THE LOSTBELT SPOILERS KILLED ME. WHAT THE HECK. MY POOR BABY /sobs.

Kancolle Haruna Chan: We all can hope, my friend

Parks98 and BravoSix1311: Thank you!

HaungBaiLian: Here we are!

Cyberas: Musashi's entire existence has offset the whole timeline to be fair, so maybe there really is no real reason for Ubuyashiki to have Musashi go along with Kyojuro— besides for some matchmaking because he would do that. Personally, I could have chosen not to have Musashi there, but I felt as if removing her and skipping ahead would upset too many of my plans for later. We all know what happens in the actual arc, but the plan was for Kyojuro to do not that no matter who met Musashi (it was a toss-up between him, Gyoumei, and Mitsuri) and the best way to do that would be to have Musashi there as well. So you know. Reasons.

For the first time in a long time, Musashi dreamt.

She had known that Tanjirou would be joining her and Kyojuro, but she hadn't expected the boy to ask about a Breath Style that Kyojuro didn't know about. Still, she was glad to fall back into sleep as the train continued into the night.

She hadn't expected herself to dream.

Nor did she ever expect herself to be back in her home dimension.

She gazed down at her hands— they were so small. She was six, it seemed. So young, so vulnerable.

She stood in front of a gravestone eyes blank as she gazed at the worn name. Omasa Munesada.

She only vaguely remembered this place, hidden deep within a bamboo grove with other graves around it. The resting place of her mother, the first person whose life she had taken.

Omasa Munesada died in childbirth, leaving Shinmen to grieve and with a daughter he didn't want at all. Footsteps approaching made her turn, the hazy path obscured by a man as he approached. She felt her heart stop, despite the dream.

She recognized that man, how could she not when he shared the same face as her?

Shinmen Musashi.

Her own Father.

Her mother had dark hair, is what she had always been told, and a gentle face. The only thing Musashi ever got from her mother were the soft features of her face, everything else was from her father. The pale, pink-ish blonde-white hair, the sharp, blue eyes. The same devious smirk when confident and set jaw when the throughs of concentration.

And now she was staring into those eyes again.

'It's a dream. It's a dream. That's all it is. He's gone. Your home dimension is gone— has been gone.'

"Musashi?"

She felt her chest ache. He had never called her by her name before. It was always "girl" or "brat". He never acknowledged her as anything other than a pest. He hadn't thrown her out until she was four, but he all but abandoned her in his own Estate.

Had he hoped for a son after she was born if Omasa hadn't died? Or was it that he couldn't stand to look at the child who killed the woman he loved? Shirota was already six when she was born, so he had a son to train. Was he disappointed in the fact that she was a girl?

She didn't know, but she stepped back from the man as he slowly made his way closer, hand outstretched.

"Where have you been?" he asked and she took another step back. A clink made her look behind her. A small sword, no bigger than a wakizashi, was laying there. She knew the sword instantly.

'This is one of my earliest swords. I stole it from a smith.'

She grabbed it, unsheathing it and holding it in front of her. It was heavy and she couldn't use just one hand with it. She felt unbalanced, but she wasn't going to let Shinmen get closer.

Dream or not, she was going to continue to resist.

"Put the sword down, Bennosuke," the man tried again and she bristled. How would he know that name? He had ignored her until she had beat him in a duel… she was still young then, too. Nine or ten, she couldn't remember.

He wouldn't have known that name unless he asked one of the old ladies who had given her that nickname down int he village.

She didn't respond, continuing to back away. She had no love for this man. She had no love for him after everything. Not even in dreams, she never would.

When Shinmen got close enough, she launched forwards, startling the man into drawing his sword and blocking her own strike. She didn't say a thing before she broke away, striking again and again and forcing him back. She didn't stop swinging until Shinmen eventually forced her back from him.

She glared at him, backing away from the man before she turned, taking off running deeper into the grove.

A cold feeling washed over her as she ran and suddenly, her feet hit wooden floorboards instead of dirt ground. Straw sandals were replaced with carved, wooden heels.

All around her was darkness and she slowed to a halt.

"What are you doing, woman?" an aged, yet hardened voice asked and she whirled around. A man in a brown haori stood with his back facing her and she tensed.

She knew this man.

"Dreaming while you should be paying attention again?"

She opened her mouth to speak but she found herself unable too as the man glanced over his shoulder. Blood dripped down from his lips, eyes narrowed in reflection from the last time she saw him.

"You're wasting time," the man said, turning to face her fully. Stretching from his right shoulder to his left hip was a deep, gash, oozing blood. He raised a hand, extending it and lightly tapping his index finger on her forehead.

"Get back in the fight, woman," he ordered, "Or are you going to render all those years and battles useless by dying here."

He turned, haori fluttering as he started to walk into the darkness. She launched forwards, hand outstreched but grasping at nothing— yet she still chased after the man as he walked, but was never within grasp.

She had questions she had to get answered. Why her? Why him? Why was he warning her?

Finally, her fingers caught on fabric and the yanked him back.

"Yagyu!" she shouted, finally able to speak. "What do you mean? What's going on? Why is it you warning me?"

The man was silent before his hand shifted. Musashi knew that movement and instantly moved to draw her swords, only she was too slow. The searing pain of a blade cutting across her throat tore through her senses.

'Isn't that… Myoujingiri…? Ah… so this is a dream…'

She pitched forwards, blood soaking into Yagyu's haori and kimono as she closed her eyes.

"Don't give into them yet," she faintly heard. "You're the Flower of Tengen, whose blade reaches nothingness. And you've created a home for yourself here. Don't let it go without a fight."

Musashi woke with a start, staring out the window of the train car as her blood pounded in her ears She sat up slowly, reaching up and lightly pressing her hand against her throat.

That's right, it was a dream— thats all it was. But… somehow, Yagyu had been there.

Had he been there just go give her a warning? He had been warning her, right?

He had to have been warning her.

But why? And how? He was dead and she had been dreaming? Was it a subconscious message from her instincts?

She stopped, breath catching in her throat as the pounding in here ears calmed.

Silence.

She raised her head, feeling dread build in her stomach as she gazed around slowly. The entire train was asleep around her. From the strongest man to the smallest child, the entire train car was dead still.

Musashi stood, blinking as Kyojuro's haori slid off her lap. Had he tossed it at her again?

She picked it up, folding it and setting it on the seat as she gazed around again. The boy with the boar's mask was splayed across the blonde boy's lap. Tanjirou's head was leaning against Kyojuro's shoulder, the Pillar's arms crossed as his chest rose and fell slowly. A child was sitting next to her, also asleep, though she didn't recognize her.

Everyone was asleep.

Scratching noises startled the duel wielding swordswoman and her gaze drifted to the box at Tanjirou's feet. She blinked before she relaxed a bit again, leaning down and opening the box slowly.

Pale pink eyes stared up at her as she smiled a bit.

"Hello, Nezuko," she said softly, "Do you remember me?"

The girl, or rather, demon, blinked at her as she emerged from the box, standing up and growing to her normal size. She nodded, but gazed around.

"Strange isn't it," Musashi said as Nezuko moved towards Tanjirou with light steps. She grasped onto the green and black checkered fabric of his haori.

Musashi turned from the demon girl, gaze landing on the rope that was tied to the child's wrist and connecting her to Kyojuro.

That was more than suspicious.

Musashi reached over, taking the rope lightly in her hand and examining it. It looked normal at first, but there was a slight aura, one that looked very similar to karma but was paler in saturation. She blinked, glancing to her own wrist. Looped around it was a rope as well, cut cleanly a few inches from her wrist. The karma around it was nearly gone in comparison to the rope around Kyojuro's wrist. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes narrowed as a child ducked behind the seat. Shaking her head, she sighed, before glancing back to the rope that connected the girl and Kyojuro.

"Looks like Demon Blood Arts," she said lowly before she reached back, drawing Myoujingiri. A muffled humming made her glance back to Nezuko, who was holding the one that bound Tanjirou in her hand. She blinked, watching as the girl closed her eyes. Her fingers sparked and flames danced on the tips. The flames spread across the body of her brother, but instead of harming him, the only thing that was burned was the rope connecting her to the boy.

Musashi shifted, grinning.

"So that's how it is," she said, "A demon weapon to destroy a demon art." she pulled Myoujingiri back fully before she swung it down, severing the rope that had bound the child to Kyojuro. Nezuko hummed happily as Musashi turned, gazing down at the suddenly awake girl who was sitting in front of Kyojuro.

Tanjirou groaned lowly as he woke slowly, opposed to Kyojuro, who was on his feet in an instant. His smile had returned to his face, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Looks like our suspect's been active since the begining," Musashi said and Kyojuro nodded, the two Pillars gazing down at the girl. Musashi's hand shot out, catching her wrist as she lunged forwards with a knife of some sort.

"Nezuko, can you wake our companions?" she asked over her shoulder as she pulled the blade from the girl. The demon perked, nodding and running off to burn the ropes from the others.

Musashi tossed the blade to Kyojuro, who caught it with ease as she let go of the girl's wrist.

"I don't know what was promised to you," she said as she stepped into the train's aisle. "But whatever it was, it was a lie. Aside from Nezuko, demons only see humans as food." She brushed her hair back before she glanced to Kyojuro. "I'm going to head to the front, I have a bad feeling about this." "We'll be here and protect the rest of the civilians in case anything happens, then," Kyojuro said, nodding. Musashi nodded in return before she reached up, tugging one of her earrings out and tossing it to the Flame Pillar. He blinked, tilting his head as he caught it.

"Give that back when I return," she said. He blinked again before he tucked it into his uniform, nodding. A promise to be safe was all it was— on both ends. It was something the two had done before.

She nodded in return before she turned, taking off down the aisle. She slid the door open, feeling her nerves calm at the rush of wind that whipped her hair back.

'There's karma around the entire train… either the demon fused with it or there's more than just one or two,' she thought before she swung herself up. She balanced herself easily on the roof before taking off down the length of the locomotive, swords drawn.

She hadn't been running for long before she skid to a halt, seeing a demon dressed in a suit standing on one of the cars. The number 'one' was printed in one of his eyes. Lower Moon One, then.

"Ohh, you're awake?" he asked, waving a bit. His voice was light, more than a bit drowsy sounding, and definitely sounding like someone in the throughs of euphoria. Gross. "Good morning."

"I don't think it's morning just yet," She retorted, resting Myoujingiri on her shoulder. He only smiled.

"You could have just slept some more, you know," he said. She raised a brow.

"No thanks," she said and his eyes widened. "I don't like those sorts of dreams. Next time, I'll just kill Shinmen and be done with it."

"Ooh?" the demon asked, smiling still. "That's too bad… perhaps you'd like something else then…?"

She staid silent, gazing at him before she took off, rushing at the demon before she swung her sword out as she past him. The sound of blood spraying the train didn't make her look back, having lopped the demon's head off as she ran past. It didn't matter to her.

The demon had no karma attached to him. That only confirmed her suspicion— the train had karma and the demon had fused with it somehow.

"What a mess," she sighed as she ran up towards the front of the train. If the demon had fused with the train, that meant that the passengers inside were in trouble.

She dropped down onto the coupling that held the train together, throwing the door open and dashing in. Her swords flashed as she slashed through the flesh of the demon that was starting to consume the sleeping passengers. Myoujingiri halted any regeneration while the other blades slowed it down majorly.

"Miss Musashi!"

She turned, seeing Tanjirou in the doorway of the car. "Rengoku said he's going to cover the five cars int he back by himself! Did you find the main demon?" She nodded. "It's the train," she said before she thought, "Tanjirou, I need you and your friends to deal with the remaining three cars that Kyojuro isn't able to take. I'm going to the front of the train to deal with the demon. We've got a Lower Moon on our hands." The boy nodded, adjusting his sword in his hand and she gave him a grin. "Good boy," she told him before she turned, taking off again as the boy called for his friends and sister.

She threw the door open and swung back up top, running along the roof again as crashes sounded from inside the cars behind her. No doubt the boy, his friends, and sister were already getting started.

It wasn't long until she reached the front, bringing her swords down and easily slashing the roof of the conductor's cabin open. She dropped in, eye narrowed as she faced the conductor.

"Out of my way," she said sharply.

"Wh- Who are you!?" he cried, "G-get out now! The demon's neck—! His weak-spot—!"

Musashi paid him no mind as she slashed at the hands that rushed towards her in an instant before she brought her swords up in an 'x' shape and swung down. The floor cracked before giving way for Musashi and she gazed down at it.

The demon had indeed fused with the train as the glistening, off-white of the demon's spine was seen embedded in the train. She didn't hesitate, shifting her footing and raising her blades again. Hands burst from the floor, but she slashed them to pieces as she twisted.

"You're going to have to eventually develop a style you know, Musashi."

"Niten Ichi-Ryuu is my style, Shinobou. It's not as fancily named as yours, but it still requires a certain change in breath and lots of skill to master! Don't worry about me!"

Musashi grinned as she felt Myoujingiri tear through the spinal cord, crushing the bone in its path as she pushed the blade into a thrust that fully severed the spine.

Niten Ichi-Ryuu, Hasso Migi.

With a scream of pain from the demon and a large cracking noise, the front half of the conductor's cabin was cut from the rest of the train. The rest of the cars shook violently as the demon's arms exploded outwards from the train— the entire locomotive seeming to be writhing in pain. She turned, putting her blades away and grabbing the conductor, knocking the knife in his hand away as she leaped up and out of the train.

She watched as the train threw itself up in the air before tilting sideways. It hit the ground with a loud crash followed by a low groan and she landed, dropping the conductor.

He scrambled to his feet, backing away from Musashi as she turned to look at him. He turned tail and ran off into the forest without a second thought. She only sighed before looking over at the train as Kyojuro burst from the cars with a loud laugh, holding an elderly woman under his arm. She shook her head, chuckling as he set the woman down. He looked around before he spotted her, his smile still unwavering as he jogged over.

"What a ride! Nice job!" he said, "Young Kamado and the others are making sure the citizens are safe! No one died!"

He tossed her her earring back and she hummed. "That's good at least, but don't let your guard down," she told him as she caught it, putting it back in as they walked back over to where Tanjirou and Nezuko were helping a few citizens out of the train.

"How are the injuries on your ends?" she asked, waving to the demon as she gave her a bright look. Both she and Tanjirou waved back before they climbed back into the train.

"Minimal! Nothing that Breathing can't stop!" he said as Musashi stretched her back, turning to go and help the three boys and demon with the others. "Oh, but your kasa got crushed." he added.

"That's fine, I can get another one in town," she assured him before her hand twitched. She turned as a loud crash sounded nearby and a dust cloud was suddenly kicked up not too far from them.

Adorned with various markings on his pale skin and hair a vibrant pink, Musashi adjusted her stance next to Kyojuro, both of them had their hands on their blades.

It only took one glance for her to realize who had just arrived.

It was him.

Upper Moon Three.

Musashi's earrings, from what I can tell, are shaped like the Melon Maple Tree's leaves. They're a three to five-lobed leaf whose tree species is native to Japan. It's better known as Acer crataegifolium in the science world.

Also yes, Musashi in history did have an older brother, but as I said in an earlier chapter, Musashi's history is a bit messy. They're six years apart and he is suspected to have been born in 1578, while Musashi is suspected to have been born in 1584. I was originally going to have something different for the Dream World— since we saw with Rengoku that the dreams weren't always happy ones. Nasuverse Musashi was abandoned by her father, so this take was on a world where he hadn't, but since Musashi knew and had lived with the fact she was abandoned, she knew better. The part with Yagyu was her Magic Resistance in a sense (I explained it before) acting up and basically rejecting the Demon Arts in a way (aka, I wanted to throw Yagyu in there somewhere).