Chapter Text
The path up the mountain was not well-trodden, giving credit to the claim that there was only one family living at the top. Rumors had been circulating around the demons that the blue spider lilies bloomed on this mountain, but after an exhausting three days, not even a shadow of the rare flower could be found. Kagaya sighed to himself, resolving to comb through the entire mountain once again when spring came.
Perhaps the flowers had all wilted in the winter? After all, it must be a very fragile plant to have eluded him and his demons for over a millennia.
But he did not wish to return in vain. All his beloved children were out there, desperately battling demon slayers for their lives, searching high and low for the blue spider lily. As their esteemed leader, Kagaya had to set a good example. A small, wooden house came into view as Kagaya stood at the very top of the mountain.
Without an invitation, he opened the front door.
“Hi, um, do you need any help?”
Kagaya sighed. The child was clearly fearful of him, yet determined to be polite. If not for the fact that he was too weak to be useful, Kagaya might have spared his life.
Blood splattered across the floor as the little boy’s body fell with a thud. The other children in the house screamed as their mother shielded them with her body, begging Kagaya not to harm them and take his grievances out on her instead. Who was he to deny her dying wish?
The sight of their mother’s corpse sent the children scattering throughout the house, some attempting to climb out of the windows, some hiding in a corner of the room. Only one among the humans appeared to have any potential at all—the eldest among them, the one holding the youngest protectively, just like his mother had been.
His fiery red eyes glared at Kagaya with a hatred stronger than most of his demons, and something in Kagaya told him that if any demon was fated to overcome the sun, it would be this one.
By the time he was finished with the family, the sun had almost risen. And just as he did every morning, Kagaya knelt at the memorial in the Infinity Castle, praying for the safety of his dead children’s souls, and cursing the demon slayers for killing them.
One, two… and three, including Nezuko. Only three out of twenty potential slayers survived the Final Selection.
Nezuko could hardly believe her eyes.
All those trainees she’d seen on the mountain… Were they all dead now? Or did they give up and run away? Some of them had fought beside her, some of them were saved by her, and some of them seemed to be no worse than Nezuko was. Where were they? Why was no one asking what had happened to them?
The next few hours were a blur. She could vaguely recall choosing a glinting rock and bringing a pet crow home, but a heaviness had settled in her chest. Three out of twenty trainees had survived. Had she been slightly more unlucky, that number might be two. It was only then that she realized what it truly meant to be a demon slayer.
Logically, she always knew that she was putting her life on the line whenever she was battling demons. But the fact that she might see a friend today and not tomorrow hadn’t sunk in fully until after the Final Selection. This was what demons did to people, she reminded herself. They tore families apart overnight, turning children into orphans, wives into widows, friends into tombstones.
After all, didn’t the exact same thing happen to her family?
Demons were monsters of the night who didn’t have a shred of empathy in them. Nezuko had to keep that in mind, even as she tried to talk to them, even as she tried to understand why.
Two years ago, on that fateful day, when Nezuko had first left her house, never in a million years would she have thought that it was the last time she would ever see her family. Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru, Rokuta, and even her mother… all gone, forever. With her official inauguration into the Demon Slayer Corps, Nezuko knew she would face even much more bloodshed and carnage than she did before.
Was this really what she wanted to do?
Nezuko almost laughed out loud. No, that wasn’t a question for her—it was a fact. Regardless of how difficult it would be on her mind and body, it was what she needed to do. Tanjirou had always been the one protecting the family, stepping up as the oldest son ever since their father had passed. Now, it was her turn to protect Tanjirou. It was her turn to do something for him, like how he had protected all of them so many times before.
The girl standing beside her had shiny purple eyes, her gaze fixated on a butterfly resting on her fingers. She looked serene, peaceful, so much so that Nezuko almost regretted disturbing her as she greeted, “Hi! I’m Kamado Nezuko. What’s your name?”
The mysterious girl didn’t speak, only choosing to smile and look down at the butterfly again. There was nothing in those pretty eyes of hers—no annoyance, no distaste, no exhaustion, yet she simply chose to remain silent. After an uncomfortable period of awkwardness, the creepy twins dismissed them from the mountain and informed them that their Nichirin swords would be arriving soon.
As soon as her sword arrived, she would get her very first mission. The first demon she would get to kill as an official demon slayer.
Tamayo enveloped her in a hug as soon as she ran into the house, patting her on the back as Nezuko sobbed into her kimono. Even though the older woman didn’t say anything, Nezuko knew that she had been terribly worried. As the former Water Hashira, Tamayo was an excellent teacher, but there was no way to predict what would happen during the Final Selection. After all, she was sure that the other seventeen slayers who didn’t make it had also trained as hard as Nezuko had and tried their very best.
Nezuko still didn’t know why Tamayo retired, or why she decided to change her breathing style and abandon Water Breathing, but apparently many slayers change their styles after becoming more experienced. According to Tamayo, Akaza had started out with Water Breathing too, then suddenly changed to Wind after seeing the former Wind Hashira in action.
“Really? I can’t imagine Akaza-san using Water Breathing at all!” Nezuko had exclaimed at the time.
That day, when Akaza had found her in the snow and tried to kill Tanjirou, the very air surrounding them seemed to obey his commands. If not for the fact that he took pity on Nezuko, her brother’s face would have been smashed beyond recognition.
The cawing of the crow shook Nezuko out of her reverie. Nezuko was scared shitless when it suddenly started speaking, “A new mission for Kamado Nezuko. For Kamado Nezuko! Head to the mountain in the northwest. A demon has been spotted there!”
“The crow can speak?” Nezuko gaped at the black bird, unable to contain her shock. Watching her flustered reaction, Tamayo laughed lightly and then pushed Nezuko out of the door.
“Here, I made you some onigiri for the trip. Good luck!”
Nezuko waved at Tamayo, then hoisted the box onto her shoulders and left. The first time she had carried Tanjirou, she’d almost collapsed from the weight, but now it was as easy as breathing. All her training had paid off, she had passed the Final Selection, and she was now on her first mission.
The Nezuko of today was very different from the Nezuko two years ago. She would make sure Ubuyashiki Kagaya realized that too.
As she was approaching the base of the mountain, a loud voice caught her attention. Two girls were causing a commotion, disturbing the tranquility of the farmland, and Nezuko ran towards them.
“Answer me! Are you mute or something? Can you not hear me?” The shouting came from a blue-eyed girl in a demon slayer uniform. The enraged frown on her face made her look slightly intimidating as Nezuko got close.
Ah, she recognized the other girl instantly. It was the pretty girl with the butterfly on her hands, the one she’d seen during the Final Selection.
“What’s wrong with you? How are we supposed to work together on this mission if you won’t talk to me? Maybe this is a sign from God that I should stop being a demon slayer—”
“Um, sorry, what’s going on here?” Nezuko asked, subtly inserting herself between the two.
She could feel anger radiating from the blue-eyed girl as she shouted, “Ask this one over here! I got a mission at this mountain, so when I saw her uniform, I thought we were here for the same mission. I mean, she’s wearing culottes for some reason, but she’s unmistakably a demon slayer too. Yet she just won’t talk to me!”
Nezuko winced. She’d been on the receiving end of that same silent treatment before, so she understood how the other girl felt. Still, it was not right to shout at someone for their personality.
“Maybe she’s just shy,” Nezuko suggested. “What’s your name?”
“Aoi. Kanzaki Aoi,” she introduced herself, then pointed at the mysterious girl angrily. “This one still won’t tell me her name, no matter how many times I ask! Seriously, if you’re mute or something, can you at least write on a piece of paper?”
Aoi plastered a sheet of paper onto the other girl’s face before Nezuko could stop her. Slowly, the girl removed the paper and held it to her chest, silent and contemplating. Her eyes were still empty, but the smile on her face never wavered.
What a strange person.
From her pocket, she retrieved a coin, which she tossed into the air. Murderous intent gleamed in Aoi’s bright blue eyes upon seeing what the other girl was doing. Nezuko had no idea what she was doing either, but she was too busy trying her best to hold Aoi back to think about it.
The coin landed on heads. With a slightly more joyous smile, Kanao put the coin back in her pocket and began to write on the piece of paper. When she was finished, she handed it back to Aoi happily.
The blue-eyed demon slayer almost crumpled the paper, but not before reading the name on it. “Tsuyuri Kanao. Alright, Kanao, let’s go fight the demons! I don’t care if you can’t speak anymore, but you better be a good fighter.”
“Aoi, wait up!” Nezuko called as Aoi broke into a run. Without hesitation, Nezuko sprinted after her, only pausing when she realized Kanao wasn’t following them. The butterfly girl was still standing on the rock path, staring into space, as though she was living in a different world.
Running back, Nezuko tugged on Kanao’s hand and grinned at her encouragingly. “Let’s go, Kanao,” she said in a gentle tone, clasping the other girl’s hand in hers. “Let’s go fight the demon together, okay?”
She didn’t wait for Kanao to respond before sprinting up the mountain again, but this time, Kanao’s footsteps were right beside hers.
Giyuu blinked. He was in the Infinity Castle.
Their semi-annual Twelve Kizuki meeting was still three months away. Kagaya would not have called them here if not for an emergency. Did one of the Lower Moons die again? Or did an Upper Moon fall to a group of Hashiras?
At this point, Kagaya should just get rid of some of them. Giyuu could already think of some people who were unworthy of being in the Twelve Kizuki. For example, Giyuu, Giyuu, and Giyuu.
“Good evening, Kagaya-sama. You appear as strong and powerful as ever,” Gyomei was the first among them to speak. Since Upper Moon One was most often not present, Gyomei acted as the representative for the twelve of them. Everyone was kneeling respectfully, and as Giyuu scanned the faces beside him, he realized who was missing.
“Hello, my children. It pains me to announce that Lower Moon Six has been defeated by the new Love Hashira,” Kagaya said. “But we must not dwell on it. We must not forget our mission to eradicate the Demon Slayer Corps, and save all our fellow demons from the anguish of mortality. In this meeting, we will have to discuss candidates for Lower Moon Six’s replacement.”
“Oh! I have someone in mind!” Mitsuri squealed, waving her hand in the air excitedly. “I think Inosuke-kun would make a great Lower Moon. He’s slightly scary when he turns into a beast, but otherwise he’s positively adorable. That’s why I turned him into a demon!”
“Inosuke, huh?” Obanai had an aura of death around him as his voice grew deep with thinly veiled fury. “My sincerest apologies, Kagaya-sama, but I’m afraid this Inosuke won’t be able to fill the Lower Moon ranks—since I’m going to kill him, after all.”
Mitsuri gaped at the other Upper Moon, her hands covering her open mouth in shock. “Whaaat? Don’t say such scary things, Obanai-san!”
Unlike Mitsuri and Obanai, Kyojuro raised his hand respectfully and patiently waited for Kagaya to call him. When the Demon King briefly nodded in his direction, the Lower Moon stood up with flames burning around his body. “Kagaya-sama, I recently met a young demon called Zenitsu! Apparently, young Zenitsu has managed to survive being attacked by a Hashira, something that even I find difficult to do. I can feel it in my bones—with more of Kagaya-sama’s blood, that boy even has the potential to become as strong as Sanemi.”
“Hah? What did you just say?” Sanemi looked downright murderous. Scooting far, far away from him, Giyuu sat down beside a red mural as he watched Sanemi seethe and hiss threateningly. The white-haired demon dashed towards Kyojuro and tried to punch him in the stomach, only to be stopped in his tracks by Gyomei.
Even while Gyomei was holding him back, Sanemi kept screaming, “What do you know about being strong, huh, Lower Moon Two? Have you ever properly fought a Hashira before? I bet you’d die before they even call for backup—”
The whole place fell silent when Kagaya raised a finger to his lips. The progenitor of demons was the only reason these meetings remained semi-productive. Otherwise, it would be complete and utter chaos, with some of the Moons brawling with one another senselessly (like Sanemi and Obanai) or constantly challenging each other to official blood battles (like Kyojuro and Tengen).
Personally, Giyuu wished he never had to attend these meetings. He was different from the rest of them. Nothing that they discussed ever really required his input, and he usually kept to himself without saying a word. If Kagaya minded his reticence, he would have ordered Giyuu to speak up, but he never did.
The Demon King was a kind and understanding man.
“Does anyone have any other candidates in mind?” Kagaya asked. “If not, I will personally pay both Inosuke and Zenitsu a visit. I love all of my children, but if they are not strong enough, I will unfortunately have to find someone else. Does anyone have any concerns they would like to bring up?”
“No, Kagaya-sama,” everyone chorused. Under the imposing gaze of the demon king, even the wild Sanemi became as mild as a lamb. Giyuu found it rather amusing, but he didn't dare to laugh in front of Sanemi’s face.
He might have forgotten how to laugh, anyway.
Had he ever laughed as a human? Giyuu couldn't remember, and in any case, it didn't matter. His life was that of a demon now, and not just any demon—a member of the Twelve Kizuki, no less. Even though he hadn't done anything to earn Kagaya’s recognition. Even though the one sitting here for these meetings should be—
Huh, who should it be? His mind drew a blank. Giyuu didn't know, but he knew it couldn't possibly be him. Literally anyone else would make a better replacement than Giyuu, but he knew better than to bring that up to Kagaya again.
When Tengen teleported all the Moons back home, Giyuu found Sabito waiting for him in the backyard, greeting him with a smile on his face. His body was sweaty from training, but Giyuu hugged him anyway, like he did every day for the past few centuries. Even though Sabito was still human, he had stayed with Giyuu since the very beginning. The Twelve Kizuki was constantly changing, and the Hashiras were constantly dying. Sabito was the only constant in Giyuu’s life.
And he knew Sabito would never leave him.