Chapter Text
Muzan had sent Akaza to clean up after Enmu because he was moving through the area in search of the blue spider lily, and because whenever he had a problem that he didn't want to deal with personally (which was often), he sent in Akaza do damage control. And kill stuff. Actually, it was mostly just to kill stuff.
“There’s a battle waging between Lower One and a particularly annoying demon slayer that I want dead,” he’d purred. “Go and make sure it ends the way it should.”
Which, of course, probably meant the demon slayer being dead and Lower One being alive, but Muzan had conveniently not mentioned that the ‘particularly annoying demon slayer’ was a girl, and Akaza didn’t kill girls. Not unless forced, which he never had been, and he didn’t ever intend to be.
Besides, this girl was so intrinsically fascinating that it felt wrong to do anything other than watch the action unfold.
Probably not the smartest decision Akaza had ever made, because now Muzan’s newest pet (Enmu) was dead, and his current nightmare (the mystery girl) was very much alive, and his favourite attack dog (Akaza) didn’t really see any reasons to change that.
He could see why Muzan would want the girl dead though. She certainly seemed to have a talent for screwing with the Master’s carefully crafted plans, which, somewhere in his hard of hearts, Akaza physically had to respect.
Death was Muzan’s answer to almost every annoyance, and it took a very average kind of creature to earn such a punishment. However, Akaza could tell right away that this wasn’t simply a demon slayer who’d irritated the Master. This was a demon slayer who’d touched him and lived to tell the tale. This girl was about as far beyond average as the eye could see, so sue Akaza for sorta wanting to see where she’d end up after this.
Of course, a part of him wanted to fight her. She had something freaky going on with her reaction times—Akaza had sorta hijacked the blood link between him and Enmu towards the end there, and watched as she took out that man aiming at her friend before he’d even really started moving, almost like she’d read his mind.
But then Stupid Enmu had chucked her off the train for killing him like the little bitch he was, and now she was injured. And injured people were no fun to fight.
But still…Maybe he could test her reaction time without fully fighting her…?
Nah, that’d be no fun either. Plus, he didn’t kill girls.
Maybe she’d become a demon?
He could always ask, but in all honesty, she wasn’t strong enough yet. Maybe in a few years, he’d come back and fight her.
Akaza slouched a little in his spot, sitting cross-legged on a rocky outcropping with his chin cradled in his hand—as one did when watching their demon companions get utterly destroyed by the exact menace one’s boss had told them to get rid of.
He zoned into the girl’s fighting spirit for the millionth time since seeing it, still completely and utterly entranced. When he’d first set eyes on her, he’d actually tripped in his surprise. He’d never seen a fighting spirit like hers before—orange and pink flames, swirling outwards from her like she was the eye of a hurricane. That wasn’t even the strangest part, however. Tendrils of her fiery soul stretched outwards, connecting her to every living thing in her vicinity with thin, whip-like cords. The girl was like the center of the solar system; like the blackhole at the heart of a universe, drawing everything else in towards her.
Akaza wanted to know what on earth was going on with her soul— needed it, the way he needed blood, the way he needed battle. Why was she connected to everything? How? What purpose did such an ability serve? Was there any ability? There had to be, didn’t there?
Did she even know how strange she was? Did she know what her soul looked like?
Probably not; most humans didn’t know a thing about anything. But this one was already so different in so many ways…maybe she would be an exception?
Akaza stood and stretched, and as he did, another fighting spirit caught his eye. There was a man approaching the girl, looking at her injuries with practiced hands. His flame haori and flame-coloured hair matched the flames that surrounded his soul—he was brilliant, gold and red and perfect, far too good to be true.
His fighting spirit was so strong it made Akaza’s mouth water; it made the girl’s look downright chaotic. If he was the noble warrior, then she was the destructive one—not quite as powerful just yet, but clever and extreme and willing to fight dirty. He was the angel to her demon, and Akaza suddenly realized he couldn’t get enough of either of them.
He needed to speak to that girl…he needed to know how much she knew about herself, how much she knew about the world. And he needed to fight that man—such a fighting spirit could not go to waste, not when Akaza was right here, not when he was close enough to taste the way destiny dripped off the two of them.
~
Nezuko froze as a new presence filled the air around her…laying like a lion in wait, so unobtrusive that Nezuko hadn’t noticed it until it moved. As it did, whatever had been concealing it broke away, and the presence washed over her like a wave cresting over a rock—far too fast and far too reckless to possibly be a human soul.
She shot to her feet, stumbling as her injured leg gave out, and Rengoku caught her. “Nezuko,” he asked softly, his voice deathly serious, “what’s wrong?”
“We’re about to have company,” she hissed, glaring in the direction that the presence was emanating from. Tanjirou growled softly in agreement, pulling one of her arms over his shoulders.
“What kind of company?” Rengoku asked.
Nezuko closed her eyes. This presence…it felt like battle lust and pride rolled into a mask of anticipation—like someone who lived for the game, lived for the thrill of the fight. To top it all off, this was the closest presence to Kibutsuji she’d ever felt.
“The really-powerful-demon kind,” Nezuko replied after a moment.
“More or less powerful than the demon you just killed?” Rengoku demanded.
“More,” she whispered. “Much, much more.”
“How much time do we have until it’s here?” he asked.
Nezuko opened her eyes, and tried to gauge how far away the demon was from them. It was moving at an unreal speed, getting larger with every passing moment. “Not very long,” she replied. “It’s almost here…it’s waiting for something, I think.”
There were multiple things that Nezuko admired about Rengoku at the moment. So many, in fact, that she was considering compiling an alphabetized list.
Right now, however, the attribute that currently stood out the most to her was the way Rengoku was able to control a battlefield in an instant—the way he was a natural-born leader, able to take command in a heartbeat. He was the kind of person that you listened to because it was obvious that he was going to get you out alive.
He was the kind of person you listened to because it was obvious that he was meant to lead, the way the sun and moon were meant to chase one another across the sky for eternity, the way humans were meant to love, and trust, and find joy in the simplest of things.
“Tanjirou, gather your sister, the yellow boy and the boar and evacuate people immediately. I will take care of the demon here.”
“Absolutely not,” Nezuko growled immediately.
She admired the way he took control—a true captain to the end.
She did not admire the way he instantly thought of everyone but himself, as though he were the most expendable person in the world.
She would not let him go down here.
Not when she had decided that her heart had just enough room for one more person. Not when she still had so many questions to ask him, and things to learn from him.
Not yet.
~
Kyoujurou stared at his tsuguko, at the determined, fierce expression on her face. He knew at once, that unless he was going to tie her to a tree somewhere, she would find a way to make it back here, bum leg be damned.
Which, though admirable, was also probably going to be a real pain in the ass at times. Right now in particular.
“Nezuko,” he said, putting on his sternest voice—
“No,” she repeated, glaring up at him. “The demon is almost here, and he’s crazy powerful, and there is no way I’m leaving you here to face him alone.” Her scowl hardened. “Deal with it.”
Tanjirou made a distressed noise, and put his face in his hands, like he couldn’t believe his sister had just spoken to her superior officer that way.
(In all honesty, Kyoujurou was also having a hard time believing it; then again, this was the girl who’d literally tried to fistfight Shinazugawa the first time she ever met him, while in front of Oyakata-sama, so maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised.)
Tanjirou looked up at Kyoujurou, his eyes filled with regret, and seemed to say, I am so so so so sorry about her, please, she means well, but sometimes she really doesn’t do smart things.
Kyoujurou knew that right now was definitely not the time to be diving into their dynamic, but he couldn’t help the soft chuckle that escaped his throat. If even Tanjirou knew that dissuading Nezuko was probably a lost cause, then he supposed he didn’t really have a lot of options.
“I won’t watch you die tonight,” she growled suddenly. “So get rid of that stupid martyr complex and let me help.”
“Tanjirou,” Kyoujurou said instead of responding to her, “go find the yellow boy and the boar, and evacuate everyone that you can with the Kakushi’s help.”
Tanjirou looked back and forth between Nezuko and Kyoujurou uncertainly, before nodding and vanishing in a scuff of dust.
“At least one of you listens,” Kyoujurou grumbled.
“Yes, you two can start a babysitters club to complain about me later,” Nezuko replied cheekily.
He glared at her, which seemed to have no effect. It was honestly impressive, how un-intimidated she was by the Pillars. “How far is the demon?”
She sobered up instantly. “It’s close…I can’t tell the exact distance, but it stopped. I think it’s watching us.”
Well then.
That probably wasn’t a good sign.
~
A cord of the soul-flame that connected the girl to everything around her had suddenly latched onto Akaza, and he stared at it curiously. What the…
He touched it gently, and something washed into him like an electric shock, overwhelming and fierce.
I will not let you hurt us. Do not even try.
Gasping, Akaza yanked his hand away. A tingling sensation burrowed into him, making it difficult to focus on anything else. He stared at the cord of pinkish flame. How… What was this girl??? How was she able to connect herself to him from such a distance? How was she able to control these flaming currents?
As he stared down at the tendril fastened to his chest, he realized it was getting thicker, swelling and swirling with energy. Cautiously, he placed his hand back into the flame, and allowed it to wash over him.
GET OUT!!
Akaza hissed in pain, and pushed his hand deeper inside.
You do not belong within. Now GET. OUT.
Unable to stand the swirling agony any longer, Akaza wrenched his hand free again, clutching it to his chest. After a moment, he inspected it. There was no physical mark left behind, and yet he still felt every nerve tingle with the sensation that the flames had been consuming him only moments ago.
He looked up and grinned.
He needed to meet these two. Time to figure out what all this fuss was about.
~
“He’s moving again,” Nezuko whispered, and Kyoujurou drew his sword, one hand resting protectively on Nezuko’s shoulder.
“You will not interfere,” he murmured.
Nezuko remained silent, and he risked a glance at her. Her expression held that unfocused tinge that Kyoujurou had come to associate with her soul-reading, and he studied her. Her makeshift bandage swathed the center of her face, making her expressions just a little more difficult to read, and her eyes seemed a little more dull than they’d been only hours before on the train. He thought again, of how deflated she’d seemed after he’d awoken and found her, and he wondered what that demon had done to her to break heart so severely.
There wasn’t time now. But there would be later. Nezuko seemed very determined to bring him home, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he really couldn’t afford to lose tonight. He thought of Senjurou, who was waiting for him back at the Flame Pillar Estate. He thought of Nezuko and her brother, and the rest of her crazy friends. He thought of the way Nezuko seemed to be able to see everything so clearly, and yet looked at herself through broken, dirty window panes.
She needed him. She and her gaggle of odd orphaned kids, they needed him to stay alive, so he could teach them, and guide them, and be a rock of unwavering security for them to collapse on at the end of every day.
He needed to live through this night.
In fact, he couldn’t afford not to.
~
Rengoku’s soul flared with protective love and determination, and Nezuko allowed it to buoy her a little longer. She was exhausted, mentally and physically. She was worn out from the tears she’d yet to cry, and the weight of her family's lives resting on her shoulders.
But there would be time, when this whole mess had been cleaned right up, for Nezuko to collapse in her bed and refuse to move for days.
Later, she would allow herself to feel. But right now, she needed to be strong.
“Incoming,” she muttered, and Rengoku tensed beside her.
There was a blur of movement that she was only capable of following because she was tracking the presence attached to it, and the demon hit the ground like an asteroid, sending a dusty shockwave rippling out in all directions.
She could feel Rengoku beside her, his soul flaring with a silent plea echoed by Tanjirou’s voice in her mind saying, please don’t do anything stupid.
As always, Nezuko made no promises.
The demon looked up as the dust cleared, and their eyes met for a fraction of a second.
There was only really one way to describe him—he was beautiful in the way a sword was beautiful; beautiful in the way that death was. Glowing yellow eyes with blue sclera, webbed with cracks that reminded her of stained glass, the kanji Upper Three etched into lantern-yellow irises. Pink hair and parchment-white skin and blue streaks of thick tattoos, an adorable face that seemed a little (but not entirely) out of place considering his playfully dangerous energy.
He smirked at them, his muscles flexing as he shifted in the waning moonlight. “Lovely evening, isn’t it?” he called out.
Rengoku’s soul was still blazing with that protective anger and love, and Nezuko closed her eyes for a moment, letting it wash her clean. She tucked all the things that hurt deep beneath her skin and drew strength from her mentor, allowing him to lift her for just a moment longer.
~
The girl’s eyes fluttered closed, and slowly, the cord that connected her to her Hashira partner (he had to be a Hashira; no one else was ever that strong) thickened, swelling like a stream after a flash flood. The tendril steadied itself, like it was feeding off the man’s steady energy, and in a burst of colour, the girl’s spirit flared.
Her eyes opened with a nearly audible snap, and she looked right at Akaza, standing within the swirling hurricane of her own soul, vibrant pink and orange that rippled out from her faster and faster, gaining speed and confidence.
So that’s what her spirit looks like when she’s not injured? Akaza wondered, almost breathlessly.
He didn’t have the words to describe how utterly glorious it was. Feral in the way her companion’s was strong, unruly in the way his was dependable.
She’d probably make a very good demon.
“Girl,” Akaza called out.
Her gaze, impossibly, became fiercer.
“Have you ever considered becoming a demon?”
~
Nezuko blinked. And stared. And then laughed.
She laughed until the cut on her face was stinging too much for her to continue, and even then, she couldn’t quite stop. The demon’s soul was growing more and more impatient with every snort, and Rengoku’s was becoming increasingly worried.
Finally, she pulled herself together, and grinned sharply at the demon. “Have I ever considered it?” she asked slowly. “Do you realize what I do for a living?”
He frowned at her. “You’re a demon slayer.”
~
“Indeed.” The girl’s eyes were sparkling, and she looked suddenly imbued with life. She bared her teeth in a smile like a wolf’s, and Akaza couldn’t resist—he laughed. As he did, he watched the tendril of her soul that touched him blaze a little brighter.
Fascinating.
“So you’re a demon slayer,” he replied. “I don’t understand why that is so funny.”
“I’ve dedicated my life to fighting demons,” she countered. “Why would I ever agree to becoming one?”
“Because you can’t resist the call of a fight?” Akaza suggested.
The tendrils that touched both him and her companion blazed, and Akaza couldn’t resist—he darted towards her, hand outstretched. He needed to touch her fighting spirit…he needed to see what it felt like…if the main body of it had a voice, the way the piece that touched him did.
Their eyes burned into one another as he moved, and everything seemed to slow down for a very small fraction of a second.
Suddenly, the girl was surrounded in a startling web of flaming orange and pink, like she stood within the central nervous system of her own soul. Energy rippled up and down the tendrils in every direction, connecting her to everything.
She dropped to the ground and rolled backwards away from Akaza just as he reached her, just as the Pillar’s blade cut into his flesh, spitting his outstretched arm down the middle.
For a moment, Akaza grinned down at the girl while she scowled up at him, and then he flipped backwards, out of the Pillar’s range. He smirked at the two of them as his arm knit back together with a wet ripping sound. A trail of blood had been left behind, and his eyes locked in on the Pillar’s as he licked it off his fist slowly. “Nice sword,” he commented, grinning.
“Thank you,” the man replied, like he didn’t have it in him to be impolite to a stranger, even the demon-kind. “Please do not touch my tsuguko.”
The girl was back on her feet in an instant, brandishing her sword with a scowl stretching over her bandaged face.
She thinks she can fight me? How cute.
“I can’t help it,” Akaza replied instantly, grinning as that piece of her fighting spirit wound around him again. “My oh my,” he said, shaking his head. “Whatever is going on with your soul?”
She hadn’t faltered when he’d first spoken to her, nor when he asked her to be a demon. She'd hardly even flinched when he'd charged at her with his hand outstretched. No, the first time this girl looked even remotely uncertain was when Akaza asked her about her soul.
So she knows something is going on with it, he concluded. Something she doesn’t want me to know.
“What are you asking?” the girl demanded.
“Nezuko, do not engage,” the Pillar commanded.
She growled, actually growled, and Akaza couldn’t stop his delight from spilling over. Quite the duo they made, these two.
Akaza needed them.
Akaza took a small, experimental step forwards, and Nezuko shifted to mirror his stance slightly. Akaza grinned again. She was observant. “Your soul,” he repeated. “I can see your fighting spirit, and it touches, well, everyone. Even me. What does that mean?”
“Nezuko,” the Pillar warned again.
Her eyes darted to him, before she looked back at Akaza. She shrugged again, and he could taste her lie on his lips as she said it. “I don’t know.”
~
“Nezuko,” Akaza said again, almost reverent, like he was tasting the way it felt to say her name. “You’re quite fascinating. Do you know that?”
“So I’ve been told,” Nezuko replied.
He grinned at her again. “I really think you should become a demon,” he tempted again. “You’re fun. I like you.”
Nezuko snorted. “You learned my name two seconds ago.”
His grin widened. “See? Fun!”
“Demon,” Rengoku growled. His energy was tense and uncertain, and Nezuko realized she was probably going to give him gray hair very quickly. She should apologize for that in advance, though now wasn’t possibly the best time for that. They were a little preoccupied.
The demon cocked his head towards Rengoku teasingly. His energy was light as air, and Nezuko felt herself getting a little swept up in his playful manner.
I need to focus, she reminded herself. Be careful.
“I’m sorry, are you feeling left out?” the demon called.
Rengoku scowled.
“My name is Akaza, since we’re all introducing ourselves. You’re Nezuko,” he said, his eyes flickering back to her. “Who are you?”
“Rengoku Kyoujurou, Flame Pillar,” Rengoku replied steadily.
“Kyoujurou,” the demon replied, and Nezuko didn’t like how hungry his soul felt when he looked at Rengoku. “You have a lovely fighting spirit, you know. I’m sorry I was spending so much time on your tsuguko. She’s just so interesting. But you’re strong. Very strong.” He flashed another sharp smile at Rengoku. “I like fighting strong people.”
Rengoku said nothing, and Nezuko found herself focusing back on the demon in front of her. Akaza. She’d never learned a demon’s name before. It felt odd to give him one, as though it somehow made him more human.
She studied him, feeling out his presence carefully. He had a fever for battle unlike anyone Nezuko had ever met before, and he desperately wanted to fight Rengoku. He hated weakness…despised it. Strength was the core of all of his beliefs. It was the core of him. It was like he needed to be strong in order to prove he was meant to be alive.
Nezuko understood what that felt like a little too well.
~
Akaza kept his eyes on Nezuko for a moment, memorizing the way her fighting spirit swirled, watching her as she watched him. “You are interesting, Nezuko, I'll give you that. But you're not strong enough for me to fight.” He smiled sharply. “Not yet, anyways.”
“Then why would you attack her?” Kyoujurou demanded. Nezuko tensed, and the tendril of soul touching Kyoujurou brightened.
Can she sustain others somehow? Or use others to sustain herself? he wondered, thinking of how she’d livened up after seeming to connect her soul to Kyoujurou’s.
“The Master has a bounty on her head,” Akaza replied with a shrug. “I guess I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Plus. I wanted to touch that strange soul of yours.”
Nezuko grinned back. “Good luck with that.”
“Nezuko, do not provoke him,” Kyoujurou instructed.
Akaza liked these two. He liked them a lot. “You’re going to have to tighten that leash a bit, don’t you think?” he teased. “You’re attack dog doesn’t know how to heel.”
“Demon,” Kyoujurou growled again, and Akaza pouted.
“Akaza,” he corrected. “My name is Akaza.”
The Pillar’s eyes were hard as diamonds, and he didn’t blink once. “I understand why you’re so interested in my tsuguko, but I request that you leave her out of this.”
“This?” Akaza asked playfully. “Whatever is this?”
“I can’t entirely imagine,” Kyoujurou replied, slipping into an achingly beautiful fighting stance. “We’ve only just met, and I already hate you completely.”
~
“You wound me,” the demon replied cheekily. “But not enough for me to hate you back.” He smiled like a velvety night, like a serpent in the darkness, like he was beautiful and deadly and he knew it. “You see,” he continued. “I only hate weak things. Weak people…weak demons…weak footwear…”
“You don’t wear footwear,” Kyoujurou commented, thrown off a bit by the last one.
“Exactly!” the demon replied with a laugh.
“He’s being genuine,” Nezuko muttered in disbelief. “He really does hate weak footwear.” She glanced at Kyoujurou, looking a little embarrassed. “And probably the other things too,” she added quickly.
Kyoujurou faced the demon again. “It looks as though you and I have very different moral values,” he announced.
“I see,” the demon replied coyly. “Then I have a wonderful proposal. How about you become a demon too?”
~
Nezuko snorted because she couldn’t stop herself, and because there didn't seem to be any sane connection between the words Rengoku had just spoken and the offer Akaza had given him.
“I can’t imagine why your little tsuguko thinks my offer is so funny,” Akaza complained. “I’m perfectly serious! You two would be excellent demons, and then the three of us could fight for eternity.”
“Not a chance,” Rengoku replied. His expression was dangerously serious, and his soul was steady as a heartbeat.
“I can tell your strength just by looking at you,” the demon drawled, looking relaxed and in control, not like he was being faced down by a Pillar and (apparently) Kibutsuji Muzan’s very own personal nightmare.
“I could tell you were a Pillar before you told me yourself, you know,” Akaza continued. “Your fighting spirit is glorious. It’s so strong.” His eyes flickered back to Nezuko. “Yours is…chaotic. Fascinating. But yours…” He looked back at Rengoku, his soul filled with that terrifying hunger yet again. “Yours is magnificent. You’ve almost crossed into supreme territory.”
Nezuko didn’t know what that meant, but Akaza made it sound significant in a way that kinda scared her.
“Kyoujurou, let me tell you why you aren’t crossing into supreme territory. Because you’re human.” The venom in the word could have killed every person on that train. “ Because you’ll grow old. You’ll die .” Akaza spread his arms like he was a benevolent saviour. “Become a demon, Kyoujurou,” he tempted. “If you do, you can continue to train for a hundred, a thousand years. You’ll become stronger. So much stronger.”
Nezuko clutched her sword a little tighter. Strength was the thing that fueled Akaza—it was so easy to see, it was almost laughable. He thrived off of it; it sustained him so entirely that he probably would have been physically incomplete without his obsession. He would fight Rengoku, probably to the death, and he would ignore her. She could see it, the desire swirling in his soul. He wanted them to become demons so badly that Nezuko’s throat hurt just looking in his direction. He wanted it like oxygen, like food and water and a place to sleep. He wanted it like he wouldn’t survive without it, and if he couldn’t have it, he’d make sure no one else could have it either.
She knew that she wouldn’t stand a chance against Akaza. Dodging his single attack had been almost too much; even with her perception, there was no way she could match his speed consistently enough to keep up in a fight, especially with her leg the way it was.
Even so, she couldn’t afford to back down. Akaza was extremely powerful and she knew that Rengoku couldn’t heal up the way Akaza could. He would need backup, even if her only purpose was to distract the demon long enough for him to cut off his head.
Even if she’d known of Rengoku’s existence for just over a month and only actually liked him for about six hours of it, she wouldn’t let him go into this alone. The simple truth of befriending Nezuko was that once she accepted you, you were hers. She would do anything for those she called her family.
“Growing old and dying is the beauty of this fleeting creature called a human being,” Rengoku responded calmly. “Because we grow old and die, we are tremendous. Loveable. Intricate. What we call strength isn’t a word that can be used to describe the body, but the soul.” He drew himself up a little taller, and Nezuko felt a burst of passion and anger and love wash off of him. It buoyed her up, pushed strength into her own limbs once again.
“I will say it again. You and I have different morals.”
~
Kyoujurou’s eyes were intense and focused, rivalling the stare of that girl. “No matter what kind of motivation I have, I will not become a demon,” he proclaimed, and his voice sent shivers up Akaza’s spine.
This would be a good fight. Maybe it would be the best he'd ever had.
“I see,” he replied slowly. He grinned, and marvelled at the way neither Nezuko nor Kyoujurou flinched. He needed them. But if he couldn't have them, then no one else would either.
He settled into his fighting stance, every fiber of his being humming with anticipation.
Blood Demon Art, Destructive Kill: Compass Needle
“If you won’t become a demon, then I’ll kill you!”
~
It happened so quickly that Nezuko didn’t even see it—one moment, Rengoku and Akaza were facing off across three meters of open field, and the next, they were dancing back and forth in swirls of light, clashing blades and open hands and bloody fists.
She snapped her eyes shut, and focused on the way their souls moved in tandem. From this blinded perspective, it looked like a dance to the death—graceful and perfectly timed, laced with murderous glee on one end and driven by duty and love on the other.
“I’ve fought a lot of really strong people, Kyoujurou,” Akaza shouted over the hum of the battle. Nezuko felt his energy jump high into the air, coming down hard against Rengoku. “Most of them were Hashira, just like you. None of them ever accepted my invitation.”
Rengoku launched himself towards Akaza at the speed of light, darting in and slashing with a powerful swipe of his blade.
“Why do you think that is?” Akaza questioned, probably already healed from whatever damage Rengoku had done. He kept talking, like he didn’t know how to stop, his voice rising in pitch as he surged against Rengoku, again and again. His tone was cruelly conversational, his spirit light and curious, as though he truly wasn’t affected by this battle in the slightest, as though he and Rengoku were old friends catching up on their time spent apart.
“As a trained martial artist, I can’t understand why someone wouldn't want to continue to become stronger for eternity. They say the bigger you are, the harder you fall, but you only fall when you’re human.”
“I’ve seen many demons fall to my blade,” Rengoku retorted, his voice as loud and passionate as always.
“Because you’re strong,” Akaza agreed, and Nezuko had to admit that this was probably the strangest interaction she’d ever partially witnessed. “The weak belong to the strong. That’s the way the world is.”
Nezuko’s eyes snapped open, but all she could see was a flash of blue, and a wash of flames. She wanted to move closer, be there on standby should her mentor need her, but she knew that he would never allow that.
She closed her eyes again, hands on her sword hilt, focusing. The demon kept talking, kept spouting off his nonsense about how Rengoku should become a demon or die, like there were no other choices.
Nezuko knew, in her heart, that this wouldn't be a pretty fight. For all the times that Rengoku injured Akaza, the demon just regenerated like nothing had happened. And Rengoku couldn’t do the same thing. He was getting damaged, slowly but surely.
Nezuko needed to be ready…needed to be prepared for the moment when she would have to step in, put her life on the line to distract the demon and give Rengoku the upper hand.
BAD IDEA, Tanjirou’s voice blared in her mind. DO NOT BE AN IDIOT, NEZUKO. YOU’LL ONLY END UP GETTING HIM KILLED.
And maybe if she was anyone else in the world, she would.
But she was a Kamado, and the Kamado children had always been blessed with gifts. She had been blessed with insight, or discernment, or whatever you wanted to call it. And maybe, the whole reason she’d been given this gift in the first place was so that she could use it to save one man’s life.
↢↣
“ALRIGHT, WE GOT ALL THE PEOPLE EVACUATED, SO QUIT PULLING ON MY ARM, YA MORON,” Inosuke bellowed.
Gonipocho growled at him, and tugged his arm a little harder, forcing Inosuke to stumble.
“WHAT??? HOW DARE YOU??? YOU CAN’T FORCE THE MOUNTAIN LORD TO DO ANYTHING. I’M THE BOSS, REMEMBER??? I’M NOT GIVING YOU ANY MORE ACORNS, YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE—”
Sentarou made a really annoyed sound that reminded Inosuke vaguely of Nezuko, and headbutted him so hard that the world spun. Inosuke stumbled back, his eyes rolling.
~
The loud boy’s head snapped forwards so quickly that it startled Tanjirou a little.
“WHAT WAS THAT??? DO THAT AGAIN, SCAR-HEAD DEMON BOY!!”
There isn’t time! We have to go back for Nezuko!!!
My Nezuko!!
My brave sister, who doesn’t always do smart things!
People who love strongly are dangerous, you know!!
They are dangerous because they don’t know how to hold back, or when to stop fighting.
Nezuko needs our help!!!
~
Inosuke held his head, staring at Montarou, who was huffing and spluttering. “JUST SAY WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO SAY, DAMMIT.”
The demon growled, and threw his hands up in the air before stalking away in the direction where Inosuke had left Nemburo with Googly Eyes.
“ARE YOU GOING TO FIND THEM??? HEY, SONIKARTOU, GET BACK HERE!!! ANSWER ME!! I’M THE BOSS!!!”
With a huff of his own, he raced after Gonipacho.
↢↣
Kyoujurou knew that Nezuko was back there, gearing up to do something stupid. And he couldn’t let that happen. So he dragged the fight away from her, taking the demon closer and closer to the fields where the sun would hit first.
Fighting this demon was an interesting experience. The attacks reached Kyoujurou even when the demon was nowhere near him, firing into open air with only his fist. He was a longer range fighter, it seemed.
In that case, the only way to combat him would be to get in close.
With a burst of speed, Kyoujurou closed the gap between them, slashing his blade towards the demon’s throat.
“What wonderful reaction speed!” Akaza praised with a wild grin as he leaned back just far enough that Kyoujurou’s blade only nicked his neck, healing in a split second.
Kyoujurou ignored him, pushing towards him again and again, trying to land whatever blow he could. He needed to weaken the demon…the sun would rise soon, and perhaps if he could just hold it here until then, he would be able to wear it out enough to cut off its head.
“The same goes for your wonderful sword techniques,” Akaza cooed. “They’ll be lost, Kyoujurou. ISN’T THAT SAD?”
“IT’S HUMAN,” he roared back. “AND I WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nezuko creeping closer.
“DON’T MOVE,” he instructed. “THIS IS NOT A FIGHT YOU CAN PARTAKE IN. STANDBY, SOLDIER.”
“Remember what I said about that leash, Kyoujurou,” Akaza teased. “Looks like you’re going to need it.”
“She’s not a dog, or mine to command. Nezuko is her own person,” Kyoujurou countered.
“That much is clear,” the demon snorted, landing a swift blow to Kyoujurou’s shoulder, nearly popping it out of place. Kyoujurou ignored his comment and focused on reinforcing his body as he attacked.
“You’ll have nothing but problems with that girl,” Akaza continued. “I’ve seen her, in the memories of the demons she’s killed. The Master has shown me.” He dodged another of Kyoujurou’s strikes, and punched him hard in the ribs.
“She loves the thrill of the fight. She’s high on bloodlust. Just. Like. Me.” He accentuated each word with another punch, and Kyoujurou roared.
“THAT’S IT, KYOUJUROU,” Akaza crowed. “GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT!!”
Flame Breathing, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger
Destructive Kill: War Style
~
Rengoku was covered in blood, and the sun was on the rise. Nezuko knew…if she stood any chance at all—no. If Rengoku stood any chance at all, then she had to act soon. Now.
~
Nezuko, NO!!!
Please, Imouto…DON'T!!!
~
There’s no opening…I can’t jump in!!
Inosuke had followed Manichirou over to where Nenoko and Googly Eyes were fighting another demon, all alone, without backup. Gnapigo was growling like a wolf, his eyes fixed on Meruko, who was getting closer and closer to the fight.
Inosuke wanted to follow her lead, but he didn’t know what to do…In all the time that he’d been a demon slayer, he’d never seen so much human blood…the blood that covered Googly Eyes was everywhere, too red and too bright against the dusky light of pre-dawn.
The two of them, Googly Eyes and the demon, were in a different dimension entirely. Insouke could try to jump in, try to help, but all that would result in would be his own death…it would be worthless. He would be worthless.
~
“Even if you fight with the intention to sacrifice your body, it’s all pointless,” Akakza said softly. “Every mark you’ve left on me has already healed completely. But what about you? Your left eye is smashed, your ribs are broken, and I'm sure your organs aren’t in a particularly good state. You will probably die out here, and even if you don’t, you’ll never see out of that eye again.” He took a tiny step closer, and Kyoujurou let him. He wasn’t done yet…just…using the lull in the fight to recover a little. He remembered what he’d told Nezuko about using her breathing to maintain her own body until she could seek proper help, and he focused, drawing strength into his lungs.
I’m not finished yet.
“If you were a demon, you’d recover instantly. This would be just a scratch!” His tone turned serious again. “No matter how much humans struggle, they can’t beat demons. That is the only rule in this world: The weak belong to the strong. There is no other way to see it.”
Kyoujurou only laughed, because there were so many other ways to see it that it almost wasn’t even funny. “I will fulfil my duties,” Kyoujurou announced. “I won’t let anybody die here.”
He thought of his brother, and what was left of his heart broke. Maybe one day, if he was lucky, Senjurou would forgive him for this.
~
Nezuko knew. This was the moment. She made eye contact with Tanjirou from across the battlefield, and he gave her a desperate look, his soul reaching out to stop her, which she promptly ignored. She was in position to at least stop one blow, if she was able to get the drop on the demon, and once she was there, then maybe Tanjirou could take over the rest. He might be a young demon, but he was strong, and he could recover quickly...
She knew she was asking a lot of her brother…she didn’t know if he would even have the speed to counteract Akaza…She didn’t know if he would have the sense to try…
But she couldn’t leave Rengoku to die out there alone.
“YOU REALLY SHOULD BECOME A DEMON, KYOUJUROU,” Akaza roared. “COME ON, LET’S FIGHT FOR ETERNITY!!”
To everyone who came before me, Nezuko prayed, closing her eyes, lend me your strength once more.
Her ghosts were everywhere, surrounding her, pushing inwards. Not yet, they whispered. Please, it’s too soon!
Once more, she begged, and charged.
~
Nemuro was gone from the place she’d been standing the moment the demon said those words. She moved at the same speed as the other two, like for just one second, she’d been on the same playing field.
There was a wail, and a cloud of dust rose up. Someone roared, the sound didn’t seem human. Hardly anything ever did when it came to Meruko.
Inosuke realized that Gonichipo wasn’t next to him anymore…
He moved before he could stop himself, running forwards as the dust cloud cleared. All he saw was blood, and a demon boy with a bamboo muzzle that towered over the form of the other demon, his muzzle splintered and hanging in shreds below his chin. He headbutted the demon so hard that its skull cracked, and Inosuke sprinted forwards, having no idea what to do.
~
Kyoujurou stared at Nezuko standing in front of him, bleeding so much that it didn’t seem possible for her to still be alive. Akaza looked equally startled, his severed arm still not regenerated, as Tanjirou attacked him endlessly, recovering from each of the other demon’s distracted blows.
“Nezuko…”
She turned back to look at him, and smiled. Her right arm hung awkwardly, her shoulder too low, her dead hand still clinging to her blade. There was blood soaking through her haori, and he realized what had happened. She’d known, that if Kyoujurou had taken that blow, he would have died. She’d known, and so in the split second before the attack hit, she’d taken it for him. Well, not completely, if the disintegrating demon arm at her feet was any indication…
Slowly, she switched her blade to her left hand, and stumbled forwards, facing Akaza and her brother.
“No!” Kyoujurou cried out. He lunged forward, grabbing her and pulling her into his broken ribs. “Don’t…You can’t…” He spun her to face him, and she wobbled unsteadily. “Nezuko, I am a Pillar! I exist to die in order to protect, and you…you…”
“Not yet,” she mumbled, and her knees gave out. She collapsed, and Rengoku sank to the ground with her, holding her like he could keep all the blood inside if only he squeezed a little tighter; like maybe he could force her spirit to remain if he just held on. He thought of Tomioka’s face, the way he looked at these siblings…
She will not die.
“You can’t go yet,” she mumbled again. “The ghosts won’t let you.”
“What about your ghosts?” he begged.
“Mine can’t control me,” she slurred.
“NEZUKO!!” a voice bellowed, and the boar boy slid into the dirt next to them, his hands shaking around her face like he didn’t know what to do. He ripped his boar’s head off, and if this hadn’t been such a serious situation, Kyoujurou might have been more inclined to question how on earth he was so beautiful.
“You can’t do things like this,” the boy yelled, and Kyoujurou realized that his face was wet with panicked tears. “Monitsu’s gonna kill you…I’M GONNA KILL YOU!! YOU HEAR ME?? IF YOU DIE, I’LL KILL YOU!!”
~
The demon boy was still growing in height, towering over Akaza, webs of ivy vines crawling up and down his arms and chest, with cracks appearing around his eyes. A horn protruded from his forehead, and he snarled like a beast as he lunged towards Akaza.
In all honesty, he might have found it a little more interesting if he wasn’t still reeling from the fact that he’d injured a girl…a girl he admired, a girl he wanted to fight properly. Not when she was injured…not if it ended like that, too soon to savour…
The demon boy raked claws across Akaza’s face and headbutted him before he could move to counteract; Akaza couldn't employ his techniques…he couldn’t really focus on anything besides all the blood coming out of Nezuko’s body as she collapsed into Kyoujurou’s arms, her fighting spirit fizzling before his eyes.
“NEZUKO,” he roared. “BECOME A DEMON! IF YOU DON’T, YOU’LL DIE!!!”
She looked up slowly, and that tether of her soul clinging to him buzzed with energy for a moment as she flashed him a broken little smile. “As if you could convince me,” she mumbled, but Akaza still heard it across the stretch of battle between them.
Kyoujurou was looking at him with something that was closing in quickly on pure rage, and Akaza couldn’t even admire how beautiful he looked while he was blazing like that, because all he could think was I don’t kill girls, I don’t kill girls, idontkillgirls idontkill—
He wrenched his attention away from Nezuko and focused on the demon boy he was fighting, trying to enjoy the strength of this little one. Most demons didn’t stand a chance against him in a fight, but this one was strong…strong and fast and filled with rage.
“Why do you hang around with humans?” Akaza asked, his voice cracked almost beyond recognition.
The boy only roared in response, his voice shaking the treetops.
The treetops…
Suddenly, Akaza felt a flare of alarm. The sun was about to come over those hills!
“Boy, we have to get out of here,” he tried to reason.
The boy only bellowed in response, and headbutted Akaza again. And damn did those ever hurt.
He ripped off the boy’s arm and pinned him to the ground. “Listen,” he hissed. “The sun is coming over those hills. We’re both going to die, so let's go. We can fight again when the sun goes down. Stick with me, kid, you’ll get stronger.
The boy didn’t respond. He growled and thrashed, clawing at Akaza’s hands.
He sighed. All these strong people, and not a single one of them was going to come with him. He ripped the boy’s other arm off, and then one of his legs for good measure. Then he picked him up by his ponytail and hurled him into the middle of the field, where the sun would hit him right away.
“Survive if you can, demon boy,” he called out. “Let’s fight again soon!” He turned and found Kyoujurou, who was cradling Nezuko against his chest as she died, and something like guilt found its way into Akaza’s mouth, thick and unpleasant and weak.
~
The demon was in front of them again before Kyoujurou could even think to counter, not close enough to touch, but close enough to see the gleam of desperation in his eyes.
“Do not die, Nezuko,” he growled. “Don’t be weak.” He scowled at her, a challenge. “I still need to fight you properly.”
~
Akaza stared at her soul, still so magnificent, even as it faded: tendrils stretching in every direction, connecting her to everything around her, a web of souls with her at its center.
Akaza backed into the forest, watching as the sun’s rays started to spill onto the field. It was too bad about that demon boy, really, but there was nothing he could do. Not when he refused Akaza's offer of protection, not when he fought alongside the humans.
Akaza had already risked so much tonight by defying Muzan and not killing Nezuko when he should have.
He wasn’t willing to take any more chances.
~
Nezuko…Nezuko…
She was hurt…
Tanjirou had to get to her. He ignored the way the places where his limbs used to be screamed, the way everything felt painful and grating and wrong. He whimpered, willing his arms to grow back faster, willing his body to obey him.
Nezuko!
She always did crazy things, his Nezuko. She wanted to protect the fire man. Tanjirou wanted to protect him too…but not if Nezuko died! His Nezuko?? His beautiful, strong, stupid little sister, who was always thinking of the moment, and never considering the future. Don’t die, Nezuko. Don’t you dare die.
~
Everything hurt a lot…But Nezuko was kinda used to that by now. She struggled against something—a person?—and lifted her head.
Tanjirou…was that Tanjirou? Out in the middle of the field?
“Where are his arms?” she mumbled. Sunlight was starting to fall on the hills...beautiful, soft...
The…the sun?? THE SUN!???
“Ughh!” She struggled harder, trying to squirm out of whatever iron grip held her.
“Nezuko, you can’t move!” a stern voice instructed.
“Lemme…TANJIROU!!”
Red eyes looked up to meet hers. The sunlight was creeping down the hill now. It was almost touching him. “NO!!”
Not her brother. Not after all the other things she’d lost, all she’d bloody been through, she would not lose him too.
~
Kyoujurou lost his grip on Nezuko, and she stumbled away from him. He reached for her, but his broken ribs shifted and he collapsed in pain.
“Grab her!” he wheezed. “She’s going to lose too much blood!”
Somehow, even half dead, she dodged a confused and puffy eyed Inosuke, and threw herself overtop of her brother just as the sun came over the hill, landing on him.
But it wasn’t soon enough. Sunlight touched his one remaining leg, and he whimpered as everything around them seemed to catch on fire.
~
Nezuko…was here.
Imouto… He wanted to brush her tears away, but he still had no hands. That was okay. He was still here…wasn’t he?
Then he felt the pain.
Like fire, knives, poison, anything. It bit into him, and he was pretty sure he would have screamed, if he had any strength left.
But he didn’t, so he moaned and tried to wriggle away from the light, but it was no use. It was touching him, burning him, turning him to dust.
“Niichan,” Nezuko whimpered, and Tanjirou looked at her. She was bleeding…
Humans weren’t supposed to bleed.
Silly little sister…let me…clean that up for you…
He focused. Breathed in and out, the way Nezuko did these days. It was hard…but he did it. And he lit the world on fire.
Orange and pink and blue, fire everywhere. It surrounded him…protected him…The burning stopped.
Stop the bleeding, he thought dizzily, and the flames engulfed Nezuko too, who seemed to have fallen asleep on his chest.
Suddenly, his arms and leg grew back like weeds, and his mind felt…clear…
Imouto?
She didn’t move…didn’t look up. Everything was still on fire, and slowly, Tanjirou turned the flames down.
The sun fell on his face…and it burned, but not like before. It still didn’t feel good…but it didn’t hurt so bad.
He sat up slowly, holding Nezuko carefully, and looked up at the yellow-haired man.
~
“How…It’s not…”
Possible. It wasn’t possible, not by a long run. There was no way that Nezuko and brother had emerged from that ball of flames, both of them still intact. Nezuko’s wounds had been cauterised, though her sleeves had been burned away completely. Her hair tie had come half out, and she looked a mess. Even the wound below her eye had been burned shut, blistering slightly.
And the demon boy…Tanjirou…he was sitting up, looking at Kyoujurou like he wasn’t defying every rule of nature by simply being alive.
“But…The sun burns demons!” Inosuke exclaimed.
Kyoujurou felt like his mind was malfunctioning. It’s true, he wanted to say, because it was, because that had always been true, but here Tanjirou was, blinking up at him with those entirely too-large eyes, like he was wondering why everyone was sitting here staring at him.
Rengoky looked back at Nezuko’s unconscious face. Later...later, there would be time for all of this.
“Can you move?” he asked Tanjirou.
The boy nodded once, huffing in affirmation.
“Carry her over to the Kakushi,” Kyoujurou instructed. “And find your yellow boy. We’re going…to the Butterfly Mansion.”