Found Family (OC x Demon Slayer)

30

"So what now? Can I carry him all the way back down on my own..." Someone's voice said, though it faded in and out.

"No, I'll carry them. They're gonna wake up very... Hm?"

"His eyelids are shaking! And so are hers! They're awake! Later!"

Asami's eyes fluttered open and she rubbed her neck where Muichiro had struck her. Beside her, Tanjiro shot up.

"You ok? You shouldn't get up so fast." The boy from before advised.

"Was Hagenezuka here?" Tanjiro asked. The boy hummed, confused. "Was he just here?"

"No. No he wasn't." The boy replied.

"Oh I see. Then maybe it was my imagination." Tanjiro said.

"And Muichiro? That Pillar?" Asami asked, sitting up beside Tanjiro.

"I gave him the key and he left." The boy said.

"Oh. You gave it? I guess you had no choice there. Well, I don't really know the situation, so I guess it's not my place to grumble about it." Tanjiro said. Asami massaged her friends neck, knowing how much it must hurt.

"Oh no! I was really happy! You guys stood up for a complete stranger like me. Thank you so much." The boy in the mask bowed his head thankfully.

"No, no. I couldn't be of any use to you." Tanjiro waved his hand up.

"So what kind of key was it?" Asami asked.

"It was for a mechanical doll." The boy replied.

"A mechanical doll?" Tanjiro hummed.

"Yes. My ancestors made it, and it has one hundred and eight different movements." He said.

"Whoa! Amazing!" Tanjiro and Asami gaped.

"It's power surpassed that of humans, so it's used as a training dummy." The boy explained.

"Oh, I see. He was going to train." Tanjiro connected.

"Yes, but it's slowly deteriorating and it might break soon." Suddenly, loud clanking sounds came from not very far away. Out of instinct, Asami flicked out her war fans and held them out in front of her and Tanjiro.

"What was that?!" Asami demanded.

"The guy from before started. Over here." He guided the two Slayers to a clearing. Muichiro was fighting the supposed doll effortlessly. His blade clashed with the blades of the training dummy.

"That is the battle doll my ancestors made long ago. Yorichi Zeroshiki."

"It's arms... Why are there six?" Tanjiro asked. The doll had six arms, each wielding it's own sword. One side of the face was cracked badly and showed the doll's mechanisms.

"Its arms? Well, according to my dad, this doll is modeled after an actual swordsman. They had to give it six arms, or they couldn't replicate his movements." The boy explained.

"So who is this person? What exactly did he do?" Tanjiro asked another question.

"Sorry, I don't know the details either. But it dates back to the Sengoku Era."

"Sengoku?!" Tanjiro and Asami gasped at the same time.

"You mean it's more than three hundred years old? How has it not broken after all this time?" Asami asked, bewildered at the doll.

"It's construction is so superb that we can't hope to achieve that level even now. So if it breaks, we can't fix it anymore. My dad died suddenly, and I have no siblings. So I have to be the one to fix it. But I donny have the talent to fix blades or dolls." The boy sounded sad.