Within Her Eyes - Kimetsu No Yaiba

16. Murata

"Everyone," Zenitsu called to the group, "we need to pause here!"

The three other demon slayers turned to him. They were almost to their assignment at Mount Natagumo. Tsukiko was annoyed that they were stopping now but said nothing.

She had hardly spoken a word since her strange nightmare.

"Zenitsu?" Tanjiro looked worriedly at him. "What's wrong?"

Tears sprung from the blonde's eyes, "I'm nervous okay! Now that we're nearing our destination, I'm getting scared!"

Tsukiko was getting nervous too. The air closer to the mountain seemed to be filled with something familiar. The girl turned to look at Mount Natagumo.

Even to her eyes the mountain was familiar.

Tsukiko choked back the feelings she felt. They were on a mission. This was no time to be overcome with anxiety.

Tanjiro's hand was warm when she grabbed it. Immediately Tsukiko began to calm down on her own. The calm was replaced with urgency as Tanjiro suddenly pulled Tsukiko towards the mountain in a run.

They stopped when they saw another person lying in the road. His eyes were frantic as he asked for help.

"Look at his uniform! He's one of us." Tanjiro's words caused Tsukiko to jolt. Images from that nightmare flashed through the girl's head. She shook them out her head telling herself that it had only been a dream.

Something in the air reflected the light above the demon slayer in the road. Before Tsukiko could tell what it was the demon slayer was pulled back into the woods. The girl slayer's mouth went dry.

'What if it's like my dream?' Tsukiko thought to herself. Her body shook in fear. Her eyes shifted to Tanjiro who was shaking. 'No. He's not going to die. It was just a dream.'

Tsukiko squeezed Tanjiro's hand. He looked down at her.

"Let's go." She said to him. The sooner they went into the forest the sooner she could prove that her dream was just that.

"I'll head in first." Inosuke shoved Tsukiko's shoulder with his arm as he moved to stand in front of her. "You stay behind trembling like a scared little animal."

The boar laughed as he ran into the forest. Pulling Tanjiro along, Tsukiko followed.

The group trudged deeper into the mountain. Tsukiko kept her eyes trained onto Inosuke's back. Fear that the forest would be the same one from her dream gripped her and prevented her from looking around.

Tsukiko had become so absorbed into her head that she only noticed her surroundings when Inosuke punched a demon slayer who had been crouching in the bushes. He demanded that the new demon slayer tell them what was going on. It is what they needed to know but Inosuke had been so brutal in his way of asking.

"The crows gave us orders to come to this place!" The guy pushed out the story. His voice was struggled as Inosuke had a handful of his hair. "Ten of us Corp members gathered here. Not long after we entered the mountain that's when it started." Inosuke let go of what hair he was holding. The bush guy looked to Tsukiko. "The slayers began killing each other."

Tsukiko's hands flew to her ears. He was telling her exactly what she saw in her dream. Tanjiro went to comfort her but she waved it him off. She didn't want to be touched until she sorted out the thoughts in her head.

It was not just a dream. They were living it.

'No.' Tsukiko refused. 'I don't care if I might have dreamed about what will take place on this mountain. I will change the future.'