With Uzui Tengen…
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Running with all her might, Nezuko looked off into the distance to see a very tall, wide-set man of a bulky, muscular build, with lightly-tanned skin. He wore a sleeveless and dark turquoise demon slayer uniform, along with a wrap of burgundy cloth around his calves where his pants tuck in, and white strapped sandals. He also wore two thick, golden rings around his upper arms, and what looked to be fingerless blue gloves, secured around his middle finger.
As Nezuko began to approach this man, she was exhausted beyond words. This man had been making her run for nearly the past half hour, with very little rest in between. But each time she came back, he was not satisfied with the result she gave.
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"Not flamboyant enough!" Uzui yelled as he began shake Nezuko's head around. "You need to run with wind! Don't let something as simple as a limit stop you from doing something that is flamboyantly easy."
"Easy…for you…to say." Nezuko spoke through her gasps and wheezes. "I…just finished…my training…with Shinobu…So, give…me…a break!"
"Not happening." Uzui said in a different tone that what Nezuko usually heard. "Your brother hurt my friend. Take responsibility for that."
"Well, he wouldn't have gotten injured if he hadn't attacked my brother!" Nezuko yelled back, catching Uzui off guard at how quick the young girl before him managed to catch her breath so quickly. "I was told that I would not be used as a compass for my brother. If your only intention is to do that with me, I could leave at any point in time, you know that right?"
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Seeing how the girl knew his plan, was even more surprising to Uzui than hearing Nezuko talk back to him, without so much as flinching. And knowing that he was in between a rock and a hard place, Uzui turned around.
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"That's it for today." And Uzui walked away.
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Later that night…
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Sitting in an open field, Nezuko just had her head rested on her legs, when someone approached her from behind. Not even turning around to see who it was, Nezuko spoke.
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"If you're going to try and convince me to continue training under the pretext of making me stronger just to find my brother, I'm not doing it." Nezuko stated with a monotone voice.
"Oh, I was actually here to bring you some food." A female voice spoke, to which Nezuko looked in shock. "I guess you were expecting Uzui, huh?" The woman asked, to which Nezuko nodded.
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As the woman sat beside her, her beauty was enough to astound Nezuko. Her long black hair, her curvaceous body, the look of a true, mature woman. As the woman sat beside her, Nezuko was still astounded by seeing someone like her taking her time with someone as lowly as her.
Snapping back to reality, Nezuko placed a few feet of distance between the two of them, out of pure instinct. Seeing this, the woman giggled.
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"You don't need to place such a huge distance between us. I'm not going to eat you." The woman joked around while still giggling.
"Right. Um, who are you?" Nezuko asked, trying to not be rude in front of what looked to be a princess.
"Oh, that's right. We've never been properly introduced." As the woman stood up, she bowed slightly and spoke. "My name is Hinatsuru, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
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After hearing her introduce herself, Nezuko stood up and bowed.
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"My name is Nezuko Kamado. The pleasure is mine." After bowing, Nezuko looked at Hinatsuru and began to think. "Do you mind if I call you Hina?"
"I don't mind." Hinatsuru answered.
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As the girls began to talk through the night, Nezuko began to vent her frustrations, without hesitation. Never in her life had she been pushed past limits she never knew. Never in her life had she been forced to do something so rigorous.
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"I mean, what the hell is 'flamboyant' anyways?!" Nezuko looked in Hinatsuru's direction. "Flamboyant this! Flamboyant that! It's always has to be flamboyant! Ahhhh!" Nezuko screamed into the night, as she extended her arms out and fell on her back. "Why must everything be flamboyant?" Nezuko said in a defeated tone.
"Because that's who he is. He's always been like that." Hinatsuru answered as she looked up towards the night sky.
"And how do you know he's exactly like that?" Nezuko pointed to the shadows to try and give a visual image of the man she hated in that moment.
"Well, it's because I'm his wife. Well one of his wives anyways." Hinatsuru answered as she pointed her left index finger to herself as she smiled, catching Nezuko off guard.
"Wait…you…" Nezuko pointed towards Hinatsuru in shock. "You're…that man has a harem?" The face that showed on Nezuko's face was enough to get Hinatsuru to laugh. "That's no laughing matter. Isn't a harem, you know, illegal?" Nezuko asked still in complete shock of the revelation that had befallen her.
"At first I was surprised when he asked me to be one of his wives, but when I saw his conviction and determination, as well as his love for the other two, including myself, I couldn't help but feel happy in that moment. And to answer your question Nezuko, as of now I don't know if having a harem is illegal." Hinatsuru answered with a smile.
Did he…you know say to be his wife…in exchange for saving you or something?" Nezuko mumbled under her breath.
"No, he didn't save me from a demon." Hinatsuru looked up towards the night sky. "He saved me from a dying lineage."
"Dying lineage?" Nezuko repeated.
"I'm actually a shinobi." Hinatsuru answered, surprising Nezuko.
"Wait, aren't shinobi just a story?" Nezuko asked.
"That's why we managed to hide so well." Hinatsuru answered with a giggle.
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As the two girls began to chat, Nezuko began to learn more about Uzui's lifestyle. The more she learned, the more Nezuko began to understand the flamboyant man more.
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The Next Day…
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Jumping over the same obstacles that she ran through the previous day, Nezuko, once again began her trek through Hell. But this time it was different. Her goal wasn't to just make it to the finish line, her goal was to get Uzui's approval.
The day before was an eye-opener for her. She was far too focused on Shinobu's training and her anger on Uzui for trying to use her as a compass only to get to her brother, that she ignored everything around her. But with Hinatsuru's help, Nezuko's eyes were opened.
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"Instead of being angry with him, why not confuse him? Afterall, he can hear everything." Nezuko remembered her last conversation with Hinatsuru before turning in for the night.
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With those words in mind, Nezuko began to focus more and more on her surroundings, as she focused her world had begun to slow down, but only for that moment. As the danger passed, her world quickly turned back to normal and Nezuko continued forward.
Running with all her might, she noticed Uzui up on the same hill he was on the day before. But as she saw him, she smiled. Looking down towards the oncoming young girl, Uzui spoke up.
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"Hinatsuru, what did you tell her last night?"
"Oh, my. Were you listening in on our private conversation, dear?" Hinatsuru asked, while smiling, only for Uzui to grit his teeth slightly as he looked back.
"There's no way a girl like her can improve in only one day…Unless…" With that thought on his mind, he noticed the girl of topic rush past him, with a smile on her face.
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15 Days Later…
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Waking up refreshed and ready to start the day, Nezuko walked out of her room, only to be greeted by Uzui standing in front of her.
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"Uh, hi." She answered in shock as she continued to hold the door in her hand.
Nezuko, after today, you're training is done." Uzui answered.
"Huh?" Was Nezuko's only response.
"So, it's best if you tried to keep up." Uzui answered with a smug grin, which did not sit well with Nezuko.
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Meanwhile, in the Infinite Fortress…
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Once again, Tanjiro was hanging from wires held by Rui. As the young demon gritted his teeth, he looked up with disgust plastered all over his face. Then without warning, another person appeared behind him. Looking back slightly, Rui jumped from where he was and knelt before Muzan.
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"Lord Muzan. It is an honor to see you in my lowly presence once more." Rui said, shaking from the inside.
"Rui." Muzan answered, not once accepting Rui's words. "Do you know the reason why he went berserk?"
"No, but I have noticed that the more blood he loses, the calmer he becomes." Rui answered, not once lifting his head to look at Muzan. "But I have noticed that Upper Moon One and him have been spending more time together than going out and defeating your enemies." Rui spoke as he slightly looked back at the hanging Tanjiro.
"Mizuki and Tanjiro have been together?" Muzan's anger had begun to boil, which began to scare Rui even more.
"Yes. Just before Tanjiro went berserk, Mizuki was next to him." Rui answered, his voice quivering slightly.
"Then I guess we're going to have to restart." Muzan spoke as he lifted his hand.
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Seeing his shadow, Rui closed his eyes and began to accept his death. But that death never came. Instead, the sound of blood splattering came from behind Rui. As he looked back, Rui noticed Tanjiro's head gone, and instead was a bloody mess. Seeing this, Rui began to smile from ear to ear.
Then slowly but surely, Tanjiro's head had begun to fix itself, but just before it did, Muzan stuck his hand in between the healing flesh and began to fiddle with Tanjiro's brain. The more Muzan began to fiddle with Tanjiro's brain, the more his eyes widened, until he pulled his hand out and began to back up. Breathing heavily, Rui approached his master in concern.
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"Master Muzan, are you alright?" Rui questioned as Muzan did not take his eyes off of Tanjiro.
"How is this possible? That boy had more memories than me. And I saw him kill me, but…there was something, someone else. I couldn't see who." Muzan's voice started to shake.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Rui questioned more as he began to point at Tanjiro. "Are you saying that this boy can see the future and he managed to kill you, the strongest being on this planet?!" Then fully turning his attention to Tanjiro, Rui began to pull on the wires to try and tear Tanjiro apart. "Then, he's much too dangerous to keep alive." But just as Rui was about to tear the sleeping Tanjiro apart, Muzan placed his hand on Rui's shoulder to stop him.
"No, I still have my uses for him. I'll just have to fiddle with his brain more. That way, he only serves me." And with that Muzan once again pieced his hand into Tanjiro's brain and began to fiddle with it once more.
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With Mitsuri Kanroji…
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Screaming in pain and agony, Nezuko had begun to shed tears as she felt herself being bent and contorted in many different ways.
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"Miss Kanroji!" Nezuko yelled.
"Yes, Nezuko?" Mitsuri answered with a smile on her face.
"You're going…to tear me apart!" Nezuko yelled out in pain.
"Oh, don't be silly." Mitsuri giggled. "You're a girl, and it seems like your body was really stiff, so I'm only loosening it. In about an hour, you'll feel alright."
"NO, I'm not going to feel alright!" Then in that moment, as Nezuko's arms were being pulled back and her back being bent forward on the ground, she felt something snap. "Oh." Was her only response after hearing the snap.
"OH." Was Mitsuri's only response after hearing and feeling a bone snap. "My bad. I guess I pushed to far."
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Several Minutes Later…
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As Nezuko's right arm was in a sling, she sighed in defeat. But, like it was timed, the door to Mitsuri's dojo was opened and an old man with shoulder length reddish, gray hair walked in with a gourd in hand.
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"Kanroji." The man spoke, his soft yet deep, booming voice echoed in the silent room.
"Ah, Master Joichirou. What are you doing here?" Mitsuri happily exclaimed as she skipped her way to Joichirou. "Normally you'd send a crow to call for me. Did something happen?" She asked.
"I actually came to see Miss Kamado, and since I heard she was with you, I decided to kill two birds with one stone." Joichirou answered.
"Oh, it's him. From that time." Nezuko thought to herself as she turned around to show the sling on her right arm.
"Kanroji, you were supposed to be teaching her, not breaking her." Joichirou answered with an embarrassed smile.
"I kind of got carried away." Mitsuri answered embarrassingly as she began to rub the back of her head.
"Wait…what's with this weird atmosphere?" Nezuko asked herself as she noticed Mitsuri's attitude and expression changed drastically when Joichirou set foot in the dojo.
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But without missing a beat, Joichirou walked past Mitsuri and walked up to Nezuko.
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"I don't think I fully introduced myself when we first met, Miss Kamado." As Joichirou bowed, he placed his free right hand over his chest as he spoke. "My name is Joichirou Nakamura. And I am the Dragon Pillar."
"Dragon?" Nezuko repeated.
"Yes. His breath is amazing! One of kind. He even got close to defeating Muzan when he was younger! And he did it when he was only in his 20s." Mitsuri exclaimed as she began to long speech.
"Please, Kanroji. Don't go painting a wrong picture of me." Joichirou spoke right up, to try and stop Kanroji from expanding her words. "I may have been close to Muzan, but I was nowhere close to defeating that man."
"Wait, you were close to defeating Muzan?" Nezuko asked as she rose to her feet and began to close the distance she had between her and Joichirou. "How did you do it?" The young girl asked as she got up right in Joichirou's face.
"My family's sword technique." Joichirou answered. "I've only ever told Kanroji, my daughter, my extended family and the Master this…but I guess it's alright to tell you." Now curious as to see what Joichirou had to offer, Nezuko saw the man walk to the center of the dojo and sat down, instructing the other two to sit as well. "Sit. This is going to be a long story." Joichirou answered with a smile appearing on his face.