Trigger Warning for Violence
Kokushibo had haunted the area of Douma's fight with Kamado since the night Muzan had called his Kizuki to explain the situation. Unfortunately, he'd had no luck. Almost a month of wandering the different roads and the most he'd found was an area where the Wisteria Trees were in full bloom still. Odd, but of little consequence. As Waxing Moon One, the trees had little effect on him. He avoided them because they weren't comfortable to be around, but he'd also searched the area inside the ring of trees and had found a decent-sized population of weak demons, but nothing else of note, really. There had been a set of stone stairs leading up the side of the mountain to a ceremonial door, and it was obviously at least somewhat maintained, but no one was there now. He'd still checked the area fairly regularly since. He had little doubt it had something to do with the demon slayers.
That was the only reason he'd heard the screams. Like someone completely and utterly torturing someone else… no, not just someone else, a demon.
Curious, Kokushibo had followed the sounds, heading in the same direction even after it stopped. He'd come well past the line of Wisteria trees when the shrieks silenced. As he got closer, he heard shouting and an argument. Too coherent for weak demons, so were they humans? Or more powerful demons?
And then he saw the pair of arguing people. A tall, white-haired man in a demon slayer's uniform, likely in his early twenties, was certainly easier to spot in the darkness, but Kokushibo's eyes immediately went to the smaller form and his heart leapt in anticipation.
He'd found his target.
"First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace," he whispered, only barely able to conceal his excitement. To his amusement, both of the figures dodged, rolling out of the way and coming back to their feet facing where Kokushibo landed, in the clearing near the dead body of… a human?
Curious but ultimately unimportant in the light of this fight. He could sense Muzan's approval in the back of his head at this stroke of luck.
He could see the fear in the boy's wide eyes. He knew what he was up against.
"Kokushibo…" the child whispered. So he did know details about him. The demon wondered exactly how… and he would get his answers before he killed the boy. But for now…
"I see I've finally caught up with you," the demon said. "Kamado Tanjiro."
The boy – Kamado – glanced over at the other demon slayer for a moment. A Pillar, Kokushibo concluded from his fighting spirit. He wondered how good said Pillar would be. The man had taken a defensive stance against both the new arrival and his companion, though. Animosity? Distrust? Hmm, that might make this fight too easy. Not that he would shirk his duty to either kill or capture the brat, but it had been so long since he'd been able to test and prove himself against a worthy opponent.
Kamado looked pained for several seconds before his expression hardened into steel and he took a deep breath. Then his power flared, and when he opened his eyes again, they had gone from dark to a bright red bordering on neon. They also had the kanji "Waxing Zero" written in them.
Inwardly Kokushibo smiled until he realized the fear hadn't left the boy's expression. So he frowned.
"That is not the face of a Waxing Moon."
It had the desired effect of bringing out Kamado's determination even more, even if he did not answer as expected.
"Good."
The swordsman tilted his head to one side, studying the boy. He did not lose track of the Pillar either. He was no amateur. He wasn't impressed with what he found but he'd long since realized that one should never judge by appearance. Time for his test.
"Let me see if you earned that placement," Kokushibo said, taking his stance.
"Shinazugawa-san," the boy said, voice calm. He didn't take his eyes off of his opponent. "Getting in the middle of this will kill you. Please don't interfere."
Oh, so they had come to this mountain together? A Pillar and a Waxing Moon (?) in the same area without trying to kill each other? Muzan would not like that. Kokushibo couldn't say he felt particularly strongly about it, though. They were all weaklings in his opinion.
The white-haired man looked both shocked and offended. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, as if someone had shouted the beginning of a match, he and Kamado both attacked each other.
Their swords clashed and an unexpected nostalgia hit Kokushibo. This style truly was the Sun style his brother had invented. The style that had overcome him.
The style he would overcome!
The boy was, by no means, a master at the style. Competent? Yes. Above average, even.
But he was no match for a sword master of over four hundred years whose Blood Art complimented his style so well. The boy had his own fire-based Blood Art, and from what he'd seen, it was no weak Blood Art, but this… wouldn't be a contest. It wouldn't be nearly as satisfying as Kokushibo had hoped.
He wouldn't be able to claim back his superiority.
"Demon Blood Art," the boy hissed as he dodged yet another barrage of blades, "Palm Fire Explosion."
Kokushibo jumped back, away from the fire, but used his breathing form to send blades through the flames. He wasn't sure if that fire just burned demonic energy or only that which was physically demonic.
He almost allowed himself a grin when the blades shot through the flames with little to no resistance..
The kid managed to dodge, and then he pushed his Blood Art farther. Kokushibo jumped over it. Kamado extended the area of the fire even more and the Waxing First realized he wouldn't be able to land where he'd been aiming without consequence. Part of him was curious to see if he could power through it or overcome it somehow, but nowhere near enough of him for him to sabotage the fight. He would avoid the fire for as long as he could. He wasn't a fighter who took unnecessary risks.
"Ninth form," he began, "Waning Moonswaths." He swung his sword down, created a stream of long-range slashes, the force of which shot him back into the air and took him well beyond the range of the fire, much to the boy's (and Kokushibo's) frustration.
"You aren't as good as he was," the demon said as he landed, wondering if that would even mean anything to the boy. Apparently it did, because he answered angrily.
"I never claimed to be."
Kokushibo raised an eyebrow and tipped his head to one side again. "If you are rank 'Zero', you would have to beat me. Did you not think of that when you came up with your farce?"
He wasn't quite sure what to expect from the boy at that, but a blank expression full of confusion wasn't it.
"Wait… what?" the boy asked.
Kokushibo would give him full marks for acting, but this was the only thing that really made sense.
"You are, indeed, strong," he acknowledged, "but going against Muzan-sama, to a point where you would copy his marks, was foolish at best."
The boy looked utterly dumbfounded at that. Waxing One would not let it sway him.
"You will pay for your insolence!" he stated firmly. And with that, he shot forward. The boy's eyes widened and he could barely move to counter, but counter he did.
"Parhelion Rainbow!" he yelled, leaving several images in his wake.
"That will not work on me!" Kokushibo yelled. "I trained with the original Sun Breather!"
The boy grit his teeth and pushed harder, turning to attack. Kokushibo hadn't even gone full-out yet, but if the child could push himself even more, than maybe he'd finally fulfill his ambition.
Kamado still managed to duck the Moon Breather's strikes…
And then he… changed. The mark on his face grew and began to wave as if they were actual flames.
Just like Yoriichi.
It incensed Kokushibo.
He willed his blade to grow and branch out. Three separate blades sprouting from the main one. The boy didn't look fazed.
Just like Yoriichi.
Actually, he had that particular look to his eyes… could he access the transparent world? Perhaps this child was more impressive than he'd thought before…
Not that it would matter.
They clashed swords again, and again, and every time Kokushibo upped his speed, the boy would somehow find a way to match it.
Eventually, they broke off and slid back, away from each other.
"Shinazugawa-san, go! Get back to Oyakata-sama!" the boy suddenly yelled.
Kokushibo turned some attention onto the demon slayer (the one that wasn't actually a demon) in time to hear a plethora of colorful language come out of the savage's mouth. It was a vile way of saying, "No." For that alone, he knew the man would die. Well, that and the fact that this was a Pillar. Kokushibo couldn't let such a high-ranked person get away.
"A demon working for the Demon Slayer's Corps?" he couldn't help but ask the boy curiously. "Exactly how did you manage that?"
The boy just bared his teeth and kept his stance.
"Regardless, they'll never accept you, boy. They will never respect someone who has eaten a human before."
A flicker of pain passed over the boy's face before he schooled his expression. Kokushibo decided to press his advantage.
"I wonder… who did you eat? Other demon slayers? Friends? Family?"
The boy certainly tensed up at that last one.
"Family, then." Not that family mattered in the long run – not like Kokushibo had been raised to believe. Not like the entire country seemed to believe. "It isn't uncommon for newly turned demons. Although your turning seems to have been unconventiona—"
Kokushibo cut off when the boy practically disappeared and then reappeared in front of him, aiming for his neck. He brought his blade up just in time, but quickly found himself on the defense. The boy's movements had become smoother and yet more raw at the same time, fueled by his anger.
"Is that why you hate Muzan-sama enough to risk getting into the Demon Slayer Corps?" he asked, more delighted than he probably should be. This… this was a worthy fight. "Did you care for your family that much?"
The boy didn't answer immediately, but his strokes gained even more intensity and Kokushibo could almost see the child's breaths coming out of his mouth despite the warm night air.
"My family… is everything to me!" he finally hissed.
Kokushibo allowed himself the indulgence and indignity of a snort. "Then you simply killed them before they could turn on you," he said. "You can never trust anyone but yourself."
"You know nothing about them!" Kamado screamed and Kokushibo saw the slice coming towards his neck. While it had the speed, it didn't have the grace or control necessary to actually reach the Waxing First.
"I don't need to," the older demon replied. "It is simply the way of things."
Instead of incensing the boy further, he backed off. Kokushibo allowed him to, curious.
"What a sad life you lead," the child finally said. "Sad and lonely and purposeless. I thought you, of all the Waxing Moons, would have something to fight for… and in the end, you have nothing. I pity you, more so than even Muzan."
Kokushibo refused to let himself be goaded by this child. It took a great deal of control.
"I am not the one to be pitied," he finally said, raising his blade.
"You are," the boy insisted. "And I think you know it. You've known it since your brother died – perhaps even before that."
The Waxing First couldn't withhold his cry of anger as he shot forward, moon blades circling around him. He may or may not have grown a couple of extra limbs in the process. The boy's eyes widened and he brought his sword up, but not nearly fast enough.
"Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy!"
The boy knew he'd been beaten and it was so, so satisfying. The storm of blades cut right through him in several areas, and the momentum shot the boy up and into the air short one arm and both legs at different lengths. The child somehow managed to hold onto his sword with his single arm left, but that was more luck than anything.
Kokushibo watched as the child landed with a sickening thud and several cracks, crying out in pain.
He wished now he had not been so indulgent to the brat.
He should have followed his duty from the beginning.
Well, he would now.
He stalked forward with determination, ready to end this farce once and for all.
xXx
Sanemi watched the battle start with wide eyes, unable to hide his shock. Because the kid hadn't moved like that before…
The Wind Pillar was one of the strongest pillars currently in the Corps, and among the fastest due to his styles. Shinobu was definitely faster, though… so maybe she could follow the battle playing out before him better? Because it was not easy…
He'd known the kid was strong. It had been obvious. He hadn't realized just how strong…
Kamado kept up with – and even returned strikes on – the Waxing First. Sanemi didn't realize even demons could move like this. It was… awe-inspiring and utterly horrifying at the same time.
And then he realized the kid had been holding back on them…
Because with moves like this, he could have taken an entire group of unsuspecting Hashira…
And yet, he hadn't…
Why?
Because with this kind of strength, he could have wiped out the entire Slayer Corps. It would have taken planning and time, but would have also definitely been doable. Especially if he'd taken them by surprise… and Sanemi wasn't entirely sure it was humanly possible to prepare for these levels of power. Maybe if they'd been ready and had multiple prepared Hashira to throw at the problem…?
It made him feel weak, and he hated it.
He suddenly realized that just one Hashira on this kid hadn't been enough. Not if Kamado had truly wanted to ditch them or kill them or sabotage them…
For the first time, he seriously considered the whole situation. Had the kid actually been telling the truth the entire time?
Sanemi swallowed, but he'd never been one to back down. Wind was aggressive. Wind was attack. Wind got diverted but never stopped. He would find ways to rise to a higher level. If this was what they had to contend with, what other choice did they have than to adapt? And adapt he would.
It also bothered him that the two demons had fought with almost no regard to him. Yes, they were on another level, but he was still a Hashira, not a newly minted Mizunoto. He would have a say in this fight, he vowed.
While he'd been contemplating all of that and looking for an opening he could take advantage of, they'd come to a stop, backing away from each other to refocus.
"Shinazugawa-san, go! Get back to Oyakata-sama!" Kamado yelled over to him.
Sanemi saw red. The brat of a demon was telling him to run?! Not in this lifetime. He didn't know what he said right after that, but he was pretty sure it wasn't nice to them or their parentage… eh, they deserved it.
His tirade faded off when he realized Waxing One had all six eyes turned to him, calculating. Sanemi refused to let that intimidate him… at least visually. Then the long-haired demon turned to look back at Kamado, a little surprised.
"A demon working for the Demon Slayer's Corps?" he asked, sounding a little incredulous. Sanemi couldn't help but wonder what he'd expected. They hadn't been outright fighting when he showed up – arguing, yes, but only the Wind Hashira had drawn his sword and he hadn't even been swinging it around. Didn't that give away that they were, at least temporarily, working together? Apparently not, because the Waxing Moon continued, directing his question at Kamado. "Exactly how did you manage that?"
The boy just bared his teeth, holding his sword in front of him.
The newcomer scoffed. "Regardless, they'll never accept you, boy. They will never respect someone who has eaten a human before."
Sanemi wasn't quite sure what to expect, but guilt and pain wasn't it. The kid wasn't denying it… The Wind Pillar turned his full disgust on his current 'partner', but the boy paid him no heed.
As if sensing blood in the water, the older demon continued haughtily.
"I wonder… who did you eat? Other demon slayers? Friends? Family?"
Even in the dark and from the distance the Wind Pillar had retreated to when the demons had begun their clash, he could see Kamado tense. Sanemi's eyes widened and he felt sick for not having pressed his distrust of the brat.
That wasn't forgivable.
Especially after his comment on Sanemi's mother.
"Family, then," the older demon nodded as if it were a given. Sanemi hadn't realized his utter disgust and loathing of demons could get any worse. He'd been very, very wrong. "It isn't uncommon for newly turned demons. Although your turning seems to have been unconventiona—"
Waxing One cut off when the demon brat practically disappeared and then reappeared in front of him, sword swinging at his neck. That… had been even faster than before…
The older demon managed to fend the attack off, but even the most inexperienced of swordsmen could see it had been hasty and sloppy, especially compared to the graceful arcs the demon had used before. Kamado seemed more focused and determined than ever. Driven by anger? Maybe, but instead of wild and uncontrolled, his movements had become tighter… but with an underlying emotion to them Sanemi could only begin to guess at (not that he wanted to...).
"Is that why you hate Muzan-sama enough to risk getting into the Demon Slayer Corps?" Waxing One managed to ask, and was that a grin on his face? Was he goading the kid? Did he think he needed an advantage to win? Or… did he want Kamado to get stronger for some reason? Weird all around in Sanemi's opinion.
"Did you care for your family that much?" Muzan's demon asked.
And somehow, impossibly, the kid's fighting level rose even more. Sanemi could swear he saw steam coming out of the brat's mouth. And was that mark on his forehead moving?!
"My family… is everything to me…" he finally returned, barely loud enough for the Wind Pillar to hear.
Waxing One snorted. "Then you simply killed them before they could turn on you," he said. "You can never trust anyone but yourself."
Those words brought Sanemi up short. And… for the first time ever, he found himself feeling… well…almost sorry for a demon. Just a little. Because living like that for centuries… must have sucked. Sanemi at least had people he would give his life for – people he wanted to protect. Oyakata-sama, Genya, even the other Hashira and humans in general. Sure, he was a lone wolf kinda guy, but he could still trust in and work with his fellow demon slayers.
He glanced at Kamado.
…Mostly.
"You know nothing about them!" the demon brat screamed, swinging his sword at blinding speed. Waxing One seemed to be expecting said swing because he managed to block it far more gracefully than before.
"I don't need to," the older demon replied. "It is simply the way of things."
Kamado backed away again, and Sanemi expected another attack, but the boy just stood there. Strangely enough, the older demon allowed it.
"What a sad life you lead," Kamado finally spoke, his voice soft and full of pity. That was the first time he felt he and the brat had ever been on the same page. It was… disconcerting.
The kid went on. "Sad and lonely and purposeless. I thought you, of all the Waxing Moons, would have something to fight for… and in the end, you have nothing. I pity you, more so than even Muzan."
Waxing One's expression darkened and he raised his blade. "I am not the one to be pitied."
Kamado didn't back down, shaking his head. "You are… and I think you know it. You've known it since your brother died – perhaps even before that."
The brother who had been part of the Demon Slayer Corps? Sanemi remembered something about how he'd invented breath styles. He couldn't think on the matter more, though, as Waxing One launched forward, screaming in rage. He swung his misshapen blade and more of the moon-blades appeared, circling around him. Horns and scaly appendages of gross, pink flesh sprouted from his back. Sanemi only caught a glimpse of him before he moved, but it was disgusting.
Kamado backed up, eyes wide, and he raised his blade, but he seemed to be on the back foot.
Sanemi wasn't sure what to think about that.
"Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy!" Waxing One shouted, swinging his sword down in multiple arcs and slashes. The moon-shaped blades shot forward in a literal storm of wind and crescent shapes, encircling the brat.
Sanemi knew what was coming. What surprised him was how he felt about it. Was that… wariness? Certainly not concern…
Not for a human-eating demon.
The swing managed to hit.
The brat flew into the air with a cry of pain, streaming towards the Wind Pillar. He left several of his limbs behind, although he managed to keep ahold of his sword, somehow. Sanemi and the demon both watched as the boy landed… hard. He could hear the bones crack, Any human would be dead… but the boy wasn't human.
It was the agony in the cry of pain the boy screamed out that made Sanemi wince. That… that was too human.
A war raged inside the Wind Pillar's mind as, for the first time, he saw Kamado beaten. This brat who could hold off four Hashira at once… and it also seemed to occur to him that this was a kid. He was also a demon who had eaten people, but he was a kid who was trying to help… because if he wasn't, he could have easily killed his companion – Hashira or not – and left. Heck, he could have gone back to the Corps and made up some story (which would have been infinitely easier)… But… it all came back to the fact that Sanemi could never trust a demon. Not after his kind, loving mother who had been so strong couldn't see past the demonic instincts…
Kamado couldn't be older than Genya...
The Waxing Moon was approaching them, slow and methodical, eyes cold and almost satisfied. He would show no mercy.
Not that Sanemi would expect less from a demon, but still.
"I am sure you wonder why your limbs aren't regrowing," the now very ugly demon said, voice like ice. "It comes down to this: While I, a demon, can control my blade at will, it is still a nichirin blade."
Sanemi saw the kid struggling to sit up, face scrunched up in a wince.
"Come on…" the boy hissed. His arms and legs seemed to be bubbling… rather disturbingly… but they would not regrow fast enough. Not at this rate. Even Sanemi could see that.
Right about then, the Wind Pillar realized that regardless of his situation, if he let Muzan's demon win, he would stand no chance of surviving. If he aided the brat, though… he might. He didn't like the brat. He didn't trust the brat as far as he could throw Himejima with just his pinky finger. But that was already leagues ahead of one of Muzan's most loyal traitors.
Eh, whatever. His chances for survival were already dwindling. If he wanted to make the most of that chance, he had to give the kid time to regenerate.
So he ran forward and put himself between the two demons.
Behind him, he heard the kid gasp. "Shinazugawa-san…"
"Hurry up and regenerate," he said, then realized that he should probably show his support… as much as it pained him, it would help their chances of survival… marginally. "Sun Pillar."
He didn't know what the kid's reaction to that would be… wasn't sure he wanted to know as he kept his eyes on the approaching Waxing Moon. All he did know was that this demon – Kokushibo – had stopped.
"I was going to kill you later," he said nonchalantly. "But if you insist on now, then so be it."
"Bring it, monster!" he yelled. "First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!"
Wind form wasn't as fast as Lightning form. It was nothing to spit at either. He put every ounce of energy he could into the attack, pouring on the speed… it wasn't nearly enough.
Waxing One vanished from sight and Sanemi expected an attack, but nothing came. He heard a cry from behind him and turned just in time to see the Waxing First swing at Kamado's neck. The boy managed to deflect it with the sword in his single hand, somehow, but it only bought him time. Seconds at the most.
Sanemi decided to make the best of it. He used another First Form, pushing faster and farther than he had before. In only seconds, it felt like all he could hear was the pounding of his heart in his chest. Something on his cheek itched but he paid it no heed. He pushed even harder, straining to get there in time.
He aimed for the guy's neck, but the demon turned around, anger written all over his horned face, and blocked it. But the Wind Cutter, like most wind forms, had several attacks and one of them managed to get through the demon's guard, slicing off his arm. It wasn't his sword arm, and it was the only hit that landed, but it meant something.
The demon let out a cry of anger, and before Sanemi could even land and move again, Waxing One slashed.
Suddenly, Sanemi's legs wouldn't respond and the world tipped strangely.
In the background, Kamado screamed. Sanemi couldn't make out his words though. The world had gone muted…
He hit the ground before he realized what had happened.
Then he saw the bottom half of his body – his legs and hips, now separate from his torso – also fall beside him.
He blinked as he struggled to process that and its implications.
And then the pain hit. It wasn't anything he wasn't used to – he cut himself open on a regular basis during fights. But it also let him begin to process the implications.
He had minutes left to live… if that. If he utilized his breathing techniques. Should he? Did it matter?
He did notice Waxing One stumbling, eyes wide. Likely it was the unexpected merechi blood scent. He hoped Kamado had the sense to attack now. At least some good could come of this, right?
"Sorry, Genya," he whispered aloud, his last thoughts of his brother and his family. His family who he'd finally see again. And Kanae. He'd missed her too.
Then he heard Kamado yell: "Palm Fire Explosion!" and the world lit up around him.
A fitting send off, he supposed.
He closed his eyes and waited for the end.
xXx
AN: Yes, more cliffhangers... *ahem*
Some of you have already guessed what's coming, but I think that's great because it means I've done my job right. I hope you all continue to enjoy it.
Thanks to TimeLordTim, Found and Quathis for their help on this! Thanks guys!
Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)
