Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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The two of them stood still at the same time; the air between them seemed to be frozen.
Kaigaku stared in disbelief as he took in Himejima Gyomei's appearance. His hand holding the handrail of the stairs instantly tensed. His whole body broke out in a cold sweat.
"...what."
His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were trembling in shock.
Kaigaku felt a chill down his spine; his eyebrows furrowed as his instinct told him that Gyomei was much, much stronger than he was 8 years ago.
He was losing his composure slowly, and already, he was about to run away from this situation, but his legs felt as if they were filled with lead.
Even after 8 years, he still recognizes that face with its white eyes and long scars on his forehead at a glance!
The monk who adopted him in that rundown temple!
Kaigaku's breathing starts to become rapid, and panic sets in on his nerves.
'Why?!'
His eyes twitch and his legs quiver.
'Why is this guy in the Demon Slayer Corps!?'
'Shouldn't he have been executed in prison long ago?!'
---
Gyomei was also in shock but kept his composure better than Kaigaku.
Memories flooded back in his mind and provided him with the necessary information for this feeling of familiarity.
'This child... yes, it is him.'
Gyomei's expression shows a little surprise at one of his adopted orphaned children still being alive.
Eight years ago, he was just a simple monk that worked at a rundown temple. He also took in orphaned and thrown-away children to his temple to raise and give them care and love.
The temple location was known to have demon attacks, so Gyomei always made sure that he burned some wisteria incense to ward off the demon.
One night, the wisteria incense doesn't work anymore, and one child brings in a demon into the temple.
The child who made him see the true nature of children.
After reaching Transparent World, Gyomei's power of observation was multiplied.
He watched Kaigaku's heart rate accelerate.
No words have been exchanged between them so far.
Kaigaku decided to take the first step in going down the stairs and ignoring this man. His nerves couldn't take it anymore, and if he remained any longer, he was about to lose it.
Gyomei clasped his hands together as tears streamed down his face.
"You..."
Kaigaku stopped in his tracks at hearing the man's voice and stared for any threatening movements from Gyomei.
"You what? What is it? What do you want to ask?" The questions came out of his mouth rapidly.
'Are you here to kill me!?'
The thought flashed through his mind, and his panic and anxiety reached their peak. His mind destabilizes for a moment as Kaigaku enters his fight-or-flight mode.
"I didn't do anything wrong—" he shouts.
"Do you wish to become a swordsman—" Gyomei asked at the same time.
Kaigaku choked on the words in his mouth as he heard what Gyomei had said. His lips moved up and down, but no words could come out again.
He looked at Gyomei in disbelief.
"..."
"...yes." Kaigaku squeezed out his reply.
Gyomei nodded as if he hadn't heard the first sentence from Kaigaku.
He just moved his hands with the prayer beads to his forehead in prayer. The Buddhist beads clacking with each other sounds like an ominous sign to Kaigaku.
"I see." Gyomei then continues his walk up the stairs leisurely.
Thud, thud.
Gyomei's footsteps felt heavy on the hardwood and echoed in Kaigaku's ears.
Kaigaku took a step back in panic and hugged the wall to get out of the way.
Thud.
Gyomei finally reached Kaigaku and stopped walking. His huge frame cast a shadow over the little man beside him.
Kaigaku didn't dare to move at all. He just stood there stiffly, never having imagined that the thin monk 8 years ago would become so strong today.
He swallowed hard, the sweat soaking the clothes on his back.
"Wha—"
"Work hard," Gyomei interrupted and said nothing else.
He moved to the second floor and continued chanting Buddhist scriptures.
Kaigaku stood there hearing the heavy footsteps of his former caretaker. His nerves fried, and he was about to collapse on the ground.
After straining his ears to make sure that Gyomei was out of his sight and he could no longer hear his footsteps, Kaigaku released his held breath.
"Haa... Haah..."
His legs finally gave as he knelt down by the stairwell. He supported himself on the ground in front of him with both of his hands, taking in air in large gulps like a drowning man.
Sweat poured out and dripped from his chin as his eyes were full of fear and relief.
"If that guy wanted to kill me just now..."
It will be a piece of cake!
All his life was about survival of the fittest.
—Live On!
He has to survive in any situation.
As long as you survive, you will be the final winner!
This is the creed that Kaigaku has held onto until now.
Eight years ago, he disobeyed Gyomei's warning and went out of the temple after night.
He was about to be eaten by a demon but made a deal to let the demon in on the temple, where there are more children, to save his own life.
He didn't know how long he was there catching his breath.
Kaigaku staggered up from the stairwell and leaned on the railing.
His face was full of resentment and hatred.
"You don't need to tell me..." He muttered through gritted teeth. His eyes focus on the silhouette figures in his mind.
"I will work hard..."
"I will become stronger than you..."
"By then, You Won't Be Able to Kill Me!"
Kaigaku spat out; vitriol came out of his mouth.
No!
By then...
He would strike first!
With hatred in his heart, Kaigaku continues his way wobbly toward the courtyard.
---
Gyomei continues to walk down the corridor, feeling the breath of the people in the hospital wards.
He had seen all the changes in Kaigaku's breathing and body just now.
His hands tightly gripped the Buddhist beads, with veins bulging all over.
No matter what kind of person you think you are, you will show your true nature when you are in a life-and-death situation.
Such a notion was especially true for children.
They are pure, small, lie without thinking, and casually cruel.
Even though he seeks forgiveness in Buddha, even though he chanted scriptures to repent, the memories from eight years ago still ignite an uncontrollable anger in his heart.
The moment he saw Kaigaku, that anger blinded him with red, and he almost lost control.
Slap.
Gyomei slapped his hands together again and chanted scriptures to purge himself from this evil.
He continued walking until he arrived to meet the man that recently helped him.
"Himejima-san?" Tanjuro noticed Gyomei's arrival while holding his two children's hands.
---
---
At the same time.
In the logistics department, a new kakushi has been recruited.
New members of the kakushi squad are generally selected from the students of breathing instructors that failed the final exam, want to shift from fighting to supporting, or are from the family of the kakushi themselves.
"What's your name?"
The senior kakushi, who was responsible for census data of every personnel in the Corps, looked at the young girl in front of him. His brows furrowed, and he sighed helplessly when he saw the girl didn't respond.
"Your age? And the reason for joining the kakushi squad?"
"Ah—Sayo! My name is Sayo, 12 years old!" The girl was wearing the standard uniform for kakushi members. She bowed as she introduced herself.
She was a little nervous for her first day on the job.
"I—I want to find a tall, thin monk with the surname Himejima..." She said as she closed her eyes, as if there were a weight burdening her small shoulder.
"I... need to apologize to him!"