This was taking too long. Muzan almost had to acknowledge a grudging respect for Tamayo, making up something that could cause even his nigh-perfect body to have this much trouble. Almost. Mostly, though, he had to push away his rage at her sheer audacity.

He didn't have time for this! He'd known that starting his attack early would mean the Corps could survive, but he could still deal them a devastating enough blow that they wouldn't be able to recover for decades or (more likely) centuries, if at all. But to do that, he needed to make sure he captured and/or killed all the Pillars – and he needed to make sure he faced Kamado alone. But all in good time. First, the Corps members.

And he didn't want to wait. He wanted to make sure that everyone was waiting for him when he got out of this state. Just… not this long. He had time, but this was pushing it. And he'd thought so long and hard about this trap…

Fortunately, he could still communicate with nearby demons, although he had to concentrate, which would mean taking time off of breaking down Tamayo's poison. He didn't like it, but it seemed he'd have to spare a couple of seconds.

He switched his focus, ignoring how the poison began to work at breaking him down again.

"Nakime," he said silently. "You said you had eyes on all of the Hashira?"

He received a positive emotion back in confirmation.

"Bring them all in. now." Except for those at Mt. Sagiri, but she would know that. (She'd better know that.)

Another acknowledgment. She couldn't speak to answer back, but shpe could hear him at least as she was close enough. Then he turned his attention back to breaking the poison in his system down. He had things to do tonight, after all.

xXx

Mitsuri tried not to think about how wrong everything had just gone. She didn't want to think about how they'd been duped so badly. She didn't want to think about the fact that she, Tanjiro and Himejima-san had all been stationed and ready for a Waxing Moon attack, only to be faced with weak demons most mizunoto could handle. She didn't want to think about how Muzan had somehow figured out their plans and used their station as a distraction to launch the real attack against Ubuyashiki-sama and Urokodaki-san. She didn't want to think about how it would still take her and Himejima-san hours to get to the Ubuyashiki-estate, even traveling as quickly as they could. She didn't want to think about the incredibly difficult fights she knew she would come across once she got there or the fact that Obanai-san was already there.

She didn't want to think about Tanjiro's rage and anguish as he was forced to choose between his kind, supportive employer, and his family.

It just… wasn't fair! Not that anything in life ever really was, but—

Her train of thought cut right off as the branch she'd been about to land on was no longer available. Instead, shoji doors appeared and opened and she really didn't have time to do much more than shriek before she was falling. Turning so she could see the door above her, she realized she had fallen alone.

What?

And then she remembered the information they had on the Waxing Moon Nakime…

Oh.

Well, she'd count it as a blessing that she was somewhere she could hopefully get to Muzan and his demons sooner.

It wasn't difficult to kick off the wall to her left and then the one on the opposite side, and back again, making sure she slowed down enough to land safely. Then she stood and looked around, hearing nothing but silence. Hmm… which way to go?

In the end, she picked one hallway at random in the general direction she'd been going with Himejima-san and Shinazugawa-kun. Then she took off, face set in determination. If she was lucky, she'd run into Obanai-san. Wouldn't that be romantic? Then they could fight their way out of here together.

She didn't even bother to fight the blush that came to her cheeks with that thought, instead choosing to run down the hallway even faster, head filled with dreams of accidental rendezvous and working together with her possible future husband to destroy demons!

Or perhaps she'd fight her way to him and rescue him and save him!

Or he could save her. She wasn't picky.

"I'm coming, Obanai-san!" she said almost giddily. Then she remembered the crow's message and her smile disappeared. "And Oyakata-sama," she whispered quietly. "Please let me be on time."

xXx

Shinobu was determined to get to the bottom of this maze. All beings worked off of patterns, demons included, and she already had a basic idea worked out in her mind, but she'd had to alter it multiple times and the largest problem was that she wasn't entirely sure where in the maze to go. Where would Muzan be? At the very center? That seemed like something that would suit his ego, but he also tended to be intelligent, so would he be closer to one corner or to the edge of this maze?

Ultimately, she decided to head towards where she guessed the center would be. Even if she didn't come across the Demon King himself, she'd come across something, she was sure. Now if only she had some backup. Perhaps she should have waited for Kanao after all. Still, there was no help for it at the moment.

A loud laugh had her pausing and glancing down a hallway she'd been about to pass by. That… hadn't sounded like the demon king and was too young to be any of his known lackies… It did sound familiar though…

She followed the sound down a couple of halls, turning left, then right, and then left again, and finally right once more. There she found a hallway covered in dissolving demons. In the center of those demons stood one Hashibara Inosuke, his chest thrown out and hands on his hips as he laughed triumphantly.

"If only you'd known to not challenge the mighty Hashibara-sama, you would still be alive to—"

"Oh! Hashibara-san!" Shinobu cut in, plastering a smile on her face. It became far more real when the boy froze at the sound of her voice. He turned around, slowly, as if not believing what he'd heard. "What a fortuitous meeting!" she said, clapping her hands together.

"What are you doing here?!" he yelped, pointing at her as if he didn't believe his own senses.

"Why, searching for Muzan, of course," she replied brightly. "And now that we've found each other, we should stick together, just in case."

"I don't need you or anyone to help me—"

"Hashibara-san," she cut him off, perhaps a little coldly. "I don't think you realize the kind of demons we may come up against. I would much rather have another slayer at my back than nothing. Do you think this makes me weak?"

She could practically hear him opening and closing his mouth in the pause that followed. Good.

"Then we will go together. Would you like to lead?"

He huffed. "Fine! I know where strong demons are, so you should follow me." With that, he turned and stomped off down the hall angrily. Shinobu sighed and then shook her head fondly. The boy was rough, frustrating and obsessed with strength, but he was also a good fighter, cared for his friends, and learned quickly.

Honestly, she could have come across someone worse to fight with (or a demon, even) first.

Still shaking her head, she followed the boy down the hall.

xXx

The gradual dropping off of and then lack of missions in the last months hadn't fazed Miyabe. Imagawa, on the other hand, had been a nervous wreck. Or, well, he would have been, had she not been there to be her usual, sturdy rock. The Water Breather couldn't help but admire her stalwart calmness, even as he envied it a little.

What he hadn't regretted was his time getting to know her more in a less tense setting. For the first time in a very long while, they had free time, and while they both trained in their styles, they were also able to do other things, like travel. They'd even been able to finally visit each other's family and make introductions all around. She got to meet his parents, and he got to meet her only living relative – her mother. While there, he'd approached both of them about an omiai, and after that, everything had happened really fast, ending with it becoming official. In a little over a month's time, he would marry the woman he looked up to the most and hope he could be even half the man she deserved. (She assured him many times that he was more than that, and while he didn't agree, he appreciated her words more than anything else.)

All in all, he hadn't ever felt so content or excited for the future in his life. So of course it had to all go south. He had long since fallen asleep that particular night and thus hadn't noticed when the strange shoji doors appeared under him as he slept. All he knew was that he heard Miyabe shouting in the next room. He'd sat upright in his bed, lunged towards the door and barely had time to grab his clothes and sword before he was falling. She called out something about doors and demons, so something similar must have happened to her.

"I'll find you!" he yelled out before the doors closed and he had to focus on landing. The ground approached at an alarming rate, but he had more than one technique that would help him. He used a series of Second Form: Water Wheel to slow his momentum, and while he landed heavily (and more than a little dizzily), he took a familiar offensive stance and looked around. It took a moment for his surroundings to stop spinning, and at that point he found himself in an empty, dimly-lit corridor.

Thankful that he'd at least had the presence of mind to grab his uniform and sword, he changed quickly, situated the bundle of sleeping clothes and blankets on his back (the futon was a lost cause, he was not carrying that around the creepy mansion he suddenly found himself in, no matter who it belonged to – he'd apologize to his future mother-in-law later, when both he and Miyabe got out of this) and set off to find his fiance.

He soon found himself in a maze where other demon slayers seemed rather scarce. Unfortunately, demons weren't. He found many, many low-level monsters and several mid-levels, and few of them were truly easy for him to fight if only because of sheer number, but he did come out of the encounters alive, so he could meet up with Miyabe. He wouldn't let himself even consider the normal doubts that tended to plague him. He had to come out of this alive, so he would. End of story.

More than half an hour later (as far as he could tell without a watch or access to the sky), he found himself nursing far too many scrapes and bruises, a couple of claw marks, a uniform torn in many places and simply ragged in others (up to and including the acid that burned off some of his sleeves, but thankfully didn't get onto his skin much), as well as an aching foot from when he'd landed on it wrong. But he was alive and he could still fight, so he went on. He didn't dare call out for Miyabe as that would draw too many demons to him, but he kept his senses peeled.

A spinning loud noise had him ducking and spinning around, already beginning a water surface slash. The figure who had made the noise flipped right over him and it took him a minute to follow said figure and recognize it.

"K… Kanroji-san?" he asked.

The pink-haired girl landed on the other side, a bright smile on her face. "Good reaction."

Not good enough if he couldn't even hit her… but he couldn't exactly bring himself to regret that at this moment.

"Have you come across any other demon slayers?" he asked, not really expecting anything but unable to squash his hope.

Unfortunately, she shook her head. "Not since I came down here."

Imagawa slumped a little. "Oh."

"Are you looking for someone in particular?"

He blinked. "Oh, yes! My fiance, Sawame Miyabe."

And that suddenly, her eyes lit up and she cupped her face in her hands. "Your fiance?!" she practically squealed. Imagawa winced a little, looking around to make sure demons hadn't heard that and come looking for them.

"Y-yes?"

"Is she a demon slayer too?"

He blinked. "Yes. Stone Breather. She's been my partner for… a couple of years now, actually." Huh. He hadn't realized it had been that long.

Kanroji leaned even farther forward, beaming. "That's soooo romantic! Do you both use the same breath style?"

Imagawa backed away, just to establish a little more space between them. "No… I use water breathing."

"You said she was a stone breather?" she paused and cocked her head to one side thoughtfully. "I haven't heard of a woman using that style before."

"Miyabe isn't… typical," he finally said. "She's… much stockier than most women I've met and… much stronger than me." But he wouldn't want her any other way. She was also so kind and considerate. He just didn't understand how she could embody so many amazing things all at once.

That seemed to take the other woman by surprise as her expression switched to shock and she blinked at him. "She's… stronger than you?"

Imagawa nodded, a little shamefaced but proud enough of Miyabe that he knew his own shame didn't matter. "Y-yeah. In just about every way."

For another very long moment, she just stared at him, and then she looked as if she wanted to cry.

"She has truly found an amazing fiance, then." She smiled, though this one looked softer and smaller and yet felt more real somehow. "I would be truly jealous if I didn't have an omiai set up next week myself."

His eyes widened for a moment, and then he smiled warmly. "I am happy for you, Kanroji-san."

"Thank you!" she said happily. Then she raced over to him and took his arm. He was shorter than her so it was a little awkward, and he wasn't quite sure what had just happened until she spoke again. "Now, tell me all about your fiance and we'll go off to find her!"

With that she began to drag him down the hallway.

"H-hai," was all he could really say to that. He'd never pass up a chance to go on about his partner and soon-to-be-wife after all.

xXx

Zenitsu didn't know how this… mansion… castle… enormous house-thing could be so big, but he could hear echoes that went out way too far. He was honestly surprised he hadn't caught up with Kaigaku once he'd jumped down – they'd gone down the same hole after all. Part of him was kind of glad… but most of him was really scared and he'd like someone else there with him. Maybe not Kaigaku, but the Pillar guy. Or Inosuke.

(It really should say something if he preferred the Boar's company to Kaigaku…)

He shook the thought from his head and focused on his surroundings again. It had taken him a while to realize the structure reminded him of that one house and the demon with the drums that Nezuko had taken care of. Except much, much bigger. Hmm… hadn't that guy been a former Kizuki? Had he been kicked out because the demon king found a better, similar blood art in one of his demons? Zenitsu shuddered at the kind of nasty politics that suggested.

Wait… was that…?

He definitely heard a fight in the distance, but what caught his attention… Kaigaku?

He bit his lip, glancing away down another hallway in the opposite direction. Yeah. That looked good. Kaigaku could take care of himself and he could—

A cry cut him off. A very pained cry… and then.

"Oh, you'll make quite the art piece. To think, I've done so much for Muzan-sama today. I'm positive I'll be promoted over that scardey cat – finally! As I deserve!"

And Kaigaku whimpered. In pain and… fear. The idea of Kaigaku being afraid of anything like that just… didn't compute.

Before Zenitsu could think better of it, he was rushing down the hallway towards his senpai.

"Unless," the demon said thoughtfully, "you join us."

The yellow-haired boy froze, which made him trip and sprawl on the floor.

What?!

"Muzan-sama wants us to recruit as many strong candidates for demons as possible to replenish the ranks you demon slayers," he said the name so mockingly, Zenitsu almost cringed, "have obliterated."

The Storm Breather scrambled to his feet and began running again, expecting Kaigaku to spit back some vitriol. But all he heard was silence. Zenitsu was too far away to really hear what his senpai was thinking, but he had a bad feeling about this and put more breathing speed into his run. He had to push off walls to turn at this speed but –

"Okay."

This time, when Zenitsu froze, he was mid leap.

Because WHAT?!

That… that had been Kaigaku. Had he really just…? Had he…? But…

The younger slayer barely caught himself and stumbled again.

"What was that?" the demon's deep voice asked. Zenitsu must be close enough for them to hear him now, too.

He heard some rustling of clothing, first from the demon's and Kaigaku's direction, and then from another part of this insane mansion. Was someone else coming? He sure hoped so.

And then the demon spoke again.

"Were you really trying to get away from me?" the demon asked, laughing. "A Waxing Moon?"

Zenitsu had figured it was a Kizuki, but hearing it sent a zing of fear through his spine, along with relief. Kaigaku had just been stalling for time… which meant Zenitsu had to go now. Waxing Moon or not, his senpai was in trouble. He hurried down the hall, still using Lightning Breathing to do so. He may have come up with his own style, but he didn't have the heart to rename the first and only Lightning Form he'd ever learned, and it was still the only one that came truly naturally to him. (He hoped to change that with his Storm Breathing, but that would take time… time he didn't have.)

A 'hrk' from Kaigaku and the wet sound of something stabbing through flesh met his ears and he started running again, but his heart felt frozen in his chest.

"You agreed. Now you have no choice," the demon said, sounding almost sultry.

Kaigaku's heart sped up and now Zenitsu could hear his panic and fear and he turned just in time to see the most hideous demon he'd ever had the displeasure of seeing. He had a strange torso rising from a pot and multiple tiny hands sticking out all over his grotesquely pale body. There were… actually a lot of pots all over the room, now that he noticed, but what really had his attention was one of the disturbingly small hands shoved into Kaigaku's chest. Blood dripped down the older boy's chin and his eyes fixed on the demon in front of him.

He didn't have any hands, only bloody stumps where said hands used to be.

Zenitsu could hear blood rushing through the limb and into his senpai.

"NOOOO!" he screamed and quickly used a Thunderclap Flash: Eightfold to sever the arm. And several others while he was at it. He turned to use another attack to take the demon's head off, but to his surprise, the demon wasn't there anymore. He'd vanished.

"Oh-ho? What is this?" Zenitsu heard the demon on the other side of the room before he manifested from another pot and… oh. Head on, the thing was even uglier than he'd thought.

"What… are you… doing… here?" Kaigaku's weak voice came from behind him and Zenitsu glanced his way for just the barest moment. He'd collapsed on the floor, looking up at Zenitsu with conflicting emotions. The younger slayer knew that if he said he'd come to rescue his senpai, the older boy would only get angry. So he looked back at the demon, who seemed to be watching them with amused interest.

"My job. You wore him down for me, right?"

He heard Kaigaku blink several times, then huff a little, pained snort.

"The pots," his senpai said. "He switches… between them. Fast."

Zenitsu felt himself stiffen, but then nodded in acknowledgment.

"You're not going to kill him?" the Demon asked, sounding annoyed. "He is becoming a demon."

Almost as if on cue, Kaigaku's back arched and he yelled – screamed – in pain.

"I was hoping to catch that in a moment. It could be my next great masterpiece!" He sounded almost… exultant, but then he paused. "But would it be out of duty or kindness, I wonder."

"Kindness?" Zenitsu blurted, unable to really process what he was hearing.

"You humans don't like seeing others in pain, right? It takes days for strong demon slayers to fully become a demon. Each second will be agony."

Another scream from Kaigaku.

Why did the demon sound like he'd utterly enjoy that?! Zenitsu didn't understand, and his disgust for this being rose several notches.

Kaigaku choked and writhed. It reminded the Storm Breather of when Nezuko had almost been turned into a demon. Had that been why she'd been able to hold on for so long?

"H-how many days?" Zenitsu asked worriedly, wondering how long they had, wanting to glance back at his senpai but not willing to take his eyes off of the demon again. He'd been lucky the Waxing Moon hadn't attacked before.

"Eh, only a day or two, I think," the demon said thoughtfully.

Nezuko had held on for almost three.

He'd always known she was so strong. But could senpai hold on for that long? He doubted it, not necessarily because of strength, but his body didn't have the resistance Nezuko's did.

"You're really not going to kill him?"

Zenitsu grit his teeth. "I thought you were recruiting. Why would you want me to?"

"I told you! My next masterpiece!"

"Masterpiece?"

"Of course! I am an artist! Would you like to see my most recent art piece?" He gestured to a pot between the two demon slayers and himself. It shook and then out rose the most disgusting pile of mangled bodies Zenitsu had ever seen. He wanted to throw up. Behind him, Kaigaku let out another strangled sound, something between disgust and pain…

The demon didn't seem to be paying attention to their reactions anymore. "I call it 'Agony in Hopelessness'. These were demon slayers I found wandering around the hallways here after all – lost hopelessly in our very own Infinity Mansion." He gestured around them, indicating the building.

Zenitsu didn't know many demon slayers. He didn't recognize the faces of those he could see at all, but a deep-seated rage began to build in his stomach, under the disgust.

"So, what do you—"

"Thunderclap Flash: Godspeed."

With that, he tore through the room, destroyed pots crumbling in his wake, especially the one with the bodies, that fell to the ground as well with a sickening, wet 'thwump'.

He'd gone for the Waxing Moon's throat again, but the thing disappeared again.

"You…" he heard the shocked voice of the Kizuki from behind him and took a deep breath. There was a reason he wanted to learn more than the Thunderclap Flash – why he had to make his own style. He didn't have the energy for more than a couple of those at a time. He'd have to wait and use it at the most opportune moment. Until then, though, he couldn't stop attacking or defending.

"You… How dare you?!" the demon shrieked. "MY ART! YOU RUINED MY ART!"

"That's not art!" Zenitsu yelled. "It's disgusting and degrading to those you've killed!"

"Art makes a statement!" the demon argued back. "It's there to make you feel! Thus it is art!"

The blond wasn't an artist, but he was pretty sure the demon was wrong.

"The only statement that," he pointed to the mess of bodies with his sword, "made was that you're disgusting."

"Demon… filth…" Kaigaku said, taking Zenitsu aback a little. He wasn't used to his senpai agreeing with him.

The demon just glowered. "No one with such a lack of vision should be recruited," he said, completely ignoring Kaigaku and focusing on Zenitsu, who couldn't help but think that was a little unfair. "You need to die."

With that, he disappeared and Zenitsu only heard the barest whooshing sound behind him. He ducked and rolled and went to attack the demon who had appeared in a pot he'd marked earlier.

"Storm Breathing, Second form: Raijin Drum Ring," but the demon disappeared just before his sword struck the creature's neck. There weren't any other pots near Zenitsu that he hadn't destroyed, but he sensed something nonetheless and dodged out of the way of another attack with a storm breath. It was barely fast enough.

"I hate making such fast work," the demon glowered from a pot that hadn't been there before. "Rushed art is shoddy art."

Personally, Zenitsu thought all his art was shoddy, but didn't see much of a point in saying that with anything but his sword. He prepared for another attack, but another rustle of clothing and a blur out of the corner of his eye made him pause.

"Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo," a high-pitched, calm and steady voice said, and the pot with the demon in it fell to pieces. Unfortunately, the attack didn't strike the demon, but that had been a masterful attack nonetheless.

Zenitsu couldn't help but be taken back at the familiar figure that stood up and turned to face the demon's new position in another corner of the room.

"K-Kanao-chan?"

xXx

AN: Thanks to Kaylessa, TimeLordTim, Found and Quathis for their help on this. Also some of my lovely commenters who pointed out a couple of things and gave me ideas. Love you guys so much.

Sooo... someone stole the first 24 chapters of this story. Yes. Didn't change a blasted thing. Same notes, same summary, same name... shameless. I've already reported it, but I've only posted this on AO3 and fanfiction. If you see it anywhere else, IT IS NOT MINE, and I would appreciate if you spoke to me about it/let me know. Thanks. I've already reported it on Webnovel, but they haven't taken it down yet. :/ Even other people have reported it... If you would like to report it, I thank you, but PLEASE don't flame or harass the 'author' thief. Seriously, that would make me feel worse than the stealing to begin with, so please just don't. Reporting is fine.

Also, there is art on my AO3 account! Fanart! And someone has started a fan comic. I can't even. *so happy*

Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)