TDoSaW Chapter 2 Snippet #3

Chapter 2: More Than Blood

There was absolute silence from the forest around them as they stood dozens of meters away from the destroyed house.

Tanjiro Kamado looked around the surrounding, taking in the crushed remnants of coal shed scattered about, like the many branches and even bits of tree trunks that had been split or damaged. As if something incredibly fast had hit them all head on with immense strength. Slowly, his eyes moved to the house itself; to the destroyed front door, able to make out the puddle of blood that leaked from the entrance and onto the grass just underneath it. And as the smell of that ethereal scent mixed with the unmistakable smell of a demon and a bleeding, alive human, his mouth pulled into a deep frown.

"Nezuko," he said, eyes never leaving the door. "Be ready for anything." Nezuko's nose wasn't as good as his, but he had no doubts she knew what was waiting in that house.

Nezuko nodded, stepping to his side. He saw her glancing at the puddle of blood for a moment, eyes slightly wide. Then, she bit her lower lip, and forcefully tore her eyes away from the puddle and back at the house.

Tanjiro frowned. "Nezuko..."

"I...am fine, big brother," she said, frowning firmly. "Have...to help..."

He knew that would be her answer, but he still felt the need to ask. "Alright. If you're certain," Tanjiro said. He looked back at the door, his hand resting on his sheathed katana, and, without another word, began to walk to the house, Nezuko right by his side.

The halls of the house were as cramped as he was expecting, Nezuko having to stand behind him to move through them. But he didn't focus on the blood stained mats, or the wooden walls that had holes and claw marks on them. All he focused on was the soft, whimpering noise he heard as he stood in front of a sliding door, the paper walls ripped and letting him see inside the room. And let him see the child huddled in the corner as they cried.

Tanjiro turned to Nezuko, nodding towards the door that led to the room right next to this one. She nodded back, and then he turned, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door. He stepped into the room, alone, and took in the scene in front of him.

The corpses of what looked like a man and woman were laying in a thick pool of blood, some of their body parts scattered around the room, and it was easy to imagine the savagery inflicted to them as they died. Splotches of blood stained almost every wall he could see, dying decaying walls a putrid red that made his lips purse tightly. One of the walls had several deep cracks in it, like someone had been thrown against it high speed. There were also what also several large holes in several off the walls, about the width of his sword, their shape was like something had pierced through the wood, and at the floor of those wholes was what looked like grass, branches and...flower petals?

His nose was once again hit by that ethereal scent. But when he heard another whimper, he turned towards the room's corner. There was the child he had seen, a little girl in a grey kimono that was stained with blood, hugging herself and trembling. There were a few more splotches of blood on her short, black hair that curled a bit at the sides, a pearl-shaped pin that held up a few strands of her hair now cracked. The girl stared at him with wide, terrified eyes, tears falling down her face as she sniffled.

Tanjiro gave her his best, gentle smile. "Hello, little miss," he said, taking a few steps forward.

The girl opened her mouth in horror. "Do-don't—" She didn't finish, choking on her own sobs.

He kept moving closer.

"I understand you're scared."

"N-No, wait—"

"But everything will be okay."

He was about halfway to the girl when she looked at the roof, her terror rising as she screamed.

"There's a monster here!"

There was a crack of wood that came from above him.

A sound like an animal's snarl but far more guttural and echoing.

And then he felt the unmistakable heard the sound of something sharp slicing through the air as it moved faster than sound, and right towards his neck .

But still, he was faster

“I know," was all Tanjiro said, just before he blurred.

His sword out in an instant, Tanjiro whirled around the strike almost like water, the demon crashing into the spot he had stood on, crushing the floor with ease and kicking up a cloud of dust. He raised his sword and swiftly swung it down towards the demons neck, and through the dust, he saw crimson eyes go wide, and it whirled around, bringing up a hand to block his sword.

His black blade cut through it all the way down to its elbow, blood erupting into the air. The demon screamed in pain, and faster than it had move before, leapt back out of the cloud. Tanjiro did as well, landing just a few feet in front of the girl as he held his sword with both hands, the tip pointed at the ground as he glared.

The demon was...strange. It—well, she—had the same ashy skin all the demons had, pupils that were far more sharper any human's could be, and full of visible red veins that all but pulsed with each second. Her black, shoulder length hair was messy, curls sticking out from various spots and all but tangled around her forehead, stands of her hair curling inward and framing her face. But her clothes were like nothing he had ever seen. She had what looked like a dark grey tunic with some kind of black shoulder cape the went halfway to her forearms. She had on dark grey pants with visible tears in it, black shoes and It was veins that bulged around her face. All of it was made from fabrics and materials he had never seen before, and reeked of chemicals and dyes he had never smelled in his life.

And all while that strange scent clung to her, present even underneath the stench of blood and decay.

The demon grabbed its injured arm, snarling at him as the flesh slowly reknit itself together, healing the wound as if it was never there in the first place. He heard a whimper behind him, and turning his head slightly, he saw the little girl cowering against the wall as she stared past his legs at the demon.

"What is your name?"

Tanjiro's words instantly drew the girls attention to him. "Wha-what?" she asked

"Your name, little miss," he said, making sure to keep the demon in his periphery.

The girl let out a choking sob. "Ma-Maki."

"Maki. Please listen to what I'm about to say." He turned back to face the demon fully, slowly raising his sword. "I am so sorry I couldn't save your parents, but on my life, I swear I will protect you. No matter what may happen to me, you will live." He took a familiar stance; both hands gripping the handle of his sword as he held it near his head, the black blade pointed at the growling demon, gleaming from the lights that leaked from the holes in the wall. "And this monster will never hurt you again."

He couldn't' see her face, but his nose told him that through her fear and sorrow, he unmistakable scent of hope came from within her. And he would make sure that hope wasn't unfounded.

"You..."

The demon's voice was low and raspy, nails dragging down on wood. She slowly stood up, her arm now fully healed as she cradled it. Her eyes were wide and frantic, darting all over his person. They stopped when they landed on his ears. On his earrings.

"You're...him," she said, and there were a plethora of emotions in her voice, and even more his nose could smell. Rage was the most prominent, like poison on his tongue, followed by such a sick, foul joy most people would've wretched at, and a miasma of other emotions that were perverted just by nature of her being a demon. But lingering under all those other emotions, like the faint embers of a dying candle, was...hope?

Tanjiro's brows furrowed together, and the demon glared at him. "The boy...with the earrings," she said, taking a step forward. Her foot went through it like wet paper, the walls of the room shaking a bit. The demon stumbled, looking surprised, and then she glared at her foot, picking it up through the floor and shooting wood chips into the air. "You're the one I need. To kill. For—" She coughed blood, grabbing at her throat as blood dribbled down her lips. "F-for him."