Chapter Text
“DON’T GIVE IN, TANJIRO! PLEASE, BROTHER!”
“MOVE AWAY!”
“STOP GOING GRAWR GRAWR! DON’T LET NEZUKO GET HURT! THAT’S NOT… THAT’S NOT THE KINDA GUY YOU ARE!!”
“YOU’RE SUCH A SWEET GUY!! GO BACK TO BEING NORMAL TANJIROOOOOO!!!”
Ah, my dear esteemed benefactors, my proud flowers of evil. You are truly the fairest ones of all.
O, Magic Mirror, thy wisdom I entreat… Reveal unto me the visage I see…
You, whose image the Dark Mirror did beckon forth… If your heart bids it, take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.
As flame reduces even the stars to ash. As ice seals away even time itself. As great trees swallow even the sky. Fear not the power of darkness. Now- demonstrate your power.
To me, to them, to yourself. The hour grows long and time is scarce. Keep your grip steady, no matter what may come…
She gasped the moment she opened her eyes, looking around. Everything around her was dark. So dark. Too dark. Her heart was thumping violently against her chest, hands growing clammy and shaky. Where was she? Why was everything so dark? What the hell was going on?
“I better hurry up and find that uniform before someone spots me…”
Last she recalled, Tanjiro- Oh god, Tanjiro! He’d turned into a demon, somehow! His arm had regrown, too! How?! How did that happen?! What did Muzan do to him?! And where was Tanjiro?! Why was it all so dark?! It shouldn't be so dark! Sure, one of her eyes wasn’t working now, but the other one was! She shouldn't see this darkness normally!
“Urrrrgghhh… This lid weighs a ton!”
Where was everyone?! Better yet, where the hell was she?! Why was her heart beating so fast?! What was going on?! She wanted answers- She wanted to breathe- She needed to breathe- Why couldn’t she breathe?! Why was it so hard to breathe?!
“Try this on for size! Mya-ha!”
The sound of fire filled her ears, dread pooling in her gut. Violently, she began to pound the- whatever was in front of her until she punched it hard enough to send it flying, light scattering in and nearly blinding her working eye. She weakly stumbled out, collapsing to her knees with a pounding heart, with an incredibly upset stomach, and with ringing ears.
“Now, to grab the goods…” a voice that was now clearer to her ears began, but she couldn’t look up- She didn’t dare to look up, body trembling and feeling something crawling up her throat. Like little tiny hands trying to crawl out of her body, goosebumps making her shiver entirely. It was so cold, borderline on freezing. She hated it. She hated that it was so cold.
“WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM!?” a familiar voice shouted at the voice that she was distantly hearing.
“What?! You ain’t supposed to be awake!” the other voice exclaimed.
“GahhhH! Dammit! What- Where the hell am I?! And what are you?! Are you a demon?!” was that… That- That was Agatsuma’s voice. That was the loud blond who always followed Tanjiro around. She remembered him. He was fighting, too. He was giving his all. He was just as desperate as she was to bring back Tanjiro.
“And why are there floating coffins everywhere?! What the hell is this place?!” Agatsuma continued questioning in a panic. Honestly, she would be, too.
“Oh-ho! You’ve got a lot of nerve ignoring me, human!” The other person yelled, clearly offended for reasons she had no idea of “The name’s Grim! Believe me, you won’t forget it! Now gimme your uniform, and be quick about it! ‘Cause if you don’t… you’re gonna regret it!”
“I don’t care who you are! I just wanna get out of here and get back home!”
“GUHG- BLEGH- HACK-” she gagged and coughed before she finally puked on the floor, a mass of light green and yellow coming out of her mouth. Everything was too much- Too much. It was all too much.
“KANAO-CHAN!” she heard, and before she knew it, she was being lifted up, and being carried away. Arms were wrapped around her waist and legs, securing her so she didn’t fall. Her upper half fell forward, landing to rest on Agatsuma’s shoulder.
“OI! GET BACK HERE!” she looked up, seeing a weird, furry creature with wings looking at them in fury. Kanao’s fuzzy vision could only do so much before she closed her eyes again for a moment, needing darkness to calm herself. Dammit, now she wished that one of her eyes wasn’t totally blind! She couldn’t see from it at all!
“A-Agatsuma-san-” she wheezed out, opening her only working eye again “Where- Where are we going?” she asked, seeing halls bathed in moonlight phase through her vision as the boy ran.
“I don’t know! All I’m doing is running from that furball from hell! I’m sorry!” the blond apologized as he continued to run. Kanao didn’t know why. But looking back, she could see the fuzzy creature flying after them.
“Keep running! It’s following us!” she told him.
“Are you serious?!” Agatsuma screeched “How does it know where we’re going?! Hell, where are we even going?!” well, if he would lower his voice, then maybe that would help with their escape… But Kanao didn’t mention that out loud. She was too busy still reeling, and wanting to get away from that creature. They continued running, passing through a garden of roses and more halls before they arrived at a library. It was dark, the only source of light being the green lanterns that were scattered all around the place.
“Where the hell even are we?!” Agatsuma exclaimed, gently putting Kanao down. She stumbled a bit, but she was able to keep her balance, thankfully. Her legs still shook, and Agatsuma looked ready to help her keep stable. But she could be on her own for now.
“I don’t know…” she whispered, hand reaching for her coin out of instinct, almost reverting back to her old self. Almost. But not only did she stop halfway through, because she realized that she didn’t need that stupid thing anymore, but she realized something. Neither of them were wearing their demon slayer uniforms. Huh? When did they change??
“What are we wearing??” she asked, confused. Their clothing was pretty much the same. A gothic-like set of robes that were primarily black and entirely flowy, which were really comfortable, if Kanao really thought about it. Though there were panels of purple with gold embroidery. On the back was a hood with the same gold filigree embroidery on it. The outer sleeves were wide and bell-shaped, extending past the wrists and decorated to hell and back with the same golden embroidery, and there was a purple sash around the waist that was held together with a gold brooch. The inner sleeves, on the other hand, went all the way to the back of the hand, triangle-shaped and tied around the middle finger.
The only difference were the bottoms they each got. Kanao was wearing a long, flowy skirt that reached past her knees, like her old demon slayer skirt. Agatsuma got a set of pants.
“What the hell?!” Agatsuma screeched “This- This isn’t- What?! I have never owned such a thing in my life! It looks too fancy!” he was constantly squirming, checking out the robes with utter disbelief. Kanao merely tugged at hers, pulling up the hood. It was comfortable. Really comfortable. And she disliked it for that reason. It felt too comfortable. How could something that wasn’t a kimono, or yukata, or any traditional clothes she knew, apart from her demon slayer uniform, be this comfortable?
“Foolish humans! Did you really think you could slip away from ME?” the creature from earlier appeared with a flash of blue fire, startling them both. It sounded annoyed. Oh lord. Kanao reached for her katana, ready to fight. But it- it wasn’t there. Her weapon was not there.
“GHAH! Not you again! Leave us alone!” Agatsuma let out, quickly stepping in front of Kanao. She blinked. Huh. That was… new. Last she recalled, he always cowered. Then again, she wasn’t in the best headspace during the final battle. What changed?
“Now, unless you two want to get burned to a crisp, either of you better take off tha-“ before the thing could even finish its sentence, the cracking sound of a whip reached their ears. Again, out of instinct, Kanao flinched, the sound unfortunately familiar to her. And she saw Agatsuma flinching as well. It must have been louder for him.
“Me-YEOW! That hurt! What gives?” it cried out, falling flat onto the floor from the pain. Oh. So it did get whipped. That was unpleasant to hear, and recall.
“Consider it tough love.” a stern voice stated. Looking up from the cat, Kanao blinked. Right in front of her and Agatsuma was a man wearing a half-mask resembling a raven's beak to hide the upper part of his face. Even so, one could see the beady, glowing, yellow eyes through the holes in the mask. Add that to the pointed ears and short, wavy black hair, and you got yourself a man who practically screamed 'danger' to a normal demon slayer. Kanao shuddered at the man’s appearance, tugging Agatsuma’s sleeve lightly. To tread carefully. Because this man was not one to trust easily. He seemed to get the message, considering his entire posture shifted.
“Ah, I've found you at last. Splendid. I trust you're one of this year's new students?” he asked, hands clasped together. Kanao blinked. Students? What?
“Eh?” Agatsuma let out, confused.
“My, were you ever eager to make your debut.” the man continued, crossing his arms like if he was scolding them “And bringing a poorly trained familiar with you? That is a clear violation of the school's rules.” he added.
“Huh? What- Wait-”
“As if I'd serve some lowly human! Now lemme go!” the creature protested, arms flailing weakly to try and get out of the man’s grip. It almost made Kanao feel bad, if it hadn’t been for the fact that it had tried to burn her and Agatsuma, so…
“Yes, yes. Rebellious familiars always say that. Do be quiet for a bit, won't you?” the man dismissed its cries like nothing, putting a hand over its mouth.
“Mmmrph!”
“Dear me. Of all the students I've dealt with, you're the first with temerity enough to open their own gate and step out of it. Does the very notion of patience elude you?” he asked, shaking his head “No matter. Your orientation has already begun. Let us return to the Mirror Chamber.” he told them, already turning around and walking away without even giving them the option to speak up. Kanao frowned, glancing at her companion. He looked annoyed.
“He sounds like the type who loooves hearing himself talk. I already hate him.” he huffed, crossing his arms.
“What do we do?” she asked quietly, unsure. This was not the time to be fooling around. They needed to get back home.
“Like if I know! We just woke up here!” Agatsuma hissed “And I don’t like that man or the tanuki, either! Everything just… screams danger.” he concluded, shaking his head. Kanao nodded. She agreed with that sentiment. Something was off here. It was dangerous. And they didn’t have their swords with them.
“…Let’s just… follow him.” she proposed “Just… go with what he says. Act like we’re supposed to be here… Until whatever the ‘orientation’ thing is done. Then we just... find a way to go back and stop Tanjiro.” Agatsuma looked against it, but what other idea was there? They didn’t have a plan to work. So, he nodded.
They quietly followed after the man, steps silent to make it seem like they’d followed him this entire time. “Um, sir… What did you mean by gate?” Kanao asked quietly. Gathering information would be useful, at the very least.
“You awakened in a room full of gates, did you not?” the man asked, tilting his head to the side “All of the students here at the campus arrived by passing through such gates. Although typically the students have restraint enough to wait until I open them before waking up.” he explained, rubbing his chin. Restraint. Huh. Kanao wondered exactly what he meant by that.
“You mean those weird coffins are the so-called gates?” Agatsuma quizzed, looking baffled “Who chose the design?” he murmured to himself.
“The design is intended to symbolize a parting with your former world, and a rebirth into a new one.” he explained.
“And I guess it isn’t normal for the lids to be blown off… Or burnt.” Kanao hummed.
“The culprit appears to be that familiar of yours.” the man answered “You're the one who insisted on bringing it, so curtailing its behavior is your responsibility!” he scolded.
“It’s not ours.” Agatsuma gritted out, but the man paid no mind to the whispered words, clearly focused on himself.
“But now is not the time for such prattle. You've a student orientation to attend!” he ushered “Go on, now. Make haste.”
“We’d love to… If we knew where the hell we are!” Agatsuma snapped “Have you not thought about the possibility that, maybe, we have no clue where we are!?” he exclaimed, pointing at the man. He blinked, glancing at Kanao for a second, as if asking her to calm down the blond, or something like that. Unfortunately for him, she happened to share the same sentiment as her companion.
“Hm? Have you not fully regained consciousness? The timespace teleportation must have addled your memories…” he theorized, but that couldn’t be it. Because Kanao had her memories intact. She recalled exactly what was going on before she woke up inside of that coffin.
“Well, these things happen, I suppose. I shall explain it to you while we walk. Truly, my magnanimity is boundless.” he beamed at the two teens, and Kanao’s dislike for him grew. She stuck close to Agatsuma, a feeling in her gut growing as they walked back the path that Agatsuma had taken with her in his arms when running away from the tanuki.
“This is Night Raven College. It is an institution for students the world over who demonstrate a rare aptitude for magic. It is the most prestigious academy of its sort in all of Twisted Wonderland.” he explained, and Kanao felt her eyes widening “And I am Dire Crowley. Having been entrusted with its care by the chairman, I serve as headmage.” he continued. Crowley. Good, at least she had a name to give this man. But still…
“Magic??” both she and Agatsuma asked at the same time.
“Only those who the Dark Mirror perceives as having a talent for magic are admitted to the college. Those who are selected are summoned to the campus through those "gates," which can appear anywhere.” the man continued, unaware to the growing disbelief on both slayers’ faces “A black carriage bearing one such gate should have come to meet you.”
“That- That can’t be it.” Kanao shook her head, adamant. No. That couldn’t be it. She didn’t remember a carriage meeting her.
“Pardon?”
“We didn’t see a carriage!” Agatsuma repeated “We- We were fighting for our lives trying to save our friend and- and then everything went dark!” Crowley looked surprised by this, as if such a thing seemed impossible.
“That cannot be it.” he shook his head, just as adamant as they were “That black carriage serves to receive a student chosen by the Dark Mirror. It too bears a gate that connects to this campus. And as you know, sending a carriage to meet someone on a special day is a time-honored tradition.” he explained.
“Tradition??” Kanao repeated, confused. Nothing of the sort existed in Japan, right?
“That’s insane! There’s no such tradition in Japan!” Agatsuma insisted, hands balled up into fists that formed from frustration. Well, at least he confirmed that there wasn’t a single tradition in Japan whatsoever.
“This- This has to be a Blood Demon Art! That’s it! That’s gotta be it!” he concluded “Like that one that brought us down to that weird world!”
“But Muzan is dead, Agatsuma. And so are his demons.” Kanao reminded him “Tanjiro and Tomioka-sama killed him. They were the ones who finished the fight, remember?”
“Yeah, but then Tanjiro got turned into a god damned demon, Kanao-chan!” he snapped back, fists trembling “None of this makes any sense! We shouldn’t be here! We should be back home, fighting to bring back our friend! We have to be there! Otherwise Nezuko-chan, Inosuke, Uzui-sama- Everyone’s gonna die! You saw those tendrils just shooting out and killing the Kakushi!” she shrank under the yelling, heart tight. She hated it. Agatsuma seemed to realize this, as his ramble quieted down. He looked apologetic about yelling at her.
“By the Sevens… I wonder if the timespace teleportation really did mess with your memories.” Crowley chimed in “But it doesn’t seem like you two are lying…” he added, rubbing his chin. The creature let out unintelligible noises once more while in the man’s hold, as if trying to protest.
“Of course we’re not lying!” Agatsuma and Kanao both said at the same time, startling the man.
“I don’t even know how these robes were placed on us!” she added, taking off her hood “Just- Please! We have to save our friend! Let us go back!” Crowley looked utterly speechless by both of them. But Kanao and Agatsuma needed to go back. They really needed to. Otherwise, everyone else- They could die.
“Dear me. It appears we’ll have to go to the Mirror Chamber to bring you back home.” Crowley stated “Where do you two live in, exactly?”
“Japan.” Agatsuma answered, holding one of Kanao’s hands “We’re from Japan.”
“...Pardon?” Crowley repeated, confused.
“J-Japan! You know, the country?” Agatsuma insisted, as if attempting to jog the man’s memory.
“I must say, I have never heard of such a place before.” Kanao felt a pit of dread filling up her stomach. That couldn’t be, right? They couldn't be out of Japan, right? That- That couldn't be possible...
“Follow me. Let’s head to the library once more.” the words did nothing to soothe the girl's growing worries.