I turned 20 yesterday. Also, remember how people were asking for another Servant? Well. Yep. Also very long chapter this one is to make up for my delay in posting last time
Mingyu: I will be honest that I forgot that the curse affected Kariya at first, but when I reread it in editing I was like "OH KARIYA"
M2R: Thank you!
Soda-fiedPsycho: Oh yeah, I realize. But some people would get... touchy when I strayed from what wasn't right at the surface. It's sorta instinct for me to do the whole "took some liberties" unfortunately. Even when it really isn't taking liberties.
The Joining: (I've responded at the bottom of the chapter)
To many demon slayers, Oni and Demons were one and the same.
But having crossed swords with Shuten Douji when she was acting as Samghata Hell, Musashi knew better than to believe that. The Oni, in truth, were much more fierce than demons, and without fear of the sun— but only did things out of pleasure. They killed, yes, but it was only to grant them pleasure from the blood lust. That didn't make them better than Muzan's Demons. In fact, one could say that it made them worse, since, unlike Demons, they didn't need to eat human flesh to sustain themselves.
Despite that, Oni at least had morales— as loose as they were. Indeed, they were Monsters, but they were closer to humans than Muzan and his ilk.
And until recently, it had completely slipped Musashi's mind to even investigate Oni further. She hadn't even been sure if they were nothing but stories, and with the fight against Akaza, it hadn't been a priority. Once again, though, that was only until recently, seeing how it was on one of the recent missions that Musashi remembered.
A strange signature on Mt. Ōeyama had sparked the memory and she had ended up distracted for the rest of the mission. Not so much that her performance failed, but it was certainly obvious to anyone who knew her that her thoughts were elsewhere. When she had finished up in Kyoto, she had sent a message to Ubuyashiki for permission to investigate.
The letter that was returned was… wary. Ubuyashiki was rightfully concerned about the idea of an Oni entering into the picture— and knowing that she was near Mt. Ōe only made it worse. That mountain only meant one of two beings: Ibaraki Douji or Shuten Douji.
The ending result was the Master agreeing to let Musashi tackle the Mt. Ōe mystery but under the condition that she wait for another Pillar to assist her. Of the Pillars, Himejima was the closest to her location. Mt. Ōe was actually inside of his assigned region, according to what Ubuyashiki said.
Prior to her arrival, the Pillars had select territories to watch over, or at least that's what Kyojuro had told her. Kanroji and Kocho had joined the Pillars only half a year prior to her, and of course, with her appearance and breaking the Nine Pillar stigma, things had changed. Now, the Pillars were split into two groups— Regionals and Moving. There had been an even split between them, with the Regional Pillars covering large areas with major cities. The Regionals consisted of Obanai, Kanroji, Himejima, Tokito, and Kocho while the Pillars that had been more of the "return for orders" type were Tomioka, Shinazugawa, Kyojuro, and herself. Tengen had been with them as well, but due to his retirement just a week ago, the rest of the Corps would be picking up where he had left.
That wasn't much of a problem, though. Musashi and the other Pillars took down demons left and right without so much of a sweat usually.
And it worked in Musashi's favor that Himejima was stationary. She didn't have to wait too long, as the man was already close to the mountain.
The duel wielding swordswoman stretched as she waited at the base of the mountain, gazing up at the sky for a moment as she thought. As of late, the civilians in the area around it had been avoiding it like the plague. Livestock, travelers, and merchandise alike had gone missing, and that only confirmed Musashi's suspicions. Oni or not, something was up there. Something powerful and dangerous to civilians.
She blinked, lowering her arms as she gazed down the road, squinting before she saw the large figure of the monk turned Demon Slayer walking towards her.
"Gyomei!" she called, waving her arm and the man tilted his head, walking over to where he had heard her voice.
"Good afternoon, Musashi," he greeted.
"Ready to tackle Mt Ōe?" she asked him and he sighed a bit, rubbing his hands together and jostling the prayer beads around them.
"I still do not understand exactly why you wish to investigate such a hot bead of activity instead of simply wiping it off the map," he admitted, "But yes."
"You're probably right about that," she said as they started to walk along the mountain path. "But I want to investigate either way. Attacking a nest without knowing who exactly is the King of the Mountain is a bad plan. If it's Ibaraki Douji, I wouldn't know how to deal with that fight. If it's Shuten Douji, then I'd rather avoid a fight to the death with an angered Oni like her again. Oni just do things because they want to, I might be able to sway Shuten…." she sighed a bit, shrugging.
"But it could all be in vain," She admitted, "Whatever's up there could just end up not wanting anything to do with this or just flat out attack. It might not even be Shuten Douji."
Himejima just hummed in return, seeming to understand as they walked. "As long as you know what you're doing…"
"I wouldn't say that I do, but let's hope!" she laughed before he smiled slightly, amused. "Thank you for agreeing with my request. I know that even with Nezuko, demons and Oni aren't to be trusted."
The monk simply hummed again. "Think nothing of it."
(x)
It was close to the summit of the mountain when the air started getting heavy, sticky, and warm, the scent of alcohol was so strong that Musashi was worried they might get intoxicated by just smelling it. The two Pillars had passed through a Demon Gate not too long ago, and the sky had certainly darkened from the beginning of their journey. They were getting close.
Musashi could feel eyes on her and Himejima as they walked, the Stone Pillar holding his weapon in his hands as the Void pillar rested her hands at her sides. Not quite on her swords, but close enough to draw them within seconds.
By the time the two reached the second Demon Gate, Himejima was looking a bit uncomfortable. The scent of alcohol was affecting him, it seemed, and Musashi wasn't faring much better. She was getting a bit dizzy, but she refused to turn back.
Stepping through the Gate, its iron doors slammed shut behind them. She glanced back for a split second as they stepped into a courtyard before she gazed forwards. The courtyard was quite large, a towering pagoda was on the opposite end and walls vanished into the mountain's forest around them. With the gate closed, the two Pillars were all but trapped within the walls of the stronghold.
Musashi was certain now— this was an Oni's castle.
"Oh my," a voice crooned, seeming to come from everywhere as Musashi glanced around, shifting her footing. "I didn't think that they would send not just one, but two Pillars to my mountain."
Musashi gripped her swords as the voice spoke. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck rising with every word. She certainly knew that voice, meaning her hunch had been right.
Shuten Douji existed here.
"Interesting… interesting…" Musashi stiffened suddenly as she felt hands on her shoulders and suddenly a woman's face was beside hers. Her skin was pale and her hair cut short. Her eyes a lustrous purple and shining with amusement. Her lips were curled upwards as she flipped her body over Musashi's, landing in front of her and Himejima gracefully with her kimono flowing outwards.
"I didn't think that you'd also be here," the Oni said. Musashi shifted.
"So you're…"
"Samghata Hell? Well, yes and no," she said, brushing her bangs back. "All I have a few of her memories, but it doesn't matter to me in all honesty, and I hardly know why I have them. Once again, though, I don't care about that~" she hummed, "Are you here to kill me?"
"Only if you give me a reason to," Musashi said slowly, "I'm mostly here to talk."
Shuten blinked, tilting her head. "Oh~?"
Himejima shifted and then suddenly Shuten was leaning over the Stone Pillar's shoulder. He stiffened a bit as she traced her fingers along the embodied kanji on his haori.
"Speak then," she hummed, climbing up and sitting on the larger Pillar's shoulder. Himejima didn't move, seeming to be processing what was happening. He wasn't outright hostile at least, but he certainly wasn't comfortable with the Oni of Mt. Ōe being so close to him. Musashi didn't exactly blame him, the last time Musashi met Shuten Douji outside of battle was when she had decided to sic Oorochi on them. And of course, Ritsuka had then been flung off the side of the mountain, which had almost given her a heart attack.
The Oni settled, seeming to pull a sakazuki from nowhere, already full of sake as Musashi started to speak.
"I'll cut right to the point," she said as the Oni took a drink from her dish, humming. "What do you know about Muzan?"
The Oni stopped, her grip tightening on the red-colored dish and hairline cracks started to appear under her fingers as she smiled at Musashi. "Oh, enough," she said, "Why? Is this about killing him?"
"You catch on fast," Musashi said calmly, "You seem to radiate hate towards him."
"Of course I do, sweetie," she cooed, seeming to reign in her emotions. "When Muzan first started causing trouble, the Oni of this world would drink to the sorrow he brought. But then he didn't stop. Soon his Demons were too notorious— he destroyed the hierarchy."
At this, Musashi tilted her head. "The hierarchy?" she asked and Shuten hummed, taking a sip of her drink again as she nodded.
"Yes, just like humans, the supernatural worlds have their hierarchies as well," she hummed, "Spirits have theirs, the gods bow to the Great Amaterasu and praise Inari for her far-reaching influence, but us Oni and the more evil Youkai and beasts worship the serpent who brought down the sun— Yamata no Oorochi. My father. Muzan wiped all memory of that terror from the humans' eyes. So that's why the Oni decided to rampage… ahh, but now in this era, it seems as if all of the mystics are gone…" the woman shook her head as she finished her dish of sake. "Ruling over demons is a pain, they don't listen, and they feast relentlessly. They're nothing but animals…"
"Do you not also feed on humans?" Himejima asked and Shuten blinked, reaching over and patting his cheek.
"So he speaks~ How lovely~" she cooed. "You're right. To humans, I'm no different— and I'm not going to repent from my man-eating and slaughter in the past. But unlike demons, I don't hold a grudge for the humans to retaliate and kill me in the past. Compared to the Supernatural, humans are constantly evolving…" she ran her index finger around the edge of the sakazuki with a hum. "But unlike demons, I don't need to fest on humans. I did because I felt like it— ruling over legions is tough work, you know."
She lightly poked the blind man's cheek, "Just so you little Demon Slayers know, I did love humans to an extent. Oni and Humans are closer than Demons and humans— little miss Tomoe Gozen is proof of that."
"Oh, that's right…" Musashi said, nodding, "She did have Oni blood."
"Fufu… yes," Shuten hummed before she hopped off of Himejima's shoulder. "But, I wonder… if her ancestors were truly happy? Oni and Humans don't love the same way…" she shrugged before she turned to Musashi, smiling as a gourd of sake appeared in her hand in a shower of golden flecks. The Oni poured herself another dish of the drink, humming still.
"If you're asking about that Demon, then I can assume you have some sort of request for me… if it's to not get involved, then that's fine. I didn't plan too, after all," she said, taking a drink. "Hmm, but if you're asking for me to join in the fight… Ooh, I don't know… that sounds like an awful lot of work…"
Musashi shifted, eyes narrowing. Shuten was powerful, she knew that first hand. But she had no intention of getting involved if she was comfortable where she was. What exactly was it that would push her to join? A fight? Musashi wasn't sure if she could take her on again.
Drink? Well, she seemed to have enough where she was.
"What would convince you, Shuten Douji…?" she asked slowly, "Muzan has been getting bolder. It's safe to assume that a final fight is on the horizon… you're angry about him disrupting a natural hierarchy, but you're not going to do anything." she sighed, shaking her head. "I had thought about what I could offer in exchange, but… A fight wouldn't be in my favor, I know you're much stronger than me if you're confident enough to roll into battle with sake and fruit. Alcohol was another option, but I'm unsure how much that would eat into funds and also how much you already have."
The duel wielding swordswoman drew her sword, pulling her palm across the blade before she held it out. "All I can offer is blood."
Shuten stared before her lips curled upwards and she laughed. "Fufufu~ I honestly would have taken the drink, if you offered, but this is more interesting…" she said, licking her lips as she hopped over to Musashi. She placed her hand on hers before she pushed it down. "But it's not yours I want."
In a flash, the Oni was leaning over Himejima's shoulder again. "Just a taste… you see, I quite like handsome, strong men. He's no Kintoki, but he certainly fits the bill."
Musashi stiffened, clenching her first as blood dripped down her palm. Himejima was silent, weighing his options.
"Just a bite," he said after what felt like an eternity of silence. Shuten looked surprised before she grinned, leaning down and kissing his neck.
"Good boy," she cooed before she bit into the flesh. The blind Pillar stiffened a bit as she ran her tongue against the bite wounds, lapping up the blood. She pulled back after a moment, licking her lips with a satisfied look.
"Satisfied?" Himejima asked and she hummed, hopping down.
"For now~" she hummed before she smiled at Musashi. "Let's go~ You can buy me drinks on the way back~" she added, reaching down and pulling the ribbons off of her ankles. She tied her kimono closed with them, humming as she snapped her fingers. The gate that led out of the stronghold opened and she walked through. Musashi glanced up at Himejima, who was wiping the blood from his neck with a sigh.
"Sorry," she told him and he just pat her head.
"It's alright," he assured, "It seems you were correct— Oni and demons are certainly different."
"But not by much."
"No, not by much. But she does seem more... Toleratable," Himejima offered. Musashi hummed.
"Yeah, she is. I'd rather stay peaceful with her than with Muzan."
SO SHUTEN'S HERE. I know that Servants don't retain their memories when they're resummoned— or that they're not supposed to. Avicebron sorta did in LB1 and I think one other Servant does too, but I don't quite remember. But my excuse is a.) Freedom of creativity and I wanted Shuten to know Musashi to an extent. b.) Shuten summoned in a strange way.
sakazuki are the red, saucer-like dishes that are used to drink sake from
The Oni are just barely older than Muzan, as the first mention of Oni recorded is in the Nara period, which is the early 8th century. Muzan is from the Heian period, which was the late 8th century.
While Shuten might not be older than Muzan (Shuten's legend is from the 10th century), she's still… much more powerful. We also only know that Shuten and Ibaraki started raiding around the late 10th century, but not when they became oni/were born as oni. Shuten is the daughter of Yamata no Oorochi, who first appears in 680, which is pre-muzan.
If we go based off of the same logic that we dont know when Shuten was born or how old Oorochi was when he first appears, Shuten could have been as old as two hundred years before Muzan was even inflicted with his illness. In short, who knows. for the sake of this fic though, Shuten is one of the first Oni. If you guys did know of a text that states how long Shuten was around before the story of Kintoki and Raikou, id like to check it out!
Also a bit of Okami fun there with Oorochi being the one who brought Amaterasu down and being the king of monsters. Granted, I don't know if that's true in actual mythos or not, but Oorochi is very notorious. In Okami he's considered the King of demons until you realize he's just one of many big bosses. In Okami, Oorochi is responsible for landing a fatal blow to Shiranui— who is also Amaterasu.
To The Joining:
Getting an email with a review that doesn't even transcribe the whole thing since it's so large is a bit overwhelming for me since last time I got one, someone was trying to tell me how to write my story, so I only sorta skimmed you guys' review and I'm sorry. In short, to answer your analysis and review, the Element Void name was something I really wasn't happy with either but like. It is what it is.
As for Niten Ichi-ryu, there's actually upwards of 49 techniques— not all using swords, but still part of it. Musashi's opinion of Sun Breathing won't really be seen, or at least not for a while. She's observed Breath of the Fire God and basically went "that's neat" and went on with her day. This is mainly because she was recovering from Akaza but nonetheless. She won't be part of the Yoriichi-Bot part, simply due to the fact that she's not going to be a major part of the Smith Arc— Redlight and Smith Village are the two major arcs that Musashi would not be in simply due to the fact that I don't want her simply following the Trio's storyline. She's already encroached on Tanjirou's canon development by saving Kyojruo. The Smith arc is important for him, Muichirou, Nezuko, Genya, and Mitsuri to handle on their own grounds.
Her opinion of Yoriichi is neutral simply because she wouldn't know him.
His brother? Well that's a different question that will be answered in due time. In my opinion, Yoriichi is a bit like Yagyu in terms of a master who is above her. Terrifying but she'd claw her way up in her own way. I don't think she'd be scared of Yoriichi— impressed, yes, scared no. Intimidated? Probably. But then she'd rattle her sword and demand a fight. Musashi isn't a fair fighter, the historical fight against Kojiro is enough to prove that. Yoriichi might have more discipline, but Musashi has the advantage of having fought, in this canon, real demons. Not those that Muzan has created that Shuten considers a mockery. Oni, in this fanfic, are one of the highest ranks of the 'evil' hierarchy in the east— falling short only to major Evils like Tamamo no Mae (not Fate), Oorochi, Mosirecik and Kotanecik, and the most important Evil, Izanami. That said, Musashi would not overpower Yoriichi easily. All the upcoming fights will be struggles in power.
I'm glad you guys at least seem to like this though. But please do not send an essay-length of a review every time.