Zenitsu hadn't really meant to make his own style when he'd set out to study with Nezuko, but… that was what had more or less happened when he'd combined what he knew of the Lightning style and what she'd taught him of the Water style.
It felt good, being able to actually use more than one technique. He felt… useful, for once in his life. Well, more so than he had in the past. So he'd written Gramps, letting him know that he couldn't become the lightning successor, or even the joint successor. He'd been honored (and terribly worried) when such had been offered to him, but now… it just didn't feel right. While his new 'storm' style was still based off of speed, the other forms he'd come up with were fundamentally different than anything Gramps had taught him, so they weren't forms he could incorporate into the Lightning style. He felt kind of bad, but he was sure Kaigaku would get the first form down eventually. He could be Gramp's successor, like he always wanted. And then maybe he'd just leave Zenitsu alone.
The yellow-haired boy brushed such thoughts from his head and focused on his current form… breathing out… taking a step… lifting the sword right there and—
"Breath of Storm, Fourth Form: L—"
"Renichu!"
"Gyah!" He lost concentration and ended up twisting too far and flopped flat on his face at the exclamation of his mangled name. Loud stomping through the undergrowth foretold of the forthcoming boar-in-human-form. Zenitsu groaned. He'd thought that if he went out in the forest to train, he could do so alone, but noooo. Of course boar-boy had to half-follow, half-drag him all the way out here. Maybe he should have just stayed back with the Hashira, as embarrassing as showing them his new forms would be.
Zenitsu pushed himself onto his hands.
"Why did you do that, you ridiculous boar?!" He'd been about to perfect his form and then he could show Nezuko when she came back and she'd be so impressed that she'd ask him to marry her right then and there and then she'd—
"Something's coming," Inosuke said, utterly serious. That… caught Zenitsu's attention. Normally, when 'something came', the wild boy was all for fighting that 'something'. (Zenitsu purposefully did not listen for whatever Inosuke sensed because he was suddenly very scared of what he would find.)
"Why did you come to get me, then?" Zenitsu asked.
For several seconds, the boar-headed boy didn't answer, but the Storm Breather definitely heard… nervousness? Worry? Certainly not anything he'd ever heard from the boy before.
Warning bells began to ring in his mind.
"I've never felt anything like this before," Inosuke finally said. "I… it's… it's really powerful… And I wanna fight it! But I need to take my underlings with me! That's why I came to get you! So you can see how awesome and powerful I am!"
Aaaand there was the Inosuke Zenitsu knew.
The yellow-haired boy groaned again and allowed himself to thump back into the forest floor, not caring if he got muddy. Honestly, the farce Inosuke put on…
"I don't w—" he started, but then something exploded. Literally. They both felt the shock run through the earth from said explosion.
Zenitsu shot to his feet and looked into the distance. He could see smoke… Inosuke's head turned in that direction too.
"Wait… that was…" the Storm Breather said, his voice shaking.
"The estate! They made the first strike!" Inosuke bellowed and took off into the trees, swearing.
"W-wait!" Zenitsu said. Part of him wanted to let the idiot run off and find the consequences to his actions. But part of him could just see the look of utter heartbreak and disappointment on Nezuko's face if something happened to her friend and…
He grit his teeth.
Ugh! That boar was going to get him killed!
But fine. He should be able to help… maybe… a little… he hoped.
(Oh, this was such a bad idea… but he couldn't disappoint Nezuko!)
So, against his better judgment, he took off after Inosuke.
(If Inosuke got him killed, he'd haunt him. Forever.)
xXx
Hanako liked Senjuro. He was a sweet kid that reminded her a little of Tanjiro-nii, if just a little less forward. He needed more encouragement too. It was a little difference, but it made all the difference in the world to Hanako. Still, she liked him. She liked training with him, especially as he knew enough Fire Breathing to let her know when she'd done something wrong. And he wanted to train too. So they both worked hard together.
When she'd seen him for the first time after she'd come back to Mt. Sagiri, she'd almost burst into tears because he looked so much like Rengoku-sensei. And then he'd broken into tears, and she hadn't been able to keep her own back and they'd ended up just sitting there, next to the house, sobbing. She'd apologized for not helping his father and being forced to leave him to die. He'd insisted she didn't need to apologize for anything and his father would want her to live, so he's glad she did, even if he did want his father back. He insisted he didn't blame her for what had happened, and that she shouldn't either. (Easier said than done.)
They'd sort of tip-toed around each other after that, until one day Hanako had gotten tired of it. So she'd just walked up to him and asked him to train with her. He'd sort of stared at her for several seconds, but that had been after she'd spoken with Nezuko-nee about training too hard, and how she needed to have someone there to supervise her… this counted, right?
He'd agreed and they'd trained together every day since. It had been… weird, but also healing in a way. With them there training together, getting stronger together, she felt like they were doing something… something Rengoku-sensei would have very much approved of.
It had been a couple of days since then, and that day they'd been training until they lost the light and night began to fade in. They'd finally stopped working and had begun to stretch when Nezuko's crow found them.
"Attack! Attack! Nezuko's being attacked by a Waxing Moon!"
Hanako and Senjuro had both frozen in horror. Hanako's mind immediately went back to that night, watching the red-haired man from a distance as he fought her Sensei, as he'd gone to attack and… and…
"Hanako!" a voice pulled her out of the memory and she realized where she was again, in a clearing where she'd been training with Senjiro.
She blinked.
"Run and tell Urokodaki-sensei!" the yellow-haired boy said. "I'll get more information from the crow and follow."
She hesitated because she hated running away…
But… but she could do that. She could get Urokodaki-sensei. And she knew that was the best choice.
She nodded, turned towards the house, running as fast as she could, tears streaming down her face as she did.
This couldn't be happening! They couldn't lose Nezuko too! They… they couldn't!
"Urokodaki-sensei!" she screamed. The house came into view, but no one answered. So she tried again. "Urokodaki-sensei!" Nothing. She raced to the front of the building, seeing her Sensei's red mask through the trees and bushes.
"So be it," she heard him say and he raised his sword… wait, why did he have a sword out? He never did that unless he was training.
No, that wasn't important right now. Nezuko was important.
"Urokodaki-sensei!" she shrieked as she burst into the clearing.
"Hanako, no!" he yelled back, but she couldn't exactly stop now.
"It's Nezuko!" she insisted. "She's being attacked by a—" her voice choked off and she froze. In front of her current Sensei stood her former Sensei. The one who had been dead… but he was different. Sunset-colored scales on his hands and forearms as well as on the sides of his face under that familiar hair. Strange feet and a tail, also covered in red, orange, and yellow scales… and those eyes…
Waxing Six, they said.
He was a demon.
A Waxing Moon.
She felt her knees give out on her.
"S...sensei…" she whispered hoarsely.
"Oh! There's one of my targets now!" the man said, grinning widely. He had fangs. Like Onii-san.
A choked sound came out of her mouth and she felt tears gather in her eyes, but she couldn't seem to form actual words. Not that she knew what to say anyway.
The demon turned back to Urokodaki-sensei with that huge grin. "If you hand her over, we don't have to fight."
Hand… her over…
Waxing Six…
But…
She tried to make that fit with the Sensei she remembered. The one that had called her 'Sapling'. The one that had tried so hard to make things work when she'd come to train under him.
It… It couldn't be…
But it was.
"You always were too naive," the former Water Pillar replied in a steady voice.
Rengoku-sensei shrugged. "Worth a shot."
Almost without her permission, Hanako's mouth moved, her eyes fixed on the dead man walking.
"S…Sensei?!" she rasped again. The demon frowned but didn't say anything. "Rengoku-sensei!" Hanako said, forcing herself to speak louder and ignoring the tears streaming down her face.
"Oh? You knew me too?" was all the man said, looking pleased and interested.
She just gaped. Had he lost his memories? She knew that happened to some demons, but it hadn't happened to her Onii-san. She did remember him mentioning that he'd lost his memories when he was turned into a demon in those first few loops…
Before Hanako could bring herself to answer, Urokodaki-sensei cut in. "Hanako, you need to leave. Did your mother find you?"
She blinked, trying to force her mind to understand the words coming out of her current Sensei's mouth. She finally turned her eyes to Urokodaki-sensei, but she felt blank and numb – wrung out and left to dry in the cold. She had to respond. It was hard, but she forced herself to shake her head.
"N...no."
"Hanako!" Senjiro's voice called out and she felt herself tense. No, he couldn't see this! He couldn't!
"S-Senjuro," she said, turning around and forcing her limbs to move. It felt like wading through water, but she managed to get to her feet and rush towards her friend as he, too, came out of the woods. "N-no! Don't look!"
He had Nezuko's crow cradled against his chest. "What?" he asked, but then shook his head, eyes focused on her as she ran up and stopped him from going any farther. He didn't seem to notice the extra presence.
"Nezuko is several cho* in that di…" he paused, finally looking up, "…rection," he finished slowly, eyes fixed on the two men facing off in the center of the clearing in front of the house.
Hanako let out a sob. She'd hoped she could stop her friend from seeing this… from the pain she knew it would inevitably bring him.
"F… father?" he whispered, his voice small and high-pitched. His eyes stared straight at the man they'd thought had died.
Hanako glanced over her shoulder in time to see the demon frown and glance back at Urokodaki-sensei.
"Father?" he asked.
The former Water Pillar nodded. "That is your son, Senjuro."
The demon blinked. "I had a son?" he asked, then looked back at said son. "Oh."
"I'm assuming Muzan didn't tell you?" Urokodaki-sensei said, his voice sounding dry.
"No… but he didn't have time," Rengoku-sensei said, his voice firming towards the end. "He was in a rush."
"Oh?" the man in the tengu mask asked. "And why is that?"
The yellow-and-red-haired demon shrugged. "I do not know. Something about plans coming together." He paused, glancing at Hanako and Senjuro again. "I simply know I must return with one of the Kamado children." He paused, but then nodded as if coming to a decision. "But I think I'll take both of them."
Hanako let out another sob at that and Senjuro gave a choked gasp.
"To do so, you will have to go through me, old friend."
That seemed to take Rengoku-sensei aback. But then he shook his head regretfully and raised his own sword.
"Very well."
"Hanako, Senjuro," Urokodaki-sensei said. "Run."
"But—" Hanako started.
"I said run!" their Sensei said, his voice loud and harsh. "Go now!"
Before the Kamado sibling could say anything else, Senjuro grabbed her hand and ducked back into the trees. Her feet moved on instinct as she stared behind her through blurry vision, the clearing disappearing behind the foliage once again.
She knew she wouldn't be seeing one of her Senseis again… and the fact that she would lose one of them all over again hurt.
So.
Much.
"Find Kamado Tanjiro!" Senjuro said. It took her a moment to realize he was talking to Nezuko's bird, who he threw into the air.
"Caw! Kamado Tanjiro! Caw!"
"He's at the Swordsmith Village!"
Hanako watched the bird fly off sort of numbly. Would the crow get to Nii-san in time?
She hoped so. With all her heart.
She didn't know how else they were going to survive the night. Not with two Waxing Moons and their highest ranked demon slayer was a former Hashira – an old man, still strong in his own right, but would it be enough?
"C-come on, Hanako!" Senjuro spoke again as he pulled her through the trees once more.
"Hai," she responded and followed.
xXx
It didn't take long for Takeo to realize that keeping his eyes open while riding on the back of a Pillar going at full speed was… a bad idea. He didn't know how quickly they were moving, but it seemed that in one bound, Tomioka-sensei had covered (in seconds) what would have taken them at least ten, if not fifteen, minutes to walk. Maybe even twenty…
After a couple of minutes at that speed, Tomioka-sensei grit his teeth. "Not fast enough," he muttered. Then he took a deep breath. "I must use my arms. Do not let go. Do not hinder my breathing."
Oh… that sounded very, very bad. Takeo nodded and his hands gripped the fabric of the haori underneath him. Then he put his head down in his Sensei's shoulder. Tomioka-sensei let go of him. Takeo didn't know how that helped the older man move, but it did. He felt the uptick in speed. This wasn't even the fastest breath style out there! Was this speed expected of him when he got older? If he became the Water Pillar after Tomioka-sensei?! He wasn't sure humans were even meant to go this fast. It took his breath away and he was simply riding on his mentor's back, not the one actually running!
He didn't know how long they traveled, but it felt both like hours upon hours and only seconds before Sensei stopped.
"Still too long," his Sensei whispered as he paused near a grove of trees and bushes. "Twenty minutes… too long…"
Wow… he'd been running for twenty whole minutes? He didn't even look out of breath. And they'd gotten to Mt. Sagiri?
That was… incredible.
"Stay here," Tomioka-sensei whispered and twisted his body so Takeo could get off more easily. "Keep your sword out and be alert for demons. Stay hidden if at all possible and think up things to ask your family and me if you see us. They may be demons in disguise, so make sure they are things only we would know."
"Hai, Tomioka-sensei," Takeo whispered, scrambling as best he could into the thicket and trying not to wince at the branches and brambles that stuck him, especially as he tried to maneuver his borrowed sword so he could still swing it if he had to move quickly.
"Be safe," his Sensei said before taking a deep breath and turning in the direction they'd been heading.
"You too, Sensei! Stay alive!" Takeo said.
The Water Pillar looked back down and his gaze softened ever so slightly. Takeo could swear he almost saw a corner of the man's mouth perk up. Then he was gone, leaving a very silent patch of forest behind him.
Takeo swallowed and leaned back against the bark of one of the trees. It was rough, knobby, and not comfortable at all, but he didn't have much of a choice. He didn't dare move. The forest sounds didn't start back up again and Takeo didn't dare sleep. He'd just woken up anyway. Honestly, he felt restless, worried and he could do nothing about it. So instead, he said a prayer to the kami for help. Then he focused on his breathing as much as he could, trying to get the rhythm of the Breath of Water to calm him down. It helped a little.
Several minutes later, something snapped and Takeo cut his breath off. His eyes darted around what he could see, but nothing moved. He curled in a little tighter.
Then, off to one side, he finally spotted the movement he'd been looking for. It was… a… fish? Floating through the air? It's body had a glowing, blue hue to it, although it was also see-through. It was… strangely lovely and kind of mesmerizing, watching it just kind of swim lazily. Through the air.
It was so slow and calm, it took Takeo a minute to remember that fish don't fly through the air like they swam through water. It had to be a demon blood art.
He was so focused on it that he didn't see the other one sneaking up from behind until it was right above him.
"I've found you," a creepily sinister voice said. Takeo couldn't help himself. He shrieked and scrambled out of the grove, taking a stance as best he could with his bandaged knee.
He didn't see the pot until he'd tripped over it, sprawling backwards and wincing as his spine hit something very much not good for spines to hit. He winced in pain, but movement above him drew his attention. He looked up to see the most hideous monstrosity towering over him. It had dozens of tiny arms sprouting out from a pale-skinned, muscular body, two mouths for eyes, an actual vertical eye on its forehead, and an eye for its mouth…
And the eyes said 'Waxing Five'.
Takeo felt his stomach drop out from under him.
"Such disrespect for the arts!" the being screeched at him. "I would kill you… if that man didn't have plans for you."
Just when Takeo didn't think he could get any more scared.
"W-what?" he rasped. Then he realized that to even have a chance, he had to try and fight. He scrambled to his feet again and retook the stance, ignoring the pain in his knee. He'd have to deal with that later.
For now, though…
"Breath of Water, First Form: Water Surface Slash," he said, leaping forward and bringing his sword around to where the demon's neck had been… Takeo's eyes widened. The demon… he'd just been there and then he wasn't. Takeo hadn't moved his eyes. The demon had just disappeared!
Behind him he heard the distinctly smug voice of the demon. "Water Prison Pot."
Before Takeo knew it, he was surrounded by water… but he was still in the forest… just… what? How? And… and he couldn't breathe!
"Nakime?" the demon said, and how could Takeo still hear him so clearly? "I'm ready with Muzan-sama's prize!"
In front of the water Takeo had been trapped in, shoji doors just appeared… and opened to a dark hall on the other side.
A hall that had most definitely not been there seconds ago.
If Takeo could have breathed, he would have cried out or gasped. As it was, he could only struggle against the edge of the shape of the water prison. He swam forward and pounded on it, panic beginning to take over his mind.
"Well, then… shall we?" the demon asked. And then the pot tipped forward, rolling along and making Takeo sick and he couldn't even breathe to try and calm his stomach!
Even having his sword with him did nothing to help his panic. He just wanted out now!
The last thing he saw of the forest was the doors as they closed behind him, doing nothing for his panic.
He stretched out towards it, willing his body through the still rolling water, but for naught. The door clicked, leaving him stuck in an impossible building consisting of long, dark corridors and multiple shoji doors, held prisoner by a Waxing Moon, and drowning in water.
I'm sorry, sensei, he thought as the lack of breath began to get to him and spots gathered at the edge of his vision. I'm sorry I couldn't stay safe.
xXx
*Cho is an old Japanese unit of measurement that I can see the Rengoku family using.
1 km = aprox. 9 cho (a little over) and aprox. 0.62 miles. So she's a little under a kilometer away and a little over half a mile or so.
AN: I have some fanart from some amazing discord peeps if you'd like to see it on AO3. They're fun anecdotes and renditions of demon/Waxing Moon Tanjiro if you're interested. archiveofourown (period) org /works/ 31519247/ chapters/ 102446631 (no spaces, (period) = .) - or you can just look for the work by the same name (Sunlight from the Ashes).
Thank you so much for reading! And thanks to Kaylessa, TimeLordTim, Found and Quathis for their help beta reading! 3
Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)
