Groaning I pushed myself up from where I was laying on the forest floor and looked to see a large puddle of blood underneath me that was blurry. I couldn't help but think that perhaps this was where I was going to die. Let's go back and I will explain what happened to put me in this state.
Flashback
It took me a day of travelling and rest to arrive in the town that Kuro had directed me to that had people disappearing in when they entered the forest. Along the way I went foraging for different herbs, flowers and weeds that I could use in elixirs and I also made a new batch of elixirs that would make sure that any wound that I got wouldn't get infected. I also took this time to continue reading the books that Urokodaki had given me as well as the books I had found in different towns when I had the time to look for them. In doing so I learnt a lot about different plants and even different parts of animals that could be used in different mixtures to help out different wounds. That wasn't the only thing I was doing as each day I would draw at least eight vials of my own blood to not only study it but also experiment with it. I tried adding it to an animal's blood but it mixed in like nothing was different about it and I didn't have any other human blood to use at the moment. I would ask Tanjiro when I next saw him. The last thing that distracted me while I travelled was that I added two more charcoal drawings to the ones already stored in my box. One of Tamayo with Yushiro and then one of Susamaru, Yahaba and the third demon that I never got the name of. Even if they were demons, they still deserved to have someone remember them. Every demon that I had killed, even the ones from the Final selection, had a drawing stored in my box so that I could remember them and mourn the lives that they had lived.
Arriving at the town that the demon was at I stretched my arms up glad I was out of the bandages since the cuts weren't that deep and I was also well rested for once. This town was different then the ones that I had been in since I could see everyone was on edge looking over their shoulders, there were no stalls set up down the main road and no one was sticking around, they were all hurrying into their homes or the shops that they were going to.
"Are you a demon slayer? The Demon Slayer Corps sent you didn't they?" A voice asked and I looked to see a boy that was a few years older than me standing there.
"Yes they have, I am Akatsuki, I guess you know about the Demon Slayer Corps then" I said and watched his aura. It was filled with terror, sadness, hopelessness and panic.
"Yes come with me and I will explain everything, my father was the one that sent for you" He said and then gestured for me to follow him. I couldn't see any mistrust or lies in his aura so I followed him back to a large house.
"Haku! What have I told you about leaving the house! It is far too dangerous!" An older man scowled as the boy walked towards him.
"Sorry father, I went to see if the demon slayer had come yet and look they have arrived" The boy, Haku beamed as he gestured to him.
"Hello sir, I have been informed that people have been disappearing when they enter the forest. Any other information that you have will be greatly appreciated" I said with a small bow to show my respect to my elders.
"I see, come in and have some tea while I explain" Haku's father said and we headed into the house where I was shown to a sitting room and I sat at the table as they poured me some tea and also some for themselves.
"To start off with we paid no attention to the disappearances, it was just travellers about once a month so we thought that the travellers were moving onto different towns but then they started to disappear more frequently" Haku said.
"We still thought that it might have been the travellers moving onto the next town but then villagers started to disappear as well. It has gone bad enough now that we can't go a night without someone else being taken and we never see them again. Haku's fiancee was taken last night" Haku's Father finished squeezing his son's shoulder to comfort him.
