojuro asked, blinking heavily in an attempt to dispel the tremendous burning in his eyes.

Completely ignoring him, the man managed to sneak one of his hands to grab the girl by the collar of her clothes. Almost lifting her from the ground, he dragged her some steps away from Kyojuro, hitting him in his wake.

“Brother!” Senjuro yelled as he rushed to his side to help him.

Fumiko's eyes widened in shock, not having time to react appropriately.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! Huh?!” As he spat in her face and stumbled over his words, Shinjuro shook her hard, glaring at her with tremendous hatred. "How much longer do you plan to stay here? You just want to steal the Rengoku family's secrets, don’t you?”

She looked at him confused. What was he talking about?

"I'm sick of you. You eat my food, you live in my house, you train with my son. You're just a fucking leech!”

“Father! Stop! Let her go please!” Begged his eldest son, walking towards him as fast as he could, despite Senjuro's small hands pulling him to stop him.

“SHUT UP!” The Hashira shouted into the air, not taking his eyes off Fumiko and walking another few steps away from his children.

Kyojuro froze in place. He knew right away that if he got close to his father, he was going to hurt his disciple even more.

"I want you to get out of my house right now! You heard me!?”

Fumiko's eyes were wide open from the aggressive way he was treating her, but her mind was not focused on how much her chest was burning from the extreme friction of the cloth or the demand mixed with hatred and repudiation from the patriarch. She kept looking at the bruise Senjuro had on his cheek and the trickle of blood that ran down Kyojuro's forehead.

She gasped heavily to bear her own pain.

She clenched her fists tightly and without being able to help it, she began to tremble with anger. She wanted so badly to punch him in the face to get him to let go, but she knew that if she reacted as aggressively as he did, she was only going to make things worse.

Besides, as painful as his words were… Fumiko knew with all her soul that they were true.

Taking a few more breaths, she relaxed her entire body.

“Alright,” still trembling, she raised a hand and gently placed it on top of the patriarch's strong grip, "Could you let me go? Please?” she asked, not denoting any emotion in her voice.

Shinjuro looked her directly in the eye and was immediately taken aback by her words. He could no longer notice the fear that had caused her at first...

Actually, she didn't seem to feel anything. Not even hate, anger, or disgust… She just seemed to seriously agree.

Slowly, he released her, suddenly frustrated.

When the patriarch took a step back, she adjusted her clothes as if nothing had happened and without looking at him, she began to walk, passing him by.

“Are you alright?” She asked the brothers in a sweet tone when she stood in front of them, placing a hand on their cheeks.

"Fumiko-chan, don't go… Please," Kyojuro begged, taking her hand from her cheek in fear.

Unlike what Shinjuro had in mind, seeing the girl talking to his children instead of obeying him only made him angrier.

"I told you to get out!" The man yelled at her, walking with her again, but this time grabbing her hair. “Now!”

She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, but still, a shriek of pain escaped her lips as she brought both hands toward the man's strong grip.

“FATHER! YOU’RE HURTING HER!” Alarmed, Kyojuro wanted to stop him.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" And just as he had suspected, by approaching, he made the patriarch throw the girl to the ground. "Get the hell out of here!"

She was barely able to put her hands on the ground so she wouldn't hurt herself more. She slowly opened her teary eyes and hid her face in her arms.

"Fumiko-chan has nowhere to go!" Senjuro debated as he slowly walked forward.

“That's not my problem,” Shinjuro positioned himself in front of the girl, taking irregular steps due to the dizziness caused by the alcohol and facing his two children, preventing them from approaching her.

"But it's MY problem!" Now it was Kyojuro's turn to step forward. "I rescued her, father!"

The man clenched his jaw in disgust. Why were they trying to protect her? What was special about her?

"That doesn't make you responsible for her. Don't get stupid ideas,” annoyed at seeing his children's faces so frightened, he turned back enough to see how the girl was trembling on the ground, "I want you to leave. Now. You're just a bad influence on my kids.”

Fumiko ran the back of her hand over her nose before nodding heavily.

“That’s right. I have only been a burden to them,” positioning herself slowly, she pressed her forehead to the ground. “I'm so sorry. I beg your forgiveness.”

"That's not true, father!" Since he couldn't get close to the girl, the youngest ran to hug his brother, seeking to join forces with him. “Fumiko-chan is not a burden. She always helps me with everything and doesn't take advantage of what we give her.”

"Father, she has no family," Kyojuro accompanied, wrapping an arm around Senjuro's shoulders, “also, Ubuyashiki Kagaya personally asked her to join the Demon Slayer Corps. That's why I'm training her.”

Shinjuro's eyes widened in shock upon hearing that. He stumbled a bit at the same time that he frowned again. He lowered his gaze to spot the aforementioned.

“Is that true?”

At the question, she forced her face up enough so that she could meet his eyes.

“Yes. It is.”

The Hashira looked away, thinking of what to say, unable to stand straight.

"Rengoku-sama," and suddenly, her shaky voice distracted him, “You're right… Everything that has happened to me is not the fault of your children… I- I shouldn't be here…” She pressed her forehead to the ground again, trying to hide the impending tears.

Yes, Fumiko was furious with him for beating up her saviors, but in the end, it had been her fault. And besides, he was right. She was nothing more than a thieving leech.

She already had a job and a life before she came to them… She didn't have to stay there.

She just took advantage of them since her fiancé had died. She should have left there before.

"I'm in no position to ask you for anything... Let alone beg you to let me stay," Fumiko raised her face covered in dirt and tears. “If you want me to leave, I will… I- It's okay.”

"Fumiko-chan..." Senjuro whispered, crying his own tears.

Kyojuro swallowed hard as he squeezed his brother gently. Unconsciously, he also began to tremble. He didn't want her to leave. As guilty as she felt, she hadn't been a bother to them. Quite the contrary... She had become a very special person in their lives.

"Ju- just... Please... Don't hurt them anymore..." She asked with a broken voice, lowering her head again. "I... I beg you..."

Shinjuro's essence of bewilderment was impressive, but Fumiko didn't want to look up to see his reaction, instead she never stopped shaking, terrified to move at all.

“Father,” called his eldest son, catching his attention immediately, "I beg you, don't force her to leave." And just like her, he also knelt until his forehead touched the ground.

With Senjuro at his side, he too accompanied them, sobbing heavily.

Seeing the three youths like that, he began to pant in irritation.

Fumiko knew that he was overwhelmed and quite confused.

“Whatever! You want her to stay? Fine!” He exclaimed in disgust after a couple of seconds. "I don't give a damn, it's your fucking problem then."

When everyone was sure that the man had left, almost at the same time they stood up and ran to hug each other. They stumbled over each other, distraught over each other's injuries.

"Fumiko-chan! Don’t leave us!” Senjuro yelled loudly, hugging her waist.

"Se- Senjuro..." She stammered in a mixture of tenderness and pity, “I'm so sorry, but I really think I should go... I don't want to cause you any more-”

"Fumiko." The older one interrupted, sounding unusually serious. "Don't you ever say something like that in my presence again," he scolded her, grabbing her shoulders so she would look him in the eye. “Listen to me. You are not an intruder, nor a nuisance, much less an invader. You are my disciple, very soon you will become my fellow slayer and you are a dear friend to me and Senjuro. Don't you ever dare question that, even if my father thinks otherwise.”

She stood still, feeling her heart race at his words as more tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“As a slayer, I promised to take care of you! As a teacher, I promised to train you! And as your friend, I promise I won't let my father treat you like that again!”

Chapter Text

After everything that happened with Rengoku Shinjuro, Fumiko rarely met him again.

Those times when he returned home, she always got as far away from him as possible. She had learned that if they wanted to be at peace, she should prevent from seeing his face at all. Not to mention that Kyojuro always mediated them, just as he had promised.

However, putting that aside, the next 6 months that followed were quite productive for her. Especially because of the arduous and heavy training of her highly demanding mentor.

There were days when she thought she wasn’t going to be able to take it anymore, but the constant memory of Taiki turned into a demon helped her to persist. Not to mention the name of Kibutsuji Muzan didn’t leave her mind at any time, especially when she was on the ground and her body was burning with pain.

And although she didn't want to admit it out loud, living with Kyojuro had also become even more stimulating than before, enough for her to gather strength every time she felt on edge.

It was fascinating what that boy could transmit with his mere presence.

Since she had met him, that admiration and respect for him had only grown with time. She was beyond proud to be a disciple of someone as amazing and talented as him.

Although she had to admit it, she would also have to be something exceptional to survive the hell of becoming a demon slayer… Right?

Well, she didn't want to sound arrogant but somehow she felt like he was born to be a swordswoman, considering how many obstacles she had managed to overcome in a relatively short time.

"I see you've already mastered the routine I taught you!" The slayer boy congratulated as he approached her. "I think it's time you face me again!" As soon as he suggested it, he took a shinai sword and slowly placed himself in front of her.

"Y- Yes," as she watched him, she felt her hands grow cold.

Had she mentioned that he was very abusive? Well, that's how he was.

It wasn't because he enjoyed hurting her, not at all. However, he insisted that if he wasn't hard on her, Fumiko wouldn't be able to get ahead. So, now he was about to start his tenth match against him.

The slayer-in-training clenched the hilt of her sword to dispel her nerves. Out of those ten matches, she hadn't won any so far and she planned for this to be her first.

“Ready?” She nodded quickly. “Begin!”

The loud crash of bamboo wood soon resounded as Fumiko charged forward.

She was beyond determined and if she wanted to win, she would have to be cunning. He was quite observant and very intuitive, sometimes having the advantage of being able to predict how she would attack him, since he had been the one who had taught her those sword movements.

“Remember! Take advantage of each inhalation to be able to-”

Fumiko managed to interrupt him when she fluidly mixed three moves from two different routines, catching him off guard and forcing him to defend more carefully.

‘Today I'm going to make it!’ She pushed herself a bit more and with another 5 tries, she finally found a gap in Kyojuro's defenses.

The slayer boy barely managed to open his eyes in shock before the girl took his sword from him and ended up cornering him on the ground.

Panting and smiling victoriously, Fumiko had her bamboo sword around his neck, standing on top of him.

“I did it…” She whispered in a strange mix of disbelief and boast, laughing under her breath. “I beat you”

As was the custom, she waited for him to say something and yet got nothing.

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds until she noticed the strange face Kyojuro had. He was undoubtedly happy but... More than proud... He seemed to be very comfortable where he was.

Immediately turning red, she cleared her throat and quickly scrambled off him, holding out a hand to help him.

"I'm so sorry, Rengoku-san... I got carried away." She apologized, looking away as he took her hand to help him out.

“It’s fine! I'm actually glad you beat me!” He confessed, apparently returning to his normal countenance once he was on his feet. "Congratulations, Fumiko-chan! You are stronger every day!”

He bowed respectfully and the red in her cheeks only spread to her entire face.

"Tha… Thank you very much, Rengoku-san," she stammered embarrassedly as she wiped some of the sweat from her face with her shoulder, "I couldn't have gotten here without your help."

Kyojuro cocked his head intently, a strange, excited gleam appearing in his eyes.

"Well, as a reward, today I will allow more rest!” He exclaimed, crossing his arms.

“Really? Brilliant! In that case, I'll go help Senjuro-kun,” she almost ran to put her shinai back in place before waving her hand in farewell. “Thank you Rengoku-san.”

And with that, she left him alone in the dojo. After watching her leave, his smile only grew more.

He was amazed at how much progress Fumiko was showing each day. No doubt he was very proud of how easily and quickly she learned.

He slowly walked over to the barrel where he was to put his bamboo sword, softening his smile a bit.

No doubt he was happy with her but… It wasn't the only thing he was beginning to feel for her.

Right at the moment that she had knocked him down... He couldn't help it... He simply admired every detail of her face.

For some strange reason, he had been enchanted by the determination that her eyes showed... Although at that moment, he also paid more attention to the color of her eyes, wanting to remember even the smallest detail in them.

He felt his heart race at seeing her smile like that. He was delighted with all the effort she had put into winning him over.

He sighed softly. Being honest with himself, Kyojuro had no idea why Fumiko made him feel this way.

But of one thing he was sure.

He wanted to be as close to her as possible.

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"What does my brother like?" Senjuro repeated in confusion, as the question seemed to have come from nowhere.

"His birthday is near," the girl explained with flushed cheeks as she helped the minor by cutting onions.

Kyojuro had been out on a mission for three days and now Fumiko was alone with Senjuro. As she had mentioned, her mentor was about to turn 18 and she didn't have the slightest idea what to give him.

“I'm thinking of doing something special for him, but I don't know what it could be.”

Senjuro lowered his gaze thoughtfully. When he thought of his brother, besides the matters as a demon slayer, the first thing that came to mind was how much he enjoyed food. Especially certain one.

"My brother loves sweet potato," he commented after a couple of seconds, “Is what he likes most in this world.”

Fumiko pouted gracefully upon hearing the answer. Of course he liked food, who didn't , but he could eat sweet potato on any given day, it wasn't as special as she would like.

"Isn't there something else? Beside sweet potato,” she insisted.

Senjurou lowered his head again, but this time he put a hand under his chin, really trying his best to think of something.

“He also likes sumo fights,” as if he had nothing more to say, the boy walked around the table to go get the raw chicken.

The girl pursed her lips, still unsatisfied by the answer. A fight was not something she could give him. Actually, the fights were given to her by him, and they didn't feel like a gift at all.

“In fact, when it's his birthday, I only make him a special breakfast, lunch or dinner, because he usually spends it on missions, that's why we don't usually give him gifts.”

Fumiko picked up a bell pepper and began to cut it with a bit of disgust at the comment.

Of course they didn't give poor Kyojuro anything because all the Rengoku money was wasted on food and alcohol. Especially in alcohol, that being another valuable lesson she had learned from the Flame Hashira. He was a hopeless drunk.

“I'm not used to receiving gifts on my birthday either. At least not for a long time,” she blurted out with a wistful air, concentrating on her work.

Senjuro looked up to see her intent.

"But I'm used to giving gifts," she smiled again when she felt the boy's gaze on her. “That's why I want to do something special.”

Silence reigned for a couple of minutes while the younger Rengoku thought about what to say about it.

For the first time in a long time, he too wanted to think about helping Fumiko in her mission to surprise his brother. After all, he deserved it.

"Why don't you give him something that you think is special? After all, something is special when you think it is.” The boy suggested, shaking his hands after adding the chicken and some ingredients to the broth they were preparing.

The slayer-in-training was stunned at those words. She raised her face to see the back of the younger Rengoku.

"Senjuro," she called with the intention of looking into his eyes, easily achieving her goal. "When I'm older, I want to be just like you," she teased.

The boy's laughter soon filled the kitchen, his cheeks flushed. Fumiko, on her side, took the opportunity to throw the freshly cut peppers into the pot and wipe her hands happily. As long as it was in her power, she would make Senjuro smile as much as she could, after all, his family had a very beautiful way of smiling.

°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°

May 10th wasn’t long in coming and since the conversation with Senjuro, Fumiko managed to think of a gift.

It might not be a big deal, but in the end, it would be something special of hers. And deep inside, she was incredibly nervous. She knew he deserved something special and yet she was afraid that her gift wasn't worthy enough for him.

She wanted to calm all those irrational thoughts at any cost, but no matter how hard she tried, the gift wasn't what she was worried about.

She was actually very conflicted.

It had only been 6 months since Taiki's death...

It seemed so unfair… Why couldn't she tell her heart not to beat so hard? Why couldn't she get the bloody butterflies out of her stomach when she saw him smile?

She was furious with herself.

She sighed tired. She wasn't going to admit it. Not out loud. Even after thinking about it multiple times. Of having kept awake many nights thinking about it.

She waved the nichirin katana that Senjuro had lent her so she could get used to a real sword, looking to vent some of the anger she felt against herself.

She just had to deliver his gift, period. She would give it to him as a thank you for being so patient with her all this time. Not for anything else. Not for anything else .

And although she was too eager to give it to him, to her misfortune, Kyojuro still hadn't returned home.

Practically, a week had passed since his blissful mission and he had promised that he would do his best to return for his birthday.

It was already getting dark and there was no sign of him anywhere.

Both Senjuro and Fumiko were somewhat worried about it, but they were confident that everything was fine. He was very strong after all.

While they waited for him to return, Senjuro spent his time training, cleaning and cooking.

Fumiko by her side, didn’t stop training even when the little boy had retired to do other duties, forcing herself to perfect the last technique that the oldest of the Rengoku had left her.

"Fumiko-chan, I made potato with pork stew for dinner," the minor announced from the corridors.

“Okay! As soon as I'm done I'll go with you!” She answered him, without really looking at him to be able to finish concentrating.

Flame Breathing: Sixth Posture…

"Oh! Brother! You came back!

Before she could finish swinging the sword, Senjuro's distant greeting alerted her, losing her balance and falling face-first to the ground, barely able to get her hands up.

"Ow..." She stammered as she rested her chin on the ground.

"Fumiko-chan! I'm back!” Waving briskly as always, Kyojuro's loud voice was heard.

In the rush to not look bad, she jumped up, instantly feeling dizzy.

"We- welcome home, Rengoku-san!" She waved vigorously, her face flushed and the tips of her ears burning.

Radiating more heat than the weather itself when he caught sight of her, he ended up moving closer with her and puffed out his chest proudly when he noticed all the dirt on her clothes.

“I see you're training! Excellent!” He congratulated her while crossing his arms.

Fumiko immediately put her sword away as her heart began to leap from her nerves.

"Ren- Rengoku-san! Happy Birthday!” She yelled at him even though he was close.

He cocked his head in surprise. Usually she was softer when talking to him.

"Thank you, Fumiko-chan!!" And although it was not a competition, he also responded in the same way.

“Um…” Fumiko ended up becoming aware of how loud she had spoken out of nerves, so to relax a bit, she cleared her throat. "If you don't mind, I'll go get ready for dinner. I'm so glad to see you safe and sound.” She bowed awkwardly before starting to walk.

As she passed by, in the distance she could see how Senjuro held a hand in front of his mouth trying not to laugh, but his eyes gave him away, not to mention his essence.

...

Once she had already taken a bath and was ready to go to dinner, she stayed for a couple of seconds in her room, holding tightly to her chest that bottle wrapped in a ribbon, along with a wooden stick that hung from the neck of it.

This would be the first time she would give away something like this, so she wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

"Fumiko-chan! Is everything alright?” Behind her door, his mentor's voice once again made her hair stand on end.

"Y- Yes." She answered as she stood up to open it for him.

When she slid the thin wall that separated them, the closeness in which they met disconcerted them both.

Kyojuro had been worried to see her so strange, fearing that something bad had happened to her and for that reason he had decided to visit her. But when she was so close, he couldn't help but admire everything about her, having that strange feeling in his stomach.

The colors in her face shot up as Rengoku's essence had turned intense, as did his gaze. It was a warm sensation, different from the one he usually exuded, more… Wanting… Even excited.

It was exactly that other problem regarding him. She could pretend not to see it... However, his essence didn’t lie. It seemed that he too...

"Kyo- Rengoku-san!" She corrected himself quickly, feeling her entire body burn. "I- I made you a gift!" Wanting to distract all that strange tension between them, she extended the bottle to him next to the stick, lowering her head in sorrow.

A gift?

If his heart had already fluttered in itself, the mention of something she had done had excited him even more. Delicately he took the bottle from Fumiko's soft hands, brushing his fingers with hers, increasing the temperature of both of them even more.

"Thank you, Fumiko-chan!" He exclaimed as he paid attention to the object he had received. "I'm not used to drinking alcohol, but I appreciate the gesture!"

“What?” She raised her head, confused. "Oh! Oh no! That's not alcohol,” due to the shame, she began to play with her fingers. “It's a perfume. It's been a long time since I made one, but it's one of my greatest pride.”

Rengoku's eyes of surprise only widened with the clarification.

"Oh! I see!” Out of curiosity, he uncovered the cork of the bottle, wanting to find out what would be the smell he would be wearing.

"It's a scent very similar to clove incense. I- It is inspired by your essence, Rengoku-san,” she explained, hugging herself. “The idea is that you splash a little on your clothes before putting them on.”

Kyojuro nodded in genuine surprise as he replaced the cap on the bottle. He had really liked his gift.

"Thank you very much, Fumiko-chan!" It was his turn to duck his head slightly, only to end up inadvertently butting the girl's head.

They were too close. Sooner or later that was going to happen.

Fumiko placed her hands on her slightly sore forehead while Rengoku backed away in embarrassment, placing his available hand on top of his own head.

“I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you!”

By her side, she began to laugh, disconcerting her mentor.

At least, she hadn't been the only one who had made a fool of herself anymore.

"It’s okay, it’s okay," she soothed him, still holding her forehead with one hand, while with the other she tried to play it down. “ Let's go have dinner, okay?”

From then on, after letting her pass, Kyojuro immediately stood still. An idea came to him and suddenly was terrified to go through with it, but his heart demanded that he try it anyway.

Chapter Text

Fumiko was folding the fabrics of her futon to clean her room. As usual, she was about to leave to go train with-

"FUMIKO-CHAN!" Rengoku yelled, sounding strangely anxious.

She gave the jump of her life, feeling her soul almost come out of her mouth. She turned, her eyes widening only to realize that he had yelled at her because her door was closed.

Now more awake than before, she walked so she could open and see who had called her.

"Good morning, Rengoku-san," she greeted him sweetly, even though he had scared her.

First, she wanted to check the reason why he hadn't knocked on the door, and when he saw his face all red, she was immediately worried. Even his essences was beyond terrified. “Are you alright?”

"Fumiko-chan!! Do you want to go for a walk with me?!” Opening his mouth exaggeratedly and speaking louder than usual, he kept his arms at his sides, clenching his fists very tightly.

She blinked in confusion as she tilted her head slightly, though her heart began to race at the faint scent of the perfume she'd given him the night before. "Aren't we going to train today?"

“We are!! Only in the afternoon I would like to have a date!!” He fell silent immediately, reconsidering his words and mysteriously turning redder than before. “NO!! THAT WASN'T WHAT I WANTED TO SAY!! I JUST WANT TO WALK!!”

Not only was he more nervous, but he had also managed to reach a higher volume than before.

She immediately widened her eyes in surprise as her face also began to burn. Now it made sense of why he was so nervous.

She lowered her head as she covered her mouth with her thumb.

Of course, the image of Taiki came to mind... She immediately felt guilty and disappointed in herself.

But as heavy as her heart felt, Kyojuro's strong essence was distracting her.

Unintentionally, his attitude reminded her of the first time she had asked Taiki out on a date. She knew from experience how difficult it was to take courage and ask that special person for some time alone...

Perhaps the most logical thing was to say no... And yet, she couldn't find the courage or the desire to do it.

She took a breath. She felt selfish, but she had already made her decision.

With deep love and affection, Fumiko embraced Taiki's name in her heart and slowly, she saved it in a golden chest.

She would never stop loving him but she was going to allow her heart to move forward.

Fumiko had been silent for so long that she didn't realize how unsettled she had left her mentor.

Rengoku's stomach clenched harder as he watched her lower her head. He was sweating profusely, waiting for her to say something. Anything .

“What's going on?” Senjuro's soft, sleepy voice suddenly alerted his older brother. "Why the fuss?"

“Rengoku-san is asking me out.” Fumiko explained softly, finally letting herself smile with all the excitement she was experiencing.

 "Oh..." He yawned slightly to wake himself up a bit more as he nodded. "Okay… I'll go make breakfast," Senjuro lazily walked into the middle of them, heading towards the kitchen.

Kyojuro looked at him strangely. His brother was peculiarly calm. He didn't seem surprised to hear that he and Fumiko were going out together. Well , that only if she agreed.

"We- Well then?" The older boy insisted, understanding that he had to lower his voice so as not to disturb his brother any more.

“Of course,” feeling butterflies in her stomach, she leaned into his cheek to give him a small kiss. “Congratulations for your birthday. Again.”

First she smiled sweetly at him before walking towards the kitchen, ready to help Senjuro with whatever he needed.

Kyojuro could barely breathe as he held his face with one hand.

He was stunned for a couple of minutes before he could start walking with slow steps because of how enraptured he was.

After she'd given him her gift the night before, he'd almost immediately wanted to ask her out on a date. She had worked so hard to make him feel happy that he simply had the conviction to return the favor.

However, at dinner, before he even tried to ask her, he had to think carefully about it first.

For his part, since he had finished his mission just on his birthday, he was going to spend more time at home, which meant that all his attention would be focused on Fumiko.

But... What about her?... What would she say about it?

All night, doubt kept him awake. He was distraught that the reason they had met in the first place, would be the cause of her refusal.

And not only had she said yes... But now he had the latent memory of the soft brush of her lips on his cheek.

Slowly, he ended up walking into the kitchen.

“Morning brother!” The younger greeted him, a little more awake. “Sit down. We won’t take too long.”

"Don't you want some help?" He managed to ask, following the girl with his eyes, still incredulous.

“No, it’s okay. Also, maybe your birthday was yesterday, but I want to continue celebrating you.” Senjuro calmed him down, smiling satisfied when he saw his face so entranced.

And thanks to Fumiko being quick to help as well, indeed, it didn't take long before everything was ready.

Discreetly, Fumiko from time to time caught sight of her mentor and when their eyes met, one of the two quickly cut off contact, repeating the cycle a couple more times until Senjuro began to distribute the dishes at the table where Kyojuro was sitting.

“Hey,” his younger brother spoke to him in a low voice as he sat in his respective place. “When you two go out, just relax. She likes you a lot too, so everything will work out just fine, okay?” He advised him, discreetly turning to check that the girl in question wasn't listening.

Her face turned even redder, barely able to awkwardly stammer: "She too…?" But he couldn't finish speaking when Fumiko placed the plates of food in front of him.

“Here we go, let’s have breakfast!” She clapped her hands in front of her chest, smiling brightly.

For a moment, Senjuro stopped as he perceived a pleasant aroma around him. "Hey, is it me, or does something smell good?"

"It's my gift Senjuro-kun!" His older brother confirmed enthusiastically, taking his chopsticks to start eating. “Fumiko-chan gave me a perfume! I'm sure it suits me!”

When she heard it, Fumiko began to eat nervously, wanting to lower the redness from her cheeks because from the beginning, she had realized how good her gift had fit him.

"Oh! How great,” Senjuro smiled too, tilting his head at the tenderness.

…

"Where would you like to go, Rengoku-san?"

After having trained together for most of the day and having taken a bath, now both of them were walking through the streets of that district, dressed casually and with flushed cheeks.

"I was thinking of eating ramen! What do you think?”

“Sounds good.”

This was the first time the two of them had gone out like this. Although in reality, Fumiko could imagine that in the future, when she officially became a demon slayer, they might at some point have a mission together.

However, there was also the uncertainty that this wouldn’t be possible because she would be of a lower rank, compared to him who, at 18, was a Kinoto rank and three demons away from becoming a Kinoe rank. 

At the beginning of their walk to some ramen stand, they hadn't spoken to each other. They were too nervous to start a conversation. And just after arriving at a decent place and ordering, Fumiko managed to think of something.

“I know it may sound crazy but, I haven't eaten ramen in a long time.”

“Really?” He responded incredulously. “Why?”

“Well, the last time I went to a place like this, I was 13 years old and it was the birthday of one of my brothers. It was very cute.”

Suddenly, all the nerves he was feeling vanished the moment she mentioned her family.

"Fumiko-chan," he called, looking at her a little conflicted. “What was your family like?”

She began to caress her hands and looked down to see how she did it. "Oh… Where do I start?" She chuckled lightly under her breath. “They are wonderful.”

“My dad is a very passionate man. He loves making perfumes of all kinds and he loves teaching me, although I think he enjoys it more when I accompanied him to sell them. My mom is a very creative woman, she sings, paints, writes… Well, she is very artistic and she is quite perceptive, she always knows when something bothers me. Haku and Reiko are my adoration, I remember that they always fought for my attention and were very jealous of each other. Although they are also very talented. Haku has an enormous facility to understand the world around him and Reiko has an incredible memory... In short, wonderful.”

It was impressive but since he had met her, she had never mentioned any information about her past and just at that moment when he saw her speak with such affection and pride about her family, he couldn't help but grow his smile. But his happiness didn't last long when a question came to his mind.

He opened his mouth slightly, intending to ask about her fiancé but... Something in his chest denied him. It felt like oppression, not to mention how angry he felt at the image of another boy holding the girl next to him.

To his salvation, Fumiko sighed lightly before looking at him, looking slightly uncomfortable before asking. “How about you? May I know what your mother was like?”

He blinked in surprise a few times. But before he could reply, the attendant handed them their hot plates. After thanking him, Kyojuro fell silent, barely able to pick up his chopsticks.

"My mother was..." He frowned a bit, staring at the hot broth in front of him. “She was a very serious woman. I remember seeing her smile a few times when she was around my father or when I gave her a flower, but in reality, her face was always very serene. She had beautiful crimson eyes and was very direct with me.”

Attentive to what he was saying, she didn't want to start eating in order to give him as much attention as possible.

"I don't remember much about her, anyway, she passed away when I was very little." It was the last thing he said before trying some of his noodles, beginning his usual tasting ritual. “Tasty!”

Fumiko also blew on the noodles she had taken with her chopsticks a few times in order to eat.

"It will pass all the time that needs to pass, but in the end, they will always be with us, don't you think?" She smiled sweetly at him, eating her batch of pasta.

Still repeating how good the food tasted, he smiled back, unable to agree more with that.

After having eaten 5 dishes as she only ate one, Rengoku now found himself much more relaxed, smiling happily while she also smiled with satisfaction.

"Rengoku-san, I don't want to sound intrusive, but how old were you when your mother…?"

For a moment, his smile faded a bit at the question. “About… 8 years old.”

"Wow... you were very little." She whispered slightly disappointed.

Once again, Rengoku gritted his teeth, annoyed with the question but at the same time, not wanting to know anything about him.

“Another question,” she once again saved him from his own mind. “The room where I sleep, who did it belong to?”

“To my mother, ” he confirmed, quite calm. “After she got sick, she didn't want to infect my father, so she just started sleeping in another room.

Fumiko nodded, crossing her arms. Now it made sense of Shinjuro's aggressive behavior back then.

"We obviously did a deep cleaning before donating her room to you, Fumiko-chan!" He clarified, slightly nervous to see how serious she had become. “You have nothing to worry about!”

She only mumbled a laugh. “I wasn't concerned with that, but thanks for the clarification,” she soothed him sweetly. "It's just… That room makes me feel so… Calm and protected. I don't know how to explain it,  I just… Feel it .”

Kyojuro nodded slowly, remaining silent for a couple of seconds. "Do you want to take a walk before we go home?" He suggested before leaving the corresponding money on the table and extending his hand to his companion.

Fumiko blushed again at the image in front of her before nodding and taking her hand.

It was already beginning to get dark and their date was just beginning.

Chapter Text

Once again, Fumiko swung her wooden katana vigorously.

However, due to the number of times she had repeated the exercise, she looked at one of her hands with a hurt face, becoming aware of the burning sensation in her palms.

It had already been a year since she had become Kyojuro’s student.

She was alone in that garden while several sakura petals fell around her. She didn't want to get frustrated, but the pain was starting to get unbearable and she had to keep training.

Remembering what she was practicing, she closed her eyes, returning to her stance and concentrating on her breathing to ease the pain.

She raised her arms with the intention of swinging her sword again-

"You are doing excellent Fumiko-chan!" Kyojuro's strong voice rang out.

Stifling a cry, she opened her eyes in fright, directing her gaze to her mentor. However, before she could claim him for appearing out of nowhere, a small hiccup popped out of her.

She blinked in surprise as she quickly covered her lips with her fingers. And suddenly, another hiccup sounded again. He too had gone silent, just as bewildered as she was.

He crossed his arms as he began to explain with a big smile: “Remember that you can control every fiber of your body with-”

Her hiccups interrupted him.

Fumiko hadn't removed her hand from her lips, so she only pressed harder for inadvertently interrupting her mentor. Although, she couldn't hold it in any longer before she burst out laughing with hiccups interfering from time to time, causing her giggles to increase more and slowly both noises were mixing naturally.

Kyojuro looked at her confused, not understanding what was so funny about having the hiccups. He opened his mouth to ask, when Fumiko beat him to it.

"I'm so sorry *hic* Rengoku-san," she spoke to him as best she could, still overwhelmed by her own laughter. “Just let me *hic* enjoy the moment.”

For his part, he raised his eyebrows in shock, realizing something. He had been hypnotized, seeing her laugh like that, asking to enjoy the moment.

In a blink, he had a glimpse of the past, remembering the hurt and sad expression she had when he first met her. But that memory evaporated almost instantly, being replaced by what he was seeing at that moment.

Right at that moment, Kyojuro made the decision to want to take care of that smile. He was going to do everything in his power to see her happy.

"Well, that’s enough." Fumiko sighed, muttering to herself.

Finally, the girl concentrated on calming her breathing to end the hiccups. This time, he didn't interrupt her, he just stared at her, still surprised.

Without much difficulty, after a couple of seconds, the hiccups were completely gone, leaving only the casual sound of the wind.

“There we go.” She smiled, proud to have achieved her goal.

As soon as she answered, Kyojuro approached her, with a straight face. Fumiko widened her eyes, realizing how her mentor's essence had changed.

“Rengoku-san? Did something happen?”

Gently, the blond took Fumiko's free hand in his and held his grip between them.

"Fumiko-chan! Marry me!” He suddenly asked, bringing his face closer to hers, smiling excitedly.

Now it was her turn to widen her eyes, feeling the tips of her ears burn and her cheeks get warm in a matter of seconds.

“WHAT?!” She exclaimed, puzzled as she threw the rest of her body back, in an attempt to get away from her mentor's unexpected closeness.

“Marry me! Please!” He insisted, taking a step forward to get closer to her face again.

She could literally feel smoke coming out of her ears from how embarrassed she felt at that moment. But it didn't compare to the powerful heat emanating from Kyojuro, of pure passion.

Instead of stuttering and becoming more overwhelmed by the situation, Fumiko suddenly relaxed, lowering her head in confusion, causing him to calm down a bit as well.

“Why?” She asked without looking him in the eye. “Why do you want to marry me?”

Kyojuro relaxed quickly at the question, smiling sweetly. Releasing her hold, he slid his hand over the girl's jaw, gently cupping her chin so that she looked into his eyes.

They looked at each other for a moment, and before he could answer, the slayer boy's raven began to hover above them.

"Rengoku-sama! There's a new mission! To the south! In a harvest field!” It announced loudly, attracting the attention of both present.

Kyojuro sighed slightly defeated but didn’t stop smiling. He released Fumiko slowly and turned to obey his raven.

"I'll be right back, Fumiko-chan!" He told her while turning his back on her, starting to walk.

"Rengoku-san!" She called out to him, before he was completely gone, which caused him to turn around enough to see her intently. "Ma- Maybe... I'll consider it..."

His smile grew, accepting the girl's answer and finally heading to his mission.

Chapter Text

"What do you mean ‘new student’ !?" Fumiko reproached with more anger than she wanted to express.

Kyojuro stepped back as his eyes widened in puzzlement.

"I'm sorry, Fumiko-chan! Is there a problem with it?”

A couple of days ago, Rengoku had met a cute girl named Kanroji Mitsuri, and something similar to what had happened with Fumiko, he saw a lot of potential in her, having the decency to ask her to be his disciple.

“Yes, there is. You already have me! I am your student!” She grumbled irritably while pointing to her chest in indignation.

Deep down, she knew that she had no right to be angry with Kyojuro for wanting to take in more people. He was within his rights as a slayer.

But the issue was not that Kyojuro decided to take someone else as a student, but the person per se… He had decided to bring a girl. A girl!

ANOTHER WOMAN , BY ALL THE GODS!! 

What was he thinking!?

Just imagining having to share her mentor's attention with another girl… Made her blood boil.

“It's that- I- Well-” She was so angry that she couldn't form a coherent sentence. “Oh! Forget it,” holding back her disgust, she ended up trying to turn around, only to be stopped by Kyojuro grabbing her wrist.

"You wouldn’t happen to be jealous? Would you? Fumiko-chan?” He suggested mockingly.

She quickly turned her head and looked at him in surprise. From the way he was looking at her, she swallowed and cleared her throat, gently wriggling out of his grasp. She wasn't going to let him make fun of her. "What made you think that?"

The loud laugh just made her blush completely.

"How can you be jealous if it was you I asked to marry?" He reminded her before gently tucking a lock behind her ear.

With that simple gesture, she froze.

Right . 

Fumiko opened her mouth as if to say something but nothing seemed to come to mind.

Kyojuro chuckled lightly, unconsciously taking a step forward to get a little closer to her, as if wanting to appreciate her reaction more closely. However, when he realized how close they were, all that humor suddenly vanished.

They held their gazes for a few seconds that for both seemed eternal. Without realizing it, they were getting closer and closer.

"KYAAAAA! SO ROMANTIC!!”

The pink-haired girl's squeal of excitement startled them both, causing Kyojuro to jump away from Fumiko.

"Kanroji-san! How good that you arrived!” Crossing his arms and gushing, Rengoku tried to normalize his heartbeat. "I want to introduce you to Nakamura Fumiko! She will be your comrade from now on!"

Fumiko's head was spinning with all the heat caused by embarrassment, barely catching her name.

"I- I am Kanroji Mitsuri! It's a pleasure!” The newcomer quickly bowed, her entire face red and smiling excitedly.

With the girl's strong essence, Fumiko gradually snapped out of her trance. It was funny but she could almost feel how fast Mitsuri's heart was beating. It was as if she was happy to see them together and was entranced by how cute they were, thanking the air for being able to witness it.

"H- Hi," she stammered while bowing embarrassedly.

“Now that you know each other, it's time to train!” Kyojuro announced forcefully.

Fumiko was convinced. She was never going to want to share that passionate gaze with anyone. Never .

°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°

There was no other way to say it. Starting to train with Kanroji Mitsuri hadn't been so bad after all.

First of all, sharing an arduous workout with another person was quite motivating and energizing.

And secondly, although at first Fumiko had been very afraid that she would want to try something with Kyojuro, every time they ate together, she ended up receiving a long speech about how she and Rengoku were the best couple in the world, as well as why she was so wonderful and impressive.

 In short, not only did she respect her relationship with her mentor, but she also didn’t hesitate to express all the admiration she felt for her, and that had made Fumiko feel comfortable and relaxed around her.

Similarly, living with the pink-haired girl gradually transformed all that distrust into appreciation and affection, beginning to enjoy her company heartedly, in addition to earning her own respect and admiration towards her.

Mitsuri seemed to be love incarnated, especially with the particular color of her pink hair with green endings. She was very sweet and tender, always emanating an essence of absolute purity and sincerity.

She was also very talented. With her brutal strength and exceptional flexibility, in just 6 months, she had been able to reach the dexterity and skills that Fumiko had managed to develop in her first year of training.

And yes, sometimes that made Fumiko feel bad, but she understood that everyone had a different rhythm.

In the end, both of them had become good friends.

“Well Kanroji-san, the time has come! Try using Flame Breathing!” Enthusiastic Rengoku ordered.

"Okay... Here I go..." In a low voice, Mitsuri got up from her place to obey her teacher.

With her nerves on the surface, the pink-haired girl began to do a series of impressive acrobatics from left to right, and once she finished, she clutched her shinai sword to her chest to observe the two present.

“How was it? Did I do it correctly?”

Both Fumiko and Rengoku exchanged confused glances.

“Well, no! It was completely different!” Rengoku exclaimed.

Fumiko pursed her lips nervously and got up quickly as soon as she saw the tremendous sadness on her comrade’s face.

"No, no, Mitsuri-chan, don't be discouraged," she comforted her by reaching out her arms to wrap around her. “It was great! It wasn't much like Flame Breathing, but for your style, it was excellent.”

Patting her head, Fumiko turned slightly to her mentor, her eyes asking him to say something else to support her. And after rapidly blinking thinking of what to say, he finally approached his two students.

"Kanroji-san! You may not be able to use Flame Breathing, but I think you could adapt the technique to create your own type of Breath!” He encouraged him as she put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Between so many tears, Mitsuri raised her face, beginning to smile gratefully and still embarrassed.

“Another Breathing technique…” Analyzed Fumiko under her breath as she placed a hand under her chin.

Still with her protective instincts active, Fumiko was determined to help her sparring partner find an alternative method to put all that strength and flexibility into practice.

The question would be... How?

…

"What are we going to have for dinner?" Mitsuri asked anxiously, looking hungrily at each food stall they passed.

After arduous training, the two hunter-in-training, their mentor, and Senjuro were walking through the streets of the district. As usual around there, the night was illuminated by multiple red and orange colors from the lanterns of the locals as they sold different products. And even though they were all conspicuous, the four youths were now searching for food.

Since Mitsuri had been disappointed at not being able to perform Flame Breathing in the afternoon, Fumiko had come up with the idea of leaving the Rengoku residence and taking inspiration; After all, that was her top priority: Finding some clue that would help her friend.

"How about stew?" Senjuro shyly pointed to the side of the pink-haired girl, since she was the one holding his hand as they walked.

“Mmmm,” Fumiko softly muttered something disgusted, imagining that it would be something too heavy.

“STEW!” However, the joint voices of Kyojuro and Mitsuri in agreement silenced her instantly.

Stew would be, nothing could be done about it .

The four entered and unanimously decided to position themselves near one of the windows because they could see a beautiful illuminated bridge. Senjuro next to Mitsuri and Fumiko next to Kyojuro.

"Hadn't we visited this place before?" Fumiko asked suddenly, placing a hand under her chin.

“Not that I remember!” Her energetic mentor answered beside her as he took the small paper menu from the center of the table, imitating his younger brother.

"I've seen this place a couple of times when passing by, Fumiko-chan." Confirmed Senjuro in front of her. "Maybe that's why it looks familiar to you."

The girl in question pursed her lips trying to remember before snapping her fingers. “Right! After going to the market.”

“Exactly,” Senjuro smiled, handing the menu to the girl in front of him before crossing his arms and leaning on the table with the intention of getting a little closer.

"Oh! How nice that you go out together to buy food!” The pink-haired exclaimed tenderly.

"Sometimes we also train together, right, Senjuro?" Taking advantage of the fact that he was quite close, Fumiko gently poked his nose, making the aforementioned laugh before returning her attention to the menu.

"And why don't you train with me too?" Mitsuri complained, being her turn to playfully poke the boy on the cheek. “I also want to see how strong Senjuro-kun is.”

With the attention of both girls on him, his cheeks were painted red and to hide it a bit, he hid his face in his arms.

"Nooooo." He spoke embarrassed, though sounding covered.

"My brother is a bit shy!" Kyojuro clarified as he held out the menu to the pink-haired girl. "That's why I don’t force him to train with you!"

Fumiko pursed her lips to keep from laughing. So if Senjuro wasn't shy, would he force him? It would be very funny to see Kyojuro try not to fall under the sweet gaze of his little brother.

However, at the mention of training, Fumiko rested her cheek on her clenched fist. Of course she hadn't forgotten about helping Mitsuri, though nothing came to mind anyway. Maybe it was hunger.

And just when she was about to ask about the food, a waiter approached them, being that they all already had in mind what they wanted to order.

After placing their order, they were quiet for a moment, all deep in thought.

"Whoaaah!" Senjuro suddenly exclaimed in astonishment. “A parade!”

"Uuuuu," Fumiko followed him, directing her gaze towards where the music gradually played.

"How magical!" Mitsuri accompanied as she hugged the young boy next to her, managing to lean in enough so that she too could see the show.

For his part, Kyojuro had also turned enough to catch a glimpse of the show, and yet what caught his attention were not the dancers with flashy ribbons, much less the musicians with their ostentatious instruments, but an elderly couple. The lady had her head resting on her husband's shoulder, both smiling at what they saw while holding hands.

And then, Kyojuro felt his heart skip a beat in a particular way.

Reaching that age with the person you love the most... That would undoubtedly be the most magical thing that could happen to anyone.

As if the air had been punched out of him, the young slayer felt his stomach knot as an idea crossed his mind. Maybe it would sound silly or innocent, but he just wanted to hold Fumiko's hand and then end up embracing, just like the couple he had seen.

Despite having proposed to the girl next to him for a couple of weeks before, his hands began to burn in a peculiar way. Perhaps it was due to insecurity that she hadn't really told him that she did want to marry him or perhaps due to the simple fact that for him, that act seemed so… Intimate.

He wasn't sure, all he knew was that he had to try.

Under the table, Fumiko suddenly felt Kyojuro's fingers brushing against hers. Not wanting to make a dramatic reaction out of feeling extremely embarrassed, she swallowed hard and turned her head to ask her mentor what was wrong with her eyes.

Unlike Mitsuri and Senjuro, he wasn’t looking at the window, but at her hand. From the way his usual smile trembled slightly and a little nervous glint was present in his eyes, the girl immediately caught what he wanted.

Little by little, with immeasurable tenderness covering her heart, she slowly reached out her small hand.

Kyojuro, more nervous than before, took a couple of seconds to react, understanding that she was giving him permission to take her hand. At first, he was on the verge of regretting due to the electrifying sensation that ran through his entire body, but even though it seemed difficult, he ignored it, willing to take advantage of the opportunity that Fumiko offered him.

For her part, the girl looked at him moved. She didn't want to push him because she understood perfectly, after all, he apparently had never had a partner before.

Once their fingers were entwined, the young slayer released the breath he had been holding before looking at the girl next to him. She was so soft and adding to the way she smiled so sweetly at him, it only ended up making his heart race even more.

The two of them were so focused on how their hands felt together, that they hadn't realized that Mitsuri and Senjuro had been staring at them, both extremely excited.

However, the first to notice it was Fumiko.

"Ho- How's the show?" Trying to hide that she wasn't completely embarrassed and her stomach in knots, Fumiko nodded toward the window, hiding her hand entwined with Kyojuro's. "Isn't it fabulous how the dancers move the ribbons?"

Barely, concentrating on the feeling and not the moment, the young slayer shook his head.

“Everything okay brother?” Senjuro asked, albeit with a slight hint of mockery in his voice.

“Of course!!” Unintentionally, Kyojuro spoke a little louder than normal, even making several people in the room look at him strangely.

"Looks cute to me." Mitsuri answered and her comrade wasn't sure if she was answering her previous question or making a comment about them.

"Y- Yeah! Th- The ribbons.” Fumiko laughed, turning her head to where the last dancers were passing.

And suddenly, because of the exotic way they moved, something clicked in her head.

"Mitsuri-chan," she called, blinking multiple times as the thought formed in her head. "Why don't you develop a combat style based on ribbons?"

“Huh?” Disconcerted by the idea, the pink-haired girl also turned enough to see the dancers who were gradually moving away. And almost like Fumiko, her face lit up too. “But of course! Flexibility and strength! I could try!”

Fumiko nodded effusively and beside her, even though Kyojuro seemed to be listening, he was actually concentrating on how the girl had never let go of his hand.

How he would like to stay like this forever.

°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°

"Look, maybe it's not one of my best inventions but…" Practically making her sixth knot, Fumiko nodded before handing her a katana handle attached to a long rope. "Maybe this will help you create something."

"WOW!" Receiving the strange weapon with both hands, Mitsuri's face practically glowed with excitement. "Thank you very much, Fumiko-chan!

"Interesting indeed!" From behind his students, Kyojuro's loud voice rang out. “Very well! It's time to train!”

With her new and interesting weapon, Mitsuri experimented with different movements and Fumiko gave her a couple of suggestions once in a while, at the same time she made a routine alongside Kyojuro.

It didn’t pass more than 30 minutes when the crow of teh young slayer announced a new mission and therefore, he had to leave.

“I promise I’ll be back soon! Hope you can help each other!” After cleaning his forehead with his sleeve, Kyojuro went to put his shinai in its respective place before heading towards the girls.

First he bowed in front of Mitsuri, “When I get back, I hope to see a lot of progress, Kanroji-san!”

“Ye- Yeah!” Answered nervously the pink haired.

Next, the boy turned to Fumiko. Without giving it a thought, he walked until he was less than a step away from her.

“Take good care of yourself, Fumiko-chan!” For a moment, he was about to bow as he did to his other student, however, suddenly a new idea popped in his head.

And if he hugged her? Would it be inappropriate?

From her part, the girl in front of him tilted her head, watching how an inner turmoil was occuring in his essence. She simply decided to bow instead, thinking that would help him somehow.

“Come back safe and sound, please.” She asked, getting her mentor out of his little trance.

He cleared his throat before nodding.

“Of- Of course!” Beside him, he started to close and open his hand nervously. “I- I’ll go say goodbye to Senjuro!”

And his shoulders completely tensed, he got out of the room, leaving Mitsuri and Fumiko completely confused. What was that all about?

Soon, they both returned their attention to training. Although it was more like Fumiko trying to get Mitsuri to fully explore the possibilities she could do with her rope katana.

After a couple of hours, they both ended up getting hungry.

"Fumiko-chan, I think you must have been some kind of crazy inventor in your past life." She spoke to her as she was putting away her new weapon.

In the distance, as soon as she arranged the dishes to eat, the named one laughed slightly.

"I guess I got that from dad." She answered, at the same time that she sat in her respective place. “Come, Mitsuri-chan, the food is ready.”

After nodding, the pink-haired girl knelt down in front of her own tray before thanking for the food.

That same afternoon, just as Mitsuri was experiencing different movements and Fumiko gave her a couple of suggestions, Kyojuro had been called on a mission, so they were alone at that moment.

"Fumiko-chan, if I may ask." The cute girl spoke, preparing a bite with her chopsticks. "Why did you decide to become a slayer?"

The named one pursed her lips upon hearing the question.

“Oh… Well…” She lowered her chopsticks as she settled in for conversation. “Many times I had been told that I had incredible strength, although not as strong as you, Mitsuri-chan,” she nudged her playfully with her elbow. “I think the idea of using that force to protect people led me to become a slayer.”

"That's amazing, Fumiko-chan!" She heartedly flattered her comrade.

She smirked, thinking of her other motive. “Although also… I think it's for revenge.”

Because of the seriousness of her words, Mitsuri stopped eating for an instant, blinking in surprise.

“I want to find Kibutsuji Muzan and cut off his head,” she sighed lightly before continuing. "For turning my fiancé into a demon."

“Fiancé?!” The girl next to her squealed excitedly, startling Fumiko for the fright. "Is your fiancé a demon? I thought Rengoku-san was your fiancé…”

Fumiko raised a confused eyebrow at the girl's abrupt reaction, but still answered, “No, no. Rengoku-san is not my fiancé,” she explained nervously. “My… First fiancé, he was turned into a demon.”

And when the image of Taiki returned to her mind, her energy suddenly dimmed. “One of the demon slayers cut his head.”

For the first time in so long, Fumiko was able to talk about it without crying. It was still painful, but she had already made progress in accepting reality.

"THAT'S SO SAD, FUMIKO-CHAN!" Crying, Mitsuri clung to one of her comrade's arms, truly hurt by what she had just heard.

"Ca- Calm down, Mitsuri-chan," Fumiko patted her head a couple of times with the intention of calming her down, which was ironic since she should be the one crying. “His memory is always with me. It is what has helped me keep moving forward.”

Sobbing slightly, Mitsuri closed her eyes in embarrassment. "That's so romantic! I wish I had someone like that!”

It was Fumiko's turn to be surprised. From her comrade's essence, she detected a kind of envy mixed with a bitter pain of rejection.

"Why did you want to become a slayer, Mitsuri-chan?" It was Fumiko's turn to ask, watching as the face of the girl who was still clinging to her arm began to distort into a disappointed one.

"I also had a fiancé once." She confessed softly as she broke away from Fumiko, lowering her gaze to the ground. "But he rejected me for being so strange and abnormal."

"You're not strange, Mitsuri-chan! You are special! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!” Blinded by her sense of justice, Fumiko exclaimed sincerely to which Kanroji placed a hand near her mouth to hide her impending blush.

"Th- Thank you very much Fumiko-chan," she stammered in embarrassment, closing her eyes for a bit before continuing to speak. “There was a time when I wanted to pretend to be a normal girl to find someone else. And in the long run, I found that so exhausting and harmful, not to mention all the damage it was doing to my body.”

That was another interesting fact about the kind girl. Perhaps her build was small and thin to look at, but in reality, her musculature was three times as dense as a normal person's, forcing her to eat almost the equivalent of an entire buffet in order to stay stable.

“That's why I wanted to find a place that would accept me as I am,” she explained as she toyed with one of the braids in her hair. “Although! I also hope to find a man stronger than me to marry!” She exclaimed with her whole face red and squeezing her hair more tightly.

Fumiko stammered a cute laugh at that motivation, at the same time that she put a hand on his shoulder. "That's amazing, Mitsuri-chan!”

‘I just hope that our motivations help us become true slayers.’

After all, there was a lot to train for the Final Selection.

Chapter Text

"Fumiko-chan," Mitsuri called shakily. "Ca- Can I take yo- your hand? Pl- please?”

“Of course!” Trying to sound confident, she smiled as reassuringly as she could and gently extended her hand to her friend.

Both of their hands were terribly cold.

"I'm not going to separate from you at any time. I promise,” gently, Fumiko gave her a small squeeze to comfort her.

"Fu- Fumiko-chan is so brave," Mitsuri whispered admiringly, seeming to speak her mind out loud.

It was an advantage that her friend couldn't sense essences, otherwise she would have realized how terrified she really was, but her protective instincts helped her maintain that facade.

A couple of minutes ago, the Final Selection had started and now both Fumiko and Mitsuri were slowly making their way into the forest, away from the wisteria trees.

In short, they were getting closer and closer to danger.

Neither could express how grateful they were to be together. No matter what fear they were experiencing at the moment, seeing a familiar and trusted face was enough to keep them going.

They were walking for hours, attentive to every corner of the trunks around them. They didn’t overlook any detail, from any sign of trap or any abrupt movement in their environment.

Fumiko, for her part, hadn’t been able to take her hand off the handle of the nichirin sword that Senjuro had lent her. It was like her little amulet, capable of reminding her of her only objective: Get out of there alive .

Mitsuri on her side, was glued to her friend's back, holding her hand and with her thumb partially covering her lips.

They both had the terrible anguish of being in danger at all times, and yet, a long time had passed and there seemed to be no kind of-

Fumiko felt a terrible chill run down the back of her neck.

"Fu- Fumiko-chan," the pink-haired woman whispered in a small voice. "Lo... Look..."

It hadn’t been necessary for her to have told her, she had already detected it.

They both stayed where they were, trying not to attract attention at all.

Fumiko was frowning and gritting her teeth. Mitsuri's mouth and eyes were wide with pure fear.

“Hungry…” It could be vaguely understood from the thin creature in front of them. “Hu… Mans…”

Suddenly it began to salivate, smacking its mouth as if it could taste what it was imagining.

Fumiko gripped the hilt of her sword, ready to draw if the situation warranted.

“HUMANS!” It screamed loudly and unlike what both girls feared, the demon headed at high speed to the opposite side where they were.

"A- A DEMON!" They heard the scream of at least two boys.

"Mitsuri-chan, we have to help them," Fumiko whispered to her before beginning to pull her to follow.

Her feet had moved on their own, desperate to get to them before the demon.

“Leave! I’ll handle it!” One of the boys demanded his partner, holding his sword fearfully.

Without much hesitation, the other boy started running terrified.

First letting go of Mitsuri's hand, Fumiko drew her sword and froze suddenly, watching the boy defend himself with all he could, appearing to be somewhat useless.

Her hands felt terribly heavy.

‘Calm down! Control your breathing!’ She mentally scolded herself but her body was still stiff.

How could she calm down… There was a demon in front of her… A real one…

“HELP!!”

The terrible scream managed to snap her out of her trance. The boy was now on the ground and his sword was three meters from him.

She tightened her grip on the handle of Senjuro’s nichirin sword.

‘If you don't move now, that boy will die!’

"Fumiko-chan? What do we do?” Her frightened friend called, hiding part of her face with her fists.

‘Move!’

“PLEASE!!!” He screamed with all his might as the demon grabbed him by the ankle and began to lift him up.

‘ FUMIKO !! ’

Flame Breathing: First form... UNKNOWING FIRE!

Managing to react with a ferocious attack, she had not only managed to slit the demon's head, she had also caused its body to explode.

The boy slammed to the ground, groaning slightly before beginning to pant in panic.

Mitsuri's eyes were wide with surprise. Her friend had been able to protect that boy, not to mention all the strength and power she had shown in one quick move.

Fumiko was staring off at the ground, trying to process what had happened.

It had been as if her body had acted on its own, moving instinctively.

“Yo- You…” The young man stammered, making Fumiko return to reality. "You… You saved my life!" She turned her head slightly to see him press his forehead to the ground. “I don’t know how to thank you…”

She blinked multiple times to take in what he had said. The emotional impact was making her react slower than usual.

She swallowed and quickly sought to relax so she could get closer to him. She slowly knelt down and then placed a hand on his head, causing him to look up strangely.

“You don’t have to,” she smiled sweetly at him. “It is my duty.”

Mitsuri was speechless. In truth, her friend was someone exceptional. Able to maintain her composure, even after a terrible event.

Fumiko got up again and finally went to the pink-haired girl.

"Come on, Mitsuri-chan," she suggested with a smile as she put her sword back in its sheath and held out her hand. "We have to move on."

"Y- Yeah!"

Going back on her way, Fumiko managed to slightly relax the knot in her stomach and the accelerated pulse of her heart.

Mitsuri's strong essence of admiration made her feel ashamed. Actually, she felt that her way of acting had been clumsy but, the fact that no one had gotten much hurt was enough for her to feel satisfied with her performance.

After all, that was the first demon of at least two others that Fumiko killed on that day before dawn.

…

"Fumiko-chan is so amazing!" Mitsuri announced, completely excited.

As soon as the named one ate three apples, the pink-haired one devoured at least 15 at high speed. It had been bliss to be able to find a big tree full of tasty red apples right after their stomachs began to demand food.

The plan to get through the week was relatively simple. They had to be alert during the night and during the day, they could rest and recover their strength.

At the start of the day, due to all the emotional wear and tear from the beginning of the test, Fumiko and Mitsuri took a long nap.

Long , not restful.

Because of the tremendous discomfort of not having a place to sleep and the terrible need to be alert at all times, their long rest had not been so pleasant but it was beneficial. Still, they couldn't complain much. In the end, it was part of the job.

From the way the sky looked, it was at least an hour before the sun went down.

“And I…” The kind girl resumed with a very noticeable disappointment in her voice. "I've done nothing more than hide behind you… I'm just a burden…" From the heavy feeling in her chest, she stopped eating for a moment.

"No, Mitsuri-chan. You are stronger than me, there’s no doubt about it,” distraught, Fumiko put a hand on her shoulder so that she would look into her eyes. "I know you are capable of great things, you just have to be brave." She encouraged her, clenching a fist determined.

Her friend smiled at her completely grateful, shedding a couple of tears as she blushed and slowly started eating again.

Fumiko sighed tiredly. Since they were now on their own, she hadn’t stopped missing her mentor, trying to honor his memory by showing such an energetic and positive attitude towards Mitsuri.

She wished with all her might that she could see him again as soon as possible, getting motivated with the idea of appearing in front of him and proudly telling him that she had become a demon slayer.

If she-… When she survived, the first thing hse wanted to do was thank him deeply for his teachings. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have been able to get there. So now she would have to be strong and resist as long as she could.

After finishing their meals, they both rested for a while before starting to walk towards the imminent arrival of night.

"Mitsuri-chan, you didn’t remain hungry?" Fumiko asked worriedly, searching her friend's gaze behind her.

They had already been there for two days and Mitsuri would probably start to suffer the effects of it.

“A- A little… But I can take it!” She calmed her down happily as her cheeks flushed a shade of pink.

Fumiko sighed, still restless but smiling nonetheless.

"Why don't you ask me if I'm not hungry?" A raspy voice spoke from behind her. “Mm? Aren’t you a little… curious?”

"Behind me, Mitsuri-chan!" Fumiko ordered as she unsheathed her sword and then extended an arm to protect her.

"My, my, my... Two girls... It must be my lucky day..."

That demon had an impressive number of eyes on its face and long tentacles that moved from side to side slowly, as if it wanted to look elegant. But what made Fumiko the most nervous was the prominent smile with two protruding fangs in what seemed to be its jaw.

“Come on... Don't be afraid, my dears... It's not necessary to get so... Serious!”

Prioritizing Mitsuri, Fumiko turned to hug her so she could carry her away, while avoiding the slippery tentacles of that demon.

“Stay safe!” Fumiko commanded again in anguish before turning around and heading back to the demon.

"Aw! How cute!” It exclaimed feigning tenderness. "Do you think you can protect her?" It asked mockingly as it directed a tentacle near its mouth. "First I'm going to eat you and then her."

Fumiko clenched her teeth in disgust.

"I'm not going to let you hurt anyone!"

Flame Breathing: Third form. Blazing universe!”

Fumiko jumped as high as she could, seeking to slash the demon, just as she had previously done with the others she had killed. However, it simply dodged it.

“Silly girl!” It laughed with satisfaction as it imprisoned her with a tentacle, forcing her to stick her arms to her sides.

"FUMIKO-CHAN!" The pink-haired girl screamed terrified from her place, seeing how it lifted her friend off the ground and Senjuro's sword slipped from her hands.

For the first time, reacting impulsively hadn't served her well with this demon.

Just like she'd told her friend, she'd been brave up to this point, only in her case, it was walking a fine line between having guts and being really stupid.

She hadn't been able to think straight in the face of danger, trusting fully in her instincts and leaving her life to chance.

Now she was going to suffer the consequences of it.

“Mmm…” Little by little, the tentacle on her torso was tightening more and more like a slow torture. "I love the sound of bones breaking... It's so... satisfying..."

First she began to run out of air, but as the grip increased, she couldn't help but let out a loud groan.

"Mit- Mitsuri-chan! Ag… Argh! Help me! For… Ow! Please!” She asked with difficulty. “I believe in you!”

"No, no, sweetie." It debated in a mixture of satisfaction and arrogance. “I already told you, first I will eat you and then…”

"Don't you dare hurt Fumiko-chan!”

A few seconds before fainting due to lack of oxygen and extreme pain, the named could only hear the sounds in the distance.

“What?!” She managed to make out before falling hard to the ground.

Fortunately, she had fallen on her shoulder, being able to lessen the impact as much as possible.

Little by little, she concentrated on catching her breath. She still couldn't see that clearly, but she could barely appreciate how the demon had been cut into thousands of pieces, that disgusting smile being the last thing that ended up disappearing.

"Fumiko-chan!" She heard a little more clearly, at the same time that she felt how her head was accommodated Mitsuri’s lap. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah…” She answered softly, concentrating a little more on the pink-haired girl's concerned voice. "I told you you could do it..." She whispered in relief as her eyes met hers. “Thank you.”

“Don’t…” She answered in a breath. “Don’t thank me!” Unable to contain herself any longer, she began to cry uncontrollably, causing some of her tears to fall on Fumiko's face. “I was so terrified… I thought you would die! I wasn't brave as you told me!”

Fumiko smiled understandingly. Slowly, she began to move from the pink-haired girl's lap to be able to sit down, ignoring the extreme dizziness that persisted and, enduring the pain in her ribs as much as she could, she gave her a hug.

"I've been afraid too, Mitsuri-chan," she finally confessed, taking that weight off her shoulders. "But still, you managed to get over it and saved me! I have no way to finish thanking you.” Slightly, she separated from the pink-haired to be able to see her face.

“If it weren't *hic* because you inspired me *hic* I wouldn’t have moved!” For all the crying that the girl was suffering, small hiccups interrupted her speaking.

Fumiko tilted her head as she closed her eyes and smiled gratefully, trying to hold back her own tears.

"Then we just need to do our best." As if listening to Kyojuro's voice in her head, she repeated what he dictated word for word. "How about we work together from now on? United we will get ahead!”

Chapter Text

1 year and a half. In 1 year and 6 months Nakamura Fumiko managed to become a demon slayer.

While in 6 months, Kanroji Mitsuri managed to do the same.

"I'm so excited to see Senjuro-kun! I miss seeing his adorable face!” Mitsuri screamed at the top of her lungs while giving small jumps. "I can't wait to eat his delicious food too!"

Fumiko stammered a tender laugh as she watched her walking feet. “Me too.”

No doubt, her heart was pounding at the thought of the Rengoku brothers' faces.

She already wanted to wrap little Senjuro in her arms and gladly return his sword because, very soon, she would have hers.

But above all, she was anxious to imagine the beautiful smile that Kyojuro was going to give her when she appeared before him.

The only thing that made her a little uneasy was the conditions in which they were returning. She had no idea how they would react seeing them that way.

She and Mitsuri both had a couple of insignificant bandages on their bodies. Fumiko especially in her torso and the pink-haired one in her arms.

Right after they both managed to be brave and joined forces, just as Fumiko had imagined, together they had become unstoppable, but ultimately not invincible.

Maybe they hadn't been able to get out of that heavy week intact, but being alive felt like the best achievement of all and she prayed with all her might that the brothers thought the same as her.

“We need to agree, Fumiko-chan,” the kind girl suggested suddenly. "Who are you going to hug first? Senjuro-kun or-”

Mitsuri stopped mid-sentence as she noticed something in front of her. Or rather, someone .

Fumiko kept her gaze on the ground, and yet she was immediately able to identify the reason why her friend had been inhibited.

Slowly, she raised her head, making an annoyed face as she prepared to meet his face.

"Re- Rengoku-sama." Whispered Mitsuri, bowing immediately towards the Flame Hashira.

Fumiko by her side, held the man's gaze, without moving a muscle, not even to greet him.

He seemed to be returning from a mission, coincidentally at the same time that Fumiko and Mitsuri were returning from the Final Selection.

He said nothing, but in his essence was a trace of surprise and disbelief that quickly turned into disdain. He clicked his tongue irritably before walking home, completely ignoring those present.

Both girls froze in place. The pink-haired girl because of the confusion and Fumiko for… Obvious reasons.

However, almost after Shinjuro was out of sight, the younger Rengoku came running with them, shedding anguished tears.

"FUMIKO-CHAN! KANROJI-SAN!” He yelled desperately as he opened his arms.

Her former joy returned in a rush. Without hesitating for a second, Fumiko reached down to catch her little savior, with Mitsuri's envious essence at her side.

"Senjuro," she wrapped her arms around him just as she'd planned, burying her face in his neck. “I'm back.”

"I want hugs too!" Demanded Mitsuri while clenching her fists, she inflated her cheeks and snorted loudly.

Fumiko chuckled lightly as she allowed the younger to let go.

"Kanroji-san!" With a relieved laugh, Senjuro turned to hug the pink-haired girl's lap.

Fumiko was so focused on how pleased she was to see Senjuro that she was quickly taken aback when she was pulled into another hug.

She blinked multiple times until the scent of clove incense filled her nostrils and an essence of extreme relief and gratitude coursed through her body.

“Welcome,” she listened close to her ear, causing her a tremendous shudder of shame.

It was strange for him to lower his voice like that and yet hearing it was the best gift she had received so far.

"Kyo… Kyojuro..." She whispered shocked and grateful.

Slowly, she raised her arms to cling to his back as little unruly tears escaped her.

Despite that he had proposed to her a long time ago, this was the first time they had shared such an intimate and loving embrace.

The pleasant tingling in her body, the warmth in her chest from her racing heart and the satisfaction of feeling his breath near her neck had turned their reunion even better than she had imagined.

Suddenly, he took a breath before pulling away from her slightly so they could meet each other's eyes.

"It's good to see you again, Fumiko-chan!"

Hearing her name from his loud voice only ended up making her feel better. Although, looking more closely at his face, she could see how tired his energetic eyes looked.

"Rengoku-san? Are you okay? I can see you’re exhausted.”

Maybe he hadn't said it in words, but apparently, something about what she had said had upset him.

"I haven't slept all week!" He confessed without further ado, standing up at the same time that he extended his hand to help her up. "It's good that you're back, Kanroji-san!" When he turned with her, he simply patted her head a couple of times.

As he spoke, Fumiko didn’t let go of his hand even after standing up.

"Rengoku-san," she insisted worriedly. Thanks to that, she ended up realizing what it was that had upset him. "I- I mean, Ky- Kyojuro -kun,” she uttered with a bit of difficulty, forcing her tongue to ignore the shyness she felt. “Are you really fine?”

With her insistence and the mistake corrected, suddenly the passionate energy of the older Rengoku only grew even more, lovingly entwining the girl's small hand.

“I really missed you a lot, Fumiko-chan!”

°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°

"He- Hey," Senjuro called as he approached the garden where Mitsuri and her brother were training. “Fumiko-chan and I finished lunch…”

“FOOOOOOOOOD!” The pink-haired girl squealed excitedly, running to hug the younger and completely ignoring Kyojuro.

"Wait a second, Kanroji-san! We're not done yet!” He scolded in a rather enthusiastic tone.

“Time to eat!” Fumiko announced cheerfully, walking out of the kitchen with three heavy boxes in her hands.

With much ease, she left everything she had brought with her in the hallway and gently rose to wipe some sweat from her brow, smiling brightly.

“Time to eat indeed!” When his eyes landed on his first student, he couldn't help but instantly obey.

Fumiko took a seat on the floor so she could start taking the boxes and distributing them, but she suddenly found herself caught between her two comrades. Mitsuri sat on her left side while Kyojuro was quick to settle on her right side, as close to her as possible.

With her immobilized, Senjuro quickly took the initiative to distribute the food among the slayers.

"I'm so glad you're back! I really wanted to be able to share another lunch with you!” Kyojuro exclaimed as he took his respective portion from Fumiko's hands and discreetly caressed her fingers.

Three days had passed since the Final Selection and since then, the eldest of the Rengoku made an effort to express the joy he felt at being together again with that kind of small gestures, something that his disciple loved.

Face turning red, she stammered out a smug laugh as she turned with her friend so she could also receive her share of lunch.

Her mentor had that nice characteristic of emitting a little more body heat than a normal person, perhaps because of his fire-like features or because his personality reflected it. And now that so much of his body was lightly brushing against hers, she could feel him more strongly.

When Kyojuro started to eat, he kept exclaiming ' tasty ' with every bite he ate, just like he always did. Therefore, taking advantage of all the noise he was making, Fumiko leaned down to place a small kiss on his cheek.

"I'm glad to be by your side," she whispered to him, in such a way that only he could hear.

With her tender gesture, his tasting routine became louder. Not to mention how red his entire face had turned.

Both Senjuro and Mitsuri looked at him strangely, until they noticed how suspiciously cheerful the girl next to him looked.

For a couple of minutes, with very little help from Fumiko and Senjuro, the older Rengoku and the pink-haired emptied all the food boxes, little by little becoming satisfied.

“Well,” the kind girl ended up swallowing her last bite. "I have to go, I'm sure my family is yearning to see me."

"Sure, Mitsuri-chan," Fumiko said goodbye, putting an arm around her shoulders to give her a hug before she got up. “Have a safe journey back home.”

She blushed as she nodded effusively. "Th- Thank you."

"See you, Kanroji-san." Said Senjuro, helping the pink-haired girl to stand up. "And if you'll excuse me, I'll go clean the kitchen."

Almost at the same time, the three present nodded in agreement before the boy laughed out loud. Seeing three faces so happy giving him permission had been a very funny image for him.

After several bows, finally, Kyojuro and Fumiko were left alone.

She sighed in relief before resting her head on her mentor's shoulder.

For a couple of minutes, neither of them said anything. They both just enjoyed their company and the peaceful silence around them.

"I'm really glad to be here," she whispered softly, beginning to caress his fingers. “With you.”

“Umu! Having you here safe is the best thing that could have happened to me!”

Safe.  

That would definitely be a word that would lose its meaning for having become a slayer.

“FUMIKO-SAMA! CRAW!”

The named one gave a small jump in fright upon hearing that noisy voice.

They both looked up at the sky when they noticed a black crow fluttering around, calling the girl's name over and over again. She immediately remembered that it was probably the kasugai crow assigned to her.

Straightening up, Fumiko stretched out her arm to allow the bird to perch. Stopping making such a fuss, after a couple of flaps, the raven came to her.

"Ken... pachi... Kenpachi , right?" She greeted him and slowly stroked his head, a little unsure if that was going to bother him and also paying attention to the white spot in his chest. That would be an important characteristic to easily spot him.

"CRAW! THAT'S CORRECT!” At the same time that he spread its wings, the raven seemed to blush for a moment, getting a little closer to receive the pampering.

"Nice to meet you, Kenpachi!" Kyojuro exclaimed loudly, scaring the bird away.

The raven flapped its wings a bit before returning to its owner's arm and paying attention to the one who had called him. The moment he met his eyes with Kyojuro's energetic ones beside him, he went eerily quiet.

"Oh! Did you bring me a letter?” Fumiko asked excitedly when she noticed the small bamboo that Kenpachi had on his back.

And instead of answering her, out of nowhere, the crow began to caw loudly before jumping up and attacking the face of the older Rengoku.

“Hey! Kenpachi!” The girl scolded him while Kyojuro tried his best to defend himself.

With some difficulty, she managed to stick the bird's wings to his body so she could pull it away from the boy. For his part, Kyojuro got up again with multiple scratches on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Rengoku-san, I don't know what happened to him," the girl apologized deeply, still holding the raven in her hands.

"Don't worry, Fumiko-chan!" He calmed her down as he wiped away a small tear that was threatening to come out. "The exact same thing happened to me with my own kasugai crow!"

"FOOL RENGOKU-SAN!" And suddenly, the crow moved forcefully from its owner's hands and she simply released it, widening her eyes in surprise.

"Though that's new!" He analyzed while tilting his head strangely and saw the bird flutter in front of them.

"Now, now, Kenpachi, calm down," Fumiko was quick to stand up and stretch out her arm again.

Stopping making noise again, the crow obediently returned to perch.

“May I?” Carefully, she stroked two fingers along his neck, seeking his permission to take the message from his back.

"OF COURSE, FUMIKO-SAMA!" Much more relaxed, the raven moved just enough for her to unleash the bamboo.

Inadvertently concentrating on not hurting him, Kenpachi turned his haughty gaze on her mentor.

Kyojuro raised an eyebrow in confusion, was the bird glaring at him?

"Come, can you settle on my head? I need my hands so I can read the message,” she asked sweetly and almost immediately, the raven complied, appearing to be fascinated.

Kyojuro gritted his teeth as he saw the scene in front of him. First the foul animal hurt him and then she allowed it to perch comfortably on her head? What privilege did the raven enjoy if they had only met three days ago?

"Fumiko-chan, you shouldn't let him do that!" In addition to how serious his words sounded, the girl blinked in confusion at his strong angry essence.

"Don't worry, it doesn't bother me," she soothed him strangely, turning just enough to see him and almost immediately focusing on his scratches. “Oh! I better read this later, let's heal you, okay?” Fumiko looked up, as if wanting to focus on the crow on her head. "Thank you very much for bringing me this, Kenpachi. I can't wait to see you again when you bring my first mission,” she said goodbye, raising an arm to caress his neck again.

"ANY- ANYTHING FOR FUMIKO-SAMA!" Once again, Kyojuro noted that the bird seemed to have blushed before delightly taking off.

As they were walking back to the house, Fumiko noticed that not only was his essence upset, even his smile was distorted into a disgusted one.

“Are you alright? Does it burn a lot?” She asked in suppose, imagining that this was the cause of his anger.

However, hearing her worried voice, his essence returned to what it was before, albeit with a trace of vanity in it.

"Not at all!" He responded cheerfully, at the same time that he put his arm around the girl's shoulders.

Chapter Text

“I am deeply grateful for your performance, Nakamura Fumiko and Kanroji Mitsuri.

This is the first time in a long time that more than 10 slayers have survived the Final Selection and this wouldn’t have been possible without your amazing efforts.

I look forward to hearing more from you in the future.

Best wishes, Ubuyashiki Kagaya”

"Fumiko-sama, are you alright?" Akio, one of the swordsmen accompanying her, insisted for the second time.

"Ye- Yeah... Seriously, I'm fine!" The named one raised both hands to dismiss it while smiling sweetly.

Not really, she wasn't fine. She was terribly nervous. This was the first time she had 4 swordsmen under her care and it was something really strange.

It had been 5 months since she and Mitsuri had become slayers and since then, their performance had become slightly famed.

For her part, in that short time, Mitsuri had managed to rise to Pilar's rank and therefore, they no longer saw each other with the same frequency as before. Fumiko didn't like to admit it out loud, but she was starting to miss her company. Although, without a doubt, she was very proud of her achievement.

Meanwhile, Fumiko was already a rank Tsuchinoe ; the sixth in the line of ten, which meant she could have her own team of slayers at her command if the situation warranted. And just at that moment, Ikuto, Akio, Hataba and Naoko were accompanying her on a mission.

They had already been walking for more than two days and still hadn’t reached their destination.

"What are we supposed to face?" Ikuto asked irritably while scratching his ear disinterestedly.

“I have received reports of multiple kidnappings of people at night. Several witnesses claim to have heard strange sounds in the sky and are sure that it wasn’t made by any kind of bird. That's why we've been summoned.” Fumiko explained seriously.

"This is so terrifying," Hataba whispered fearfully before receiving a nudge from his fellow slayer.

"As long as we obey Fumiko-sama's orders, I'm sure we'll be fine," Naoko scolded him while frowning.

Fumiko stammered a laugh at the comment, trying to hide the discomfort she felt. The difficult thing was not giving them orders... It was asking them to work as a team.

It was easy for her to know how to deal with each of them because of their essence detection. But between them...

The group had very… Quirky personalities… And that caused them to clash a lot with each other.

Fumiko sighed heavily. If it were up to her, fulfilling the mission would be the simple part, but now she had a new challenge on her hands: Serving as a leader. That's why she was very nervous.

‘We will have to give our best effort ,’ Fumiko reminded herself, going over Kyojuro's words in her head.

“CRAAAAW! FUMIKO-SAMAA!” Kenpachi called from the sky. "I BROUGHT YOU A LETTER!"

°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°.°

Dear Fumiko:

I have great news! The opportunity has finally arisen for me to become a Hashira!

A couple of days ago there was a Hashira meeting and my father simply didn't want to attend, so to make up for it, I went instead. It was the best thing that could have happened to me!

I had never been to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters before. It was a very relaxing experience! Did something like this happen to you when you came here?

As for the Hashiras, I would have liked you to see for yourself! They are exceptional people who demonstrate tremendous strength with their mere presence. I'm proud that Kanroji-san now be in their lines!

Since my father had not attended, not to mention his poor condition to carry out his duty, I suggested taking his place at that time and the Wind Hashira attacked me to test my strength. Of course, that was not the way to prove myself worthy of becoming a Hashira!

Fortunately, I was able to stop him and that's when The Master gave me a mission.

Near the islands of Tokyo, there is probably a Lower Rank demon and I have been tasked with finding it and defeating it, only then can I become a Hashira. Since that district was supervised by my father, they have let me assemble my own team and Kanroji-san is going to accompany me.

I would have loved for you to be a part of this mission, but I know you are busy. Speaking of which, how have you been doing?

I look forward to hearing more from you. I know that we will both do our duty!

Love, Kyojuro

…

"Fumiko-sama? Can I ask you something?” Hataba called next to her, looking very unsure.

“Go ahead.”

"Who… Who wrote you a letter?" He asked with his entire face red as he looked at the ground.

“My mentor and a great friend of mine. Why?”

“It- It's just that I saw you very happy whe- when you read that letter... I- I assumed it was from so- some relative,” he replied while playing with his fingers.

"Do you think I'm not happy now?" She asked him surprised, smiling pityingly at him.

“No! I mean, y- yes, I think you’re happy... It's just... I have the feeling that you’re very overwhelmed.”

Fumiko stammered out a laugh as she lightly ruffled the boy's hair.

“Not really. I'm just worried about your teammates.”

It had already been a week since she had started her mission and she had barely had time to read the message her mentor had sent her on the second day.

No doubt she was very happy to hear this new news. She knew how important it was for the eldest of the Rengoku to take his father's place as the highest level slayer.

However, she hadn’t been able to find a space to answer appropriately. She simply hadn’t been able to distract herself from what was happening.

Starting with the threat, then those affected, and finally her team.

Getting to that town had been very troublesome. They ended up arriving after four days and all the inhabitants were furious at their delay so they had decided to verbally attack them. That undoubtedly drove Ikuto and Naoko crazy.

After all the ruckus they made, Fumiko had to use almost all her strength to control them and thanks to them, no one in the village wanted to receive them, even the hotels had turned them away, so they had to set up camp outside the village.

There began more fights between the group. Akio was furious with both boys for being so impulsive; Naoko was frustrated that Ikuto hadn't listened to her to defend their leader; Ikuto kept complaining about how inept the rest of his teammates were and Hataba did everything possible to mediate them. In a few words… The situation between them worsened.

So, during the day, Fumiko spent all her time talking to them and trying to make them get along. At least enough to be able to finish that mission as soon as possible.

And at night, they began their tasks.

The only good thing about being far away was the advantage of visibility. On their first night they had managed to locate the demons that had been kidnapping people and although they had eliminated all the threats from that moment, the next day a few more returned.

The plan was simple, if more showed up again that night, it would be a high priority to protect the people and if there was an opportunity, follow them until they found out where they were coming from. Therefore, Fumiko and Hataba were a team, while Akio, Ikuto and Naoko were other.

"Fumiko-sama!" Behind them, Naoko's altered voice alerted them. “Help! Akio and Ikuto are surrounded! They outnumber us!”

The huntress quickly took the newcomer's shoulder. "Stay with Hataba, I'll take care of it." She ordered before starting to run.

"We're going to die and this is all your fault!" She heard Akio's voice in the distance.

“My fault?! I'm not the coward who can't kill a couple of silly birds!” Ikuto debated indignantly.

‘Bingo’

Indeed, unlike the first two nights, this time, there were at least 30 flying demons surrounding the two slayers in a sort of tornado.

Flame Breathing: Fifth form. Flame tiger.

At great speed, Fumiko managed to finish off more than half of those monsters, thus managing to get the slayers out of the eye of the hurricane.

“Stay here,” she asked them before standing up.

However, to her surprise, Akio was quick to disobey her and take the lead. "Fumiko-sama! I'm not leaving you alone!”

“No! Wait!”

Those flying demons suddenly began to pull saliva and almost immediately, a series of acid spit began to rain down.

Flame Breathing: Fourth form. Blooming flame undulation.

Like a protective shield, Fumiko swirled a large layer of fire capable of evaporating most of the acid.

"I need you to protect the- AAAGH!” Fumiko yelled as she felt like several daggers gouged her legs and a large part of her back.

"Fumiko-sama!" Ikuto and Akio yelled in panic almost at the same time.

She gritted her teeth and realized that she had at least four of those demons anchored to her. Almost instantly, they pulled her up to start flying with her.

"Ikuto, Akio! Stay here! Meet Hataba and Naoko! Protect the people!” She ordered forcefully, managing to relieve some of the pain she was experiencing.

‘If I can find the nest, we can finish this mission!’ She analyzed while staying still. To do that, she would have to let them take her away.

"Fumiko-sama!" Once again, unlike what she had requested, both swordsmen were running to catch up with her.

The demons noticed this, so some separated from the rest in order to defend themselves, stopping the young slayers instantly.

“I trust you!” It was the last thing she managed to yell at them before being lifted higher and disappearing from their sight.

The journey took at least an hour... Or so Fumiko had felt... Her head was spinning and she was losing a lot of blood...

With a couple more flaps, she ended up reaching a cave. From the number of dying human essences, she knew immediately that she had come to the right place.

She heard groans over all the whistling and immediately headed towards them.

“Are you all right?” Fumiko asked to the air.

"And who the hell are you?" Someone answered indignantly.

“I’m a demon slayer and I plan to get you all out of here.”

“A huntress! We’re saved!” A man yelled.

Seven people .

"How many of you can walk?"

She heard at least 4 people who affirmed.

"I need those who can walk to carry those who can't," knowing that no one was able to see at all, with her help, she organized them. "I'll make way for you, so get ready."

Flame Breathing: Sixth form. Suffocating whirlwind.

Like a spiral, Fumiko was tearing apart all the demons in her path. With the fire of her sword, from time to time, allowed the kidnapped to see where to step.

However, in an attempt to stop her, some demons were spitting towards people and Fumiko was quick to shield them with her body.

I don't care what happens… I don't care how serious my injuries are… I will protect this village, my team… The weak…

With acid on her wounds and slowly bleeding to death, she finally managed to get all the people out of the cave.

"Go back to town! I will protect you!” She ordered them while positioned to defend them.

Kyojuro… I have to… Keep going…

For you.

As if those demons had detected that she was a greater threat, suddenly, the entire swarm of them came together in a whirlpool, ready to kill her at any cost.

Kyojuro…

I still don't understand what you saw in me that day. 

I don't understand why you fell in love with me.

But it's the best thing that could have happened to me.

I am so grateful to have met you. 

You have no idea how much I admire you.

You are someone so... Passionate... 

You always work hard to achieve your goals and no matter how many times you stumble, you always rise with your head held high...

And I... 

I want to live according to your ideals. 

I don't want to be like you... I want to be that perfect complement in your life.

Fumiko gasped, feeling her body burning and growing weaker. Still, she swallowed hard and gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.

At this time, there is a possibility that I will die... And I don't care... 

As long as I fulfill my purpose.

Kyojuro... 

I'm willing to give it my all!

I will be the woman who meets your expectations. 

I will be the worthy wife of the Flame Hashira… So please.

“Flame Breathing… Ninth form…” She said under her breath.

Attentive to how she was preparing, all the demons went on the attack.

Give me strength!

“RENGOKU!”

…

"Hurry up! There are many injured!”

The voices were so distant and yet, she managed to hear them.

“Hey, look! I found the slayer!” She felt two fingers touch her neck to check her vital signs. “What a relief! She’s still alive.”

…

“Fumiko-sama managed to save us all,” Hataba's loud sob resounded throughout the room, something that ended up bringing her back to reality.

"Um… What?" She stammered sleepily as she began to stir in her bed.

"FUMIKO-SAMAAAA!!" The tremendous fright of having four tearful faces in front of her in the blink of an eye was what ended up waking her up.

“Gu… Guys?” She managed to ask before being hugged tightly.

"You did it, Fumiko-sama! You finished off each and every one of the demons!” Naoko congratulated her close to her ear.

“Re… Really?”

“Not only that, you also managed to get out alive,” Ikuto commented incredulously, pulling back enough to look her in the eye.

"Heh..." She sighed in relief as the rest of the swordsmen gave her space. “And you? How are you?”

“Fairly good!” Akio answered cheerfully. "We were able to defend the people, just as you asked us to."

Fumiko's eyes lit up proudly. Maybe she had managed to get them to work as a team after all. “That’s amazing! And also you aren’t hurt. Congratulations guys! I knew I could trust you!”

The image presented to her melted her heart. Not only had they blushed, even their essences were embarrassed.

Finally, with that weight less on her shoulders, Fumiko turned her head to look around her. "By the way, where are we?"

"It's the Butterfly Mansion, Fumiko-sama. This is where they heal the wounded,” Akio clarified as he lightly scratched his cheek.

"You have been unconscious for three days," Hataba completed, still crying, but this time it was for joy.

“Three days?!” Fumiko repeated alarmed.

‘Kyojuro! Senjuro! They must think I'm dead!’

“Excuse me! Could someone give me paper and lend me a pen?!”

The four swordsmen looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Three days unconscious and the first thing she wants to do is write a letter," Naoko analyzed in a surprised tone. “You’re really amazing, Fumiko-sama.”

With that, all four of them burst out laughing.

…

Dear Kyojuro:

I'M SO SORRY I COULD NOT WRITE YOU!

For starters, yes, I'm fine. I’ve been told that I lost a lot of blood, but I'm recovering quickly. This was a more difficult mission than usual. There was an agglomeration of flying demons and… Ugh , it was horrible.

Despite everything, I managed to eradicate them, protect the people and also get out alive.

Finally, a Hashira! How wonderful that the opportunity has arisen! When you return, you will be Flame Hashira and I will be your honored disciple!

Regarding the Demon Slayers' headquarters, in short, the same thing happened to me as to you. It's a very peaceful place and not to mention Ubuyashiki-sama's voice. You can feel your body relax just by hearing it…

Although, when they took me there, nobody attacked me to test my strength. So the Wind Hashira , huh? When he is your comrade, be sure to introduce me, I have a special greeting reserved just for him...

Being frank, I’m not surprised that you have been entrusted with such a mission, I know that you are the right person. Only someone as strong as you could defeat one of the moons!

It's good that you managed to take Mitsuri with you. By the way, I'm also proud of her, just thinking that I was her sparring mate.

For my part, I will return home with Senjuro. I'll be waiting for you, great Hashira!

With love, Fumiko.

Chapter Text

One week of mission, three days unconscious and two days of recovery. Almost two whole weeks without hearing from her… They were going to ground her when she returned.

Perhaps she was a talented slayer, but she was terrible at organizing her time and writing letters.

It didn't take long for her to reach the entrance before announcing herseld with a bit of uncertainty. "I have arrived!"

As usual, Senjuro came running to hug her tightly.

"Fumiko-chan!" He exclaimed excitedly. “You’re alright!”

She leaned down to be level with him so she could receive him, laughing ruefully at his words. However, before she could excuse herself, she suddenly realized all the sad essence that he was carrying in his chest.

"Senjuro-kun, what happened?" She asked anguished, moving away from him a little as soon as she took him by the shoulders so she could see his face clearly.

He was taken aback by how quickly Fumiko had realized his condition, but he was unaware that his face also gave it away. His eyes were a little swollen from crying recently.

"Fumiko-chan! Welcome!” Greeted her mentor, slowly coming towards where they were.

She couldn't be so happy to see him when she noticed that he also looked a little down.

“What did I miss?” She insisted, standing up worried.

The oldest of the Rengoku by his side, crossed his arms and closed his eyes: “I just returned from the Demon Slayer headquarters! I have been awarded the title of Flame-”

He couldn’t finish when he was already clasped in the arms of his disciple, who had begun to cry with emotion.

"Kyojuro! Congratulations!” She squeezed it a little more, laughing proudly. “You did! You don't know how happy I’m to hear that!”

From how loving the hug had become, the older of the Rengoku recovered a little more of the energy that had been drained from him.

Inevitably, Fumiko had to pull back a bit to give him space so she too could wipe the tears from her cheeks.

Taking a small breath, she frowned again. "What did your father say?"

Both by essence and by posture, both brothers became uncomfortable and disappointed.

‘That’s what I feared’, she told herself with anger.

"Honestly, he didn't like the news." The older one summarized.

She exhaled sharply, irritated with how dry and pessimistic the man was. Many times she had told Kyojuro that she didn't care that he was like this with her, but it boiled her blood that he would hurt them like that. He might have the best argument in the world, but that didn't give him the right to be so ruthless to the only family he had left.

Let alone being so indifferent to big news like that.

Suddenly, Senjuro's sobbing brought her out of her thoughts. He tried not to make so much noise, but it was almost impossible.

"Senjuro," she called sweetly as she kneeled down again to give him another hug, but this time to comfort him.

She wanted to ask him not to cry because of how stupid his father was behaving, but she preferred to support him in silence. Perhaps the last thing he needed from her at that moment was to hear her say that the man was an asshole, because after all, he was his father.

"Leaving that aside, how did it go for you?" Kyojuro called her.

She subconsciously shrugged her shoulders at the guilt she was experiencing.

"Didn’t… Didn't you get my letter?" Little by little, she separated from the minor, giving him enough space for him to rub his eyes.

"I haven't received any news from you since you left!" Kyojuro explained while crossing his arms.

He didn't look upset, but he wasn't exactly happy either.

"Uh... I'm sorry," she apologized as she stood up, placing a hand on Senjuro's head. “I'll try to organize my priorities next time.”

“You better!” Kyojuro scolded effusively.

"Su- Sure." She scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment, only to feel a small sting in her back. "In short, I did very well," as she lowered her hand, she gritted her teeth into a smile so as not to show the pain she was experiencing.

Kyojuro stood still, his smile fading instantly. He didn't need to answer, his essence said it all. He had noticed.

“Can we talk?” He asked seriously, taking a step forward.

She swallowed as she nodded. As soon as she followed, Senjuro tilted his head in confusion.

…

"Why couldn't you write to me?" Kyojuro asked in an unusually annoyed tone.

They were now in Fumiko's room, and he had insisted that she take a seat across from him. So now she was forced to meet his eyes.

She by her side was kneeling, clenching her fists on her thighs.

She was beyond distraught, he was with his arms and legs crossed… Besides, he wasn't smiling.

“I had four young people in my care, none of them knew how to work as a team. It took me time to get them to even tolerate seeing each other,” she explained almost immediately. “I… I focused too much on them. I'm so sorry.”

Despite having told the truth, he simply nodded and still, he didn't seem to relax at all. On the contrary, his anger was added to a trace of anguish.

"You're hurt, right?"

She lowered her head, feeling her face flush. "Y- Yes, but it's nothing," she kneaded her arm shamefully as she returned her gaze to him. "Little scratches, that's all."

“Let me see,” he demanded.

“Excuse me?” She shrank back into place. It was strange that he behaved like this.

"Fumiko, I want to see your wounds." He repeated, without hesitating.

She felt guilty and afraid. She didn’t want him to worry but it was clear that he already felt that way.

Trembling and with cold hands, she unbuttoned her uniform at the same time that she turned around to show him her entire back covered in bandages.

His disappointed essence ran through her body like cold water.

"I'm fine, it’s nothing," she tried to calm him down. “At least I managed to protect everyone.”

He was silent for a couple of minutes. Fumiko wasn't even able to hear his breathing. She could only feel how his disappointment was deeply mixing with guilt and anger.

“Thank you. You can cover yourself now,” he suddenly commented, scaring her slightly.

As she buttoned up again, she turned around again. Kyojuro was now looking at the ground as he frowned and clenched his arms tightly.

"Are you alright, Kyojuro?"

"Fumiko-chan! I have a request to make to you!” He raised his head, keeping that straight face. "Now that Kanroji-san has become a Hashira and just now me too, I would like to ask you to be my Tsuguko !”

Fumiko froze, not knowing how to react to that.

"Your… Successor?" She repeated slowly, frowning in concern.

“That’s right!”

She opened her mouth, but any words came out.

Besides asking her to marry him, that had definitely been the second biggest thing he'd ever asked her for.

She thought about it deeply, staying silent.

“I'm… Not sure.” She confessed after a couple of seconds, unconsciously shedding tears.

Without saying a word, he crept close to her and gently pulled her to his chest so he could hold her.

“Why… Why are you asking me for something so terrible?” The girl said near his ear between small pants. "You- You're asking me to be your replacement... A- Are you thinking of dying?"

Kyojuro sighed heavily before pulling away from her so they could meet eyes again.

“I know it’s something hard to accept, but our duty as slayers cannot promise either of us a future,” he explained without denoting sadness. "If you are my successor, my duty will be to protect you and you will have to do your best to stay alive and so take my title.”

"I don't want to take your title," she replied instantly, crying even more. "I don't want to take away the position you worked so hard for… And more than that…”

Kyojuro looked down, knowing what she was going to say.

“I couldn’t live without you…”

There was a very heavy silence between them.

He knew it . He felt the same. That's why he was asking her.

“If you accept, that's the only way I can be sure that you'll be able to keep moving forward without me.”

  Fumiko was stunned, stopping crying almost immediately.

Slowly, she took his face in her hands to force him to look at her.

“And how do I know that you can be fine without me?”

His eyes widened in surprise, revealing a bit of pain.

"I almost died, Kyojuro..." She harshly confessed to him. “I was about to leave you... And miraculously, I didn’t.”

There was no answer… Just remorse and a lot of pain.

“If I agree to be your successor, you will know that I will move on. But, what about me? If I-”

“No,” he interrupted curtly, removing her hands from his face. "I'm not going to let that happen!"

"Kyojuro." She insisted. “Please, tell me.”

"I'm going to protect you!" He refused as he squeezed the girl's hands in his.

Fumiko didn't say anything else. She understood that she shouldn't push him. Not if she wanted to make him angrier.

She sighed heavily as she looked away. With her hands trapped between his, the only thing left for her was to carefully bring her forehead close until she hit his.

"Just… Promise me you won't extinguish… Not like your father… Please…”

Once again, he didn’t answer. He just closed his eyes.

They were both equally frustrated and terrified.

Kyojuro started caressing her hands at the same time he pulled away from her.

"I still plan to marry you!" He confessed to her, looking at their hands. “That's what motivates me to keep fighting until the end! You said it yourself, one day, we can both live happily!”

The knot in her stomach, together with the one in her throat, were not enough for her body to truly reflect all the terror she felt… But that little promise of the future made her heart race a little.

Maybe she would regret it later.

She took a deep breath, losing her gaze to some inaccurate point on the ground.

“Alright…” She agreed, much to her dismay. “I will be your successor…”

Chapter Text

Fumiko held up a finger to signal Senjuro to give her a moment. Almost instantly, she ended up sneezing.

"Oh, bless you." The young Rengoku wished her, putting a finger to his lips to keep from laughing.

“Oof,” she wiped her nose with the back of her hand before sniffing. "Thank you and sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.”

“It's okay, don’t worry,” accompanying his quiet smile, Senjuro closed his eyes and cocked his head.

Now, a few days after the boy's birthday, they were both walking back to the Rengoku residence, with a couple of bags full of groceries for the week.

For starters, ever since Kyojuro became a Hashira two years ago, his presence in the house became more infrequent than before. Even Fumiko had more free time thanks to him.

Therefore, they had only managed to celebrate Senjuro's birthday the day before with a visit to a book fair, buy sweets and of course, new clothes for him; after all, he had already grown quite a bit. All this before the Hashira’s crow appeared to announce a new mission for the high-ranking hunter.

Thanks to that, at that moment, only Fumiko and Senjuro were in the residence. Or well , relatively.

Ever since Kyojuro had obtained his title as a Hashira, Shinjuro had been… Withdrawn from the position of slayer at all. He almost never left his room and when he did, it was to look for food and sake. Fumiko sometimes wished he would come out for a bath too, but that was too much to ask and she was not one to meddle with the man.

Anyway, at least she had the consolation that the old Hashira didn’t get close, neither to her nor to any of his children. She had no idea why and wanted to think it was because he finally respected that both she and Kyojuro had grown incredibly strong to defend against any of his attacks. But maybe they were delusions of hers, who knows.

On the other hand, another novelty was that on Senjuro's previous birthday, he had confessed to Fumiko that he had given up on becoming a demon slayer. According to him, the only reason he had decided to tell her was because Kyojuro had already given him the news that she also would be his successor. He trusted that she would be discreet enough to keep his secret and support him with his decision; being completely correct in his intuition.

Even so, Fumiko asked him to explain a little more about his reasons and the main one had been that, despite having trained together with her and his older brother for multiple times... His nichirin sword never changed color, being a sign that he didn’t have the talent to become a swordsman. In short, having worked so hard and never seen a pay off, had disappointed him enough.

Of course, from time to time he trained with them, but exclusively to keep fit and nothing else.

Either way, Fumiko loved being by his side and supporting him in any of his decisions. And even listening to it, like just now as they kept walking back to their home.

"Who do you think is talking about you?" The boy asked as he slightly leaned in to blow a little lint off his new orange shirt.

“Huh? What do you mean?” In response, Fumiko blinked, tilting her head as well but in confusion and to see his face.

"Have you never heard of that superstition?" She denied and then the boy continued. "It is said that every time you sneeze it is because someone somewhere else is talking about you.”

Fumiko muttered in surprise, thus showing that she was just learning that information. "Most probably your brother ". Almost at the same time as her, Senjuro said practically the same thing.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised," exclaimed the boy, nodding in agreement. 

"The question would be: what is happening with him so that he is talking about me?” She asked to the air while looking at the contents of one of the bags she was carrying. "Do you think he's telling other slayers about me?"

" I wouldn't be surprised, " the boy repeated in a somewhat mocking way, raising his eyebrows as he said it, causing a couple of laughs from the huntress next to him.

" Umu! My talented successor! " Repeating the same words and imitating the exact same tone as her mentor, Fumiko straightened her back and pushed out her chest enough that the bags she was hugging allowed. " And my wonderful little brother!”

And then it was Senjuro's turn to spit before laughing out loud.

"Enoooough," the boy asked the slayer as he nudged her with his shoulder playfully.

That was a very funny anecdote about the two of them. One day, after the girl became Kyojuro's student, the youngest Rengoku confessed that he always missed his brother a lot every time he went on missions and that's why Fumiko, in an attempt to cheer him up, began to imitate her mentor; speaking and acting exactly like him. From Senjuro's point of view, she did it so well that he couldn't help but laugh. Although of course, it was a respectful imitation!

In short, it was like her way of tickling him without having to touch him, so to speak.

The atmosphere was suddenly filled with laughter for a couple of seconds before the loud cawing of a crow interrupted them.

The air was suddenly filled with laughter for a couple of seconds before the loud caw of a crow interrupted them.

"FUMIKO-SAMAAAA! CRAW! A MISSION!" Unquestionably, Kenpachi was the one who was announcing loudly from the sky. "I BRING A NEW MISSION!”

They both raised their heads to spot the bird and followed it with their eyes as it descended until it landed on the crown of the girl, much to Senjuro's confusion.

"IN THE TRAIN STATION! CRAW! AROUND 40 PEOPLE HAVE DISAPPEARED! RUMORS ABOUT A MURDERER!”

"But it must be a demon," analyzed Fumiko under her breath as she frowned.

Both she and Senjuro had stood still as they listened to the information.

"YOU ARE REQUESTED TO MEET THE FLAME HASHIRA FOR THIS MISSION! CAW!”

It took the huntress a couple of seconds to register Kenpachi's words until her eyes suddenly widened and she jumped slightly in place, causing her crow to get scared and begin to flutter.

“With the Flame Hashira?! Which means, I'll have a mission with Kyojuro?!”

With her reaction, even the boy took a step away from her in shock before relaxing and smiling tenderly as he understood the girl's excitement.

"Did you hear, dear Senjuro? I will have a mission with your brother for the first time!” With her face fully illuminated, she gave a small squeal as she rocked from side to side, taking care of course not to drop anything in her arms. "Where do you need me to see him?"

From that moment on, the younger of the Rengoku sighed a little melancholy. That meant he would have to stay alone for who knows how long.

…

‘I've never been to this part of town before,’ analyzed Fumiko mentally, looking at each street in amazement. The fact that it was just getting dark only made the landscape more beautiful.

Right at that moment, in addition to being dressed in her slayer uniform, she was carrying her katana on her back, which she had wrapped in a cloth to make it less obvious. That is to say, it seemed that she was carrying a thin and elongated backpack that didn’t seem to alert any of the people who passed by.

However, despite being filled with unmatched joy, she knew that she must act professionally. First thing's first, she had to find Kyojuro.

"Huh? Are you just going back home? So late?" Not wanting to eavesdrop, she suddenly heard an old cloth vendor ask a woman with black hair and green eyes. "Don't you know there's a murderer on the loose?"

And at that moment, Fumiko discreetly stopped to listen a little more to the conversation, bending down towards her sandals with the excuse that she had to adjust them. 

"Don't worry about me, sir. I doubt something bad is going to happen,” the woman calmed him down as she made a slight bow. “Anyway, I appreciate your concern.”

"Well, take care." Without much other choice, the old man replied without removing his anguished face.

Fumiko got up slowly from the ground, waiting for the woman to leave so she could approach the vendor. "Good afternoon. The day is very beautiful today, isn't it?”

From having an anguished face, the old man turned his head disinterestedly to be able to pay attention to who was speaking to him, only to later look at her from head to toe in a strange way.

"And what is that uniform? I had never seen it,” the man spoke while scratching his ear.

"This?" The girl looked down at her chest to pull the fabric a little. "It's just that I'm… A teacher," she lied quickly as she straightened up again. "From a distant district. I came to visit.”

That made sense, right? After all, the train station was relatively close.

"Hmm," the man murmured thoughtfully before turning to take a pipe from the table where he displayed a couple of his products. "How can I help you, miss?"

"A moment ago you mentioned a danger, is there something I should be careful of in this region?" Playing the part of the concerned tourist, Fumiko clasped her hands behind her back, discreetly playing with her hidden katana.

"Maybe yes. It is said that there is a murderer on the loose in the streets,” as soon as he explained, the man looked for a lighter so he could light his pipe. “The victims don't have any particular trait that are connected with each other, so try not to stay too long in this area.”

Fumiko nodded before speaking again: "And since when did this murderer appear?”

"Why do you need to know?" The old man took a couple puffs of smoke before exhaling. “Just be careful and don't go out at night. Excuse me.”

The huntress wanted to stop him so he could continue talking, but she had to resign herself to letting him go. After all, he didn't seem to trust strangers.

Fumiko exhaled defeated before turning around with the intention of continuing to ask more people if they knew about the subject.

"Do you know where there is food around here?"

Behind her, however, she identified Kyojuro's strong voice and his unique essence.

With her heart beating at a thousand miles per hour, she turned around to search for him with her eyes, easily identifying his blond hair just a few meters from her. It seemed that he had asked the question to a middle-aged lady who looked at him in astonishment. Because of his appearance or way of speaking? Nothing was certain, but she was impressed with him nonetheless.

She walked as quietly as possible to stand next to him.

“Excuse me, maybe I can help you with that," she said playfully, smiling fully when she noticed how he seemed to have been surprised by her sudden phrase, although quickly realizing that it was her.

"Fumiko-chan!" Without caring about the formalities or the place, the Hashira hugged his successor. "So glad to see you!"

The huntress's laugh hid in his neck as she returned the gesture gladly.

"Same here," she whispered in his ear before pulling back enough to look him in the face. "Guess who will be your partner for this mission?"

"I had been informed that someone would come to help me!” With his hands still at the girl's sides, Kyojuro nodded effusively. "I had no idea it would be you!"

"Isn’t it exciting?" She asked, putting her hands on the Hashira's shoulders. "Finally I will fulfill one of my dreams!”

Kyojuro laughed out loud as he released his successor. "Same here, Fumiko-chan!"

"Excuse me.” The lady, whom both had completely forgotten, now with her cheeks flushed, pointed in a direction. "If you continue on that path and take the alley to the left, just before reaching a warehouse, you'll find a good restaurant.”

"Thank you very much, ma'am!" Kyojuro was the first to bow to the woman before being followed by Fumiko.

"Be careful," she answered them, bowing her head a little. "And if I may say so, you make a cute couple."

Fumiko felt her entire face burn as she leaned in even more to hide it.

Kyojuro for his part laughed again. "Thank you so much! Shall we go, Fumiko-chan?”

The named one blinked a few times before focusing on her partner's outstretched hand. After clearing her throat for a bit, she nervously took his hand.

“Bye!” The girl whispered to the woman before beginning to walk along with the Hashira.

Still sensing the essence of tenderness that the lady felt behind them, Fumiko shrugged her shoulders, unconsciously expressing her embarrassment.

"You don't know how happy I am that we are in this together, Fumiko-chan!" Kyojuro spoke suddenly, looking at her before returning his attention to the road ahead of them.

"You should have seen my reaction," she laughed, bringing her hand up in front of her mouth to cover her lips. "I gave Senjuro quite a scare."

"Umu! I imagine!”

It didn't take long for the restaurant's sign to come into view and they went inside in search of food.

“Good afternoon!” Kyojuro's loud voice echoed through the small establishment, only alerting the cook, who was apparently the only person in the place. “Table for two?”

"Choose where you want," after the previous scare, the man responded with some disgust.

"Where do you want to sit?" The slayer asked, this time keeping his attention on the kitchen, which was visible through a long glassless window.

"Near the kitchen?" Clearly sensing her partner's ravenous hunger, she simply chose the spot that seemed most logical.

"Umu!" He nodded and with his hand still entwined with hers, the slayer led her to the table she had chosen. "What is the house specialty, good man?" Kyojuro asked as he helped the girl sit down and then he took the seat across from her.

“Noodles. Freshly made,” the cook explained as he leaned on the counter that divided the kitchen from the rest of the restaurant. "Can I offer you something to drink?"

With a look, the slayer gave his partner permission to order first.

"Jasmine tea, please. Cold if it’s possible,” she asked softly.

"Lavender tea! Hot! If you do not mind!” And unlike her, Kyojuro effusively asked for it. "Oh! And also I want a big bowl of noodles, please!”

“Me too.” Fumiko raised her hand and smiled somewhat ashamedly.

The cook frowned as he nodded. By his essence, Fumiko detected that he felt strange with the pair of customers in front of him.

“Right away.”

As the man began preparing their orders, the Flame Hashira rested both elbows on the table so that he could lean as far forward as possible.

"How have you been, Fumiko-chan?"

“Calm and happy. Senjuro adored the shirts I bought him,” by her side, she rested her cheek on her hand. “And you?”

“I'm glad to hear it! I'm fine too! Although mostly surprised!”

“Surprised?” She repeated as she tilted her head and lowered her hand to place it on top of the other. "From what or why?"

"A couple of weeks ago, the meeting with the Hashiras was very peculiar!" As soon as he began to narrate, he crossed his arms and rested his back on the seat behind him. "We had to prosecute a slayer who had a demon with him! And the most incredible thing is that he managed to get the Master to accept him!”

“Huh? A…? How?” The girl whispered in confusion before shaking her head.

However, before he could continue, the cook approached with the respective drinks of each one. Kyojuro allowed the man to do his job and after they both thanked him, he continued:

“I don’t remember his name! But he certainly put on a great show!” The Hashira nodded.

"Yes, I imagine, but protecting a demon isn’t against the rules?” The girl questioned, bringing her glass closer to her but not lifting just yet.

“Precisely! I was in favor of punishing him for it!” Kyojuro explained, uncrossing his arms so he could take his glass and start blowing on lightly.

"Wait, wait, wait," she shook her head before cocking her head to the other side. "But why was the boy carrying a demon? And more importantly, how?”

"From what he explained, it was his sister! Kibutsuji Muzan himself had transformed her!” When he finished saying that sentence, he took a small sip of the liquid as the girl in front of him widened her eyes.

“Oh really?”

"Umu! He swore that the demon girl hadn’t tasted human flesh for two years and prayed that the Slayer Corps would allow her to stand by his side to fight demons!”

"A… Demon fighting demons?" Fumiko repeated, trying to express how weird that sounded.

“That’s right! He had been traveling with her in a red box on his back!”

Fumiko frowned even more as she placed a hand on her chin, trying to take in what her partner had told her.

"So… He put his sister in the box? And he wore said box like a backpack?” She asked as she moved her hands to accompany her explanation.

“Exactly! But no matter how he transported it, it was still a code violation!” He commented before taking another sip of his tea and exclaiming how good it tasted.

The huntress pouted as she nodded, agreeing with Kyojuro on that point. However, her curious mind began to work on different doubts.

"Did you say he swore she hadn't tasted human flesh in two years?" After asking, she took her glass to sip some of the liquid.

“Yeah! But I argued that this wouldn’t give us peace of mind that in the future, she would eat someone!”

And just as Kyojuro argued this, the cook came over with two hot plates. From his essence, Fumiko could tell how intent and focused he was on what he was hearing, but she couldn't blame him from overhearing their conversation, it wasn't like her partner was the most discreet person in the world.

By the time they had their food and had already thanked for it, the girl hesitated a bit before even taking her chopsticks.

"True but… I mean, not trying to defend the boy but…" She murmured, now taking her cutlery to start eating. "As a demon slayer, how many times would you have been injured in battles? And his sister hadn't even bitten him once?” Slightly embarrassed that she wasn’t on the Hashira's side, she averted his gaze as she continued speaking. "It seems that he would have no reason to lie."

“You're right!” And much to her relief, Kyojuro was more focused on taking the most noodles with his chopsticks. "But also, a retired Water Hashira argued in favor of the demon!”

"Woah." She exclaimed under her breath, taking a spoonful of the broth and blowing on it.

“But of course! Many of us were not in favor of accepting the situation! I still believed that it was unthinkable to protect a demon!” It was the next thing Hashira said before eating and exclaimed his usual phrase.

Fumiko nodded in understanding before drinking the broth she had already prepared, mumbling how delicious it tasted. For a moment she thought that the conversation would end there, and yet her curiosity was even greater.

"And what happened next?"

Kyojuro finished eating a second batch of noodles before replying, "Shinazugawa-san put the demon to the test! He offended the Ubuyashiki Mansion but, he brought the box to a shady place and then cut himself to incite the demon!”

Fumiko gasped, barely covering her mouth in surprise.

“Just imagine! A stream of blood in front of the demon and it turned her head in revulsion!” He laughed, blowing on the spoon he'd made with just broth.

"Did she refuse to give in to temptation?" The huntress repeated, her eyes wide with astonishment.

“Precisely! I still can't believe it too!” He said before eating. “Tasty!”

The girl frowned slightly, taking in a small detail that he hadn't said in words, but with his essence.

“And also don’t want to accept it either,” Fumiko pointed out as she raised an eyebrow.

He went slightly quiet as he chewed, though he had clearly gotten a little nervous. After swallowing, and especially because of his successor's questioning look, he spoke: "You must excuse me, Fumiko-chan, but I refuse to believe that a demon is capable of spilling its own blood to protect humans!”

The girl nodded and lowered her gaze to focus more on her plate and thus leave her companion alone, quickly understanding that it wasn’t a subject that he enjoyed talking about.

"Only with time will we find out." She whispered more to herself.

There was a comfortable silence after that as they both continued eating. It wasn't long before Kyojuro ordered his second and third courses while Fumiko barely finished hers.

"Can I offer you some dessert, miss?" Asked the cook after having approached to remove her plate.

She was about to ask what was on her menu when, almost in a flash, she was able to detect the demonic presence. Alerted, she stood up and as usual, took a lot of money from her wallet to leave it on the table as quickly as possible and leave the establishment.

"Fumiko-chan!" She listened behind her, not caring enough for rushing to find the demon.

The moment she was outside, without hesitating for a second, she looked for a way to go up to the roof of the establishment and thus have a better view of the people who were walking in the streets. It was already night, so it wasn't unreasonable that the demon was already on the move.

Quickly, she scanned every visible corner and alley in search of some creature that stood out from the ordinary, either by its figure or some strange feature.

"Fumiko-chan!!" She listened again, but this time with greater force, making her realize that this time, she was not alone in the mission.

She scanned the landscape again to make sure she hadn't made a mistake and, for a moment, she made out a peculiar halo of blue light in the distance.

There.

In a couple of jumps, the huntress landed in an alleyway and quickly ran out to meet Kyojuro.

"I felt a demon." She explained as she pointed to where she had seen the trail of light. "It seems to be moving very fast and it's already over there."

"Umu! Let's go!”

The two began to run, ignoring the alert faces around them. Fumiko was leading the way with Kyojuro following close behind, after all, she had an easier time spotting the threat.

They began to enter a maze of fenced streets, the vast majority similar to each other. For a moment, Fumiko stopped her run to concentrate. She closed her eyes and focused her full attention on every fiber of her body, trying to expand her senses to the fullest. No doubt the demon was pretty fast.

However, at a considerable distance, they both heard a woman's scream, quickly alerting them both.

"Kaname!" As both slayers ran again, the Hashira raised his voice, calling his crow to come closer. "Contact the kakushi, we probably need medical attention!"

"I'll go get them," Fumiko suggested immediately. "You have a better chance of decapitating it and I have a better chance of finding you, okay?"

Kyojuro nodded, quickly going to the place where he thought he heard the scream. For her part, Fumiko got ahead of her mentor's crow, being faster to get out of the maze of streets.

As soon as she reached what seemed to be the beginning of that small city before entering a forest, she stopped. While panting softly, the slayer swallowed hard and turned her head in the direction she had come from. Would it have been a good idea to part ways with his mentor to wait for the kakushi?

No more than 15 minutes passed when two assistants came running.

"Fumiko-sama!" Exclaimed one of them while waving her hand.

"Follow me, quickly!" She ordered, beginning a new run, but this time, having to slow down enough for the kakushi not to lose sight of her.

She again traversed each alley without difficulty, having memorized the route to the point where she had parted ways with the Hashira. Despite having no idea where her mentor could have gone, Fumiko closed her eyes and once again focused on expanding her senses, not stopping at all.

Almost instantly, she detected his powerful essence and that was how she charted a new path.

"Rengoku-san!" The huntress called, trying to maintain formality between them.

Kyojuro spun in place to face his successor. It seemed that he was lost.

"Any trace of the demon?" Fumiko asked, coming up next to him.

“I’m afraid not!”

As the two of them talked, the auxiliaries were panting like mad, completely exhausted from the journey they had taken.

"Let me help." The huntress kept walking while lowering her gaze to the ground. If the demon's essence didn't show up, there should at least be some clue as to where it had moved.

But what helped her focus hadn't been a demonic essence, but that of a terrified person.

Fumiko didn't have to say anything as she was jogging off again. Kyojuro had no problem following her, but the kakushi had to resist the groans of exhaustion.

Before long, after pulling out at an intersection, Fumiko was the first to make out that there was a woman on the ground. Although she could still sense that the demon had been close, quickly that essence disappeared. With Kyojuro behind her, he was the one to approach the woman as he knelt down.

“She is wounded!” He confirmed, analyzing every scratch she had on her body. "She probably passed out from the pain!"

The two kakushis who had been following them, with clumsy steps and trembling arms, approached the victim and began to attend to her immediately.

"We… Whew…" Still exhausted, one of them explained between gasps. "We'll take her to… Heal her…"

“Understood! Fumiko-chan and I will take care of the rest!”

The huntress in question kept turning around in place, trying to detect at least the slightest trace of demonic essence.

"Fumiko-chan?" By putting a hand on her shoulder, he got her attention.

"Nothing yet, I need to be on high ground to spot it." She explained as she patted her mentor's hand a couple of times.

“Alright! I'll stay here in case I run into him!”

After they both nodded, Fumiko did some acrobatics to climb to the roofs of the houses and Kyojuro continued roaming through some streets, leaving both kakushi alone to take the injured woman away.

Unfortunately, even through the night of patrolling, none of the slayers was able to find the elusive demon.

…

Fumiko sighed as she rubbed her eye. In the distance she saw that the sun was already beginning to rise.

"I think it’s time to rest." She whispered to herself as she considered the possible routes to return to the ground.

However, before going down, in the sky she heard the cawing of a crow.

"FUMIKO-SAMA! RENGOKU-SAMA REQUESTS YOUR PRESENCE!” Kaname revealed, circling in the air with the intention of being easily identified.

The girl nodded and after finally landing, she trotted off as she followed the crow.

"Ah, Fumiko-chan! There you are!” The Hashira greeted when he noticed the presence of his successor arriving. "I found an establishment to rest a bit!”

The huntress slowed her pace until she was at his side, curtsying a little.

"I appreciate it, Rengoku-san.”

Kyojuro laughed after hearing her. "There's no one from the Corps anymore, Fumiko-chan! There’s no more need for so much formality!”

"Oops. Sorry” She too stammered out a laugh as she straightened up.

After all, she had agreed with him that she was going to treat him with respect when there were work colleagues around.

"Do you want a room for yourself or do you prefer that we share one?" The Hashira asked, entering the place with her by his side.

Slightly tired, Fumiko yawned widely before replying, “As long as there are two beds, I think one room will be fine.”

Taking her opinion into account, Kyojuro approached the attendants to request what they needed. In a very short time, the two of them were already alone in a room. There was noise coming from outside because it was dawn, which meant that many people were going to start their day, while they, as slayers, were hardly going to rest.

"I'm usually not this inefficient when it comes to locating a demon, Rengoku-san, but our aim seems to be very fast." Fumiko was explaining in a sleepy way as soon as she arranged her respective futon on the floor.

"Umu! I don't doubt it, Fumiko-chan!” Despite sounding energetic, he blinked forcefully feeling how his eyes burned, crying out for him to rest. In the same matter, deep inside him it was funny that, regardless of the fact that he had already reminded her before, his successor still maintained her professionalism for the mission. "Today we will investigate elsewhere! You’ll see how we will fulfill our mission without problems!”

“Sure.” With another yawn, the girl slipped back between the sheets, her eyes practically closed.

Still arranging his respective sleeping space, Kyojuro discreetly glanced at his successor, his essence quite cheerful.

"Is something wrong, Kyojuro?" With a smile spreading across her face and her eyes still closed, she questioned the slayer, who quickly turned his attention back to lay on his futon.

“No, not at all!” He settled just like her, face up and with his hands clasped on his stomach.

Exponentially, he heard her breathing calm enough to fall asleep, and he also wanted to close his eyes, but his fingers moved restlessly, wanting to talk to her before sleeping.

"Fumiko-chan." He called out to her and when she mumbled a “Mm?” as a sign that she was listening, he cleared his throat a little. "Someday, do you think we can sleep together?"

Perhaps it was exhaustion, but the question didn’t make the huntress in question nervous.

“Of course. After we get married,” she answered in a breath. "Otherwise your father could throw us both out of the house." She teased him softly, achieving her goal when she heard a couple of laughs.

“We get married…” He repeated in a low voice, although Fumiko had managed to hear him anyway. "Fumiko-chan? When do you want us to get married?”

Finally, the girl opened her eyes, her tiredness easing a bit as a small fear kicked in.

"Do you want me to give you a date?" Then she turned her head to look at the Hashira and he immediately turned completely to pay attention to her.

He looked intent, but in his essence was an unmatched excitement and expectation.

Fumiko studied him while swallowing hard. She slowly turned towards him and rested her head on her clenched fist.

"How about a week before your father's birthday?" She suggested, smiling playfully, but on the inside feeling terrified.

“One week before? Why?” From the distinctive gleam in his eyes, the girl guessed that he, too, had lifted a bit of his tiredness.

"So we have plenty of time to celebrate both things," she shrugged her shoulders like it was the most logical thing in the world. "After all, if it weren't for him, neither you nor Senjuro would be here.”

“I like the idea!” He laughed before agreeing. "But would you be willing to negotiate the date?"

“No.” In a completely joking tone, she turned her head as if indignant before bursting out laughing. "Of course, Kyo! I'm just messing around, it can be another day.”

"And, how about after finishing this mission?" He suggested. On the outside he might look calm and collected, but on the inside, his heart was beating a thousand miles per hour.

While her heart skipped a beat.

“So soon?” Fumiko covered herself with the sheets so he wouldn't see her. She pretended to be embarrassed, when in reality, her stomach felt tight and her chest oppressed.

Hidden under the cloth, the huntress bit her finger to steady herself. She was running out of ideas to discreetly deny Kyojuro his wish to marry her.

In short, Fumiko had been traumatized ever since her previous fiancé had been turned into a demon and beheaded three days before their wedding.

And if that happened again? What would she do? Could she take it?

"It can be any day you want, Fumiko-chan," he calmed her down, trying to cheer her up enough for her to come out of hiding herself. "I just want to know."

The girl blinked rapidly to dispel any trace of fear and sadness as soon as she discovered slowly, curious to know what he was going to tell her.

"Do you really want to marry me?"

All the doubts and anxieties of the girl vanished with the question. Suddenly, her hands began to burn in a peculiar way. It was as if every fiber in her body was screaming for her to get up and give him a hug.

The brightness that now had his eyes, was not more of emotion, but of insecurity. Of course, Fumiko reaffirmed this thought upon sensing his essence.

Did he feel that she didn't love him in the same way that he loved her?  

Gasping for air, Fumiko obeyed her instincts, crawling out of her bed until she crushed Kyojuro and caught him in her arms. With a slight laugh, he received her, returning the gesture with the same affection.

“Of course. I want to marry you and be by your side,” she whispered in his ear before pulling back enough to meet his eyes. "You are for me the most important person in my heart, never doubt that.”

Kyojuro was immediately speechless, mesmerized by all the affection that she transmitted to him with her gaze. And yet, he remained expectant, wanting to hear something else , the couple of magic words that would convince completely.

Fumiko could tell. Perceiving how he begged her with his eyes to fully express her love. However, her stupid fear that something so absurd would happen again prevented her from doing so. She was afraid that if she openly agreed, he would get excited and really would try to marry her the moment they finished the mission.

“But for now, we have a mission to complete. Let's talk about this another time, okay?” Instead, the huntress cupped a hand on his cheek, caressing him gently. She leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead before pulling away from him and returning to her futon.

Kyojuro's jaw clenched in an instant before relaxing and letting her go, even though he didn't really want to.

“Alright.” He replied, looking away, clearly disappointed with that answer. “Sweet dreams.”

Fumiko leaned back and quickly turned her back on him, a couple of tears forming in her eyes. “Same, Kyo. Sweet dreams.”

Chapter Text

A couple of knocks on the door was what woke her up.

"Good afternoon, I was asked to come and wake you up at this time.” A male voice from outside the room called, knocking again on the door. "So… Wake up? Please?” He commented on the latter, sounding unsure if that was the appropriate thing to say.

Fumiko rubbed her eye and discreetly looked to her side, noticing how Kyojuro shifted uncomfortably on his futon. He was starting to wake up too.

After yawning, the huntress was the one who got up to answer the door, while the person outside kept knocking. As gently as possible so as not to alert him, Fumiko slid the barrier, showing a sleepy smile.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted while bowing her head. "We're up, thank you very much."

"Sure, sorry for the inconvenience, miss." Embarrassed, the man also bowed in front of her before withdrawing.

Fumiko closed the door and turned her attention to the Hashira, who was now sitting up and stretching out both arms at his sides.

“Hello,” she greeted at the same time that she walked towards him. “Did you sleep well?”

"Good morning, Fumiko-chan!" As if he really hadn't just gotten up, he waved briskly. "I rested enough! Thanks for asking! And you?”

“Me too.” She smiled, though with a trace of melancholy in her voice. "What is your plan for today?"

"Inquire further with the locals about this suspected murderer!" He clarified as he stood up. "Do you have any plans?"

"I was thinking of going all over this district." As she explained, the girl began to pick up the futon where she had slept. "Yesterday I lost the demon for not knowing the territory.”

“Hmm! I see!” The Hashira agreed, imitating his successor in arranging the fabrics. "Sounds like a good idea! We could split up, collect information and get familiar with the streets!”

Split up? 

For an instant, Fumiko's face reflected sadness, jumping to the conclusion that Kyojuro was upset with her and that's why he didn't want them to be together.

"Fumiko-chan?" Since he hadn't gotten confirmation from her, the Hashira insisted, making the huntress jump.

“Eh?! Oh yeah! It is a good plan!” Pretending she wasn't sad, she smiled at him and finished putting away her futon.

However, after leaving his own mattress, Kyojuro took Fumiko's hands, making her look into his eyes.

"I don't want you to think that I want to be away from you. I just think it's the best strategy,” he calmed her down, moving a little closer to her. "Remember, divide and conquer!"

The girl blushed at the gesture, just as she was embarrassed that her partner had read her thoughts.

"O- Okay."

Kyojuro smiled at her, caressing her hands more lovingly.

"How about meeting at the restaurant from yesterday?"

…

Judging by the position of the sun, it must have been around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. In other words, it was time to meet with Kyojuro.

"Did you hear what happened to the woman yesterday?" While Fumiko was walking in the direction of the restaurant, curiously, in the same place as the man who sold fabrics, she began to listen. “They say she disappeared.”

The man sighed. "I warned her."

Since this time it seemed that she was not going to get any new information that she had already asked for in other places, Fumiko kept walking, feeling relieved inside. She couldn’t reassure these people that this woman had been rescued and she couldn't reveal the reason why she knew it either, but at least she was calm that they had been quick enough to take her to cure her and soon these people would hear from her.

It wasn't long before she was near the restaurant, looking at the sign to make sure it was the place.

"Fumiko-chan!" However, from beside her, she heard that Kyojuro had also just arrived. “Are you hungry?”

She smiled and nodded happily.

Just like the day before, they both sat at the same table. The only difference from the previous day was that there was another person in the place, he seemed to have passed out from the effect of the alcohol he had consumed.

“Good afternoon!” Kyojuro greeted.

The cook immediately recognized the curious couple that had visited him, looking slightly surprised.

"Welcome back, I'm glad to see you again." The man returned the greeting.

“I was left craving for some dessert,” Fumiko teased as she also tilted her head. "But first I would like to eat the same thing from yesterday.”

"Umu! Me too!” Asked the energetic Hashira.

"Of course, feel comfortable." The man kindly offered. "Remind me of your drink preferences?"

"Make it two cold jasmine teas, please!" The slayer exclaimed, holding up the same fingers to clarify his order.

“Right away.”

As the cook started off, Kyojuro focused on the girl in front of him.

“Well? How did your day go?”

“I wasn't so lucky collecting information. All the people told me exactly the same thing,” she explained, fiddling with the chopsticks at her side. "But at least I managed to memorize a large part of what we had covered the day before.”

“I understand!” He nodded. "In my case, Kaname told me that another slayer is coming to bring me news!"

“News?” Fumiko whispered in confusion.

“That’s right! News about what happened last night!”

“Oh, I see.”

“Likewise! I couldn't gather any valuable information either, so we'll have to work with what little we have!” The Hashira finished explaining, crossing his arms and leaning forward.

She nodded and after putting down the chopsticks, she began to play now with her fingers. She clearly didn’t want to look up to meet Kyojuro's eyes.

"By the way, Fumiko-chan!" Immediately noticing the girl's discomfort, he came up with another topic. "Yesterday I was left with the doubt!”

“About what?” Fearing that it was about their marriage, she subconsciously shrugged her shoulders and shrugged her head, still not looking up.

“Have you ever traveled by train?”

Fumiko blinked a few times before pursing her lips pensively.

“Mmm,” she muttered before tilting her head and finally looking at her mentor. “Nope. Why do you ask?”

"Because we might have to board one." The slayer confessed, seeming to lean further forward interested in her reaction.

Before Fumiko could reply, the cook arrived with both their drinks and their dishes, surprising them both with the speed with which he had now served them. They thanked respectively.

"Have you traveled by train?" She asked him before he began to do his usual eating ritual.

“Neither!” He shook his head before sticking his hands in front of his chest in the form of a prayer. “Itadakimasu!”

The girl imitated him and so they both ate, in silence. Unlike the day before, Fumiko now felt guilty towards her mentor for not reciprocating as he would have wanted.

However, it wasn't long before the restaurant door slid open, announcing the arrival of a new customer. The huntress was the first to look at that person, widening her eyes in true surprise.

"Akio-san?" She asked, immediately recognizing the boy she had been on a mission with a couple of years ago.

"Huh? Fum-”

“Tasty!” Before the young slayer could say anything, Kyojuro's loud racket interrupted him.

"Fumiko-sama, it's nice to see you again," staying from his place, he managed to greet her appropriately, bowing slightly. "Flame Hashira, excuse me for interrupting your lunch." As with the girl, he bowed.

"It's not a bother! You can sit if you like!” Sensing that his successor already knew the boy, Kyojuro politely invited him over. “Mister, serve this young man the same as us, please! And I would also like one more plate for myself!”

With the new order, the cook only nodded before starting to walk towards their table.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Akio asked, as she sat down in the middle of the two higher ranking slayers.

“No problem to me,” Fumiko soothed him, smiling sweetly at him.

“Of course!” The Hashira accompanied her, following with his eyes the cook who had approached to remove his empty plate.

"I've noticed that you enjoy eating, don't you? I'm glad,” the man flattered before returning to the kitchen.

"How have you been, Akio-san? I feel like you've grown quite a bit,” Fumiko whispered to the young man.

"I've done very well, Fumiko-sama." The boy commented, emanating an essence of gratitude and embarrassment. "Actually, congratulations on your work last night, Fumiko-sama, Flame Hashira."

"We failed to catch the demon responsible," the girl denied, picking up a batch of noodles in her chopsticks in a disappointed manner.

"How is the woman that was attacked?" Kyojuro asked right away from his successor.

"According to the doctors, she will be fine. She wouldn't even have a scar,” the boy commented, trying to cheer up the atmosphere a bit. "She was attended on time thanks to you.”

“What a relief!” The Hashira answered, once again noticing how the cook arrived with both dishes they had ordered.

After clearing his throat a bit to finish off the embarrassment of eating with both of the higher-ranking slayers, Akio cupped his hands in front of his chest, thanking for the food.

Almost immediately, the cook returned with two plates, one full of battered shrimp and the other with three white mochis. Fumiko's eyes lit up at the dessert in front of her.

“And this?” Kyojuro asked, though grateful for the food nonetheless.

"They're courtesy of the house." The man explained, heading near the door to grab a newspaper.

“Thank you so much!” Fumiko and Kyojuro thanked almost in unison, making Akio chuckle slightly.

Still without finishing her soup, the girl prepared to take one of the tempura, taking a big bite, while the young slayer ate a couple of noodles.

“Hmm! Tasty!” He exclaimed in surprise, raising his gaze to focus on the cook. “Mister! You could open a store in Ueno, you'd sell this easily.”

Like Akio, the huntress nodded, savoring the shrimp's perfect cooking along with its crisp texture.

"This is an ideal place, boy. I don’t need to leave." Now turning his back on the three slayers, the cook opened the newspaper with the intention of reading it.

"Sir, how's business going?" Being grateful for the courtesies, Kyojuro took an interest in the man, taking into account that he seemed willing to talk.

"Just as you see it now and you saw it yesterday,” he emphasized, turning a page of the newspaper.

"It's a shame, you’re really a talented cook." Fumiko commented something sad before bringing her plate to her lips to sip some of the broth.

“Since the rumor of a murderer, no one wants to come here for dinner or even go near the tracks anymore.” Just as Kyojuro had previously noticed, both Akio and Fumiko became more interested in the man's words. "In fact, recently he killed a train driver and they also removed the Infinity Train from tracks for the disappearance of 40 of its passengers.”

The huntress tensed her jaw. If only they found it yesterday. However, she also frowned as she remembered that Kenpachi had already mentioned the 40 people thing to her. But then their disappearance hadn’t been spontaneous, they had disappeared on a train. That was weird.

“I understand. Sounds dangerous!” Kyojuro replied, snapping Fumiko out of her thoughts.

"Flame Hashira, in fact, I'm here to talk to you about it." Akio leaned in just enough to lower his voice a bit. “We already know where said train is. It's stored in a warehouse not far from here.”

“Understand!” Kyojuro clarified before taking a tempura and, like his successor, taking a big bite. “Tasty!”

"Will you take care of going to look for it?" The young slayer asked as he took more noodles with his chopsticks.

"Umu! But first, I want to check the station where the driver was found!”

The girl for her part pursed her lips into a fine line, staring at her plate, contemplating the situation. Last night the driver had died but they had also found the wounded woman. That meant that the reason the huntress had lost track of the demon was because it had headed in the opposite direction of the city... Therefore, having scoured the district probably had been for nothing.

"Are you going too? Fumiko-sama?” Akio asked her, causing her to jump slightly. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.”

"No, sorry, I got lost in my thoughts." She clarified while letting out a small laugh. "For now I'm Ky- Rengoku-san's partner, so yes.”

“Brilliant! So this will be resolved sooner than we expected,” the boy smiled.

After they finished with all the dishes on the table and left the appropriate money, the three of them set out to head towards the station. Fumiko was going to be the last to leave, being stopped by the cook.

"Please take care of yourselves." The man asked, bowing slightly. "I understand that you are the only ones capable of bringing peace to this district.”

The girl widened her eyes in surprise but immediately bowed to the man as well.

"Don't worry, we'll do our best!"

"Good luck, and come back soon."

…

It was already completely dark when they arrived at the station. The three of them had hidden their katanas in the same way that Fumiko had done since she had arrived the day before.

"The whole place needs to be searched! Hopefully we find a clue!” The Hashira ordered  while literally being at the entrance.

Nodding, the three of them split up and after a couple of minutes, they met again at the same spot.

"I didn't see anything strange." Akio was the first to announce.

"Indeed, not even a trace." Fumiko confirmed.

Kyojuro simply murmured in understanding. For a moment, he was about to say something else when a girl's voice distracted him.

"Demons don't exist!" The three slayers directed their attention to where her voice came from. "Please don't talk nonsense, Grandma.”

Judging by the tray full of bento boxes and a couple of jars, Fumiko deduced that it was a food vendor. The girl wore a hat, wore circular glasses and also held a bun in her hands.

"We only have to sell food and only worry about what's important," scolded the little girl. "Mom already has a very big belly and dad is not doing well in the dining room.”

"Why don't we ask them?" Kyojuro suggested and before the other two slayers said something on the matter, he had already set off with them.

"Ky- Rengoku-san!" Fumiko yelled at him in a whisper, unable to reach to grab his arm in an attempt to stop him.

"And if the murderer on the loose attacks you?!" The girl's scream alerted them again, being another reason why the huntress didn’t hesitate to follow her mentor very closely.

“Good night! Today the moon is beautiful!” The Hashira greeted once he was in front of the girl and her grandmother. "I'm looking for a demon! Have you-”

Eyes widening in surprise, Fumiko covered Kyojuro's mouth, shocked that he had asked something like that so directly.

“I'm so sorry! It’s just that for him, he is not a murderer but a demon,” the huntress laughed embarrassedly as she withdrew her hand from her partner's face. "I mean, what kind of person would dare murder another, right? Hahaha”

However, the lady behind the counter, instead of looking panicked, her essence showed surprise, as if she had recognized Kyojuro from somewhere.

"Do you know something, ma'am?" Noticing the same reaction as Fumiko, the Hashira went to the attendant, when suddenly the girl stood up, interfering.

"A- A demon? The- There’s definitely a big difference to a murderer!” Having left her tray with her products, the girl had her arms outstretched and in her hand she still held the bun, trembling as she did so. "I don't know what you want but- but, go away!”

“Careful! If you shake too much, your bread will fall off!” Kyojuro exclaimed, distressed. 

‘Is he seriously more worried about it?’ Fumiko thought sarcastically, giving him an annoyed look.

“Go away!” The girl yelled before throwing said bread to the Hashira’s face, to everyone's surprise.

“Hey! Calm down!” Fumiko scolded her, not realizing that Kyojuro was raising a hand to his face so that he could remove the bun from himself.

“Tasty!” He exclaimed after taking a bite, scaring his successor instantly.

The huntress simply gave her companion a scolding look and he seemed to ignore it as he continued to eat the bread happily.

"We- We don't know anything, neither about demons nor about murderers.” The girl debated, beginning to sweat from nervousness.

"Fuku, stop it." Gently, her grandmother placed both hands on her. “I don't think these people have bad intentions.”

With her words, the girl finally relaxed her defensive stance as she lowered her head in regret.

"I'm sorry, the whole murder thing has me very upset." She sincerely apologized.

"Don't worry, I feel the same way," Fumiko soothed her, smiling reassuringly at her. "But we'll take care of it."

“From what I heard recently, you work very hard to move forward by preparing food! You are very brave and I thank you!” Kyojuro accompanied while bowing slightly with his head. "I will not allow that no one like you gets hurt, so you can be calm!”

Both food vendors kept a surprised expression, not being able to understand why the two of them said all that.

“Who… Are you?” Asked Fuku suddenly and both Fumiko and Kyojuro preferred to evade the question.

“Bye!” The Hashira said, being quickly followed by his successor.

"Wait!" The girl stopped them, making only Fumiko turn around, while Kyojuro had barely turned his head enough to hear what she was going to say. "Would you… Would you like to buy a box of food?"

“Of course!” The slayer replied, finally turning to look at the little saleswoman. "I'll buy them all!"

Fuku cried out in surprise upon hearing this, and yet she busied herself with her grandmother to wrap as many boxes as possible. As they did so, Fumiko leaned in with the Hashira, covering her mouth with one hand so the vendors wouldn't hear them.

"What are you going to do with all that?"

"I want to give some to the kakushi!" He answered, watching carefully how they wrapped up his entire order.

“Oh I see.” Fumiko nodded in understanding.

In total, approximately 5 bags with at least 20 boxes each came out, of which three of them were handed to Akio to distribute to the indicated people.

“Please go back! From here Fumiko-chan and I will continue!” Kyojuro asked the young slayer. “See you!”

As the  Hashira turned around, the successor bowed slightly in front of the boy. "You did a great job, hopefully we can see each other another time.”

"Thank you very much, Fumiko-sama. Take care, please.”

After saying goodbye, the girl turned around to catch up with her partner.

"Let me help you with a bag at least." She asked, reaching out her hand in an attempt to take the load off him.

“It’s alright! It doesn't bother me!” And yet he moved just enough to stop her.

Fumiko rolled her eyes and followed him anyway. With the last piece of information that Akio had brought, one of the trains was leaving for the warehouse where the Infinity Train was located.

"Ready, Fumiko-chan?" He asked the girl, noticing how her face glowed with excitement.

"Umu!" She nodded, giving little claps in front of her chest.

They settled in the last car, placing a bag next to it and facing each other. In a few minutes, the whistle of the transport blew before starting to move. The girl's eyes widened and she almost dug her nails into the seat to support herself. It was a very strange feeling, to be sitting but moving at the same time. She couldn't even compare it to a wagon ride.

From the way she had laughed, Kyojuro leaned in slightly to get a better look at her face.

"Are you okay, Fumiko-chan?" He asked her, smiling just as excited as she was.

"Y- Yes." She sighed in amazement, looking at the window and noticing her reflection first before the landscape through it. “This is incredible.”

“I agree!” He laughed too before turning his gaze to the window as well. “I'm glad to be able to share this experience with you!”

Through the reflection, Kyojuro noticed how Fumiko's smile faded a bit.

"Me too." She replied in a low voice, being inconsistent with her words compared to her posture.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her, turning his head to look at her and not at the reflection.

“Hmm,” she shook her head, ironically lowering her gaze to her lap.

However, she jumped when he put a hand on her knee.

"It's okay, you can trust me." He encouraged her, softening his smile.

Fumiko met his eyes before sighing in defeat and returning her gaze to the window.

"It's just... I just feel disappointed that I'm not able to reciprocate you as you wanted." She confessed softly.

"And how do you think I expect you to reciprocate?” He asked, not removing his hand from her knee and frowning in concern.

She paid attention to his hand and gently decided to take it between hers.

"You want us to get married as soon as possible but…" She leaned forward, hitting her mentor's knuckles against her forehead. “But I am a coward.”

Kyojuro immediately wanted to argue against it, however, he decided to stay quiet to finish listening to her.

"I have this… Silly fear that if I get engaged again, something bad might happen to you."

And at that moment, the Hashira's eyes widened in surprise.

That explained a lot.

He was silent for a couple of seconds, thinking of the right words to calm her down. However, the sudden sound of the carriage door distracted them both.

"Who- Who are you?" Accused one of the train conductors.

In response, Kyojuro simply unwrapped the cloth bag at his side, displaying the number of bento boxes.

"We're food vendors, as you can see! There is no need to suspect us!”

Fumiko pursed her lips. At first she was getting very sentimental, but her partner's obvious comment almost made her laugh.

For his part, the driver seemed to relax with the response, though he continued to express concern nonetheless.

"But this train is headed for the warehouse," he argued strangely while analyzing the alleged food vendors.

“We know! We hear the Infinity Train is there!”

“The train?” The driver muttered thoughtfully. "The Infinity Train is no longer in that warehouse.”

“No?” Fumiko asked, slightly alarmed.

"No, it was move this morning to a factory." And as if it were a great coincidence, the driver identified the place through the window, being quick to point it out. "That same one over there."

“Mmm I see.” The Hashira muttered before re-wrapping the boxes next to him and standing up with the bag in his hand.

His successor didn't take long to play along, taking the bag from her side, with the driver's still strange look on them. They passed it by until they reached the end of the carriage and exited that way.

"Well, in that case, we'll get off here!"  Kyojuro announced, to the driver's bewilderment.

"You wha-?!"

He didn't even manage to finish the question when both slayers had already jumped off the train at a great height. Both landed on different tracks than the one the train from which they had left was headed.

They walked a few steps to enter the factory the driver had mentioned. Fumiko suddenly gritted her teeth as she felt a horrible essence emanating from the train. It was more than obvious that there was a demonic presence in him, but it was so overwhelming that she had no idea which part it was concentrating on the most.

"The Infinity Train." Kyojuro analyzed in a low voice. “There is still a trace of a demon in it.”

"I don't think so, Rengoku-san." Fumiko denied as she focused on the transport name plate. "It hasn't disappeared from here. It's still there in some way that I can't explain.”

"Hey! You two!” Once again scolded by someone outside, both slayers turned their attention to whoever was calling them. "Civilians can't enter here!" What seemed to be a mechanic judging by the hat and how dirty his clothes and part of his face were, warned them.

“Hello! The Railway Administration asked us to bring you food!” The Hashira lied easily as he lifted the bag he was carrying.

“Oh I see” The mechanic finished wiping his hands before exclaiming loudly. "Boys! They brought lunch!”

In a few moments, several men came out from different sides to get a box, some of them even widened their eyes at Fumiko, who was happily handing out the food to them.

"Take a box to Tatsu, he's resting in the office." The same man who had previously scolded them suddenly ordered, taking a box from Fumiko's pile to hand over to a coworker of his.

"Oh, can I accompany you?” The huntress suggested quickly, looking for a perfect opportunity to get into the factory. “I want to make sure all the lunches are delivered.”

Neither of the two men objected to this and before the girl started to follow the mechanic, she gave Kyojuro a knowing look, both of them nodding in understanding.

With calmer spirits, Kyojuro dedicated himself to asking the man who had received them to get information. Meanwhile, Fumiko did the same with the man who was guiding her.

“I had heard that this train was scary, but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it.” The girl commented, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

"Not to mention those absurd rumors that the train ate people almost ruined its reputation," the mechanic laughed, casting an amused glance at the transport. "But when we get it ready to roll tomorrow night, everyone will see that there was nothing to fear."

‘It will it circulate again?’ She repeated in her worried mind, smiling to pretend she wasn't. “I see. How-”

Just like the day before, Fumiko detected the same demonic essence passing by, but this time, appearing in front of her.

"Look at you," with one of the workers in its arms, the demon began to taunt her. "A slayer, HA! What a great joke.”

The mechanic next to him screamed and fell to the ground as soon as he saw the creature, dropping the box he was holding and alerting everyone. On her side, Fumiko lowered her head and narrowed her eyes. Her priority now was not to behead it, but to save the boy.

“What's going on? Where is your katana, woman?” Challenged the demon, rocking his victim from side to side. "Aren't you planning to cut off my head?"

Almost at that very moment, Kyojuro arrived along with several workers to witness what was happening.

“Another one?” The creature snarled, though its smile didn’t fade.

He seemed very confident.

"Nobody come near." Fumiko asked, taking her katana from her back.

"Bo... Boss!" The mechanic caught in the demon's clutches called for help.

"Let go of the boy!" Kyojuro ordered forcefully.

"Don't want to give me orders, slayer!" The creature complained before beginning to sniff the air in some disgust. “What the? What is that smell?”

And as soon as the demon identified that it was a box of food near him, he stepped on it with hatred.

As Kyojuro looked offended, Fumiko was quick to slide to the ground and cut off the demon's arms. She then planted her hands on the ground so she could kick the demon's torso away from the mechanic. With the threat gone, the huntress had time to catch the boy and jump close to her companion.

"Excellent work, Fumiko-chan!" The Hashira congratulated, also drawing his sword.

"I'm sorry I left you its filthy claws," she apologized to the boy before handing him over to his boss. "Let me give you first aid."

"Stupid bitch," from where she had thrown it, the demon began to speak. "How dare you use hideous human food to distract me?”

“Shut up! Don't you dare talk to her like that!” Kyojuro positioned himself, ready to slit its throat at that moment. "Besides, that meal was prepared by people I know. I won't tolerate you insulting them!”

“Since I am a demon, I disown human food. It's disgusting, period.”

"Rengoku-san." Before she could even heal the boy, Fumiko leaned in with her partner. "There are many people here, we cannot fight with total freedom.”

“Don't worry! This will be very fast!” He calmed her down, practically launching himself to attack, not predicting that the demon would dodge by jumping.

"Very fast, huh? I'll teach you what speed is!” And to prove his point, the creature began to move in different directions, leaving a kind of blue light in its wake.

Fumiko widened her eyes with understanding. She indeed had been able to spot it the day before!

The rest of the mechanics ended up terrified by what was happening, quickly moving away from the place. Unfortunately for Fumiko, the chief had taken the wounded man in his arms.

"Rengoku-san!" She alerted him, immediately moving to her partner's side.

With her on the battlefield, the demon seemed to sweat anguished.

“What's going on? You seemed confident a while ago!” The Hashira challenged it, while with his foot drawing discreet indications to his successor of how they should attack.

"Tch! I could kill anyone and none of you would reach me,” as he spoke, the arms that she had cut off, regenerated again and he crouched, in a racing position of sorts. "You're not faster than me!"

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” obeying her partner's instructions, she took steps towards where she should be.

"You just got lucky, you fucking bitch!" With that, the demon broke into a run, heading specifically for the huntress.

"I told you to shut your mouth!" Kyojuro headed with them, however, he was confident that Fumiko would be able to decapitate him without a problem.

Flame breathing: First form. Unkno-

"Ugh!" But when she was about to slash its throat completely, the demon threw dirt into her eyes, forcing her to retract.

"Fumiko!" The slayer called worried.

They both landed on the ground, she on her shoulder and the creature almost on its feet. To the demon's terror, Fumiko had been about to detach his head from his body, causing him to hold his cheeks and jump farther so that Kyojuro wouldn’t reach him.

"No- Now you understand what I felt, slayer." Despite being trembling, the demon pretended to remain confident as it warned. "I'm going to do this world a favor and kill the people who make those disgusting lunches."

"They have nothing to do with us!" Due to the remoteness of the creature, Kyojuro had preferred to go with his successor to check her.

On her side, she rubbed her face in disgust. Dirty cheater.

"Well, if you want to save them, you'll have to get to the station before me." It warned before leaving its halo of blue light.

"Wai-!”

"Fumiko-chan!" Before she was the one to get up, Kyojuro stopped her to finish helping her wipe the rest of the dirt off her face. "I'll go after it, you take care of the mechanic you saved.”

Her look showed that she wasn't too in agreement with the plan. That, or she was still uncomfortable with the dirt in her eyes.

"I want you to rest enough so that we can continue talking about your fear, okay?" He asked before standing up at the same time that he helped her.

The girl was speechless before nodding determinedly. "Show him why you are a  Hashira.”

He laughed before heading outside. With the Total Concentration Breathing Technique, Kyojuro went after the demon. Meanwhile, Fumiko heard an announcement from a crow.

“OVER HERE!” Kaname led. "THIS WAY!"

Like the bird, a group of at least four slayers arrived at the place and out of curiosity about what was happening, all the mechanics had begun to come out of their hiding places.

"Fumiko-sama!" One of the slayers called.

“Hello! Where is the medical team?” The named one greeted, although looking with her eyes for the mechanic she had saved.

“They are on their way,” she stated, following her closely.

“You! Fumiko!” No need to search further, the chief still had the wounded man in his arms and he trembled slightly from nerves as he walked with her. "Please, save Tatsu! I beg you!”

“Sure,” she nodded, pointing to the ground. "Could you help me lay him down?"

Applying basic first aid, the girl made sure that the mechanic's wounds didn’t suffer any kind of exposure and put pressure on the necessary areas to prevent bleeding.

However, by the time she had finished, she heard another crow arrive.

“MEDICAL TEAM! CAW! HELP FUMIKO-SAMA!” Distinguishing the crow with a white spot on its chest in the sky, the huntress smiled slightly.

"Don't worry, I did the best I could, but my companions will be able to help you even more." Addressing the chief mechanic, Fumiko stood up. "If I may, I have a Hashira to reach. Please, take charge of the rest.” She asked the slayer who accompanied her.

After seeing her nod, it was Fumiko's turn to prepare for the long haul she was going to do.

…

When she arrived, she heard only silence.

“You are too slow!” And suddenly, the loud voice of his partner, coupled with a distinctive trail of orange light from the Flame Breathing, was what led Fumiko with him.

Much to her reassurance, the demonic essence was evaporating at a high speed. The huntress located the Hashira at the station entrance, elegantly arranging his katana back into its saya. Behind him was the old food vendor. Judging from their position, Fumiko deduced that Kyojuro had just saved her.

The girl sighed in relief, being about to call for his attention.

"It was… It was you." However, Grandma's words along with her melancholic and grateful essence silenced her instantly. "You saved me, for the second time."

The lady was silent for a few seconds, the same time it took her granddaughter to appear to approach her and make sure she was okay.

“I will never forget that face and that haori,” the grandma sobbed before continuing. "You saved me and Fuku's mother 20 years ago.”

Both Fumiko's and Kyojuro's eyes widened in surprise at the revelation.

She wasn’t talking about the Rengoku that was in front of her.

“You are wrong,” the Hashira denied as soon as he turned around, almost realizing the presence of his successor. "That must have been my father. I followed in his footsteps and became a demon slayer and now, I’m very honored to have protected you like he did.”

Fumiko tilted her head as she looked at Kyojuro with pride. He just gave her a smile before focusing on how the little saleswoman dropped to her knees.

"I still can’t believe it," Fuku exhaled sharply before looking at her grandmother guiltily. "Excuse me for not having believed that demons existed."

The Hashira's laugh was what encouraged the huntress to walk towards him.

"But that's the right thing! To live a life without fear of their existence!” Kyojuro soothed as he stretched out a hand to invite Fumiko to come closer.

Somewhat embarrassed, the huntress stammered a greeting to the food vendors before being hugged by the shoulders. "Excellent work, Fumiko-chan!”

"I- I appreciate it, Rengoku-san," she whispered to him, lowering her flushed face to her feet and drawing another laugh from the slayer at her side.

"Flame Hashira! Fumiko-sama!” Behind them, Akio came running up, calling out in concern.

Despite facing another slayer, Kyojuro didn’t let go of his successor, turning around with her trapped under his arm.

“Are you alright?” The boy asked as a couple of kakushi passed by to check the food vendors.

“Yeah! We got the job done!” The Hashira confirmed, nodding.

“I see. Good job.” The boy flattered, showing a slight smile at seeing Fumiko so embarrassed.

“Thank you!” Kyojuro answered for both of them.

"And what will happen to the Infinity Train?" The young slayer questioned, returning to his serious expression.

"They'll get it ready to go tomorrow night." After clearing her throat, Fumiko took the initiative to walk away from her partner in order to maintain formalities.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Akio cheered as he smiled again. "So everything is settled now?"

“I don’t think so,” the huntress denied while crossing her arms.

"A demon that devoured 40 people so quickly must be a bigger threat,” completed the Hashira. "And it’s still tied to the train."

“The murderer was most likely a simple distraction.” Fumiko analyzed, frowning and lowering her gaze.

"That means that you will get on the Infinity Train?” Akio returned to his worried expression as soon as he looked at his two superiors.

"Umu! We'll go up!” And after analyzing how the sun was already rising on the horizon, Kyojuro finished: "Today precisely!”

Fumiko relaxed, letting her arms fall to her sides and looking determined.

"But first we'll have to rest!" The Hashira announced as he hugged Fumiko's shoulders again. "So we're leaving now!"

And once again, Kyojuro gently took his successor away, taking advantage of the fact that she had been taken aback by his actions.

Behind them, Akio stammered a laugh as he said goodbye.

Chapter Text

"We should have more missions together! It's gratifying to have you by my side!” Kyojuro exclaimed once he was already lying back on his futon with his arms behind his head.

Fumiko chuckled under her breath, kneeling in her own spot as she brushed her hair.

"As long as I’m not a distraction to you, I think we should."

Just like the night before, both of them had returned to the small hotel where they had slept, basically their only option for lodging to recover their strength.

"You're not a distraction! Quite the opposite! You were a great help!” The slayer congratulated, turning his head to look at her.

She laughed embarrassedly and after feeling that her hair was already arranged, she lowered her arms so that she could place her closed fists on her thighs.

“Thank you,” she whispered. "I'm glad to hear it from you, great Hashira." She tilted her head as she smiled tenderly at him, feeling how in his essence, he too became ashamed.

"I find it funny that you call me that way!” He confessed to her, unable to hide how his cheeks blushed slightly.

“What are you talking about?” Finally relaxing, she assessed that she was a considerable distant away from the Hashira, deciding to stand up as she continued. "Everyone admires you, so you shouldn't find it strange that I do too.”

With Kyojuro's still embarrassed essence on her, he watched intently as she pulled her futon closer to his, much to his delight.

When Fumiko was satisfied with the distance she was at, she finally decided to lie down so that she could look at her companion. Almost immediately, the slayer knew that she was preparing to tell him something important by the way she was biting her lip with uncertainty. Therefore, he also turned to face each other.

“Are you okay?” He asked first, trying to give her the confidence to speak.

Fumiko met his eyes, showing her confusion of what to say. Slowly, she exhaled before swallowing and then closing her eyes.

“I've thought about it and I'm still coming to the same conclusion.” When she opened them again, she reached out a hand, reaching for his, and Kyojuro didn't hesitate to comply with her request. "You are a Hashira, one of the strongest by the way. So the fear I have is stupid.”

"No, Fumiko-chan. It’s not.” Taking advantage of the fact that he was close to her, the slayer intertwined his fingers with hers, looking completely into her eyes. "I might be a Hashira and you my talented successor, but in the end, we are both human,” he looked at their joined hands for an instant before returning his attention to her face. "Having fears and insecurities allows us to protect ourselves and stay alive longer. The only thing I know is that your love for me is too much, so much that you fear losing me and I understand it.”

Feeling slightly overwhelmed and wanting to cry, she lowered her head to bring Kyojuro's knuckles to her forehead. The slayer interpreted her gesture as an apology that he didn’t feel was necessary.

"I don't want us to get married to know that you want to be with me," he continued, seeking to make her raise her face again. "I'll look forward to when you're ready, but for now, I'm glad you're here with me. Here and now.”

Bright-eyed, Fumiko forced herself to look at him, wanting to show him how grateful she was.

"I’m glad that you are here too, Kyo," she whispered to him and the Hashira murmured a laugh in response.

It wasn’t exactly what he would have liked to hear, but for now, it was enough.

"Fumiko-chan, can we sleep hugging each other?" He asked, starting to pull her impatiently. “I promise not to do anything else.”

She stammered her own laugh as she dragged herself over to give him permission.

"Only if you let me brush your hair." She conditioned, even though she was already wrapped in his arms.

“Sounds fair.” The boy murmured, feeling how her small hands slipped into his neck and began to gently massage his scalp.

The sensation made him close his eyes as a big satisfied smile spread across his face. This was perfect.

It wasn't long before neither of them realized they had fallen asleep.

…

"Fu..." Kyojuro took a deep breath before exhaling sleepily. "Fumiko.”

With the gentle call of her name, the girl's eyes opened. Once again she heard the slayer mumble her name in his dreams. She yawned softly, careful not to move too much as she wondered curiously what the Hashira was dreaming about her.

"Kyo..." It was her turn to call him, but this time with the intention of waking him up. "Kyojuro.”

He grunted slightly and then settled back, to which the girl chuckled softly.

“Wake up.” She asked while poking his cheek before pinch it playful.

"MmMmm." He complained again, but this time slowly opening his eyes.

"Hellooo," Fumiko greeted, blinking in an attempt to appear more tender and above all, innocent. "Have you woken up yet?"

Kyojuro laughed at that image before leaning down to give the girl a small kiss on the forehead, causing her face to flush a bright red and he laughed harder.

“Good morning.”

She was the first to get up, seeking to lower the heat from her face by fanning with her hand.

"Ready to finish this mission?" The slayer asked as he sat down so he could stretch.

"Umu." She nodded.

…

After getting ready and paying for their stay, they both headed back to the train station. Today would be the day that they would travel on the Infinity Train.

After having slept together, they both looked more energetic and, of course, happier. They walked side by side without holding hands, much to Kyojuro's dismay, but his successor was right, they should focus on the circumstances of the mission.

"Oh! It’s you!” They didn't take more than two steps when they heard the voice of the girl they had saved at dawn.

“Hello ladies!” The Hashira greeted, while Fumiko leaned towards them.

Fuku carried her respective tray full of boxes to sell and her grandmother next to her held two lunches in her hands.

"We don't have much to thank you for this morning." The girl began to speak.

"But please accept these bentos boxes as a show of our gratitude." Her grandmother finished, extending said boxes.

Fumiko's face lit up with joy as soon as she received her gift just like Kyojuro.

"Oh! Thank you so much! Last night I wanted to eat one!” He spoke as he took the box. “But I would be embarrassed to accept it just like that, let me pay for it!”

Fumiko nodded as well, leaning to her side to search for her wallet. At least on her part, it wouldn't be fair to accept it without technically having helped Kyojuro save them.

“No, it’s fine. Please accept them," the girl asked, reaching out a hand to even stop the huntress.

“Alright then! I will accept this as a gift! But I'll buy the rest!” The Hashira clarified, to the surprise of the vendors.

And since she had already been prepared, Fumiko was quicker to pay for them before Kyojuro could protest as the girl and the grandmother wrapped all the bentos in cloth. There was a little discussion between them with their eyes, since the slayer didn't want his successor to get bothered and she simply didn't care.

"Please be careful," the old lady asked at the same time that she extended the bags to the slayers.

Fumiko hurried again, taking one herself and leaving the other to Kyojuro.

"Visit us if you ever come back here, I'm glad to be able to serve a nice couple like you.” Fuku complemented, tucking her empty tray under her arm.

The huntress laughed at her comment as soon as her companion replied: "Sure! I'll be sure to tell my father about you guys! I'm sure he’ll be happy about it!”

Fumiko hesitated at the comment, simply pursing her lips.

"You also take care and I hope to meet again," the successor wished them as she bowed again.

"Umu! Take care until we meet again!”

And with that, both slayers turned to head towards their transport. Although of course, they first went to buy the tickets, and this time Kyojuro was the one who ended up paying.

As soon as they waited for their train to arrive, Fumiko would turn around in her place while sighing in amazement. At night it was an impressive place, but colored by the beautiful orange light of the afternoon and packed with people, it made it even more incredible.

"Excited, Fumiko-chan?" Asked her partner, paying more attention to her than to his surroundings.

"I've never been on a train before and I only have a mission with you to travel in one, two days in a row." She explained in wonder as she nudged him playfully with her shoulder. "I'm lucky to be with you.”

“I think the same!” He pushed her back.

Almost at that moment, the train whistle distracted them, thus announcing it’s arrival. After entering, taking care not to bump into anyone because of the large bags they carried in their hands, Kyojuro was the one who chose the places where they were going to sit.

Being in their places, Fumiko kept looking around fascinated, looking at the people who arrived to board the train. She was so excited that she could start singing, but instead, she preferred to hum softly, trying not to make anyone uncomfortable.

"Fumiko-chan! What excites you most about being on a train?” Noticing how happy she was, Kyojuro couldn't hide his curiosity, preferring to ask her directly.

"Oh! Well…” She put a hand to her chin as she stared at the ceiling. "The fact of traveling in it!" She laughed embarrassed. “It's great that you just have to sit still and the machinery will take you long distances. And the best thing is that you can see beautiful landscapes during the trip!” To prove her point, she pointed to the window.

“I understand!” The Hashira agreed, smiling for the pleasure of seeing her happy.

“What about you?” She asked him, leaning forward slightly in interest.

“The same, but also! I'm intrigued that an invention like this exists!” He assured as soon as he touched the glass with his knuckle. "What will be the story behind this invention?”

“I have no idea, but now that you mention it, it would be great to look into it.”

A couple more minutes passed when suddenly the train began to move and similar to the night before, Fumiko held her breath in surprise before almost hitting her forehead against the window.

“Here we go,” she whispered with a big smile.

Of course she knew they had to find the demon, but she couldn't help but be fascinated.

"Fumiko-chan, if you'll allow me, I'd like to eat the lunches we bought!" At the same time that he was suggesting, he was already opening the box that had been gifted to him.

She turned to see him and her growling stomach was the one that answered for her, embarrassing her deeply.

"Of- Of course." The huntress also took her gift and a pair of chopsticks that came with it. “ Itadakimasu! ”

“ Itadakimasu! ” He wished too, delicately taking a portion of rice with meat.

He didn't even finish chewing when he exclaimed, “Tasty!”

Fumiko exhaled through her nose with gusto, expressing in her own way that she had liked the taste of her lunch as well. For his part, Kyojuro couldn't agree more when his ritual resounded throughout the wagon.

“Tasty!” It was heard again. “Tasty!” And again.

However, the rest of the passengers looked at him uneasily as he continued to speak loudly with every bite he ate. In fact, thanks to the bewildered array of essences, Fumiko became aware of her surroundings.

It didn't bother her at all, after all, she was used to his fuss every time he ate.

“Tasty!” Kyojuro exclaimed again fervently, opening his second box of food.

"Kyo," the girl called in a whisper, discreetly looking at two passengers who saw her annoyingly. "Lower your voice a little, you're scaring the others.”

“TASTY!!” He exclaimed with much more force in its place, apparently not having listened to her.

The girl sighed and shrugged, closing her eyes as soon as he continued to make noise. She kept chewing her bite, completely ignoring the rest of the passengers. He was right, there was no need to be ashamed of who they were. Besides, it wasn't like he was telling lies, the food at the station was delicious.

A couple of minutes passed as Fumiko was just finishing her second box and Kyojuro was about to start his eighth. At least the girl was grateful that they weren't going to waste an ounce of all the bentos they had bought.

Despite fully enjoying her lunch, the girl suddenly opened one eye when she felt the presence of a couple of strange passengers approaching them, both with a strange face because of all the fuss of her partner. From their attire, she deduced that they were demon slayers.

"Uhh... Excuse me... Rengoku-san?" The one with reddish hair and the checkered cape asked, hoping that the Hashira would answer him.

“TASTY!” He exclaimed loudly again.

"Sorry, he'll say something coherent when he's done." Fumiko answered instead.

“TASTY!” He exclaimed almost immediately that the girl stopped talking.

She frowned as she focused on the boy and remembered something Kyojuro himself had told her a few days ago. A boy with a red box on his back? Actually, she could distinguish the demonic essence emanating from said place, but it was not a ‘regular’ one.

“Oh, hello! I am Kamado Tanjiro and-”

“TASTY!” Kyojuro interrupted, turning to face the caller, incredibly excited.

"Umm… Yeah… We got it." Tanjiro responded somewhat awkwardly.

The girl shook her head in amusement when she saw that he had scared them. "Nakamura Fumiko, pleasure." She introduced herself, smiling happily.

"And I’m Agatsuma Zenitsu, the pleasure is all mine.” In a rather flirtatious tone, the boy in the yellow haori approached, taking the girl's hand and kissing the back.

Fumiko blinked a few times before raising an eyebrow as Tanjiro hit his friend on the head and scolded him. It was clearly not appropriate to behave that way between fellow slayers.

However, this caught the Hashira's attention, quickly finishing eating and fully concentrating on what was happening.

“Um! I see you have already met my fiancée!” He exclaimed louder than normal, intentionally wanting to scare the boys away.

Talking about inappropriate behaviors.

Almost immediately, the named one shoved her nichirin sword sheath into his face, crushing his cheek enough for him to stop speaking. She had already understood with his essence what it was he intended.

"Successor. He meant successor.” She corrected between embarrassed laughs.

"Successor?" Asked Tanjiro confused, while Zenitsu backed away, a little scared by her unpredictable reaction.

“No! I said fiancée, because soon we will be getting married!” Still with his cheek crushed, Kyojuro continued to speak, causing her to push harder to shut him up, embarrassed by his words.

“Not yet!” Fumiko exclaimed with her entire face flushed red.

Suddenly, she became aware of her surroundings, noticing how worried Zenitsu and Tanjiro, so she only pursed her lips in embarrassment as she left the Hashira's cheek alone.

At the same time, a couple of girls came over to remove each and every one of the empty food boxes that they had accumulated.

"You're the boy I saw at Headquarters!" Kyojuro mentioned crossing his arms when he looked at the boy with the squared cape.

So she was right. This was the boy carrying a demon on his back that her mentor had mentioned earlier.

“Yeah! I’m Kamado Tanjiro," he introduced himself again, but this time to the Hashira. "They are also demon slayers, Agatsuma Zenitsu and Hashibira Inosuke.”

When Tanjiro finished speaking, Zenitsu bowed slightly, while Inosuke puffed out his chest proudly. Fumiko even blinked in surprise to see that this last boy was wearing a peculiar boar mask.

On the other hand, the essences that the three swordsmen transmitted seemed extremely curious to her, deducing a little their relationship between them and even their personalities. They were interesting people, if she could summarize it that way.

“I see!” The Hashira answered, although his successor had the feeling that he hadn’t learned the names of any of the three. "And of course, the demon in the box."

"Yes, it's my sister, Nezuko." The boy affirmed, leaning his shoulder slightly so that he himself could see the box they were talking about.

"That demon demonstrated what was necessary for the Master to approve. I won't question it.” Kyojuro soothed, as he smiled slightly before patting the empty seat next to him. "If you want, you can sit down."

“Oh. Um… Sure.” Tanjiro thanked as he turned to his friends to indicate where they should sit.

For her part, Fumiko didn’t take her eyes off the boy in the checkered haori, feeling a peculiar essence emanating from him.

"Is something wrong, Fumiko-chan?" Asked her partner, attentive to how she watched the young slayer.

"Rengoku-san, I'll go sit over there," she pointed to the seats next to her. "The boy intends to speak further with you," she nodded her head as she finished her sentence.

"Okay, tell me if something else happens!" Kyojuro simply nodded, spreading his smile.

Almost standing up, Tanjiro was the first to be taken aback. "Where are you going, Fumiko-sama?"

"Here by the side," she clarified while smiling, "So you can talk to him with more confidence." She bowed slightly, shocking the boy. How did she notice?

When she was halfway down the hall to allow Tanjiro to talk with her mentor, Fumiko noticed that Zenitsu was looking at her expectantly, perhaps wishing she would sit across from them. And she did, only in the front seats, thus giving them a view of her back.

A couple of minutes passed when everyone was settled.

“It's fast! Very fast!” Inosuke exclaimed with a lot of admiration, knocking on the window excitedly while the yellow-haired next to him scolded him.

"You're going to break the window! Calm down, will you!?”

Despite the fact that behind her there was a greater commotion, Fumiko was resting her hand on her cheek and admiring the landscape that passed in front of her, still with her astonishment since the trip had started.

"Why are you on this train?" Kyojuro asked suddenly, looking at some inaccurate point in front of him. "Do you have a mission?"

Although Inosuke and Zenitsu were very loud, her partner's thunderous voice was even louder. The girl exhaled defeated, perhaps she had given them a privacy that the Hashira was not capable of taking care of. However, who she couldn't listen to was Tanjiro, for his soft and kind way of speaking.

"So that's why you're here. I understand!” Kyojuro exclaimed loudly.

There was a silence in their conversation, to which she figured it was Tanjiro speaking. For a moment, she wanted to focus more on the noise of the other two swordsmen behind her, but her partner's sudden phrases distracted her. For every sentence that Tanjiro said to him, the blonde responded immediately.

Fumiko bit her lip to keep her laughter inside herself. In her mind, she was deciding whether to laugh and ignore her mentor or get up and hit him on the head so he would stop interrupting the young Kamado.

“I understand! But I don't know anything!” Again and unable to avoid it, the girl concentrated on what her partner was saying. "I had never heard of such a dance, until this moment! But the fact that you could learn it and apply it in the middle of combat, it's wonderful!”

‘Dance?’, repeated Fumiko, puzzled. Now she regretted having walked away from the conversation because she had no context of what the young slayer had asked the Hashira.

"There! The topic has been discussed!" And then she heard of the aforementioned.

For a moment, she looked at Kyojuro and the boy next to him through the reflection of her window, only to see how Tanjiro was trying to persuade him to tell him something else.

"Why don't you become my apprentice! I will take very good care of you!”

With that sentence, the girl let out a big laugh and although she had quickly covered her mouth, this had already caught the Hashira's attention.

She hadn't laughed at Kyojuro himself, but at the way he'd said it. He had made it sound like something easy.

"Don't you agree, Fumiko-chan?" Kyojuro called her, precisely looking for her to come back to be with him.

She just turned her head to see her partner, shrugging her shoulders to play it down.

“Oh, sure. Sounds like… Good , sounds good,” she was nodding, but the way she pronounced the words was clearly in the form of a mockery. "I mean, that is if the young man accepts.”

Kyojuro frowned slightly and despite continuing to smile as usual, with his eyes he asked the girl to sit down in front of him again. A subtle way of indicating that he no longer wanted to talk to the boy. Or at least, not alone.

Understanding what he was asking of her, she stood up and to look more casual, she kept talking. "Would you be interested in learning Flame Breathing?"

"Well… Yeah, I guess I'd like to learn." Tanjiro stated embarrassedly, playing lightly with the fabric of his pants.

"You don't necessarily have to learn this breathing technique," she soothed him as she sat down, being next to Nezuko's red box. "What Ky- Rengoku-san wants to offer you is to better prepare you as a slayer.”

"Umu! The Flame Breathing has a long history!” The Hashira accompanied, now calmer to have a familiar face nearby. “Indeed, in all ages, swordsmen of Flame and Water have been among the Hashiras.”

"What is your breathing technique?" She asked the young slayer, leaning forward slightly.

“Water,” he responded, exuding an essence of embarrassment at the sweet attention Fumiko was giving him.

"Mizoguchi-shōnen!" The Hashira mistakenly called when he thought of a question.

Fumiko rolled her eyes in amusement as she shook her head. As if she didn't know Kyojuro well.

"Kamado -shonen.” She corrected him softly as she held up a finger for attention, and unlike Tanjiro, he did.

"What color is your sword?"

Tanjiro was surprised with the girl when he saw that she had remembered his last name. And so, once the error was repaired, he replied: "My sword is black.”

"Black sword?" She stammered in shock, her face relaxing into a surprised one.

“How unlucky!” The blond complemented before bursting out laughing.

“What do you mean by that?” Tanjiro asked concerned.

"I've never seen a swordsman with a black sword turn into a Hashira!" Kyojuro clarified.

"I had heard that those with black swords don’t have an ultimate breathing technique, so they have a hard time getting ahead.” She explained, holding her chin with her fingers.

Tanjiro looked surprised before lowering his head in disappointment.

“Come with me! Become my disciple! You won’t be let down!” The Hashira insisted, looking attentively at his successor.

Fumiko instead used the hand that was already close to her face to cover her lips and hide her smile.

"That's not what I meant! Also, could you look at me when you talk to me?” The young Kamado exclaimed unconcerned.

As if he had said everything he had to say, Kyojuro calmly lowered his head, closing his eyes with his typical smile. For a moment Fumiko relaxed as well, smiling at Tanjiro kindly when noticing that he had been looking at her.

During the few seconds of silence that followed, the huntress suddenly felt her eyelids heavy, as if she wanted to sleep. That was weird, but she didn't care. Perhaps she was still tired from yesterday's mission.

“This is great! It's so fast!” Inosuke exclaimed, sticking his head out of the train window and scaring the girl's tiredness away.

For a moment, she had forgotten that the other two young slayers were there and from the spectacle that the boy in the boar mask was causing next to Zenitsu, it was obvious that they would attract a lot of attention. But for some strange reason, the essence that the rest of the passengers transmitted was sleepy and tired.

Perhaps it was the environment that had caused her sudden fatigue.

"That's dangerous, silly!" Zenitsu scolded him as he tried to pull Inosuke back into the wagon.

"I want to go out and run to his side! Let's see who runs faster!” The boar head insisted, extremely excited.

"Try to find out another time, Hashibira-san!" The huntress yelled firmly from her place, crossing her arms.

Inosuke and Zenitsu turned to see her, each in their own way. The boy in yellow in an embarrassed way and the boar head with a fighting air.

“She’s right! We don't know when the demon will appear!” Kyojuro supported her.

Zenitsu's eyes widened in shock upon hearing those words. "You must be kidding! Is there really a demon on this train?”

“Yeah!” The Hashira and the successor affirmed at the same time.

“It’s not a joke?!” The young swordsman cried out in true terror. "We are not traveling towards it, the demon is here! I want to get off!”

Fumiko stared at the boy strangely. It was obvious that his breathing technique was particular, but his attitude towards danger had confused her. With all that fear and insecurity on top of him, how had he been able to become a demon slayer in the first place?

"More than forty people have disappeared on this train in a very short time." Kyojuro explained. "The Corps sent some members but we didn't get a response from any of them. That's why they sent me as Hashira to investigate!”

Although she had been concentrating on what he was saying, the wagon's essence really seemed strange to her. Despite being so late, with all this noise from her companions, how was it possible that they had all fallen asleep? Something didn't add up.

When the Hashira finished speaking, Zenitsu burst into tears while screaming in terror.

“That makes sense! All the more reason I want to go down! I'm going down!”

As soon as the boy held his trembling head, Fumiko noticed one of the conductors coming in to mark the passengers' tickets.

She watched as the man walked past all the passengers who had fallen asleep and made a beeline for them.

"Is something wrong, Fumiko-chan?" Her partner asked, noticing her anguished face.

“The conductor is coming to mark our tickets.” She explained, fleetingly looking at her partner before returning her attention to the newcomer.

“Good… Night.” With a completely flat and monotonous attitude, the man extended his hand. "May I... See your tickets...? Please.”

Kyojuro was the first to extend his piece of paper and the driver sealed it loosely. Fumiko hadn't stopped tilting her head from side to side, trying to distinguish exactly why the man was acting that way and something ended up making her even more distressed.

She was having a hard time making out his essence clearly.

After the Hashira, Inosuke was the next to show his ticket and then Zenitsu, who was now on the ground on his knees.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, it was her turn to spread out her little passage. Even as he handed it back to her, she gripped the piece of paper tightly. Something was wrong with that man. He felt cold, nervous about something, almost afraid.

Finally, Tanjiro had to get up to deliver his ticket. As soon as they marked their passage, the lights flickered and that tired feeling returned to her for a couple of seconds. She blinked sleepily a bit before shaking her head to drive away the tiredness.

The young Kamado turned his head to both sides alarmed, detecting something strange.

"I have... Checked your tickets." The man stated slowly.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down the huntress’ back and she immediately stood up, directing her gaze to where she detected the essence the most. Following her, Kyojuro stood up with his katana in hand.

“Driver! It's dangerous to be here! Please evacuate the area!” The Hashira asked. "The situation is very urgent! Please ignore that we bring a sword!”

The light kept flickering from time to time, making the girl's eyelids feel heavy. Trying to concentrate, he looked at the rest of the passengers... Who were now awake.

Fumiko frowned as the light went out momentarily. When it returned, a demon stood before them, looming large as the passengers looked on in terror.

At least Tanjiro, Inosuke and Fumiko positioned themselves ready to defend, while Zenitsu was still on the ground, now looking at the demon with great fear.

"So you were hiding that huge body with Blood Techniques," Kyojuro analyzed aloud as he put the saya of his sword on his belt and walked in front of his successor. "It was hard to perceive you! However, if you bare your fangs at innocent people, with this flaming sword in my hands…” As soon as he spoke, he finally drew his nichirin sword in front of him. "I'll burn you to the bone!"

The heat in the wagon began to rise as soon as the Hashira was getting ready.

The demon roared loudly and to everyone's surprise, it was powerful, so Fumiko unconsciously stood in front of the young swordsmen, in an attempt to protect them.

Kyojuro positioned himself to attack as the demon charged towards them.

Flame Breathing: First form. Unknowing fire!

With his attack, the Hashira ended up cutting off his head just at the moment he landed in the next car with a kick.

“Incredible!” Tanjiro sighed in astonishment behind the girl. "He took out the demon in one cut."

"And this is only the beginning." Fumiko muttered under her breath. “Come on!” She nodded, then ran and caught up with her partner, sensing the demonic essence in the next car, with all the eyes of the passengers on them.

The rest of the boys followed her, attentive to what was happening.

"Wait! Don’t leave me!” Zenitsu yelled, getting to his feet with some difficulty.

Without wasting another second, Kyojuro led the way, with his successor and the boys trailing behind.

They needed no further proof as terrified passengers ran away from their car to safety. Another long-armed demon had one of the passengers cornered, drooling to eat him.

"I won't let you hurt that human!" Kyojuro yelled to get the threat's attention. "Didn't you hear me? Your opponent is right here.”

“What the hell is that? His hands are long! Really long!” Zenitsu exclaimed terrified, hiding behind one of the seats.

"I'll go first!" Inosuke announced before launching to attack the demon.

“Wait! There is a person who has not escaped!” Tanjiro scolded him, unable to stop him.

"Don't worry about him! This thing has to be killed first!” The boar's head debated.

"Fumiko-chan!" Called her partner firmly. "Let's get this over with quickly!"

“Hai.”

She didn't need him to explain any more details, as she rushed to remove Inosuke from the battle by tossing him into a seat and then picking the person up off the ground with a push from the back. The demon tried to reach her, but Kyojuro managed to cut off its arms by perfectly synchronizing with her.

"Thank you, Fumiko-chan!" She heard his voice above her.

"Go somewhere else, it's not safe here." She ordered the man in his arms before he quickly complied. When she was free, she returned to her companions.

"Now we can kill him!" The Hashira analyzed and without hesitation, he was the first to advance.

Flame Breathing: Second form. Rising scorching sun!

With one perfect move, Kyojuro slashed its throat.

The demon staggered, destroying several seats around it before disappearing completely.

"Woa... woah..." Tanjiro whispered in genuine surprise. "Incredible, you are the boss!" He exclaimed loudly. "Excellent swordsmanship! Please accept me as a disciple!”

"Of course, no problem! I will train you to become a great swordsman!” Kyojuro accepted.

“Me too!” Zenitsu asked.

“Me too!” Inosuke followed.

Fumiko smiled as she saw the reaction of the young slayers around the Hashira, wanting to learn from him and calling him 'boss' over and over again.

As Kyojuro laughed proudly, the girl's smile suddenly faded as the strange tiredness from before returned. Everything around her felt strange, and while it also felt relaxing, something didn't seem quite right. She nodded slightly again, suddenly feeling sleepy.

She only closed her eyes for a moment.

And when she opened them again, she found herself in front of a house.

She raised her shoulders restlessly, checking her body, looking for some kind of injury or indication of what was happening. But she only found that she was dressed in a beautiful kimono.

Dissatisfied at not finding answers, she turned her head to appreciate her surroundings.

It was sunset beautifully. The orange sky had few clouds and the songs of birds echoed softly on the horizon.

Fumiko frowned in confusion. What was happening?

She lowered her head in an attempt to remember what she was doing a few moments ago. Why did she feel lost?

"Fumiko?" The sound of the door opening in front of her distracted her from her thoughts, but whose voice had spoken... It pierced her painfully.

Fearing that she had misheard, she raised her face slowly, to check that she wasn't going crazy.

In front of her, she found one of the most beautiful smiles she had ever seen. Fumiko felt her stomach drop, opening her mouth slightly, unable to believe her eyes.

"Taiki?”