The Return of the Maple Leaf Fan
Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter of Breath of the Rifleman! We got a chapter leading up to something exciting this time around, so hopefully you'll all enjoy it. As per the usual, I'd like to give a shout out to LoneTaker, groche9655, and Noble Eight for their contributions to this story. And it seems we have no immediate questions to answer in the guest reviews this week, so let's get on to the chapter!
Daytime: Swordsmith Village
"You're moving by habit again," said Muichirou as he dodged another thrust and landed a glancing blow on Subaru's side, "it's fine if you've found a pattern that works for you, but don't limit your moves to only a single pattern."
"Otherwise, I become predictable, right," said Subaru as the two continued to trade blows. The Matagi had been training with his new sensei, of sorts, for going on two days now and while he was able to get closer in hitting him, he still hadn't managed to land a decisive blow on the Mist Pillar. Unsurprising, given that he was one of the nine most skilled swordsmen in the entire Corps and he was actually paying more attention to his movements now. He'd thought about using Domain against him again, but he wasn't sure if he was quite ready to try explaining to another Hashira about the fact that he was a half demon, given that he didn't really understand it completely himself.
"Your moves are much easier to anticipate if nothing else," replied Tokitou as he ducked and then jumped over a follow up maneuver, "and remember to hide your tells as best as you can too. You'll find it a lot harder to catch an enemy unprepared if they can see when you're about to attack."
"I usually have a few more tricks to rely on," replied Subaru as he attempted an upward strike before bringing it back down, both of which were either dodged or parried, "trust me when I say, it's hard to anticipate random bombs dropping."
"I've trained with Uzui before," said Tokitou as he moved to the side of another downward strike before lashing out with a kick which Subaru blocked with his staff, "they are difficult to see coming the first few times, but like any battle that becomes drawn out, the same trick will only work so many times. So create as many variants and forms as you can. The more situations you can be prepared for," the Hashira seemingly disappeared then, causing Subaru to back up a bit as his eyes scanned the area and his ears strained to hear movement, "the better."
Subaru whirled around and attempted to raise his staff to block the attack but was too late as the Hashira managed to land a painful blow where his shoulder met his neck. His nerves reacted painfully to the precision strike as he collapsed to one knee. "What in the world," grunted Subaru, "I've seen a similar technique to that, but I still don't know what you just did."
"That was part of a technique I developed myself," explained Muichirou, "Giyuu isn't the only one capable of adding onto his breath style. And what do you mean you've seen a technique like that before?"
"Well, you wouldn't have believed me if I told you before," explained Subaru as he got to his feet, "but I've actually seen the Breath of the Sun in use."
"How is that possible?" Questioned Tokitou with what Subaru guessed was an inquisitive expression, "the original breath form has been lost to the ages for some time now."
"Hey you got me," replied the Matagi with a shrug, "apparently, it somehow got passed down under the name Hinokami Kagura. Apparently, the current wielder is a descendant of Abe No Seimei, if you can find that believable."
"I can't recall exactly, but I feel like that person is more of a myth than anything. Who is it?" Questioned Tokitou, "if they really wield the Breath of the Sun, we need to verify it."
"You've actually met him already, and elbowed him," said Subaru, "my friend Tanjiro Kamado. He used a technique called 'Fake Rainbow', which somehow creates afterimages with the way the user twists and rotates. It sucked trying to watch it too because it's especially effective against opponents with good eyesight."
"You lie!" Exclaimed Tokitou's crow, Ginko, from her perch in a nearby tree, "someone as weak as that couldn't possibly wield even a single technique from the Breath of the Sun style!"
"Need I point out he's still in the process of recovering," said Subaru, "he just woke up about two weeks ago after surviving a battle against Upper Moon six, Daki. I was lucky to get out of that alive myself thanks to a rather large gun. Which reminds me, it's about time to head over and do another round of weapon testing."
"Then would you mind telling me where your friend is right now?" Asked Tokitou, making at least an attempt to sound polite, "as said, I'd like to verify that he can actually wield the technique."
"He's still getting smacked around by that training doll," informed Subaru, "and that genius Kotetsu isn't giving him much rest. If you want to see Tanjiro use one of those techniques, then you'll have to convince the pint-sized slave driver to give him a good long break first. Though if I recall our wager correctly, you agreed not to interfere with his training."
"Did I agree to that?" Said Muichirou, "I can't recall as I am something of a forgetful person." Subaru actually snorted at his statement, trying not to laugh.
"I almost believe you," said Subaru, "just like I almost believe you were trying to make a joke just now."
"Who's joking," said the Mist Pillar, "it's possible I really did forget about it." Subaru whistled for Shika as the falcon landed on his shoulder. The Matagi pulled a small note from his left leg and held it up.
"You and I both figured that might be the case, so we got it in writing," said Subaru.
"Oh yes," said Tokitou, "that part I did forget about. Why did I agree to such circumstances again?"
"Long story short, you thought I'd be a pushover," said Subaru as he handed the note back to Shika who flew off while he went to gather his equipment, "anyway, if you're bored and need something to do, perhaps you could come watch the weapon testing. It'd help to have the opinion of one of the Corps's best on how they could improve their weapons."
"It'd be more useful if I spent my time training," replied Muichirou, "how useful would those guns even be in hunting demons who can only die from decapitation with special blades?"
"Because you, like many slayers, are clearly overlooking the usefulness of Shinobu Kocho's method," said Subaru, "but if it's training you want, I might have an idea."
The Firing Range
"You're absolutely sure this is a good idea?" Questioned Anita as Subaru was loading one of the recently requested smaller magazines into the Beretta M1918, "this guy is supposed to be one of your best. Wouldn't endangering him be a bad idea?"
"The training methods used by Hashira actually have a high chance of killing even veteran swordsmen," explained Subaru, "heck, just getting to be a Hashira requires slaying at least 50 demons or slaying one of the Twelve Kizuki. In case you're wondering, the former is typically easier to do, but either way it normally takes upwards of five years for an average slayer to accumulate the skill to become a Hashira. Though Tanjiro and I are probably lower on the totem pole thanks to having Nezuko along with us. But I guess I can't fault them for being cautious."
"So there really are demons out there who are more dangerous than Akari," said Anita with a shudder, "all the more reason we need to do everything we can to exterminate them. Alright then, if you're sure this won't go wrong."
"It more depends on him than me," said Subaru before calling out to the Mist Pillar, "you all set out there Muichirou?!"
"I've been ready," replied Tokitou as he took his stance, "so let's see what these weapons have got." The Matagi nodded before shouldering the SMG, aiming right next to the Hashira where a target had been set up. Then, pulling the trigger, a shot rang out as the 9 milimeter round flew out of the barrel faster than a normal eye could see. And yet, just as it was about to hit the target, the sound of a ricochet was heard instead as it was swatted out of the air by Muichirou's sword.
Subaru reaimed and fired at another target that was high and too the right, which was again deflected by the Mist Pillar's sword. He fired the next few rounds in quick succession before dropping his current Beretta SMG and picking up another that was already loaded. Had the reperesentative not been in awe at the speed of the Hashira deflecting the bullets he might've commented on how fortunate it was that he'd brought seven of them. And the remaining ones all had full-sized magazines which Subaru made maximum use of as he continued firing at the targets surrounding the Hashira.
All the while, Tokitou's expression remained neutral, though the amount of concentration he had to employ at the moment was clear. At one point he attempted to use Breath of the Mist Third Form: Scattering Mist Splash to throw a few bullets off course when Subaru fired in quick succession. While the technique succeeded in throwing them off target, some still managed to strike the sides of the target, mildly surprising the Hashira as he now fully realized how much faster they flew through the air in comparison to some other projectiles he'd encountered. From that point on, he relied on another technique, Breath of the Mist Second Form: Eight-Layered Mist, to continue deflecting the bullets with one powerful slash after another.
When Subaru finally ran out of ammunition in the Beretta SMGs, he finished the session by pulling out his Webley and firing in quick succession one last time, all of which were deflected by the Mist Pillar. "And that's it," said Anita, "the range is cold now, so let's see what we got." The Matagi and the gun-selling girl stepped onto the range to check on the targets, and Tokitou, while the other businessmen chatted amongst themselves with several exclaiming in disbelief at what they'd just seen.
"So, what'd ya think?" Asked Subaru as they met up with the Mist Pillar, "do these weapons seem useful for demon hunting?"
"They're some of the faster projectiles I've had to deal with," admitted Tokitou who was breathing a bit harder than usual at the moment, "you say you coat these 'bullets' in wisteria?"
"Yep," said Subaru as he produced one of his own for Muichirou to examine, "they come in varying shapes and sizes, but with enough wisteria and the right mixture, they're lethal to demons. Even more so if you manage to get one in the eye, throat, lungs or heart. So far, even demons with rock-like skin still die if I can get a round or two in their eyes."
"What happens when you run out of 'ammo'," questioned Tokitou, likely struggling to remember some of the terminology.
"Blades with wisteria coating," replied Subaru as he pulled his bayonet slightly out of its sheath, "and they're nichirin steel, just for good measure. Like I told you, I can do more than just shoot things."
"You make a, somewhat, valid point," admitted Tokitou, "I'll try to remember the results of this at the next Hashira meeting. In the meantime, I must eat quickly and then resume training. As agreed, I shall let your friend continue using the doll for now." With that, the Mist Pillar turned and leapt up onto the nearest roof before disappearing from view.
"I don't know what in the world kind of training you guys do," said Anita, "but the top people in the Corps, can they even be classified as human? I didn't think anyone could deflect a bullet like that."
"The Demon Slayer Corps has made and modified numerous methods of strengthening the body in preparation for combat with demons," said Subaru, "if you want to go toe to toe with monsters possessing abilities beyond any normal human, then you have to go beyond the limits of a normal human yourself."
"Well whatever the case, I think you might have just given me an idea," said Anita as she walked up to the businessmen, "I hope you all saw that, a human just deflected bullets fired from a gun. Now a lot of the demons they face might not be able to do that specifically, but they are just as dangerous and in some cases even more dangerous than the person you just witnessed. So, I'll propose this too you all once again, a joint operation where we purchase weapons from all of you who are capable of providing them to the Corps. Because we're not fighting any nations on this one or even human beings, we're fighting demons who threaten everyone and they'll only be put down for sure if we all cooperate!"
How effective her words were was hard to tell, given that all of the businessmen began talking quietly amongst themselves yet again. Were Zenitsu there, he likely could've picked out what they were saying easily, though Subaru doubted it was worth having his yellow pansy attitude around just for that. "Well you got them talking if nothing else," said Subaru as he also turned to leave, "tell them the Corps is more than willing to accept weapons from multiple manufacturers, so long as they prove beneficial."
"Yes, more negotiating," said Anita with a frown, "how joyous. But do you at least have a preference after testing all of these guns?" Subaru looked around for a moment before whispering to Anita.
"If I'm being honest," he said quietly, "that Beretta isn't bad and the Arisaka type 44 has nearly everything I'm looking for. If I had to pick an all-around useful gun now, it'd be between them. However, I can easily name a half dozen situations where I could make use of some of those other guns too."
"Well now that you mention it," said Anita as she signaled for Subaru to follow her, "I finally got in something else that you might like. It's not exactly subtle but, well, you'll see." The Matagi simply shrugged as he followed the girl a few buildings over to what looked like a warehouse of sorts. Instead of going into the warehouse, however, Anita went to a cart that was parked in front of it.
What really made the Matagi quirk his eyebrow, however, was what was on the cart: a coffin. "I mean it's a flattering thing if you want to bury me," said Subaru, "but now I kind of feel like you don't have as much faith in me as you say. You don't have a bet going, do you?"
"Haha, no," said Anita, "I'm certain you've already figured out that it's what's inside the coffin that I want you to see. I had to transport it in there to keep from getting searched."
"It's that scary is it," said Subaru as he lifted up the lid on the coffin and peered inside, "what in the world, is that?" Anita couldn't help the grin that spread across her face.
"It was supposed to be a surprise from one of the other arms representatives," said Anita, "but I went ahead and made some plans to have it purchased. I know it might seem like a handful at first, but once I walk you through it, I don't think you'll have a problem."
"One way to find out," said Subaru, "so how does this overgrown thing work?"
Late Afternoon: Swordsmith Village Outskirts
'The one downside of the crows only knowing part of the way,' thought Izayoi as he walked shakily into the village, 'Is that I can't easily send a message with them. But even that might not have been fast enough.' The Shinobi collapsed to his hands and knees, breathing heavily from the mad dash he'd made towards the village. He'd barely rested along the way, fear of the demons closing in keeping him going for longer than he usually would.
Now that he was here, however, he was finding it very difficult to even walk at the moment. That was until a hand found it's way onto his shoulder. "Hidan," said Izayoi in something of a groan, "they're coming. Upper Moon demons are coming." The cloth wearing merchant quickly wrote down what he already knew needed to be done.
'Then it's time,' read Hidan's paper, 'we'll summon any other available Hashira and begin the preparations for evacuation. How long do we have?'
"Two days at most, probably less," said Izayoi, "just hurry and try not to raise a panic."
'We can do that as long as we depart before the demons arrive,' wrote Hidan, 'if they arrive before we all leave, however-.' He didn't bother writing the rest as the implication was clear. Either way, the village would soon be in danger.
Nighttime: Swordsmith Village Resident Building
'Man, what a day,' thought Subaru as he walked down the halls of the building they'd been using for a temporary residence, 'I've learned a ton training with Muichirou, but it's still an ass-whoopin' and a half as far as our sparring sessions go.' Whether he liked it or not, though, he couldn't deny the necessity for it. And speaking of necessity, he was kind of curious how Tanjiro was doing. A question, it turned out, he didn't have to wonder about long. "I said fuck off already!" exclaimed the voice of Genya as Tanjiro was suddenly kicked out of his room before the door slammed behind him.
"Why is he always like that," Tanjiro thought aloud with his arms crossed.
"You still trying to be friends with Genya," observed Subaru as he walked up to his fellow slayer.
"Oh, hey Subaru, is your training done for the day," asked Tanjiro as he allowed his friend to help him up.
"Pretty much," replied the Matagi, "Muichirou said he had a bit of his own training to do. Now here I am, only slightly wondering why my friend is getting kicked out of an anti-social person's room."
"It's really weird," said Tanjiro as held up Genya's tooth, "I wanted to give this back to him and I thought we'd talk about our days while were at it, but he didn't want anything to do with me. Do you think he's abnormally hungry or something like that?"
"First thing, get rid of that tooth, it won't go back in his mouth anyway and that's also mildly disgusting to be carrying it around with you," said Subaru, "secondly, let's just say he has something of a special diet."
"Oh, well since you're here we can take some food and finish dinner in our room," suggested Tanjiro, an idea Subaru was on board with immediately. Nezuko was also happy to curl up next to the both of them while they discussed what had been happening over the last few days.
"So if I've got this right," said Subaru while chewing on a rice ball, "you started hallucinating from the lack of food and water, which would've been fatal if not for Shika, and discovered a new smell?"
"It's kind of hard to explain," said Tanjiro as he slurped up some noodles, "it's like the opening thread, but even faster and it tells me where my opponents are aiming. I was able to use it to finally get a good hit on the doll, and it broke."
"How'd Kotetsu take that," asked Subaru, "you weren't in Genya's room because you were also hiding from the little doll maker, were you?"
"Oh no, it was actually Kotetsu who told me it was okay to break it," said Tanjiro, "he said he could fix it. But that kind of became secondary when it's head fell off and we found a sword inside."
"There was a sword in the mechanical doll," said Subaru with a questioning look, "if that blade was put in there at the same time as the doll was made, it would've been forged in the Sengoku era. They had some of the finest bladesmiths in the land at the time, but that's still a three-hundred-year-old sword. On the upside, you can tell Mitsuri you probably found the weapon she mentioned."
"Whenever we see her again, yeah," said Tanjiro, "what about you? I'm surprised you managed to convince Muichirou to train you."
"I made a wager with him," explained Subaru, "he bet that I couldn't make him use even a single one of his breath forms in a sparring match. It took every trick I had at the time, but I proved him wrong. And while he doesn't show it, I'm certain he's just the slightest bit irritated about it and takes it out on me from time to time in training, or at least that crow of his does. So, I guess we both got ourselves trainers that like to bruise us beyond belief."
"Well my training is pretty much over for now since the doll's broken," said Tanjiro, "and once we get our weapons, we'll be heading out of here. Perhaps I could-Oh, Tokitou!"
"Hello, am I interrupting anything," questioned the Hashira after seemingly appearing in the room.
"Nothing too terribly important. What brings you here?" Questioned Subaru, trying not to comment on the fact that the Mist Pillar had managed to enter the room without even making a sound from the sliding door.
"I was hoping to see if you were telling the truth," explained Tokitou as he pointed at Tanjiro, "you say he's capable of using Breath of the Sun?"
"I watched him decapitate a demon and slice the front end of a train off with it," said Subaru, "Breath of the Sun, Hinokami Kagura, or whatever it is, it's the real deal."
"You told him I can use Breath of the Sun?" Questioned Tanjiro.
"I'm certain that obnoxious crow of his was quick to inform you that he's a descendant of the Breath of the Sun users," Subaru pointed out, "so I figured why not see if he recognizes it or anything like that. After all, you're still looking for ways to improve your technique, right?"
"I mean I am," said Tanjiro, "but I don't want to be any trouble. If you don't have time I'll understand, Tokitou."
"If you really can wield Breath of the Sun, this definitely won't be a waste of time," replied the Mist Pillar, "any step we can take towards killing Muzan is a step in the right direction."
"Well, I can't really argue with that," said Tanjiro, "and besides, helping other people winds up being beneficial to oneself at the end of the day. And I was thinking of going out to check on Haganezuka and Kanamori soon anyway, so your timing is actually pretty good, Tokitou."
"W-What did you just say," said the Mist Pillar as his eyes widened even larger than Subaru had ever seen them, "just now, what did you say?"
"That your timing was goo-ow!" Said Tanjiro as Nezuko suddenly awoke and sat bolt upright, knocking Tanjiro in the chin, "good evening Nezuko."
"So that's what was in the box," said Muichirou, "I thought something about her felt familiar. What kind of creature is she?"
"You mean you really don't remember," said Subaru, "the Hashira meeting where we were put on trial?"
"I want to say I remember that," said Tokitou as he crossed his arms in a thinking pose, "but it's been some time since then. Could you refresh my-BANG." Both the Hashira and Tanjiro were interrupted by Subaru suddenly pulling out his Webley and firing at the door.
"This is bad," said Azakeru in the Rifleman's mind, "how did he get this close without me sensing him?"
"Subaru what are you doing?!" Exclaimed Tanjiro as he went to check the door, only to leap back as it opened and a hand with gnarled fingers reached in. The limb was soon followed by a horrid looking old man with a massive head and two horns sprouting out of it. Tokitou and Tanjiro realized then why Subaru had fired. Not only was this a demon, it was an Upper Moon.
The Matagi fired a couple more times as the other two slayers went for their swords. Unsurprisingly, it was Muichirou who struck first out of the two swordsmen. "Breath of Mist Fourth Form: Advection Slash!" The Hashira moved forward at frightening speed, quickly drawing his sword and slashing at the demon skillfully even despite the small room. Subaru himself remembered painfully how effective that technique was and had it been anyone else, it would've hit dead on.
But as if the demon intended to prove its status as an Upper Moon, he somehow managed to leap up and evade the Mist Pillar's attack, clinging to the ceiling as he did so. At least it seemed like he evaded him at first until a wide cut appeared on his face. "Ow, stop, don't bully me!" Exclaimed the demon in a surprisingly whiny voice. Not that Tanjiro took the time to notice as he leapt upwards, unsheathing a spare sword Haganezuka had made for him.
Now that his stamina was fully recovered he was capable of unleashing the following attack, Hinokami Kagura: Shining Sun Stab! The blade swirled with flames as the end stuck into the ceiling, narrowly missing the demon as it dodged. But Nezuko was ready, partially transforming into her adult form as she slammed her leg into the descending demon's chest. Subaru assisted her attack with a powerful uppercut, knocking the demon back onto the floor.
"Kill it Tokitou!" Exclaimed the Matagi as he pointed his recently reloaded revolver at the downed demon. As for the Mist Pillar, he wasted no time in cutting the monster's head off with a powerful vertical strike, sending the ugly thing rolling across the floor as Subaru unloaded a few more rounds into the body and the head.
"Nezuko," said Tanjiro, dropping down from the ceiling in almost that same instant, "try not to transform here." The demon girl might have replied if not for the sound coming from the downed Upper Moon.
"Ah, I got cut up and whatever in the world that other bit of pain was," said the Upper Moon again in a whiny voice.
"That's right, don't lose focus Tokitou," said Tanjiro, "if this is an Upper Moon, cutting off it's head might not-." He didn't even get time to finish his sentence as an entire new body burst from the head that was still rolling on the floor while the decapitated corpse grew a new head. "They split up, quick Subaru, we'll take the one behind-." Once again, he didn't have time to finish his sentence as a sudden and extremely powerful blast of pressure hit all of them.
The Mist Pillar was sent flying through the wall and possibly hundreds of yards away by the attack as Subaru glanced at his form flying into the nearby forest. Tanjiro would've joined him if not for Nezuko quickly grabbing onto him and one section of the wall that hadn't collapsed from the attack. As for Subaru himself, he got lucky enough to be standing to the side of the blast and was only sent into the wall from the force. Once the ringing in his ears stopped he noticed a new noise, laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" cackled one of the detachments, a demon wearing a flowery vest with baggy pants and long dark hair. Like the original demon, he had two horns on his head. His happy expression was in stark contrast to the kimono-wearing demon standing next to him. "Oh that was fun, just taking the little bean and throwing him all the way out, right Sekido?"
"There's nothing fun about being called out like this," replied Sekido, "I just feel pissed off at everything right now, including being stuck with you, Karaku." Subaru didn't hear the rest of their conversation after that as he laid eyes upon their weapons. Sekido was wielding what looked like a traditional monk's staff with a metal ring at the end, but Karaku. The Matagi recognized all-too well the weapon he held: a fan, shaped like a maple-leaf.
Everything seemed to fall away then as his vision focused on that demon. Without hardly realizing it, he'd already drawn his knife and took his stance for Breath of the Rifleman Fourth Form: Mountain Stride! "YOOOOOOOUUUUUU!" Exclaimed the enraged hunter as he blasted forward, the floor collapsing beneath the force of his charge as if it had been hit with a cannon ball.
The demon was just the slightest bit too slow to react as the slayer slammed into him with enough momentum to send them both through the back wall, outside and through the wall of another building where the two of them landed and rolled. The demon reacted by kicking the Rifleman off of him and sending him a few feet away where he managed to land upright, knife still in hand thanks to the death grip he had on it as he also readied his Webley in the other. "Well now, that was something," said Karaku, still seemingly relaxed despite the healing stab wound in his chest, "I don't know what kind of knife that is, but the cut you gave me stings quite a lot. I want to say it's a new feeling but something about it feels, familiar."
"I'd be amazed if you actually remembered a damn thing about this knife or the one who used it," said Subaru, his voice low and full of menace as he pulled his eye patch off to reveal the maple-leaf shaped scar, "but I remember you, and the day you gave this to me. And now that you're here, I can pay you back. For every family member you took from me, I'LL RIP YOU APART TEN TIMES OVER!" And with that declaration another pivotal battle for the Matagi and his friends, began.
At long last, Subaru is face to face(s) with the demon responsible for the death of his Mother and Siblings. Will his unbridled rage be enough to slay Upper Moon Four, or will he be crushed along with the village? One way or the other, we got something to look forward too next chapter. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as Subaru and his friends struggle desperately against not one but two Upper Moon demons. 'Til then.