Chapter Text
It was a cold winter night, the moonlight lazily covered the small city in a moody glow, the snow covered the streets and roofs of homes reflecting the moon and providing a cold glow, the city usually booming with people staying up until late hours now consumed by silence. A unique stench filled the air and with it came a sense of dread, he walked around the city slowly, soundlessly, the only proof of his presence was red stains covering the destroyed houses and snow as well as the footprints he left behind. He was looking for any signs of life left after the feast that had just occurred, his six eyes scanned the streets carefully, in the silence he heard a commotion on the other side of the city ‘ah… demon slayers..? Had Ubuyashiki sent a group of hashira my way..? no… not possible… they usually attack in pairs at most…” he sighed “they are after the demon that was here before me… pity… they will all perish… what an idiotic way to lose one's life…”
He didn’t move fast, he knew the slayers would find him sooner or later and he wasn’t bothered by the idea in the slightest, they were weaklings after all no more than kanotos maybe one kanoe to lead the group safely…nothing more than more lives to be lost this night. And sure enough not five minutes later a group of slayers appeared before him, he was correct with his assumption about their ranks five kanotos and one kanoe, at first they were cocky but then one realized who their foe was and spoke, his terrified tone made all the others shake with fear, they all stood frozen- well except one, the tallest one the kanoe that was supposed to lead them to safety started running away ‘hm… strange… he abandoned his group..?’ he quickly beheaded the frozen group but his move didn’t stop there- he took away the nichirin of the boy who ran, the boy tripped and landed face first in a pile of snow, Kokushibo stood before him and observed his reaction while holding the boys blade in front of him. He looked at the boy with disgust waiting for a reaction ‘tch… pathetic… he does not deserve to wield such a noble weapon…’ he thought.
The boy looked at him with fear in his eyes, but there was also another emotion present- anger. Kokushibo looked at the boy with confusion slightly showing through his stoic expression but he brushed it away as the anger in the boys eyes slowly faded away replaced by utter terror like he usually saw, like he expected the initial reaction to be, he looked at the terrified boy who was laying and shaking on the ground his uniform now covered in snow, he knew he should kill the child but he just stood there glaring at the boy who was slowly starting to hyperventilate. He looked so… familiar… he reminded Kokushibo of himself in some way and he couldn’t shake it off, even though he should’ve killed the child he just couldn’t, the boy felt so…familiar… he knew what the boy felt, he understood the desperate grasp on staying alive he knew the feeling in the boys eyes he felt it before but he couldn’t name it just yet. He understood that the boy was much too frail and scared to become a powerful demon, he knew just by looking at him that he was nothing more than a tall child trying to make it out alive, yet despite that he looked at the boy once more seeing his pained expression the shaky breaths the redness in his hands and face from the cold and gave him a chance, an opportunity to become something grand- someone who was worthy of survival just how he had been given one all those years ago.
“Child…”he said “do you wish to live on?” He said softly and carefully, making the boy calm down. The boy's eyes widened as he nodded with urgency. Kokushibo notices tears forming in the boy's eyes as he speaks “in that case… are you willing… to abandon your humanity… and become a demon..?” the child’s eyes widened even more as he quickly makes his decision, he's too frozen with fear to speak so instead he nods and gets onto his knees and asks for the blood that would turn him into a creature of the night, his hands are red from the cold and shaking but he manages to keep them still enough.
“Very well…” Kokushibo nods and takes the previously confiscated blade and cuts a small slit in his wrist letting the blood flow into the boy's hands “do not waste even a single drop…” he said as the wound closed and the red stopped flowing.
The boy drank the dark liquid carefully, when his lips first met the substance he closed his eyes and scrunched his nose as if he were eating a lemon but he persevered and drank everything then licked his palms clean the blood was staining his lips and as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve some of it smeared around on his pale skin.
“Good…stand up” he spoke with an authoritative voice, the boy stood up as quickly as he could when Kokushibo spoke, he walked up to the boy and looked at him with softness in his gaze “it will… start to take effect soo-“ before he could finish his sentence the boys eyes closed and he lost consciousness Kokushibo quickly caught the boy in his arms pressing the smaller creature into himself so he wouldn't slip onto the ground.‘Oh..I..I forgot this happens…’ he sighed and wrapped his arms around the boy picking him up like he would a sleeping child, like he did with his son when he fell asleep while playing outside ‘ah… I see why I found you so familiar…’ he looked at the boy with a very very soft smile as he made sure the boy was secure in his hold, he took the nichirin and threw it away into the nearby pile of bloodied snow ‘you don't need that anymore… I will make you a new one, just like I made my own..’.
He then asked Nakime to take him back home, while he waited he observed as black markings started to appear on the boy's face ‘hm… how curious…’ then he noticed a door to the infinity castle appear next to him, he walked inside and straight to his personal rooms avoiding all contact with other lesser demons.
He slowly walked into his personal sleeping room trying to not disturb the child forgetting that the boy was not sleeping but passed out, he walked up to his futon and kneeled next to it placing the child inside making sure he was warm and comfortable ‘yes.. that should do… However, I do need to speak to the master about this… and get him a new futon…’ he frowns as the boy stirs in his sleep, clearly uncomfortable about something. He takes his hand and pats the boy on the head making a “shh” sound the boy calms down and resumes his rest, Kokushibo smiles and takes his hand away before standing up and walking out of the room to talk to Muzan about the new demon he recruited.