The Next Stage: Swinging and Dancing
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter for Breath of the Rifleman! Today's chapter is gonna be a little shorter but hopefully that won't take away from any of the enjoyment. Also, a quick announcement: I'll be resuming 'Hailstorm Vol.2' starting next week, so look forward to the start of the new season. And it seems we have no review questions to answer this week, so, onto the story!
Daytime: The Butterfly Estate
Subaru could feel a number of emotions coursing through him right now as Shinobu finished the explanation of her plan for taking out Doma. He was admittedly impressed by her ingenuity, though he'd admitted a long time ago that she far outclassed him in terms of poison usage and application. He could also respect the time and effort she put in to formulating such a plan. That being said, he was also irritated that after so much time and effort, that was the only method she'd thought to come up with. And lastly, he felt more than a tinge of sadness at Shinobu's resignation and disregard for her own life, which he decided he'd make known now.
"So basically," said Subaru, "your plan hinges on you dying and, worst case scenario, relying on someone else to finish the job?"
"I know it sounds like I've resigned myself to death," said Shinobu, "but you have to understand, I am the only Hashira who lacks the strength to cut off a demon's head. I've made it this far as a Hashira by being clever with the only other known method for slaying demons. But in all that time I've never encountered an Upper Moon in prolonged combat like some of the others have. Even my best poisons would likely be useless against someone like Doma, and without the ability to cut off his head, this was the only solution I could devise."
"But Master," said Kanao, "if we fought together, I'm certain we could defeat Upper Moon 2 without sacrificing your life. Tanjiro, Subaru and the others managed to be a big help to the Sound and Love Pillars in defeating two Upper Moons and the ones known as the Saiketsu twins helped Tokitou against another Upper Moon. Surely with my help-.'
"Kanao," said Shinobu with a soft smile, "I do appreciate you wanting to help me so badly, that's why I know I can rely on you to deal the finishing blow once I've done my part. It won't be the most fortunate of circumstances, but that's alright. I'll be able to join my sister in the next life knowing that I dealt a lethal blow to the demon who took her away from me." Her smile grew sad then, but it still spoke of acceptance for what was to come.
"And I think it's bullshit!" Exclaimed Subaru as he slammed his hand on the mat, "have you even thought about what you're asking Kanao to do? I know I've missed a bit but she's finally coming around to being an actually happy girl for once and now you're asking her to let you, her Master and practical older sister, die by the hand of a demon just so she'll get a much better shot at killing him?!"
"I didn't select this method because it was my favorite," replied Shinobu with a frown, "I just acknowledged that there's a high possibility that I'm incapable of killing him on my own."
"Or, you simply never thought beyond killing him," said Subaru, "tell me, if it turns out that you can actually slay his demonic ass without this method, what will you do?"
"I'll…..continue to run the estate," answered Shinobu, "and perhaps I'lll….."
"You don't really have much of an idea at all, do you?" Subaru said, noting her hesitation, "You're fully expecting to die if and when you face Upper Moon 2. It'd be one thing if you were proposing this as an absolute last resort but you're not. Instead, you're putting this up front like it's the absolute only way you believe things can go and you and I both know that isn't true."
"What would it matter if there was another way," Shinobu asked, narrowing her eyes slightly, "we both may have thirsted for revenge and having gotten yours you might think you understand, but you don't. I'm not like you, I don't have a lover waiting for me when this is all over, I don't have any family awaiting my return at the end of the day no matter how many demons I kill. The only thing that has sustained me for years was this burning hatred in my heart for the one who took the last family I had and when he's dead, I'll no longer have any reason to go on."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Kanao shouted suddenly before stuttering a bit to get her next sentence out. "I mean, you do have a reason. I still want to learn from you, Master, even if it's not demon slaying there's still so much you can teach me about the world. And Aoi and the other girls who you've spent these past several years teaching and taking care of, they don't want to lose you either. Then there's everyone of the other Hashira. I know you don't get along with all of them but surely there's one or two who'd be sad to see you gone. You said it was good that I was getting better at expressing my true feelings, and so I'll be honest and say I truly don't want you to die!"
She actually had a few tears welling up as she said the last part of her sentence. Shinobu's features showed she was clearly surprised at her Tsuguko's sudden outburst before they softened a bit. "You really mean that don't you Kanao," said Shinobu before turning to Subaru, "and what about you? What's your reason for wanting me to live so badly?"
"For starters, me, Tanjiro, the annoying boar and the yellow pansy all owe you and your staff for patching up our sorry asses so many times," said Subaru as he crossed his arms, "heck we'd probably have been dead a long time ago if not for you all. Second, even though you tried to kill her the first time you were among those willing to listen and give Nezuko a chance and now she's kind of fond of you. Thirdly, my Dad would kick the everliving shit out of me if he found out I let a former student of his throw their life away."
"I wouldn't say my sister and I were exactly his students," Shinobu pointed out, "but he did give us the introduction in toxicology we used as our foundation for wisteria poison. I was unaware he still thought so fondly of me."
"As we just explained, there are a lot of people who'd much rather see you live through this," said Subaru, "now I can't deny the possibility that your plan might prove necessary, but first I believe we should see if it isn't possible to use another method."
"Did you have something specific in mind, Subaru," questioned Shinobu with, was it possibly hope in her voice. The Matagi's answer was to produce his sleeve pistol and pull out one of the bullets.
"For starters, I thought I'd give you the new formula for my Derringer bullets," said Subaru, "it worked to mess up Upper Moon 4 more than a little bit. It'd be a start if nothing else. And even better, I can send word out to a few friends who've experimented with platinum and mercury. I also have a friend who's an expert on demon physiology and medicine, though I'd recommend keeping an open mind when working with them."
"You mean Lady Tamayo," said Shinobu with a slight smile, "yes, Oyakata said he was sending for them. Alright then, you two win. I'll give it my damndest to stay alive, but I expect you all to work your asses off to help me kill that bastard."
"I can most assuredly work with that," said Subaru, "so, where should we begin?" They talked and planned at length after that, with Subaru almost forgetting at one point that he'd wanted to check on Tanjiro. As it turned out, his friend had already left for the pillar training at about the same time that he'd been about to finish the first stage. He set out for his next training location shortly after that, disappointed that he was traveling more or less alone but still looking forward to the possibility of seeing his friend somewhere along the way.
A Few Days Later: The Home of Tokitou Muichirou
"Good, you haven't forgotten what I taught you before," said the Mist Pillar as he and Subaru exchanged blows in the dojo section of his residence. His home was similar to the Butterfly Estate in many ways, though with a lot more cloud and misty forest artwork as opposed to insect artwork. And the section that served as his room had more than a couple of books in it lining a large book shelf. Apparently he had to do a lot of double-checking before due to his short memory, though now that his memory was a bit better he found more enjoyment in the reading itself.
"How could I when it came in handy so many times against the last enemy," replied Subaru as he blocked another blow with his staff before striking back with an attempted low sweep which Muichirou flipped over before retaliating with a strike of his own which Subaru barely managed to dodge. Like his other training sessions before, the Hunter had been allowed to use a staff roughly the length of his rifle due to being proficient in the use of it as opposed to a sword.
"Well just remember to allow your muscles to loosen and tense up smoothly," reminded Muichirou as he dodged and parried another couple of strikes before returning with some of his own, "it'll help your stamina improve even more once you're able to do that." 'Like I can just do that when moving at this speed,' thought Subaru as he did his absolute best to keep up with Tokitou's speed, barely managing to deflect one strike after another as they seemed to move in a blur to the other slayers currently watching the one-on-one training. It was possible he was moving even faster than the first time they trained together and still might not have been moving at full speed. Guess it shouldn't be a surprise given he beat an Upper Moon almost single-handedly.
"That's the spirit," said Tokitou as Subaru managed to counter with a kick which nearly caught him in the stomach before advancing with quick jabs which the Mist Pillar parried, bobbed and weaved around, "now just try and maintain focus and your balance, never forget the basics."
"You're starting to sound like my Dad on one of his nicer training days," remarked Subaru as Tokitou ducked another strike and then countered with a jab of his own which the Matagi redirected with a vertical block.
"I hope that means I'm being a good teacher," replied Tokitou as the two of them exchanged a few more blows which led into a bladelock, "I'm actually open to some feedback here and there. I haven't even thought about training a Tsuguko until now."
"It's your training," said Subaru as they broke the lock and traded a few more blows, "if you can tell that I'm learning or getting better at what you want me to improve on, then you're doing something right. At least that's the kind of thing my Dad would say."
"In that case," said Tokitou as the two clashed one final time before backing up to regroup, "I'd say you're done here. Feel free to head on to the next Hashira whenever you're ready."
"Huh," said Subaru, almost stumbling due to readying himself for another strike, "you sure Tokitou, I've only been here for six days. The rest of these guys say they've been here for eight or nine." Said slayers were off to the side, currently stopping their sword swings in order to hear what the Mist Pillar had to say in response to that.
"That's because they're a bunch of fuckups," replied the Mist Pillar with mild disdain, getting a groan of defeat out of the other assembled slayers, "they might have a bit of stamina, but they're body coordination is all over the place. Until I'm confident they can move quickly and precisely, they won't be going anywhere just yet." His face switched back to a smile then. "But you're body coordination is on point, so I won't keep you here as you've got more trainingto get to after all."
"Ignoring that your quick mood change was a little creepy, I guess I can't argue with that," said Subaru with a shrug before glancing at the other slayers who were there, "good luck guys. Remember if you make it through this part of training there's a lovely lady waiting at the next stage." He and Tokitou bowed to each other then before Subaru got to packing up. Though as he left, Momiji couldn't help but comment on the situation.
"Wow, the bias could not be any more clear," she said with a giggle, "I mean yeah you had a bit more skill than those other guys, but I can't help but feel like he let you go because he also likes you better."
"It's just how the circumstances went," replied Subaru mentally as he stepped out the door and began the journey to his next destination, "he could've just as easily ended up hating me during our training sessions at the Swordsmith village."
"Eh, pretty sure that's not as likely as you think, what with Tanjiro and you showing him a thing or two about humility and kindness," replied Momiji, "either way, let's go see if you can get your face shoved into Mitsuri's boobs again."
"Last time was an accident in midbattle, twice," Subaru pointed out while not really wanting to mention the number of times it had occurred, "I doubt Kanroji does something like that on a regular basis. Also, are you hoping Nezuko will maul me or something?"
"I'm just wondering if she's the jealous type is all," said the Daitengu mischieviously, "she may be nice and forgiving to friends and family, but what will she think if her boyfriend keeps getting the boob treatment from another woman?" The slayer sighed at the implication. It was always nice to see Momiji in a good mood, but he really had to wonder if she always had his best interests in mind with comments like that.
A Couple of Days Later: The Home of Mitsuri Kanroji
"SUBARU!" Cheeredd the Love Pillar as she pulled him into a hug, burying his head in her cleavage. Whether it was on purpose or accident was anyone's guess. "It's good to see you again, how's Nezuko and Tanjiro been, I hope the others haven't been too rough on you!" She stopped talking as she realized the Matagi was tapping her arm before releasing him.
The Hunter wasted no time in taking in some much needed air while trying to fight the blush on his face. "Hey Mitsuri, good to see you too," he said, "and Nezuko's doing great. I imagine she'll be talking normally again before long. And Tanjiro's just a few days behind me as far as training goes, so he should be here any day now."
"Oh that's wonderful," said Kanroji with a smile as she signaled him to follow her, "come on in, I've got this new pancake mixture I've been dying to try and some feedback would be great!" Subaru followed after her, though he couldn't ignore the hysterical laughter in his head.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Matagi didn't even need to see the mindscape to know that Momiji was rolling on the ground while clutching her sides, "oh that's beyond hilarious! You're not even here for five minutes before she shoves your face into her boobs! It's like she knows it messes with you!"
"I don't actually think she does," Subaru thought back, "she seems the type to not realize the effect she has on people."
"Sure," replied Momiji, "maybe if you were a bit shorter or she was a bit taller then at least you'd have the excuse that her hugs are at just the right height, but she's three inches shorter than you. And I'm certain she knows the limits of her own strength by now, so we can probably rule out accident."
"Why don't we just call it her being excited and forgetting her own strength, and leave it at that," thought Subaru with a groan. Needless to say, Momiji only remained quiet about it for a little bit. Though both their minds quickly became occupied with a type of food they'd only ever heard about but never got to try, pancakes. And both he and Momiji were able to agree, they tasted great.
"So, this is some kind of mix of egg, flour, and wheat or something along those lines?" Questioned the Matagi as he took another bite of the foreign food.
"Something like that," said Mitsuri, who was already five plates in on hers, "and the honey is straight from the source. I actually do beekeeping because there's nothing better than fresh honey on my bread!"
"Now that's a hobby I didn't expect," said Subaru, "then again we fight demons for a living. Being a Hashira you probably wouldn't even feel it if you got stung."
"I've just had a lot of practice at it," said Mitsuri with a dismissive wave, "and speaking of which, once you've had time to digest your food a little, we should get on with your training."
"They said you do flexibility training," mentioned the Matagi, "what's that entail, exactly?"
"Well first," said Mitsuri as she pulled out a pink leotard with a yellow sash, "you'll need to put this on." For a moment, Subaru's brain didn't quite register what she said, then the realization came as he spoke.
"You want me to wear a pink leotard just so I can do some stretching?" Questioned the Demon Slayer. The Love Pillar's answer to that was a happy smile and a nod. "Not to sound disrespectful, but, fuck that."
"Oh it's only for a little while," said Mitsuri as a dangerous glint appeared in her eyes while the smile remained on her face, "and I can't play favorites, you know, not after making everyone else wear one of these. Think of it as the required uniform for Kanroji style training." Subaru laughed weakly at that as it dawned upon him that the Love Pillar, could actually be kinda scary when she wanted to be. And now Subaru found himself standing in a line with a bunch of other dudes trying not to feel like they'd lost a degree of their manhood by wearing these outfits.
Then the training actually began as the group was made to dance nonstop to music, trying not to feel absurdly stupid while doing so. It was almost enough to distract the Rifleman from the fact that he was able to improve his footwork and body movement while doing this 'dance' routine, and it upped his stamina even more. Though even that wasn't enough to keep him from feeling embarrassed as a good friend of his entered the room a few days into said dancing routine. "Oh hey Subaru!" Cheered Tanjiro as he walked in with the next group of slayers, having absolutely no problem with the fact that he was wearing a pink leotard.
'Well at least one of us has what it takes to dance around in a funky getup,' thought the Matagi as he currently wished he could disappear from his friend's sight. Were Tanjiro the type of friend to pick on people from time to time, he'd never let the Matagi hear the end of this. Though such thoughts were quickly put out of their mind when they got to the stretching portion of the flexibility training.
The one upside to the training was that the lovely Kanroji herself helped them stretch, but that was also the downside. She would actually use her own strength to push or pull their limbs past their normal limits and hold them there to help their flexibility improve. Needless to say it was hardly better than the medieval rack torture device given how much it hurt. It was actually a little worse for Subaru given that he spent more time running and gunning, relying on the dexterity of his fingers to use his weapons as opposed to the many forms, rotations, and movements associated with swordfighting.
In the end, this meant that despite Tanjiro showing up a couple of days later than the Matagi, the both of them wound up leaving at the same time due to Tanjiro's agility and flexibility being just a bit higher than his. Subaru and Tanjiro both got a boob hug from the Love Pillar upon leaving, adding yet another memory for Momiji to laugh at as they went along. "Ya know Subaru," she said in his mind, "if this demon slaying or hunting thing doesn't pan out, we can now look at dancing as a career option."
"I'd rather forget wearing that ball vice contraption of an outfit ever again," the Rifleman thought back before Tanjiro spoke up.
"That was a lot of fun actually," commented the swordsman, "I mean the stretching part hurt, but we got to listen to music and dance around a bit."
"I'm glad one of us was enjoying themselves," said Subaru with a sigh, "though I think the both of us should take a little time off the dancing before we reach our next destination." Even Tanjiro had to agree with that as the two were currently walking rather stiffly, looking more like they were walking on stilts than actually putting one foot in front of the other. "Oh and Tanjiro, don't teach Nezuko any of those flexibility positions. I'd like to avoid any accidental breaks if possible." His fellow slayer wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about or even implying, but agreed anyway despite that.
A Couple Days Later: The Home of Obanai Iguro
"Subaru Genjirou, Tanjiro Kamado," said the Snake Pillar, leaning against some railing as he greeted them, "I've been waiting for you."
"Very nice to mee-," Tanjiro started to say before the Hashira cut him off.
"Shut up or you're both dead!" Snapped Obanai as a sudden murderous aura began to emanate from him, "I heard about you from Kanroji, it seems she had a good time training you." 'Oh yeah, Mitsuri mentioned she and him exchange letters from time to time,' thought the Matagi. "But I'm not a nice person like her, so you'd best be prepared!"
"Wow, training with the creepy snake guy is gonna suck," quipped Subaru, "what a shock."
"Oh you won't be training with him," said a voice that made the hairs on the back of the Rifleman's neck stand on end as Ozaki dropped down from the roof, "I talked Iguro-sensei into letting me put you through this part of training. And I assured him I'd make it an absolute nightmare too."
"Oh, hey Ozaki," said the Matagi nervously, "is that what's happening now? Well I'll be looking forward to training with you." Thought internally, he was only thinking of one word for the current situation: shit.
And so the Hashira training continues with both good, and embarrassing results. But now our heroes face training from one who's hated their guts from the start, and his training will reflect that disdain. In the meantime, though, I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter even if it was a little short 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. Be sure to stop in next time as our heroes contend with those among the Hashiras who have yet to accept them completely as slayers! 'Til then.