This is my very first time writing something for the Demon Slayer series. I recently got into it via one of my reasons I investigate and stick to a series. In this case it's a ship that drew me into this series.

And that's the ship of Shinobu and Douma. For some reason I just really love it. Despite all that I know in canon. Don't judge me!

Anyways, this particular story will not only focus on my main ship, but Akaza, Gyuutarou, and Daki as well. I don't really care for the former Upper Moon 4 nor the 5th one, but I may see what I can do with Nakime. As for The 1st Upper Moon, I'd need to look up more about him because right now my intrigue lies elsewhere.

It's a modern AU reincarnation so no demons, no breath styles, and no blood arts. I'll learn more as I go on.

However, I'll (FINALLY) be starting my college career soon so, updates will be based on my schedule.

Finally, I'll be adding an important OC in this story whose tied to the reincarnated Upper Moons, But I shall have that explained in a separate story which I'll see if I can post before chapter 4.

Now without further ado, let the curtains rise on a new life.

Gyuutarou and Daki

Tarou Yasuhiro often wondered why some things in his life… felt so unusually familiar. From a neglectful and often frightening mother to his complete disgust with those who took things for granted. From the day he was born he felt that there was something or rather someone missing, but his young mind couldn't process what that was exactly.

He grew up independent and faster than all the bullies that made fun of his slovenly appearance; he wasn't very smart but was more clever and stronger in P.E than the others. Not that it really mattered much. His so called mother never came to his school's sporting events, never fed him properly enough and if she wasn't hurting him, it was the numerous men she'd bring home, sometimes they were some of the same men or multiple of them at the same time that were.

So it didn't surprise him when he learned that he was getting a little sibling. He was ten when it happened and had just been in a fight once again because some upperclassmen accused him of glaring at him. He won that fight, although with some bruises. His mother came to the school to talk with the head teacher, he was only half listening when he heard the key word 'pregnant' come out of his mother's mouth.

He hadn't though much on it when he was brought home after being suspended for a week and also being locked up in his raggedy room as punishment.

But once his mother had left and he unlocked his door (this had happened other times before, so he learned this trick) and going to the store and use what money he had to buy something to eat he began to ponder.

A sibling? Just what he needed! Another mouth to feed and another reason for his mom to not be home. He was considering running away for a better life when he caught sight of a little girl crying under a tree, surrounded by a trio of older boys.

Not that he cared but something tugged at his heart when he saw the unfairness of what the boys were doing.

And just as he was about to intervene, a boy about eleven or twelve rushed up and stood in front of the poor girl, stretching his arms out as to shield the girl from the bullies.

"Onii-chan!" The girl cried out. In a blur of three minutes the bullies were running away, one with a broken nose and the other two with black eyes.

Tarou had to admit for the first time in his life, he felt like a coward. A crying little girl being faced by dangers that presented itself as older males. It angered him quite well.

While in his thoughts he hadn't noticed the little girl coming up to him, and was initially on guard until she handed him a grocery bag. Puzzled he cautiously took the bag from her small hands and watched her expression. He had to admit those deep blue eyes that oddly seemed to have silver light in them like stars were incredibly familiar to him.

Opening the bag he saw seven breakfast bowls, seven apparently handmade Bento lunches and seven instant ramen bowls, which so happened to be in his favorite flavor-spicy chicken. He didn't have any beverages in there but he wasn't going to complain.

He looked at the odd girl, still trying to figure out why she seemed so familiar. But he came up with nothing to really use. Its like there was a dam in his mind, it was old and had somehow had the impression of being there even before he was born if that was possible, but it was also leaking and close to breaking.

Realizing the strange girl's older brother was glaring at him from afar and said child was staring at him with a glint in her eyes, he opened his mouth to thank her when she interrupted.

"Don't thank me Gyuu-kun. What I'm doing, for you and what I'll do for the others in due time, I don't desire your verbal thanks. Just do what you weren't smart enough to do before, get yourself and Daki-chan out as soon as possible. I want you both to have better lives than the ones you were dealt before. After all, out of the Upper Moons, you two were truly terribly tragic." She said in a completely serious and mature tone.

Tarou's eyes widened in confusion as both familiar and unfamiliar feelings began to ensnare him. Just who was this girl?! He gripped his heart when a strange feeling took over his being. It freaking hurt. He didn't even register that the strange little girl had called him stupid.

Opening his eyes, without recalling that had closed them he saw the girl and her brother gone. The light blue sky had begun to fade to an evening one with the time being 7:00. He looked at the bag of food and decided to head home; maybe he'd be able to sort out what the hell just happened.

That night he had the most bizarre dream imaginable. Demons, swords, red light districts, but what stood out above all was a little girl. A beautiful little girl who he felt he owed the world to. He was beginning to think there was something in the food he was handed by that suspicious girl. The world was truly a fucked up place if a five year old was trying to drug him!

The dreams came and went like a fickle rainstorm. His mother while pregnant decreased his beatings and a pair of elderly neighbors began feeding him one day when they noticed his mom didn't come home until almost midnight. It was a slightly better living. But he still felt low on purpose.

That all changed when his mother gave birth to his little sister. As soon as she was christened with the name Ume, memories of their past lives came flooding in. He held his new little sister in his arms and lo and behold his eyes starting tearing up. With love. With regret. with HOPE.

He recalled that he should've gotten Ume out of that damn red light district. That she should've been given a chance at a better life. He remembers the fury of Hell and the wrath of the people they made victims of.

He also recalled that rainbow eyed weirdo, the strength obsessed midget, the meek number 4 and the not so subtle number five. There was the reclusive samurai. But, above all there was Muzan. He no longer felt the need or respect required to address him with the honorific 'sama'. This was a whole new life, which meant he could use this opportunity to give Ume and himself a better life.

His mother didn't seem concerned nor moved by his sudden tears. Not that he expected her to. He didn't care, he didn't care about her in his previous life and he wasn't about to start in this one.

Luckily what his so-called mother didn't know was that a detective had approached him a few weeks before. His estranged grandparents were looking for his mother and learned of his existence, they were willing to offer him and Ume a home.

Naturally, he told the detective to wait until his sister was born to give their grandparents the information they needed to gain custody. '

In the span of two weeks, Miku Yasuhiro and her husband Kaito* were rewarded full custody of their grandchildren. His mom put up no resistance and left them behind. They were shop owners and were able to provide both Ume and himself with necessities, warmth and love.

For, now that was paradise.

Doma

Empty. Isolation. Nothingness. If you asked Doma Yamamoto what he felt and he decided to give you the absolute truth. Well there was your answer.

It wasn't entirely his fault. Outsiders might've blamed his parents. His mother was a famous author on Humanities and Religious Studies while his father was a renowned professor at Tokyo University.

Naturally that left them little to zero time for him. It didn't help that he looked nothing like his parents, with pale gold* hair and the most unusual but often complimented eyes. They were an actually rainbow. He mother was accused of cheating on his father, which was such a case of the pot calling the kettle black. His father was constantly fooling around with his female students, not that he ever got caught.

So his was the unspoken bane of his parents' marriage. Not that he minded. He was also a sickly boy, who was in and out of the hospital until he was eight.

Therefore, primarily a nanny his mother had hired when he was weaned raised him.

He had to admit. He didn't want to feel empty. He couldn't even create real connections with anyone. He tried getting his parents attention, but to no avail.

So he decided at the tender age of five to look for meaning elsewhere. However, he didn't expect his meaning to come towards him in the way that it did.

It was his 9th birthday and once again both his parents were to busy and uninterested in actually attending. So while he was given presents and cake. He felt empty. Emptier than ever.

Lately he had been feeling that the thing he was waiting for was actually a person. He had yet to actually meet said person. But he knew that she, yes he was confident that the person was a girl, would be the one with who he could obtain happiness. What a weird feeling he thought.

Although his parents were experts on religious aspects, he himself felt that there was no afterlife. Though he often contradicted those thoughts inwardly.

"Doma-kun. Are you ready to open your presents?" his nanny, Mio asked. Mio was a beautiful, kind and patient woman. He actually felt upset that he couldn't make a genuine connection with her.

So he put on his usual 'smile' and acts.

"Yeah. I'm ready Mio-neechan."

After 9 presents of video games and books, one envelope of money and some clothing. He felt that he'd have objects to keep him distracted. He was attending 3rd grade after all. Another year of loneliness and learning. That year of being the oldest by a year in kindergarten was horrible.

He was supposed to be in 4th grade but his frail body had kept him in the hospital for too long. Nobody in his class came to see him, since he was the target of bullying for his looks and rich but neglectful parents.

He was finishing off his second slice of cake (strawberry and chocolate.) when Mio handed him a neatly wrapped box. Mio wasn't necessarily expected to give him presents, but he appreciated the notion nonetheless.

Opening it he found a purple butterfly keychain a figurine.

He stared at it intently. Silently taking it in.

"I know it may seem a little girly, but I thought it would suit you since you often stare at…" Mio was cut off when she caught sight of her charge crying. His rainbow colored eyes, which only got wet when he had a cold, was producing tears. He was hugging the butterfly keychain close to his chest as if it could escape from him.

"Doma? What's the matter? Do you not like it? Please calm down." She questioned and pleaded once he started bawling.

But he couldn't stop. Everything was coming back to him. The Upper Moons. His cult. His parents (He was starting to believe that his parents in this life were the same as the ones in his past.) and her. The one person he truly felt something for in his past life. Shinobu-chan.

How he loved her, even if that love wasn't given time to blossom since he realized the feeling at the time of his demise. The feeling stayed with him even when he was cast into the pits of Hell. They say Hell hath no fury compared to a woman's fury. Well rather for him, it was Hell had no fury, nothing it could dish out that hurt him more than her rejection of his feelings. Yet it didn't deter him.

What made him feel that Satan's punishments were bearable was the love he had for her, the hope that one day, if God was truly as merciful as people said he was, that he get to see her again. Be with her.

And here he was. Yet he hadn't meet her yet. He hadn't seen a younger version of the beautiful pillar that spewed unbridled hate at him and managed to poison him which lead to his demise.

Was she reincarnated as well?

Would they meet again?

What could he do to be rewarded with her love in this life?

He was brought out of his inner thoughts when he finally heard Mio calling his name.

Wiping away his tears, he for the first time in this life he genuinely smiled. The joyous feeling in his heart he'd been missing was back!

For the first time he hugged Mio and reassured her that he was fine.
"Thanks Mio-neechan, I'm going to treasure it forever!" it wasn't a lie. But the butterfly he'd treasure and love forever the most was definitely going to be Shinobu-chan

With renewed vigor, when school started he intimately declared that he was going to shape up and become a human being that was worthy of Shinobu's love!

"Shinobu-chan, I hope I get to see you soon." He giggled, kissing the keychain goodnight.

When school started up again, for the first time ever he was eager to go.

A inkling that something special was coming his way made his heart swell up and feel heavy for the previous two weeks now.

"Well, if it isn't the girly boy!" his biggest bully Sasuke Togami, an overconfident and pretentious boy called out to him. Togami was in the grade above him (Though it was actually the 5th grade, bad health remember) but still found ways to mess up his desk and draw obscure and cruel things on the chalkboard about him.

In the past he may have cowered and did nothing against Togami-kun. However, that was no longer the case.

He strolled right past Togami-kun with his head held high, rainbow eyes gleaming. He wasn't going to be pushed around by anyone else. He was certain Shinobu didn't like weaklings.

However, Sasuke Togami was not one who took being ignored in stride.
Becoming red faced he spotted the butterfly keychain. Smirking evilly, he made his way to snatch the keychain and succeeded. Once Doma realized what had jus transpired, the feeling he hadn't felt since the younger sister of Shinobu (he'd have to make certain that when he meet up with Shinobu again, he doesn't regain that girl's ire again.) called him out on his lack of emotions. Well wasn't he going to prove her wrong!

But right now his concern was beating Togami to pulp for taking his link to Shinobu away. For daring to defile its beauty with his ugly hands!

"Give me back my keychain!" he demanded. Not only was it a reminder of the one female in his heart, but it was also something the closest person he had to a mother had given him.

Togami looked surprised. It was the first time had ever seen Yamamoto retort and to be honest the look in his, in his opinion abnormal and freakish eyes, was cold like ice.

But never one to back down, he swallowed his unease and challenged him by holding the keychain in a near crushing manner.

"What are you going to do about it? You weak, little…"
Sasuke Togami didn't get to finish his sentence. Not because Doma sucker punched him, he actually didn't, though he wanted to. He didn't have his demon blood art of ice anymore. So he was going to try using Akaza's (was that even his name anymore?) method.

No, it wasn't him. It was a girl with long hair and pink-purple eyes that looked like they had flowers in them. She was wearing dual butterfly hair ornaments. It took a moment for who this girl was to sink in.

It was Shinobu's older sister Kanae. With that realization came that Shinobu mustn't be far behind. But he also recalled that he was the one who killed Kanae. Would she recognize him? If so, she was going to be one hell of a sister-in law from Hell.

"You shouldn't bully others Togami-san." Kanae said with a gentle yet firm voice. One that belayed her irritation with the bully.

Togami looked taken aback. Not only was the freak Yamamoto standing up to him, but a girl he was sort of developing a crush on was as well. I mean if such a pretty girl caught you being a bully wouldn't you get flustered.

So he bailed. Dropping the keychain in the process. Doma looked perplexed and anxious. Kanae and the bow of a fifth grader and assuming that she and Shinobu weren't too far apart in age, that could mean that she was at this very school with him!

If he didn't want to make a bad impression and weird out the surrounding students, he would've squealed like a teenage girl meeting her boy band idol.

Kanae reached down and picked up his keychain. Handing it back to him, she flashed a sweet smile. And for the moment, he knew she wasn't going to try and gouge his eyes out for the past.

"Nee-san. Are you okay?" A sweet voice called out. A voice that made him heat up with love and happiness. This time for sure, he'll grasp happiness.

And~ we are done for the first chapter. Sorry I didn't get to Akaza. He'll have to come next chapter. And if you think Doma got a longer section than Gyuutarou and Daki, then you're right. Is it hard to figure out why?

Anyways, I don't know when I'll post the next chapter since I have started school since last week. I only attend four days out of the week, and my classes of the day mostly end by 1. So, I'll try and find time. But this is my first year in college after such a long time since I graduated high school.

1* I totes snuck in my Vocaloid OTP. Whoever caught it gets Sakura mochi.

2* I do NOT want to hear a single argument about Doma's hair color. Personally. Both suit him.

Finally, the other characters such a s Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu, Inosuke etc. etc. Will make appearances in the coming chapters.

I didn't let the mysterious girl who helped Tarou out appear out of my own personal reasons.

Ah well. See you next chapter! 3 3 3