The Blacksmith's daugther was a witch (Tomioka Giyuu x reader)

Chapter 15: Mount Natagumo

Previously:

He would be recognized by everyone because he was a man with a hundred of swords on his back.

It has been more than a week since (Y/N) left Haganezuka behind and her jurney has been pretty boring since then. She has killed a few demons terrorizing the villages and small towns she passed through but they were all weak. She didn't even have to use any breathing techniques most of the times. Now she was headed towards a mountain that might be interesting to visit.

The closer she got to it, the worse the rumors about it became and in a way it reminded her of her own home. A demon supposedly lived on the mountain and anyone who would go there would never return. It intrigued her greatly. Was there really a demon or was there someone else with the same fate as her? Maybe she wasn't the only one suffering like that. And if that was the case, she would save them from their loneliness. And if it really was a demon killing people... she would kill it.

With that in mind she set off towards it. If she walked fast enough, she would reach it before sundown. Her next stop was Mount Natagumo.

***

Dead people, there were dead people everywhere. The witch has never seen so many bodies lying motionless, with no breath or heartbeat to call their own, it was terrifying. She could deal with killing demons with close to no mercy but their bodies became ash and dust before she could even reach them most of the time. But here, humans were resting in big puddles of their own blood, waiting to be devoured by wild animals and demons or to decay until only their bones were left on the ground.

And the smell, oh, the smell! The stench or iron plagued the air and made it seem as if there was no oxygen to breathe in, only that terrible smell to make someone suffocate on the air filled with death. Small insects were already crawling over the bodies, spiders digging their small teeth into the exposed flesh. It was digusting.

(Y/N) would turn around, she would go away from this god forsaken place but she knew she couldn't. This wasn't a fairy tale like she hoped it was, there was no other lonely soul at the top of the mountain. There was just something out for blood. Those people had no bitemarks, the wretched demon wasn't even hungry! And yet it killed them all without mercy. She couldn't let it roam free any longer, she had to save the lives than haven't been taken yet. The dead ones here were all demon slayers but there was no doubt that even commoners were murdered here. It had to end. And she would make sure that it did.

With newfound determination the witch made her way deeper into the forest, her keep hearing picking up sounds of steel and something hard clashing. And so she started jogging in that direction, praying that whoever it was fighting out there, they would keep it up at least until she arrived.

A scream ripped through the eerie silence of the forest: "KENTAROOOO!!"

Tears pricked at the running girl's eyes, was she too late? Was Kentaro dead now because she didn't make it in time? Damn it, damn it all! She heard another shout but she couldn't understand it at all. And so she kept running. But she could feel she was getting closer. Just a little longer and she could help that man screaming for his friend.

***

Inosuke has had enough of this thing's bullshit. And he was even starting to use his head like Tontaro, that couldn't be good. He was Inosuke, the king of the mountain! He was strong and that's all that matters. Of course he wouldn't die, who did that guy think he is? He would beat this Demon Moon himself and prove that he is stronger than anyone.

"It's simple! If I can't cut you down with one blade, I can just hit you with the same blade harder and cut you!"

Yes, that was it. If force isn't enough, use more force, that is the way of Hashibira Inosuke! But wait, was that demon running away? He could by no means let him do that!

"Where did you go bastard!?" and he noticed him on a tree branch, "HERE YOU ARE!!!"

The demon was trembling, no doubt out of fear of the great Inosuke. Or so he thought until its skin just ripped open... He shed his skin and now he was even bigger and more scary than before. Dammit, what was he going to do now? It's appearance was menacing enough to make the boy freeze in place. He was going to die here, he knew it. There was absolutely no way he could take on this monster, nevermind alone.

"Don't die!" he remembered Tanjiro screaming at him before he dissapeared deeper into the forest.

He couldn't die, no, he wouldn't die here! That would mean losing. And he never looses!

"I am Hashibira Inosuke, a demon slayer! Come at me, you beast!"

And so it did. Faster than lightning it struck him and threw him at a tree. But before it could hit him with a finishing blow, he jumped out into the air, ready to take it down.

"Breath of the beast: Third fang! RIP AND DEVOUR!"

He had it, he had its nect right in front of him, no way was he gonna miss. But then... his blades snapped in half hitting the man-spider's skin. He was so suprised that he couldn't react in time and a giant fist collided with him forcefully. Desoriented but alive, he tried to get up. But a big hand grabbed his head and lifted him into the air.

Air was painfully leaving his lungs and he could breathe in again. With the last of his strength he drove the remains of his jagged sword into the beast's neck. It stabbed through the skin but then... stayed stuck. He couldn't move it and the head stayed connected to the neck withou failure.

This... this was the end. Memories of his life flashed through his mind. A woman, his mother, saying goodbye and leaving him fall from a cliff into the river below. Tanjiro and Zenitsu, his best friends. Even that old scary lady from the wisteria house that was smiling so gently at him when they were leaving.

Someone, anyone... don't let me die here.

Tears gathered in his eyes as he realized that it was far too late. His spinal cord would be crushed in a second and that was the end. The end of Hashibira Inosuke.

Just as he was accepting his death, the grip on his nect loosened and he fell to the ground, warm blood splashing into his face. The arm that was threatening to crush him was cut in half and a figure was standing by the trees nearby with a bloody sword in their hand. The monster howled in pain and the man turned around.

He wasn't tall but not short either. His midlenght hair was in a ponytail at the back of his head and sharp eyes with no mercy for the demon in them stared at it with disgust. He got into a stance, apparently ready to kill the beast but something was faster. A blurr dashed between the man and the spider and water spun around a blue sword. The wind picked up around it and the straw hat was blown away from Inosuke's saviour's head. Faster than anyone Inosuke has ever seen, the other newcomer slashed the spider 'Father' into bits.

That man was on a whole another level. Graceful and light on his feet, the raven haired demon slayer single handely killed the thing that was so close to ending Inosuke. the boy could only stare in awe at him, completely forgetting the other one. And so, when he saw that there was no more danger to threaten the boy, he picked up his hat (A/N: used to be misspelled as head and sparked quite the discussion) and dissapeared between the trees.

***

She was walking away quickly with her hand over her mouth. She knew she might see him again but she would have never guessed it to be so soon! No, she couldn't let him recognize her. At least she saved that child from dying, now she would move on and help someone else. Who cares if the boy didn't remember her? She didn't want to become famous anyway. Even more so when he was here. She couldn't let him blow her cover, she still had too many things to learn about the world.

So why did her chest tingle when she saw him butcher that demon into pieces? How come she didn't mind the blood dripping from his beautiful blue sword the same way it did from her sinful steely one? Why was she just so happy to see that he was still alive and well, maybe even happy to meet him? And lastly, just what was Tomioka Giyuu doing here?