Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This was a stupid idea. Why had he accepted the spot in this mission, it was a death roll. Uppermoon four, Akaza his brain supplied, was chasing after him.

Giyu hated this, he really fucking hated this. He had been spending his life as a normal human for years now, and now the master had sent him. On a mission involving the uppermoons, the only people who would know him.

“Tsuko get back here!” Akaza’s voice was far too close for Giyu’s liking. 

“Not my name,” is all Giyu spits back to the uppermoon. Akaza just snarls. 

Giyu did not have a sword at his side, and it’d take far too long for him to transform back into a demon at this point, fifteen years as a human, clearly upsetting his inner balance. 

A hand grabbed the back of his haori and choked him backwards. Giyu coughed, falling to the ground as uppermoon four, it was easier to think of him that way, pinned a foot down to his chest trapping Giyu there.

“Tsuko-chan, come back, I’m begging you I don’t want to kill you,” Uppermoon four begged. Giyu wasn’t going back. He had known he was never going back the day he felt sunlight on his skin for the first time. 

He knew he’d never go back when for the first time he had shared a meal with someone. 

Giyu was not going back to moonlight and screams, and pain. Giyu turned his head to the side and closed his eyes. 

Uppermoon four shook from above him, snarling and ripping Giyu’s right arm off. 

Giyu screamed.

Chapter Text

Tengen blinks as the Kamado boy explains what happened again. 

According to his story; When he had come back only to find his family dead, a human (the Kamado boy couldn’t quite tell whether it was a woman or a man) was crying over the boy’s sister’s body whispering condolences while she already had a muzzle in her mouth.

The crying person had then explained that she was now a demon and could not go into the sun anymore would possibly try to eat humans and would be unable to talk do to muzzle, and asked the boy to wait for another demon slayer to come along and explain everything before helping the Kamado boy bury his family and leaving.

Tengen sighs through his teeth, okay this was really fucking weird. 

“Kid, how am I supposed to know whether or not she’ll eat humans or not?” Tengen asks, running a hand down his face as he stares.

“Uhm well the person said their name was Tomioka-san and that was important somehow and that I should find someone named Urokodaki to see if I can train to try and fix my sister,” The boy says one had still firmly in his sisters.

Tomioka-san, why hadn’t Tengen thought of that? It made since they were always flighty and never stayed in one place long.

“Okay, I’ll take you there but if your sister even looks the wrong way my blade is going through her head.” 

— 

Tengen was called away before he could take them all the way there, leaving them near a shrine.

—

Nezuko was trying hard to forget. She was trying so hard to forget the man that had entered their house, and tore everything and everyone to shreds, before walking over Nezuko and Rukata. She tried to forget the way he had smiled and cut open his finger and forced his blood into Nezuko’s mouth.

She was trying so hard to forget the flash of moment in her mind when she though her family looked like a meal, she tried to forget the hunger that had carved through her.

Nezuko tried has hard as she could to forget the moments she had bitten into the newcomers shoulder when she had spotted them outside. She tried to forget the sweet taste of blood before something else filled her and everything went black. 

Nezuko tried to forget the tears that had run down the strangers face as they cried for her.

She tried to. She could not.

She did not know where her brother was, all she knew was that the old man had said that he was at final selection. 

She tried to think of something else as she washed through the dirty clothes.  

Nezuko looked up when she heard the slight splash of water from the other side of the wide river. 

A woman stood on the water, her clear blue white hair reflecting the moonlight as she walked closer to Nezuko.   

Nezuko didn’t try to run as the woman walked closer, her presence soft and forgiving. 

The kami, because that was the only thing this could be, a kami. The kami leaned down and crouched in front of Nezuko. 

A sleek dragon tail curled around the kami’s legs, bluish white scales and midnight blue feathered backside.

Nezuko looked up again, meeting eyes with the kami, and wasn’t her hair blue and white a moment ago? It was now the shade of the night sky above them, fading into the dark blue of the water around them.  

The kami smiled, Nezuko could not help but smile back. The kami’s left hand reached out and tucked a strand of Nezuko’s hair behind her ear. 

Nezuko wanted to ask her name but she didn’t know how to speak anymore.

“Tsukogiyu, is the name I go by most commonly, but I suppose like this, you may call me Tsuko,” The kami said, her voice smooth and soft like the cold midnight winter breeze.

Nezuko let her head rest in Tsukogiyu’s hand as the kami fondly smiled at her.

“If you ever need me, remember I'm just one call away,” Tsukogiyu murmurs, placing a small necklace into Nezuko’s hand before fading away from view.

Nezuko watches in wonder before her mind starts screaming. She looks over to find the sun about the rise.

She rushed back to the house. How was she supposed to tell her brother she had seen a kami like this?! This was vital sibling information to share, maybe Tsukogiyu could help Tanjiro find a cure for her? She was very happy that her brother left behind journals for her. She could read but she hadn’t been able to bring her pinmenish skills with her either, no voice or writing capability. How nice. 

Nezuko could mourn over her writing loss another time, she had to think, how was she going to tell her brother she had met a kami without using her voice, or writing.

She had it! Charades.