Demon Slayer : Heir to the Moon

The road stretched quiet under my feet, flanked by fields of swaying rice and patches of wildflowers. The air smelled of damp earth and faint pine, carried on a breeze that rustled my haori. I walked slowly, my body still stiff from the Butterfly Mansion, but my mind was elsewhere. Yuki. Her name sat heavy in my chest, like a stone I couldn't dislodge. Five days of travel, and now I was close. So close.

I adjusted the strap of my pack, the weight of my sword a familiar anchor at my side. The sun hung low, painting the fields gold. For a moment, it felt… peaceful. Like the world wasn't crawling with demons or heartbreak.

Then came the caw.

My Kasugai crow swooped down, wings cutting the air like a blade. Normally, he'd be squawking with enough energy to wake a village, but today his feathers seemed duller, his voice low and clipped.

"Ryo!" he croaked, landing on a fence post. "Emergency report!"

I stopped, my stomach twisting. "What now?"

His black eyes fixed on me, unblinking. "Rengoku Kyojuro, the Flame Hashira… dead. Killed by Upper Rank Three, Akaza, during the Mugen Train mission. No other casualties. Tanjiro Kamado, Inosuke Hashibira, Zenitsu Agatsuma—all alive."

The words hit like a blade to the gut. My knees wobbled, and I gripped the fence to steady myself. Rengoku. Dead. The man who shined brighter than the sun, who laughed through his hearts, who cut through Saburo's illusions like they were paper. Gone.

I stared at the crow, willing it to take it back. "You're sure?"

"Caw! Confirmed by Corps headquarters."

My chest tightened. Rengoku, with his blazing smile and unshakable will, couldn't beat an Upper Rank. Just how strong were they? My hand drifted to my sword, fingers brushing the hilt. I wasn't strong enough. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But I had to be. I had to be.

The crow tilted its head, quieter now. "Continue to your destination, Ryo. Be vigilant."

It flew off, leaving me alone with the weight of it all.

A carriage rumbled past, piled high with crates of vegetables and cloth. The driver, an older man with a face like weathered wood, glanced my way. I raised a hand.

"Heading to Kizuna Town?" I asked.

He nodded. "Hop on, kid. Got room."

I climbed up, settling beside a sack of potatoes. "Thanks."

The wheels creaked as we rolled forward, the fields blurring past. I tried to think of Yuki—her smile, her voice, what I'd say when I saw her. But my mind kept drifting back to Rengoku. His voice, loud and clear: Set your heart ablaze, Ryo. I clenched my fists. Demons like Akaza were out there, and I was here, chasing a reunion that felt more like a dream every second.

"You alright, son?" the driver asked, glancing over.

"Yeah," I lied. "Just… thinking."

He chuckled. "Young folk always got heavy thoughts."

I managed a half-smile. He was kind. The kind of person who didn't deserve to live in a world where demons roamed. The kind of person I'd sworn to protect.

When we reached Kizuna Town, I offered him a few coins. He waved them off.

"Keep 'em," he said. "Buy something nice for whoever you're visiting."

I bowed slightly. "You're a good man."

He laughed and drove off, leaving me standing in the bustling town square. Merchants called out, selling grilled skewers and woven baskets. Children darted through the crowd, laughing. It was alive, vibrant, everything I'd hoped to share with Yuki.

I bought a small basket of persimmons from a vendor—bright, ripe, the kind she loved—as a gift for her family. Their house wasn't far now. My heart thudded as I walked, each step heavier than the last.

Yuki's house stood at the edge of town, a sturdy two-story building with tiled roofs and paper lanterns swaying gently in the evening breeze. It wasn't lavish, but it spoke of comfort, like my family's home once had. I adjusted the fruit basket in my arms and knocked on the door.

No answer.

I knocked again, harder. Nothing.

Weird.

I closed my eyes, letting my senses sharpen. No footsteps. No breathing. No human presence at all. My stomach churned. Maybe they were out? A family dinner, a festival? But something felt… off.

I circled the house, checking the windows. Empty. Silent. The garden was neat, the koi pond still, but no one was home.

Back on the street, I stopped an older woman carrying a bundle of firewood. "Excuse me," I said. "The Nakamura family—do you know where they are?"

She frowned, then her eyes widened with recognition. "Oh, you mean Yuki's family? They're at the shrine. Big event today."

"Event?" I asked, my voice tight.

She nodded, almost excited. "Yuki's wedding. Whole town's talking about it. Fancy ceremony at the big shrine up the hill."

The world tilted. My breath caught, sharp and cold, like I'd been dunked in a frozen river. "Wedding?"

"Yep," she said, oblivious to my crumbling heart. "She's marrying into some wealthy family. Beautiful setup. You should see it!"

I didn't hear the rest. My feet were already moving, pounding the dirt as I ran toward the shrine. The basket of persimmons slipped from my hands, rolling into the dust. I didn't stop to pick it up.

The shrine was a spectacle. Red lanterns glowed against the dusk, casting warm light over a crowd dressed in their finest. Silk kimonos, polished hairpins, the hum of chatter and music—a flute, a shamisen weaving through the air. The grounds were decorated with white flowers and golden cords, every detail screaming wealth and celebration.

A wedding.

Yuki's wedding.

I pushed through the crowd, my senses straining. The air was thick with perfume, sake, and the faint metallic tang of ceremonial incense. I focused, searching for her. Her scent—lavender and something soft, like morning dew. It was faint, buried under the chaos, but it was there.

By a pond at the edge of the grounds, I found her.

Yuki.

She sat alone on a stone bench, her wedding kimono shimmering like moonlight on water. Her makeup was flawless—red lips, pale cheeks, eyes framed in soft kohl. She looked like an angel, radiant and untouchable, but her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, her shoulders tense.

Our eyes met.

Her breath caught. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She stood, slow and unsteady, like she was seeing a ghost.

"Ryo?" she whispered.

I stepped closer, my voice barely working. "Yuki."

She rushed forward, then stopped short, as if afraid I'd vanish. "You're… alive? They said—they said your family was gone. That you were dead."

My throat tightened. "My family's gone. But I survived."

Her eyes shimmered, tears threatening to spill. "Why didn't you come sooner? I thought… I thought you were gone forever."

"I sent letters," I said, my voice cracking. "Every chance I got. Didn't you get them?"

She shook her head, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Just one. Months ago. Nothing after that."

I froze. How? I'm sure I sent multiple letters. Did they misplaced it?

"What's happening, Yuki?" I asked, though I already knew. The kimono, the shrine, the crowd—it was all screaming the truth.

She looked down, her voice barely above a whisper. "A wealthy family proposed. The Takahashis. My father… he said we couldn't wait forever. That your family was gone, and even if you were alive, no one knew what kind of future you'd have. I refused, Ryo. I told him I loved you. But he wouldn't listen. He said it was for the family's honor."

Her words cut deeper than any demon's blade. My fault. If I'd come sooner, if I hadn't thrown myself into the Demon Slayer Corps after my family's slaughter, if I'd just… been here.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice breaking. "I should've—"

"Don't," she interrupted, stepping closer. Her eyes were fierce now, despite the tears. "Run away with me, Ryo. We can leave now. Just us."

My heart lurched. For a moment, I saw it—us, together, somewhere far from demons and duty, living the life we'd dreamed. But then I saw Rengoku's face, his blazing smile fading into smoke. I saw the bodies in that house, the demon's collection of heads. I saw the world I'd sworn to protect.

"I can't," I said, each word like a knife in my chest. "Your family—they'd disown you. The shame would follow you forever. And my life… it's not safe, Yuki. I'm a Demon Slayer. Every day, I could die. I've seen what happens to people even stronger than me."

"Demon Slayer?" She asked.

"I hunt Demons, they are monsters that eat humans."

I don't have time to explain everything.

Her face crumpled, tears spilling freely now. "Ryo, please…"

I stepped closer, my hands shaking. "I'm so sorry. I love you. I always will. But I can't drag you into my world. And I can't let you ruin yours for me."

She sobbed, covering her face with her sleeves. I wanted to hold her, to take it all back, but I didn't. I couldn't.

I took one last look at her—her trembling shoulders, her radiant beauty..

"May fate bring us together," I said softly. "In the next life."

I turned to leave, my vision blurring. I told myself to hold it together, to be strong, but a few tears slipped down my cheeks anyway, hot and silent.

The crowd's chatter faded behind me. The lanterns dimmed. The world felt colder, heavier, like it was pressing me into the earth.

But I kept walking.

For Yuki.

For everyone I'd sworn to protect.

I had to be stronger.

I had to keep going.

To Be Continued…