Chapter 2: Kooriyama Hatsune

"Don't go, sister. Don't leave me, sister, sister…"

On the hospital bed, the comatose boy suddenly seemed to erupt into hysteria, muttering to himself and waving his hands wildly in the air as if trying to grab something.

A nurse dressed in white was cleaning nearby. Hearing the sounds, she quickly approached the bed and, seeing the boy who had been unconscious for two days finally making a sound, excitedly shouted, "He's awake, he's awake. He woke up. Sumi, Kiyo, quickly inform Lady Shinobu, this corpse is finally awake."

The nurse called Sumi quickly ran out of the room, while the other nurse, Kiyo, approached the bed.

"Akiyama... Akiyama, give... give me my sister back. Akiyama, don't go, come back. Sister, sister..."

The two nurses cautiously stood by the bed, wanting to check on him but afraid of being scratched by this seemingly crazy person. They chose to stand aside and wait for Lady Shinobu while watching.

"Do you think he's gone mad?"

"Definitely mad. Who is Akiyama? He keeps shouting 'Akiyama, Akiyama, give me my sister back.' Do you think this Akiyama might be the one who took his sister away?"

"But then how is he still alive?"

"Maybe he's someone even demons despise."

"Someone demons despise? Kiyo, don't scare me."

"..."

The two continued discussing as if no one else was around.

Suddenly, the boy's hoarse throat forced out the words "Akiyama," accompanied by a ghostly howl echoing across the wilderness.

The two nurses had never heard a human make such a chilling sound and were instantly frightened, huddling together.

"He's mad, really mad. Could he have become a demon too?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the boy on the bed suddenly opened his eyes, sat up straight, and stiffly turned his neck towards them. His entire body was wrapped in bandages, making him look like a mummy.

Already scared out of their wits, the two nurses saw this and their hair stood on end. They glanced at each other to confirm if what they saw was real. When they saw the fear in each other's eyes, they paused for a moment and then screamed as if being slaughtered.

One fainted immediately, while the other screamed and scrambled out of the room.

"He's... he's risen!" The scream echoed through the Butterfly Masion's courtyard.

The boy sat on the bed, gasping for air. As his breathing gradually calmed, his mind cleared.

It was just a nightmare.

The boy looked up, dazedly glancing around. White walls, glaring sunlight, simple furniture, and a bed that smelled of antiseptic.

Where am I? 

Why am I here? 

What was that scream? 

Risen?

Has someone died?

The boy tried to figure out what had happened to him, but as soon as he started to recall, his head began to ache.

"Sister, sister, come quickly, my head hurts."

He called out in pain, seeking his sister's help, but after calling out twice, he suddenly realized something and froze.

It wasn't a dream; it had all happened. That man killed everyone in the village and took his sister.

The boy's eyes went from confusion to sadness, then anger. He threw off the covers, endured the searing pain in his body, and staggered towards the door.

He hadn't taken many steps before his legs gave way, and he fell to the ground with a thud. Seemingly oblivious to the pain, he continued to crawl towards the door.

The nurse who had fainted earlier had just woken up and, seeing the mummy-like figure wriggling on the ground, fainted again in fright.

Sumi, accompanied by Shinobu and others, stepped into the courtyard to see the boy already crawling out of the room, making his way down the wooden steps. His hand slipped, and he tumbled down the stairs.

"Oh my, such spirit. He was almost dead, yet he managed to crawl this far. What an interesting child."

Shinobu stood a short distance away, watching him roll in the dirt without moving.

Kanao Tsuyuri looked on with a vacant smile.

Sumi and Kiyo hid behind Kanao, not daring to approach the boy who might be a human or a demon without Shinobu's orders.

"Is he... is he dead?"

"Where is Kiyo? She's gone. Could she have been eaten by a demon? Kiyo..."

Perhaps startled by the nurse's cries, the boy's fingers twitched, and then his whole body started to move. His hands clawed at the ground as he continued crawling. His bandaged face showed no expression, leaving only a pair of fierce eyes visible.

The boy crawled towards the courtyard gate, pausing when he passed Shinobu. He remembered this scent—wisteria, like his sister's—and those beautiful purple eyes.

Shinobu's expression turned serious. She only looked like this when she was very angry.

The nurses stopped crying and watched in shock. They had never seen anyone so desperate.

"Blood... he's bleeding."

On the ground where the boy had crawled, several bloody stones stood out in the dirt.

"What a disobedient child. Sumi, Kiyo, take him back to his room."

Shinobu's expression relaxed as she muttered to herself, "It looks like he needs to be bandaged again. What a troublesome child." She then walked into the room.

"Don't touch me. I need to save my sister. You two bastards, let go of me." The boy struggled desperately.

"Bastards? Sumi, he called us bastards, sob..."

"We're so cute, and he called us bastards. Unforgivable!"

Sumi's small fists pummeled the boy's face.

"Sumi, be gentle. Don't kill him. Wait, let me do it."

"..."

Two days later, in front of the ancestral hall of the Ubuyashiki Mansion, Shinobu knelt on one knee.

Master Ubuyashiki Kagaya stood in the shadow of the veranda, accompanied by his daughters, Hinaki and Nichika.

Though his smile was as gentle as always, the scars on his face were still startling at first glance.

"Shinobu, I heard you brought back a boy from Mount Hakuba?"

"Yes, Master, I brought back a boy."

"How is the boy's health?"

"His body is fine, but his mind is troubled. Since waking up, he has been sitting on the steps at the door, not sleeping or resting for two days."

Ubuyashiki Kagaya smiled gently, "It seems we have another strange child. When you found your sister Kanao Tsuyuri, she was in a similar state. What do you think of this boy? Are you interested in taking in another foster child?"

Shinobu paused, then laughed, "Thank you for your concern, Master. While the boy is quite good, having Kanao is enough for me. Besides, the Butterfly Mansion is full of girls; having a boy would be inconvenient."

Ubuyashiki Kagaya wasn't offended by her refusal. "Indeed, I didn't consider that. What do you think of the boy's potential?"

"It's hard to tell for now, but judging by his physical condition, he seems to have some foundation."

Shinobu smiled, as if recalling something amusing. "Master, I think this boy is very similar to Sanemi; both are reckless."

"Sanemi? Haha, Sanemi is indeed remarkable, but I don't want all our Demon Slayers to be like him, fighting recklessly. Not everyone has his resilience. We'll leave this matter for now and revisit it once the boy has fully recovered. By the way, do we know his name?"

"Kooriyama Hatsune."