#[[crying ;;;;_;;; i'm sorry kanao this one won't be an easy kill]]

[whirling-fangs]

"Your name isn't kiba! Its Inoske! Don't you remember!?"

Ire twisted the young demon's traits. That name... it meant absolutely nothing to him. He had never heard it before. It was just nonsense that the slayer thought wise to spout, just to gain more time before he ended her miserable existence...

..then why did that name make him feel so angry?

"Shut up. Shut the fuck up, you piece of trash human! There's nothing to remember! I'm a demon, and I've always been a demon!"

A snarl curled at his lips, a beastly growl resonating within his throat. He was about to pounce.

[kny-stardust]

Chapter 18 – Alliance

Word Count: 2042

Summary: Meeting an expected group of demons and humans, you form an unlikely alliance with them, for the sake of your siblings. But things are never easy. There’s always a price to pay.

“Impressive.” You hear Kanae say. “If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe these sleeping cuties were throwing a tantrum just now.” You giggle at her words.

“I raised these two when my mother had to take care of my father.” You say while running your fingers through your brother's hair. “Since they are pretty much small children again, it's not that hard to calm them down.” You tell her before bowing slightly, which was your limit since those two were resting their heads on your legs. “Once again, I'm deeply sorry for the trouble they caused. They've never done this before.”

What you don't mention is that they are bigger and with superhuman strength when compared to their past selves. It wasn't easy to take samples from either of them. They struggled a lot and Tanjiro even kicked Kanao away. You had to scream for them to stop, which shocked them, since you never once screamed, never with them, and not even at their worst tantrums when younger. They stopped resisting and let Shinobu take some blood from them. She left and Kanao followed her, not even sparing you and your family a glance. You then took your time to calm them down, who were crying, especially Nezuko that had never been yelled at. Finally, they fell asleep and you had your chance to talk to Kanae.

“Oh, no. It's okay. Believe me, I've seen worse, both with humans and demons.” The oni said.

“You...” You hesitate before continuing. “Do you all interact with humans very often? I mean, apart from those girls.”

“Yes. Aoi and the other three girls tend to a flower shop while me and my sisters operate a medical facility.” She explains. “Usually, the girls bring someone who's in need and can't pay for medical treatment so that we can take care of them. The only thing we ask from them as payment is to give us a bit of blood, so that we can use it in blood transfusions.”

“So, that's how you feed.” You conclude, to which she nods.

“We'll have to move, unfortunately. I won't risk the children if Kagaya knows we're here.” The oni said with a sad smile.

“Is there something I can do to help?” You ask her, to which she widens her eyes before softening.

“You don't need to bother, (Y/N). It's not the first time we do this, so it's a minor annoyance.” She said.

“Please, let me help.” You begged. “You're searching for a cure, right? I can repay you that way.”

“There are other ways of repaying us.” Kanae said before smiling. “For example, searching for demons who have a high concentration of Ubuyashiki's blood.”

“His blood? But, why?” You tilt your head at those words, confused.

“It's important to develop a cure.” She stood up and walked towards a shelf. “You see, many years ago, when Shinobu and I were being chased by Kagaya's henchmen, we came across this.” She said while showing you something. A parchment, a rather old one.

“What is that?” You asked as you reached out to hold it.

“The way which turned Kagaya into a demon.” She said and you froze on the spot.

“What!?” You screamed, waking both Tanjiro and Nezuko up. “Are you sure?! How... How did you find this?”

“We didn't. It was given to us.” Her response made your eyes go wide. “Back then, we had the help of a rather strange individual. It was them who killed most of Kagaya's henchmen, and it was also them that gave this to us once they've learned that we were trying to develop a cure for demons.” Kanae took it back and placed it on her lap as she sat. “They said that it was this that he used.”

“Is it…” You look at the parchment. “...really?”

“Yes. We confirmed it with Kanao. We managed to turn her into an oni thanks to it, although we had to use our blood to replace the last ingredient, that we couldn’t find.” She explained.

“She wasn't a demon like you? Turned by Kagaya?” You asked her, but she shook her head.

“No. We met her when we found her being thrown out of her home.” Kanae said, her voice becoming lower. “Such a little thing. She was so weak back then. There was no way for her to survive. By that time, we had already made some experiments with what's written here, but we had yet to find one final ingredient. We replaced it with a bit of our blood, and it worked. She survived and became a demon, already free of his control.”

“I see...” You whisper, before smiling. “At least, she's happier here.”

“Yes... She is.” She replied, but her tone was low, uncertain. “Regardless, if you want to help, try gathering demons with his blood. It won't be easy since demons that have larger quantities of his blood... are the ones who gained a great amount of strength from Ubuyashiki himself. I can assure you this: the ones who have the most blood of his are usually the Twelve Demon Moons. I received a lot of blood of his and had yet to meet someone else who could match me outside of the twelve, and even so, I couldn't even hold my ground with those above me. The upper moons... I couldn't even start to hold a candle to them.” She chuckles. “What I'm trying to say is that by doing this you will have to take a lot of risks, however it is the only way to return your siblings to that original form. That alone will be enough already. You don't need to risk yourself more than you already will have to. Do you understand?”

You don't answer her for sometime just looking at your sleeping siblings.

“...even if it's my fault you got discovered?” You whisper, confusing the oni, before she smiles.

“You really don't give up, do you?” She asked with a giggle. “It wasn't entirely your fault, (Y/N). There was no way neither you or Aoi could have known what would happen, nor that you would meet with him. So, there's no need for you to compensate us because of that. However...” Her silence caught your attention, making you look up to her. “If you want to help us so badly, we could use one helping hand or three to move out.” Your face brightens up immediately.

“Really!?” You ask her, your eyes glowing.

“Yes.” She replies with a kind smile. “We already had a place prepared in case we had to move quickly. We'll pack everything tonight and move tomorrow as soon as the sun goes up.”

“But, onis can't move out in the sunlight, right?” You ask her, confused.

“Yes, that’s why it’s the best time to move.” Kanae said. “We have a cart that’s big enough to fit out things and us hidden inside of it. The children will move us out through it. You can help them, and make sure that no demon jumps on us. Would that be okay?”

“Yes! Yes, it would!” You tell her, happy that you can help, which makes her giggle.

“Good.” She nodded before putting the parchment away in her clothes and standing up. “Now, I’ll prepare a room for you to stay in. You should rest for the journey tomorrow. You don’t seem like you have had much sleep lately, do you?”

You are caught off guard by that, but you soon calm down and nod.

“Alright, then. Come with me.” She tells you, walking out of the room, which you follow, with your siblings turned in their smaller form and leads you through the mansion.

Your eyes opened to face the dark room given to you by Kanae and the other girls. A sound nearby had woken you up, kicking your instincts. You still remembered the oni that tried to sneak up to you when you were sleeping on the Final Selection. Not a good memory, however it was good to keep you sharp in any situation. You stop leaning on the chair you were sleeping, looking over to Tanjiro and Nezuko. The window was fully closed, but you could still discern the laying form of your siblings. By their breathing, you can tell they’re still sleeping. How lucky. You tiptoe to take your blade and sneak out of the room, closing the door behind you.

“What are you doing?” A voice behind you makes you draw out your blade, or at least try to, as the person who spoke holds your wrist so you can’t do so.

You turn to her, and notice the oni girl you fought when you first got there. You let go of your breath that you didn’t know you were holding.

“Ah, it’s just you, Kanao.” You tell her. She just stares at you, in silence. You stare back before replying. “I heard a strange sound. I thought it could be something dangerous, so I decided to check.”

“...you’re sharper than you look.” She says before turning away, leaving you stunned where you were.

Just what the hell did she mean with that!?

“...are you just going to stand there?” It’s her that snaps you back to reality, standing at the edge of the staircase. “We have unplanned guests… unpleasant ones…” She tells you before she starts going down, leaving you alone.

You don’t take much time thinking about what it means. You know what it means.

Kagaya’s minions. They’ve finally come.

You rush down the stairs, meeting with Kanao and Shinobu in the entrance. You meet with them, the older oni still with that same smile that creeps you out.

“Oh, my. You’re awake.” She says giggling. “You must be a real deal.” She jokes as you put your shoes on.

“Where are the girls?” You ask them.

“In the basement. Sis is with them, so they must be safe if one of them manage to go past us.” The oni explains as she checks her sharp claws. “What about your siblings?”

“Still sleeping, but Tanjiro will wake up if he feels something is wrong.” You tell her as you stand up. “He’s like that.”

“I see.” She smiles, before holding the handle. “Oh, two more things: stay close to Kanao, you can back each other up; and stay as far as you possibly can from me, ‘kay?”

“Why…?” You ask her. “Wouldn’t it be better if we fought together?”

“Hum… How should I put this…?” Shinobu hums in thought.

“Do it if you don’t wanna die.” Kanao replies, short and rude.

“Yeah, that’s a good way of putting it.” She giggles as she opens the door.

You don’t understand what she means, but you don’t have time to as small light alerts you. You bring your sword forward and unsheath it, and you feel something hit the blade. When you look to the side, there’s a strange looking knife on the floor. Where it hits your nodachi, there’s a small dent. You have a feeling that this is no good and you should worry.

“Greetings.” A pair of identical voices catch your attention as the door fully opens.

In the open garden in front of the mansion, you see a pair of girls with light purple, sharp eyes and short, straight, white hair, using identical kimonos. They were the girls that were with Kagaya and that lady earlier, and they weren’t alone. Around them, there were a dozen or so people using strange black clothes, including masks that hide their faces.

“My, oh, my. If it isn’t the devil’s spawns.” Shinobu said cheerfully as she walked outside. “Tell me, have you gotten lost from your daddy?” Both you and Kanao follow her, the door closing behind you. “We can take you back to him, but you might have to wait a bit before we can send him to the same hell hole you all came from.” The way Shinobu’s voice became cruel and cold gives you chills.

“Silly traitor and your little pets.” One of the girls says.

“You won’t pass tonight.” The other continues.

“Attack!” They say at the same time, and the shadowed figures rush in your direction.