Another

Chapter 26: The White-Haired Dog

Nezuko and I ran after Giyuu-san, relying on the silvery crescent in the night sky for light. As soon as the honey candy disintegrated in our mouths, Giyuu-san penned a letter to Urokodaki-sensei, explaining everything and where he was taking us. He pinned it to the door and soon after told us to get ready. More than likely, we’d be back to our home in less than two days. 

Nezuko and I were keeping up pretty well with the older slayer. I remember when we first made the trip from our homes to meet Urokodaki-san. The Trio didn’t have to say anything, but I could tell they were a bit concerned with how often we had to stop and rest. We weren’t used to it like them yet. 

Giyuu-san looked over his shoulder. He was checking up on us. I did my best to smile reassuringly. We’ve only been moving for about eight hours, so we had about two hours before we had to begin looking for a place to stay for the day.

Nezuko had a small smile, and a glint in her eye that I missed so much during the year we trained with Urokodaki-san. Her long hair was tightly bound in the style our mother used to wear, the ribbon oto-san gifted her still adorning her long bangs. Her newly fashioned pink haori was tightly wrapped around her shoulders. I couldn’t help but grin. My baby sister looked better than ever, and so happy. 

“Oi.” Giyuu-san still moved steadily ahead of us, but had slowed down to a considerable pace. He was so close that his red haori seemed to cover us as it fluttered with every single step he took. I glanced at Nezuko, which she returned with a worrisome look at the older slayer's back. 

So, it wasn’t just me then. Something was wrong. 

Giyuu-san was noticeably tense, taunt like a thread tightened round a spool. I scanned the surrounding forest. Even with my significantly improved eyesight, I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. It was quiet. Normal. I took a deep breath. 

There was only the fragrant scent of the flora and the wind. I caught Giyuu-san’s eye, and silently shook my head no. The slayer turned the other way, and Nezuko did the same. She couldn’t find anything strange either. 

Giyuu-san grit his teeth and placed a hand on the saya of his sword. His other hand twitched, ready to grip it by the handle if need be. 

I swallowed, the bitter taste of anxiety flooding my mouth. There was something certainly wrong, because there’s no way all three of our instincts could be off. Could it be a demon of some sort? 

I clicked my tongue. No. Nezuko and I are demons, I’m sure we’d be able to tell right away with our enhanced senses. And Giyuu-san is one of the Hashira, one of the strongest Demon Slayers in the entire corps. There’s no way he’d be this concerned unless it was something serious and severely dangerous. 

I drew the night air deep into my lungs again. I had to keep searching. It’d be better to be prepared rather than risk the other’s lives. 

Again, only forest. But there was something strangely bitter-sweet in the air. I tried again, making sure to hone in on that unfamiliar scent. There must be something that I’m missing. 

Again, the scent of maple and oak filled the air. However, there was something out of place. Pine, bitter and unforgiving, and foreign in this part of the forest.  

“Move!” 

Giyuu-san launched himself back, knocking Nezuko and I onto the ground. There was a flash of green light right where Nezuko and I’s head were. Just a second later, and we would have been decapitated. And there was a man, standing in the center of our path. 

White ruly hair. Scars criss-crossing his face, from his temple to his chin. Pine swirled around us, drenching the forest with each blow of the wind. I gagged, suppressing the need to vomit. There was no way I’d puke when I just had real food after three years. There was just so much rage in a single man. His cold eyes flicked down to mine over his nose, his mouth in a sneer. His sword clinked in his hand.