Creation- Demon slayer fanfic

Chapter 26

We walked and walked until we came across a light path that swerves around trees. The same bird flies overhead now that the leaves are thinning. Rei kept giving me side glances as we walked, but I pretended not to see. 

" Over there," I hear someone whisper.

There's a small rustle, then the noise of an arrow being drawn pierces the air. I tilt my head to the left and wind whizzes past my face.

" Aku!" Rei gasps as two men jump out from the bush.

They lung towards me, but I easily dodge them as their attack was lousy.

" We're demon slayers," I say annoyed.

An older woman stands up slowly. She's holding a staff and wearing clothing that drapes around her body.

" Demon slayers? In these parts?" she questions.

I nod.

" What rank are you?" she asks suspiciously.

Crap. I never actually took the final selection, so I'm not actually considered a demon slayer.

" We're both ranked Kanoe. We've come from the butterfly mansion of Shinobu Kocho. We just fought a demon in a cave about two hours away," Rei pipes up.

I'm glad that she was there to answer the old lady's question.

" One of the hashira sent you?" she gasps.

" No mam. We were told by my Kasugai Crow to go in this direction," Rei speaks once again.

The tension eases as their conversation carries out, but I can feel the eyes of the two men on me.

" Why does he smell like a demon?" one asks.

" We just fought one moron. I got demon blood on me, of course I'm going to smell like one!" I spit.

That was meaner than I was wanting it to be.

" Don't be rude Aku."

I stare at Rei, narrowing my eyes. I don't like new people. If I don't know them enough to trust them, then they're no good.

" Our village is just twenty minutes from here. We were told by a messenger that two young demon slayers would be arriving to help us with our problem," the old lady breaks the silence, " come with me, I'll show you the way."

" Emiko! We can't invite them in. There's something off about them. The man seems...weird..." the second man states.

" Oh don't be silly! He's wearing the uniform!  He is here to protect the world from demons," she grins warmly.

Far from it. I was just wanting to know who I am. Now that I've figured that out, I'm here to protect my friends. Not random people I just met.

The old lady turns away and motions for us to follow her. Rei skips along happily after grabbing my arm and dragging me with her. The men take up the rear, making sure to let us know that their weapons are at the ready. Rei doesn't seem bothered by this, nor does she seem unwilling to trust these random people.

" They said they killed a demon in a cave, could that mean Hina?" one man whispers, clearly trying to be as quiet as possible.

" Hina?" I ask, eyes forward.

I can feel their bodies tense, as they had not expected me to hear.

" Y-yes. A demon that had been stealing away our men and e-eating them..."

Why was that answer so...off...?

It does make sense though, the amount of blood that was there. Also, maybe they are just scared of that demon.

" You afraid of it?" I say.

" Y-yes... she was very powerful."

" Pfft. No she wasn't! All it took was one slice and her head popped right off of her shoulders," I grin.

I'm trying to provoke them at this point, trying to see if their reactions change.

" Oh, well, you are a demon slayer!" One chuckles nervously.

" We're pretty good at our job too! And we work as a team," Rei joins in.

That's a lie. I was going to let her die.

" I like your tattoos," the second changes the subject.

Oh that's right. They're uncomfortably visible at the moment.

" Especially the words," he hisses.

I snap my eyes towards him. Does he know something about what they say?

" Can you read it?" I ask.

" No. You can't?"

" I've had them since I was born I think. Just there's more of them now," I answer.

" That's suspicious..."

The group remains in silence other than Rei's cheerful humming. The smell of human blood hits the air and Rei stops making any noise.

" Rei, we should get out of here," I say, alarmed.

The old lady turns to me just as I turn to my ally. Her eyes are rolled back into her head and there's a dart with red feathers sticking out of her neck.

" You aren't going anywhere," the lady smiles as something pricks my neck.

The last thing I see before falling to the ground, is her crooked teeth set in a wide grin.

ARC:Sorry this one is short! I kinda entered in a contest and the max page count is 100( on quotev) so I haven't been updating! I'm currently writing more chapters that I can publish straight after it's finished! Again, I'm so sorry to keep you guys waiting!