So, hello! I hope you all are doing well. Before we get into this, I have to shoutout an awesome writer named PenguinKiwi. Her story "Breath of the Void" is what gave me the inspiration to start writing again, and I can't thank her enough for writing such an amazing piece of work. That said, this story is a continuation of the second ending for "Breath of the Void". If you haven't read the story, STOP! GO FIND HER STORY, AND READ IT BEFORE YOU READ THIS ONE! MY STORY IS A DIRECT CONTINUATION, SO CHARACTERS WILL REFERENCE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN HER STORY!
Alright, with that out of the way, here we go! I hope you guys like it.
(A Random Forest, Fiore x776)
Musashi Miyamoto woke up steadily, breathing slowly. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing bright blue irises. Her body was sore, but she felt oddly refreshed. Wherever she ended up this time, it was peaceful here. The abundance of flora around her told her that she was in a forest.
It was peaceful, and she really wished she could sleep for a little bit longer.
*SNORE*
"H-huh?" It was at this moment that she noticed an extra weight on her body, that wasn't the multitude of swords she possessed. She looked down, to see a head of bright yellow hair with tips highlighted blood red. Then her memory started to settle back into place, and she couldn't help but sigh. Her partner, lover, and over the top good guy Kyojuro Rengoku, had followed her when the Rayshift occurred. Both were spirited away from Kyo's home dimension, into one completely unknown.
*SNOOOOOOORE*
Okay, that was getting annoying. It was about she tried waking him up, she thought. "Kyo! Let go of me!"
*BONK*
"Gah! Musa! Why'd you do that?!"
"I told you this already, you're a walking furnace!"
"I'm not that bad Musa! Why are you so mean?!"
The couple stopped bickering when they heard the sound of some leaves crackling. Instantly, they were on their feet with their hands on their respective blades.
"Woah! Friendly! Didn't mean to spook ya." A definitely masculine voice spoke from the treeline. He stepped into the light, revealing a large man, with burnt orange hair, stubble on his chin, bandages wrapped around his abdomen, navy blue pants, tall grey boots, and a high-collard, black cloak. "What are you two lovebirds doin' out here anyway?"
"I don't think that's any of your business, big fella." Musashi snapped.
"Musa! Don't be so rude!" Kyojuro chimed in.
"Kyojuro, we don't know this guy. In fact, we don't even know where we are! Are we just supposed to trust the first guy we run into?"
"You two are lost?" The man asks. "That's strange, you're really close to Magnolia. Would've thought you two were on the way there."
"Magnolia? Is that some sort of village?" Musashi asks.
"You haven't heard of Magnolia? That's even stranger. I'm almost certain that Magnolia is a household name, especially consider Fairy Tail."
"Fairy tale? Like a children's story?" Rengoku asks confusedly.
The man stares at them blankly. "Just how sheltered were you two as kids?"
"HEY!" The two demon slayers shout.
Musashi sighed and palmed her face, before continuing. "Look, we're not from... around here, really. You mentioned this 'Magnolia' place earlier, is it nearby? We could use a place to crash tonight."
"Well, you're in luck. I'm on my way to Magnolia right now. Why don't you guys hitch a ride on my way to Fairy Tail."
"Again, what's Fairy tale?" Rengoku asked.
The man sighed.
After about a couple hours walking through the forest, Gildarts Clive finally made it back to Magnolia Town. He wish he would've gotten home sooner, but he had picked up two lovebird swordsmen on the way.
Kyojuro Rengoku and Musashi Miyamoto were some real oddballs. First, he had found them lying on the floor of the forest arguing. That wouldn't be so strange, but then he had made noise. Both were instantly on their feet, hands hovering over their katanas. Those instincts were honed from years of fighting. He could tell right off the bat.
They are, or were, warriors.
Things only got weirder when he asked them questions. Who on Ishgar didn't know Magnolia? Let alone Fairy Tail! He learned a couple of things about them. Mainly, they were from out of the country, and they were flat broke. They refused to talk much more about their lives other than that, which was fine by him, he had things he wouldn't talk with complete strangers about too.
He was driven out of his thoughts by bells. Ah, so someone from town spotted him.
He was graced with the looks of absolute confusion and shock on his two companion's faces as they city itself started to change.
"What in the name of Kami is happening?" Said Musashi.
"Oh, suppose this may look weird to outsiders. I'm really clumsy." He said while rubbing the back of his neck. "I tend to destroy things if I run into them on accident, so the city made it impossible for me to accidentally destroy a couple of houses."
"How can you accidentally destroy houses?" Kyojuro asked incredulously.
"It's a side effect of my magic." He walked over to a nearby tree, before poking it. White lines began to spread in a checkered pattern around the tree, then it exploded. "It's called crash magic, and anything I use it on just, you know, gets destroyed."
"That seems extremely dangerous, if you can't control what you use it on." Musashi pointed out.
"Oh, I can control it. I'm just lazy, so my control can slip at times. If I'm constantly paying attention, it won't happen."
The two deadpan stares he received, which he was baffled that Kyojuro could manage one while still smiling, put a smile on his face. It was always funny seeing other people's reactions.
"Well, come on. Fairy Tail is waiting at the other end of the city."
"Hey, master! I'm back!" Gildarts announced as he stepped into the building.
"So I've noticed, Gildarts." An old voice spoke from inside the building. Musashi looked inside to find a short old man in what seemed to be an orange and blue jester outfit sitting on the bar, nursing a flagon of what she suspected to be ale. This new dimension that she and her beloved Flame Hashira Kyojuro had ended up in was most similar to Renaissance Era Europe, yet more advanced at the same time. "How was the mission?" The old man asked happily.
"Eh, not too bad. Managed to keep the property damage to a minimum at least." Gildarts replied.
"What's a minimum, Gildarts?" The man asked suspiciously.
"Only a house or two, maybe a couple train cars."
The old man sighed. "At least it's not a full village this time."
Gildarts laughed sheepishly, before his eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot, I picked up a couple of stragglers on my way here." He turned towards her and Kyojuro. "Come on up here, you two, and let me introduce ya!"
She and Kyo did as told, and walked up to the bar. "Hello! My name is Kyojuro, family name Rengoku!"
"And I'm Shinmen Musashi-no-kami Fujiwara no Harunobubu-?!" She winced as she bit her tongue. Even now, she still couldn't get it right. Laughing a bit and rubbing the back of her neck, she shook her head. "Sorry, let's do that over! Name's Musashi Miyamoto!"
The old man laughed lightly. "And I am Makarov Dreyar, Guild Master of Fairy Tail, which is where you happen to be right now. Now, how may I help you two?"
She put her hand on Kyojuro's shoulder. "Me and my partner here are from a ways out of the country, and we're flat broke. We don't even have a place to crash at, so we were wondering if you had any jobs available here?"
"Well, you've come to the right place for that. Do you know what mage's guilds are, by chance?" When both of them shook their heads, he continued. "Allow me to explain. Mage's Guilds are places where people who practice magic can go for work. Citizens can put out job postings and have them sent to guilds for mages to take. Lots of guilds, however, take things a step further. Fairy Tail isn't just a guild, it's a family. We welcome new members with open arms, we stand by them when they are down, celebrate with them at their highest, love them unconditionally, and fight beside them when challenges come. The bonds we form alongside each other are stronger than even the most unbreakable chains. That is what we here in Fairy Tail believe."
Musashi was nearly stunned into silence, meanwhile her partner seemed to glow, his smile brighter than ever.
"I'm in!" He shouted.
"Kyo?" She asked.
"You're not backing out of this one, Musa! That speech set my heart ablaze, and you can't change my mind! Not happening!" He spoke passionately.
She laughed lightly, and grabbed his hand. "As if I would back out after a speech like that! You sure are passionate old man, I'll give you that! We'll join!"
Makarov gave a hearty laugh. "Haha! I'm glad. The guild can never have enough members like you. Now, where do you want your guild marks?" He jumped down behind the counter, and took out a small stamp, before jumping back up. "You can have it in any color and wherever you want!"
"Wherever I want?" Musashi asked with a sly smile on her face.
"I wouldn't mind a free show." Makarov giggled pervertedly, before being conked on the head by Musashi.
"Nice try, old man. Get your head out of the gutter." She paused for a second. "Red, and put it on my shoulder." He planted the stamp on her left shoulder, before pulling it away. The pink stamp sparkled a bit, before setting in place. She wiped at it with her hand, only for it to not smudge at all. It didn't feel any different, just like a part of her skin.
Makarov turned to Kyojuro. He took off his hashira haori, and unbuttoned his top, leaving him shirtless, and now with the full attention of everyone in the guild, especially the females. Musashi noticed some of the thirsty looks being thrown his way, and inched closer to his side.
"Put it right here!" He pointed his thumb to his right pectoral. Makarov smiled, and stamped his chest. With a sparkle, the Fairy Tail emblem set in place. He smiled and turned to Musashi, quickly pulling her into an embrace, which she happily accepted. Makarov, in an eyebrow-raising feat of acrobatics, back flipped onto the second story railing. He cleared his throat, before using a bit of magic to amplify his voice. "My children! Allow me to introduce the two newest members to the Fairy Tail family! Kyojuro Rengoku and Musashi Miyamoto! Let's party!" He shouted, and the entire guild erupted in cheers. The night was spent mostly drinking and getting to know some of their new guild mates. To their surprise, there were quite a few children among the guild members. Gray Fullbuster, Cana Alberona, Levy McGarden, Jet, Droy, Max Alors, and Erza Scarlet all come to mind. Cana is a bit shy, but she has a slight mischievous streak. Gray is cold and indifferent, but doesn't take being insulted easily. Levy is shy and surprisingly smart for a nine year old. Jet and Droy follow Levy around wherever she goes. Max is a social butterfly that loves talking to people. He struck up a conversation with Kyojuro that lasted almost an hour. Erza is by far the shyest of the children, as she is the most recent addition to the guild besides them. Musashi tried to pull the girl out of her shell multiple times, but the most she got out of her was her name and age. Although, the way her eyes sparkled when she laid her eyes upon Musashi's katanas was adorable, and slightly disconcerting. Towards the end of the night, when most of the children went back to their respective places, Musashi and Kyojuro hung around the older members of the guild and drank.
"So, are you two an item?" Asked Macao Conbolt.
"Yep!" Kyojuro exclaimed happily.
"We've been together for a bit at this point. Kyo actually asked me to marry him about a month ago, but I just wasn't ready to take that next step yet." Musashi explained.
"You two seem a bit young for that kind of thing. How old are you anyway?" Asked Wakaba Mine.
"20." Both of them replied at the same time.
"I believe I heard you say 'yet', does that mean you are planning on it?" Gildarts asked.
Musashi nodded and hummed a confirmation. "Just not for a bit. I love this idiot to death, but I don't think I'd make a good housewife."
"I know you won't make a good housewife!" Kyojuro said, ignoring her indignant protest. "I just want you to be happy. I could care less about you being a model woman."
"Oh, you know how to melt this warrior's heart, Kyo!" She pecked him on the lips.
"I've been meaning to ask this, but what type of magic do you two practice. I know you both are swordsmen, but do you use magic at all?" Makarov asked.
Musashi decided to speak first. "Actually, I think we can let you guys know, since we're basically family now. Kyo and I aren't from this dimension." She let the words sink in for a minute.
"How much have you had to drink tonight?" Wakaba spoke up.
"Oy! I'm not drunk enough to make up stories yet. And you didn't hear wrong, Kyojuro and I aren't from this dimension, and we technically don't use magic. Well, not in the way that people here do."
"Is that so? Can't say I've heard that one before. But, it's not the craziest thing I've heard." Makarov says while finishing his drink. "So, how did you two end up here, if you don't mind me asking?"
Kyojuro looked like he wanted to speak up, but was silenced by Musashi. "I'll take this, Kyo." She whispers. "I guess you could say I was cursed, or something like that. My original world was destroyed, and in because of that, I was cast out. I went from timeline to timeline, world to world, just hoping that I could live a normal life. Then, I ended up in Kyo's world. I'll let him take it from here."
"Well! My world was one where demons and humans fought for domain for thousands of years. Us humans needed a way to beat the demons, since normal weapons weren't enough, so we developed Nichirin weapons, a metal that can absorb sunlight, which demons are weak to. We also developed fighting styles that focused on breathing. We found that controlling your breathing into patterns could make us physically stronger, which helped us keep up with the increased strength of most demons. It also had the neat effect of creating illusions around our bodies. My style is called Flame Breathing, and I think you can guess why." He said wile laughing lightly.
Musashi decided to continue. "Long story short, we beat Muzan, but I used up almost all of my magic to do so. That led to me being spirited away again, this time to your world. But, not before this idiot decided it would be a good idea to grab onto me as I was teleporting. Now, I guess he's along for the ride." She finished with a slight smile. "You know you didn't have to do that, your dad and brother are probably worried sick."
"They're really strong! Plus, they could live without you, and now I don't think I can." Kyojuro said.
"Again, with making me blush, Kyo!"
Makarov cleared his throat to get the couple's attention. "One question before I need to clean up. Is it possible that you may teleport away again?"
Musashi thought about it for a second before shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know. My magic definitely feels different, so maybe that's a good sign, but there's no way to know for sure. I was in Kyo's dimension for over 3 years, which is by far my longest stay, so I can really never know. All I can do is hope, because Kami knows I just want to settle down a bit."
"Well, I hope you can do that here in Fairy Tail. Truth be told, there's not really a way to 'settle down' in a guild this rowdy." Makarov laughed.
"Ha! Come on, that's the way I like it!" Musashi cheered.
"Alright, I should probably be heading home. These old bones can't move like they used to. You two can use the guest room in the back of the guild hall until you can afford your own place."
"Thanks, gramps!"
"Hai! Thank you, Master!"
Musashi and Kyojuro's first night at Fairy Tail was fun, in more ways than one. It was also the first time either of them truly slept after the Muzan fight, and the two lovers needed some time to themselves with everything that happened lately.
When morning came, both of them got up and ready at the same time.
Today was going to be packed full of things. First, Makarov was going to teach them how to use this world's magic. Then, they were going to embark on their first official job as Fairy Tail members. They had chosen the job last night, a dark guild, called Seizing Rain, is on the move. Their true motives remain unknown, but some of their members were causing trouble in a town called Silia, which is a couple hours by train away from Magnolia.
The two had breakfast together, and the other guild members who walked by them kept giving Kyojuro weird looks whenever he said "Tasty!", which was pretty often, because the breakfast that the guild's bartender, Lilith Hopeland, made was really good. Makarov said she was in her mid 30s, and she mostly kept to herself, smiling whenever someone complimented the food she made, but other than that, only talked openly with the guild's master.
Makarov called for them to go out to the guild's training grounds, which were decently large for a guild of their size. When they reached the middle of the field, he plopped himself down right on the grass, in the lotus position.
"The best way to bring out your magic is to meditate, since you can clear your mind and focus on yourself. Now, have a seat, and I'll talk you through it." Both former demon slayers sat down in front of him. "Now, close your eyes, and think of all that are close to you. Think of the happiness they bring you, all the good times, the hard times, and how much they mean to you. Think of what would happen if they were in danger. What would you do? Would you run away? No, you'd protect them, you'd fight for them, because you care about them. Focus on that feeling, that will to protect, imagine yourself grabbing it, and pulling it towards you." Makarov opened his eyes, and saw some spectacular things. Kyojuro Rengoku had specks of flame trailing down his body. Truly, the boy was the epitome of the element fire. Passionate and bright, unwavering and powerful. When he turned towards Musashi, however, a lone eyebrow raised on his head. He couldn't see any change.
That's when he tried to sense her magic.
And gasped.
Musashi Miyamoto was leaking magic as much as a waterfall leaked water.
Over with Kyojuro, he could feel his body heat up as he grasped that weird energy inside of him. He did exactly what Master Makarov told him to. Imagine those close to him, and his desire to protect them. Then, a stray thought ran through his mind. It was something that shouldn't have affected him that much, but it did.
An image, of Muzan Kabutsuji, in his true demon form, standing over a battered and bloody Musashi Miyamoto, his beloved.
For the first time, he felt true hatred. His body and soul coursed that anger and hatred, until he could think of nothing else. On the outside, Makarov was starting to get a bad feeling.
Then Kyojuro opened his eyes.
Black flame-like markings appeared on his face, and trailed down his body, although you couldn't see it since he had his pillar uniform on. Pink fire burst from around him, as bright as a star. He couldn't think, he didn't know what was real and what wasn't anymore. He only saw the image of Muzan standing over Musashi.
"KYOJURO!" A voice screamed, and the pink flames died down immediately. He looked around, and saw his beloved, Musashi Miyamoto, staring at him with tears in her eyes. Before he could utter a sound, she crashed into him, engulfing him in the tightest hug he'd ever received in his life. "What the fuck was that?" She asked after a bit. Her voice almost a whisper.
"I-I don't know." He asnwered.
"I think I can answer that." Makarov spoke up from the side. "Your magic, that's what caused this."
"Explain." Musashi bit out.
"Your magic manifested as a very rare form of magic, called Devil Slayer magic. Fire Devil Slayer Magic, to be exact. I pushed you too far, it seems."
"What do you mean?" Musashi asked.
"Devil Slayer Magic is a lost magic, one that uses a demon's own magic against them. It also gives the caster the ability to replenish their reserves by eating their element. Although powerful, users of the magic were known to be short-tempered, and got quite violent when angered."
"That doesn't make sense, Kyo is probably one of the nicest people I've ever known. He's never had a temper." She insisted.
"I know. However, my mental exercises to get you to bring out your magic must have trigged either a bad memory or something. Kyojuro, could you shed some light on this, please?"
Kyojuro nodded. "I was doing what you told me to, imagining everyone close to me, and my will to protect them. Then, I saw something. It was an image of Muzan standing over you, Musa. You were beaten, bloodied, and defeated. Something in me just... snapped. I got so angry, that even though what I saw wasn't real, I thought it was. All I could think about was making Muzan pay for hurting you."
"Then your marks appeared." Makarov pointed out.
"Marks?" Questioned Musashi, before her eyes widened. "Did they look like flames on his face?"
"Yes, why?"
She turned to Kyojuro. "Your demon slayer mark."
His eyes widened in recognition. "Oh!"
Makarov still looked confused. "Do you mind explaining?"
"Demon Slayer marks were something that could only be gained by a powerful demon slayer back in Kyo's world. They gave us lots of useful powers, but those who awakened it didn't reach an age past 25."
"That is concerning." He stated plainly, before looking ip and snapping his fingers. "Maybe, your mark manifested as Devil Slayer Magic, when you crossed over into our world. I will say, you don't only have Fire Devil Slayer Magic, you also have some form of normal Fire Magic at your disposal. I believe it may have something to do with your Breathing Styles from back home. Why don't you go through a couple moves to see if anything has changed?" Kyojuro nodded, before unsheathing his Nichirin blade.
"Breath of Flame: Third Form. Blazing Universe!" He yelled, going through one of his techniques. As normal, his blade was followed by a trail of fire. He looked to the ground...
And it was on fire.
Usually, his Flame Breathing form couldn't actually create fire, only create an illusion that didn't affect the world around him. This, however, was real fire. He controlled his breathing in the normal pattern, and his blade lit on fire again. This time, he inspected the fire.
It was hot.
Really hot.
'Oh! My clothes are burning!' He quickly pulled his hand away, breathing normally once again, and his blade was extinguished. He put out the fire on his sleeve, before it ruined his uniform.
"Holy shit, Kyo. Your blade was actually on fire." Musashi stated incredulously.
"Yeah! It was awesome!" He grinned at her.
"If you can do that, I wonder what my magic is?"
"I think I may have an idea." Makarov called out.
"You do?"
"In fact, I do. Here, channel your magic into your arm, and hit me as hard as you can!" He sent an eager grin her way.
"You sure old man? I'm pretty strong as is."
"Oh, I'm sure! Now go for it!"
Musashi did as she was told, and channeled her magic into her right arm. She dashed at Makarov, who glowed yellow, before his body grew much larger and muscular. Her punch impacted him with the force of a thousand suns, kicking up dust and debris around them.
When the dust cleared, Makarov was there...
Unharmed.
"I knew you were powerful, but that was just ridiculous!" He groaned. "Whoo! You really put some strain on this old bag o' bones!"
Her baffled look shifted into a large smile. "Well I'll be damned old man! You're stronger than you look!"
"You don't get to be one of the Ten Wizard Saints by being weak, Musashi!"
"Ten Wizard Saints? What are those?" She asks.
"Did someone not tell you about this? Huh, well, the title of Wizard Saint is only given to the strongest mages in Fiore. I just so happen to be one of them, and have been for a while now." He brags slightly, before letting go of his Titan Magic, his body returning to it's normal size. "Musashi, what you just used is called Reinforcement Magic. It's fairly simple. You channel your magic into different parts of your body to increase your strength, speed, and durability. If you have breathing techniques, I believe they would work in relatively the same way. Now, you two are about to embark on your first job, with magic you just unlocked. I feel like I should tell you this now... You are not to use your Devil Slayer Magic until we've had a chance to train you in it more. Musashi, if you have a mark similar to Kyojuro's, then I suspect that yours will also manifest into some type of Devil Slayer Magic. We don't know what will happen when it awakens, so you two mustn't do anything that would bring out your slayer marks."
"Okay! Musa and I will stick to our breathing styles, then!" Kyojuro agreed excitedly.
"I can use my reinforcement magic, right?" Musashi asked.
"Of course! Keep practicing with it as much as you can. It's a simple magic to understand, but the more you use it, the less magic power you will need to use." Makarov explained.
"Cool! I guess Kyo and I'll be off then. We've gotta get the job done, after all."
"Don't have too much fun, you two!"
"Oh, shut it, old man!"
A/N: Alright, another project has been started! Once again, thank you PenguinKiwi for both giving me the inspiration and permission to write this story. I have a lot planned, and I cannot wait! So, for those who enjoyed it, please leave a review and tell me what you think!
Now, there are a few things that I think I should mention. Rengoku and Musashi's new magic.
Rengoku, as you have seen, will have his own style of Fire Magic that is nearly identical to his Flame Breathing Form from Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Fire Devil Slayer Magic, which is his Demon Slayer Mark manifested as magic thanks to the ethernano that is ever-present in Earthland. Musashi's Breath of the Void style is a bit weird, so I want to explain it as best I can.
Okay, so she has 5 blades. Myoujingiri and 4 unnamed Nichirin blades that use the 4 main elements, Water, Wind, Earth and Fire. Her breathing form from PenguinKiwi's story, as you should've read, conforms to whatever blade she is using. This will stay the same, but when she uses Myoujingiri, her breathing form will use pure ethernano. This will give me a bit of creative freedom when she gets into fights. Also, she will have a type of Devil Slayer Magic, since she also gained a Demon Slayer Mark in PenguinKiwi's story. She will also have the same Noble Phantasm from that story.
I think that covers everything I wanted to talk about for this story, let's talk about my other ones.
Hunters? We're Heroes! Is still in progress. I am having trouble fleshing out the plotline for the end of Volume 1, but rest assured, I will get it done ASAP. Those who are worried that I have abandoned that story, don't worry because I haven't left you all out to dry. Then there is The Next Destroyer, which I haven't released a second chapter to. I think I will rewrite that story entirely, plot an everything. Don't know when I will release it, but I will be putting that story on hiatus for the time being.
Alright, I covered everything I wanted to! Thank you all for reading this story, and I hope you stick around!
~Mij0