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Chapter 33

○ Chapter 33: ○
○ "New Mission." ○

《•|•-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-•|•》
1stPerson POV

The sounds of cups hitting wood echoed in the dojo, me and the others training like usual.
The time we spent healing and training made us much stronger than before, but even so, it's still incredible to watch the others do their best and outperform themselves.

"Holy-"

"Look at them go!"

"Tanjiro's really doing his best."
I nod with the guys, the three of us watching the intense cup-training going on.
In the end, the last cup available was caught by Kanao, Aoi announcing the end.

"You sure are fast, Kanao!"
Tanjiro stood up, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"Your record is now ten wins and ten losses."

We really worked hard during this time.
I never would've thought I'd end up a Demon Slayer so soon. I just wanted to avenge my mother's death and my brother, but now?
Now I have even more to fight for.
I have to honor my duty as the Avatar, I have to help Tanjiro cure Nezuko, I have Kibutsuji to defeat.

"-Y/N!"

I tense up.
"Yes!"

"Wanna join us for a run?"
Tanjiro smiles to me, and we all go outside after I nod.
I'm glad I get to fight with them.

"Let's go!"

《 •|• 》

We were all woken up in the middle of the night, loud bird cries echoing in our room.

"It's morning! Wake up!"

I rub my eyes and sit up with Tanjiro, Inosuke grumbling.
"What the heck?"

"What's going on...?"
Zenitsu was still half-asleep, drool on the side of his mouth.

My owl stared us down and spoke.
"The casualties of the Infinite Train are increasing."

"More than forty are now missing."

"You are to join Kyojuro Rengoku on site. Head west at once!"

I look at the others, and nod, first to speak up.
"Got it!"

《 •|• 》

In the morning, we all readied our things, preparing for the new mission ahead.
I was practicing outdoors, still getting used to Sky Breathing until a pebble hit me in the back.

I turned around, lowering my sword.
"Inosuke? Do you need something?"

"That Shinobu woman asked me to give this to you."
He threw the long wrapped staff my way, and I could immediately recognize what it was.

"A glider!"
It opened up, and the large wingspan was truly amazing, the wood polished and smooth, carved with traditional patterns around the grip.

"The hell is that?"

In excitement, I sheathe my sword and leave it down by my scroll, running up to Inosuke.
"Wanna try it out with me, Inosuke? I'll let you glide, too!"

He seemed a little taken aback, but returned to normal and agreed.
"Hah! I'll show you gliding!"

I got on and gave a hand to Inosuke, launching us high up in the air.
He steered us both, and I couldn't contain my excitement as I kept laughing.
"I missed this so much! You're even better at this than before, Inosuke!"

"I'm incredible at everything, M/N!"

From below, I called out to Zenitsu and the three girls.
"I got a new glider!"

"WAH?! Y/N?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING- WHY ARE YOU LETTING INOSUKE FLY?? DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?!"

The girls laughed and waved hello as we passed them by.

"Isn't this incredible? Everything looks twice as gorgeous from above!"

"My flying skills are awesome, right?!"

"They are!"

After a little more gliding, laughter and some arguing, I got Inosuke to land, rejoining the others.
Once we were fully prepared, Naho, Kiyo and Sumi brought out our final test before our leave.
With some effort and a deep breath, we shattered the four giant gourds.

"Yay! Here you go!"
They offered us some onigiri for the road, and Inosuke happily munched on a few, Zenitsu yelling at him.
I shake my head and notice Tanjiro running off, but when I see Tomioka-San I go after him.

"Tomioka-San!"
We both greeted him.

"Are you heading into battle now?"

We nod, smiling.
"I hear that you've mastered Total Concentration, Constant."

"Yes!"

"Waterbending?"

I'm even more excited to answer.
"Yes!"

"You should keep at it."

I nod, Tanjiro speaking up.
"Tomioka-San... About Nezuko... Thank you very much. I had no idea you were putting your life on the line. I just don't know how I could ever thank you."

He turned his head away.
"You can thank me by doing good work. Our mission as Demon Slayers is to kill demons. That's all."
He then quickly left.

From behind, the small cries made us turn around.
The three girls sniffled and teared up.
"Take care, you guys!"

I walked over with Tanjiro.

"You're all heartbroken to say goodbye to me, aren't you? I can stay behind if you want!"
Zenitsu whined, and I gently smack his head with my glider.

"Zenitsu, do learn how to be considerate and respectful to girls."
I smile at him, and he quiets down.

"Yes, m'am."

I put my glider back and turn to the three girls.
"Thank you for taking care of us while we were in recovery. You helped us out so much, I can't thank you enough."

They all smiled at me, cheerful.
"We're glad to help, Lady Y/N!"

I bend down and hug them all, surprising them, but they return the hug.
"You three take care of yourselves too, alright? And say hi to Aoi for me!"

I let go, the girls looking up at me.
"Okay!"

"But aren't you even a little sad that we're leaving?"
Zenitsu perked up, sniffling.

"We are not sad!"

Tanjiro came over as well.
"Okay! You guys! We're heading out now!"

We give our final goodbye, running off to our next mission.

As important as this is, we're all still being light-hearted as we go, still laughing now and then.
By the time we arrived, the sun was heavy and setting.

We all stood in the large place, and I looked up at the giant thing in front of me.
Inosuke reacted similarly to the whistle and smoke that came out of it.
"Hey... Hey! Hey!"

"Wha... Wh-What is this thing?"
I move a little behind Tanjiro, really uneased by the aura it gave off.

"The hell is this creature?! I bet this is that thing! The master of this land! The ruler of this land!"
He ran up and down.
"See how long it is?!"

"So intimidating..."
I whine a little.

"It looks like it's asleep right now, but don't let your guard down!"

"Uh, no, it's a train. Haven't you two ever seen one before?"
Zenitsu seemed annoyed.

"Shush! Calm down! I'll lead the charge."

"Hold on, Inosuke! It might be too big for us to handle! We should wait for Rengoku-San!"

"You two..."
Tanjiro spoke up.
"You never know, it might be the guardian spirit of this land. Also you shouldn't attack all of a sudden."

"No guardian spirit has this sort of aura! Just look at it! This thing has to be some type of evil spirit!"
I grabbed my sword, the goosebumps I got from this thing bothering me.

"No, didn't you hear me? It's a train. A railway train, all right? It's a vehicle for transporting people."

"Uhm, Zenitsu?"

He turns to me.

"A train? Is this what the birds told us about?"

"I'd expect these two not to know, but you too?!"

"I've lived in a temple all my life!"

Inosuke started walking, standing still for a moment before charging at the train.
"Comin' through!"
He slammed it head-on, Zenitsu yelling at him.

"Stop it! Talk about embarrassing!"

A loud whistling caught our eye, two men in uniforms rushing at us.
"They have swords! The police! Call the police!"

Zenitsu grabbed us all, dragging us away.
"Oh, crap! Crap, crap, crap! Run!"

Once he got us away, he sat me and Inosuke down, scolding us.
"Thanks to you two, we went through hell! Say you're sorry!"

I apologized first.
"I'm sorry..."

"In the first place, why did we have to run from the police?"
Inosuke yelled, annoyed.

"We, the Demon Slayers, aren't officially recognized by the government! We can't really walk around in broad daylight with our swords. They wouldn't believe us even if we explained about demons, and it would only confuse them."

"Even though we're working so hard?"
Tanjiro pouted.

"Well, it can't be helped. We got lucky with Y/N being the Avatar and all, but for now let's hide our swords on our backs."

We all nodded, Inosuke proudly turning to show us.

"You can totally see them. Put on some clothes, idiot."
Zenitsu complained.

A huff of smoke caught our eyes.
"Ah, crap! The train's leaving!"

We all ran, quickly getting on right before it left.
"Hey! You guys!"

I had to help Zenitsu up, Tanjiro helping me pull him over the rail.
Once up, the air blew around us, Inosuke amazed.
"Man, it's fast!"
I giggle and nod.

"Y/N, Tanjiro."

We both turn to Zenitsu.
"Are you sure about bringing Nezuko along? Wouldn't the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters be safer for her?"

I smile.
"It's fine. Wherever we go, Nezuko will be with us. We'll never be apart again."

After a minute or so, we all went inside, the people around us minding their own business.
Even if Inosuke made a few scenes, and was quite loud, we did pass quite smoothly.

"Where's the guy who's supposed to meet up with us, the Hashira, right? Do you know what he looks like?"
Zenitsu asked as we walked along, looking for Rengoku-San.

"Yeah. He's supposed to be very brazen. I also remember the smell of ashes."

"Didn't he have this really striking red and blond hair color?"
I ask, Tanjiro nodding.

"Pretty sure."

"I think I spotted him earlier."
Tanjiro opened the door, a powerful voice booming through.

"Delicious! Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!"

As we kept approaching, the man kept repeating that word over and over.
Once close enough, I recognized the bright hair and whispered to Tanjiro.
"That's him."

"Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!"
Rengoku-San seemed so care-free, just eating.

Zenitsu leaned over.
"That person is a Hashira...?"

We nodded.
"He's definitely not an ordinary person."

I moved closer.
"Sorry, sorry to interrupt-"

"Delicious!"

"U-Uh... Ren-Rengoku-San?"
I stutter, quite unsure how to feel about this.

"Delicious!"
He turned around and yelled louder, startling me.

Tanjiro sighed behind me.
"I think this is self-explanatory."

"You two were the ones with Master Ubuyashiki?"

We nod.
"Yes."

"I'm L/N Y/N. This is Kamado Tanjiro, and these two are also members of the Demon Slayer Corps, and our friends."
I point to Zenitsu.
"Agatsuma Zenitsu,"
My hand then moves over to Inosuke.
"And Hashibira Inosuke."

He crossed his arms and looked at us, surprisingly calm.
"Alright. And that demon in the box is?"

"Our sister Nezuko."
Tanjiro smiles.

"The demon at that time showed something that was approved by the Master. We're in this together."
He smiled at us, and I felt nothing but welcome as he patted the seats by his side.

"Come, take a seat."

We nod, Tanjiro and I sitting down, Nezuko's box beside my seat.
Inosuke kept making a ruckus, amazed by the train.

"Stop, you're gonna break the glass! Please try to be safe!"
Zenitsu scolded.

Rengoku-San didn't seem bothered.
"Why are you on this train? Do you have a mission?"

"We received an order from the crow. It told us that the casualties of the Infinite Train keep increasing. We were ordered to come here and meet up with you as soon as possible."
Tanjiro spoke, and I nod.

"So, that's how it is. Got it!"

"I want to ask one more thing."
I perk up, Tanjiro speaking.

"It's about my father."

"What happened to your father?"

"He was always weak and sick."

"Weak and sick?"

"Even so, in the snow that was enough to freeze the lungs, he would perform his Kagura dance all night."

"That's very fortunate!"

"And so-"

"What is it!

"The Dance of The Fire God. In life or death situations, I remembered the Kagura dance I saw as a kid. If you know anything, Rengoku-San, I hoped you could tell me."

I listened as well, the silence rather short.
Rengoku-San still smiled.
"I don't know anything!"

We were both surprised.
"This is the first time I've heard of Hinokami Kagura. The dance performed by your father can be used in combat. That's very good. It seems that this topic has been discussed."

"U-Uhm! Sorry, could you say a bit more?"

"Be my disciples! I will take good care of you!"
He shouted, his smile not once leaving his face as his eyes seemed unfocused.

"Please wait!"
I'm taken aback, his behavior quite confusing.

"Flame Breathing has a long history. Swordsmen who use both fire and water, regardless of the era must be pillars. And you need a firebending master."
He looks at me.

He's... He's offering to teach me? I haven't even learned earthbending yet and he's already offering?

"Flame, water, rock and thunder are the primary forms of breathing. All other forms come from their branches. For example, mist is derived from wind. Novice swordsmen, what colors are you swords?"

"Eh? Sorry, my name is Tanjiro. The color of my sword is black."

"Mine is technically silver, but it glows white."

"Glows?"
He seemed intrigued.

"Black sword and glowing sword. This is a big deal!"
He laughed.

"Is it that bad?"

"I've never heard of those types of swords, nor of anyone with those swords to become Hashiras! To this day, nobody's heard of such a thing! Which forms do you specialize in?"

Tanjiro and I hesitated. Both of us know two forms, and it's still hard to decide.

"Learn from me! You will not be disappointed!"
He shut his eyes after that and sat still.
What a strange man... Yet I can't feel nothing but good intent from him. His aura is so bright and emanates a strong feeling of justice.

"Wah! Inosuke!"
Zenitsu screamed, and I go over to pull Inosuke back, the idiot halfway out the window.

"I wanna go outside and run beside it!"

"Inosuke! That's dangerous!"
I slam the window shut after I drag him back in.
"It's not a good idea to stick out the window like that!"

Rengoku-San suddenly spoke.
"We're in a dangerous situation. We don't know when demons will appear."

"Is it true, then? Do demons really pop up on this train?"
Zenitsu mumbled.

"They have."

Zenitsu screamed.
"THEY HAVE?! I DON'T WANT TO BE ON A TRAIN WITH DEMONS! THERE ARE DEMONS ON THE TRAIN!? YAAAH! I WANT TO GET OFF!"

"Within a short time, more than forty people have gone missing. Many swordsmen have been sent on this train, but every one of them goes missing. As a Hashira I've been called to investigate."

Zenitsu screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Why is it always like this?! I want to get off! Let me get off!"

"Stop making a commotion, you hog-monkey!"

The door slid open, a man walking in.
"Please present your tickets."

"What's he doing?"
I ask, sitting back down after Zenitsu quieted and cried silently on the floor.

"The Conductor wants to confirm your ticket is genuine. He will make a mark on your ticket."
We each give our ticket, which is then returned with a small hole.

I felt an awful chill run down my spine as he marked my ticket, the cold aura around him making me anxious. The lights began to flicker, and I felt the sudden urge to grab my sword but held back.

Rengoku-San swiftly moved up, his sword in his hand.
"Conductor. It's dangerous here. Please evacuate the area. The situation is very urgent."

So he felt it too.

"Please do not mind that I brought a sword."
The lights flickered again, and I slowly hold my own sword.

This dread is overwhelming...
Something is horribly wrong here.

《 •|• 《♡》 •|• 》

End

● Chapter 33: ●
● "New Mission." ●