Demon Slayer: Breath of Desire

The Swordsmith Village sat deep in the mountains, wrapped year-round in a dense fog.

Outsiders couldn’t find this place or cross its borders.

Even if someone from nearby wandered in by mistake, the swordsmen patrolling the surroundings would kindly ask them to leave.

No one suspected that, in the middle of the mountain range, there existed a village completely cut off from the world.

Aside from the residence of the village chief himself, the most luxurious and comfortable residence in the place was the guesthouse meant to receive members of the Demon Slayer Corps.

At that very moment, Mitsuri was sitting on the courtyard corridor, her legs dangling in the air and swinging them gently.

Humming a tune, she was enjoying an enormous platter piled with sakura mochi, prepared especially for her.

Basking in the sun, singing, with an endless supply of treats.

"The Swordsmith Village really is so comfortable~"

Mitsuri stretched lazily, so much so that the fullness of her chest threatened to burst her uniform.

"Don’t you feel even a little bit of sadness, Mitsuri?"

On the branch of a tree in the corner of the courtyard, Obanai sat with an icy expression.

"He said he was coming to fetch you, and you’re just going to follow him? By what right?"

Mitsuri tilted her face, showing a smile as bright as the sun.

"If the Master already agreed, does it really matter when I leave, Iguro-san?"

The craftsman was performing maintenance on her Nichirin Blade. Since only the village chief could polish her special weapon, she had to wait here for a while.

To be honest, she wasn’t in any hurry to leave either.

The village was peaceful, there were hot springs, and the food was delicious.

Usually, every time she visited, she’d stay half a month, treating it as a short vacation.

However, yesterday she received word passed along by the Kasugai crow that Marcus would come to fetch her and take her to Asakusa.

Even the village chief set aside other commissions to perform emergency maintenance on her sword, all to avoid keeping Marcus waiting.

The change didn’t bother her, since it was a commitment made in advance.

But when Obanai found out, he exploded with rage.

"You could actually refuse!"

"How could I do that?" Mitsuri shook her head seriously.

"The Master already gave the order. The Asakusa branch is ready now, and someone’s needed to oversee it."

Obanai gritted his teeth helplessly. "If you don’t want to go, the Master won’t force you."

Mitsuri thought about it for a moment and suddenly broke into a playful smile. "But... the thing is, I want to go."

"Besides, once we’ve given our word, how could we back out?"

"Marcus-kun is coming in person to fetch me."

MARCUS!

Obanai clenched his fist tightly.

Why address him so affectionately?!

He was furious—truly furious!

The only reason he’d been following Mitsuri around all these days was to convince her to give up the Asakusa mission.

But she simply wouldn’t budge.

He’d hoped to enjoy at least half a month of peace in the village to spend time with Mitsuri and persuade her calmly.

But to his surprise, barely a day after arriving, he received notice of Marcus’s imminent arrival.

DAMN HIM!!

Still, no matter how annoyed he was, it was impossible to ignore the Master’s orders or Mitsuri’s own wishes.

After thinking it over, all he could say, dejected, was:

"Then I’ll go with you."

"Huh?" Mitsuri was left puzzled.

"I don’t feel safe letting you go alone."

"Iguro-san, Marcus-kun is coming to fetch me in person. The road will be perfectly safe."

"It’s not just the road—Asakusa isn’t safe either! Marcus is even more dangerous! I’m not comfortable leaving you alone!"

Mitsuri blinked.

"I won’t be alone anyway—isn’t Shinobu over there?"

"Shinobu?" Obanai clicked his tongue with disdain. "She’s spent two months at Marcus’s side. With that guy’s insatiable nature, chances are he’s already transformed her. If you go over there, it’ll be like walking right into the lion’s den..."

Mitsuri wrinkled her nose.

"You’re exaggerating. Marcus-kun isn’t that kind of person."

"And how do you know that?"

"I... I just know."

Her face flushed slightly and she lowered her gaze while fidgeting with her clothes.

"I feel like he’s a good person—he’s handsome, powerful, and takes good care of the people around him. He definitely wouldn’t do anything to Shinobu or me."

Obanai saw that faint blush, and something snapped in his mind.

"Y-you?!" He stood up abruptly, shattering the bark of the tree he was leaning against as he raised his voice. "You have feelings for him?!"

Mitsuri was stunned, and the blush on her face deepened.

Seeing it, Obanai broke down emotionally.

"When Marcus was human, he spent all his time surrounded by demons! Now he’s dropped the pretense and turned into one himself...!"

"AND YOU STILL THINK HE’S A GOOD PERSON?!"

Mitsuri flinched, drew in her neck, and buried her chin in the collar of her uniform.

"Iguro-san... you’re being really aggressive..."

Seeing her like that, Obanai’s fury vanished in an instant.

He opened his mouth wanting to say something, but ended up swallowing it back.

"It’s not with you... it’s with Marcus."

"But you were yelling at me..." Mitsuri murmured.

Obanai sat back down and turned his head away.

The two of them stayed silent for a long while.

The wind loosened a few petals from the hydrangeas, making them float over the wooden planks of the corridor before carrying them off.

"Whatever," Obanai said in a flat tone. "When they finish the maintenance on your sword, don’t go alone."

"But... with Marcus..."

"There’s no ’but’!" Obanai retreated into the shadows. "I’ll handle talking to Marcus myself."

Mitsuri blinked. She felt like this wasn’t right, but since she was of a docile nature and feared angering him further, all she could say was: "...All right."

On the other side of the corridor.

Sanemi strode forward at a rapid pace, his footsteps echoing.

He turned the corner.

A figure was walking in the opposite direction, and both stopped in their tracks at the same time.

Before Sanemi stood a young man with a muscular build and a mohawk-style haircut.

He wore the Corps uniform along with a purple haori, and at his waist he carried a sawed-off shotgun alongside a Nichirin Blade.

He had a ferocious appearance.

Yet the instant he saw Sanemi, a trace of cowardice flashed across his eyes.

"Aniki, what are you doing here?"

Seeing his younger brother, whose body was even taller and more robust than his own, Sanemi frowned.

"Did you eat demons again?"

Genya moved his lips and lowered his head timidly.

"Trash."

This made Genya’s face turn pale.

"You can’t even learn a Breathing Style, and yet you insist on staying in the Corps, surviving on those lowly tricks."

Genya’s hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms, but he didn’t argue back.

"This is the third time I’m warning you."

Sanemi took a step forward, fixing his eyes on his brother’s bowed head. "Leave the Corps, find a place, and live like a normal person. Otherwise, I’ll kill you with my own hands."

With that, he passed by his side.

Shoulder against shoulder.

That slight impact felt like a thrust straight to Genya’s chest.

He stood frozen in place as the veins on the backs of his hands throbbed.

Feeling his brother’s coldness, the pent-up helplessness detonated in an instant.

He whirled around abruptly.

"What’s wrong with eating demons?!"

Sanemi’s footsteps stopped.

"E-Even if I can’t use a Breathing Style... I can eat demons and I can kill them all the same!" Genya’s voice trembled, but not from fear. "Aren’t you the one who hates demons the most? I can kill them—by what right do you look down on me?!"

"As long as I eat enough demons, I’ll be able to become a Hashira too! By what right do you look down on me?!"

Sanemi didn’t turn around.

"Besides, you who so despise demon-eaters," Genya’s voice rose in pitch, "the Demon Hashira is one too! Why don’t you dare say it to his face?!"

"Ah... right. It’s because you can’t beat him."

The corridor fell into absolute silence, broken only by their ragged breathing.

In the end they were blood brothers, and Genya knew exactly where to drive the thrust so it would hurt the most.

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Throw your stones, drop them ALL! 💎

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And if PS aren’t your thing but you still want more Chapters...

P-a-t-r-e-o-n → Athome790