Whoever said life on the road was romantic, needed a kick in the behind, found Himena.
There was nothing romantic or aesthetic in pooping in nature without toilette paper!
And don't let her even start on all the creepy insects which bite them!
The Kamiya sisters were dirty, smelly, bitten and hungry!
It would be a miracle if they didn't catch some nasty sickness.
Or lice!
Brr!
"I'm so done!" Fujisaki whined. "I wanna go home, Nee-Chan!"
"I can understand this. In fanfictions Isekai is always fantastic and never realistic," Himena grumbled.
"It sucks we were reborn as poor!"
"I hear you."
"I gonna kill something if I have to sleep outside again with the spiders!"
"Fuji-Chan, I get it, I truly do! But we don't have the money, nor are we clean enough for someone to take pity on us. People will think we bring disease into their house."
Fujisaki just let out a groan.
Sighing Himena patted her sister's hair.
Exactly one week had passed since they were reborn in Demon Slayer. They lived from the land, while they searched, well, for someone who would teach Himena a Breathing Style.
Dear God, it was a drag!
Since the Demon Slayer were not an official organisation, more a myth, the sisters could only chase down rumours they heard.
More than once it happened that the information they acquired was outdated or simply wrong.
Again and again, getting their hopes up only to crash faster than an airplane was not good for their state of mind.
The silver-haired Himena started again to bite her fingernails and the light brunette-haired Fujisaki ripped her hair out.
Especially Himena felt like a failure.
She was the oldest, and she had to provide for her little sister, but right now she was doing the worst job ever!
The Sister of the Year Award she wouldn't win for sure.
A few hours passed before they entered a new town.
Rumours from the last town said an old swordsman lived here. It sounded promising, now the sisters just hoped it wouldn't be again a samurai.
Normally meeting a real-life samurai was cool, however, they needed a former Demon Slayer!
They had washed themselves as good as they could beside a riverbank, so cross fingers they wouldn't get turned down on the spot.
Himena held tight Fujisaki's hand, as they made their way to the little hunt the swordsman lived.
The inhabitants of this town were at least friendly.
No wonder.
The town itself was more on the rural side. Here people still helped their neighbours or, in their case, two orphaned sisters.
Knocking on the door and waiting for someone to open it Himena bites her lip and Fujisaki rubs her hurting belly.
She was so hungry. Hopefully, this swordsman had food!
After waiting for a few minutes the sisters signed.
No one was there.
Just their luck.
Without a choice they asked the neighbours about the swordman, only to stifle a cry when they were told he died last week.
Back to point zero.
Depressed the sisters leaned on each other in a little alleyway.
How long could they go on?
They were already at the end of their ropes.
"We're going to die," Fujisaki murmured defeated.
"Don't say this, Imoto." Himena tried to stay positive. "I don't think God is so terrible to let us reborn here just to make us die again."
As an answer Fujisaki just huffended.
Yeah, Himena understood.
They were losing faith.
"Ui, you two!" out of nowhere a voice called.
Confused the sister turned their heads in the direction, where the voice came from.
Supringlsy it was...an old Miko?
Yes, it could only be a Miko. She wore a white kosode (robe) and scarlet hakama (trouser-skirt) typical for the Shinto priestess.
Behind the elderly Miko were kids of various ages. A good ten of them, if Himena counted right.
"What are you doing there?" the Miko asked. "It's time to return to the shrine for lunch."
Stupified the Kamiya sisters blinked.
Erm, what?
This made the old Miko sign.
"Oh, Amaterasu! You're new here, aren't ya? No worries, kids, our shrine takes care of the orphaned children here."
Alright, maybe they shouldn't be so trusting, but Himena and Fujisaki were so tired, hungry and defeated.
Someone offering them a meal was just too good.
So they followed the miko and the other kids to the shrine.
They learned the name of the miko from the other kids, Toki.
Toki lived with two other mikos, the old Daidai and the young Zuihou, as the last priestess of the forgotten shrine of Amaterasu.
It certainly was a good sign to get invited to a meal in the shrine of the sun goddess, found Himena.
Anything related to the sun, the true enemy of Micheal Muzan Jackson and all demons, was in the Demon Slayer world a blessing.
Fujisaki didn't care if the shrine was for the sun goddess or whatever, she cared only to finally get food!
The shrine was old, no question, but thankful sturdy and well cared for.
Together with the other kids and the three mikos, the sisters sat down in the dining hall and enjoyed their first real meal in their new life.
Even if it was just rice, with grilled fish and cooked vegetables, it was for them a piece of heaven!
After lunch, some kids played with Miko Zuihou outside, and others followed Miko Daidai into a room that functioned as a classroom.
Unsure the Kamiya sisters stayed in seiza before Miko Toki led them to the hot springs beside the shrine.
Not only could they finally bathe with soap, hallelujah, but Miko Toki had some old and clean kimonos for them.
God, being clean again and having a full belly lifted their spirits.
Himena and Fujisaki felt hope come back to them.
Maybe...they could stay here with the Mikos and the other kids?
It was a really simple life, but better than becoming a Demon Slayer.
Sure, Fujisaki wanted to give her beloved characters a better end, however, Himena was more rational.
She wanted to help too, she truly did, but realistically the Demon Slayer end wasn't so bad!
Yes, a lot died, yet they got reborn again!
Why change something good?
No, staying with the Mikos was the best.
Just, how should Himena tell Fujisaki her decision?
Well, she sure had at least a few days to think about it. Fujisaki needed rest and wouldn't want herself to go back on the road. Maybe if she lived here in the shrine for a while she would see it Himena's way.
Yeah, let's just wait up.
(*)
A month later Fujisaki was sitting outside the shrine looking at how the other kids played Tag.
Normally she joined them, but today she just didn't feel like it.
She was getting impatient.
Why didn't Nee-Chan decide they should continue their quest? Sure, they had needed these weeks here at the shrine to get back to forces, but it was high time!
The more time they waste, the more they will have problems with changing the story of Demon Slayer.
Himena had to know this!
Yet, her older sister studying under the Mikos without a care in the world!
Yeah, no, Fujisaki had to say something!
She enters the shrine to search for Himena.
Thankful she found her with Miko Toki in the Main Hall, where else?
Her sister was obsessed with it.
Not with the pretty Main Hall itself but with the treasure it kept.
"...Made out of wisteria wood, the Celestial Bow of Amaterasu, is our greatest treasure." Miko Toki explained to Himena, pointing at the beautiful golden bow. "But you know this already Hime-Chan."
"It's just...I can't seem to get away from it." Himena admitted sheepish.
Wisely Miko Toki nodded.
"The bow had the same pull at me when I visited the shrine as a young maiden. It's the reason I became a miko. It showed me the greatness of Amaterasu, her beauty and her love for her children. Legend says she blessed the bow and its arrows to destroy Yokai."
Yokai, the demons from Japanese folklore, if Fujisaki remembers right. It was probably normal in the Demon Slayer world to have such legends, since Yokai or demons were indeed real.
"Nee-Chan," she called for Himena. "Can we talk?"
"Oh Fuji-Chan, sure Imoto." Himena bowed to Miko Toki and excused them.
The old Miko just waved them away.
The sisters sat down outside under their favourite cherry blossom tree. Fujisaki didn't waste any time and just bluntly asked the older when they would go back on the road.
She didn't like how Himena twitched like she had been slapped.
What she hated more were the words her older sister said next.
"I think, we should stay here with the miko's and the other kids. The ending is not the worst. We have here a simple but good life."
Affronted Fujisaki jumped up. "Are you serouis, Himena?! You just wanna go to the simple way? How egoistic are you?"
"I'm not egoistic, I'm rational." the older shoots back. "Fuji, I could die as a demon slayer and leave you alone! At least if something happens to me, you will be taken care of here!"
"You're stupid and egotistical! You just don't wanna be a hero! I would do anything to be a demon slayer."
"It shows how young and naive you still are! Fujisaki, this is our life now! We can die here, it's not a game!"
A gigantic fight broke out between the sisters, no one wanted to give in, and in the end, Fujisaki stormed away into the forest.
She needed to calm down!
Still pissed off Himena just let Fujisaki go. The forest behind the shrine wasn't that deep, so she would soon be back.
Maybe walking would do her stubborn little sister good!
(*)
The moon was shining in the night sky and Himena sat worried outside the shrine.
Fujisaki was still not back.
Did she get lost?
Why did she let her sister just go?
Himena really was the worst older sister in the world!
"Still nothing from the rascal?" Miko Toki asked.
"No. Why didn't I go after her?!" Himena groaned worried and annoyed at herself.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
Miko Toki patted her shoulder.
"The people we love the most, make us also crazy the most. You're still a child yourself Himena, even you make mistakes. Dinner will be served soon. If Fuji-Chan isn't back till then, we will go search for her."
"Thanks, Toki-San."
But it never came to this.
(*)
Fujisaki had to admit, running dramatically in the forest had been a bad idea.
She had gone lost for a while and had now found the way back to the shrine.
Surely Himena was worried sick for her. She may be angry at her, but her sister didn't deserve to get a heart attack because of her.
Sighing Fujisaki entered the shrine plaza, only to note how eerily quiet it was.
You couldn't even hair the critters of the forest!
The hairs on her back raised. This was unnatural!
Trusting her instincts Fujisaki hid in the shadows, slowly creeping to the Dinner Hall.
What she saw made her sick and she could barely hold her puke inside.
The Mikos, Himena and the other kids...were bloody and beat up on the ground, before them a...a demon!
It was disgusting.
A big slimy fishhead and the body of a fat naked human.
But what was truly disgusting was how Fish-Demon ate one of the children with gusto.
Oh god!
What should Fujisaki do?!
She was just a little girl!
Damn it, damn it!
Then she got a crazy idea.
The Celestial Bow!
Maybe...well it was the only chance she saw.
Quietly and fast the light brunette-haired child made her way to the Main Hall.
She grasped the bow and the slug over her shoulder the quiver with the sacred arrows inside.
Time to go ala Katniss Everdeen on the Fish-Demon, even if a voice inside her screamed she would end up next as fodder for it.
(*)
Himena knew it was time for her to die a second time.
The disgusting Fish-Demon had already eaten five of the other kids.
God, it had been terrible and disgusting and not even her worst nightmares could create something like this!
The only consolation she had was that Fujisaki was probably far away from the shrine and wouldn't get eaten.
So their fight had been for something good at least.
As the Fish-Demon grasped for the next child a lilac arrow shot past him!
Anyone shouted in surprise.
"Who is disturbing my dinner time?" Fish-Demon gurgled, turning around where the arrow had come from. "Oh look! A little girl playing hero!"
Oh fuck no...it was Fujisaki with the Celestial Bow!
Immediately the survivors shouted to her to run away.
But her dumb sister didn't run!
Determined Fujisaki again strung an arrow into the bow.
"AMATERASU OKAMI!" she yelled. "PLEASE HEAR MY PRAYER! MAKE THE ARROW HIT MY TARGET!"
She let the arrow fly.
Fish-Demon just looked amused.
Himena cried out.
Then...a mirclae happend!
The lilac arrow turns into a fireball, burning and intense like the sun!
It reminds Himena of the flames Tanjiro generated when he did the Hinokami Kagura Dance.
Bulls-Eye!
In his arrogance or was it the prayer, anyway, the arrow pierced the body of the Fish-Demon and before their all eyes, he started to burn.
The painful howls it gave off were otherwordly.
In a few seconds, it was over and from the Fish-Demon only ashes remained.
Fujisaki cried out in relief, then dramatically fainted.
(*)
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