Blood Moon

Chapter 3 - Child of Sorrow

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, Tsukoni. It's just an investigation. I'll be back before you know it."

"I know, Sensei. But if a Hashira has to go, it must be important. And really dangerous."

"I know, but they chose me specifically. It's a train - they can't be hiding for that long."

You put some more udon in your mouth and pout. "I still wish that somebody like Giyuu could go. Nobody would miss him."

Rengoku smiles. "I'll be fine." He stands up and picks up his Nichirin blade. "See you soon, Tsukoni." He pats you on the head and leaves.

Days later a telegram would arrive at your house in the mountains, where you would be waiting impatiently for the return of your teacher. The telegram would be official, but that wouldn't matter. The only thing that would matter would be these words:

'Kyojuro Rengoku has died in battle.'

Pain would tear through you, a beast with claws and fangs, ripping apart your heart as you would collapse in grief on the floor, clutching your chest as though you could actually feel your heart shattering into tiny pieces.

***

You sheathe your Nichirn blade as the corpse of the demon disintegrates. You turn your head to the moon; its altitude has decreased slightly, signifying that you need to go home. "Get back here, you fu -"

"Shut up," you reply to the head of the demon, stepping away. You say it without emotion; all tears have been spent since the death of Rengoku, and no more were left to stay. Walking up the mountainside, being careful not to trip on any loose clods of dirt, the air is quiet. Too quiet; the calm before the storm. You pause for a moment to sniff the air.

Nothing.

Yet.

You continue to walk, and just as you're sliding open the door of your house, the smell hits you.

Blood. Human blood.

This is strange, more than scary. The smell is familiar, but no human has been in this house for months now, not since Rengoku died, not after the sole reason for them to enter had died. You step inside, and almost instantly slip on a small puddle. Dropping to your knees, you swipe your fingers along the puddle and touch it with the tip of your tongue.

A rush of exhilaration glides smoothly through your veins as though you just took a hit on the most powerful drug. The taste lingers on your tongue as you swallow the blood, aware of its passage through your throat and into your stomach. You stumble onto your feet, leaning against the wall, and shuffle decrepitly through the house like an old person.

Moonlight illuminates the main room, which is how you manage to spot the scarlet lettering painted on the windows and walls in scrawly writing.

I've found you.

You gasp and stumble back, out through the doors, into the crisp evening air. Here you stand, gasping in deep lungfuls of air, panic sending your thoughts scattering. What the hell? What the hell? What the hell? Who the hell?

Who could have figured out where you live? Who would have wanted to know where you live? The other demon slayers have made it clear that you are unwelcome, as far as they're concerned, and the people in the nearby village are utterly terrified of you.

You turn around as a rustle in the leaves draws your attention. A crow. Your Kasugai crow, Aguri, doesn't perch on your shoulder - even they dislike you - but hovers in front of your face, holding themself aloft with sharp flaps of its wings.

"Tsukoni Kibitsuji, Child of Demon, Child of Sorrow!" it caws throatily. "You have a new mission!"