A/N: EDIT: Well, didn't take long for the flames to show up T_T Guess this isn't all that popular compared to "Doctor of Demons."
As ever, we're following the Ember's Rule here. That's no joke. Really, it isn't.
If folks don't like this...well, it won't be continued. Every bit of feedback helps. Reviews are the fuel which keeps me writing in these crazy times. With my tight schedule -two jobs!- I simply don't have time to write a story folks don't like. Without them, my inspiration cannot take wing and I can't write a word. So by all means, speak up!
I finally got around to seeing the Demon Slayer movie. Yup Mugen Train, that's the one.
*inhales deeply*
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..
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Nope, nope, nope! I ain't having that ending! Absolutely not! NO WAY IN HELL! I had planned to save a story like this till later this year, but my muse is screaming at me.
As ever, I own no references, themes, or memes. Not a wit, not a one! Now then, brace yourselves!
And don't worry, Just A Dust Shop is next, followed by Everybody Wants to Be My Enemy, then an Audience with Eternity.
Trying to spread the lover around~!
"My dear sons...do you know why you were born stronger than others?"
So the two of you can save weaker people. Those who were born blessed with more gifts than others are obligated to use those gifts for the world and other people. Do you understand? You must never use that god-given strength to hurt others or for selfish gain. It is the duty of those born strong to help the weak. It is a mission each of you must fulfill responsibly. Make sure you never forget that. Bear the flame in your heart. Burn evil demons and shine gently on human beings. Hold in your heart a flame like the sun
But also...protect one another.
Look out for each other.
And above all...live!"
~Ruka Rengoku.
Set Your Hearts Ablaze
A human's driving force is the heart.
Like a raging fire, their spirit, their will, transcends life and death.
Hmm? What's that? All human hearts are the same? Fragile and weak? Like glasswork? Who decided that? They're our hearts. Our souls. Our memories. We decide if they shatter or not. Us. No one else! A heart isn't made of glass. Its fire. That drive to exist, the will to persist despite all else.
Life will always persist in some form or another. Even in the face of oblivion.
Mine ended when I beat that damn Isshki to a pulp. No karma to save him. No last minute miracle, no message beyond death, no grand scheme to destroy the world - none of it. Complete and total annihilation. His vile dream died with him.I guess Baryon mode was worth it, in the end...even if it cost me my life.
"..."
"Sorry, Kurama. Both our lives. I wish you could've lived, too...
.
..
...its funny, ya know? I thought I'd die with no regrets. But now that I'm here, lying on the ground...I have them. I have so damn many of them! I didn't hug my son enough. I didn't tell my daughter I loved her enough. That day, I never kissed my wife goodbye. I didn't tell my best friend how much I valued that friendship. Its dark. I can't feel my arms and legs. I may not have a body anymore, but I can't stop crying. Can a soul cry? I don't know. Feels like it. I can't stand this agony in my chest. It keeps swelling up. My heart's going to burst any second now.
No.
No, no.
No, no, no!
It can't end like this; no, I refuse to go out like this! I won't let us fade away like some forgotten memory. There's still so much good we could do. If not for this world, then the next. Give us a second chance. Please. I beg of you. If not me, then at least Kurama. He shouldn't have to fade away with me. I was the weakling. I wasn't strong enough without his hep. I am so, so sorry.
...if we were to be reborn...
...if fate gave us a second chance...
...even if it was in another place, another time...
...we'd protect everyone we could. Every last one.
...please. If there's a higher power out there, I'm begging you. Please.
Just one chance. That's all I -we!- need. Just one. Then we can finally rest in peace.
I already made friends with a demon once. I'll do it again. Just you wait! Even better than last time.
Even if I'm reborn as someone else. Even I don't remember at first. Even if...I forget! I'm still me, after all!
(.0.0.0.)
...to!"
Sleepy.
...ruto!"
Ignore the voice.
"NARUTO!"
Ignore that cheeky bastard before he-oomph!
A pillow slammed down on his face, dragging him back to the waking world. He grabbed it and flung it back.
Someone laughed. "That's the spirit!"
Against his better judgement, the blond boy batted another pillow aside and creaked an eye open. Bright red eyes beamed back at him, framed by dark brows and a sunny smile alongside a messy mane of golden hair tinged with hints of red. He'd seen this face countless times before in his childhood. A grinning visage not unlike his own, full of boundless optimism and determination to face the world at large. Of course he'd seen it before.
They were twins after all. Twins that couldn't be more unalike, yet twins nevertheless.
"Kyojuro...?" a low growl pierced the air as he warded off a second pillow. "Whaddya want?" He cast a gaze to the window and glowered when he saw the sun not quite peeking over the horizon. "Its too damn early...
"Not at all!" How could anyone be this chipper so early in the morning was beyond him. "Its precisely the time of day to practice our breathing forms!"
Silenced reigned supreme.
.
..
...ha?
He took a moment to squint at his sibling while his vision cleared.
As ever, his brother's eyes were a vibrant red, while his were blue. His face handsome, while his stood carved with strange whiskered marks tripling each cheek. Kyojuro's hair was flecked with red, and yet his held barely a hint of it. Technically speaking, he was the older brother here. He'd been born nearly a full minute earlier, something he often forgot. Because his so-called "little" brother was just so damned persistent!
And what was this about training at the crack of dawn!?
"Are you kidding me?! A muscle jumped in Naruto's jaw. "That's why ya woke me up?" said jaw stretched as he yawned. "I swear by the sage, one of these days I'm gonna smack you...!"
"Hmm?" His brother blinked, pillow poised in the air for a third and final strike. "What's a sage?"
Naruto blinked. Huh. Where had that word come from? What was a sage? How was he to know? He was only ten. Something itched at the back of his head; he dismissed it with another yawn. It was entirely too early for this. The rest of the household wasn't even awake yet. Dad was probably sound asleep, and Mom, too. Their baby brother, Senjuro, certainly was.
And yet Kyojuro was so damn chipper! Impossible. Utterly impossible.
The pillow swung in again with intent and struck his face, muffling him for the merest of moments.
Naruto yanked the blankets up over his head and hunkered down. "Lemme sleep damnit!"
"I cannot!" His brother latched onto the covers in turn and yanked them off. "You'll sleep all day again!"
He grimaced and hunkered down again, burying his face in a pillow. "C'mon, you know I'm no good with a sword...
"That's...not true." Here at last, a twinge of pity touched his sibling's voice. His grip slackened. "You're improving, bit by bit. You just have to work at it!"
Dark clouds settled over Naruto's thoughts.
Improving? Him? He really wasn't. There was just something about swinging a blade that didn't sit well with him. He could swing it just fine mind you, and he had the basic stances down, but no matter what he did, his body just refused to cooperate! Whenever someone put a sword in his hands, wooden or otherwise, he kept settling into the wrong stance. Like he wanted to use his fists or something. How absurd was that?
Father had a good laugh the first time he'd seen it. Are you going to beat the demons to death, boy?
Now it was less a laughing matter and more of an embarrassment for him. Father never let his frustration show, but Naruto's humiliation burned all the same. He couldn't seem to overcome this wall. Was there some trick he was missing? Was it merely a matter of hardening his heart? Or was he simply not meant to wield a blade? Besides that, surely there were some good demons out there, right? They couldn't be all bad...right? And why did he feel like he was forgetting something?
His head itched. Just thinking about it put him in a bad mood all over again.
Rather than dwell on it, Naruto huffed, tore the sheets back, and curled them around himself. Denied his grip, Kyojuro toppled back and landed hard on his rear. He got a good view of his brother's startled face before he dove back under again. Ha! Served him right. He wouldn't be able to get to him now. Sooner or later he'd let him be. He always did.
"If you don't get up," Kyojuro's muffled voice resounded ominously from beyond his cocoon of covers, "I'll be forced to take drastic measures."
Drastic. Riiiight. These days, his brother's idea of "drastic" was anything but. He'd tattle on him, and he'd get a lecture from the old man or Mom. Nothing major. They wouldn't be angry. Just dissapointed.
He'd grown used to being the family failure.
"Do it, then." he rolled over. "Tell on me. I don't care."
A beat of silence passed between the two twins. Sure enough, nothing happened. His victory assured, Naruto rolled over with a sigh and began to drift off. He wanted to dream again. It had been such a pleasant dream. He wanted to cling onto it and never let it go. He could be a hero in his dreams, not the failure of a son who was unable -or maybe just unwilling?- to swing a sword against demons. His breathing began to even out as he lay sprawled amongst the bedding.
For a moment, he glimpsed a woman with dark hair. She seemed so sad...
She saw him in turn, and pivoted to face him. He couldn't see her face, for it was shrouded in shadow.
There were two children with her, nestled against her hips. A boy with blond hair, and a girl with dark tresses. He couldn't see their faces either. It was maddening.
"Don't cling to the past, papa." the girl's lips curled in a faint smile. "Be happy."
A strange feeling gnawed at his chest. It felt like guilt. Why? He'd never seen these three before. And yet this feeling persisted; like an itch he couldn't scratch.
He should've protected them. Why couldn't he protect them?
Something cold and wet crashed down on the blankets, soaking them -and Naruto!- right down to the bone. Water! Cold! Blue eyes burst open, rimmed with a hint of red. He sniffled once, not quite comprehending what happened. Crying? Had he been crying in his sleep? Absurd!
"Why was I...?"
Another bucket of water crashed down on him and that was it. Naruto didn't so much sit up as he did thrash his way upward with a howl.
"KYOJURO!"
Sure enough, he found Rengoku clutching two empty pails in each hand, grinning from ear to ear. "Finally awake, I see! Good! Now we can begin!"
"Begin, what?!" Naruto absolutely twitched. "Damnit! I was having a really good dream! You'll pay for that!"
His brother set one bucket down, planted a foot atop it, and beckoned. "You'll have to catch me first."
It wasn't hard to see where this was going; much less what Kyojuro was doing; his twin was jabbing him, taunting him, trying to get him out of bed and likewise, out of the funk he'd fallen into as of late. Was it working? Maybe a little. In that moment he felt a touch of pride for his overzealous brother. Unfortunately it was overshadowed by all this unyielding rage!
Naruto began to crack his knuckles, one by one. "I hope you've said your prayers, you big lug...
Rather than face his wrath, Kyojuro grinned and bolted around the corner.
He slammed after him. "Come back here!"
"That's the spirit!" Laughter echoed through the halls as he gave chase. "We'll both be Hashira one day, Naruto. I just know it!"
"Bold words!" he dove after him. "The only thing you're gonna be is a bruise when I'm done with you!"
A red eye gleamed over his shoulder. "Only if you can catch me, brother!"
Naruto tried to. Really, he did. He simply couldn't. More than one his fingers came close, brushing his brother's shoulder; only for his sibling to pivot at the last instant or duck back in the opposite direction. Say what you would about the younger Rengoku and his smile, but he was fast.
"Hold still!"
"Never! You'll just have to run faster!"
"Why am I always the one running after you?
It was always like this; in part because it never felt like he could quite reach him. Kyojuro was always just a little faster when it came to chases such as these, always just out of reach. Like chasing the sun. Ever present, always there, yet unreachable. Unobtainable.
Yet in that same vein, he wasn't so far away that Naruto hated him. Quite the contrary.
Was this what it felt like to have an actual sibling? A true brother in blood? Someone who supported you, someone who was always there for you, someone who refused to let you fall down in the dumps; and when you did, they dragged you back up, kicking and screaming. It felt...nice. He'd never known the like in his first life. Maybe if he had, things wouldn't have-
'Wait. My first life?'
A crippling nausea struck him and he missed a critical step. Momentum was not kind. He slipped and slammed headlong into a wall. Striking his head didn't help; it only made things worse. He clutched at his face with one hand, a blue eye peeking out between his fingers. The world blurred. Shifted. Snapped back. He'd not eaten anything yet this morning, yet what little he had last night threatened to come boiling up the back of his throat and onto the floor. He slumped to his knees and his fingers bit into the plaster until they ached.
"Not again!" He hissed at himself. "Don't get distracted!"
He used the pain to center himself and steadying his breath. Total concentration. In. Out. Innn. Ouut. Oxygen flooded his blood and the tattered threads of his focus sharpened to a razor's edge. Gradually, the vague feeling of illness receded into the depths of his mind. He slammed a lid on it and buried it, buried it as deep as he possibly could. It would return, it always did, but for now he'd pushed it back.
A thin line of blood ran down his nose. He thumbed it away with a trembling hand.
Naruto looked left. Naruto looked right. Not a soul in sight. Still, he was almost certain someone would spring out of the shadows - perhaps a nearby doorway. Or barring that, Kyojuro would double back to check on him. He'd see him in his moment of weakness and tell Father, who would in turn tell Mother. Once he did, that would be it; he'd be right back where he started; an endless carousel of doctors trying to diagnose him, figure out what was wrong with him; all while his family fretted in the background.
He didn't want them to think he was sick again. He'd gotten better. The tremors had stopped. He hadn't had a fit in years. Why now?
"I'm fine." He muttered to himself. "Stop having weird thoughts. Get up. Kyojuro's waiting for you. Don't disappoint him."
He pushed himself up to a knee, only for his leg to buckle. Bereft of balance, he tumbled forward.
'Crap!' he swore softly. 'I misjudged! I'm gonna fall!'
A hand caught his, pulling him up.
"I've got you."
Naruto knew better than to look, just as he knew who had saved him from making a fool of himself. Against his better judgement, he raised his gaze.
Shame flooded his face.
...I'm fine. I just tripped. No need to tell anyone."
"I won't." his brother beamed. "Your secret is safe with me!"
He knew Kyojuro didn't believe a word he'd said. But for once, he didn't argue with him.
"Come!" He hauled him upright. "The day won't wait for us! I'll make a proper swordsman out of you yet!"
Naruto blew out a sigh. "Such a persistent brother I have...
Confident that no one else had seen his momentary lapse, Naruto climbed to his feet and hastened after Kyojuro. One of these days he swore he'd catch up to him. Someday. Someday soon. Even if he was absolute pants when it came to a sword right now, even if he kept hearing voices, he wanted to try. Maybe it was his brother's contagious enthusiasm. The gap between them would close; it had to. Bit by bit. Eventually.
For now, he would keep running. Like a leaf in the wind.
Always. No matter what obstacles he faced.
Until he too, set his heart ablaze.
A/N: AND SO IT BEGINS~!
As ever, we're following the Ember's Rule here. That's no joke. Really, it isn't.
If folks don't like this...well, it won't be continued. And it doesn't seem all that popular compared to "Doctor of Demons"...
*Sigh*
Every bit of feedback helps. Reviews are the fuel which keeps me writing in these crazy times. With my tight schedule -two jobs!- I simply don't have time to write a story folks don't like. Without them, my inspiration cannot take wing and I can't write a word. So by all means, speak up! Frankly I'm amazed no one's gone with this angle. I mean really, it just fit. Naruto as Rengoku's twin. Why has no one -to my knowledge!- done this yet?! If they have, then by all means point it out and I'll gladly read -and review!- it to boot.
Ought to be interesting seeing younger versions of the Hashira running about...including Kanae.
Hell, we might even see Sabito and Makomo. The timeline matches up with things there.
As ever, reviews are the wind beneath my wings. Without them I cannot write.
Now, the enjoy the previews. Some are pretty far off, but still~!
Timeskip coming soon!
(Previews!)
"I won't let mom die."
"Naruto...there's no way to save her."
"There has to be! We just haven't found a way. There must be!"
"Final selection?! Noooo! I don't wanna!"
"Flame breathing really ain't for me. I mean, I can use it, but dad says I'm no good at it, and he's right." he turned slightly, a moonlight silhouette against his back. "These days I've got my own style, though its not a very kind one." He touched a hand to the katana at his belt and drew it slowly. It was a bright, vivid red. Like the sun itself. "I hope you appreciate this. You have no idea what I had to go through to wield this sword, suppress my instincts, to make this a reality...
He planted one foot forward. "Demon Breathing...
"Are you kidding me?! How is that a style?!
His blade blazed gold. "Ninth Form...
And he swept it forth.
...Kurama."
"That was flashy! Well done!"
"Three wives, eh? Well aren't you lucky..."
"I met a great man, once. He taught me so, so many things; back when I didn't know what I wanted to do. I stumbled so many times. But he always caught me. His words always stuck with me. He saved so many lives with nothing but a sword. I suppose you could say...he inspired me. I learned a lot from watching him.
"Do you know who I'm talkin' about? That's right! You! Snap out of it, old man! Now isn't the time to be sulking. Mom needs you!"
...poor things." He stood over the snowy graves and clasped his hands together. "May you rest in peace."
Something shifted underfoot.
Blue eyes bulged. "Eh?"
"You're mad. We can't get along with demons, let alone befriend them!"
"Your sister seems to disagree." It was the wrong thing to say to Shinobu. She absolutely glared at him for it. Still, he bulled onward. "Even so, I believe there's good mixed in among the bad."
"You're playing a dangerous game." She grabbed him by the sleeve. "You'll get yourself killed!"
"Aw, are you worried about little 'ol me?
Her palm whistle toward his face.
He caught her by the wrist.
"Nice try~!"
"You must be Tanjiro! Nice ta meetcha! I've heard interesting things!"
"You should've stayed in your dream."
"Maybe." Blue eyes boiled red. "And you should've stayed dead when I CUT OFF YOUR HEAD!"
"Don't you dare touch my brother!"
Now wasn't the time to tremble.
"Two against one, is it? Hardly fair."
"Maybe." his sword clear its scabbard. "But life ain't fair...
"Become a demon, Naruto." a pale hand swept toward him, fingers splayed. "Its the only way. You could be so much stronger. You'll never kill me like this. Or do you want to die...?
Temptation reared its ugly head once more.
Strength. Enough to protect everyone.
If he was only a little stronger...!
R&R~!