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“I will spare you, little one…” The tall, six eyed figure murmured with his sword to my neck. When facing an enemy, fear is usually evident, but not this time. Sensing hostility was one of my strongsuits, and this demon had none. At least not towards me…
I suddenly awaken from my slumber.
A dream, was it? How odd. I think as I rub my eyes to get the sleepies out. Suddenly, I feel my stomach grumble. Breakfast is needed to begin the day. I grab the pan and lightly lubricate it, mixing up the boxed pancake mix before pouring it into the pan, slow and steady. If I’ve learned anything while cooking, it’s that good meals take patience.
Knock, knock.
“Tanjiro? Come in!”
Tanjiro enters with his signature grin plastered across his face. He always looks like rainbows and unicorns are about to shoot out of his ass. It’s annoying, but endearing at the same time.
“What are you making, Tokito-san?” Tanjiro asks, peeking my shoulder to look at the pan.
“Out of the way! You’re going to make me burn myself!” I exclaim, pushing my friend out of the way. I’m still new to cooking, hence the precaution.
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed…” Tanjiro comments, to which I roll my eyes.
“I had a good sleep, actually-”
“Really? Any good dreams?” Tanjiro interrupted. My eyes widen slightly as a flip the forming pancake with a spatula. It’s almost like he knew… I swear, this guy knows everything. He’s almost like a psychic.
“Yes,” I answer truthfully.
“What was it about?”
“Promise not to tell?” I hold my pinky out for a pinky promise. Tanjiro interlocks our smallest fingers in agreement. “It was about a demon, who almost seemed human. I was in a really dark room, alone with him, when he told me he would spare my life. I think he was an upper moon… he looked really strong.”
“Strange.” Tanjiro comments.
“Anyways… pancakes?” I offer, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction. Talking about this odd dream made me uneasy for some reason.
“You should be more careful next time, humans are brittle.” The demon says in a deep and brooding voice as he tends to my arm wound.
“Thank you…” I manage to get out, looking into the middle pair of his six eyes. I notice the kanji for the number ‘one.’ He must be upper moon one. “Why would you save me.”
“Does it really matter?” He doesn’t explain at all. Dreams are utterly unpredictable, so my vision glitches and flickers. Suddenly, I’m laying my head on his lap while he eats pancakes. I assume they’re mine. It’s weird how real world experiences and events can manifest into dreams.
“These are delightful, my descendant. You’re quite the chef.”
“Thank you, Kokushibo… Pancakes one of my favorite foods.”
Wait, how do I know his name?
”It may be one of your favorites, but furofuki daikon is your most favorited, isn’t it?” Kokushibo caresses my long hair with his hand that’s about the size of my face. That hand could easily decide to break me, but no, he chose hospitality for some reason. Demons, creatures of the night, are not supposed to act like this! I jolt up in fear for a brief moment. As a human, I’m the most scared of the unknown.
“Shh…” He hushes me, holding my head back down into his lap firmly. Firm, yet with care. I can’t help but wonder, does he treat all humans this way? Just me? Who exactly is this mysterious man who enjoys my cooking and calls me ‘descendant.’
“Who are you?” I ask, at last.
“I’m your ancestor… You’re the last of the tsugikuni bloodline. You’ve inherited my swordsmanship and cooking skills I see.” He bends down to plant a kiss on my forehead. Instantly, I begin going red with heat.
“Tsu… Tsugikuni? I’ve never heard of that clan.” I sputter out nervously. He pulls a warm, white and plush blanket over my frame. That blanket came out of nowhere.
“Oh, don’t mind me. Of course you wouldn’t know of a clan that exsisted over four hundred years ago…”
“Four hundred years ago…” I repeat, “then how are you even alive?”
“I’m apart of your dream.” He smiles for the first time since I’ve met him.
“I don’t want to wake up…” I whine, my eyes falling ladden with tears. They stream down my face individually.
“It’s time to go back to the real world…”
I become too aware of the fact I am dreaming. So much so that I wake up. Tears also stain my cheeks in the real world.
I miss him already.