TAMAYO COULDN'T BELIEVE her eyes. yoriichi had just freed them from the suffocating grasp of kibutsuji muzan.

     so why, why was she going back to him?

     "lady kanna, you're making a mistake", tamayo cautioned.

     the slightly bleeding woman, who's wounds were healing ever so slowly, continued walking away.

"he doesn't love you, lady kanna! he's a coward!", tamayo yelled.

tamayo rarely ever rose her voice, but after bottling centuries of pure hatred and self-guilt, she couldn't watch her only friend return to the demon who had created all this madness.

"look at how quickly he left you, me, in the face of danger. that man—no, that monster doesn't deserve an ounce of pity nor affection!"

kanna halted in her footsteps, hesitantly turning her head back towards her true friend. though they were hundreds of years apart in age, kanna was glad that they were able to meet, even if the conditions weren't ideal.

"I'll see you soon, tamayo-san".

tamayo's body shook with disbelief, for the dark-haired demoness before her gave her one last smile before disappearing.

she wouldn't have believed such an interaction for it not be the woman's blood that had dripped like a path — a path back towards hell.

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     "where's tamayo?"

     kanna took even steps towards the demon progenitor, kneeling on the ground as she neared the man in pain.

     though his organs and body have regenerated, the wounds burned like the sun, leaving hideous scars at the moment.

     "she fled. I apologize for not—"

     "then what are you still doing here?", muzan interrupted.

     kanna revealed the little amount of medical aid that she carried around at all times. as she attempted to near the skeptical man, he glared at the woman with utter distrust.

despite being by his side since the heian era, muzan still held great suspicions towards kanna.

like tamayo, kanna was elegant and poised at all times, offering great insight regarding new medications and scientific advances in conquering the sun. however, unlike tamayo, kanna had willingly asked — begged — to be turned into a demon.

muzan knew her reasoning wouldn't be as simple as wanting to live forever. there had to be a motive behind her wish, yet he could not figure out what.

"I believe I've told you before, master. where you go, I shall follow", kanna answered, as she unrolled the bandages and screwed open the lid to some ointment.

"your sweet words aren't pleasing to the ears right now", muzan warned.

"take it as you will, master, but what I say is nothing but the truth".

kanna extended her hands towards muzan, attempting to peel off his clothing in order to more easily apply the medication. though in an instant, her wrists were pinned above her head, onto the floor of this random shack that was used as muzan's temporary healing place.

     "you're lying to me", the demon king uttered in a threatening tone.

     "if I were, I wouldn't have returned by your side", kanna reasoned.

     her gunmetal-gray eyes daringly stared back at muzan's glowing red ones, which seemingly reflected his internal rage and mistrust. though he could read her mind, her mind was always strong like the fortress — tough to penetrate.

     "you're straining yourself, master. please, allow me to take care of you", kanna whispered into muzan's right ear.

     hesitantly releasing his grip, muzan sat upright once more, leaning against the wall.

     kanna gently peeled the collared yukata off the man's upper body, allowing it to pool at his waist. smearing ointment across his toned chest, back, and arms, kanna couldn't deny that the man was more toned than she had last remembered.

     after wrapping his wounds up with the last roll of bandage, muzan had slipped the top half of his yukata back on, with no thanks given.

     "go clean yourself up", muzan commanded.

"pardon?"

"your blood is dirtying the floor and my clothes", the demon king scowled.

kanna immediately bowed, as she excused herself from the room to go heed to her own wounds.

muzan closed his eyes, as he slumped against the concrete wall, a memory of him and kanna's first meeting resurfacing.

"my father has passed, and I therefore have no one else to live for. I beg that you grant me even just a drop of your blood", twenty year-old kanna had sobbed.

muzan had found her pathetic at the time, for wanting to become a demon due to the passing of a family member.

though he had rejected her initially, kanna's persistence eventually led the demon king to change his mind.

"I wish to be by your side", she said, "I wish to be your companion".

a mocking laughter resonated throughout the night as those words held not an ounce of significance to muzan.

"a companion? how ridiculous", he scoffed.

kanna's expression neither faltered nor changed, for she was committed to becoming a demon and stand beside muzan.

"fine", muzan grinned, "I'll give you a chance to prove yourself. if you can accept my blood, I'll consider allowing you to be by my side".

lifting his pricked finger up while kanna kneeled against the concrete floor, a single blood dropped onto the woman's tongue.

kanna's brain and body seemed to heat up simultaneously. her heart pounded so ferociously that she swore she was about to experience a heart attack at the mere age of twenty. cold sweat starting dripping down the side of her temples, and her erratic breathing didn't help the inconsistent needle-like pain.

muzan had bet that the woman wouldn't make it, though after what seemed like hours of agony and discomfort, kanna had passed out, falling straight into his arms.

a soft chuckle had left his lips, for her determination was quite evident.

"a companion you say? only weaklings needs those".

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: getting back into demon slayer?!?!? 👀

i wish the demon slayer fandom would come back fr 😔 but to those that are reading, thank you so so much!!

i know i'm kinda late to the fandom, but hope y'all enjoy 💕