Bitter Sweet (Giyuu x Reader)

15. ediH t'naC

You close your eyes and try to concentrate on the sounds surrounding you. Breathe slowly... You pick up in the sounds of the people walking past you. Listen more closely. You turn your head slightly to the left and you can hear the sounds of paws scratching at a bamboo post. Must be a cat.

You turn your head to the right and listen even closer. You try to block out the sounds of the people surrounding you, and the deep sound of the harsh wind.

After a few moments of searching, you pick up on an unsettling sound. It sounds deep and angry- no, hungry. A demon..

You open your eyes and turn to face Giyuu. As you open your mouth to speak, you see he's already gone.

'So much for a joint mission..'

You sigh quietly before placing your hand on the hilt of your sword. You bend your legs and push off the ground. You run swiftly and quietly through the village, to onlookers, you may as well just be a gust of wind passing by.

.
.

The building in front of you is old and shabby. It's small and looks to be abandoned, but you can feel a presence from within. You unsheathe your sword and walk closer to the house. As you approach the the door, you hear scuttling and what sounds to be a door closing.

Fearing that the demon is attempting to flee, you push through the front door and prepare to fight. The home has no lights, the only thing aiding your vision is the open front door. You quickly remove the fabrics that lays across the windows, the sun is mostly set now, but even a little bit of light goes a long way.

As you explore the small house, you find a hatch in the floor, the dust surrounding it looks recently disturbed. You place your sword back in it's sheath and pull open the hatch. You see a dimly lit staircase that leads quite far down. The demon must be down there, I should tell Giyuu..

You close the hatch and walk into the front yard. You whistle loudly, hoping to catch the attention of your crow. The bird quickly swoops down and lands on your extended forearm.

'Find Giyuu and tell him that I located the demon. I will be going ahead, but will most likely require additional assistance.'

Without saying another word, she takes off into the sky to find Giyuu. You follow her with your eyes until she is out of sight. You turn back to the house and shudder. There's nothing to be afraid of y/n, it's just a lowly demon.

You grip your swords handle and force yourself back into the house. The sun is now gone, only the moon remains. The eerie shadows of the house seem to speak to you, but you ignore them. Opening back up the hatch, you begin to descend into the dimly lit basement. It smells musty and dank, the smell getting worse as you go.

Just hoe far does this lead down? Almost as if someone heard your thoughts, the stairs came to and end, and you were left in shock.

There were prison like cells lining the walls, and it seemed to span on forever. Each cell had a single light and inside was what looked to be one human. Most looked malnourished and fatigued, and all were women. Just what do the demons want with them??

You carefully approach the first cell and speak in a whisper to the woman inside.

'Ma'am, are you hurt?'

The woman turns to you quickly and gasps before covering her mouth.

"Are you a human?"

'Yes, I'm a demon slayer, and I'm here to help.'

The woman's breath is shallow and laboured.

"I've been stuck here for almost a week now, and I-I thought that they were going to kill me!"

You purse your lips and think. Usually demons capture and eat their victims... Why keep them alive?

'Is there more than one demon?'

"Yes, there are a few that rotate out. They feed us potatoes and bread twice a day..."

You nod your head at the woman and open your mouth to speak, but she cuts you off.

"Sometimes, they'll pick one of us and drag us out of the cell.... the women who are picked...th-they never come back!"

You reach your hands out to the woman and clasp her hands. She looks at you with tears in her eyes and you try to give her a reassuring smile.

'I promise I will get you all out of here, my partner is on his w-'

You feel a sharp pain on the back of your head, and you fall to the ground. The woman let's out a shocked gasp before sobbing.

".. Stupid girl, don't make promised you can't keep."

You feel your eyes start to shut and the world goes black.

"...her to ....empty cell ....madam .... do with her."

You lose conciousnesss and are dragged away. The woman who you spoke to is violently sobbing in her cell, alone and afraid.

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When you awake, you are on a cold floor. Your sword has been taken from you, and all that remains are the clothes on your back. You look around frantically, but soon stop. The pain on the back side of your head is overwhelming and nauseating.

"You're next demon slayer, better prepare yourself for what the madam will do."

(915 words)