walk steady on this cruel world's path

By: Aviantei

Part Twenty-Nine:

Interlude: "Happiness Is Something That Everyone Wishes to Have I"

Urokodaki Shimizu is a name that doesn't belong to anyone until she picks it up for herself, albeit it's in pieces. The given name comes first, though there's no ceremony to it whatsoever. In fact, there's no ceremony to anything about the whole situation, including how she ended up there in the first place.

She should be dead. That was the plan anyways. But there she is, still alive. There aren't even wounds or scars to prove that she once decided to leave the land of the living. Considering that she woke up what seemed like seconds after the moment that she should have been gone for, did she even die? It doesn't seem like it.

Well, at least her body's right this time, so that's a plus.

What's less a plus is that she has no idea where she even is. Not America, that's for sure. Also not modern day by the looks of things. Oh, hell, this is one of those "reincarnated in another world" things, isn't it? This was not what she asked for in any way shape or form, but it's what she's getting, so she needs to at least figure out what she's going to do about it.

Step one: get a name that isn't her old one. She has no qualms whatsoever never thinking about her old name again, so it's not like that's a big loss. Just like every isekai'd-into-an-anime fanfiction ever, she's in Japan, so she should pick out a name that matches that. She thinks through a few names and lands on Shimizu since it belonged to a cute anime girl, once upon a future time.

If she's going to do this, she's going to embrace the stupidity of the situation.

It seems her new body is in complete support of this approach. In terms of height and build, she's about the same as before with the obvious proportion changes and whatnot. Her hair and eyes are now a brilliant teal. She has a face that's pretty enough that she's surprised she doesn't have shōjo sparkles following her around.

Thinking about genre leads Shimizu to the ever-important step two: figuring out where the hell she even is. Based on what she's seen before, this is historical fiction of some sort—which, assuming that she is in a piece of media and not some other random universe, narrows down the pool, if not quite enough to give a guaranteed answer. The good news is that it doesn't take long at all to get the essential clue she needs.

A passing person on the street, dressed in a black uniform with a gakuran style jacket and somewhat poofy pants. The kanji for Destroy stitched into the back, a sword hanging at their waist. Kimetsu no Yaiba it is, then.

Enter step three: figure out what the heck she's going to do about it. Shimizu's first instinct is to wander around and end up in a demon's path by "coincidence." Wouldn't death by supernatural creature be much more permanent than…well.

No, no, if this is anything, it's proof that I'm just going to get sucked into something else, even if I do die. It wouldn't be so bad if she could just ditch her memories of the last time, but there's no guarantee about anything. Hell, the end of the manga even had reincarnation in it. Delaying the inevitable is just going to wear her out. And besides…

I've read enough insert fics to know how the emotional crisis goes. Even if I don't care if I live, I shouldn't abandon the lives of other people—because they're people, not just characters. Yes, yes, yes, I know, I get it! So if I'm going to accomplish anything, I gotta figure out if we're in Canon at all yet. And the best way to accomplish that is toss myself into the middle of everything and become a Demon Slayer, I know, I know!

Maybe, she can't help but wonder, if she dies doing something heroic this time, the universe will let her rest in peace.

The easiest way to get a gauge on the plot is to find the protagonist. Lucky for her, Shimizu binged Kimetsu no Yaiba not too long ago in celebration of the manga finishing up, so a lot of the details are still fresh in her mind. Sagiri-yama is where Urokodaki Sakonji Cultivates new Demon Slayers, where Kamado Tanjirō trained—not to mention it's one of the few locations in Canon that gets a name, so it's somewhere solid to head other than just wandering around and hoping she gets sucked up in the plot.

If nothing else, the fact that the Demon Slayer Corps are still active means that Canon's not over yet, and the weather feels like summer-ish? Shimizu doesn't have the timeline memorized by any means, but she does sort of remember there being snow during the final battle, so there's at least a half a year before things go down—assuming that things have even started yet.

Which, it turns out, they haven't. There's no sign whatsoever of the Kamado siblings present, which is the first clue. The second is that Urokodaki seems reluctant to take on another apprentice, which is…well, yeah; Shimizu doesn't blame him. Having most of your students get slaughtered will do that to you. Hell, knowing that Tanjirō hasn't shown up yet and the Hand Demon is still wandering around Final Selection is almost enough to make Shimizu want to run for the hills.

Come on. You're scared of dying? Give me a break.

So Shimizu introduces herself in full politeness like her newfound Japanese fluency allows her to, and asks to be Urokodaki's apprentice. Given her knowledge of the series, it's not too hard to mention that she heard rumors that he could help with fighting demons, make up some revenge story or another about losing her family to one. Urokodaki Sakonji is a harsh trainer, but a nice man, so he accepts Shimizu under his care—and then Shimizu's far too exhausted to even think about regretting her actions.

It doesn't matter how much Shimizu knows about Kimetsu no Yaiba and Total Concentration Breathing; learning to do it still sucks. But, piece by piece, Shimizu picks up the basics of Water Breathing and, piece by piece, learns how to survive, though training feels a lot more like death than actual death did, which is some utter bull.

You were a champ to keep pushing through this Tanjirō. Mad respect to shōnen protagonists for putting up with this, holy cow.

Whenever Shimizu isn't dying, she's working on logging everything she can remember about Canon in a notebook that Urokodaki-san lets her use—in English, of course. It'll be far less of a pain to explain writing in a foreign language instead of trying to come up with an excuse for all the junk she knows. Urokodaki-san seems to respect her privacy, so she's not worried, but better safe than sorry.

The plot of the anime isn't too, too disastrous. Given the levels the series goes to later on, there aren't any major catastrophes—save for what happens to the Kamado family. If Shimizu had any clue where they lived, she'd go and try to help, but checking every mountain town in Japan in an age with minimal motor vehicle transport is just not practical. Learning to use a sword so she can help with later events is much more pertinent.

Shimizu takes quick notes on the anime—opening act, training, Final Selection. The Hand Demon is the first major roadblock, which is not encouraging in the slightest. Sure would be hilarious if Shimizu decided to live and she couldn't even make it past the test to become a Demon Slayer.

Assume that you'll make it. What comes after that?

A pile of demon encounters is what. The Swamp Demon with three bodies and a collection of hairpins; Tanjirō eats udon in Tokyo, encounters Kibutsuji Muzan, meets Tamayo-san and Yushirō, fights the Temari girl and the Arrow guy; then it's the Drum House where the Squad assembles; a short break before Spider Mountain, with five total demons, including the Lower Moon Five, Rui; Nezuko gets exposed, there's a training arc and transition, Muzan destroys the Lower Moons, credits roll.

And then there's the manga continuum and Mugen Train, and, well, hello heartbreak!

Lower Moon One, Enmu, with a dream-based Blood Demon Art. Upper Moon Three, Akaza, who kills Flame Hashira Rengoku Kyōjurō. The first major character death and a big blow to the Demon Slayer Corps in general. Is it possible to save Rengoku? Sure, fics do that thing all the time, but is it possible for one person—someone who's just now training to become a Demon Slayer, mind you—to make enough of a difference against someone as powerful as Akaza, a demon who died in the end because he chose to surrender?

Get information down. That's all you need to do right now.

The Red Light District Arc, versus the Upper Moon Six, Daki—siblings Ume and Gyūtarō, who need to be beheaded at the same time or they'll keep each other alive; that battle, Sound Hashira Uzui Tengen loses his—hand? Foot? Something that makes him retire. Then there's the Swordsman Village Arc. Tanjirō gets a new sword, and there's two Twelve Kizuki at that fight, Upper Five and Upper Four—Shimizu can't remember their names, but she remembers their powers: one that can split into multiple beings and whose true body is super tiny, the other with his art jars and fish aesthetic. Between Tanjirō, Genya, and two Hashira, there's not a lot of substantial damage, and Nezuko even becomes immune to sunlight, which kicks things into gear for Hashira Training and the final plotline.

Ugh, Infinity Castle. So much fucking heartbreak. Shimizu couldn't even go a week while reading the updates without sobbing. But she does her best to remember, logging as much information as possible. The abilities and backstories of the Upper Moons One, Two, and Three, plus the replacements for Four and Six. The strategies that end in victories, the many, many deaths of the Demon Slayer Corps. Shimizu ends up crying all over again as she records the fights in the Castle, plus the battle with Muzan after during Countdown to Sunrise. Like, crap, these are actual people who are going to die, and it'll be for the sake of wiping out all demons, but still.

I'm the only one that knows about this. It's just me. So I'm responsible for trying to stop this. Can I even stop any of this?

Shimizu has an existential crisis that doesn't pair well in the slightest with Urokodaki's training whatsoever.

At the end of that winter and the start of spring, the Kamado siblings arrive.

Seeing Urokodaki in person was a little jarring, sure, but that impact can also be attributed to the fact that the man runs around in a literal tengu mask all the time, one that's actual carved wood and not a cosplay substitute. Tanjirō and Nezuko seem a little bit more surreal. The iconic clothes patterns, the pink of Nezuko's eyes, Tanjirō's scar, not yet in the pattern of his Demon Slayer Mark, their once animated faces now in reality. There's not much room to interact with Nezuko, seeing as that she's down for the count in her two-year power nap.

Tanjirō, though.

Tanjirō is every bit as much of a sweetheart in person as his portrayal in the anime, and it breaks Shimizu's heart to know what he's going to have to go through over the next few years. What's even worse is that, once Shimizu shares her own (very made up) motivation for training to defeat demons, Tanjirō extends some of his kindness and worry to her as well when he's already got so much on his plate.

For the most part, though, the two of them are focused on their training. Just like with Tanjirō, Urokodaki sets her on the task to cut a freaking boulder in half. If Shimizu hadn't already seen the series, she wouldn't think anything like this was possible—but, well, Total Concentration Breathing is kinda broken. Sure, she has to practice like heck to get it to work, but the moment she breathes the right way and has the trail of water follow her blade is exhilarating.

Supernatural powers unlocked through breathing: check.

How it works isn't anywhere near as important as the fact that she can do it—just one of the thousands of things she has to worry about down! Even with that out of the way, though, controlling the technique enough to get through the boulder is its own challenge, but Shimizu manages that, too, and without the help of any ghost children.

Yeah, being flippant about it doesn't help. Everything with Sabito and Makomo and the rest of Urokodaki's students is just sad. So Shimizu's not surprised in the slightest whenever she shows off her clean-cut boulder and Urokodaki hesitates to congratulate her.

"You said if I could do this, then you'd recommend me for Final Selection," Shimizu says, not giving him an option to say otherwise. "If you don't, I'll just go there on my own. Please, Urokodaki-san. I need to go and do this."

Urokodaki sighs and retrieves a fox mask from a cabinet, the beautiful wave patterns painted on the surface. "Take this, at least, Shimizu. It should help keep you safe."

Shimizu bites the inside of her cheek and accepts, not trusting her voice enough to speak.

Final Selection itself feels way more critical than it should be. Life or death isn't a concern as far as Shimizu is concerned. However, it's also a good point to figure out if it's even possible to change Canon in the first place. In theory, it should be within Shimizu's ability to beat the Hand Demon. She received the same training as Tanjirō, who defeated him while fresh off of Sagiri-yama.

The problem is that Tanjirō is the protagonist. That's kind of an unfair advantage, not to mention his (unknowing) experience with Sun Breathing and his general physical ability thanks to cutting down trees for coal and other such chores. Having gone through the same training means that Shimizu knows that it's not like he's been good at it since the moment he started. Heck, right now, he's still training against Sabito. Still, Shimizu can't help but worry that there's a possibility that the pull of Canon/destiny/whatever is so powerful that there's no way to impact anything.

Well, either I succeed in killing this thing or I die. That's about how it goes.

Being one of Urokodaki's students means that Shimizu's an obvious target for the Hand Demon—but once the test starts, she can't bring herself to put on her fox mask. It's beyond stupid. She was so willing to die not that long ago—did a few years change that much? The realization is such a shock that Shimizu almost runs right into a (proper test level) demon. She manages to defeat it, but she's still shaken.

I…want to live?

Shimizu's hands are trembling, light rippling across her borrowed sword as it quivers under the moonlight. There hasn't been much time while training and trying to recall every possible Canon detail she can to think about much else like her own feelings. Right in the middle of the literal murder mountain of a test, Shimizu starts crying, overwhelmed by it all. Wow, caring again hurts way more than it should. No wonder she gave it up.

The first morning is a godsend, and Shimizu half sleeps, half has another existential crisis. After taking a power nap and getting some food in her stomach (hooray for old camping trips and some tips from Urokodaki and Tanjirō!), she feels a little better. At the very least, she has enough resolve to do her best to make it through the Final Selection, though the fox mask still weighs heavy inside her haori.

It's on the second night that she meets Rairi.

It's not the best first impression out there. Shimizu is trying to fight a demon when the enemy runs. Not wanting to leave them to run into some other candidate, Shimizu takes chase—and manages to corral the enemy right into someone else who was just trying to sneak in some food. At least no one gets hurt, and the demon goes down without too much of a struggle. This other candidate is a Thunder Breathing user, and the triangle patterns on their haori make Shimizu pause for a moment, because she's seen that design before, though in different colors.

This person's name is Rairi, which means nothing in the larger scheme of things. There was no Canon character with that name in Kimetsu no Yaiba, but it's not like that matters. This is a flesh and blood person; just because they weren't in a manga doesn't mean that they matter any less. And on top of that, there's a chance they might be—

Shimizu wasn't expecting to run into any story connections during this test, so she didn't review her Plot notes—but even she remembers the major cast without any issues. After an agreement to team up and surviving the second night, though, it's safe enough to strike up casual conversation. Shimizu asks about Rairi's training, and that confirms it: they're also a student of Kuwajima Jigorō, which, more important than anything else, means that they're the senpai of Zenitsu and Kaigaku.

There was no mention of anyone like this in the manga, but Shimizu's not surprised. There are so many people who weren't relevant to the Plot, so why would they get any attention? Even with Urokodaki's many lost students, just Sabito and Makomo got names. Maybe there were other students of Kuwajima's who died, who just didn't get anywhere. Things like that are inconsequential to the stories of the boy with shattered self-confidence who grew and developed Thunder Breathing's new Seventh Form, to the Demon Slayer who sacrificed his humanity to live and became the Upper Moon Six. But this isn't a story anymore, and Rairi is very real, and—

"If you have kōhai, you should take care of them," Shimizu says, and Rairi blinks at the sudden piece of unsolicited advice. Still, it's the one thing that Shimizu can think to say without spilling the beans about her situation, and she comes up with enough of an excuse that Rairi doesn't question it any further, instead turning the conversation to Shimizu's own training, and that just brings up the Hand Demon.

By all rights, Rairi should abandon Shimizu—but they don't. Instead, they decide to team up with her to fight, which is out of nowhere enough that Shimizu ends up crying all over again. The point of this test is to survive, and yet Rairi has no hesitation running right into death to help Shimizu, to try and help their kōhai.

No matter what happens, I need to keep them alive. At least for Zenitsu and Kaigaku's sake.

The battle against the Hand Demon isn't easy. Both Shimizu and Rairi get knocked around a bit, but, in the end, he's defeated, his soul set free. Tanjirō won't need to fight the demon, and Sabito and Makomo and all the others can rest in peace. And, on top of everything, that means it's possible to change Canon events, which means there are so many other people's lives who can be saved if Shimizu plays her cards right.

So, yeah, she cries again. If anyone wants to blame her, they can talk after they've survived a fight with a demon.

The fact of it alone is enough to make Shimizu more than a little bit excited. She's in an actual anime, she's got superpowers, and she can change the Plot! Making it through Final Selection just adds to her overall high, which makes her beyond giddy when it comes to picking out her ore—I'm going to get a Nichirin sword, holy crap!

Oh, sure, it's a chunk of metal right now, but it's going to be a sword! Which she knows how to use to do super cool things! And it's possible to change the Plot; there's so much potential!

Shimizu's so caught up in the excitement that she almost misses the moment whenever Rairi decides to tell off the literal children of the Demon Slayer Corps' leader about not maintaining the testing ground to let something like the Hand Demon even exist. Yeah, nothing even close to that happened in Canon, considering that Tanjirō still had a dramatic battle sequence. The chances that Rairi would have just…died in the Canon timeline are looking a little more likely. Considering that Shimizu and they are friends now, that's not an idea that she wants to consider.

Well, they're alive now. That's good. Let's hope they can do some good with Zenitsu and Kaigaku. Half worried about that whole plotline (which doesn't have anywhere near enough Canon content to help Shimizu to work on fixing things), half wanting to keep in touch otherwise, Shimizu asks to exchange letters with Rairi and heads back to Sagiri-yama.

There's no Nezuko kicking down the door to welcome her back, but there is Tanjirō picking up Shimizu's scent and Urokodaki pausing in shock before hugging her when he realizes that his first student since Tomioka has come back alive. Maybe it's a little cheap of a victory, considering that Shimizu had a heads up, but she's not complaining since it means Tanjirō will be able to make it through Final Selection in peace.

One less trial in a very long year of suffering for him.

"Shimizu-san," Tanjirō whispers that night whenever everyone's gone to bed.

Shimizu rolls over in her futon, squinting through the dark and past Nezuko to where Tanjirō is. "What is it, Tanjirō-kun?"

"Um, I understand if you don't want to answer, but I've been wondering…are you okay?" Shimizu stills, sucking in a gasp. Sometimes she's so focused on the fact that Tanjirō's soon going to be walking into a constant state of danger that she forgets he'd be concerned for her, too. "While we've known each other, you've had such a sad smell about you. When you came back, it was a little different, but you started to seem sad again, so…I just wanted to check that you're alright."

Oh, Tanjirō-kun, sweetie, that's the Depression. But it's also that you're going to go through so many more awful things, and my heart can't take it whatsoever. "I smelled different than usual, though?" she asks, curious. If Tanjirō's nose has picked something out, then she's willing to trust it. "What was it like?"

"Um, if I had to describe it any certain way, I'd say…a little lighter than what I smell most of the time? Like you weren't as weighed down as usual." Shimizu mulls that over; would something as simple as an adrenaline high be enough to change her smell that much? Other than acknowledging it existed, there weren't a lot of details in the manga when it comes to how Tanjirō's Super Smell works. "I know you're going to be heading out to be a proper Demon Slayer soon, but if there's anything I can do, let me know, okay? You were kind to trust me and Nezuko when we showed up, so I want to return the favor."

Pure cinnamon roll too good for this godforsaken world!

"Thanks, Tanjirō-kun. I appreciate it." And she does. Considering that Shimizu could screw up a lot by being here (after all, if Canon can change for the good, there's no reason that it can't change for the worse, too, which is a just charming thought to have), it's nice to know that at least Tanjirō doesn't see her as a burden, even if he doesn't know her full circumstances. "Whenever I leave here, would you mind writing me? It'll be nice to keep in touch with someone." And also to know where in the Plot they are at any given time, because there's going to be a lot to do.

"Oh, of course! I wanted to write to you anyways, Shimizu-san." It occurs to Shimizu that Tanjirō—as in, actual Kamado Tanjirō—thinks of her as a friend, which is extra surreal on top of the already surreal situation that is her life. Since the windows are boarded up for Nezuko's sake, there's not enough light to see with, but it's not that hard to imagine him with that soft little smile on his face. "Um, if you don't mind, though…if you hear anything about how to maybe change Nezuko back into a human…?"

Shimizu thinks of Tamayo and everything she'll sacrifice to help the Kamado siblings, to defeat Muzan. She thinks of Nezuko, who will pull through and regain her humanity, of how Tanjirō will come so close to losing his. Shimizu considers dropping a hint for Tanjirō to go to Asakusa whenever he gets the chance, just in case the story she knows has no bearing on what's happening in this reality that she's stumbled into.

But for now, there's no way to bring that up, so Shimizu tucks it away for later and smiles. Somehow, the expression feels a bit more natural than she expected. "If I find anything out, Tanjirō-kun, I'll be sure to let you know."

She hopes that he can't smell that she's hiding something from him. If he does, he never brings it up.

Shimizu's excitement further blasts off whenever she realizes that her sword has arrived, half-panics when she realizes that the infamous Haganezuka Hotaru is her swordsmith and all the trouble that consists of, and then gets excited all over again whenever she at long last gets the Nichirin sword in her hand and watches the pure silver metal change color.

Blue is a little bit basic, sure, but Shimizu doesn't mind. For how rough all the training was, she likes the way Water Breathing feels as a style, the flexibility it offers. Haganezuka seems a little bit disappointed (Just you wait a little bit longer, buddy), Urokodaki looks content enough, and Tanjirō is outright ecstatic for her, even if he doesn't have a full grasp on what the colors of the blades mean. Nezuko, wrapped up in her blanket burrito, watches in interest through the gap in the door to the bedroom.

Urokodaki pats Shimizu's head and congratulates her. Whenever she receives her first official missive via her new Kasugai Crow, the message calls her Urokodaki Shimizu, and she straight up cries right then and there, surprising a precise count of no one whatsoever.

(The addition of a family name makes her feel a little bit more connected to this place, a little bit more like she belongs here.)

And then it's time to head out on a mission, Tanaka leading the way, and Shimizu tries to figure out just how she's going to even start to influence the Plot. All things considered, nothing too awful happens in the anime timeline, so she should focus on figuring out some way or another to be involved with Mugen Train—not to mention be strong enough to maybe make a difference.

So Shimizu focuses on her missions and parses through her notes when she gets the chance. While she was never one for training arcs, she did manage to remember that Total Concentration: Constant was a thing. Before, it seemed obvious, but now that she understands what Total Concentration takes out of a person, it feels beyond ridiculous. She tries, though, but it's beyond tricky to get down, and even more so when she's traveling half the time and on missions during the rest.

Gotta focus! Gotta get down the Tanjirō Boom-Boom!

And then Shimizu manages to get into a not-so-great scuffle with a demon that's not one of the Twelve Kizuki but still manages to rip her uniform apart. The final status condition on that fight happens to be a victory with a critical HP bar in the form of a not-so-fun gash across Shimizu's stomach, and it's thanks to the help of a Kakushi that she makes it to a Wisteria House.

Lying around in a bed and recovering is not what Shimizu would call anything close to helping do something worthwhile about the Plot, but at least Tanjirō and the others spent their fair share of the series recovering, too. After a few days of medical care and bedrest, another Corps member joins Shimizu in the infirmary, and it's a familiar face.

Rairi has broken their arm, but otherwise seems to be doing okay. While it's unfortunate circumstances, it's nice to have the company. It's less nice to have a reminder that Rairi is also vulnerable, can be harmed. If their mission had gone a little bit worse, they could have been gone—and that's not something Shimizu wants to think about.

Not just for Zenitsu and Kaigaku's sake, but for hers, too.

While they both recover, Shimizu decides to mention Total Concentration: Constant to Rairi in hopes that the skill will serve them well. Rairi's reaction is just as disbelieving as Shimizu expected—but they decide to give it their best anyway, and that determination helps give Shimizu the mental boost she needed to buckle down and get serious as well. By the time they've both healed up, Shimizu and Rairi both have Total Concentration: Constant under their belts, which is an excellent step in the right direction. If nothing else, Rairi is a little stronger, a little more likely to survive, so that's good.

Of course, there's still reason to worry. The next time Shimizu sees Rairi, a few months have passed, and they're injured again, though this time it's nothing as serious as a broken bone. A rolled ankle is child's play in comparison to the other kinds of injuries Demon Slayers can end up with. Still, there is a moment that makes Shimizu pause, even as she listens to Rairi.

Accompanying them is none other than Kaigaku, whom Shimizu needs no introduction for. He's recognizable, thanks to the choker and magatama around his neck, but it's still strange to see him as a human (his eyes clean and clear of any kanji) when most of his very limited page time in Canon was as a demon, even stranger to see him with a bruise marring his face from whatever he and Rairi dealt with on their mission.

Shimizu is once again struck by how little it seems to matter that she knows things from Canon when there's no way to bring it up. Kaigaku hasn't become a demon yet—there's still at least a few months until then, considering that he had an interaction with Zenitsu after the latter became a Slayer if she's remembered right, and Tanjirō hasn't tested yet—but it's going to happen by the year's end. How could she even bring up that it will happen and give him a warning without being suspicious as heck?

So I know you don't know me, but I'm your senpai's friend and I come from another timeline where I saw what was going to happen in the future thanks to a manga—and you're going to become an antagonist! It'd be super great if that didn't happen, though, so maybe be extra careful when you go out on missions, okay? Yeah, no, there's no good way to do this!

Staring at Kaigaku ahead and outpacing her on the road, Shimizu laments her inability to do anything helpful about the situation all the way back to the Wisteria House. There's just too much tragedy in Kimetsu no Yaiba, and so little that can be done about it. At least with major Plot events, Shimizu has enough of an idea of when things are happening. With Kaigaku, there's so few clues at all, and there's even less chance that Shimizu will be around to contribute in any way shape or form—even if she were, what the hell could she do against Kokushibō, the Upper Moon One?

If nothing else, though, it seems like Rairi is a good influence. In what limited context Canon gave, Kaigaku was rude and dismissive of anyone he didn't think was worth the time—but he at least gave a performative greeting whenever Rairi elbowed him, plus he's putting in the effort to make sure they get treated for a minor injury. Of course, none of that guarantees anything in the long run, but it's still potential.

Unless having his senpai die helped him spiral.

If Shimizu thinks of Rairi dying one more time, she might just scream without giving anyone context or the chance to question it. She can't let theories distract her from the facts that she does know. Worrying about Kaigaku won't help, not since Rairi seems to get along with him good enough. As long as Rairi's still around, maybe things will work out okay. And if they don't, well—

It's not like it'll be the first time I go ahead and blame myself for everything. I at least know what to expect.

And with that cheerful thought, Shimizu sneezes, more than ready for some medicine and some rest.

Time goes on, and Shimizu receives a letter from Tanjirō, indicating that he's passed Final Selection and that Nezuko's woken up, which is both exciting and terrifying news. On the one hand, Shimizu fighting the Hand Demon didn't mess up Tanjirō's plotline. On the other hand, it's now time for the capital-P Plotline to start, which means every day is one less until the next tragedy unfurls.

And then Tanaka swoops in with a mission that has Natagumo-yama as its destination, and Shimizu can't help but wonder if this is where her very short second life comes to an end, because there are just so many things on this mountain that can kill her. If it's not one demon, it's the other, and if it's not that demon, there's still three more to go, with Rui as the most dangerous option of them all. So many ways to die, so little time!

"God, I hate this," Shimizu says, but Tanaka just guides her to the destination like usual, so this is her life now. If nothing else, getting involved in this mission will be a good opportunity to keep track of Tanjirō so Shimizu can maybe do something about the impending threat of Mugen Train—but that kinda assumes that Shimizu's going to survive the literal worst mountain across both her lifetimes.

Lucky for her, she doesn't end up with one of the groups that got controlled like puppets. A little less lucky for her, the group of Slayers she heads in with gets scattered, and soon Shimizu's stuck alone in the woods with no one for backup. Each step is a fresh opportunity to remember all the awful ways it's possible to die (Melted in a cocoon! Crushed by Spider Dad! Turned into a literal spider! Neck snapped by puppet strings! Sliced to ribbons by spider webbing!), and Shimizu can't help but debate if it'd be much more worth it to just bail and hope she can send a message of warning to Headquarters, asking for the help of Hashira since there's no guarantee that they know already.

And then a loud voice shouts "Senpai!" and Shimizu has to try not to jump right out of her skin as a figure comes barreling through the trees. There's no one that calls her that (it seemed a little silly to call herself Tanjirō's senpai when she didn't help much in his training), so she wasn't sure who to expect—but it does end up being someone she couldn't mistake for anyone else.

Agatsuma Zenitsu, in the flesh, and yet another Canon character for Shimizu to encounter. Several pieces of information flash through Shimizu's mind in succession—that if Zenitsu's here, then so's the rest of Protag Squad, which means Tomioka and Shinobu will arrive soon enough; that it's likely they're near the lair of the Older Brother Spider Demon (who is the grossest of the bunch; Shimizu is not accepting constructive criticism on her thesis at this time); that one of Zenitsu's major character traits was his unfortunate habit of hitting on any girl in the immediate vicinity.

Except, whenever they introduce themselves, there's no real sign of that. Zenitsu gives a polite enough introduction, and then he asks if Rairi's around—which Shimizu has no clue about. She can hope that, if Rairi did get assigned here, they're one of the Slayers that make it through.

The best thing to do to guarantee that, though, is to make sure the Canon victories still happen, so that means directing Zenitsu to fight the literal Worst Demon Ever. Shimizu half lies about being able to sense a demon's presence, and then Zenitsu's Super Hearing does the rest. Except, it doesn't matter that Shimizu has foreknowledge of what they're going to face, seeing the Toy Story nightmare in person is awful, and the demon at the head of all of it is even worse. No wonder Zenitsu had an anxiety breakdown hard enough to knock himself out.

Except that doesn't happen, either. Sure, Zenitsu's not calm, but he's not screaming, he's not running away, and he's still conscious. Something has changed somewhere in the timeline—but figuring it out doesn't matter. Both Shimizu and Zenitsu have been bitten, so every second wasted is a second closer to also becoming a spider, which is a Hard freaking Pass!

If Canon Zenitsu were capable of being the demon on his own, then Shimizu's more than willing to bet that he can beat the thing while she runs backup. And she ends up being right. The Rokuren variant of the Hekireki Issen is even more amazing in person than ufotable's stunning animation made it look, and Shimizu has to snap herself out of it to make her way up to the roof of the floating cabin where Zenitsu landed.

Given that they've had the poison in their systems for a certified While, using Total Concentration to control it is for the best. Chuntarō's already raced off for help, so it's just a matter of time before Kochō Shinobu herself (oh, look, another person that's going to die by time things are over, just great!) shows up on the scene and there's a miracle cure ready for everyone. Shimizu explains the situation as best she can through the growing poison pain, but the good news is that she has enough control on her breathing that her limbs have just shrunk the slightest amount, while Zenitsu has it worse. Sure, everything hurts, but a quick injection of Shinobu's antidote means everything's settled—or, at least, as settled as it's going to be for what Shimizu can influence.

Tanjirō-kun, Nezuko-kun. I hope this goes well for you. If I need to, I'll put my life on the line with Urokodaki-san and Tomioka-san as well.

Somewhere in the middle of thinking that and getting toted around by a Kakushi, Shimizu's body decides to take a well, well deserved nap.

[Author's Notes]

Happy anniversary to walk steady! Once again, this is a double update, so be sure to hop on back and read Part Twenty-Eight if you haven't already. The good news is that you can read them in either order, but the transition will make a whole lot more sense this way lol.

Thanks to BokutoNoD for sneaking in a follow before I did these back to back updates. You're the bomb.

You know who else is the bomb? Every single one of you reading this. Like, somehow it's just been a year, and this story has managed to pass every single fanfiction record I've had, including viewing and favorites, all before it's first anniversary. It's...wild? I don't think I've ever expected a fic to blow up this hard before, and I couldn't have done it without y'all. Thanks so so much for all the support (repeated into infinity).

But! Even if we're getting sentimental, that doesn't mean we're done yet! This is where things start to get real. For all of you that were like "Oh, Shimizu is definitely also an OC Insert," you were right! While I was planning this fic, I was like, "Why is it always the one person that gets transmigrated? Why not several?" Thus Shimizu's concept came into play, and now you get all her flailing around in the background in full glory! Def looking forward to seeing the reactions on these bits...

Amidst all the extra celebration, I would like to promo my The World Ends With You fic: Muse, which is going to have the other alternating Saturday slot for the winter [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm] season. I finally finished drafting that fic this year, and it's in its final season now, so I want to show off another story I'm proud of. And, well, all my active fics have officially received an update thanks to the anniversary bonanza, so those are there to if you wanna try something else.

It's time for a Taishō Era Secret! Chapter title for the Shimizu interlude is from my own English dub lyrics for LiSA's "Gurenge."

In her former life, Shimizu was a trans girl who struggled with both intense feelings of dysphoria and depression, the latter of which led to her committing suicide. When she was reincarnated into the realm of Kimetsu, she was reborn with a body that is true to her, but depression has still been a struggle for her to handle, though she hides it in front of others almost constantly, which is not a healthy coping mechanism whatsoever.

Like Rairi did with Tadashi, Shimizu named her Kasugai Crow after the character Tanaka Ryunosuke from Haikyū! Likewise, she named herself after Shimizu Kiyoko from the same series.

Next Time: Interlude featuring aggressive shipping, choo choo, and saying things that you shouldn't know in front of an audience. Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[01.02.2022]