The Progenitor Revealed
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Breath of the Rifleman! Now first off, an announcement for those of you who've been awaiting for the return of 'A New Crusade'. As you know, the Re:Zero anime has resumed and as promised, I am now ready to resume my own story. I know it's been a few weeks now, but that was just to make sure I know a few episodes in advance what's going to happen, better possible story that way. Now then, as always I'd like to give the customary shout out to LoneTaker, groche9655 and Noble Eight for their contributions to this story. And to DCDGojira: I'm all ears for side story suggestions. Now then, onto the story!
Small Town In Hokkaido
The first thing Subaru became aware of was the fact that he actually had feeling in his fingers and toes. A realization which was quickly followed by another sensation, that of his limbs and body feeling like they were being pricked by no less than a thousand needles. The Matagi groaned as he managed to open his eyes, finding it painful to move much more than his head and neck without getting another sharp prick of pain in his body. "Well I'll be," said a voice that Subaru hadn't heard in what felt like years, "you woke up a bit sooner than I expected."
The Rifleman finally took in a few details of his surroundings then, noting that he was on a sleeping mat in a large, hut-like building with a wooden floor which had a cut out section for the fire that was going, a table, and a shelf with a number of odds and ends stacked on it. The Slayer also noted his equipment, or what little he'd had left, was leaning against the wall with his uniform hanging on a clothesline near the fire. "Best to take it easy son," said Saburo as he helped him lie back down, "your limbs were on the verge of frostbite. You're lucky to even still have all of your digits."
"Where are we father?" Asked Subaru, trying not to grunt in pain, "this place doesn't look like home. Did you, come all the way to Hokkaido?"
"I only made it to the edge," replied Saburo, "I'd been hearing rumors back home of the unusual temperatures up North. We actually got a few people who came to the mainland from Hokkaido. Some of those people had been living here their entire lives, so for them to pack up and leave in the middle of July, definitely suspicious."
"But why did you decide to come up here in the first place?" Subaru questioned, "you're retired, and you should've easily been able to tell the hunting was no good up here."
"Funny thing about being retired," said Saburo as he lit his pipe and took a short drag from it, "I had plenty to do raising you and teaching you how to hunt and fight. Heck, I even enjoyed those two years of whooping your tail into demon slaying shape. But once you left and it was just me and the wildlife, well, you could say I got restless."
"Restless?" repeated Subaru with a raised eyebrow, "you stopped being a demon slayer years ago and even discouraged me from doing it at first. Did you come up here thinking this would be an easy job or something?"
"I'm old but I'm not that out of shape," Saburo replied while crossing his arms, "I ain't like Shinjuro, drinking my weight in liquor every week. I still hunt and if the demon had turned out to be a smaller one, I wouldn't have had a problem. Though judging by the condition I found you in, that wasn't a small demon that had been causing this."
"Try three big ones," said Subaru, "a military Russian woman that made ice weapons, a sniper girl that conjured snowstorms and a former Ainu woman who became a frost-breathing, lightning flinging dragon. And that's not counting the mass of extra demons accompanying two of them."
"Ah, what the shit son," said Saburo as he rubbed the back of his head, "encountering multiple spider demons, including a Lower Moon, on a mountain, facing the remainder of said Lower Moons on a train which got turned into a demon's body, encountering an Upper Moon in the Red Light District and now three demons who screwed up the weather in an entire region. And all of that happened after you managed to run into Muzan Kibutsuji himself, who most slayers never encounter within their lifetimes I might add. I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain much further why I've been antsy over the past few months."
"It's not like I ask for the extra crazy assignments," said Subaru, "I mean yeah, we are hunting down the remaining demon moons and Muzan himself, but the other assignments that don't have any positive leads on them are supposed to just be regular demons."
"You mean you hoped they'd be regular demons," corrected Saburo, "some of the biggest fights of my career started off as investigations into what we thought were minor disturbances. I'm certain I hammered the lesson into your head about always being prepared for the worst, didn't I?"
"Yes, 'always expect an uneven fight with a demon'," repeated Subaru, "but you and I both know it's almost impossible to be prepared for every possible form they can take. I was hanging on the side of a fucking dragon for Kami's sake."
"And believe me when I say the town is very grateful to you for killing it," informed his Father, "thought I'm just glad you're still in one piece and making some actual friends." Subaru was about to ask what he meant by that when a knock on the door was heard.
"Mr. Genjirou," said the voice of Gyomei on the other side of the door, "it sounds like your son has awoken. May we come in for a moment?"
"Sure thing," replied Saburo, "just try not to jump all-." He didn't quite get to finish his request as the door was suddenly flung open and Isosange came rushing in.
"YOU'RE ALIVE!" she exclaimed as she practically tackled him with a hug, getting a loud groan of pain.
"H-Hey, Isosange," grunted Subaru, "good to see y-you're okay too. Though I should tell you, my whole body's kinda aching right now."
"I'm sorry," said Isosange as she wiped her eyes a bit, "it's just, we thought you were a goner when she took off with you hanging on her neck like that. Even Gyomei carrying nothing but his weapon couldn't keep up for too long. By the time we got to the town, Saburo had already found you."
"Which kind of brings us to the main problem," said Yae as she entered from behind Gyomei and closed the door, "is Asir Reia-?"
"Dead," Subaru answered plainly, "the wisteria poison from the knives and the kodachi took a good few minutes to circulate thanks to her large size. But once I detonated my pouch above her wings, the extra poison and shrapnel damage was too much for her to stay airborne. She died shortly after crashing in the woods outside of the village."
"So it's not just my imagination that things are finally starting to feel a bit warmer," said Yae as she breathed a sigh of relief, "I guess that means she was the last one."
"According to her, yes," said Subaru, "Asir told me there were only three, including her."
"Reia herself confirmed that?" Questioned Gyomei, "did you speak to her before she died?"
"She did most of the talking," replied Subaru, "we were both basically immobile at that point, so she decided to tell me her life story. Which reminds me, Yae, how much do you really know about Isosange's mother?"
"I told you everything I knew," said Yae, "why would I hide anything?"
"To protect Iso," said Subaru, "not so much from us but from those in your village."
"Yae, what's he talking about," asked Isosange as she looked at her adoptive sibling, "you told me you weren't ever able to find my mother."
"I wasn't," said Yae, "but I also never tried looking that hard for her."
"Was it because she never came looking for me?" Questioned Isosange, "You once told me, if she was a good mother then she'd come looking for me eventually."
"It's, a little more complicated than that," said Yae, "as far as I know, she never came looking for you after abandoning you out there in the snow. But even if she had, neither I nor anyone in the village would've let her anywhere near you."
"So it's true then," said Isosange as her eyes became a bit downcast, "my mother, really was a bad woman."
"It's more like she became a bad woman for what she thought were good reasons," said Subaru, "she wanted to protect the lands of the Ainu from being exploited by others. That, in and of itself, is not an evil goal. But what she allowed herself to become in pursuit of it, was nothing less than a Wen Kamuy."
"How would you know that?" Asked Yae, "all I was able to learn for sure was that she was exiled for murder."
"Because the self-proclaimed Kanna Kamuy we battled, was Isosange's mother," revealed Subaru. He knew this probably wouldn't be the best thing for the young girl to hear, but it'd be better for her to know the truth then to keep waiting on someone who never intended to return in the first place.
"That…was my mother," repeated Isosange as she put a hand to her head before falling backwards a bit. Yae was quick to catch her and wrap the young Ainu girl in a hug.
"She was an uncompromising woman," said Subaru, "she fought for what she believed in, but she never stopped to think about the effect her choices might have on others. But you are not like her. If anything, you take after your father. He realized the path she was going down and tried to stop her, only to become one of her many victims. He'd be proud of you, for standing up for the ways of your people and helping to end your Mother's suffering."
"Could…could you," Isosange asked as she bit back her tears, "could you tell me more. I.…...know it'll hurt…but. I want to know what kind of people my parents were." Subaru nodded in understanding as he relayed the tale of Asir Reia to her daughter, while also filling his father in on their mission to slay the Yuki-Onnas. It would prove to be a long discussion and the fire had almost gone out by the time he was done telling the entire story. Isosange was still a bit distressed by what she'd learned about her Mother, but at the same time she was a little glad.
After all these years of wondering how and why she'd been abandoned, she finally had an answer. It was still painful to hear and it would take time to truly come to terms with all of it. But for the Ainu girl, she'd at last taken a step towards freedom from her past. "That's quite a story," said Saburo, "I heard a few like that in my time, though I didn't know there were so many radicals still around."
"If anything, there are even more than there used to be," said Yae, "but that'll be a problem to worry about on another day."
"Indeed so," affirmed Gyomei, "as things stand now both Subaru and I will need time to rest and recover before returning to the main island, and it'd be irresponsible of us to not ensure our guides are healthy as well. For the moment, I think it would be best if you remained here with your Father, Subaru, to get your wounds treated and your body rehabilitated from the damage the cold inflicted to it. The doctor has already been by once and he shall be by again soon before heading to the building where the rest of us are staying."
"I'd like to say I'm fine and there's no need for you to go through all that trouble," said Subaru, "but I guess my current lack of mobility speaks for itself. With that being the case, shouldn't you head back to your district once you can move around without a problem?"
"I do intend to remain here until I am certain the cold won't exacerbate any possible conditions I might have," replied Gyomei, "but I cannot head back to my district just yet. I instead plan on lodging at the Northern Base of the Demon Slayer Corps in order to observe the changes in the climate. If it gets warmer as we hope it does, then that means we succeeded in ending all the demons responsible for the unusual weather. As for my district, I'll dispatch a message to headquarters to send some reinforcements over to provide aid to my tsuguko. Mine was the most peaceful of the districts before we left and with luck it shall still be when I return."
"I guess that means you two can finally head home," said Subaru as he turned to Yae and Isosange, "er, at least once the doctor gives you the go ahead." The two girls looked at each other before sighing and turning back to the Rifleman.
"Well, we've been thinking about that," said Yae, "and we kind of decided that-."
"We want to stay here with the both of you until you get better," finished Isosange, "It's, uh, the least we can do for the both of you after helping get Hokkaido back to normal. And Gyomei's probably gonna need some expert opinions on what is and isn't the right kind of weather for this time of year."
"I suppose I would have no objections to that," said Gyomei, "I am more familiar with Japan's moderate climate in my district as opposed to the colder climate of Hokkaido. Subaru, Mr. Genjirou, would either of you have any objections to such an arrangement?"
"Not like I could really stop them right now if I did have any objections," said Subaru, "but I gotta warn ya, it's probably gonna be boring for a couple of days."
"You let me worry about keeping the young ladies entertained," said Saburo with a wry grin, "it's been ages since I talked to a Matagi or an Ainu, and I'm sure these two would love to hear all about how you started off bumbling around the woods."
"And now I realize I should've just let myself get eaten," said Subaru with a sigh while everyone else snickered or at least grinned at his plight.
A Couple Days Later
"Alright, keep the form moving," said Saburo as he watched Subaru twirl his Murata rifle around like a staff, "be sure to switch between both hands evenly and work your fingers to see if they're all moving properly."
"Remind me again why you decided to bring both my rifle and yours all the way up here," Subaru called back as he shifted his feet from a forward facing to back facing stance. He was currently practicing his forms as a means of physical rehabilitation in the backyard of the house his Father was renting. He was actually able to ditch some of his cold weather gear today thanks to the fact that the sun was actually out and shining. It was still a bit cold, of course, but nowhere near the temperatures caused by the demons.
"I thought it might be good to bring a spare," replied Saburo, "like you said, I'm retired. I can still whoop a good amount of ass, but I doubt I can keep ahold of my rifle like I used too. I also brought your Schofield too while I was at it."
"And yet you say you had no idea I was being sent up this way," commented the Matagi as he ended the form by pointing the barrel downward, stopping just short of the ground so that it wouldn't hit dirt. Ordinarily, he'd be training with a bayonet actually attached to the gun, but in this case, he was just testing to see if his dexterity had fully returned. Unfortunately, he still had some stiffness in his hands as he opened and closed his fist a few times, feeling a bit of tightness in the muscles.
"I'd planned on finding Hidan or Izayoi while I was out and about," explained Saburo, "figured they'd know where you were and whether or not you'd gone and broken your rifle again."
"It's hard not to break something when fighting against a demon moon," replied Subaru as he tossed his rifle to his Father before taking a low stance and beginning to run through a barehanded kata, "or several. You should've seen what Tanjiro's sword looked like after he spear threw it into the chest of Upper Moon 3. Absolutely trashed if what Izayoi told me was right."
"Not like getting your own weapon frozen in a block of ice is much better," Saburo pointed out, "you'll be lucky if all of the internals are still functioning properly."
"That'll be a problem I'll have to leave to Hidan and Izayoi for now," said Subaru as he twisted and shifted his hands and feet through another series of stances before almost stumbling, "dammit, still sluggish on my right leg."
"I get that you're impatient to get back to the Butterfly Mansion to see Tanjiro and Nezuko," said Saburo, "but you should be happy that you're progressing this fast to begin with. I don't think you realize just how many days or even weeks of physical rehabilitation it would usually take for a slayer to be back on their feet and moving around after nearly getting their limbs frozen off."
"They said I was kind of a freak of nature back at the Butterfly Mansion," replied Subaru as he finished his form before walking towards his father, "but then again, they said the same thing about Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu. Guess we all got some good fighting genes in us to one degree or another. Too bad Zenitsu never got enough to develop a spine, though, he might actually be a successful slayer if he spent as much time training as he did whining."
"If I recall, you said he actually fights in his sleep with the Breath of Thunder," said Saburo, "guess ol' Jigoro really does have an eye for talent. But then again there was a reason I derived a few moves from his breath form when developing moves for my own."
"I'll agree that he's got an eye for that sort of thing," said Subaru, "too bad his judge of character seems a bit off."
"Well, some people just need to be more honest with themselves and what they're capable of," said Saburo, "after all, I knew you were capable of becoming a slayer but even I'm surprised you've gotten this strong. And that goes double for little Tanjiro. It still boggles my mind that he even considered holding a sword given his usual kind nature."
"We," said Subaru as a sudden feeling of guilt started creeping up into his stomach, "we all do what we have too in order to help the ones we love, even if their condition seems unchangeable at first."
"Something about the tone of your voice makes me think you're not just talking about Nezuko," said his Father, "why not tell me what's on your mind, son."
"Well I," Subaru said as he rubbed the back of his head, "I recently learned that this scar on my left eye, might be more than just a scar. It's actually one of the reasons I'm healing so fast."
"How long has it been this way?" Questioned Saburo, seemingly unsurprised by his son's statement.
"I guess you could say it kind of 'awakened' during the Mugen Train Incident," explained Subaru, "Apparently being in the presence of so many Lower Moons and an Upper Moon was enough to awaken whatever demonic presence was in here. It got a bit more advanced after the incident on Kume Island with those alcohol fumes that turned people into demons after long-term exposure. I got some of those fumes into my lungs, but for some reason I didn't turn into a demon like the others. According to that whack job, Shuten Doji, I'm apparently a hybrid of sorts, whatever that means."
"It means you have demon blood running in your veins," said Saburo, "but not enough to turn you into a full-fledged demon. Given what you just told me, calling you a half or at the very least a quarter demon would be more accurate."
"You're," Subaru tried to think of how to phrase his next statement, "taking this all in extremely well. Did you, already know about this? Or is it the fact that ever since you accepted Nezuko as a demon, it's easier to accept that your son is one too?"
"That's..….actually because I have something to tell you," said Saburo as his eyes became a bit downcast, "you see, the demon blood in your body has actually been there for years now. Until recently, I'd honestly thought the wisteria had retarded it to the point that it was inert. No such luck it seems, based on what you just told me."
"You…knew about the demon blood in my body," stated Subaru with a mild hint of disbelief in his voice, "and I've had it for yea…of course. The reason you moved us away from our old home, the reason you never went back to your village after my Mother and siblings died. You thought…...that I might turn into a demon. But, but how did this blood even get into my body in the first place?" Saburo sighed before giving his answer, likely trying not to remember too much of that painful day.
"You got it when we were attacked by Upper Moon 4," explained Saburo, "I was teaching you one of your first lessons about hunting at the time when Hantengu showed up. I shot him with more than a few rounds before he detached a part of himself that became another being called Karaku. I thought we'd gotten separated when the bastard started tearing up the forest with some kind of wind power that left maple leaf-shaped craters all over, but then you leapt up and stabbed at him with your knife. You managed to get his fan arm, but he easily threw you back into the woods with some of the blood from his arm getting into your eye."
"I used a couple of explosives to cover our escape then and headed back to the house. Your Mother went to tending to you right away, but the demon blood had already gotten into the veins of your eye and was causing enough pain that you could barely move. I told everyone to pack and start running while I lead the demon away. Not long after I left, though, Karaku discovered the house and attacked. When I found you later, that scar over your eye had formed and your memory of what had happened was hazy."
"All I really remember of that day was the attack on the house," said Subaru as he put a hand to his now somewhat throbbing head, "I remember the pain in my eye from the scar."
"And I thought it better that way if you did," said Saburo, "I took you out to where the Kamados lived because it was one of the more isolated places that I knew. Tanjiro's father respected my wishes for the most part and helped me keep an eye on you whenever we visited. But after a year or so of you not turning into a demon, I decided to let you interact with them more. And as nothing continued to happen throughout the following years, I'd become confident that you were in the clear and that the wisteria incense I left burning every night had managed to keep you human. But it appears all I really did was reduce it to dormancy."
"That's why you accepted Nezuko's condition so quickly," realized Subaru, "you already knew it was possible for someone to have demon blood without becoming entirely like a demon."
"It's more like I hoped she was turning out like you," explained Saburo, "when you told me she defended Tanjiro and refused to eat humans, I thought that there might be a chance she wasn't actually a full demon. But after seeing her at Urokodaki's place, it was obvious that she was, even if she didn't behave like one." Subaru nodded at this as he looked away in thought for a moment.
"You've known I had demon blood in me, all this time," Subaru thought aloud, "and you never told me."
"I understand you probably feel betrayed, but I want you to-," Saburo started to say before he was interrupted by his son.
"The funny thing is, I don't," said Subaru, "when I really think about it, neither one of us have wanted to remember anything that happened on the day where we lost everyone. Once you saw I wasn't becoming a demon, you'd probably hoped you'd forget about it too and we'd just go on leading our lives as Matagi. If not for Muzan, you'd never have had to keep this secret in the first place."
"If not for Muzan, I might not have had you at all," Saburo pointed out, "Meeting your mother was one of the best things that ever happened to me while I was a Slayer. Sure, the chance exists that we could've met anyway at one point or another even if I never became a slayer. But the fact of the matter is, that bastard is also responsible by extension for taking our family away from us. If you do manage to kill that dickhead, I don't think the demon blood in your veins will be a problem anymore."
"I guess that does make sense in a way," said Subaru as he looked at his hand for a moment before clenching his fist, "the reason the Demon Slayer Corp exists in the first place is because Muzan is such a murderous shithead. So it only seems right that something he created intentionally or unintentionally would be his downfall."
"Looks like I wasn't wasting my time teaching you about the spirits," quipped Saburo, "you listened after all." Subaru simply rolled his eyes at his Father's statement before getting back to his physical rehabilitation. Strangely enough, though, he felt a bit lighter, as if a weight he didn't know had been present between him and his Father had finally been lifted. He supposed it was because a little more of his Father's reasoning for doing everything he had done up to that point made a bit more sense now. It also reminded him that he needed to get back to Nezuko and Tanjiro as quickly as possible, as they still had a lot to do.
A Few More Days Later
"And you're absolutely positive that you wish to remain here?" Questioned Gyomei as he, Subaru, Yae and Isosange stood at the entrance to the town.
"Like I said, it's been ages since I travelled and thanks to all of you, the region ain't so frigid anymore," replied Saburo, "and I can see that Subaru is in pretty good hands for the journey back to the main island. Obviously, I'd still like it if you kept him off missions for another couple of days, but if he says he's up to it then I won't protest."
"You realize I still need to get a new rifle and revolver," Subaru pointed out, "while the boats and trains are running smoothly again, it'd still take too long for Izayoi to sneak those up here."
"I remember the feeling," said Saburo, "I worked with a guy named Izayoi in my day too. He was a heck of a shinobi but even he couldn't be everywhere at once."
"Is Izayoi a common name for a shinobi," asked Isosange, "I've never met one before."
"You got me," said Subaru with a shrug, "being a shinobi it's always possible Izayoi isn't even his real name." Isosange nodded with a look of slight wonderment on her face.
"Well maybe he'll be waiting on the boat for you," said Yae before looking at a pocket watch she'd received over the last few days. Despite her downplaying the role she and Iso played in hunting down the demons the village was still treating them like heroes to an extent, including giving them a few gifts of appreciation. Though Yae was not looking forward to the possibility of marriage proposals if word got around that she was seen as a VIP in the village right now. "Speaking of which, we'd better get moving if we're going to catch the one back to the main island."
"Just try not to get caught in a storm or anything," said Saburo, "even if you don't get seasick too easy, it'll still mess with your stomach."
"It'd still be better than my last boat ride," said Subaru as he embraced his Father.
"Take care of yourself son, and hurry it up on making Nezuko human again," said his Father, "I'd like to see some grandkids before I die."
"Daaaaaad!" exclaimed Subaru as he punched his Father's arm, "could we not spout stuff like that out in public, please?!"
"I'm just calling it like I see it," said his grinning Father, "now get going. All joking aside, I'm sure they both miss you by now." Subaru shook his head at that comment but smiled regardless as he turned and followed after his fellow slayer and hunters.
"Now then," said Saburo as he worked the bolt action on his own Murata rifle, "let's see if I still got it."
Nighttime: Onboard Passenger Ship to the Main Island
"I don't think I've ever smelled this much alcohol and smoke in one place before," said Yae as she wrinkled her nose at the scent that was currently spewing forth onto the outer deck of the ship. Sure, she'd been to a few bars but never when they were packed like the dining room of this ship was.
"Gyomei said this ship ferries passengers of all kinds," replied Subaru, "which in this case seems to include less than desirable individuals. I get that he was trying to get us onto a ship which wouldn't ask any questions about why we had weapons, but I wouldn't have complained about hiding them again."
"Well either way we should at least be happy that he found a ride back for the both of you," said Yae, "I just worry about bringing Isosange into an environment like this."
"This worries you but bringing her along to hunt demons is completely fine?" Subaru questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"You know that wasn't my idea," said Yae with a pout, "I let her stick around after she followed us because that's where she was safest, at least as far as she was concerned. And I only let her come with us on the boat because I never would've heard the end of it if she didn't get the chance to say goodbye to the two of you."
"You could've just said that at the port," Subaru pointed out, "kind of like a little sendoff. But you hopped onboard with us to take a trip all the way to the main island. I'm starting to wonder if you two are purposely trying to stick with us as long as you can."
"I just wanted to go on a boat ride and so did Isosange," replied Yae with her arms crossed, "this just seemed like our only chance. We'd hoped you wouldn't mind."
"I won't raise any complaints about it and I doubt Gyomei will either," said Subaru with a shrug as he leaned back against the railing, "the big guy might even be willing to show you around his district for a bit if you ask. Just know that we have to get back to our job eventually."
"Yeah I know," said Yae with a sigh, "but Isosange likes the two of you pretty well, and I like seeing her happy. So, thanks for bearing with us for just a bit longer. By the way, I never asked but is Nezuko-?"
"She's alive," answered Subaru, "she's still a demon right now, but Tanjiro and I are working to change that. Obviously, finding a cure to demonification will help far more people than just Nezuko, but she's our main priority at the moment."
"Is she your fiancé?" Questioned Yae, "your Father sure seemed to think so?"
"Not quite," replied Subaru as he failed to keep the ghost of a smirk from his face, "but you could say we're together. I can't tell you what in the world she sees in me, but she reciprocated my feelings when I declared them out loud."
"That must've been romantic," said Yae as she put her hand under her chin, "did you say it under the full moon, or an arch, a cherry blossom tree?"
"Try unintentionally spouting out the words 'My Nezuko' while holding a dickhead at gunpoint," replied Subaru, "not exactly romantic but it was apparently good enough for her."
"Now you've got to be making that up," said Yae, "a confession while you were in the middle of a fight?"
"It wasn't a fight, per se, it was actually a trial," said Subaru, "Tanjiro and I nearly got executed for bringing Nezuko along with us. They thought it was ridiculous at the time that a demon would fight alongside demon slayers."
"Well let's say I do believe you," replied Yae, "what changed everyone's mind about her?"
"Nezuko tackle hugging me when I let her out of the box," explained Subaru, "a couple of the other Hashira actually thought it was cute."
"The best demon slayers in the corps thought a demon hugging you was cute?" Questioned Yae.
"Ask Gyomei about it, he'll tell you the same thing because he was there too," said Subaru. The Matagi girl was about to inquire further until a man and a girl suddenly approached the two of them.
"Pardon the intrusion," said the man who seemed to be vaguely Chinese, given the way he squinted his eyes, "but am I right in assuming the both of you are Matagi?"
"We are," said Yae hesitantly as the both of them straightened up to study the newcomers. The man himself was wearing a traditional Chinese robe shirt with buttons on the front, long pants and a shade hat on his head. The girl standing next to him was wrapped in some rather large robes that appeared to be a size to big for her. Though it didn't seem to bother her as she brushed some of her light brown hair to the side. "Is there something we can help you with?"
"I was merely wondering if either of you had come from Hokkaido recently," said the man with a seemingly friendly smile on his face, "to be more specific, the Abashiri region."
"We passed through recently," answered Subaru, "it had a bit more snow than usual and some pretty bad freezing going on. Though I gotta ask, what's with the interest in Hokkaido if you're on a boat that's leaving it?"
"Oh my interest isn't in Hokkaido itself, but rather some of its inhabitants and a couple of recent visitors," replied the man.
"Would you happen to be interested in a Matagi girl, an Ainu girl, a Matagi Slayer and a Hashira?" Asked Yae as she and Subaru discreetly reached for their revolvers.
"Ah, right on the money," said the Chinese man as he suddenly opened his eyes wider to reveal his goat-like pupils, "all the better to. I'm much too excited to drag this out much longer anyway." The man clapped his hands loudly then as a number of demonic creatures suddenly leapt from the water while a commotion also started up from within the boat. Subaru and Yae were quick to draw their revolvers and fire at the nearest creatures, killing a few while the rest scattered.
Not long after that, Gyomei came bursting out from the other side of the deck, swinging his weapon around and mowing down several more demons. But their fight would be short-lived as the girl by the demonic man's side suddenly shifted, growing in height as well as gaining blond hair and red horns before holding up a stumpy arm. The sound of yelping could be heard as Isosange suddenly came flying out from below deck, a demonic hand holding her by the scruff of her outfit's neck. "Why don't we all just settle down," said the demon woman as she reached into the stump of her arm and pulled out a Nambu pistol before pointing it at the Ainu girl.
"Iso," exclaimed Yae as they both aimed their guns at the demons.
"I said settle down," repeated the demon woman as her floating hand moved Isosange in front of her before she put the Japanese pistol to her temple and cocked it, "I won't ask a third time." Subaru's grip tightened on his weapon for a moment before he reluctantly lowered it, with Yae following shortly after.
"And if you'd be so kind as to step in next to your companions, Mr. Himejima," said the demon man as he removed his hat to reveal a pair of blue horns, "I think it'd be easier to speak if we can all see each other clearly."
"Who are you and what do you want?" Questioned the Stone Hashira as he moved in next to Subaru and Yae, his own chained weapon held at the ready.
"I think Genjirou here can answer who we are easily enough," said the demon man as he and the girl's forms shifted and twisted slightly to reveal a horned blond woman and a man with blue horns and a white, flower kimono.
"Shuten and Ibaraki Doji," the Matagi almost spat, "I'd really hoped the both of you had died in that bombardment."
"I would've been ecstatic if that really had been the case," replied Shuten as he produced a gourd from seemingly out of nowhere and took a swig, "alas, no such luck. And after all this time I've become fairly certain that what does finally end me will be nothing short of spectacular. But I digress. You wish to know why I am here, holding an entire boat along with your little companion hostage? The reason is quite simple, I wished to have a civil conversation without the possibility of being attacked."
"If you want civil, then let my sister go," said Yae, almost snarling at the two.
"I'm afraid that's out of the question," said Shuten, "although, I can meet you halfway. Dear, would you mind lowering the gun, but keep a hold of her."
"And I went through the trouble of hiding this inside my arm too," huffed Ibaraki as she pocketed the pistol while keeping her other clawed hand on Isosange's shoulder.
"So," asked Gyomei, "what is it you wished to talk about badly enough that you'd follow us out to sea?"
"First off, I'm here to applaud you," replied Shuten as he clapped his hands together, "those three Yukki Onnas and the other demons were some of my better creations in recent months. I set things in motion shortly before heading over to Kume Island with this," he scratched his hand then, causing blue blood to spill out as the flower from before suddenly grew out of his hand, "when I first cultivated this, everyone referred to it as the blue spider lily. Muzan himself has been searching for it for the entirety of his thousand-year reign now. But he'll never find it so long as I have anything to say about, especially when I only ever grow them where he and his demon moons aren't."
"So you turned those people into demons just like you did the ones at Kume Island," said Subaru, "are you trying to create some kind of demon army?"
"Not quite," replied Shuten as he crushed the flower in his hands and let the petals fly away in the breeze, "what I was trying to create was the next generation of demons. Muzan's done some interesting work on his end when it comes to creating demons over the centuries, but not a single one of them has ever been able to withstand the sunlight or produced something or someone capable of fighting against me. At least that's what I thought, then you showed up my wonderful Rifleman."
"I'm afraid I don't catch your meaning," said Subaru, "I just do this job because it's necessary right now. I'm not anymore special than any other slayer."
"Ah, let's not be coy Genjirou," said Shuten as he wagged his finger in mock disapproval, "you are the first of your kind, a human/demon hybrid. It's still quite the mystery how you wound up this way, but not unwelcome. In fact, I can actually breathe a sigh of relief that Muzan's presence in this world actually generated an interesting result."
"What's he talking about?" Questioned Yae with a glance towards Subaru.
"Why the demon manifestation within him," answered Shuten Doji, "surely you noted during the battle with Asir Reia, the appearance of those marks on his body. Under ordinary circumstances, those marks would come from being the descendant of a powerful slayer. But in this case and if I'm surmising correctly, the mark on his eye was the result of a mixture of both human and demon blood. Somehow you were able to keep the full transformation at bay until your body adjusted to it. And now, you have a little demon inside your head who's capable of using her blood demon art to aid you in battle."
"If only it'd worked to detect this guy," said Azakeru in Subaru's mind, "but I couldn't sense him or these minor demons until they were already right on top of us."
"Is there any truth to what he's saying?" Questioned Gyomei as he also glanced at Subaru. The Matagi sighed as he pulled up his eye patch.
"I'm afraid it's true," he replied, "a few years ago, my family was attacked and killed by Upper Moon 4, Hantengu. Some of his blood got in my eye when I attacked him while trying to help my Father. The wisteria had kept it at bay until recently. But one way or the other I'm still Subaru Genjirou, Matagi, Rifleman and Demon Slayer."
"That you are!" Said Shuten Doji with both of his hands up in the air, "and what good fortune that such a marvelous specimen happened to become a Slayer of all things. Why Ibaraki and I were on the edge of our seats watching you four deal with my Yukki Onnas, especially Asir Reia. Even I didn't quite expect her to overdose and become a demon dragon! But one way or the other it was all worth it, because now you're stronger than ever and your potential is still enormous!"
"You, followed us?" Questioned Yae, "all over Hokkaido. This whole time you were watching us?"
"We've had years of practice," Ibaraki chimed in, "I was known as the Great Tiger of Mt. Oose before I even became a demon. Though even I'm not as bad of a stalker as my husband."
"Can you blame me," asked Shuten innocently, "an ordinary Matagi gains the blood and partial powers of a demon without fully becoming one while also befriending the descendants of Tamamo's bloodline, all of whom are now showing incredible potential."
"Honey, you're salivating again," Ibaraki pointed out. Shuten gave a quick apology as he wiped his mouth.
"Tamamo's descendants, as in the fox demon?" Questioned Subaru with a raised eyebrow, "I don't know anyone like that."
"Oh, but you do," Chided Shuten, "it's little surprise you don't know, of course, after a thousand years only those like me and Muzan would remember her. One of the great demons of that era with the power to expand domains and glimpse into other worlds. My, how I miss her and the others. To learn that she still has living descendants, I believe their names are Tanjiro and Nezuko, was a most welcome surprise."
"What do you know about Tanjiro and Nezuko?" Asked Subaru as he fixed the demon with a fierce glare.
"I know of their lineage that started with Tamamo's son, Abe No Seimei," explained Shuten, "but more importantly, I know of your attachment to them. You see, for the last couple of centuries now I've been trying to create my own, spectacular death. The closest one was Raikou and I've desperately been searching for someone capable of filling his shoes. I've used blackmail, manipulation, threats and even the deaths of friends and family to motivate those I thought were strong enough for the job. And now, I find you and them, already ripe from the loss of family and quickly climbing the ladder to greater and greater strength."
"You'd bring innocents into your own mad schemes," said Gyomei as he took a step forward, "if you desire death so badly, simply release the child and allow me to send you onto the next life."
"I'd be willing to accommodate you on such a generous offer if I didn't already know the extent of your strength," replied Shuten Doji, "but even you still have a little ways to go before being able to challenge me to a fight that would end my life. Ibaraki, be a dear and step back for a moment." The blond oni woman complied as she retreated a few feet away with Iso, leaving the drunk demon himself more or less alone on the deck. "Now show me your strongest attack."
"Breath of Stone First Form: Serpentine Bipolar!" Exclaimed Gyomei as he sent both weapons spiraling towards Shuten. The demon simply smiled and took a basic sumo stance.
"Domain: Moonlit Mountain," he said simply as the area was suddenly transformed into a mountain peak. Shuten the raised both of his hands and managed to catch the blows, the impact only sliding him back a foot or two. "Do you see now," he said before roughly tossing the weapons back, "in your current state, taking on the likes of me or Muzan is out of your reach. You should focus on defeating him first before coming after me-."
A few shots rang out as Subaru turned to see Yae's smoking revolver. But Shuten didn't even glance her way or acknowledge the healing bullet wounds on his head and stomach. "Now where was I," said Shuten as the mountain peak they were on vanished and the ship's deck reappeared, "ah yes, you have a lot of room to improve as well, Subaru. Take what just happened for instance."
"Even I don't know what just happened," said Azakeru, "it seemed like an illusion, but at the same time it wasn't."
"It is called 'Domain', little one," said Shuten, apparently able to partially hear Azakeru's voice, "only the more powerful demons are able to use it. And if yours is what I think, I can't wait to see it. A calm, snowy place is so underrated."
"Can we please not talk about snow for a bit," Isosange spoke up hesitantly, "we've, been battling in it for days now."
"Yes, of course it's a bit off topic anyway," said Shuten, "the main point of my showing up here now is quite simple: I am telling you, get stronger and defeat Muzan. Bring him down and you may yet have a chance at killing me. Fail, however, then I might have to end the lives of those two Kamado sib-SNICKT!" The drunk demon was quick to react, raising his hand to stop the blade of Subaru's Makiri knife. Even despite the fact that it pierced his hand and stopped short of his neck, Shuten remained smiling.
"You go anywhere near them and I'll give you a real reason to beg for death," growled Subaru as his eyes radiated absolute murderous intent, all directed at the demon in front of him.
"Yes, that's the fire I like to see," said Shuten before jumping back and landing on the roof of the ship's dining room. The wound on his hand healed in mere moments as he directed his attention to his wife. "Ibaraki, I think we're done here."
"About time," said Ibaraki as she pushed Isosange towards Yae before leaping up next to her husband. Yae was quick to wrap the Ainu girl in a hug before retreating behind Gyomei and Subaru to ensure she was alright.
"Until we meet again, Subaru Genjirou," said Shuten Doji as he signaled his wife. She proceeded to toss him a lighter she'd nicked earlier from one of the passengers which he proceeded to flick on. "Get stronger by the next time we meet, or I'll give you a reason too."
"Oh shit, EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Exclaimed Subaru as the drunk demon released a powerful belch of pure demonic alcohol breath, causing a massive stream of flames to engulf the dining room.
"We need to save them!" exclaimed Gyomei as he charged into the now flaming wreckage.
"I'll go after Shuten," said Subaru as he rushed to the bow of the ship where he saw the powerful demon heading.
"Fate is a fickle thing, my boy," said Shuten Doji as he stood with the full moon shining behind him, "and as much as I'd like to stick around, we both have places we need to be." He leapt off the bow then and onto a water demon that quickly disappeared into the distance. If Subaru didn't know better, he'd have sworn he caught a glimpse of a mist shrouded island in the distance.
A Couple Hours Later
It took a fair bit of time and work to get the fire put out, and while they managed to save a few of the passengers, many of them were burnt to a crisp by Shuten Doji's initial flames. As for Yae and Isosange, they hadn't left each other's sight the whole time. Understandably, they were a bit rattled by the whole experience. "Seriously," said Isosange, "who attacks a girl trying to osama?"
"I'm just glad you're alright," said Yae as she patted her sister's head, "I never would've thought we'd encounter something so terrible out here on the sea."
"It was most unexpected, even for me," said Gyomei before turning his attention to Subaru, "and what of you, Genjirou? He says you have demon blood in you, yet if that were true you'd have died by sunlight long ago."
"You got me," said Subaru as he rubbed his own head, trying to think on the matter, "all I know is I got demon abilities to an extent. Maybe I'm like Genya, just got a unique physiology."
"Whatever the case, I don't believe you are with the demons," said Gyomei, "if you were, a lot more of us would be dead by now."
"I do appreciate the vote of confidence," said Subaru before turning to Yae and Isosange, "and what about you two, holding up alright?"
"I, honestly am still processing a lot of it," said Yae with a sigh, "but if you're asking whether I think you're a human or a demon. I'd still say a human, even if you're a bit freakishly strong for one."
"And I've seen plenty of Wen Kamuys in the last few days to know that you aren't one," added Isosange, "so that drunk and his wife can go suck it."
"Well in order to do that, there's some places I need to go," said Subaru as he checked his rifle while thinking on the day's events. He'd been helpless to stop Shuten Doji once again and the more he thought about it, the more he realized he needed to do more than just get stronger. "It's about time I got a new rifle."
"In that case, I suggest going to the Swordsmith Village," said Gyomei suddenly, "Hidan himself resides there and that is also where he has new weapons delivered and tested."
"Couldn't I just send Shika out and have him come to me when he's ready?" Questioned Subaru.
"If you were merely receiving the same rifle as before, yes," replied Gyomei, "but I have a feeling you intend to try out some new weapons. If that is the case, then the Swordsmith Village would be the best place for you to go as it also has a testing range. Hidan would also have all the necessary tools to make adjustments should the need arise."
"Well as long as I stop by the Butterfly Mansion to see Tanjiro and Nezuko first, that shouldn't be too much of a problem," said Subaru as he worked the action on his rifle, "alright then. Next stop at the main island, the Swordsmith Village!"
Whew, for an intermission chapter this one got surprisingly long. But, hopefully you all enjoyed it and as always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. And once again, be on the look out next week as 'A New Crusade' finally resumes. Be sure to stop in next time as Subaru meets some very familiar and also new faces at the hidden village of the swordsmith's! 'Til then.
