Chapter Text
The roaring of fire billowed in my ear as I fell down face first in the snow with a crunch, everything felt unnaturally heavy. The cold wind battered down on my exposed neck like hammer to nail. I sighed, fists punching against the snow as I pushed myself up. Giyu-san…Kanao-chan…I grit my teeth, their bodies laying in the snow. My mind went to the worst, I snapped my head to Kanao – I could feel my breath catch in my throat ‘nononono’ I was frozen in place, my hands clenching the snow beneath me. When I saw that huff of breath coming from her I nearly collapsed again.
“Your name…It’s Shinobu Kocho…how fitting.” The voice was husky, it was a match to the fire around it, like a roaring hearth. I looked it dead in the eyes, my hands patting the snow for my Katana. I couldn’t take my eyes off this demon. Her fire was like a match lit in a dark room, simply looking at her was almost enough to hurt my eyes.
“You continue to fight? Ah…” The Demon brought a barely visible hand to its face and…began to sob, red, ichory tears fell from its hand, before wiping them away. The Demon composed itself, tears still flowing from its eyes, the only bit of moisture that didn’t seem to evaporate instantly around it. I gnawed my teeth together as I finally found my blade, my knuckles turning white as I pulled it in front of me. In the corner of my eye I could see Giyu-san getting up – but I couldn’t focus on him right now. I struggled to get up to my knees, my entire body was shaking, my teeth were clacking, my Haori caught on a tree not too far off.
The way this thing acted disgusted me. It was like a perverted version of Gyomei-sama, but I knew I just knew it lacked that same depth of empathy, this was nothing like the man who cried with me at my sister's funeral. It held its hands out, as if it were about to begin delivering a sermon.
“You keep going against the winds of inevitability? You push yourself to the point of breaking for the sake of your comrades? For your Pride? Or…what else could it be?” It glanced down. It’s eyes were bright, looking through me, into me…burning red, the Kanji for Enlightenment reflected in its right eye, and that’s all I could see, everything else was consumed in a pyre of flame, only its eyes, blood red tears, and the woman’s vague outline were visible. It held its hands further up.
“What’s this…” The demon paused, its eyes twitched, there was a look of recognition, and then pity, its tears started again. “You’re after him, aren’t you?” My eyes twitched – him could mean a lot of things, a lot of demons use that to refer to Muzan, but no, there was a lack of fear. “A bloodstained head…and golden fans…Could it be –...It is, ah, what a crass description of his grace!” It crashed into me like a speeding train. I think it noticed, its face of pity turned to that of disgust, as did mine. “I Kamui-Fuchi will not let you disgrace my Sire, Ser Douma’s visage with such a PATHETIC description of his beauty!” It held him in reverence…Douma, Douma Douma Douma…that name panged around my skull, I could feel those metaphorical hackles raise, and so did my bloodlust. The Demon that killed my older sister, Upper Moon Two…DOUMA! CLICK! I sheathed my blade, letting it bathe in the Wisteria mixture in the sheathe.
I think Giyu-san noticed how angry I was as he rose, as the moment I pulled my blade from the sheathe he looked like he was primed to stop me from doing anything careless. CLANG! It grabbed my blade, the poison coating it evaporated, I could even see the Nichirin steel begin to soften as it was lost in the flames. I tried yanking my blade free, but what could I expect from this pathetic body of mine? It moved with a reflex I couldn’t even register. The flames that consumed the monster ROARED! I could hear it in the wind, it melted the snowflakes before they even touched it, turning the snowfall around it into a miniature rainstorm. I could feel the heat myself, against my sleeves, against my face.
My sleeves burst into flames as the heat intensified, but I couldn’t let go, I couldn’t let go, I can’t let go, I have to kill this monster, I have to kill this beast. It needs to die, IT. NEEDS. TO. DIE! Fury, anger, spite, hatred, loathing, contempt. I’m not thinking straight, how could I? How could I? In the face of this Demon everything boiled, the air, the snow, my fury. I want the Second Moon to feel this, it needs to understand death. I don’t know if it’ll even feel it, but this monster came from it, so surely…if I kill it hard enough, that bastard, that bastard with the bloodstained head and those godsdamned fans, I’ll ki–
“GUH – Ah, the child of waves awakens?!” The sound of metal against flesh, I was so lost in my own world, that the slash of Giyu-san’s blade was the only thing that could wake me up, as if by reflex I let go of my Katana, my senses coming back to me in a flood of awareness. All the rage left me for a second, and my body did the next thing it could think of, it bolted towards Kanao. As I did so, I gripped at my left most sleeve and I RIPPED it off, using one to pat off the other as I vigorously tried to put out that fire. I needed these sleeves not burned to ash.
I slid on my knees in front of my sister, my eyes quickly darting along her body. An open wound in freezing air like this is fatal. With the slashing of metal against flesh, and that roaring fire emitting from that accursed bitch of a demon…I found it – it was in her right arm – the deltoid, it looked burned and gashed badly, almost like a canyon of flesh. blood was seeping from it and staining the snow below. I checked Kanao’s pulse, it was fading. I had to be quick. I seethed through my teeth, I looked at my right sleeve, I proceeded to tear it off as well. I didn’t have time to pull anything out, I couldn’t do anything fancy.
I brought one of the sleeves to my mouth, holding it there as I tightened the other, it was still warm, the cold hasn’t gotten to it yet, good. I wrapped the sleeve around her arm, it was in a tricky position, it’d most likely be hard for her to swing a sword for a little bit…good – but what’s important is that she survives this.
Hokkaido, home of the Ainu…the frozen waste I am currently bandaging my bleeding out sister in, the only one I have left. I could feel it’s freezing air on my arms, it made the hairs stand-up on end. My hands were shaking, it made wrapping all the harder. I didn’t have enough cloth to do the full wrap – it will HAVE to do! I started wrapping the other sleeve. At this point I had to gently pull her up, letting her head rest against my shoulder as I worked the sleeves into a suitable bandage.
She called herself Kamui-Fuchi, is this how the Second Moon gets off, I wonder? Bastardizing the faiths of others, some poor Ainu woman mutated into…THIS!? A being of everlasting fire, a corrupted visage of what is supposed to represent the hearth, safety, home. I saw Kanao flinch and I paused, I was being too rough, I got worked up. I could see the pain in Kanao’s face, her expression scrunched up, eyes pinched together like she was having a bad dream. My mind flashed back to cradling Kanae in her deaththrows – I shook it off as I finished wrapping that makeshift bandage.
I stared down at Kanao’s back, letting out a soft relieved sigh, my shaking hands going to her back. I had to mumble ‘it’s going to be alright, it’s going to be alright’ to her, but I’m unsure if it was aimed towards her or myself. She’s a demon slayer, just like I am – yet, I can’t help but to worry. My other successors have died, I’ve seen Kanae’s successors die as well, I don’t want that for Kanao, I don’t want my sister to die. I want her to live, I want her to be happy, I want her to start a family and see old age I – I’m starting to sound like Kanae, ah…I suppose that’s the point, isn’t it?
I had to make sure Kanao was okay, Giyu-san could handle himself, I had faith in him. I couldn’t leave her out in the snow like this. It was time to pull your weight, Shinobu. I stared back, I could see my Katana melting in its grasp as its pommel fell to the ground. Deep breaths, deep breaths…With all of the strength I could muster, I lifted Kanao off the ground, holding her against my shoulder. I don’t care about my Katana, I can simply have another one forged. The Ainu who live around here are proficient in smithing Nichirin steel, so I could simply get a new weapon…although with that iron restriction…may not be anything usable – what could they even offer an outsider.
Kanao was…much heavier than I expected. Could I heft her onto my back? It’d be optimal? But what about the bandage, I couldn’t do the full wrap…if her shoulder shifted too much…but if I fall, and she’s allowed to stay in the snow…Buddha be with me. As I turned with Kanao in my arms…I saw vast woods – four demons stood just out of sight. From what I could have seen, one was a Harpy, it had aspects of an Owl, one was an odd Deer man, it was hard to explain…clearly a Yezo sika deer, another that seemed to be a Bear with vast markings all through-out its body, but upon standing up, I could see a man’s face, where the heart of the bear would be, and the last one? Ah, a wolf clearly, it looked as if his skin had been armored, yet there was fur flowing from his back, as if a cape, all the rest were standing near the edges of my vision, but the wolf? It stood proud, in front, as if ready to face its prey head on.
I backed up – I glanced back towards Giyu-san. His Katana at this point melted as well. I was hissing through my teeth, this couldn’t have gone any worse. “Tomioka-san…” I hissed as I glanced back at him. Usually I’d have the plan, this is the part where I’d reveal I actually secretly injected this wanna-be-goddess with gallons of Wisteria poison, and she’d fall apart in mere moments but…I have done no such thing. Maybe I’d shoot a witty retort about ‘maybe try aiming for the neck, Giyu-chan~’ but now’s not the time.
I could feel Kanao’s breath hitching against me, it sent me into a panic. But thankfully, Giyu-san picked up on it, I don’t think he had a plan either. We both broke off into a sprint. I looked back, and the Demon looked irate, she outstretched her hand, as if she was about to sick those demons that were barely out of view onto us…but? THUNK – an arrow pierced her skull – the wood soon ignited, I could only see it from so far away. BANG! There was a gunshot – more arrows.
Those demons from the woods stepped out of their hiding place, the Wolf one…stared at me. It looked at my Haori, and it SNATCHED it! The thing stole my Haori off the branch it got caught on. And it GRINNED at me, I could feel my blood boil, I was almost about to toss Kanao…but then, I collected myself – these Demons are all going to die one way or another…but that one? It will be by my hand as well, I will have her Haori back. As soon as I looked forward I almost ran straight into a young Ainu woman – she patted my shoulder, and said something in their native tongue – but she gestured to me to go into the woods, this thing must have been harassing them, they were ready.
There was no shame in running, I refused to join Rengoku-san in Heaven, and I refused to join Uzui-san on the bench. Ubuyashiki-sama…This is why you said no one else could do this, ah…thank you for humoring me. Even if this might drive me to the end of my rope, I’m glad I get the chance. I’m going to snuff out that flame, but not before it tells me everything it knows, I must be prepared, I will kill ‘Douma’ no matter what it costs.