Am I really not allowed to see my family, even when I am so close by?
I hurry up to Orochi when I notice his appearance has changed in some aspects. Half of his hair was kept back in a bun like human noble man world still reflecting a purple, his horns disappeared from his head making him look oddly human and his yellow eyes had turned into a deep charcoal black. It was if he had lost his demon power and suddenly became a human.
"Woah! Orochi how did you do that?"
"Do what?"
I wave my hands around my face, "Change your appearance! You look so weird!"
He laughs at me as we stroll in the market's square, "Well I don't think walking in looking like the Devil himself was here. We are here to have fun after all."
Orochi does have a point there. "So, what are we going to do?"
"Your the one who lived here so what's the best thing here?" I smile and grab his hand, "Let's go! I know exactly what to do!"
I ended up dragging him to a bunch of food stalls and sharing some of my favorite food from my home with him. We stopped at a little dessert shop that I always came to when I was living in the human world. The little old grandma or as I would call her 'oba-chan' was the only one working here selling baked tarts and breads. She was so sweet to me and would often treat me for coming to her store so often.
"Hello!" As she turned around, I smile at her brightly.
She smiled back and came closer to us, "Hello dear. What would you like to buy today?"
I looked at her confused by her greeting but then I realize she didn't know it was me. She looked happy as her usual self but I wish it was my actual appearance who was greeting her.
"I was wanting to get some sweet from my friend and I," I gesture over to him and he smiles at her. "He doesn't know what is best."
Oba-chan claps her hands together, "Oh! My boy your in for a treat! Here, " She goes get something from a shelf and puts in front of us a box full of beautiful Wagashi.
"Oh! Why those are my favorite!" I look down at the beautifully pale pinks, greens and yellow sitting in the little wooden box. The pink ones looked like cherry blossoms that had been picked from a tree, the green Wagashi had little leaves on top of them and the yellows at beautifully designed swirls in them.
Oba-chan cackled at my reaction, "You remind me of a young girl that used to come over here almost three times a week." She smiled down at the food and I felt my smile falter shortly.
"What happened to her?" I looked up to her tired face to see her sadden eyes.
"It was right after she saw me that she had went missing. She didn't return home and her parents just a few days ago stopped searching for her since they had no hope left. I miss her smile dearly." She nodded to herself in acknowledgement of my missing presences, I wanted to say something but I could feel Orochi's stare on me from beside me.
"That's... That is a shame ma'am." I pat her hand on the table trying to give her some comfort.
"Well, there is no point bringing sadness onto others," She pats my hand and attempts to smile at me. "Is that all you would like today?"
I frown, "No I would like to buy some more things to take back with me please."
I hoped that buy a few things would make her day and give some joy in her work since I had not been showing up. We leave her stall with a few things in hand, "Goodbye, Oba-chan!"
She looked at me wildly, I was the only one that could call her that. I walked away smiling hoping that she one day might find out that it was me and walked awake from her with Orochi to a new one. The next hour we spend walking around with bags and as much as we could carry. We finally sat under a tree relaxing and eating food after a bunch of fun.
"Ren, you were quite popular in the market." He bit into a peice of mochi when I looked over at him. He still had his human form present, even know it was hard to look at him like that. It was so unnatural for him. The missing horns made it even worse.
"I used to go there often whenever I was bored. Oba-chan is my favorite vendor in the market. She is really sweet." I look up to passing people walking in the market with all the small children running around giggling and laughing their way from the parents.
"She seemed very attached to you."
"Anyone would be when you see a person everyday for so long. It's kin of like a family." A kid passes by us swinging a wooden word around and attacks imaginary monsters.
He hums in reply to me but says nothing after.
"Orochi, did you know my parents were looking for me?" I stare at the grass between my feet, waiting for his reply.
A sigh is pronounced behind me, "I did not. I had barely found out just as you have."
Furrowing my brow, the yearning to ask if I can see them gets stronger the more I think about it. Orochi could be trying to protect me from danger here in the human world but certainly the demon world is more dangerous, right?
"Orochi, can I see my parents?"
He looks over at me darkly, "No."
"Why?!"
He pinches the bridge of his nose impatiently, "You haven't seen them in over a month. They think you are dead. What do you think will happen to them when they see their missing daughter in perfect condition after a month of just turning up missing? This isn't something you should take lightly."
I feel the corners of my mouth get heavy and drop, "That isn't something for you to decided!"
He looks up at me but nothing reads across his face as I get up and start walking away from him.
"Ren!"
"Ren come on!" I keep walking ignoring him calling my name. I hear grass crunching and him grab my hand.
"You can't visit them in person. You can watch them but you can't interact with them." Orochi eyes were searching my face but I didn't know how to react.
"Why? They will trust me and won't say anything about me missing!"
"But what about me! He can see the demon world and will know that I am a demon. What then?"
It hit me then, if my father is really a demon slayer; then won't he kill Orochi?