Rating: T+ (M Post Act 1)

Pairing(s): Naruto/Nezuko; Tanjiro/Kanao; Sasuke/Sakura; Shikamaru/Temari; Zenitsu/Ino; Inosuke/Aoi; Neji/Tenten; Giyu/Shinobu; Kakashi/Anko.

Genre: Romance; Horror & Gore; Drama & Some Angst; Shonen Jump Action; Humoresque.

Notes:

Hello everyone! Zancrowe here!

For any of my fellow writers out there, you guys have any songs or playlists that help you write out a scene? Like, in my case, cheesy 80s, 90s, and 00s songs for romantic scenes, or 00s and 10s rock songs for the fights. I haven't have much time to listen to new music, so if any of you have any recommendations on (both old and new) songs you would share with me, I am all ears… literally!

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto; or, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.


It was a very frightening area, a top a frigid mountain peak that a small group of Demon Slayers found themselves currently exploring. Following the recent rumors after the bittersweet victory they had obtained aboard the Mugen Train, several groups have been sent out to explore previously uncharted territories, since officials now believed demons where starting to appear further out than ever before. If this was due to the recent victories the Demon Slayers themselves had managed, or something far more nefarious, remained to be seen.

All that Murata Kidou knew, however, was that at least one of the rumors was true.

"Yikes!" the frightened swordsman yelped as he haphazardly swung his blade towards an incoming little demon that had lunged at him. Both attacks had merely grazed their targets, with Murata getting a small gash on his right shoulder, while the petite bat-looking demon got one of its wings almost clipped off. Unfortunately for the Slayer, only one of the two regenerated, and it wasn't Murata.

"Where were you even aiming at?" the bat-demon mocked, flashing it's fangs at the trembling slayer. Murata gulped, but held onto his Nichirin blade tightly. He could hear his squad-mates fighting close by. He couldn't just run and abandon them all, no matter how much he really wanted to.

'Aim for the neck!' He screamed at himself, as he leaped once more, but before he could even get into a stance, the demon opened his mouth into an inhuman proportion, sending out a massive shriek that instantly brought the slayer to his knees. 'What the-?!'

Murata screamed in pain as he covered his ears in a vain attempt to stop the pain, but even so, he could feel as droplets of blood begun to pour out of his ear canals. He was going to be rendered deaf by this monster, and quite possibly eaten afterwards. His vision, now a bit blurry, saw as the demon lunged, and as Murata desperately tried to regain any sense of composure and retaliate, it was too late…

The demon fell, beheaded, turning to ashes the moment its body parts hit the ground, as the deafening screeching came to a sudden halt. Murata just stared, eyes wide, as his vision slowly recovered, and as the sight of a familiar figure stood before him, his sword drawn, and the traces of the demon's blood slowly evaporating into nothingness.

"…M-Master Tomioka!" was all Murata could muster.

Giyu Tomioka took a glance back at Murata, examining him briefly for any major injuries, and upon seeing him no worse for wear, merely nodded in response. The famed Water Pillar then took a few steps forwards, looking down towards the vast forest below them, from all the way at the top of the mountain which had once housed powerful demons.

"Seems the rumors are true after all," Giyu noted, more to himself than anything, as he looked back towards the small squad of slayers that were slowly reaching his spot. It was here Murata noted that not only had Giyu saved him, but had apparently taken out all the other minor demons in the area, saving the entire squad in the process. Just how insanely powerful was this man?!

"Sir?" Hisako Ozaki softly asked, her hands still holding onto her Nichirin blade tightly despite the danger being over. Murata couldn't blame her, though, as she had lost her elder sister not too long ago to similar demons, a wound that he was sure had not yet properly healed.

Even more so now that even a Pillar had fallen to an Upper Moon.

"According to several sources, it seems the Lower Moons have been disbanded," Giyu merely stated, his eyes narrowed. "…Or, knowing their master, probably worse. This used to be a suspected location of the Lower Moon Four, but given what we found tonight, it is clearly nowhere near here."

"B-But, that's good right?" Murata asked, afraid that the answer was somehow anything but.

"Hmm…" Giyu seemed to ponder it for a moment, before his eyes went wide and he swung his blade backwards, sensing a presence much too close, much too suddenly. The insanely fast motion of his blade actually knocked the squad he had just saved all back, flat on their asses, all of them shocked. They barely registered the event, but before they could even try to think of how to assist their Water Pillar from an incoming attack, it was made pretty clear he wasn't in any danger…

…Well, maybe.

"Was that aimed at me?" the Insect Pillar Shinobu Kocho asked calmly, despite having a Nichirin blade less than an inch to her jugular. Despite the force behind his swing, she had not only not moved an inch, but they were sure she had not even blinked. Even Giyu seemed a bit surprised, as his face turned sour for a moment at the sight of her.

"What do you want?" he asked, and he sounded more like an embarrassed teen than the impressive swords master they had just witnessed. "You're not assigned to this area anyways."

"I'm not, that's true," the ever cheerful swordswoman agreed, before adding, "But there have been a few new developments, one which I believe should be noteworthy for you."

"Huh?" was all Giyu could ask, unsure what her angle was. If there was a message that needed to reach him, the crows would usually suffice. Why would a Pillar come personally, especially her, to him?

"Here," she said, and for once, her tone softened a bit, which actually seemed to unnerve him even more. "One of our carrier birds managed to bring this through. The little guy took quite the trip, despite the heavy injury…"

"The sender crow was injured?" Giyu asked, surprised.

"Hmm," Shinobu voiced with a nod. "The message itself was incomplete, a blood-stained letter with barely any information at all… But, well, just look."

And he did, and the moment he did, his eyes went wide, as his face paled.

"I'll keep guard of this little squad until they make it back out of enemy lines," Shinobu offered, "While you can go tend to that."

Giyu said nothing. He merely clenched the piece of paper that had meant to be a letter. And without a word, he was gone, racing back to where it had all begun.

Begun for him.

Begun for Tanjiro and Nezuko.

'Please be alright,' Giyu begged the heavens as he made a mad rush through the dark and empty woods, 'Master Urokodaki!'

-0-

Within the vast empty desert a lonely clone rested himself against the cold sand, his eyes staring out into the dark skies above him, utterly bored out of his mind. He tossed and turned a bit, finding it utterly impossible to relax when his original self was down that dark cave-stair thing that he was currently guarding. Would there be demons down there? Knowing his luck, most likely, but he was at least sure he could handle a few creepy demons. Plus, Tanjiro and Nezuko were strong, and he assumed so were the others. So, instead of worrying, he'd best try to fight off the boredom that came with keeping watch.

Naruto flipped and sat back up, taking out his side pouch he began to look for anything to keep himself busy with.

"If it were up to Kakashi-sensei, he'd probably tell me to meditate or something," Naruto mused as he scavenged through his bag, finding little else than his trademark ninja tools. "But that's not something I wanna try if I want to keep myself awake. Let's see…"

He then pulled out some binoculars, causing the blonde to frown.

"So that's where these were," Naruto noted. "Poor Pervy Sage must have freaked out when he went to peek at the last hot spring and found himself missing these. Serves him right! Oh…" Naruto paused, as he took out a familiar book from his bag. "…and speaking of Kakashi-sensei, this would be what he'd keep himself busy with."

Naruto stared at the book's cover, still torn between being fascinated by this special edition Jiraiya had given him and bored because he still found the story completely dumb. Still, the famous Make-Out Paradise books, of which there were currently three, were pretty strong sellers, so Naruto gave Jiraiya props for actually making a decent living out of it. Whether the rumors of them being based on his relationship, or lack of there-of, with Tsunade was something else entirely.

"Still, I guess that this new edition with the movie's poster as the cover does look pretty nice," Naruto admitted, as he cocked his head to the side, looking at the familiar actress on the cover. "Heh, Princess Gale still looks so damn hot, erm, I mean Yukie or Koyuki or whatever name she goes by now. I hope she's doing well…" he mused, as he flipped the erotic book open with a sly grin. It quickly vanished. "…Hey, come on other me! I didn't even clone my stuff properly! The entire book is blank… Granted, that would make for a better read I guess, heh, heh…"

"Message! Message!" a sudden cry from an incoming crow caused the ninja who was supposed to be on the lookout to jump and land in a fighting pose, kunai in on hand and the perverted book on the other.

"Wha-! Oh, it's you," Naruto said, recognizing the bird as the summons the Demon Slayers used to communicate stuff. "Scared me half to death there. What's up?"

The crow paused, landing on top of the staircase entrance, moving his head to the sides in an effort to locate anyone else. "Message for Team Slayers," it repeated, seemingly confused.

"Yeah, well, you're looking at it," Naruto replied, arms crossed. "Unless you want to go down there, I'm the guy you report to," Naruto told the crow as he pointed to the dark entrance. The crow looked down, into the darkness, then back at Naruto.

"…All Demon Slayers are to be alerted!" the crow began, apparently deciding that Naruto would have to suffice, as the crow had no intention of going down that stairway to hell. "After an incident in Natagumo Mountain, mere hours ago Fujikasane Mountain has been attacked! Several Slayers dead, others missing! Cause of the attack unknown! All Demon Slayers are to be alerted!"

"Oh, ah… okay, that sounds serious," Naruto tried, as he felt his body grow cold. 'I have no idea what any of those places are! Does this have anything to do with what we're doing here?! The heck am I supposed to answer to-?"

Naruto's eyes widened, as he felt a strong surge of chakra come from the entrance, and it was not his own. He moved, tossing the cloned book and kunai to the side as he grabbed the instantly surprised crow from said entrance, and hopped away. Seconds later, the entire entrance was covered by spikes of chakra-infused ice, sealing the Slayer Team inside.

"That's Ice Jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed, as he landed with the still shocked crow to the side. "Listen bird, tell your superiors or whoever sends these messages that we have bigger problems to deal with! Report... that, to them," Naruto instructed as he pointed his index finger to the invading ice. "Meanwhile, I have to see how I can help them out of this mess…"

-0-

It had all happened in a flash. They had rushed inside, admittedly a poor decision itself, and no sooner had he tried to get his eyes accustomed to the all-consuming darkness, than had a ninja masquerading as Inosuke tried to attack them, followed by Inosuke attacking the fake, then another, bigger ninja popped out of nowhere and encased everything in ice.

Tanjiro had had barely enough time to dodge the attack and throw himself at Nezuko to keep her safe. Granted, he was sure she could resist the attack better than he could, but a big brother's instinct never goes away.

"You okay, Nezuko?" he managed to find his voice, grabbing hold of the girl by the waist, helping her stand, all the while moving his hand across her frame a bit, relieved to feel that she didn't seem injured in any way. "That was close…"

"…I'm not your sister," Kanao matter-of-factly stated, as Tanjiro felt his entire body break apart, and the boy jerked his hand away from her slender frame faster than should be humanly possible, as he began to motor mouth a string of apologies which she barely understood.

"I'm sorry!" he cried out, trying to get the message across a little better, as he bowed before the girl, who looked at him with the same blank expression.

"It was an honest mistake," Kanao merely noted. "Nothing to fuss over."

"Ah, oh, yeah," a still blushing Tanjiro replied, trying his best to shake off his embarrassment and refocus on the situation at hand. If he had ended up with Kanao instead, that meant that Nezuko was somewhere else within this giant, creepy place; a fact that did not bode well with him. And thanks to this place's suffocating stench, he couldn't pinpoint her location at all. Nor Zenitsu's, or Inosuke's, or Naruto's, or Kaigaku's. "We need to regroup. Someone is clearly trying to purposely keep us apart. We can't allow them to have their way."

"…Hmm," Kanao softly voiced, as Tanjiro had to struggle to even see her well enough thanks to this all-consuming darkness. It was unnerving, really, to be in a place where demons probably thrived while at the same time being dulled of most of his senses. "There is only one route we can take…" Kanao offered, turning to him, her wide, bright eyes the only part of her he could clearly see. "Unless we decide to try and head back by breaking through the ice. I'd advise against it though, as too much noise would draw more attention to us, which would be inevitable where we to undertake such task."

"Oh, yeah, you can see well enough, right?" Tanjiro asked, recalling her earlier statements.

"Yes."

"…Alright," he replied, still finding himself a bit awkward around this girl all the sudden. Probably for trying to cuddle her like if she were Nezuko. '…Focus Tanjiro, focus…'

"I'll guide us," she simply stated, "Hold my hand."

As she said this, in the most stoic tone possible, she extended her hand towards the boy, who tensed slightly, before he instinctively took her hand. It made sense after all. If she could guide them out of there, she should, and the sooner they got together with the others, they safer they'd be. So, he took her hand, which was surprisingly a lot softer than her sword swings would suggest.

"You're sweaty," she voiced, and it strangely did not sound at all like she was disgusted or disappointed, merely stating a fact. And it was strange, he knew, since this place was pretty cold to begin with.

"…Sorry," was all he could really muster.

"I don't mind," she stated again, and once more, he couldn't read what she meant by it. But he decided to focus on finding his sister and their friends, allowing Kanao to lead him forwards. They took guided steps until they quickly begun to spring forwards, once Kanao was comfortable in knowing Tanjiro had no problem keeping up with her speed. "…These walls," she spoke up, breaking the brief moment of silence between the two, "…they seem to tell a story. There is a lot of writing and pictures carved into them."

"Really? I don't suppose any of those are directions, right?" Tanjiro asked hopefully, and he felt Kanao tighten her grip ever so slightly.

"I don't know," she simply replied. "I cannot read that language."

"Oh," Tanjiro softly said, before he held onto her hand a bit firmer himself. "That doesn't matter. You're doing amazingly enough as is. If you weren't here, I don't know what I'd do," he told her with his trademark smile and that jovial tone she was still not used to. It made her uneasy, but in a way she didn't understand. She had inquired about this two her two closest family members before she departed to this mission, and she had gotten two very different answers.

"Oh, you best ignore that!" her would-be sister Aoi Kanzaki had told her with a very stern look, probably still vexed Kanao had not chosen Kanzaki as her surname back then, or at least, that's what Kanao thought. "Boys are nothing but trouble. Do you really want to be held back just because you have to worry about what next stupid mistake he'll make? Really, can you even imagine what being Inosuke's girlfriend would be like? That boy's insufferable!"

"…I never mentioned Inosuke."

Aoi's follow-up reply was something Kanao couldn't really understand, as the mix of stutters and whining that ensued was not a language Kanao was well versed in.

And of course, when she asked Shinobu, well…

"~Ah, that's so cute," her Master and effectively elder-sister said as she clapped her hands together with a smile plastered on her face, but like always, Kanao had a hard time truly reading her body language. "So the whole good boy thing is your type then?"

"…Type?"

"Give yourself time sweetie," was all Shinobu offered, "You still have a lot of time… Well, hopefully. If one day, this nightmare ends… then you could perhaps built such a future. And I can think of way worse candidates than Tanjiro Kamado."

"…But I didn't mention…"

"You didn't have to…" was the knowing reply.

So she guided the boy that had been in her thoughts through the darkness, holding tightly to his hand, deciding to follow her Master's advice and leave any and all other thoughts to the Kanao of days not yet arrived.

-0-

'I'm dead, I'm so dead. That was it wasn't it? My death came at last… although surprisingly not at the maws of a hungry demons, but at the strange, magical ice spikes of a chubby dude wearing sparkly armor… What a dumb way to die…' Zenitsu thought with a sad sigh, as he felt the chilling embrace of death wrap him, as the blonde boy, still unmarried thanks to his so-called best friend, decided to try and be at peace with himself.

Then he was smacked by something hard.

"Ouch!" he screamed out, seating up in a jolt, one hand over his affected forehead, as he threw a glare at the guilty party. "What the…Kaigaku?!"

"Stop screaming you idiot," the elder boy warned, as the squad leader stood up from the ground they were currently on… a very, peculiar ground at that. Kinda squishy. "You have got to have the worst luck mixed with the best possible luck. You should be dead."

"Why do you say…?" then he tried to move, and he froze.

"Tread lightly," Kaigaku warned, using a single lit chunk of wood, one of the spikes meant for their tents Zenitsu figured, as he made the area a little less pitch black. "You wouldn't have landed like that if you had purposely tried."

"I-I…" Zenitsu stammered, as he realized that the "floor" they had landed on was not a floor at all, but a pit filled with sharp spikes on the bottom, ready to skewer through anyone foolish enough to fall in. Kaigaku, unsurprisingly, had managed to react in time and swung his sword in an arc, cutting off the tip of one of the spikes, and creating a small platform for him to safely land on. Zenitsu, having been outright unconscious practically until he hit the "ground", had no such badass moment. Instead, he had landed right on the spikes… or rather, right on a still juicy, cadaver impaled on the spikes, effectively using it as a cushion. "…AHHH!"

"Shut up!" Kaigaku shouted, smacking Zenitsu with the hilt of his blade again, as he turned and shined the light to the opposite side. "There seems to be a way out over there. You can jump that distance at least, can't you?"

Zenitsu frowned a bit, since the question had sounded way more like an insult than he would have appreciated, but he decided to just take it and simply respond, "Yeah, I can manage."

"Good, because I'm not going to babysit you," Kaigaku warned, as he steadied himself. "We move quickly. You can't keep up, I'm leaving your ass behind. So move."

Zenitsu decided to not even complain, and the moment Kaigaku flashed across the spikes and landed at the would-be exit, Zenitsu followed suit. The younger boy managed to land right next to his senior, and while the elder boy said nothing, he did glance at him briefly before he made his way down the dark corridor, with Zenitsu closely behind, the very small, dwindling light of the flame they had being the only thing guiding them through it all.

Then a screeching sound echoed throughout the dark halls, causing both Slayers to pause in the rush, their Nichirin blades fully drawn, each boy facing an opposite direction, their backs to one another.

"What the hell is that?" Kaigaku growled, as the screeching sound continued, sounding like it was both coming closer and from every possible direction.

"It's coming from the floor, and the walls, and even the ceiling!" Zenitsu replied, trying to focus his sense of hearing enough to pinpoint the exact source, but it seemed to move, constantly. Almost mechanically. Then it hit him, as his eyes widened, with the sound focusing right above them almost instantaneously. "It's the entire hall! Kaigaku, move!"

Before the elder Slayer could react, Zenitsu pushed him forwards, causing the Squad Leader to form a curse at him, but it never left his lips, as the moment he turned, a massive wall crashed right before him, inches from his face. It landed so strongly that it cause a small quake on the floor he stood, and outright blew the little flame he had into nothingness. "Seriously, this place shifts?" Kaigaku cursed, but seeing the massive wall before him, he gave the sight a grim glare. "…You dead?"

Silence followed.

Kaigaku, closed his eyes for a moment, for just a moment, really hating the fact that the biggest failure to bear the Thunder Technique actually died protecting him. It… shouldn't have happened like that.

"…A-Almost."

Kaigaku's eyes reopened, having almost imagined the meek reply, heavy obstructed by the wall that now divided them. He paused, and taking a deep breath, spoke, "Zenitsu," he voiced, likely one of the few times he had used the younger boy's actual name. "Are you alright?"

"Barely," came the reply. "It almost crushed my foot."

"Don't be such a bitch," Kaigaku shot back, before he placed his hand on the wall. It was made of a very strong material he noted, and it would take them a while to break it, even if they both attacked it from opposite sides. "Are you locked in?"

"I don't think so," Zenitsu replied. "As soon as this wall came down, another one opened up. I can't see what's in there, but… well… I guess I have to head over in that direction, right?"

"…Yeah," Kaigaku simply said. "Just keep moving forwards."

"Y-Yeah, I feared as much," the younger boy whimpered.

"…And, hey," Kaigaku added, surprising Zenitsu, who placed his own hand in between the stone wall that now divided the brothers of the same mentor. "If you die here, Master will be disappointed. Do not shame him like that, got it?"

"…I know," was all Zenitsu could muster to say, since the last thing he needed was for Kaigaku to hear his tone soften too much.

-0-

"You're a damn fool," a very familiar voice growled at Naruto, as the young ninja slowly opened his eyes. Without needing to ask, he could already tell where he was. There he was, floating on that cursed water, with very few lights surrounding him. A massive gate, held closed by a single seal, kept him from the beast that lurked within, as two massive eyes stared down at him. "This is not a place you should be in."

"Got something to say you stupid fox?" Naruto merely replied, sitting back up. "Why did you pull me in here? I wasn't knocked out, was I?"

"Not yet," the demon replied. "But you need to get us out of here. This place is not meant for our kind. Not for you. Not for that girl. This place was built to keep us out. Or if not, to keep us in."

"The heck does that mean?" Naruto barked back, annoyed at always being given information in such a non-straight forward manner. "Just spit it out, what place is this?"

"Beware of the book," was all the Nine-Tailed Fox answered, before it's massive, glowing eyes turned slightly. "And, for my own sake, be on guard. This place makes us lose control. So, heads up, she's aiming for yours."

"Who?" Naruto asked, but he was no longer asking the demon within his belly, as he was now back in reality, and as his eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, the first sight he could decipher was Nezuko's clawed hand aiming right at his eyes. "Whoa!"

Naruto flipped back, managing to avoid having his eyes gouged out, as her nails scratched against his headband instead, leaving a scratch mark on the side. He frowned, since now he looked like half a Missing Nin, but decided that was not the biggest issue at hand.

"Nezuko! Hey, calm down, it's me! What's wrong?" he tried to reason, but his eyes widened when he caught a clearer glimpse of the girl. Gone was the sweet, pretty girl he had seen alongside Tanjiro all this time. Her eyes were bloody, her nails sharp, her bamboo muzzle gone, instead her massive fangs out in full display, as drool slowly dripped onto the ground. Her pale skin seemed to be covering itself with black marks, not entirely unlike the one that the Shinobi of the Sound sported.

'Is that a curse mark?' Naruto asked himself, as he steadied his stance, kunai in hand. Still, he really didn't want to have to hurt this girl. "Nezuko, calm down! We need to find the others! We need to find Tanjiro, your brother, remember?!"

She growled something unholy as she lunged at him, the marks on her body continuing to spread, as Naruto cursed inwardly at this turn of events. He meet her claws with his kunai, sparring them back, and continued to keep her at bay. Her swings were wild, and while he wasn't the most refined fighter out there, he could manage to keep her at bay quite easily enough. But… that wouldn't solve anything.

"Damn it, snap out of it!" Naruto tried again. "I'm not going to hit you, if that's what you want! So hurry up and-yikes!" Naruto cried out the moment one of her claws slipped past the kunai and came a bit too close for comfort. He flipped back, landing with his feet on the nearest wall, and using his chakra to keep him held onto it. She lunged again, and slammed her claws right through his torso, aimed right at ripping his entire ribcage out…

…but she just ran through him, literally, smashing herself against a wall.

"While Shadow Clones are my thing," Naruto told her from a bit further away, his expression one of annoyance mixed with worry. "I can do regular clones too. You happy now? You killed me, well, a me, so-"

She roared in response, flinging herself at him even faster, her body seeming to outright morph, her proportions growing, as if she were rapidly aging. Naruto had no idea what was even happening, but he barely had any time to fully consider it as he now had to dodge a bigger, faster Nezuko.

First her claws, which he managed to avoid with the kunai, but then came her kicks, and just one was enough to knock the kunai right out of his hand, sending it towards a nearby wall, pinning it into the stone. Naruto frowned, as another kick came right at him, aimed right at his head. The same kick that had knocked that monstrous Tenshin down. The same kick the girl used to behead a demon effortlessly. Nezuko kicked Naruto with all her might…

…And Naruto merely blocked it with his forearm, stopping her motions entirely, a massive blast of wind from the resulting momentum being cut short sending all the nearby sand away. Her eyes went wide, as despite her demonic state, within her being, she could sense it. A stronger demon within this boy, stopping her attack like it was nothing.

"Leaf Whirlwind!" Naruto cried out, taking to the floor and doing a sweeping kick at Nezuko's other leg, catching the girl off guard and she fell down and spun a bit, before she was tackled and held down by Naruto, who used some iron string to tie her down within moments. 'Got to thank Bushy Brows for knocking me out with that technique, it is insanely useful when you don't want to hurt someone... kinda.'

Nezuko roared, and she kicked, she screamed, she trashed, but she couldn't set herself free. So she begun to do something Naruto did not expect, break her own bones. He heard the snap, and it freaked him, as she seemed to twist herself in ways a human could never, and getting caught off guard by that, she lunged at him, still tangled in his trap, as she bit down on his neck.

She missed, as he blocked, and her fangs ended up on his arm instead.

Teeth sunk into flesh, as the fresh blood filled her mouth, with the taste almost driving her crazy. Naruto held on, pulling on the string tightly, and placing himself under her, holding her onto his own body, as she bit down on his arm until he was sure her teeth where touching his bone. His blood spilled, she continued to growl, and…

…Naruto's eyes softened.

"It's okay," he told her, and at that moment, her eyes went wide. "Tanjiro made it clear you never attack humans. It's not you, it's this place. So, if you can't hold back, I can hold back for you. So bite down as hard as you want, I can take it," he told her with the biggest smirk she had ever seen. "I'm no regular human, so take your fill. But once you're done, I need you to snap out of it! We have to find the others! And I'm warning you, I'm one of the two Shinobi in history who knows Kakashi-sensei's secret One Thousand Years of Death technique, and I don't care if you're a girl, keep it up and Imma hit you with it!"

Then instead of just blood, tears began to drip onto his face, as Naruto looked on, as the once ferocious demon girl, had slowly turned back into the Nezuko he had met. He loosened his grip on the wire, enough that she was let loose, and before he could speak, she instantly let go of his arm, and crawled her way into the nearest corner, rolling herself into a ball, in the fetal position, her tears running nonstop.

"…Nezuko?" Naruto voiced, getting back up, looking at the girl who seemed so frightened and lost, a far cry from the demonic presence that had nearly gouged out his eyes moments before. "Hey, I told you I'm okay. You didn't hurt me."

"Ahwah!" she cried out, which he clearly did not understand. She looked at him, still crying, then her eyes went down to his wound. The bite wound, which she had caused. Her eyes went even wider, as the taste of his blood lingered. The delicious, all-consuming taste…

"She'll never hurt a human!"

"If she does, I will kill her… then commit seppuku myself."

"You are kind, Nezuko… You are not like them."

"Ahh!" she cried loudly, and before Naruto could react, he saw how she stuffed her own finger down her throat, self-inducing herself to vomit, releasing a very bloody vomit all across the sandy floor. But she didn't stop there, she pressed further, vomiting more and more, until he wasn't sure it was his blood she was even vomiting anymore, as she continued to cry out louder and louder.

"Stop that!" Naruto shouted as he held onto her hands, to keep her from hurting herself, she shook, trying to free herself from his grip.

She had hurt him enough already. She had hurt a boy who had done nothing but help her and Tanjiro and Zenitsu and Inosuke. A boy that had even lent her his jacket for her modesty. She had hurt a human. The one thing she had sworn to never do. If the Slayers found out, they would execute Tanjiro. And Giyu would commit suicide out of shame. No, that couldn't happen. She needed to be put down first. Somehow, someway.

"Ahall hee!" she cried out, turning to the blonde Shinobi, as he loosened his grip on her a bit.

"I can't understand what you're saying," Naruto told her, softly, "But Nezuko, look at me. Calm down. Everything's-"

"…kill …me."

Naruto's eyes went wide. The sad, little, demon girl forced herself against her very nature to speak just two simple words. Her body was still trembling, her eyes still raining, and her bloody lips quivering. She was begging, and he felt his heart break in two.

"…You can't hurt humans, right?" Naruto asked, his tone the softest she had heard the loudmouth ninja ever use. She nodded, tearfully, but at least he understood the gravity of her mistake. "Good, so keep it up, because you haven't yet."

"Ah…?! N-No," she tried, trying to motion with her hands at him, signaling to the open gash on his arm, to the blood on her mouth.

"I'm not lying, you know…" and he paused. Because… he had never really told anyone this. People knew, some of them. Mostly the adults. That's why they hated him after all. And he didn't want to be known for this, he didn't want this to be a part of his identity. So he never told anyone. Not even Sakura or Sasuke, who were practically family at this point. Because even with them, he was afraid. Afraid of their reaction. Of their rejection. But… seeing this broken girl before him, who couldn't even try to hide what she was… Who was he to be so selfish? "Nezuko, look."

She looked, still shaking, at the wound she had inflicted. But, upon seeing it up close, she couldn't help but open her eyes wide, as the tears came to a halt due to the surprise. His arm, still bloody, harbored no wound. A bite so deep she had almost cracked his bone into pieces, now long gone. She looked up at him, her wide eyes looking for answers to questions she didn't have the ability to ask.

The boy's form then changed. His whiskers lengthened, his expression sharpened, as a cloak of red chakra slowly enveloped him. As animalistic features overtook the blue eyed, blonde boy she had met by chance, he offered him a very knowing smile. "You're not the only demon among us. Inside me, there's something quite dark. So snap out of it, this was just two demons clashing for a bit, you haven't attacked a human, and I know you never will."

Then he reverted his form, and he flashed her the brightest of grins… and the young girl forgot how to breathe.

"So, are we coo-" he tried, but froze the moment she pressed her head against his chest, her eyes closed, snuggling against his frame. For a lack of better words, Naruto was flabbergasted. He couldn't even begin to respond. Never had anyone, a girl at that, a very pretty-when-she-wasn't-trying-to-kill-him girl even, ever held onto him like that. It was… too much. "R-Right, we good now-So let's-erm-We really should get moving and finding every-"

"…ame."

"Huh?" he paused, as she had muttered something into his jacket. Then she shifted her head upwards, her eyes looking up at him. The most bloody yet beautiful smile he had seen anyone ever sport.

"Same," she repeated, and as she did she pointed at him… then at herself. And he understood.

"Yeah," he smiled back. "We're the same. Not so lonely now, huh?"

She shook her head.

With that moment passed, Naruto helped Nezuko up, both demonic teens turning their attention to their surroundings. It was dark, but their supernatural abilities helped them see somewhat. There were walls, lots of sand, and not much else.

"Those walls are pretty damn solid," Naruto noted, his eyes closed into a foxlike state. "But I think a good Rasengan should break through… huh, Nezuko?"

The demon girl had moved away from him, and was currently pointing to what appeared to be a small hole in one of the walls. "Way," she said to him, with a sparkle in her eyes. He just tilted his head slightly.

"Can we even fit in there?" he asked, bending down to examine the would-be exit, but as he did, Nezuko merely begun to shrunk herself, until she was roughly half her size. A small child, to Naruto's surprise. "Wow, you can shrink that much?"

Small Nezuko nodded.

"Then, I guess I can copy you. Transform!" Naruto cried out, and a hand sign later, the teen Naruto transformed into kid Naruto, roughly the same size and would-be age as small Nezuko. She giggled at the sight. "Don't laugh," he shot back. "It's so weird transforming into yourself, just younger. But, I think we can fit!"

"Ahh…" she voiced, pausing, turning to him. He cocked an eyebrow, curious. She then pointed to her mouth, motioning to her bite. "Ahahh."

"Don't like being without your bamboo, huh?" Small Naruto noted, before he looked around. Her piece of bamboo was nowhere to be seen. "Not here, huh? But, don't worry, you are with the next Hokage after all, so I've got you covered! Literally!" the plucky ninja assured her with a smile and a good guy, thumbs up pose.

Nezuko titled her head curiously.

Both would-be Demon Slayers then crawled their way through the small, dark tunnel towards what would hopefully be their friends, all the while Nezuko tried to get used to having a sealed, sacred scroll stuffed into her mouth.

-0-

"I'm going to die, I'm so going to die," the blonde slayer continued to say to himself as he walked down the dark corridor, keeping a steady pace despite his frightened appearance. This place only seemed to get darker the further you went into it, and it honestly unnerved him, but the moment he sensed a presence nearby, his hand found its way onto the hilt of his sword. "W-Who's there?!"

He turned, expecting the worst, but he only got a pig.

"Oh, it's you," Inosuke simply stated. The boar had both of his chipped swords drawn, but seemed to settle a bit down upon seeing Zenitsu, despite his less than enthusiastic display.

"It's you?! Is that all I get from you?!" screamed the blonde.

"What more do you want?" inquired the boar.

"You know what, never mind," the blonde added with a sigh. "Listen, I think I figured out how these walls work. If we wait around here a while, they'll shift again, and we can make a beeline to the exit!"

"Hmm," Inosuke replied. "But what about Gonpachiro and the others?"

"We're no use to them in this state!" the Thunder Slayer argued. "Best course of action is to get out and look for help! That way, we can get others in here to help us out and-"

He never got to finish his statement, as Inosuke swung his blade right at his neck, causing the boy to have to flip backwards to avoid being beheaded. He fell back, onto his feet, a clear glare in his eyes. "What the hell?"

"…You're not Zenigata," Inosuke softly growled.

"I thought his name was Zenitsu!" the would-be Zenitsu cried out, as he undid his transformation Jutsu, revealing the same older, fatter man who had created the ice spikes that had split them all apart. "You're not a Shinobi. How could you even tell?"

"…That fool is the biggest idiot and coward I have ever met," Inosuke simply stated.

"The hell does that mean?"

"But," Inosuke continued, and beneath his mask, his opponent could tell he was glaring full stop at him…

"Why the hell are you protecting that box?!" Inosuke recalled yelling at the bloodied boy, the day the two (or well, four of them had met). "Can't you tell there's a demon in there?!"

"…I-It doesn't matter," the crying boy replied, and Inosuke didn't know what to even do. "It's more important to him than his very life… If that's the case, I'll defend it as well…"

"Don't you dare insult him with such a mockery," Inosuke growled at his Shinobi opponent, as the beast boy's aura took a much sharper edge. "Run away? He could be pissing and shitting his pants in unison, but he'd die like a dog before abandoning any of us. So don't you dare spit out those words from his mouth!"

"Oh?" the Snow Shinobi Mizore Fuyukuma noted with a smirk. "Touched a nerve, did I?"

-0-

"There seems to be something at the end here," Tanjiro noted, as both he and Kanao made their way out of the dozens upon dozens of hallways they have been traversing, each darker than the last, still holding firmly onto each other. It was thanks to this, that when the entire structure shifted, they were able to avoid being separated. And now, after all that traversing in the dark, they had made their way to the first room with some actual lighting in it.

Well, "room" was putting it plainly.

It was a massive structure, a wide open area with massive pillars reaching all the way to the ceiling, a singular, long staircase at the very end leading to what appeared to be another room, one with a somewhat decorative door. The walls had lit torches evenly set out throughout, finally allowing Tanjiro to see again, somewhat. From their end, he could see, many more halls seemed to reach this very spot, all leading to this massive area, with only one lone exit at the end. 'If there somewhere they wanted us to go,' Tanjiro noted, his eyes narrowed, 'it would be there.'

Then he felt Kanao tighten her grip on his hand a bit, and he turned, concerned, as she signaled to the side. Before he could ask, out of another one of the hallways sprinted out Zenitsu, crying, as he hug-tackled Tanjiro, causing the poor boy to have to steady himself to avoid being toppled over.

"Tanjiro! You're alright!" Zenitsu cried out. "I thought I was a goner when this entire place went wacko all the sudden! I can't believe I managed to find youuuuuu-Traitor!" Zenitsu flipped out, smacking Tanjiro upside the head, then clenching his hand when he got a painful reminder just how hardheaded the Water Slayer really was.

"What was that for?!" a very confused Tanjiro called out, because hard head or not, Zenitsu was stronger than he gave himself credit for. "Sometimes I can't read you man."

"Don't give me that!" the fiery blonde spat out. "While I ended up almost getting skewered to death in a pit of spikes, had to crawl over a corpse to survive, almost got squished by a stone wall and spend almost an hour walking along a dark, moist, sandy, evil place just to get here… You've been cozying it all up with Kanao from the start!"

"Huh?" Tanjiro asked, head tilted. "What do you-?" then it hit him. He was still holding her hand. "Oh! No, we-she was just guiding me, is all!" the blushing boy quickly clarified, letting go of the girl's hand quickly, trying and failing to keep his face from heating up. He wasn't all that knowledgeable in those sort of things, but hand holding was something people like his father and mother did. It was an intimate act, and he had not meant to be intimate with her… 'Not that there's anything wrong with her, it's just that she is doing this for practical reasons, yet I'm the one that, eh…?'

"You're clearly thinking it!" Zenitsu accused, pointed finger and all.

"I'm not!" Tanjiro argued back. "And quit it man, you're making her uncomfortable!"

"…I'm not uncomfortable," she politely corrected.

"See, you womanizing deviant!" Zenitsu added, even more fired up. "You use that whole "good boy" act to score brownie points with the ladies! And then you have the nerve to accuse me of wrong doing!"

"Can you calm down?!" the still flustered Water Slayer shot back. "I'm not even sure what we're arguing about!"

"Something stupid, no doubt."

The two "arguing" teens paused, both turning to the side, as another member of their team approached. Kaigaku walked out another one of the passages leading to this very room, his look one of annoyance, as he examined his surroundings. Both Tanjiro and Zenitsu muttered a soft "sorry" at him, which he ignored, and only Kanao said nothing, as she had already seen him approaching.

"What the hell is this place?" Kaigaku asked, wondering how on Earth could such a massive structure be hidden under all this sand, undiscovered for so long?

"I think all the pathways ended up leading to this very place," Tanjiro noted, his eyes back towards other pathways, his thoughts on the whereabouts of his little sister and their other two friends.

"But where's Nezuko?!" Zenitsu asked, voicing Tanjiro's thoughts, while he frantically looked around. "Oh… and Inosuke and the other guy."

"…" Before speaking, Kanao simply lifted her hand and pointed straight away, her index finger aimed directly at the staircase at the far end of their would-be route. "…We're not alone."

The three other Slayers all turned to where she was facing, their hands all instinctively on their hilts, as just as she had said, there were three other figures on that very staircase. Just not the three members they were missing.

"Good eyes on that one," a slender man wearing a headband not dissimilar to Naruto's own, just with a different design, voiced.

"So these are the so-called Demon Slayers we were warned about?" another voice, similarly dressed, but clearly female. "They're just kids."

"Don't underestimate them, do not make that same mistake again," the larger on of the group, the only one of them seated, right in the middle of the other two, spoke, his tone intimidating and menacing. A voice that screamed authority, one that demanded obedience. "You said that you saw him here, right? That damn, meddling brat? You sure you didn't confuse him for that blonde one over there?"

"Who the hell are you three?" Kaigaku asked, his voice echoing through the vast, empty area. "You're not demons, that's for sure. But, attacking a Demon Slayer is a big no-no. You lot are aware, right?"

"My, such a threatening boast," the slender man replied with a sarcastic tone. "Mind your tone, brat. You are in the presence of royalty. This here is the Land of Snow's rightful Daimyo, Doto Kazahana, and I, as his right-hand assassin, Nadare Rouga, have every right to cut you down right here, right now."

"Erm… Your Majesty, you know this place is filled with sand, not snow, right?" Zenitsu politely asked, raising his hand even, which earned him a glare from the three rogue Shinobi.

"He's kinda a moron as well," the female of the group, Fubuki Kakuyoku, noted, before she turned to Doto. "But no, I'm sure it was the Leaf Ninja from Kakashi Hatake's team. I won't ever forget that face."

"…I see," Doto noted, as he stood up, his figure as imposing as ever. "No matter. Slayers, I have no quarrel with any of you. Our purpose here has been completed. As you all surely felt, the moment one of the Tailed Beasts set foot within this place, it reacted. And all of its passages, lead to this very room. And, with that, our mission is done. Leave, and no harm will come to you."

"Ain't that generous?" Kaigaku scoffed.

"…Tanjiro?" Kanao voiced, her eyes on the boy, as he had his fists clenched and his sword drawn, the tip aimed at Doto, a very sharp look in his eyes.

"What do you have in that bag?" Tanjiro asked, his tone just as sharp as his eyes.

"Do you sense it too, boy?" Doto asked, pausing briefly, signaling a ninja pouch not unlike Naruto's the elder man wore on his side.

"Tanjiro, what wrong?" Zenitsu asked, turning to his friend.

"He has something in there," Tanjiro replied, his grip so tight he was almost causing his own hands to bleed. "And I don't know how or why, but even in this hellish place, I can smell it from here. And it smells just like Muzan."

Zenitsu, Kanao and Kaigaku all stiffened at the mention, yet all three tightened the grips on their respective blades, all aimed at the so-called King.

"Muzan? Was that…?" Fubuki asked, turning to Doto.

"That is the name of the Master that was told to us," he simply replied. "If they have such a reaction, then his words most hold weight. We hand this to him, and he can grant us our kingdom back. That was the deal. I will contact him now, if they do not leave, end them."

"They're working for the demons?!" Kaigaku asked, as the four got into their fighting positions, while Doto merely turned and walked away, right up the staircase. "Stop him then!"

"Whatever's in that bag, we can't let them take it!" Tanjiro replied, and he rushed forwards, with the others following behind, even a very-not-wanting-to-do-this Zenitsu.

Kaigaku was quick, Tanjiro noted, as even if he had sprinted first, the Thunder Slayer had passed right by him and made his way almost at the foot of the staircase. It was impressive, but with everything Tanjiro had seen Zenitsu do, he sort of figured the Thunder Breathing Techniques relied more on speed than the Water ones ever did.

"Stop right there your highness!" Kaigaku mocked as he took aim at Doto, but Fubuki appeared right before him, his sword clashing with a metallic contraption of hers. She, like the rest, seemed to be wearing some sort of weird armor that seemed to light up the moment they attacked or defended. It was beyond annoying.

"When have you ever seen a Pawn reach the King in the first move?" she asked with a seductive smile, which only irked Kaigaku further.

"I don't have time for childish games," he warned, "Don't get used to this!" he called out, gritting his teeth, "But, do you have this!?"

Before she could ask, Zenitsu zipped right next to them, and his sword clashed right against her armor, with enough force to push her off Kaigaku, allowing the elder boy to push on through.

"That was amazing Zenitsu!" Tanjiro called out, as he reached the steps, seeing how Doto was nearly out of sight, and Kaigaku was hot on his trial. So Tanjiro rushed forwards as well, but he was stopped by a flux of kunai flying right at him. He deflected each one, landing on the steps, as the third member of the enemy team stared him down.

"Not so fast there kiddo," Nadare mocked. "While our boss is perfectly capable of handling things on his own, I can't just sit back and let all of you pass. I won't get compensated if I don't kill at least one of you… Oh?"

"K-Kanao?" Tanjiro voiced, as he saw the petite girl took a stance between him and the Shinobi.

"…Your sense of smell is much better than mine," she stated as a matter-of-fact. "These Shinobi are experts in trickery. Follow Kaigaku, make sure to get whatever is in that bag from that man."

"You got it!" Tanjiro replied, with full faith on her, as he continued his dash up the stairs. Nadare looked on, his smirk wide, eyeing Kanao slowly, from top to bottom.

"My, what a shame," he voiced, solemnly. "But I do enjoy hearing a girl suffer. Tell me, are you a screamer or a crier?"

Kanao said nothing, but her eyes narrowed ever-so slightly.

"Hey! That's uncalled for you creep!" Zenitsu called out from the other side, as he squared off against Fubuki. "And, before we do this, allow me to ask just one question."

"And what would that be?" the pink-haired Kunoichi asked, smirk still in place.

"…Will you marry me?"

Silence followed.

Fubuki stared.

Nadare stared.

Even Kanao stared.

"…Are you serious?" was all Fubuki could muster to ask, the most off guard she has been since that damn brat had Lion Barraged her ass into Mizore, nearly killing them both.

"Of course!" he cried out. "I could die any day now. I want to at least experience wedded life! Oh, even if I have to fight you, would you at least consider it?!"

"My, my," Nadare spoke up with a laugh. "Look at you Fubuki. Finally a man that notices you… well, close enough to a man at least."

"Jealous much?" Fubuki shot back. "At least he has the balls to ask, unlike some others," she teased, as Nadare merely shook his head. She then turned back to her proposal maker. "So, you wanna marry me?"

"…Is that a yes?" he asked, since he'd never gotten this far. She wasn't running away, so that was a plus, right?

"Depends," she answered with the most seductive tone even Nadare had ever heard her utter. Then her gaze dropped downwards. "Drop the robe. Let me see if there's anything worth considering."

"What?!" was all Zenitsu could reply, red in the face, his fully erect sword shaking slightly. "W-Well, I mean, I-I-" he tried, but then a pebble found itself hitting against his head, causing the Slayer to stammer a bit, defensively. "Hey! What?!"

Kanao was the closest to glaring at him as he had ever seen her, almost as if she were also pouting, somehow. She looked adorably furious.

"I wasn't going to do it!" he defended. "Come on, even I have some standards," he added, retaking his stance.

"Focus," was all Kanao said, as she too took aim at her opponent.

"This is going to be fun," Fubuki noted, as she seductively licked her lips, which did little to help Zenitsu focus.

"Indeed," was all Nadare added, as he decided he was going to make sure that if Kanao was not a screamer, then he'd make her one.

-0-

"Third Form: Thunder Swarm!"

Doto Kazahana had barely made it into the room beyond the stairwell before he had to guard an incoming Nichirin blade swung right at his neck. The elder man used the armored gauntlets to block the attack, and despite the strength of the Slayer's blade, the gauntlets held. Doto darted back, gaining some distance between him and the Slayer, despite his right arm now stinging thanks to the leftover electricity that remained from the attack.

"Hand over that fanny pack old man!" Kaigaku barked, as he landed, the electric sparks of his technique enveloping all over. Said sparks caused a small rippled effect, as Kaigaku noted, the room they found themselves in was filled with water, a few inches deep only. It was a circular room, also only lit by nearby torches, but without a visible exit. It was strange, why would he run up here? Behind Doto, on the back wall, was a drawing of a closed gate, but nothing more. And unlike the massive area from before, this place was much smaller. An actual room, of sorts.

"You seem confused, Slayer."

"I'm not asking again, the bag, or your head."

"You'll have neither!" Doto lashed out, quickly making multiple hand signs which Kaigaku rationalized where similar to Naruto's own. "Ice-Release: Black Dragon Blizzard!"

Upon the incantation being done, the Chakra Armor Doto wore began to glow, as ice began to form out of the gauntlets, until it turned black and took the form of a dragon, flying directly at Kaigaku. The Slayer quickly jumped, avoiding the dragon's icy fangs, which upon contact with the watery floor, quickly froze all of it. But the dragon did not stop there, merely turning and taking aim once more, causing Kaigaku to inwardly curse. He changed his stance, steadied his breathing, and…

"Second Form: Rice Spirit!"

Five electrified arching slashes erupted from Kaigaku's blade, hitting the ice dragon in various parts, with one cracking right across its would-be skull, dissolving the Jutsu to mere ice. Kaigaku quickly turned, blocking Doto's fist from slamming itself into Kaigaku's face. But the elder man was physically stronger, and since they were air-born, it sent Kaigaku flying away. The Slayer crashed against the nearest wall, his teeth clenched in anger, but his eyes soon widened. The man had already prepared another Jutsu.

"Ice-Release: Ice Needle Storm!"

A rain of senbon-like projectiles were fired from the ice that surrounded them, all taking aim at Kaigaku. He cursed, since he wouldn't be able to react quick enough to deflect them all.

"First Form: Water Surface Slash!"

A slash in the form of a powerful wave washed right over Kaigaku, breaking all the ice projectiles in one swift motion, as Tanjiro landed right besides Kaigaku, his eyes fixated on Doto. Or rather, on his bag.

"…Thanks," Kaigaku was forced to say.

"No problem," Tanjiro asserted. "What is he trying to do? Why did he seal himself up in here?"

"Don't know," Kaigaku replied, eyes narrowed. "But he's planning something. If what you smell is true, we can't let him hold onto that bag for even a second longer!"

"Roger!" Tanjiro screamed out, as he rushed at Doto, striking with his sword onto the man's armored arm. Doto deflected the blow, then swung a punch at the Slayer. Tanjiro avoided it, jumping to the side, as Doto's fist crushed the ice below, and even some of the floor beneath the surface. Tanjiro then spun, still in the air, and called out: "Second Form: Water Wheel!"

A spinning vortex of water and Nichirin metal followed, aimed at Doto's exposed back, but moments before it hit, the armor lit up again, as a pair of wings erupted from the villain's back, clashing with Tanjiro's sword mid-strike, pushing him back. Doto proceeded to make a few more hand signs, but before he could call it out, Kaigaku was upon him.

"Fifth Form: Heat Lighting!"

A powerful electric slash erupted from Kaigaku's blade, which hit itself against Doto's armor, causing a crack to appear on the central sphere, which caused the Shinobi to panic a bit. And not only that, but the force of the attack actually overheated the armor, causing the man to get his entire arm burned by the force behind the slash, forcing him to jump back.

"How do you like that asshole?!" Kaigaku taunted, as Doto's glare flared up.

"I will not have a repeat of that day!" he roared, as he made a series of hand signs too quick for either Kaigaku or Tanjiro to follow, and then, screamed out: "Ice-Release: Twin Dragon Blizzard!"

This time, like its namesake, the ice formed into two massive dragons of ice and snow, with each launching themselves at a respective Demon Slayer. Kaigaku jumped back, guarding himself with his sword from the fangs, but upon doing so, his sword begun to freeze. "Shit!" was all he could say as he begun to lose control.

Tanjiro tried his best to dodge, but the room was too small and the attack too big. The dragon came for him at amazing speed, forcing his to turn, land with his fist against the wall, and launch himself at it. With a defiant "Seventh Form: Piercing Rain Drop!" Tanjiro pierced right through the dragon's head and all throughout its body, almost freezing himself in the process, but managed to run right through it, and within moments, right into Doto's shoulder, running him through.

"Is this supposed to be mercy?" Doto asked with disgust at the Slayer's action of having purposely avoided any lethal area.

"You're not a demon," Tanjiro replied firmly. "I don't wish to kill you. Don't force my hand."

"Foolish sentiment," the bleeding Shinobi spat out, before his entire body turned into an ice version of himself. Tanjiro recognized the technique much too late, the same one Naruto had used, Transformation mixed with Substitution. His eyes widened, but before he could act, the dragon had reformed, and had lunged at him. Tanjiro could only block with his blade part of the attack, as several ice fangs found themselves on Tanjiro's shoulders and slammed him down onto the ice ground.

"Tanjiro!" Kaigaku shouted out, struggling to keep his body from freezing up, but then, everything worsened. The dragons seem to merge, creating a massive tornado, with such force that even the walls begun to break down. Right in the eye of the tornado, landed Doto, biggest grin possible, using another hand sign to retake control of the Jutsu. Kaigaku took a deep breath, and knew that there was only one way out of this, and even then, it wasn't a sure thing. "…Tanjiro! If you're not dead in there, I'm going to create an opening, don't waste it!"

"Oh, are you now?" Doto taunted, and sent the dragon right at him again, followed by the cutting winds.

Kaigaku took a different stance, and as sparks begun to fly out of his blade, he spoke softly: "Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash."

Nearly dislocating his shoulder thanks to the force necessary to unleash the attack properly, Kaigaku launched a massive series of powerful electric slashes to every single direction, so strong that it broke the dragon into pieces nearly instantly. But it didn't stop there, the attack pierced through, aimed right at Doto, who had to call the other dragon back and use it to guard his body from the assault, and even then he could still feel his hair rise up thanks to all the electricity and static that surrounded the area…

…Then he realized his mistake.

He had called off the other dragon from Tanjiro.

"Sixth Form," Tanjiro called out, almost completely sunken into the ice, snow and water. But, thankfully, this was his element, and he would borrow it, just for a moment, "Whirlpool."

What remained of the Twin Dragon Blizzard Jutsu was hit by the Water Breathing technique, the spin purposely aimed at the reverse, nullifying the weakened Jutsu. The dragons, barely holding on, crumbled into nothing. The tornado was dispersed by a more powerful force, and Doto was hit by the slashes so quickly and strongly that he barely had time to defend himself.

His armor broke off like paper, and the man himself was sent crashing into the painted wall, strongly enough to crack it. He slid down, blood visible behind him, his breathing horsed and weakened.

Tanjiro stood back up, his body aching and cold, but alright.

Kaigaku stood next to him, arm almost broken, but likewise triumphant.

"…You purposely avoided killing him," Kaigaku noted, but whether he was displeased was hard to tell.

"I could stop him without doing so," Tanjiro merely replied. "At least, I could with your help," he added, and Kaigaku merely scoffed. He took a few steps forwards, and slammed his foot right into Doto's chest, rather strongly.

"Now then, old man, talk, or I won't be as kind as my fellow Slayer here," Kaigaku warned, licking his lips, as Doto visibly struggled to look up at the raven-haired youth.

"…I wasn't supposed… to lose… again…" he whimpered. "You weren't… said… to be… this strong… He… lied…"

"Lied?" Kaigaku repeated, cocking his head to the side. "Who the hell are you talking about? Give me a fucking name or I swear I'll-"

He never got to finish.

With a pained scream, a sword seemed to erupt right out of Doto's abdomen, right through Kaigaku's foot, causing the Slayer to curse and jump back, clenching onto his bloody foot and Tanjiro rushed to him. Then, Tanjiro could only watch as the blade made its way slowly downwards, through Doto's torso and down to his groin, splitting everything evenly in two down to his very testes, before it paused, then reverted it's direction, rising.

Doto screamed in bloody agony, his movements slowly becoming a convulsion of muscle spasms, as the blade reached his head and cut it cleanly in two. Doto was left skewered to the wall, now as two symmetrical parts of the same corpse.

Tanjiro could only stare in horror as their opponent's corpse landed on two opposite ends, and once the blood, guts and brain matter slid off the wall, only then could he see that the blade had come through the wall. A very peculiar blade…

…A blade that looked like it was actually looking right back at him.

"What the hell is that?!" Kaigaku cried out, still clenching onto his bleeding foot in pain.

"I… don't know," Tanjiro answered honestly, holding onto Kaigaku, half prepared to pull him out of that room if need be. But before he could even ponder it properly, the wall was cut several more times in less than a second, and a massive hole appeared in its place. Then, slowly, a large figure walked through the newly created entrance, paused, bent down, took hold of the pouch which housed the object they had been chasing, before he turned his eyes towards the two Slayers.

His six eyes.

"Upper Moon…" Kaigaku could barely say it.

"…One," Tanjiro couldn't much either.

The strongest demon, the one just below Muzan himself, stood before the two, he's eyes scanning around briefly, before he settled on Tanjiro. Or rather, the boy's earrings.

"…You're the one Akaza mentioned," he spoke up, and his voice was outright demonic. It made both Slayers freeze in place. But Tanjiro bit his lip, because he recalled that name. That damn name. Of that damn demon that had so dishonorably assaulted and murdered Kyojuro Rengoku. Damn him. And damn it all. He was a Demon Slayer. If he was going to be so afraid, then why was he doing this to begin with? How could he ever hope to save Nezuko, to stand up to Muzan, if he couldn't even hold up his sword against his right-hand demon?

"Fi-!"

"…None of that," the Upper Moon One, Kokushibou, said, and just as suddenly, he was now standing right next to the Slayers. With a simple flick of the wrist, he smacked Tanjiro right across his head, sending the boy flying backwards, onto the wall, so hard he outright cracked it and got engraved in it.

"Tanjiro!" Kaigaku cried out, realizing what had even happened after the fact.

"I-I…" the boy with the white eyes tried to speak, but even he, infamous for having a head hard as stone, could only muster an attempt before blood erupted from his forehead, blacking him out completely.

"Hmm," Kokushibou noted, not really at either of them. He then turned his head, all six eyes staring down at Kaigaku. "…And you? Will you succumb to a quick death…? Or do you wish to attempt an attack?"

"I-I…" the young man could barely talk. How? Why? When did this entire thing take such a horrific turn? "Damn it!" he screamed out, forcing himself to jump away, and land in a stance, sword drawn, aimed at the demon's neck.

"…Distance matters not," Kokushibou grimly told him.

"Fuck you!" Kaigaku roared, and took aim. If his last attack almost dislocated his shoulder, this time he'd break his arm cleanly in two with how much power he'd put in it. "Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!"

Lighting struck twice, as the Thunder Slayer erupted at the Upper Moon One, with a heavy roar and a magnificent slash…

…yet the demon caught his blade with his empty palm.

The lighting crashed all around them, but Kokushibou was unmoved. He didn't even blink. His eyes merely stared down at Kaigaku, disappointed. Another worthless one, just like the rest.

"…Death it is," Kokushibou said, and took a swing. But, to the Upper Moon Demon's surprise, his aim was slightly off. He had meant to split the Slayer in two, but instead, the Slayer fell back, bloodied and screaming, but still alive.

Missing his entire arm, but still alive.

'He purposely dislocated his shoulder to dodge my attack,' Kokushibou noted, narrowing his eyes. 'His strength is weak, only human after all… but he has speed…'

"D-Damn it, not l-like this," Kaigaku cried out, clenching onto the stomp that had once been his arm, trying desperately to stop the bleeding he knew would kill him if the demon did not get to him first. He cried, his body quivering, his limit past reached. 'Please… not like this…'

"Do you wish to be… undying?"

Kaigaku's eyes widened, at the question being asked at him by the demon. He looked up, his mind hazy, his body trembling. The creature stood before him, and whispered… "Bow."

It's not a loss unless I die.

Kaigaku, still trembling, placed his forehead onto the blood stained, cold ground, fighting back the very tears he had long mocked Zenitsu for.

Whether my head scrapes against the Earth…

or if I don't have any home…

or if I slurp up dirty water…

or if I get rebuked for stealing money…

"Is that… a yes?" the devil whispered on his shoulder.

As long as I'm alive… I can win one day…

"Become a demon…" Kokushibou offered, releasing blood from his palm, onto Kaigaku's shaking hand. "If you want even more power… and if," he continued, "that man accepts you… You will be our ally… It takes time to become a powerful demon. As powerful as a strong swordsman… It took me about three days… and to turn a Breath User into a demon, I must give a lot of that man's blood… And on rare occasions, someone resistant to demon blood appears. They do exist… but what about you…?"

Kaigaku, took hold of all the blood offered, even if every single cell in his body screamed against it. Revolted against its very touch.

"Be thankful for the blood…" Kokushibou added, "You are not allowed to spill even a single drop of this blood to the ground…"

"…I-I have only one hand," Kaigaku softly said, shaking as he struggled to hold it all within his single palm.

"Not a drop…" the demon was clear. "For if you do… your torso and head shall have a sorrowful parting."

With every fiber of his being screaming and crying in fear, Kaigaku took a massive gulp of the blood, licking down every single trace of Muzan's very essence into himself, and as soon as he did, he felt the sharpest pain imaginable pierce right through him. He screamed, a scream that started human and shifted into something unholy. And he collapsed, his body twisting and shaking, as the seizures took hold, starting his process.

"Now rest…" Kokushibou stated softly. "For when you awaken… you will be… superior…"

"…K-Kaigaku…?"

Kokushibou turned, noticing that the other slayer, the one with the earrings, was slowly coming to. Tanjiro slowly opened his eyes, his vision still blurry, but his eyes quickly widened when he saw his comrade, Zenitsu's friend, on the floor, drenched in blood, and away from him, his sword, discarded… and further away…

…his arm.

"You monster!" Tanjiro shot awake, pulling himself of the stone crater and launching himself at the demon, death in his eyes. 'Not again! I won't let you demons keep taking good people away from us! I won't-!'

But, he was stopped. He didn't even see it, but within moments, his body was held up, the space between his chest and his left shoulder pierced by his own sword, as he was hung up by Kokushibou's free hand, effortlessly. He couldn't even cry out in pain due to how sudden it was.

'…I had aimed for his heart…' Kokushibou noted, as he noticed that somehow, the young slayer had instinctively pulled the sword to the left in the last moment and saved himself from an instant death. 'Are these Slayers stronger… or is it this wretched place, affecting me? I… cannot remain here much longer. But… This would be something Master would appreciate.'

"Do you wish to be… undying?"

"W-What?" Tanjiro forced himself to say through clenched, bloody teeth.

"Become a demon…" Kokushibou offered, "If you want even-" he tried, but Tanjiro outright spat onto his face, filling the Upper Moon's six eyes with bloodied saliva, and Tanjiro forced the fiercest glare his broken state could manage.

"There's your answer… demon," he sharply replied.

"…Pity," Kokushibou noted, as he raised his sword, its aim fixated onto Tanjiro's neck. "…But, if you are not with us… You will die… I cannot return to Master without your head…"

"…D-Do your worst!" Tanjiro screamed at the top of his lungs with the last of his strengths, as the demon's blade descended, surely ending the boy's tragic life…

…But a massive explosion just above the two caused the demon to pause, as the entire ceiling seemed to come down, collapsing all the sudden.

Tanjiro looked on, eyes wide, with Kokushibou's sword not even an inch from his neck.

Kokushibou turned, six eyes catching the first glimpse of an enemy that should not have been a part of this at all.

And Naruto Uzumaki descended from the rubble and the smoke, because even in these dark times, heroes still arrive at just the last possible moment.


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