AN: Okay, while nothing of a traditionally intimate nature happens here, I'm still going to have a trigger warning for physical violation… because demons suck. Please take care of yourself.
xXx
Muichiro wandered the hallways determinedly, stretching his senses out for anything out of the ordinary. He'd come across several demons (that now no longer existed), but no other humans. Perhaps that should worry him, but he found it difficult to be concerned with that when he still had no idea what happened to Oyakata-sama. That was where his concern lay.
Frustrated, he turned at the next doorway he came to and paused. A large, open room met his gaze. He didn't like that. It felt off somehow.
Just then, a demonic sense twinged at the edge of his senses, coming closer. He stepped back into the shadows and put a hand on the hilt of his sword. He calmed his breathing and waited, watching the general area the demon would appear in if it kept on its path. He didn't have to wait long as the door on the other side of the room opened and—
"Oi! I know you're there!" a familiar voice called out. But not familiar enough for Muichiro to remember who it belonged to. Why would a demon be calling out to him? Unless… there were two demon pillars… weren't there? Yes, Wind and Sun…
"What's your breathing style?" the Mist Pillar asked, stepping out of the doorway with his blade already drawn.
The white-haired man (who did look familiar… he supposed) frowned. "I knew your memory was bad, but you don't even remember your fellow Pillars?"
"You're a demon."
The person's eyes narrowed into a glare. "My style's Wind," he said through gritted teeth.
Didn't the Wind Pillar have a strange tongue or something?
"Open your mouth."
"Seriously, you can't remember my face?!"
Muichiro just held his sword up higher. The demon took a deep breath and opened his mouth. He had a… very strange, purple tongue. So this was most likely the Wind Pillar… although he probably couldn't be too careful. Some demons had shape-shifting abilities. "Describe Oyakata-sama's face."
"How do you remember any of your Breathing Style with a memory like that?! How do you even remember to breathe at all?!"
Before Muichiro could respond, another presence made itself known. It was also a demon, and immensely strong. Both of the Pillars paused and tensed, taking stances. Two shoji doors appeared on Muichiro's right and slid open, revealing a man kneeling on a cushion. He was dressed in a hakama and gi, had a sword (albeit a warped one that didn't look like metal at all) by his side and his hair pulled into a topknot, although the sheer amount of it trailing down his back certainly didn't adhere to tradition.
What really caught Muichiro's attention, though, were the six eyes the demon sported, two of which had the kanji for 'Waxing One' written in them.
He opened his mouth to say something (this could be their Sun Pillar – he had kanji written in his eyes, right?) but the white-haired man beat him to it.
"You!"
The six-eyed demon tipped his head to one side. "Oh. You survived… by becoming a demon."
Oh, so they'd met before? But it didn't sound amicable… not the Sun Pillar then?
(Muichiro wondered if he should feel upset that the demons remembered each other after meeting once and he couldn't remember the Wind Pillar after multiple meetings. He wasn't upset, though. What did that say about him? He should probably care about that.)
"Yeah, well, you ain't survivin' this time," the Wind Pillar growled.
Instead of acknowledging that, the new arrival turned his eyes on Muichiro, who couldn't help it if his breath caught in his throat. He had to force himself to keep Constant Concentration Breathing. This demon… he was on an entirely different level than any other demon Muichiro had come across. His body didn't want to move, even to defend himself, let alone attack. What an aura, now focused on him…
The Mist Pillar realized that he wouldn't be forgetting this demon… if he survived.
"Nakime must be distracted if she let the two of you meet here. You are both Pillars," the new arrival said.
"Don't ignore me!" the Wind Pillar yelled.
The second demon didn't so much as twitch, his six eyes fixed on Muichiro. "You… seem familiar to me. What is your name?"
"Shinazugawa Sanemi!" the Wind Pillar yelled.
Once again, the newcomer (definitely not their Sun Pillar, thank the kami) didn't acknowledge the other Pillar.
"Tokito Muichiro."
"So, the 'Tsugikuni' name has died out."
Wait…
What?!
Even the loud Wind Pillar went silent at that comment, turning in surprise to Muichiro.
"'Tsugikuni'?" the younger Hashira asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer. "Who is that?"
The demon didn't seem to acknowledge him this time, just continuing with his commentary. "It has been hundreds of years, after all. Quite inevitable…"
He looked up, finally acknowledging Muichiro's question.
"My name, back when I was human, was Tsugikuni Michikasu."
Oh.
But… what did that have to do with anything?
As if reading his mind, the demon went on to say, "I am certain you are a descendant of the Tsugikuni family I left behind. My child's descendant. My offspring."
"What?!" Shin… whatever his name was yelled.
Muichiro couldn't help his revulsion. That… that wasn't possible! It couldn't be true! Because if it was then… then this demon knew a breath style – had fought alongside the other breath users…
Which fit with the information they'd been given (he thought… it sounded familiar in any case).
No, Muichiro told himself. It doesn't matter. Calm down. All that mattered was that he fight and defeat this demon. He forced himself back into his breathing pattern and stance, controlling his body's reaction to the unpleasant news ruthlessly.
"Your mental strength is worth acknowledgment. You calmed your panic quickly and utterly," the Waxing First acknowledged.
Apparently, the Wind Pillar (Muichiro decided to just call him 'Shin' for now, that was easy enough to remember for the duration of the fight at least… and maybe he'd get to know the guy if they got out of this alive) had had enough. He suddenly appeared behind the Waxing First, swinging down with a breath form he didn't say the name for.
Muichiro didn't waste a moment, also lunging forward to attack the Waxing Moon using a Breath of Mist, Second Form: Layered Mist. He knew he hadn't actually cut the demon, he felt no resistance to his blade, and then focused on avoiding the strikes from the Wind Pillar, but that wasn't difficult. Shin almost descended into the mesh of slices, some of his own making, but he stuck his purple tongue out. It widened into a horn-like shape and what seemed like an air cannon came out of it, rushing down and changing his trajectory. Muichiro took note of the fact that it wasn't where he would have directed a technique to change direction. It still worked but not as well as it could have, as it was angled too far right.
He followed the attack only to see the after-image of the Waxing First disappear before the area exploded in a scattering of wood chips that used to be floor. Oh, so he'd done that on purpose. The Mist Pillar felt his respect for the man rise.
"You have gotten faster," the demon finally said when he reappeared at the other end of the room. Muichiro swallowed. He could barely follow that move. "And you have perfected your demon blood art so quickly. Commendable. But why are you fighting me now? I do not need your help to take this boy down, as magnificent as his techniques are." Muichiro blinked at the back-handed compliment. It… reminded him of someone… He winced and shook his head, willing the pain away. He didn't have time for that right now.
Shin also blinked, looking taken aback as he came to stand beside Muichiro.
The demon must have sensed his confusion and realized he wouldn't get answers unless he explained himself.
"I assume you became a demon from that boy feeding you my blood after our fight. If you want an upper rank, now is not the time. Muzan-sama will not be pleased."
Wait… wasn't Shin different? He seemed different from the other demons.
"You think… I want to become a Waxing Moon?" Shin asked, incredulous. Then, much to the Waxing First's obvious annoyance, he laughed, loud and guttural and crude. Then he turned his head up, an anticipatory grin almost bisecting his face. To be honest, the expression was a little terrifying. Muichiro decided that he definitely needed to remember this man's name… and he hoped he'd be able to live up to that.
"So y'all don't know!" Shin said through his grin. "I'm lookin' forward to the look on your face. Kamado Tanjiro is a progenitor himself! He turned me into this to save my life. I'm his demon."
If Shin had been expecting a reaction, he was sorely disappointed. The most the Waxing First did was narrow his eyes.
"I see. All the more reason to kill him then." He paused. "And you."
Then he turned to Muichiro. "You, on the other hand, may be of use to That Man. Once I defeat you, you will become a demon to fill his ranks." He glanced at Shin again. "A true demon. Not… whatever that is."
Shin just laughed again. "If you can defeat us," then he decided to use some words Muichiro didn't know, but he suspected they were supposed to be insults. Oh, he knew that one… definitely an insult, but where did he know that one from?
(The pain in his head spiked again, but he shook it away again. Not. Now.)
"Very well. I will acknowledge both of you as skilled fighters by unsheathing my own blade," the Waxing First said, placing a hand on his hilt.
"Get ready," Shin whispered to Muichiro, who nodded.
"Breath of the Moon, First Form: Dark Moon Evening Shrine."
xXx
Obanai wanted to scream. It wasn't an unusual feeling, he'd felt that way often since he was a child, but he'd learned from a young age that screaming only brought you pain and punishment. He'd never seen a reason to change that way of thinking, so he kept quiet and focused on quickly walking down the halls of the enormous mansion that reeked of demon so strongly even he could smell it. Kaburamaru, having to taste it all, had hidden his head beneath Obanai's kosode, and the serpent pillar did pity his pet (familiar? Hmm, maybe that was more accurate, despite there being no magic involved).
He'd been following the presence of a particularly strong demon for a while now, though, and he would not give that up for Kamaramaru's comfort. Mentally apologizing to his familiar, he continued down the halls, making a turn and pausing. In front of him he found a large… space. It wasn't quite a room despite the multiple levels of engawa and doors he could see, mainly because said doors and engawas were A. inside and B. at extremely strange angles. That also didn't count the random staircases and flat platforms he could see, some covered in tatami mats, some simply wood, all at equally unusual angles.
In the center of the space, on a tall structure too large to be a pillar but too small to be a platform, backed by more shoji doors, sat a demon. With a Biwa.
This had to be the woman in charge of the entire mansion. Nakime, if Obanai remembered correctly. Waxing Four? Or Three? Likely the latter. He'd find out when he got close enough to actually read the kanji in her single eye. And if he took care of her now, then everyone trapped inside would be ejected into the real world… right? Well, either way, this woman had to die.
He took a deep breath… and if she knew he was there, she didn't so much as twitch.
"Kaburamaru," he whispered, "hide while I fight."
Now, snakes weren't bright animals. According to what he'd been able to read on them, they had very little room for a brain. And yet, Kaburamaru hadn't had a problem understanding him in years, so he wasn't sure he believed that.
This was no exception. The snake just curled a little tighter around his neck, letting out a hiss of displeasedworriedcarestay that Obanai could only smile (albeit, very slightly) at.
"Together then," he whispered, took a breath and leaped. Not even a couple of seconds later, a biwa note echoed around him, and then a wall came out of nowhere to slam him into more walls and stairs.
What.
He managed to get out of the way before the wall literally smashed him and leaped towards the demon again. This time, a platform rose, causing him to grunt as his body sprawled on the floor. He rolled off of that and dropped towards the demon again… and he suddenly found himself in a very disturbing pattern. Jump, run or otherwise try to reach the woman in the middle of the space, and his surroundings would simply come to life to keep him away and make him lose ground even. It was… frustrating. Beyond frustrating. Infuriating? Maddening? Yes, both of those worked well.
He realized very early on that he wasn't gaining much ground at all, and that the demon was just toying with him only seconds after. He'd never met anyone who could use their defense so aggressively. It felt more like attacks than defense and evasion, and that realization in and of itself didn't help.
Then he heard a loud crack, like the sound of a lot of wood breaking, and a yell. He looked up in time to see Himejima-san literally drop through the ceiling, his mace aimed right for the demon. Obanai didn't waste a second of the distraction. He rushed forward, hoping that his attack would be unnecessary and that the Stone Pillar's strike would connect. Just in case, though, he prepared himself for the possibility that it might not. This was a Waxing Moon, after all.
The demon didn't even blink her eye (that said three, now that he'd finally gotten close enough to see) and another wall smashed into Himejima-san with a twang of a plucked string. Obanai went in for a strike, pushing his body faster, his muscles harder—
Awall sprang up in front of him and while he cut through it, the ceiling fell on him, crushing him onto the small platform of tatami mats and pillows next to the demon. He grunted and forced himself to keep breathing, despite the difficulty – his lungs simply would not expand with that kind of weight on him – why hadn't she crushed him? He hoped Kaburamaru was alright.
Then the demon finally moved, turning to look down at him even as Himejima-san tried to reach them. The Serpent Pillar heard the man yell his name and then another crash.
"Interesting," the woman said.
Obanai could get out of this. He just had to concentrate and move his sword just right—
"I find an opportunity to recruit already."
Wait. What?!
Obanai only had time to widen his eyes and try to flinch – try to move his sword to destroy the column holding him down, but it wasn't enough. Her long, black hair, that branched off and seemed more like veins or arteries as they wove their way around the floors and walls surrounding her, moved. Just one strand, but it shot forward. Obanai could have dodged it in any other instance, but not while being held down by what could be tons of mass (how was he not crushed again?) and he felt a sharp pain in the side of his torso. He couldn't move any farther and… oh, that hurt.
Kaburamaru didn't like the development and lashed out, biting down on the hair, but the woman just laughed. The snake's attack didn't seem to do anything.
Suddenly, Obanai burned. His entire body felt as if it were on fire.
No! He thought to himself, gritting his teeth and focusing on his breathing forms. If he could stop poison, he could stop this… but already parts of his body around the wound weren't reacting to him. He didn't care, forcing his will on the cells that would react.
Another crash and more yelling from Himejima. He wanted to help, but he had to concentrate… he had to—
The flow of blood increased and he couldn't help screaming out loud.
"Now, now… don't fight it," the woman almost soothed and Obanai hated her for it. This… this thing was the epitome of the type of woman he hated – the type of human he hated, really (or demon, he supposed) – but this brought back so many memories, of the too-large mouth and too long tongue and scales around the face and throat and…
He grit his teeth and fought nonetheless, shaking the thought from his head. He would not die here and he would not turn into a demon! He—
The pillar holding him down dropped an inch and he cried out.
Those parts of his body out of his control grew and he went back to gritting his teeth. (Was it just him, or were they sharper? He couldn't tell…)
He continued to fight, refusing to give up, but there was so much of the demon that had become a part of him now…
Did she want him to die? (It felt like he would die, it hurt so much.) Couldn't she just crush him and get it over with? She should… she…
"Now, why not go help more of your demon slayer friends?" she hissed as the pressure on him finally released… and that only seemed to make his body hurt more. He screamed, hands clenching involuntarily, though he could handle that, at least, as he refused to drop his blade.
Kaburamaru hissed his own concern, not understanding what was going on.
Then another wall pushed him sideways, away from the woman. He couldn't make his body move fast enough and coughed when his back hit the wall. Kaburamaru hissed in pain as well and Obanai tried to reach up, to help protect his best friend, but the hand didn't want to respond to him, moving jerkily if at all. Then they broke through the wall, and he hit another wall… and another… and another…
He felt bones shatter and crack again and again and again, only adding more pain onto the agony already coursing through his body.
Then, the column just stopped. He'd lost count of how many walls they'd crashed through, but they'd ended up in an empty hallway. After a moment, he felt himself slide off of the ruined mass of wood and paper, only barely catching himself as he gasped. No, he had to keep up with his Constant Concentration Breathing! He could still overcome this… He could!
But agony shooting through his body made him fall to his knees and collapse onto his shoulder.
"Ka… bara… maru…" he whispered. "Get… off…"
The snake obviously wasn't in the best of shape either, but to Obanai's relief, he could slither – albeit slowly – off of the Serpent Pillar's neck.
"Good," he said through exaggerated breaths. "Now go… save yourself…"
Snakes weren't supposed to be loyal, but he sensed his familiar knew what was going on somehow. The reptile just slithered back closer and curled up against his neck. Something inside Obanai's chest released.
"Thank you… friend," he whispered.
Then, before he could say anything else, he screamed as more white-hot agony lanced through his body.
He hoped someone came along and killed him soon. He hated the idea of leaving Mitsuri alone but the idea of continuing to exist as one of those monsters… no. He didn't know how Shinazugawa did it. And the lovely, bright, clean, amazing Love Pillar would understand as a Pillar herself.
Still, once he could stop screaming, he slumped again.
"I'm sorry… Mitsuri," he said, hating the tears in his eyes.
Then the utter pain started anew, and he convulsed.
xXx
AN: Thanks again to Kaylessa, TimeLordTim, Found and Quathis for their help on this!
Also, more fanart over on AO3 if anyone is interested! Look up 'Sunlight from the Ashes' if you are.
The stolen work still has not been taken down. :/ *sigh* That's my update there.
Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)
