"GAH!"

Tanjirou's shot open and he leaned up from the ground. His hands went over his body and sure enough he was surprised that he sustained no injuries. It took a moment for his vision to focus to the amount of light in the area, but soon he was able to see.

"…what… what happened?"

He was several dozen feet from the wreckage. The train had crashed. The engine was over on its side and the cars behind were scattered on both sides of the track. They were broken open. Besides the damage they took when they derailed, there were prominent jagged holes reminiscent of shattered glass all over them. He took a sharp inhale when he saw them, but seeing that there weren't any bodies in the train, it seemed that his friends were able to protect at least some of them. He needed to find them.

"I need to- " He felt something warm and soft touch his hand as he was about to stand. He swiveled and he couldn't stop himself from screaming.

"SUSAMARU!" When he took in her form, he saw how damaged her entire body was. It was Mount Natagumo all over again. Her arms and legs were disjointed, with her other pairs gone. She was scraped with cuts leaking blood into a pool beneath her. Her torso was embedded with little to large pieces of metal shrapnel from the train, and one of her eyes was cut.

He immediately crawled over to her and hastily pulled her up to him. She seemed to be unconscious, but alive. Demons could only be killed in specific ways. "Susamaru! Susamaru! Are you okay? Wake up, please!"

*cough* *cough*

Her eyes fluttered open to the sound of his voice and Tanjirou relaxed his body. The temari demon coughed a bit more blood before she was eventually fully conscious. She immediately tried to sit, but felt back down into Tanjirou's arms at the failed attempt. She finally noticed the injuries and decided not to get up.

In her position, her eyes refused to make contact with his and went off to the side once she realized who was holding her. Tanjirou noticed it, his gaze awkwardly going in the opposite direction, memories of what he said earlier coming back to him.

They stayed like this for several moments before one of them broke the silence.

"…I'm sorry" was all Tanjirou could say.

"You're sorry?" He drew his attention back to the girl in his grasp. She looked more shocked than anything. "Why would- *cough* you be sorry?" she asked.

He subconsciously cringed. "For what I said to you!"

For Tanjirou, he had never gotten that mad before. His frustrations had just been building for such a long time, he didn't even notice it. And Susamaru, she didn't deserve his ire. It made him feel guilty. He subconsciously turned his head away, but when he felt her squeeze his hand with hers, he looked back. She was smiling softly.

"Tanjirou. It's alright dummy." She held his hand firmly in his. "Everyone gets mad you know. People can't be expected to bottle up everything, especially you."

"Yeah, but- "

"Yeah but nothing." she interrupted. "If anything, I should be the one who's sorry. That- *cough* bitch got the best of me and you had to fight her on your own. I did manage to save you though… hehe."

"Wait, you saved me?"

"I managed to grab onto one of the open windows of the train. Before I could *cough* get back, the train started to shake before it kind of… exploded, and you were flying off. So I jumped to save you."

The shrapnel was evident of that. Seeing the damage done to her body, there was no way he would've lived through it. He smiled and squeezed her hand. "Thank you… Susamaru."

She nodded lightly before something else popped into her mind. "Do you know if everyone else is alright?" she asked.

Tanjirou raised his head. "Um, I don't- "

"Don't worry, there were no other casualties."

The both of them turned to the sound of the new voice that had appeared. They looked to their right to see the spirited flame Hashira leaning over the two of them in his usual, cheerful garb.

"Rengoku-san!" Tanjirou's expression brightened.

"Right." The Hashira put his hands to his sides affirmatively, standing over the two. "You two seem like you took quite the fall."

"Tell me about it." the demon quipped, plucking some of the smaller pieces of train from her body. "Are Zenitsu, Nezuko, and the passengers alright?"

He nodded. "When the cars started to break apart, I managed to prevent any of the passengers from sustaining major injuries. The two that came with you also did the same. They have talent, and so do you."

He paused slightly. "Did you manage to take down the Kizuki?"

The boy hesitated before he hung his head. "No… I didn't."

"I see.." The Hashira smiled, but it wasn't the absolute unreadable, joyful and confident one he always had. It was more a regretful one.

"Did you know her?" Tanjirou asked him. He remembered back to the expression she had on her face when they captured her. How distraught she looked along with everything she said. "She said she knew you."

The smile disappeared from his face and the two of them noticed his demeanor change.

"A long time ago." He stated, "She was an old friend. I didn't expect her to be the one I was sent after."

The Hashira turned to the wreckage solemnly. "I thought she died, but she was turned into a demon, so the least I am able to do is to… end her suffering painlessly. That's all we can do for them."

Tanjirou felt his anger spike only for a second before he silenced it. He shook his head in denial. "No, we can do more than that for them. Just look at Susamaru."

Rengoku peered down to the disheveled demon laying on the ground, nodding in agreement before staring back into the night. "She was a special case; you must understand that Tanjirou. Your other friend too."

Tanjirou retreated slightly, but continued to listen.

"As demon slayers, we aren't able to save every demon we find, even if they are good-natured or… ones we knew. Unless there is a way for demons to be cured, we will have to keep fighting for the sake of humanity. That is our duty. Never forget that."

He was right to some extent. Tamayo and Yushiro were still working on a cure, but demons were still being created and devouring. There was no way to stop that. It was something he just had to accept. He heard the Hashira shift towards them.

"Now, let's head back and- " The two of them witnessed him freeze before a distant shockwave was heard. They turned to the source of the noise, Rengoku immediately assuming a sword stance.

In the distant dimly lit night, all they could see was a cloud of dust and two yellow dots. They couldn't' react fast enough before an approaching shadow closed the hundred-foot distance between them.

Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!

The two blinked as a goblet of flame engulfed their vision, lighting up the area around. The figure flipped away from the three, allowing Tanjirou and Susamaru to now get a good look at it. It was a man. Blood red hair matched an open-cut haori to expose his chest and muscular form. Inked tattoos ran in-lines down his face, arms, and chest. His irises were the most notable. Golden, with two words. Upper Three.

The demon raised his arm, a cut slicing straight through the middle of it. He flexed and the two pieces snapped together in an instant, an amused grin never leaving his face.

"That's a fine sword."

He licked the blood on his hand, continuing his entertained expression. Tanjirou, Susamaru, and Rengoku instantly understood the power that the demon held. It was another Kizuki, an upper rank. Tanjirou and Susamaru mentally shook, but Rengoku remained steadfast.

"I can't understand why you'd go after the wounded first." Rengoku posed.

"They could get in the way of our little chitchat." The demon smiled. "Although, a demon slayer defending a demon… very interesting."

The Hashira scoffed to himself. "Tsk… and what would you and I have to talk about? I'm meeting you for the first time, but I already dislike you."

"Is that right? Well, I loathe the weak. The sight of a weakling makes my skin crawl."

"Then it looks like our senses of value are completely different." Rengoku stated.

The demon in front of the three relaxed his posture, but Rengoku didn't. Tanjirou and Susamaru stayed still.

"Alright, then I have a brilliant proposal for you. Why don't you become a demon too?"

"I will not."

"I can tell your strength at a glance. You're a Hashira, aren't you? You're fighting spirit has been honed to perfection. It's close to the realm of the highest." The demon continued.

"I'm the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku." He returned, not giving any indication of hesitation or weakness.

"I'm Akaza." The Kizuki revealed, continuing to rant. "Kyojuro, let me tell you why you can't enter the realm of the highest. It's because you're a human. Because you're going to grow old and because you're going to die."

Akaza extended his hand toward him, causing Tanjirou to flinch unnoticeably. "Become a demon, Kyojuro. Do that, and you can go on training for another one hundred- no, two hundred years! You can become stronger!"

The scent of the demon finally hit Tanjirou's nose unexpectedly. It was the closest to the foul smell that was burned into his mind several years ago. By instinct, Tanjirou started to stand, but Kyojuro put his hand to stop him, making the crimson demon slayer halt.

"Both growing old and dying are a part of the beauty of being an ephemeral creature like a human. The fact that we grow old and die is what makes human life so unbearably precious." Rengoku straightened his body, before continuing.

"Strength isn't just a word used to describe the body… and these two aren't weak." The two in question turned in admiration to the Flame Pillar. "Don't insult them."

"I'll repeat it as many times as I have to. You and I have different senses of value. No matter what the reason, I will not become a demon!" His words seemed absolute to the demon.

"I see."

Technique Development: Destructive Death, Compass Needle

The stance that the demon took lit up the ground beneath him in a snowflake-like pattern of blue and shimmering red light. It took the two behind the Hashira by surprise, but not Rengoku, who only twisted his sword.

"If you refuse to become a demon, I'll kill you."

Akaza launched forward, kicking up debris in his wake. One of his fists collided with metal as sparks broke from the impact. Rengoku retaliated, slicing upward but missing the speed necessary to hit. The demonic entity jumped back and leaped forward with two more, more sparks jolting from the contact. It was like his hands were made of metal, seemingly unfazed by the metal of the katana itself.

Tanjirou and Susamaru could only watch in awe at the speed the two were fighting at. They were blurs, afterimages of blue and orange appearing and disappearing in front of them. "I can't follow their movements!"

"Neither can I!" The temari demon agreed, propping herself up in sheer amazement. There was no way she could ever help in her condition, especially if she couldn't even see the enemy. It pained her that she had to sit back and watch, but looking over at her one and only, she tightened her fist and hoped.

The two begun their battle, one on one.

()()()()()()()()()()()

"Zenitsu, wake up! I know you're alive dummy!"

"Oww!" The slap that hit him wasn't fast enough to damage him, but it was enough to jolt him from the ground. He rubbed his head in response. "Why'd you have to hit me?"

"We have to help everyone else!" She got up and looked around for signs of life. "We don't have time for this! We need to check on the other passengers like Rengoku said!"

"Yeah, yeah." Zenitsu stood up, dusting his haori off before taking a look around. The train had nevertheless had been destroyed to say the least. There were several passengers, some unconscious and some stirring awake at this point that they needed to help. He turned back to his fellow friend. It was in that moment that he saw how the moonlight reflected her pink eyes and the edges of her hair that ran like the sunset. She met his gaze and he blushed for a second, shaking it off. "C-Come on, let's go."

The two walked off to help the other passengers. They walked along the length of the train together. Nezuko assisted with all of the people who were waking or who had already woken from the crash, attending to the surprisingly small cuts and scrapes they had. Zenitsu helped to check the status of the other ones, helping clear the debris. After diligently working and assuring the peace of mind of the passengers that help was on the way, the two reconvened on a nearby log.

Nezuko sighed in relief, placing both of her hands by her sides. Zenitsu took a seat beside her, partially adjusting the sheath of his sword. Accidentally, the two made eye contact and, making Nezuko smile and making Zenitsu immediately look away. Another moment of silence passed, after which Zenitsu decided to say something.

"You know, thank you." He saw her wonder what he was talking about.

"What are you thanking me for?" She saddened, remembering and seeing the still healing slashes across his chest that he almost died from. "I… hurt you."

Her reaction made him intervene. "No no! That's okay! You said it was a demon remember."

He took in the sight of the train and the disheveled passengers. Only a demon could've caused that destruction. He twiddled his thumbs.

"In that dream or vision or whatever that was, you told me a lot of things about myself I should've known already."

He thought back to the absolute berating that fake Nezuko put on him, mixed in with the horrifying attempts at slicing his throat. He shivered, but even so, the words she said hurt even more.

"I'm a coward. I can't fight. I don't know how I became a full-fledged demon slayer anyway. All I can really be is an accessory to Tanjirou and the others…"

He flinched when she suddenly patted his shoulder. "You're such an idiot you know."

She lifted her hand and the boy stared at her waiting for her to continue. She avoided his shook her head again. "Zenitsu. If you already know that, then why don't you try changing that?"

"Change?" His eyes met the ground and the word racked around in his brain. Of course he could try, but he'd just fail. His track record suggested that all he could do was that. But, looking over the hopeful and awaiting eyes of the girl next to him, maybe he was wrong. Did she really think that he could change?

"Nezuko, I don't know if I can. What if I fail?" He asked softly.

The entire experience of almost being killed time and time again meant he was so close to death, and one mess up would be it. He didn't want to take that chance, he couldn't. He tucked his knees into his chest.

He then heard the sound of shifting. Looking up from the ground, Nezuko had gotten in front of him, arms on her hips, with a very stern look on her face.

"So what? Who cares if you fail? I don't! My brother and the rest of us don't care either! As long as you can get stronger and protect what you love, then that's all that matters!"

The moment he heard those words, his couldn't take his eyes away. The slitted pink eyes and boasting and confidence emanating from the girl amazed him to the point where is jaw was slightly ajar. The moonlight shun down on her entire being as the winds blew her hair and dress slightly, animating her. She looked beautiful, and he stopped himself from blushing. But, he couldn't stop himself from speaking.

"O-Okay. I-I'll try."

"Good!" She shook her head approvingly of the boy.

"Are you two done yet?!"

Both of them turned to the sound of the new voice to see a familiar boar head, standing up at the sight. "Inosuke, where have you been!"

The boar crossed his arms and boasted. "Trying to catch up! There were a lot of people around, but I didn't see that Hashira guy. Do you know where he is?"

The two of them perked up. "Oh yeah! Nezuko, let's go and see if he needs us to do anything else."

"Right!"

With that, the three took off. Running off toward the front of the train, they noticed the sounds of clashing metal and started to see the flashing of orange and blue, and a simultaneous chill ran down their spines.

But what they didn't know was that someone was already watching them. And that someone, was sitting behind a tree, curled up into a ball, silently and slowly rocking back in forth. Their long white hair draped over them as they pulled themselves in tight, going over what they should do.

They heard everything. Everything about change and love. All of it.

()()()()()()()()()()()

"It would be a shame to kill you now!"

Rengoku helplessly blocked the incoming blows from the Upper Moon. After a few seconds it was too much and he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen where a fist curled itself into his side. He recoiled, stumbling back a few feet, barring his anger.

Second Form, Rising Scorching Sun!

Tanjirou frantically kept pulling the broken pieces of meddle from Susamaru's body. She gritted her teeth, watching on the fight and kept Total Concentration Constant up, feeling the oxygen imbue her demonic cells.

"Hurry up Tanjirou!" She uncontrollably flinched when he pulled a larger scrap from her leg. "I need to help him fight!"

Tanjirou looked back at the fight happening in front of them. His worries intensified seeing how the tides were shifting. His breathing sped as he kept, as careful as he could, pulling piece after piece. "Listen Susamaru, are we even able to help him? Look!"

The two were moving at lightning-fast speeds. It took most of their concentration just to keep up with them. It pained him to believe they couldn't help, that they weren't strong enough to fight. In the midst of this chain of thought, another voice interrupted him.

"Tanjirou! Susamaru!" It was Zenitsu, flanked by Nezuko and Inosuke, all of them looking worse for wear. "What's happening?"

"Rengoku's fighting another Kizuki…" Susamaru plucked a final piece of shrapnel out of her arm and hastily stood up, Tanjirou looking worriedly. Her body still was healing from the damage, evident from the amount of blood loss. "We need to help him."

She tried taking a few steps towards the battle in front of them, but fell to one knee causing Tanjirou to catch her. Her body still hurt like hell. "…Fuck!"

Third Form, Blazing Universe!

Their attention turned to the blaze of light engulfing the front of Kyojuro. Blood was pouring down a cut across his forehead, covering his damaged eye. The fire bursting from his sword however was never-ending however.

Fourth Form, Blooming Flame Undulation!

Rengoku's movements were getting slower. They could all see it. The demon backed away, not a single hint of exhaustion as he grinned facing down the Hashira, creating a break in the action.

"Come on! We have to go now!" The temari demon turned to the others, nodding affirmatively. She got up back to her feet and started to run forward with them by her side.

"NO! STAY BACK!" The Hashira extended a palm towards the group, causing them to stop.

Fifth Form, Flame Tiger!

Destructive Death: Disorder!

An unimaginable collage of blue and orange battled for dominance in front of them in the night. It only took a few seconds, but the giant, glowing form the tiger-shaped flame was snuffed out, leaving the two parted once more. Blood dripped from Rengoku's body, audibly out of breath while Akaza no longer looked amused.

"Don't die on me Kyojuro."

Akaza began to glare at his opponent and the state he was in. "Those slashes you inflicted on me have already healed completely. But what about you? A smashed left eye, shattered ribs, and damaged internal organs… all irreparable. If you were a demon, you'd heal in the blink of an eye."

Akaza opened his arms to both sides, exposing himself proudly, but with intensity to show how serious he was. "You can struggle all you want, but in the end a human can never beat a demon."

"Then what about a demon?"

Kyojuro flinched when he looked over to see two people now walking up by his side. Susamaru and Nezuko had come up to either side of him at this point, Nezuko with her claws out and Susamaru readying a fighting stance. Tanjirou, seeing the two ahead, nodded with approval. Inosuke was getting impatient however, and Zenitsu was biting his fingernails.

"I thought I told you two to stay back." Rengoku voiced to the two.

"And what, let you have all the fun?" the temari demon quipped, cracking her knuckles while staring down the demon in front of them.

"Mister Rengoku. Remember, we're demons, so there's no harm if we fight." Neuzko added, readying herself.

It took a second for their words to register, causing him to chuckle quietly to himself before facing forward once more. He had never seen the day when demons would be fighting by his side. But, he was glad.

"…Very well." He raised his sword.

Meanwhile, Akaza's expression had turned from the disappointed and annoyed look he had before to one of shock and anger, gritting his teeth at the sight. It was that demon from before, and another one now, challenging him. "So… you think that just because you're demons you can beat ME?"

Unexpectedly, he launched forward with a speed they haven't seen.

"Nezuko!"

The girl couldn't raise her hands fast enough before one of Akaza's punches connected with her face, launching her back dozens of feet. Zenitsu immediately jumped to the side to catch her, tumbling backwards too from the force.

"You're both weaklings! Can't you see that?!" He ducked under a side swing from the Flame Hashira to launch a kick towards the temari demon, which she blocked with her arms, stunned by an amount of force she wasn't ready for. The Hashira sent another quick strike, but missed and quickly had to defend against another punch that sent him stumbling back.

Akaza took the opening to charge Susamaru, who raised both of her arms up in defense. "What is a weakling like you to an upper rank like me?! Nothing but an insect!"

Susamaru reeled at the series of blows sent to her arms and body in quick succession. When it ended, she jumped back and exhaled. Akaza tilted his head when he saw her grin.

"Then let me show you what this weakling can do." Susamaru punched her knuckles together and both of her extra pair of arms grew once more with a boom. She used the surprise on the demon's face to create a temari the size of her own body and held it above her head. She bared her fangs and tensed the muscles in her arms. "Take this you bastard!"

She threw it and it barreled straight for him. The demon wasn't fazed. He only scoffed, kicking his leg upwards to deflect it into the sky. His eyes went wide when he realized that it was a distraction and that the girl had closed the distance between them.

"HA!" Susamaru fired back with her own series of punches. She felt the oxygen coursing through her body from her breathing technique as she pushed herself to the limit.

"How the hell is she this strong?" It didn't make sense. Her punches were stronger than any normal demon of her size and stature. She was fast too, annoyingly so.

"It doesn't matter!" He was the better fighter. He'd been through hell and she was just a betrayer to her kind.

"SHIT!"

Susamaru couldn't pull her arms back fast enough before Akaza launched a series of strikes into them, forcing three of them to go limp. She leaped back to create some distance.

"If I can't take him on head-to-head, I'll just- OH FUCK!"

Destructive Death: Air Type!

A series of shockwaves rocked her. She could only take two before her guard broke, the remaining launching her full-force back into the toppled train engine with impact craters on her body that bled. Akaza, seeing her out of commission and the other still trying to recover, refocused on his true opponent, grinning.

But his grin, once again, turned to disbelief as he witnessed his orange fiery aura burst brighter than ever before. "Kyojuro, why…"

The Hashira smiled.

He didn't know why, but he felt relieved for some reason. The pain in his muscles were starting to null, and there was a sense of joy within him.

He stared down into his crimson blade and its flame guard, admiring its glow in the dark of the night before he gripped his behind his head like a baseball bat with both hands, his stance widened.

"I will…"

There was something about this moment, him fighting against his opponent made him feel something like never before. Maybe it was acceptance, that this was it. His final push to finish a battle they could've never won. Tanjirou and his friends weren't strong enough, but they could get stronger. The two demons by their side were giving their lives for humanity. Nothing could've felt better than giving it his all for them and their future. The words in soul and everything in his mind took form.

"I will fulfill my duty! I will not allow anyone here to die!"

Flame Breathing: Esoteric Art…

His stance steeled and the smile on his face never left as his spirit ignited. Akaza only watched in amazement as his spirit glowed brighter than ever before, his body not regarding any of the pain it was in. He could only get more excited at what he saw.

"Hahaha! You have to become a demon now Kyojuro! We can fight for all eternity!"

Kyojuro locked his vision on the only thing in his sight. He began to feel the blood in his heart burn like never before, spreading all throughout his body.

He was Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira.

NINTH FORM: RENGOKU!

Destructive Death: Air Type!

Rengoku lit up like the sun. The staining of orange flame engulfed him and extended outward like a rocket ship. His flame took form, and a dragon appeared in its stead. Its mouth and body traveled at the speed of light and collided with a wall of blue menagerie.

There was a flash. And an explosion. The light disappeared within an instant and rubble and dust took its place. But out of the obscurity was only left a tornado of flame and fire.

"RENGOKU-SAN!" Tanjirou reached out in prayer as the tower of fire grew doubled in size.

.

.

.

And as quickly as it started, it ended.

The winds died and the night went eerily quiet.

When the dust settled, Kyojuro couldn't move.

His sword was raised behind his head. It felt like he was too slow. He was afraid to look down, but he did. He had to. He felt numb. He fully expected to see something torn right through him, that he was just waiting for the pain to settle in, but it never did.

His eyes fell and he was foot further from the demon than he expected. Akaza's fist had impacted his chest, but not torn through him. Someone else who stood in its way.

Her long colorless hair scattered across her back.

Her red kimono and white furred color covering her body.

And her one black horn pierced above of her head.

"What!" Upper Three shot with venom. It was her, he saw her scarlet strawberry eyes and the words tattooed into them. "What the hell are you doing Lower Four!"

Kyojuro couldn't think. He couldn't move. He just stood still, unable to even breathe.

She coughed blood, and he couldn't see her face, but she was smiling. Smiling an indomitable smile which was etched with the stains of someone who didn't care anymore. And why would she? She didn't have anything to lose.

She laughed, and raised her head to stare back into the eyes of the upper moon.

"…yeah, what am I doing?"

There was a second of silence as black wisps of shadow leaked out from her one protruding horn, suddenly stabbing into the demon's arm who impaled her. Her careless expression could only get livelier.

"I guess I'm betraying my own kind! DO IT KYOJURO!"

He snapped out of his idleness and swung. Akaza retracted his fist and leaped away in response, leaving the lower moon on her knees in front of the Flame Hashira. The distance between them gave Kyojuro enough time to lock eyes with the demoness below him. He saw the desire in her eyes and the smile across her face. Her words reached him in that instant, and something within him sparked.

.

.

.

"…go get him…"

.

.

.

The fire within his heart exploded once more and he no longer felt tired. His feet carried him within striking distance. Akaza was put on the defensive from the clear number of strikes aimed at his vitals.

"How is he?!" He didn't have time to think, only time to react to the pure slashes of the Hashira's sword coming at him.

Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!

"Agh!" Akaza felt something tear into his back. A quick glance and he saw the unthinkable. There was an exact copy of the man in front of him.

"HAAA!"

He felt another slash up his arm, his right was flanked by a third. He flipped away from the three to see that it wasn't a trick, they were really there. The pain he felt was real. There were really three of them. "How are there three of you?!"

"Oh, there are more of us than that."

The sound of the Hashira's voice repeated three times over from behind him made him audibly and angrily recoil. He glanced behind and standing there were three more of him, each with their own sword and emanating nothing but confidence.

"B-But how! HOW!"

Kyojuro watched the demon in front of him rage, looking around frantically. His eyes went back to the Kizuki on the ground, her hands twirling and moving as black smoke poured from them. Akaza had that same smoke coming out from him too, his eyes, ears, and body. He was in disbelief, but he knew it had to be a trick. And a trick he didn't have time for.

He took a step forward and Akaza immediately shifted focus to him. Kyojuro pointed his sword and stared him directly in the eye.

"It seems this battle is already over."

A mote of light peered over the horizon drawing the attention of everyone on the field. Tanjirou and the rest of his group turned to see the sun barely over the edge of view.

Akaza already knew the sun was coming. He was counting the minutes, seconds. He thought he had enough time to defeat him. But the sun was something he couldn't defeat. He had to run.

He jumped as high as he could into the air over the encircling copies, landing dozens of feet away. He bolted into the forest, glancing back one final time at the Hashira who only continued to stare him down.

The light of morning started to take over the entire area, giving visibility to Tanjirou and the rest. Helping Susamaru out of the train wreckage, the boy witnessed the fleeing mass. "He's trying to escape!"

"LET'S GET HIM!" Inosuke, who had been itching for a battle, gave chase to the fleeing demon followed by a now recovered Nezuko and Zenitsu.

"Hey, wait! You can't fight him on your own!" Nezuko screamed out behind the boar.

"Stop Inosuke!" Zenitsu also yelled from behind.

Rengoku watched the three chase after the Kizuki. He laughed quietly to himself, knowing they wouldn't be able to catch him. But he wasn't laughing about that, he was laughing because he was happy for some reason. He felt a joy he hadn't really felt before. It was then when fatigue found him.

He fell to his knees, coughing blood into his hand. The fire within him had burned him, quite literally. His blood felt as if it were on fire and his bones ached like he hadn't felt since he was training to be a Hashira. There was no way he could stand or move anymore.

His coughing died down and he finally collected himself. The lingering joy that he felt from the moments before leaked into his mind, barely dying. He thought he was dying in fact.

Kyojuro felt his eyes flutter as a wave of sleep started to take him over. He didn't realize that someone was kneeling in front of him, causing him to raise his head to see who they were.

It was her. He wasn't dreaming. For a moment, all he could see was the strawberry kimono of the girl he once knew, and for a second, his vision was a far-away cityscape lighting up the land.

But that vision shifted. Her hair turned white, her pupils remained a soft scarlet, but her face never changed. She was a demon now and she was right in front of him.

They locked eyes and didn't speak. And the silence stayed as the morning sun started to lighten their surroundings.

"…It seems like we don't have much time together, huh Kyojuro?"

Her voice, now that he was truly listening, had barely changed.

"I never got to tell you what happened did I?"

She was right, and he wanted to know. Now more than ever. But… that time it would seem would never come to pass. He saw the sun reflected in her eyes.

"…Umm, I just… wanted to say…"

She was cut off when their foreheads touched. He pulled her in with his one good arm and rested between her shattered and one remaining horn, silencing her.

Kyojuro smiled once more, eyes closed. Mukago couldn't tell if he was asleep or not, but she knew he was alive and that was all that mattered now. She closed her eyes too and let slumber overtake her for the very first time in a while.

This was the end of the road for her… and she couldn't be happier. In mere moments, the light from the sun would burn her to ash and she would no longer be with him, and maybe that was okay.

When she became a demon, she devoured like any of them did. It was a while before she regained consciousness. When she came to, hewas the only one waiting there for her. She tried so desperately to go back to the Hashira and her family, but he lied so expertly to her. After a while, she forgot what she was fighting for, how she wanted to live for him, for that promise made so many years ago.

But now it didn't matter. She wouldn't be around to deal with him anymore, nor the one connected with her at this very moment and maybe that was her biggest regret.

This was the only way.

In her final moments, she was able to change, and she mentally laughed. The boy was right.

Sitting there, it was a shame she never got to tell him how he truly felt. But there was no way to change what was coming.

And yet, soon enough… the sun came. It rose and lit the world with its presence.

Yet, under the purple and orange sky of the dawn and the vast wreckage of a once renown train,

There were no flames…

There were no ashes…

And, in a way…

There were no demons.

.

.

.

She was more than just a demon.

Rose. It was the color of her eyes. White was the color of her hair. Black was the color of her horns. Yet, she never really knew the color of her soul. And it would take time, but eventually…

She would come to find out how beautiful that color really was.

Because he would be the one to show her.

()()()

A fuckin' beautiful end. Don't you think?