𝙠𝙣𝙮, 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚

10. 信じる

"[name]? Are you sure you don't want to be leaving together with us?" Obanai spoke out as he held Misturi's hand in his, looking at [name] who had on a smile on her face then. She shook her head in response as she waved goodbye to her adoptive older brother.

"We'll go our separate ways," she whispered out, and Obanai was about to speak once more, only to have [name] turning her back against him then. He wanted to chase after her, and Mitsuri had urged him to do so. But the tone that [name] had used against him, made him stop.

She wanted to be alone.

[name] soon reached the harbor, and she could only smile as she recognized the same boatman who had brought her back to her hometown together with Tanjiro back then. The boatman then tilts his head in response, a little confused as to why [name] was alone.

"To the West District, m'lady?" the boatman asked and [name] nodded in response. She then laughed a little as the boatman was looking behind her, only for her to shake her head in response. The boatman then chuckled and soon guided the now regular girl towards the boat where he will be rowing towards the West District.

A long journey indeed, [name] clearly remembered then.

"Do you remember that time I spoke to you about you being too much like your brother?" the boatman asked, trying to strike up a conversation. [name] then hummed in response as she looked at the boatman as he continued to row the boat.

"It was known in the West District that there was once a demon attack, and this brave young man sacrificed himself in order for his younger sister to live. We were informed that the young man had heterochromia eyes, one was a dark blue ocean and the other was light pink in color," she recited, and the boatman could only chuckle in response then.

"He was a wonderful savior to the West District," [name] said with a smile as she rested her head onto the palms of her hands then.

"You're alone today? What happened to the boy with the hanafuda earrings and huge birthmark on his forehead?" the boatman asked, and [name] laughed a little.

"Who knows," she whispered out.

-

Five Year Later

[name] smiled as she walked down the busy streets of her hometown. Watching them walk around with a smile on their face, not afraid of being attacked by demons. For they trusted her fully after she had announced five years ago that demons no longer existed. She then stopped in front of a small fruit stall and soon walked into it. 

"[name]? A pleasure to have you here!" and [name] placed back the apple she was holding after checking the freshness of it. She then turned and could only laugh at the messy state the stall owner was.

"Akashi-san, your hair," she spoke out, and he quickly patted his hair properly into a neat style.

"How has it been living back in your old home? We sure did miss having you around back then when you were so busy trying to keep everybody safe," he asked as he started to pick out the freshest fruits he could offer to her. [name] hummed in response and soon laughed a little when Akashi presented her a bag of fresh-picked fruits that his stall was selling.

"Was it tiring for you, to always fight against demons back then? I heard that being a demon slayer would often mean that it could be your last day on any of the missions you are deployed on," he explained with a smile, and [name] could only smile in response.

"It was great being a demon slayer, ensuring everybody's safety. But what I had experienced the most was falling in love back then," she whispered out with a slight blush on her face, and Akashi could only chuckle in response as he ruffled the young girl on the head.