The Coldest Night

The winds continued to fiercely blow heavy snowy particles, and the buildings in the Residential District seemed to almost bend like the trees that were constantly swept with a white blanket. Faolan and Ketsueki continued in silence. The last conversation between Ketsueki and Arashi left a hollow chill in Ketsueki's eyes, they were relaxed even with the harshness of the cold wind. Faolan continued to respect the moment of silence as the winds continuously blew their fury until the moment for him to finally speak came.

"Ketsueki, what're we going to do if we are not able to find this demon tonight? I don't plan on leaving." Faolan raised his voice so he could be heard clearly through the piercing winds.

"I know, that's why I believe that this will be the night we will find the demon," Ketsueki turns the corner from an intersection, and Faolan follows.

"What makes you say so?" Faolan asked.

Ketsueki stops, and he investigates the foggy environment; unable to see anything, of course, he switches to Faolan.

"The Demon has not made any action against the humans anywhere in all of the districts, as I've said to you already."

Faolan nods, alerting his understanding.

"Of course, the other Demon Slayers Corps. Members may believe that the Demon has left Satokotta, which may be true or—, "Faolan's input finishes Ketsueki's comment: "The Demon may be still here, in hiding."

The blanket of snow they stomped on continued to grow heavy and deep. "Right, so in my opinion, there's a fifty-fifty chance that the Demon is still here," Ketsueki grunts silently, stepping over the snow, almost muttering 'shit' to himself.

"What makes you say that the Demon is still here?" Faolan continues to tighten his haori to his body.

"The Demon has not eaten for almost a week, and knowing Demons, they need to consume humans in order to continuously thrive, however, every night for the past week, we've been watching for any sign of the Demon plotting its escape, there is only one entrance and exit to this place, which is where we came in when we first arrived, perhaps we're lucky that Satokotta is still a semi-rural village. " Ketsueki stared ahead to the icy winds, Faolan also did the same but he could make out the environment, his eyes displayed the buildings and little amount of people outdoors, going about their day.

"This means that if the Demon hasn't eaten any humans, then it probably will not have the strength to leave the village. With so many humans around, I take a bet that it doesn't want to leave here, but I could be wrong at the same time, the demon could have very well left the village in the night when we could not have been looking or made another escape," Ketsueki shifted his gaze after a few seconds to any object he could see, a certain desperation could be felt from him.

Faolan can sense Ketsueki's desire to bring the Demon to justice. His idea of the Demon still being in Satokotta did not stem just from pure logic that could only be analyzed but also from a melancholic hope Faolan's eyes witnessed,

'Like before at the village, this same feeling came to me when I first met Ketsueki,' Faolan, within the icy winds, let his haori flutter in the wind, his mother's sword shook on his back, his hair flew back with the breeze, Ketsueki felt Faolan's pause right behind him, and so he turned.

"Ketsueki, we'll stop the Demon here, if not just us, then with the other Demon Slayers Corps as well, I'll take your bet rather than the alternative." Faolan gave him his further trust.

Ketsueki's scarf flapped within the blowing winds, his mouth couldn't be seen because it was still like always covered by his scarf, however, the physical expression of being surprised stuck out. Faolan's words were too genuine, and they were too hopeful, they were too kind. Like what he had told Ketsueki when he was at his home village when he was willing to take his own life if Faolan is compromised in order to save him from his infiltration into the Demon Slayer Corps. Operation. Staring into the young man, Ketsueki felt the glow inside of Faolan, it was something he himself could not reach anymore, the light of the moon disfigured by the white snow. Ketsueki found displeasure from within, his sudden expression slowly faded as he continued to stare.

'Hopeless.' he thought.

His mind raced back to the moment before the mission. There was Yukina and Jasumin, a plan that could potentially put himself at risk. Yet, he didn't care, he would do anything for the lives of people who didn't deserve to die. He believed that Faolan didn't have to pay for the consequences of his actions.

Ketsueki believes that he deserves to live.

____________________________________________________________________________

They continued on their patrol for the Demon, seemingly becoming more unfazed by the horrendous weather. More civilians appeared outdoors; Ketsueki presumed that they were trying to get home from the storm that was occurring. Faolan stomped his way through the snow, checking every inch of the surroundings, he practically recognized most of the Residential district because of his routine patrols there for the past week. Everything was exactly the same except for the storm getting worse.

'Wait, in all this weather, could she still be there,' Faolan quickened his pace through the snow, catching Ketsueki's eye. "Ketsueki, let's head in this direction, there's someone here with their family," Faolan stated.

"They don't have a home?" Ketsueki asked.

"I don't think they do... " Faolan stops to shamefully lower his head, he replies as if he were in the actual shoes of the family.

"Let's," Ketsueki easily agrees to follow Faolan, "Who is the family, you haven't mentioned us to them?" Ketsueki added.

"The week before, during the investigation, I was asking the people around for a clue about the recent events happening here in Sattokotta, and I came across a woman with her children, I asked her about the recent disappearances, but she was very… angry." Faolan quickly wiped his eyebrow, squinting in the direction of another alleyway.

"Angry?" Ketsueki replied.

"She was filled with so much fear and anger, I'm not sure if she's okay in this storm, she has children," Faolan's voice emerged with worry.

"Hm..some people are so broken that they shut themselves from the world. I can't blame them." Ketsueki felt the sudden change in the presence of Faolan. They both had the same thought,

'Like me.'

"That's why we have to help them at least find a place to stay in until the storm has passed, we can search for the Demon as we look for the family," said Faolan.

Ketsueki stood still, speaking to himself within his own thoughts,

'This woman must've been affected by the Demon in this district, leaving her to be alone with her children. Could she have lost her husband? If she was angry, she would've wanted some kind of justice for something she lost, yet ever since Faolan and the others confronted the Demon, the village morale has gone higher, but for her, maybe she could never be herself ever again, I could envision myself as her through him.'

"Alright, let's go then," Ketsueki nodded

"Thank you very much," Faolan replied.

Ketsueki followed Faolan through another one of the many veins of the Residential District, he watched calmly as Faolan searched through alleyways with such urgency. Ketsueki really didn't understand how Faolan could have so much empathy and compassion, Ketsueki believed that he could not feel the same way, or maybe that's what he believed. 'We can try to save her as best we can,' Ketsueki readjusts his scarf once again.

They continued down the path where Faolan had found the woman and her children, Faolan's eyes then drew him to the image of two buildings leading into an alleyway, "Ketsueki, I think that's where they were!" Faolan pointed into the alley with certainty. Ketsueki confusingly watched as Faolan sprinted; he cut through the snow, leaving a trail for Ketsueki to follow, Ketsueki had begun to sense something malicious. "Faolan, wait!"

Faolan's eyes were shown an incense of dread and malice in the alleyway. Even though this woman had shown him anger and little regard to help the people of the village, Faolan had come to understand that the woman was suffering from what she had experienced, and her fear was rampant among her children as well. Still, it didn't matter to Faolan, his sworn goal was to bring justice to the village, and he will do it regardless of the situation. Reaching the alleyway, the storm increased its very winds. Further, the snow blasted onto Faolan's haori like bullets, and they didn't have the chance to melt before they were swept off of his haori by the storming winds. The moon's glow was completely hidden above the dark clouds.

"Faolan!" Ketsueki had reached Faolan, who had stopped.

"There's something wrong here," whispered Faolan while he glimpsed Ketsueki.

Ketsueki's eyes were grave, "Let's go,"

They entered the alleyway, and Faolan could picture the very moment he had met the woman here with her children. He can see how they all were turned away from him. The woman was completely torn, "IF YOU DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!" Her words pierced through him as reality came to tear the image of her and her children turned from him.

The alleyway was completely dark, and there was a silhouette, the perfume of dread and malice flooded onto the sandals of Faolan and Ketsueki. All that could be heard was labored, rasping breaths that would raise the hairs of any living person.

"HeheeheH," a peal of disastrously painful laughter came about, along with the sounds of someone gritting their teeth. The two took one step closer to the silhouette, but then the disturbing sounds stopped, it had sensed their presence. It slowly turned, holding a gaze with disturbingly open eyes.

"You," it said.

Ketsueki was ready to draw his blade. The silhouette crawled forward, blood dripping from its disfigured body, its hair all shattered, just like their appearance.

"Faolan," Ketsueki drew his blade to strike.

"Boy, I'm really hungry, but there are so many dangerous people here," it said.

Faolan's eyes were in disbelief, and this was the woman he had spoken to a week ago. He searched around her for the children, but there were no children around her. "Where are the children!" he shouted.

"Wait.." she took a closer glimpse at Faolan, "hahaha...hahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, my children are always with me," she smiled ironically.

'What a horrible world we live in, Faolan,' Ketsueki expressively frowned internally as he glared into the Demon.

Upon hearing what she had to say, Faolan felt numb. His heart was beating solely. Seeing those children not look into him now pierces his heart. "Those children didn't bother to look at me because they couldn't, those lives…" Faolan stuttered, seemingly weakening his defense. Ketsueki's eyes daggered at the Demon, "You piece of shit, you make me sick," he started to inhale air.

"How cou-could you do that to children?" Faolan's eyes had begun to water, and his voice staggered with pain. Ketsueki was distracted by the reactions of Faolan, who was supposedly letting his guard down.

"HAHAHAAHAHAHAHA, YOU AND YOUR DEMON SLAYERS ATTACKED MY CHILDREN AND HURT MY CHILDREN, SO I DID WHAT EVERY MOTHER SHOULD DO FOR THEIR FAMILY!" she hysterically defended her own position of her decision as she began to slash her disturbing flesh into puddles of blood onto the ground.

"Faolan!" Ketsueki loses his focus to have Faolan snap out of his emotions. 'She's playing with him!' this was worrisome for Ketsueki because, with his time with Faolan, he had known him to have a quiet yet powerful nature that was completely composed with strength.

"Fao-!" The woman lashes out massive talons similar to the child demons to strike Ketsueki.

SWSHSHHSHHHHHHHHH

A bolt of lightning slices the entire talon, including the mangled hand of the Mother Demon. Blood spewed as the talons dissipated into the snow. Ketsueki glances over to Faolan, whose appearance is not the same as seconds before. An aura of electricity surrounds him. The Mother Demon floods itself into the ground. Ketsueki notices a blood trail leading into the deeper parts of the snow in the streets.

The Mother Demon reappears on the street; the civilians who were around during the storm have noticed the Mother Demon and have begun to panic, "I NEED MY CHILDREN TO THRIVE, I NEED TO FEED MY CHILDREN, YOU'VE COME INTO MY HOME, SCARING THEM, BREAKING A MOTHER'S HEART!"-

"You're dishonorable, lying, thieving, merciless murderer. You're no mother," Faolan spoke with a sort of sadness. Ketsueki glanced over again at Faolan, 'He has no anger in him. He's sad, but it isn't weakening him. His strength, where does it come from? Damn, I'm the one being caught off-guard,' Ketsueki shook his focus on the real threat ahead of them both.

"Shit, I won't lose focus again, not to this demon."

"MYYYYYYY CHIIIILDREEEEEEN!" The Mother Demon cries out, and the puddle she released rumbles the earth; the puddle was self-inflicted skin from the Mother Demon, a swarm of Demon Children emerges from the puddle; they crawl up the residential district building from the alleyway with their talons piercing the walls.

They screamed and wailed for their mother:

"MOOOOOOOTHERR,"

"KILLL KILLL KILL,"

"MY CHILDREN, GO DEVOUR, DEVOUR!" she cried out; the winds of the storm blew fiercely.

'They do come from her! This shit is bad! There are too many Demons for us to handle right now, including this piece of shit!' Ketsueki gritted his teeth, and some of the Demon Children approached to assist their mother.

"Faolan…" Ketsueki sort of hesitated to speak, "We have to finish her quickly, or many lives will be lost… but we can't save everyone. "Ketsueki said; he then took his blade and sliced his palm so blood would drip into the snow for the hunger of the demons to draw their focus to him mostly, 'Even though this is how I start my Breathing Style, I have to use my Blood Breathing to my advantage, I'll follow through with Yukina's plan! If these shits are hungry, I can attract most of them to us.'

"I know," replied Faolan.